Ken Burton Trail with Martin - XC Mountain Bike Ride

Martin was getting his new bike dirty for the first time! A custom built Santa Cruz Highball hardtail with a 120 mm Rock Shox fork and a dropper seat post. Ken Burton Trail is a great one for mountain biking near LA. I was wishing I had a dropper too because there are so many switchbacks. Check the link below for the map of the loop we did, starting from the NASA JPL parking lot.
▶ WHERE IS THIS TRAIL
• Location: Brown Mountain, Altadena, CA, USA
• Trail Map: / strava
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[@canmtb4676]

Are you using a gimbal for this video ? If you do, please let me know what brand.

[@bengoyette]

I don’t use a gimbal. To get a good first-person POV it’s better to mount the camera on the helmet close to eye-level. The trick to getting a more stable video is to shoot at 60 fps at the widest vertical field of view (to mimic what first-person shooter games are doing). The easiest GoPro setting to achieve that is 1080p60 S. The ‘S’ is for SuperView. Make sure to frame the shot to get both the handlebar and horizon in the frame. That’s the trickiest part. Also, keeping the head steady and the helmet strapped tight is super important. Avoid helmets with MIPS technology (they wobble) and look far ahead. Lock your eyes on the target and your body will naturally stabilize your head. It’s also a good tip for riding fast in general.

[@robert1975e]

Just did that trail today! Great video.

[@bengoyette]

Nice! How was it? I hope the recent rain didn't mess it up too bad.

[@danwilliams9606]

Very nice video and best top down documentation of the naughty old KB trail so far. Makes me 100% certain I never want to do it. Slogging with exposure - you guys can keep it. I lack Ben's sense of humor.

[@JFRides]

That trail looks awesome

[@nicks8026]

This is why SoCal turns out so many great riders. Most trails have ridiculous exposure like this.

[@bengoyette]

True! We really have to commit to the line.

[@miguelcarranza184]

I did that one on saturday! Simple awesome loved it, great video guys.

[@bengoyette]

Miguel Carranza Nice! How was it after the rain? All rideable?

[@miguelcarranza184]

Hey ben! Yes actually the dirt is quite compact with the rain, which makes the ride more cleaner on the bike, lol two days later and still feel the adrenaline going downhill. I have done lake tahoe but i think i like this one just a tad better!

[@batbawls]

Love it. Wish I could go ride today!

[@natokowski734]

Nice riding. I rode this once..never again. Too many switchbacks and the path kinda disappears in places. You young guns make it look easy thou.

[@Eltoca21]

Since moving to Phoenix, I miss SoCal mountain biking so damn much :-(

[@jj0rtega]

Very good video. Just rode this trail yesterday and the trail has changed compared to this video at the lower part of the Ken Burton trail when you drop down down to the river section due to the pass raining season. The trail is difficult to find at times with multiple river crossings. We knew we had to go downstream and we we were able to locate tire tracks and able to find the hill back to the Gabrielino Trail (Paul Little Picnic area)

[@bengoyette]

Glad to hear you made it back in one (dry?) piece

[@batbawls]

Martin's sock game is tight

[@ixcerva]

Does this trail loop back to the beginning of the trail that you climbed up? I’ve been to this point from the parking lot, and have never ridden Ken Burton. Don’t want to get lost!

[@bengoyette]

Isaiah Cervantes Yes it loops back to JPL, very easy to follow, and not much longer than turning around at Brown Mountain.

[@briancardinal1674]

I finally had an idea at 5:00 min mark when i looked to the right and holy fuck hes gotta be up about 4 thousand ft

[@biketothetop]

I don't go anywhere without a dropper seatpost. I guess you mean "don't look down" at 6:47 where the trail it's skinny and slopes down off-camber where it's wise to put a foot down and survive! I must stop watching now, get some sleep, and watch the rest of it later! Thanks for documenting and posting this video. I always appreciate learning new trails from videos like this one. just a little bit of time delay between the Strava Post in December and the video post in April :-)... At least you didn't forget about posting it :-)

[@bengoyette]

biketothetop Do you have one for XC? Which model you use?

[@biketothetop]

Ben Goyette Ben, currently, I have a KS lev Integra. I didn't do a lot of research prior to buying it and I knew they were a very popular player in the market at the time I got it, but one of my buddies also had it without complaints. I bought it new with my Pivot Mach 429 Trail. I've used it for 2 years now with ZERO issues. I'm sure there are many other options out there too. My first dropper post was made by Gravity Dropper. They may have been one of the first players in this market. Laughably in hindsight, it is a cable actuated mechanical post that uses a pin that pulled in and out to locate the discrete up and down positions. I used it for about 10 years on my 2005 Turner 5 Spot. In my opinion, the Dropper post is the 3rd most important innovation to come along to mountain biking during my 25 years of mtb after full suspension & Disc brakes! I find that it is also an excellent safety feature because of its ability to lower your center of gravity and get your weight rearward on a bike for descending... and probably to your point in your video, it allows you to get back on the bike and take sharp switchbacks easier. I could be wrong here, but my impression was from long ago that you are a cross-country racer and probably very bike-weight conscious. If you are moving to be more of a recreationalist, a dropper post is worth every added ounce in functionality in terms of improved performance and safety on a mountain bike! Hence I would never ride a mountain bike without one and feel naked without it :-)

[@kaipiper9405]

what settings do you run on your gopro?

[@bengoyette]

1440p60

[@kaipiper9405]

Ben Goyette what wideness? (superview, wide, etc...)

[@bengoyette]

Kai Piper - Wide 4:3, then I do my own 16:9 Superview stretch in Final Cut. With 1080p60 Superview it would look the same and that’s generally what I would recommend with the Hero5 Session because it’s less trouble to edit. I just gain a little bit of vertical resolution with 1440p60

[@kaipiper9405]

Ben Goyette okay thanks

[@LuisManuelHdez]

😁🖒

[@briancardinal1674]

So no dropper post no knowing how to fakie n swing your back tire you can only fall so far really before shrubbery catches you

[@briancardinal1674]

Oops didnt know it was loose your good