My Narrow Escape From Disaster Rigid Mountain Biking

In this video I will be riding a rigid mountain bike for the first time, the breezer thunder from breezer bikes. I will be riding rutabaga trail.
Visit my Amazon store!
www.amazon.com/shop/mattyacti...
bikesonline-usa.sjv.io/c/4120...
Smith Products - smithoptics.pxf.io/c/4120259/...
Become a Patron! www.patreon.com/MattyActive?u...
Check out my favorite trail snacks! ⬇️ Honey Stinger!
honeystinger.sjv.io/c/4120259...
Use code Matty20 at checkout to get 20% off your honey stinger orders!
All purchases really help the channel, Thank you

[@mnswamp]

For those of us who started riding MTB in the 80s, *all* bikes were like this bike - except this one has brakes that will really stop, gears that work reliably, a dropper post, and big wheels! This bike is 'restomod retro' :)

[@drbyers]

You can’t be lazy or sloppy riding fully rigid bikes. You have to pick smooth lines way before you get to them. This makes you a more skilled rider.

[@hanestshirtsarecool]

You have to be handy with the stealing you know, earn your keep...

[@SurvivalistMedia]

I always liked rigid until you hit the unexpected downhill fast. The shockwaves I put my arms and neck through trying to stay upright have left weird bruises. That was like 30 years ago.

[@famousaimless2]

Just add cantilever brakes and you’ll have a taste of early mtb riding! Spend a lot of time on that bike and your full sus will feel like a marshmallow 😁 Those trails look amazing, thanks for the vid 👍

[@DigitalCity-sj4es]

yeah. I remember those days, BUT tech has evolved and I would not ride a rigid unless im bikepacking. min of a front fork on a cross country bike for me.

[@evo1007]

Man I need this bike, it looks awesome and takes me back to the 90s flying down hills on my full rigid 😁

[@TheLaughingOtter]

I have been Mountain Biking, Kayaking, solo & group Backpacking, traveled the world, among other things for many, many years...and there's one thing I can tell you...Misadventures are far more interesting and make for way better tales than plain old "everything went as planned" adventures. Another great video! Keep 'em coming!

[@TroubleshootGamingMeds]

Im strictly a road biker but i love watching you shred trails. That rigid bike did great!

[@Casitascrawlers]

Over confidence & hesitation are the two things that will get you in trouble. Some trails I’d ride so often you kind of put it on automatic but you get reminded that ya better pay attention & the trails are always changing sometimes rocks will be in lines kicked up by others. Ya gotta be careful man.

[@dragonflygenetics420]

The all new matty arm and leg shocks!!!😅😂🤙🏽👍🏾

[@dragonflygenetics420]

Awesome bike bro! I enjoy watch you in your toy store!!! Enjoy...I'm still waiting on my frame to reach 😪....

[@992F]

I did something similar on Tuesday. I accidentally showed up to an MTB group ride on my gravel bike. It made the trails way more fun. I will admit to it getting dicey, but it changed how much I'll be riding the gravel bike.

[@jasonharris3873]

That's a pretty tech trail for a rigid bike. Don't miss those days where we went through wheels like crazy.

[@andrewpeterson5882]

When I first moved to Colorado, I wanted to get back into mountain biking but I couldn't afford a mountain bike. So I converted my steel any-surface touring bike to flat bars, added the biggest tires I could fit (I think 2.1"s??), and rode a ton of the local foothills single track on that bike for several years. Riding it on stuff it was not designed for was the best thing I could have done for my riding. Now that I have a full suspension bike, not only do I now appreciate the suspension all the more, I feel like my bike-body separation, my ability to pump and find the flow on the trail, and my general bike handling skills are way better than if I'd just bought the full squish right away.

[@noahfranks984]

Ahhh. The Breezer Thunder. I've been eyeing this bike for a couple years. Iconic bike in its own right without the Breezer pedigree. And at such a fair price too. Great choice man.

[@ashurany]

Great heritage in that Breezer

[@kris8165]

Yessss😊 I'm searching for the budget rigid 29er fork! I don't want suspension fork! And I'm already on the ss for years now! No gears for me! Greetings from Croatia from Kris 😎

[@anthonyharris483]

I've been single speeding steely rigid for 4 years now. Quality steel frames are great. My one bike is Reynolds 853 and the other is Ritchey Logic Prestige

[@chazpattillo9116]

Glad you enjoyed the new bike. Rigid is a fun, different experience that more people should try.

[@texastrailturtle7660]

Love your video.i've got a hardtail and a full squish. I prefer my hardtail. But remember never go full R

[@user-yz9cr4gu9n]

Love the trail yinz where on fast and flowing with a little technical mixed in those are my favorites. That bike looked fun to ride on that trail I don’t know how much it would be on a rock garden trail. Keep up the great work and stay safe out there.

[@hippymtnbkr]

Back around three bikes ago, I had a Trek Sawyer. Fully rigid, Twenty Niner, with disc brakes. At the time, folks were getting these and transforming them into single speed. And because it had a split frame at the rear dropout, a lot were putting on the Gates Carbon belt. I left mine multi speed because I was coming off a single speed bike. It was a really fun bike, and brought back a lot of memories of when I started riding in1987. I got it for one of the reasons that it was a twentieth anniversary of Gary Fishers News Boy bike. I wanted the tenth anniversary version, but before Trek's buyout of GF ,they were not as affordable and not in my budget. I rode that bike for a year fully rigid. But I got a lot of hand fatigue on long downhills. At the end of a year, my front wheel got stuck in a rut, and broke around 5 spokes. So the next year, I put a suspension fork on it. I'm thinking the Breezer you got, is from Joe Breeze, like Gary Fisher, one of the first mountain bike frame maker.

[@bobdobbs62]

Full rigid, yep, been there, done that!! Schwinn Stingray 1970-77. Me and my hoodlum friends would cruz the local park trails and farm trails alllll day long. Took up road cycling from '77-'98. I only returned to the trails in 1998 when I spotted a Trek VRX 300 MTB at my LBS. It's been full-suspension mountain bikes ever since. ....I've paid my dues!!😉

[@user-pp7gl1lp4x]

I've seen your videos before and like your commenting. I've ridden rigid, hardtail and full. I highly respect those that can ride a rigid. That's "young" man's work😁 I still love a hardtail. Don't get me wrong, a full suspension is heaven. I guess i just love bikes in general....... Cheers!

[@BruceChastain]

that looks like such a cool place to ride

[@velo.voyageur]

These trails look super fun. This makes me miss having a rigid mtb too haha.

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

Bought my first mountain bike back in 1989. Back then ridged frame were standard. Triple crank with 7 speeds and traditional rim brakes. Tires were 26 x 1.95

[@jasondonnelly6966]

Nice trails looks like you had a blast. Im currently riding a Poseidon Redwood very similar to what you have there and its amazing

[@davidwangeman11]

Really cool video Matty

[@rustychain9518]

12:00 That’s exactly why I wear gloves, elbow, and knee/shin protection every time I’m in the woods at my age.

[@jacksondaniels8169]

My first rigid mtb was a Specialized Stumpjumper in 1989, my second was some type of diamondback in 90. My last was a giant in 92.

[@curtvaughan2836]

Had a Diamondback Apex in the early 90's. It was a fully rigid 4130 framed bike with Shimano Deore DX drive train, thumb shifters, and cantilever brakes. I bought a Klein Palomino full sus about ten years later, which felt like butter in somparison. The Klein was, of course, a Gary Klein aluminum bike, so didn't weigh much more than the Diamondback, even with suspension. Still have the Klein and ride it occasionally, but sold the Apex to someone in the mid-90's. I'm guessing that the Breezer's ride is softened up a bit with the 29" wheels (compared to the old 26" rigid bikes). I miss steel framed bikes, so recently bought the latest release of the Transition TransAm hard tail.

[@jacksondaniels8169]

Yep, that was the name of the Diamondback I had. Apex. It was a dark grayish black color with the prizom Diamondback graphics. With the DX and other components noted. Kleins were really high-end back then, I loved their pearl neon painted bikes.

[@curtvaughan2836]

@@jacksondaniels8169 The Palomino is still a sweet ride - nimble with its geometry and 26" wheels, and I've tried to keep it in good working condition. It's becoming harder to find needed parts or find bike shops that want to work on a 20+ year old bike. So I ride it very conservatively these days. People in their 50's and older still admire the bike when they see it. The Apex was the last steel bike I bought back in the day.

[@EerieVonIII8574]

Next time on Matty Active.... "Rubber tires give you too much suspension and comfort, I'm going to explore cement tires! Lets you feel the trail even MORE!!!"

[@mattj6676]

That front fork helps keep the tire on the ground to allow you to turn and brake, but we always rode without front suspension until relatively recently in bike history so you'll learn to ride the way we all did 20 years ago. I will say, riding without front shocks will wear our your forearms pretty quickly. I expect, even with all your years of baseball training, they were barking at you a little by the time you got to the bottom! Still, simple tends to be more fun in most things, this is no exception.

[@bassw1758]

You should try a Surly Wednesday, I think you would like, between the fat tires, and the steel frame, fully rigid, but feels like a full suspension.

[@Alex-gk5py]

I agree my Wednesday is a ton of fun. Matty if you want to try it on day I’m down the road in NWArvada

[@Edgar_84]

Great comment! I was also curious how would this compare to the Surly lineup.

[@robertdominguez4003]

A hardtail. Good job . Keep riding!

[@kykel4948]

I've wondered about their rigids. I ride a 2018 Breezer Squall Sport which is a hardtail with front suspension. I went and checked out their site recently and saw all the rigids and wondered whether you could MTB on those. This was cool!

[@_Zane__]

That setup might be usable for that trail with like 2.8" tires, tubeless with inserts and low psi

[@anthonyharris483]

Yes carbon bars, steel frame are great but try a titanium fork with it will be even more buttery smooth.

[@seanwise7464]

Because my budget was killed on road and gravel bikes and I couldn’t justify another bike for mtb, I put flat bars on a spare niner RLT gravel frame, used a spare set of Zipp 303 wheels with 45mm tires and have been having a blast on all day trail rides with it. A few negatives are balanced out by the positives in my mind, although I’d like to have at least a hard tail sometimes.

[@chrisedwardrodriguez3360]

Those brakes were the Formula Cura 4 Gold. Bling as hell! good brakes!

[@chriss8375]

As another person stated, try the spank vibrocore bars and put Wolf tooth foam grips on. Then for your front tire pressure you need to find your absolute perfect tire pressure, need to be within 1/2 psi of it. That makes a world of difference. Since rigid and you will get more active with lifting front you will be surprised how low you can go. Brakes may get better as they bed in more also. How mine seemed when I had some tektro.

[@The-Jokes-on-You]

Riding rigid is like anyother specialized cycling discipline, be it single speed, fixed gear, fat tire etc it starts with the right mindset & embracing limitation or nuance. I've ridden most all of them from full bore downhill bikes to rigid singlespeed & all have their place. Find what fits you & enjoy. My two cents would be get a rigid or hard tail fat bike.

[@dtolios]

Cool vid. I would look into the widest tires you can fit on it before looking into inserts or bars alike...these are specced to be 2.5 but the manufacturer claims 2.8 to fit...So, maybe a pair of Rekons 29x2.8? Not that great a selection on that size these days. I rode my SS HT with a rigid carbon fork for some 30mi and it was rattly for sure, even on 2.6s - Rekon for me - and on milder trails than this. Should give it another go =)

[@kossmanneault683]

Matty those bars you put up with the cross bar look cool as hell, but I think they will be stiffer. The cross bar limits how much the bars can flex and absorb shock and vibrations

[@AdrianMRyan]

You should check out a suspension stem. It won't help with huge impacts or something, but they're great for the jitter that comes from all the gravel and small roots and whatnot. You'll end up feeling more in control I suspect. They're a bit pricey but if I were gonna get a breezer, that's 100% what I'd go for. Maybe with a slightly more swept back bar to account for the fact that suspension stems tend to be longer. Also, definitely get a dual-joint, the single-joint ones are really more for drop bars.

[@50whatnomadtravelnursemtb5]

Nice looking bike, looks fun but I’ve had my rigid days….no going back for me.

[@jprelock]

The screenshot of the handlebar you put up, while great for rise, I don't think will be good for damping trail chatter. I believe the crossbar makes it on the stiffer side.

[@claydogmadman7843]

I think Mat you'll get a kick out of the Bombtrack Beyond...

[@thombatty1950]

Great video. I've got a 2013 Surly Karate Monkey that I love. Put a 29x3.0 front tire on it and have no complaints.

[@jprelock]

Seconded

[@lastpme]

Nice looking 👀 trail…I need to explore more trails outside of C. Springs. Enjoy your new bikes 👍🏿

[@MattyActive]

I need to come to the springs, I’ve never ridden there

[@phfay7]

C springs has tons of amazing trails! Man i miss riding there.

[@tomassanesson902]

Awesome bike

[@danielcobb8886]

Entry level mtb's in the 90's were this. They can stay in the 90's. Rather have a cheaper suspension fork than forking out for expensive bars to try dampen the front down.

[@thewatcher9778]

good stuff but get yourself some pads youll be glad you had something if you take a heavy fall

[@skullsroad3642]

New sub here and wanted to chime in on the Formula brakes. Ive had shimano, sram, trp, and magura. After I got formulas, I'll never go back to any of those. In fact, I prefer the 2 piston Curas for their simplicity and looks. I have them in black and chrome. Chrome is definitely my go to color now. Great power, really high quality compared to the others, and best of all, theyre cheap.

[@JoshuaMarcAragon]

Might as well go full stupid and make it a single speed. I did that for awhile and it sure makes you tough.

[@Stockfish1511]

Disaster can happen on anything. Got my new gen 4 rail 9.8 GX last week. Had a disasterous crash, the bike nothing happened. But me, i had really bad landing from flip over the bar on downhill. Could have ended really terrible, luckly escaped with few bruises etc.

[@princepage632]

hey matty, dat is an awesome bike. breezer makes some awesome bikes. I ride marin bikes a lot. they are made in marin county ca. they are steel. i love steel. but matty, dat thunder bike is made for light single trac and biking adventures not doing rough stuff. what your doing is like putting lip stick on a pig and telling dat pig dat its pretty. dat thunder would excel really well bike packing on gravel roads. go load up dat bike for an over night adventure. and if i am right on this, dat bike will ride even better with a load on it.

[@jeromep4148]

That rock section you pointed out on the climb is really tough because by the time you reach that section you are totally gassed just from all the climbing you had to do to reach that point. And how about that steep rock section with the left hand turn at the top. I have seen folks ride down it but never seen anyone ride up it … successfully.

[@brianrivasoconer5543]

Whats up with this background music .. Its like an elevador or a dentist office waiting room music🎶🤣

[@nancytriggiani9565]

Great video! Mountain biking on a fully rigid bike ... the way it all started and has returned to! How does this bike ride and climb as directly compared to a Trek X Caliber?

[@MattyActive]

Climbs super efficiently, no pedal bob or wasted movement

[@vistaTpunksMTB]

Check out the Potts titanium handlebars. I heard this will help soften the full rigid bike.

[@hartspunken4830]

Hey there man, great content and very much motivating! I wanna recommend having a look at the Spank Vibrocore stuff, they make Handlebars and Rims. Maybe a bit expensive as an upgrade but the Bars are definitely something to consider. I'm running mine at 50mm uprise, would always grab these bars again.

[@robertdominguez4003]

Not to many trails in San Diego. I ride the beach a lot.

[@51249ca]

My Breezer Thunder came with Shimano MT500 2-piston brakes.

[@ShredTactix]

Makes me want to go ride my Karate Monkey, right now!

[@MattyActive]

That was my first choice! But surly never got back to me 😭

[@ShredTactix]

@@MattyActive Man, the Breezer is still a great bike! You should look at Teravail tires for adding some suppleness to the ride. Their light and supple casing on some 2.6”Honchos are a dream!

[@maxsmith3335]

I’ve been riding/racing rigid SS’s for 10+ years. Tubeless is a must. Nothing on the front smaller than a 29x2.4 with pressure as low as possible. Ride loose and let the bike buck around underneath you.

[@russelrivera5044]

Feeling all the braking bumps courtesy of full suspension riders. Nice work on the rigid!!!

[@jorges2000]

Nice looking bike. Have you had any experience with Giant Fathom line or Polygon?

[@MattyActive]

No, I haven’t ridden those yet. How are they?

[@jorges2000]

@@MattyActive I’ve only riden the Giant at my local store, was pretty nice.

[@heteroerectus]

I got the surly lowside about a year ago. After about two months of riding that thing on its original rigid fork, my body aged about five years and I went back to the shop to get a suspension fork.

[@crtgamer2355]

This video blew my mind, not only were you flying on a rigid bike, but you were keeping up with the guy ahead of you. How would you compare this to the Hot Sauce? I often wondered, what if you take a rigid fork and combine it with full suspension frame? Just a thought... :)

[@MattyActive]

This feels more like a true mountain bike whereas the hot sauce feels like a more all around do whatever bike.

[@crtgamer2355]

@@MattyActive Nice helmet too.

[@eriksdodges853]

You are on a hardtail!!

[@dirtycommtroop]

Fully rigid and those look like 35mm bars. Yikes.

[@MattyActive]

Definitely switching those out

[@Casitascrawlers]

Suspension front or rear let’s you make mistakes a rigid one mistake & your down & braking is also highly effected.

[@mrvwbug4423]

Yup, my 170mm 38 and 64.4 HTA saved me from an OTB this weekend. Took a line that wasn't a line and what looked like a little ledge huck turned into a really nasty landing, but kept it upright. On anything less than that bike I would've OTBd.

[@lunchbagjones3068]

just be careful on flat turns with that front wheel!

[@MattyActive]

That’s how I crashed lol

[@BruceChastain]

I think rigid is good and cool, but to me it's not really great for going fast, more for really long touring type riding.

[@12kAtYT]

please do a dh bike video 😃😃

[@viralprimenetwork]

Wow, that sounds intense! Glad you made it out safely. We sent you an email, check it out!

[@bradbell4055]

Your marlin 6 would do thT tail 10 x better that's a good bike but not for what your doing

[@Madlux14]

I'm calling cap dude. It's not worth the money at all. You go for one ride, pinch flat, complain about the cranks being too long, needing new handlebars to soften the blows and complain about the brakes. You overpaid for it, it may be fun, but you're already trying to transform it into a hardtail without realizing it.

[@plethoraofpinatas.]

Go fixed gear. Single speed will be easy. Geared bikes are cheating!

[@mrvwbug4423]

Fixies don't go on MTB trails, you REALLY have to have a death wish to attempt MTB on a fixie. Can't avoid pedal strikes when you can't ratchet, coast or ever stop pedaling. Fixies are for velodromes

[@russellscott1909]

First😂😂😂😂😂

[@_Zane__]

😂 looks awful

[@MattyActive]

Choose your lines wisely lol

[@bipocmountainbiker]

Nice bike. I've been riding rigid and single speeds for a long time and just built up a carbon rigid drop-bar mountain bike. It's sick. We should ride together in Boulder or wherever. @bipocmountainbiker