Zwift's Mountain Bike Secrets Revealed!

Zwift (zwift.com) is one of the most popular cycling training apps out there.
It has been mostly road focused but lately they have been offering more and more mountain bikes features and training programs. Today we're going to look at a mountain bike specific course with a bit of a twist.
My Instagram
/ kyahner

[@kshaffer1964]

I've been contemplating a Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer and Zwift purchase for some time now. The only reason I have not done so thus far is due to the lack of mountain biking. I do not street ride at all nor do I have any desire to do so. However, I mountain bike 2 to 4 times a week to include during the winter unless the trails are full of snow. An indoor set up for those "rainy days" would be awesome. I hope Zwift continues on this path as one test trail is still not enough to sell it.

[@TastyChevelle]

Fellow Minnesotan here, just found your channel. I've recently just gotten obsessed with mountain bike videos and have a growing urge to buy a bike and get out there. Glad to see an MN person with such quality content, thank you!

[@KrisYahner]

Welcome and thanks for the support. Satisfy that urge and get a bike! There's never been a better time to be a mountain biker in Minnesota. There so many quality trails and so many more trails that are planned.

[@TastyChevelle]

@@KrisYahner Awesome! I may have to start with rentals because the startup cost is so high just to try it out. Even a decent "cheap" hardtail is like $700 it seems. But I'll keep looking and saving! Enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having if you can!

[@ridindirt]

Thanks for sharing man. Zwift probably isn’t for me but it’s definitely interesting and needed at a time like this. Also nice job on getting the word out to support your local shops. That’s definitely needed. Hopefully we’ll all be out shreddin hard again soon. 🤙🏻

[@KrisYahner]

Yeah man, looking forward to being able to charge again.

[@StellaHulliet]

As an energetic and cheerful user, I understand your sentiment about Zwift not being for you, but still finding it interesting during this time. I completely agree with you, and it's great to see the video creator spreading the word to support local shops. Hopefully, we can all be out shredding hard again soon. By the way, I recently came across a new project called the freebeat Morph 2-in-1 eBike. It's quite exciting because it allows you to recharge the bike indoors, which is a unique feature. It's definitely worth checking out if you're interested in alternative biking experiences. Keep up the positive vibes and happy riding!

[@mattgalligan7702]

Great to meet you at Carver today! Zwift is great, but I struggle with pushing too hard all the time (same as real trails.) Over the winter and early spring, I've been doing TrainerRoad while watching MTB POV videos to try to keep that in check.

[@KrisYahner]

Great to meet you as well! Thanks for saying hi. I might have to try TrainerRoad, been hearing about it from a bunch of people. I didn't mention it much in the video but Zwift has some training programs too that I found very useful.

[@mattgalligan7702]

@@KrisYahner I think TrainerRoad is a good value, especially if you use their website and training calendar. They just added group training as well. I'm sure I'll re-load Zwift next fall for something different.

[@BrianVaughn]

This isn't a Fox 38 video? I've never used Zwift but this feature looks really cool.

[@KrisYahner]

I wish it was a Fox 38 video!

[@Gamebit450]

lmao

[@DM-pv5vq]

Great vid! And great point on not stressing the health care employees that have enough to deal with already! We will ride soon hopefully 🍻

[@KrisYahner]

Thanks D!

[@harrygrimley4352]

Good to see you. Thanks for the idea. Stay safe stay healthy.

[@KrisYahner]

Thanks, you too!

[@kensegel5909]

nice, very cool vid, Did you have to change out the freehub body on the trainer? if so which did you have to use? I have been trying to find on that fits the Zwift Hub, but every one I have bought is too small for the axle.

[@KrisYahner]

Thanks! I'm using a kicker core trainer and I didn't need to change out the free hub body. If I remember correctly it had a HG hub body and I had an 11spd cassette that would fit.

[@franksorry2653]

great video. thanks for sharing that feature. i'm stuck trying to set up my zwift to give correct resistance for the small mb chain ring. any advice here would be much appreciated... then i can try out that course. thanks

[@KrisYahner]

Sorry, I can’t think of anything. I’ve never run into that problem.

[@dangnation5378]

A great video, a great message. Thanks 👍.

[@KrisYahner]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@_Schreintime]

Nice work dude. Thanks

[@KrisYahner]

Thanks! I appreciate that.

[@harrygrimley4352]

I've recently purchased two schwinn boundarys. One for me and one for my son. Already broke the b screw on both. The new derailer they sent is not at all the same. Do you have any videos or tips on how to replace? Do I have to break the chain? Help.

[@KrisYahner]

Oh man you don't want to take repair advice from me. haha! I do know that you'll have to break the chain if you want to replace the derailleur. Park Tool has some good repair videos. You might find something there to help you. www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help . I find derailleurs to be super fiddly to get adjusted correctly. Your local bike shop is your best bet when it comes to repairs like this.

[@harrygrimley4352]

Thank you.

[@ruihenriques574]

How can we Turn to it ? I couldn't Saw it

[@KrisYahner]

Maybe this article will help. zwiftinsider.com/find-zwifts-new-mountain-bike-steering-course/

[@freezingCode]

Hey Kristofer - I'm on the west side of the cities and looking to get into mountain biking. Grew up riding BMX through some trails we made in the woods at my grandparents house, but haven't been on a bike in about ~16 years. Really close to the Lake Rebecca single track in Rockford, and pretty close to Theo Wirth and Elm Creek trails. I was set on getting a hard tail, but see you and Brian Vaughn rolling on full suspension bikes. Would I be better served on these trails with a FS vs HT bike? Originally I was thinking of something like a Trek Roscoe/DB Mason 2/Specialized Fuse/etc. 27.5+ hard tails. Bike budget is around 1500, knowing that may limit the level of FS bike I can get.

[@KrisYahner]

I think a 27.5+ hardtail would suit you well. That's more than enough bike for the trails around here. I've got a 29r hardtail that I spend most of time on in the metro. You're going to have a blast. Lots of fun trails on the westside.

[@georginasprincesstoys7972]

Great videos man.. Which bike trainer are you using?

[@KrisYahner]

Thanks! Wahoo kickr core

[@bytorz]

Do you ever experience spinning out on the flats when using a MTB on Zwift?

[@KrisYahner]

No, that hasn't been an issue for me.

[@0xDEFACE]

Is there any way to get on off-road immediately? I don't want to ride 2 miles before it each time ((

[@KrisYahner]

Not that I know of

[@0xDEFACE]

@@KrisYahner Are there any other off road routes? I'm new with zwfit and indoor cycling at all. My first day of that is today. I have and love MTB and want to ride only off roads. Please advise something)

[@KrisYahner]

@@0xDEFACE No other off-road routes that I know of but I’ve haven’t been on there in a while.

[@giellekefietst3999]

@@KrisYahner Serpentine 8 is an off-road route. It's not the kind where you have to steer like in the vid, but still you're faster on a mountainbike (or gravel bike) than on a road bike.

[@KrisYahner]

@@giellekefietst3999 good to know. Thanks!

[@alen-commentnazi8774]

first song?

[@KrisYahner]

Red Head by Pro Reese - www.epidemicsound.com/track/tmAiqOjBq9/

[@alen-commentnazi8774]

@@KrisYahner ty ty ty

[@chael9323]

Hello, I'm a financially challenged biker and would like to buy a full suspension that is about my price range. There is one here in the Philippines the Trinx Brave 1.1 that is worth 22,500php or 450usd. If you have the time or anyone else can review it for me? I don't have much experience with better bikes. And I don't like to ask advice from the shop owner becayse maybe the things he say is just for the sale and there are no in depth reviews in the Philippines, and most likely don't use it on rough terrain. I live near a mountain and bike there alot. Buying 2nd hand isn't much of an option also because most people here that sells 2nd hand bikes don't know what depreciation means, and would often sell a 3year old bike that has been used on semi rough terrain for 75% of it original price which is still hard for me. So would pretty love the advice.

[@KrisYahner]

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with this bike or brand. If you search for the bike name on youtube it seems like there are quite a few reviews out there.

[@chael9323]

@@KrisYahner I watched the other reviews, and they weren't very helpful, I also asked the guys that reviewed it and they haven't tried it on a mountain/trail where there are alot of debris. I live in a mountain, where biking is the distraction I get from the constant reminder that my life sucks

[@alexmckenzie8186]

What a shame Zwift took that trail off their platform very disappointing

[@KrisYahner]

Oh really! I didn't know that it was gone. That's a bummer.