Why Did Erin Buy A Hardtail?!

A lot of you expressed interest in Erin's Salsa Timberjack hardtail aluminum mountain bike and also had some questions for her. So we sat down and discussed here MTB journey. From being "tricked" into mountain biking at Jake's Rocks in PA on her gravel bike, a Crust Bombora, to heading out to Hampton Hills on her own.
We discussed mountain biking podcast style while the videos in the background are from our latest trip to East Rim in the Cuyahoga Valley.
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[@stevenfoskett5077]

I like what Erin said about getting into a sort of zone from having to pay such close attention while mountain biking. And that trail in the video just looks dreamy. Thanks!

[@TimFitzwater]

Definitely a great trail - might head out there today! Cheers!

[@BigRon092]

The Gravel Badass. I'm impressed! On the Pymatuning trip, she biked 222 miles in two days; I can't do that. Also, she was building a bike and trued a wheel; As a kid I tried to do it, and failed. I had to hire someone. Congrats!

[@TimFitzwater]

Yes - she is super impressive. (I can't true a wheel to save my life - my brain just doesn't work that way for some reason). Cheers!

[@dimoko]

great video, and great confidence boost for someone risk averse trying to get back into it.

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks! I love getting Erin's perspective for that reason.

[@Andre-jx5kx]

Love seeing y’all enjoying the local trails. What a beaut of a hardtail too!

[@TimFitzwater]

Cheers!

[@Galactico42]

Great conversation that hit a lot of things I love about MTB too. I don't have as much time to ride as I like, so it's great to get that condensed experience of a solid workout in an hour or so of singletrack. Also, I want to take this opportunity to say how much I love this style of video you've established where the ride footage plays while you just VO talking about the ride, but not necessarily in realtime. Full-on ASMR style videos are boring to me and I feel need more context, but overly-narrated videos are over-stimulating. This hits a great sweet-spot. You've become my favorite bike channel for sure.

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks so much - I truly appreciate that!

[@sagehiker]

Great discussion bringing Erin’s experience up front on mountain biking. I have a better 2007 Gary Fisher hard tail barn find that looks like it was impulse buy with few hours. Winter project. Give Erin’s theories some trail test on ‘24.

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks! Good luck on the build and riding!

[@DAMN55117]

can't wait to see your next trip video. sounds great.

[@TimFitzwater]

It was a blast - just got home and getting through the footage now!

[@evanloudenback3700]

Great follow up your other video! Erin has a lot of good points, and a beautiful hardtail...looks like 27.5+ (2.8" wide)? Perfect setup for someone starting out. I know when I first started, wider tires gave me more confidence. If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend running a dropper post, it frees your arms and legs to act as suspension in rough stuff/downhill sections. Looking forward to the Gunner video, always fun seeing what setup people go with, see you out there!

[@erinkmolnar]

I do have a dropper! Still trying to get in the flow and create the muscle memory to use it. The few times I've hit the mark with it have been great.

[@evanloudenback3700]

@@erinkmolnar Nice! It took me some getting used to, but now I can't imagine mountain biking without one. Hope you keep at it, such a great way to get exercise and escape spreadsheets :P

[@TimFitzwater]

I think I might get one for my Gunnar - never tried one but can imagine how nice they would be on the steep stuff.

[@jacobferrante1610]

@@TimFitzwater Droppers are great even for bikes that are loaded down, being able to put the seat down quick and swing a leg over is soooo nice.

[@VendetaBrown]

Fantastic video. Riding trails can be anything you want it to be, everyone should try it. Don’t sleep on proper gear (gloves, shoes, eye protection etc). Effective contact points will increase safety and your confidence will grow exponentially. Cheers.

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks! For sure!

[@sleepyholler9519]

You’re going to be a mountain biker soon

[@TimFitzwater]

Always rode MTBs here and there - no plans to stop riding other things thing.

[@jonmarshall1502]

My workmate “tricked” me into trying mountain biking back in 1999?🤔 swore black and blue i didn’t want to do that ever again. Turns out I was kidding myself 😂

[@TimFitzwater]

Ha! Awesome.

[@ashurany]

Great vid! 1990s rigid or even ht mtb's are fun to ride (had several cannondales), but yeah, a modern ht makes a big difference. Being in my mid 50s and more risk averse, I no longert enjoy underbiking--at least not off-road single-track. Just not as fun for me as it was back in the day.

[@TimFitzwater]

Thanks! I hear you on underbiking certain trails. I took one of my 26 inch wheel old MTBs out to the trails last year and haven't since. There are still times when my ride is mixed enough terrain that I end up underbiking a bit - but not for a whole ride.

[@rider65]

Yup, 48mm just about 2" 👍 Great job on the progression. Where is the flowy trail in the beginning?

[@TimFitzwater]

This is all filmed at East Rim in the Cuyahoga Valley.

[@rustyshackleford9498]

Mountain bikes are the titties. You two should head down to baileys. Lots of gravel and MTB trails.

[@TimFitzwater]

We keep talking about it - maybe late summer.

[@TheRickurb]

🏔️🚵

[@njmtbiker]

Where are these trails?

[@TimFitzwater]

Northeast Ohio - the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Its called East Rim.

[@robertgraves3215]

Okay I made it halfway. My take ? Sigh. Women in that weight class, road, gravel , or mountain, will always destroy you, not only on climbs, but also descents . Look at that flow. So Just let them. No matter what trendy kit. Trail/road fairies they are. Precious. Just be the defender , CPR training , defense skills for you are a plus... but FILM that.

[@erinkmolnar]

I destroy no one in any type of cycling. Maybe you didn't make it the part of the video where I said that I can't climb, descend, or corner and that I'm risk averse? Your use of "trail/road fairies" and "precious" is condescending and disrespectful. I work my ass off - mentally and physically - for every mile I ride. And not to be overly cliche, but regarding my size, "everyone is fighting their own battle" - while I have a significant amount of privilege based on society's standards for body size, particularly women's, it's partially the result of chronic health problems and functionally creates a lot of barriers for me.

[@robertgraves3215]

@@erinkmolnar Okay, I should have said "annihilate". Hopefully you've read Lance's books as well as Floyd's. I am old school". The first guy, Lance, was eventually crucified by the french for having too little testosterone, the second, Floyd, was accused of having too much! Both were stripped of their titles with no evidence. Both passed their tests. They were both blackmailed. Billions of dollars were at stake , as well as world politics. Yes, politics Do Matter. Floyd wrote : "In my teens, I raced against kids with $7,000 bikes, and I beat them all !" Can you still say the word "beat"? Or is that now on the liberal "banned list"? How do I know you didn't edit/ add in the climb/ descend/risk disclaimer after I made that comment? Hmm. Maybe I'll watch the rest, there's probably an edit seam in there I can hear. I never heard the term "risk averse". If you support Ukraine, guess what? I would NOT ride with you . Because you are actually supporting 13 year old Ukkrainian boys being kidnapped in Kyiv to go die on the battlefield, their life expectancy there is 20 minutes. (would you send YOUR kids over there?) Add into that all the cartels , weapons, drugs , human trafficking , and both CT senators are deeply, deeply immersed in it. We are teetering on nuclear war and you say you are "risk averse"? We can't say "weight class" anymore? That's a new one, in cycling they used to say "Bantam", ClydesDale", "Lone Wolf" for men. So what new PC words should I be "educated" ( some say "indoctrinated") to use? Your body "type" (I can't think of a "kindler" , "gentler" term at the moment) has nothing to do with "social class"or "standards" . (Has the movie "Peter Pan been banned? no more Faeries? ) It's just what it is , and it's not what it's not . I am sorry. Oh wait, no I'm not. I am somewhat above "race weight" , ( 135-165, extremely low fat content). I have survived Lyme Disease, West Nile virus, half blindness, and all sorts of abuse which I won't mention, because I'm sure you'll just dismiss it anyway. Because you're in the spotlight. (and here come the meme bots with cute little Imojis, laughing hahaha) You are not alone. We are now closer to nuclear war than the cuban missile crisis. Let's ignore your train deraillment . I'll ignore my "Sanctuary City". At this point, I would thank God for every waking breath (Is that still allowed?) I wish cycling channels would focus more on group ride stewardship than componentry, but I do love Tim's insane obsession about all that because it's fun and quite humorous. Trying to figure out if "newer is better" is a classic theme in cycling. The old Brooklyn NY blog writing of BikeSnob comes to mind here, but I would like to see more "conversation" about the "team player" (can you still say "player"? ) aspect of riding in a group, riding in traffic, and being mentally and emotionally "present". Or "grounded". Was John Forrester right or wrong? How many offensive words did he use in that original edition? (I'm sure they've edited it well by now!) . Are Trans men allowed to compete in women's gravel races? You signed up for this. Yes , of course there are barriers, otherwise you'd be dead. Want women's rights? Equal treatment? There. I just spoke to you like you're a guy. Let's all pray for peace. Stop the genocide.

[@TimFitzwater]

🧐

[@Ey_up]

Enjoyed that. mellifluous \muh-LIFF-luh-wus\ adjective: having a smooth rich flow.