MTB, The Pros Use It, Why Maybe You Shouldn’t

On 04/19/2018

Just because an mtb pro (or a bunch of pros) uses a piece of equipment doesn’t mean you should make the same choice. Why not? Well, there are several reasons and I will give you some excellent examples.

A student of mine emailed me accusing me of being crazy for riding plus-sized tires. His argument was that Jared Graves and Richie Rude (two World Champion Enduro racers) tried plus tires and didn’t like them. My first question to my student was, can you corner as well and as confidently as World Champion racers? To which he replied, “well, I’m much better after your camp and I have been doing the cornering drills but no, I’m not that good.” Well, plus tires give me the confidence to corner much faster and aggressively than narrower tires I told him. Wouldn’t you corner faster if you knew you had Way More Traction?

Jared Graves cornering like the champ he is!

So, reason one why not doing what a top mtb pro does is, you are not Jared Graves! Don’t you think Jared Graves can corner better than you and that he rides with more confidence than you? So, Jared doesn’t need the extra traction from the plus-sized tires but, you sure could benefit from that extra traction and confidence!

Reason two why not doing what a top mtb pro does is, change feels weird, maybe if Jared and Richie spent more time on plus they would like them! It took me seven days of riding to get used to 812mm wide bars! My friends were joking me and asking me how much I was going to cut them down. After three days they still felt weird to me and was thinking I would probably cut them down but was smart enough to give them a few more tries.

Reason three comes from working with Greg Minnaar (three-time world champion and three-time world cup overall champion). Who do you think knows more about bike handling and bike setup, me or Greg Minnaar? Well, let me tell you about three separate conversations with Greg.

The first happened in a camp I was teaching with Greg about two weeks after getting my 812mm wide bars (in 2011 I think). I was explaining to the students that the ideal bar width (for control and good body position) was between 32″ (812mm) and 29″ (740mm) depending on height and width of your shoulders. Greg just laughed and said, “no one needs bars over 30″ wide. Well, Greg’s signature bar from ENVE is 808mm wide and he runs them uncut. It took Greg a while to come around but now his bars are much wider than 30”!

Greg Minnaar’s 808mm wide bars

A few years before that, when Greg moved to Santa Cruz bikes from Honda, I told Greg is large V10 was way too short for him. Greg just laughed and said, “who’s the world champion here?” Well, the next year Santa Cruz lengthed the reach measurements on the V10s by 20mm. A year or two later they came out with an XL designed for Greg and Steve Peat (both of whom are 6’3″) that had a 25mm longer reach than the large. Then, two years ago they made an XXL that was another 25mm longer in reach and Greg added a 10mm headset spacer to that! Greg loved the XXL and it seemed to bring new life into his career. Greg’s bike has grown by three sizes since he told me his large was fine for him and I said it was too short.

Then there was the time I told Greg that I really wanted a 29r downhill bike! Greg couldn’t stop laughing at that idea! Well, now Greg rides an XXL 29r V10.

Greg Minnaar’s XXL 29r v10

Reason three is, pros are afraid of change! Ever heard the saying, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”? Well, think about it, if you are a multi-time World Champion and you are used to your current bike, why change to something different? It wasn’t until Greg started getting beat by racers on longer bikes that he decided to experiment.

Reason four, often a top pro racer is paid to use certain equipment. Greg has won racers on bikes from Haro, Orange, Honda and Santa Cruz. He gets paid quite a bit of money to do that and he might be riding a prototype, not what you can buy.

Do your own research and TEST (for at least a week!) various changes in equipment to see what works best for you. Keep an eye on what the pros are doing as you can learn from that but, what the top pros are doing isn’t always the best thing for you to be doing!

I hope this has helped you. Any stories about a pro doing something weird/different that worked for you? That didn’t work for you? Let us know below.

Feel free to share this with anyone you know who could benefit from it.

Create your best ride yet,

Gene

Comments

11 Comments

Justin on 04/19/2018 at 3:55 pm

What are you running? Right now I am on 3.0 high rollers. Moving back to 2.8 DHF/DHR when my new wheels show up
Reply
- Gene on 04/20/2018 at 9:54 am
  
  Hi Justin,
  
  I’m running 2.8 Butchers right now but the roll really slow. My favorite 27.5 set up is 3.0 Purgatory up front and a 2.8 slaughter out back. Got a new 29r plus wheelset, going to run a Minion 3.0 up front and wide track 2.5 in back.
  Reply
Mike Galeoto on 04/19/2018 at 10:03 pm

Great article Gene, it’s good to hear your running plus because us old pros can show the way and everything you said about the current pros is spot on. Perspective and the wisdom it can bring. The nay Sayers point to what a pro said last year..while in a contract. So true. Thanks
Reply
- Gene on 04/20/2018 at 9:51 am
  
  Thanks, Mike, means a lot coming from you!
  Reply
Jean Pinelli on 04/20/2018 at 4:00 am

Great article! Love your perspective and the thought you put into the “why” of things!
Reply
- Gene on 04/20/2018 at 9:50 am
  
  Thanks for letting me know you liked my article Jean!
  Reply
Mark Webb on 04/20/2018 at 8:45 pm

Right as usual Gene! I was a nay sayer also. Said I would never buy a 29r. I just bought a Trek Full Stache 29r PLUS!! Great traction! So far so fun! Thanks for the great articles and skill classes!
Reply
- Gene on 04/21/2018 at 8:37 am
  
  Hi Mark,
  
  Cool, that Stache looks like a fun bike! You are welcome for the articles and skills classes, it is a labor of love.
  Reply
Anastasia on 04/22/2018 at 4:12 pm

Great article. Sometimes being a beginner gives you a better perspective. As a beginner mountain biker I don’t have the “baggage” that I see carried by many who have been in the sport for years. As a result, my first ever mountain bike is a 29er, now upgraded to 2.6 inch tyres, wider bars, shorter stem, dropper post, flat pedals, Pike fork, and big rotors. When my boyfriend was making these upgrades to my bike we heard all sorts of skeptical comments: it will be too heavy, too clunky, she is small woman, why does she need 750mm bars, clipless pedals are more efficient, dropper post so expensive, it will be a pig to climb, blah blah blah. 3 months later and I am loving riding, feel confident and relaxed, can focus on my skills instead of just hanging on for dear life, and climbing is easy because I have all the traction I need! Don’t even get me started on the guys who start their girlfriends on a shitty bike with minimal suspension, xc tyres, long stem/narrow bars, and get her on to clipless pedals which make her scared to tackle any rock garden. Grrrrr.
Loving the articles, Gene. If I could come to your clinic I would but the flights from New Zealand are a tad expensive!
Reply
- Gene on 04/25/2018 at 8:44 am
  
  Thanks, Anastasia, your boyfriend is a keeper! Much respect for the way he sat your bike up! Planning on riding in New Zealand soon, maybe I will add a camp!
  Reply
  - Anastasia on 04/27/2018 at 3:24 am
    
    Thanks Gene. If you are running a clinic in NZ we’ll be there! South Island is where it’s at: MTB heaven. I am a real nerd in approaching learning new skills so I really appreciate your systematic approach and emphasis on deliberate practice. Fingers crossed we’ll see you in New Zealand!
    Reply

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Rider Reviews

Thanks again, you were a great part of my succees for 2005. I had the best year of my life. Part of which at the age of 52, I entered numerous mtn bike races, podiumed 5 times and won the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association series for my division.

Your instruction, professsionalism and emails went above and beyond all expectations.

Kent Wells
2016

Thanks Coach Gene for your time the last 2 days! Your coaching is spot on! I’m so lucky to have had the chance to spend this time learning from the most passionate mountain biker out there – one who cares about the sport and all the techniques that go into it! Total respect! That’s all I have to say! If anyone is questioning or “thinking” about signing up for his camp- DON’T , just do! Thank you Gene!!!!

Gretchen Wavro

This was by far the best use of both money and time in regards to my mountain bike training.
Its 3 days of my life I will never forget.

Jim, BetterRide Camper

The results are starting to trickle in as I have the time to ride some of my local rides that I track my times on. I’m astonished!

My descending time from the summit of Chimney Gulch to the Beaver Brook cross over dropped from a personal best of 6:51.0 to 5:46.0, for the bottom section it went from a personal best of 13:42.0 to 10:12.2. Considering that I really haven’t had enough time to practice a lot yet, I’m stunned at the improvement. I can also say that I felt more in control than I used to and I cleaned a section I’ve never had the balls to even try before.

Again Gene, I can’t thank you enough. The camp was great. Your ability to break skills down into digestible parts, watch riders and help them refine techniques, your humility and sense of humor make you a world class coach. I’ll be taking your next level two clinic this year and probably a refresher next year.”

Mark Forgy
Expert XC racer, Mountain Bike Fanatic

Just wanted to give you an update and let you know that I am starting to experience the delayed effects of your camp. I knew when the camp ended that I was leaving with some new skills that were helpful immediately. But I also knew there were other skills that were going to take more practice, patience and time. Well, I’m starting to see them.

I’ve been practicing descending the way you instructed us but until the last couple of weeks, I knew I was still faster descending the way I always had – I was just more comfortable that way. But in the last couple of weeks, it all kind of clicked.

I’m not winning any downhill races – yet – but all of a sudden (and it really did seem to happen pretty suddenly) your techniques took over and instead of just using them at low speeds only when I thought about it, I was using them all over the trails and feeling pretty comfortable. Now I find myself only reverting to my old techniques when I come into a corner already off balance. Anyway, thanks, it’s a great feeling – can’t wait to use them on race courses this year!

Sarah Kaufman
Top Pro Endurance Racer

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had big improvements in my racing this year after taking the betteride course (about 10 minutes improvement from last year). I got 2nd place in the beginner category at Eldora, then placed 15th out of 35 in the Sport category at Winterpark in my first ‘sport race’. I passed people on the downhill for the first time in these two races, and am feeling much more confident on the downhills (I hit 31.5 mph max on a tight singletrack in the Eldora race).

Jonathan Jones

Tonight was the first night of practice cyclocross races. The cornering techniques I learned in you camp last weekend rock on the cross bike. I was able to carry speed through the corners and off cambers that I could only dream of last year!

I actually found myself cranking up the speed before the corners instead of braking. Nobody else is using this technique. I found my self keeping pace with stronger riders just on cornering skill alone. Imagine after I’ve a had a few weeks to practice.

I had best time of my life on a mountain bike at your camp, and look forward to doing another one next spring.

Chris Cornelison
September 24, 2010

I took your Neshaminy clinic in June. I wanted to fill you in on my race results. I raced all season in the Midatlantic Super Series in Women’s Sport. I won the overall championship! I am so happy that I won! I will be moving up to Elite next year.

I’ve been doing the drills you taught for 20 minutes, twice a week. I almost always preride my race courses. I work on hard sections to figure out the best lines. Since the clinic, I have noticed that my balance has improved tremendously.

So, Gene… thank you for the clinic. I still tell all my riding buddies about it. Especially how you break down the mechanics of everything that you teach. I let them know how you explain the physics behind the techniques. I tell them that the learning environment you provide is the perfect way to learn something, practice it, and really get it. I’d love to do a refresher course.

Angie Wallace
September 15, 2009

Attending Gene’s camp in Sedona was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. You can read skills articles and watch the youtube videos all day, but these will never engrain the skills needed to become a good mountain biker.

Gene’s course teaches you all of the primary skills, and then he drills them into you. You repeat these drills under his watchful eye until the become engrained. It’s been about 9 months since I attended the course and I still hear Gene correcting me if I’m going about an obstacle or turn in the wrong position.

I still make every ride a learning experience because of what he taught, and my riding has improved immensely as a result. Thanks Gene!

Steven Peyton
August, 2018

Just wanted to show you what your lessons made me do this past weekend! If you click on the photo or link to the photo album look through the album and on the 2nd page, bottom row, there’s a great shot of me doing what you taught me to do with my elbows-totally Brian Lopes style.

I was impressed to see myself doing that-a big change in my riding style and I know it’ll make me faster in the long run.

So thanks and I may have some time coming up where I can make it to one of your camps-I’ll let you know.

Amanda Riley, Kenda, Titus, Hayes Team
Winners of 2008, 24 hours of Old Pubelo

Thanks again for holding the camp last weekend. I was finally able to get out and ride yesterday on the falcon trail (loop that goes around the Air Force Academy). There are two sections that I have had problems with in the past. One is a tight turn with two drop offs that are oddly spaced and the landing slopes off into some bushes. I’ve ridden the trail a dozen times and walked that section most times. Once I tried it and endo‘ed into the bushes. When I rode it yesterday, I cleared it with confidence.

I kept repeating to myself “Do or Do Not – There Is No Try” I relaxed, saw the line I wanted to take, found my balance and went through the section very controlled – it was great!

The next section is a steep switchback climb with a ton of sand. I have never made that turn, although I have tried to every time I’ve ridden the trail. This time I approached the switchback using the techniques and strategy you taught us. The result – made it! No problem!

The last thing I noticed is that the whole ride was smoother. I focused primarily on the vision techniques – and body position skills. The ride felt slower than what I normally ride, but it was actually six minutes faster! Absolutely amazing!
Brad
Oct. 8, 2008 (5 days after his 3-day coaching session)

My son took your camp in winter park at age 14. He is 16 and just completed the Laramie Epic (30 miles) last weekend. He placed 2 in the age bracket 0-29. He continues to use your techniques and tips. Smooth is fast! Your worksheets are worn out and weathered from continued use! Worth it….you bet!!!

Sheila Palmer
July 2019

Your camp gave me the confidence to go out and try a few races this summer. My first race was in the beginner 40 to 45 age class in the “Point to Point” cross country race in Winter Park. While I certainly did not break any records – I at least had a respectable finish and more importantly had a total blast.

My second race was a Super D (much more my style in that there is MUCH less uphill cranking) at Winter Park where I got a second place finish in my age group. 3rd race was a Mountain States Cup Super D race in Copper where I came in tenth. Again no records but still having a total blast.

My friends the same age as me think I am crazy doing this stuff but I think they are crazy to be sitting on their arses. Again, thank you for giving me the confidence to go out there and try some racing and hopefully in the near future I will be in another one of your camps!

Will Edgington
September, 2009

Thanks for the e-mail. By the way, after completing your camp in Arizona, I dropped 5 minutes off my previous best lap time at the 12 hours of Temecula mountain bike race (59 to 54 minutes). Obviously, this was a significant breakthrough.

I’ve also noticed that by being a smoother and more efficient rider and by decoupling my body from the bike, I exert less energy and travel faster. “Looking to victory” works like a charm. Most importantly, the basic skills I was exposed to in your camp (and continue to develop) have made mountain biking more enjoyable.

Keith
January 2008

I’ve been wanting to pass on a personal success story. I participated in my first mountain bike race in Copper Harbor, MI. I placed 6th in my age group (over 6 min. behind 3rd place) on a very technical course. Considering the field, I was happy with the results.

My goal after the BetterRide camp was to be in the top 3 in the same race with a similar field. With my new found skills I placed 1st this time with 2nd place over 7 min. behind. I tore it up! Thanks, I’m always telling people that no matter how much they think they know how to ride a mountain bike, they owe it to themselves to attend one of your camps. A year later I still practice my skills every time I’m out.

BTW, a while back you suggested some reading material. I chose Body, Mind Mastery by Dan Millman. (in audio book form). Not only do I feel it helped my mountain bike skills with things like, how tension is counter productive and how the “opponent is not the enemy, but instead the teacher” it also helped me in my own personal life. Good recommendation!
Keep up the good job.

Rich Schmit
April 2011

Gene and fellow BetterRiders!
I have been smiling all day long today, thinking about our rad weekend together! I taught 4 of my kids how to do wheelies today and they thought I was super cool for a solid 5 minutes until they had it completely mastered and were smoking past my on their rear wheels.

Thank you forever, Gene, for sharing your passion and deciding to teach. An empowering, motivating, completely exhilarating weekend. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning with my new toy. It was a total honor to cross paths with you all!

Currently standing on one leg while I brush my teeth and dictate this email…
Jen

Friends took the 3 day a while ago and really enjoyed it.

I didn’t think I was ready for that but I hired him privately for most of a day. Best experience going. It helped my skiing also. Eyes, eyes and balance via movement on the bike.

Steamboat in the rain…..

John Rostenbur

MTB Skills Camp in Fraser, CO. It was amazing. Phenomenal skills coach, Coach Gene Hamilton, literally broke down the fundamentals of mountain biking in 3 days. Super fun fellow campers. Enjoyed every bit.

Now I need to practice and strengthen some new neural circuits. If you want to improve your MTB skills, no matter your level, take a course from Better Ride.
Patricia George

Thank you, Gene! I thoroughly enjoyed your skills camp. One of the most effective learning environments I have experienced to date. Now it is all about due diligence!

I am interested in a “day with Gene in Moab” and future course offerings.

Ryan Bertram

Gene, The first thing I did was buy some cones. My drive way is pretty steep so can do switch backs there. My pedal wheelies are coming along. Yesterday I had a bit of a breakthrough ride with my vision. On a ride with some small drop offs I realized by using the vision technique I was more balanced, more comfortable and jumped further without trying.

That was the best clinic I have ever done. Thanks for the reading list. I’ve read a number of those books but I now have more to read.

Don Leet