Watch the professionals
Cycling
When it’s raining or your bike is being repaired, some athletes are making great videos on YouTube which are really worth watching. From well-known names to smaller channels, here are some of my favourite people to follow and videos to watch…
Danny MacAskill
Danny has been making incredible videos since he took the Internet by storm in 2009. His bike control and trail skills are second to none. He continues to push what is possible on a bike and often invents imaginative tricks and routines. Danny helped complete Martyn Ashton’s Road Bike Party 2 with his own segment.
His videos are always fun and well-filmed. Although most of his videos feature him successfully completing more and more complex tricks, he doesn't shy away from showing how many tries it actually takes to create the final perfectly polished video.
The Ridge
Danny has so many great videos. Some of my favourites are…
…and he continues to make more amazing videos every year…
Sam Pilgrim
This crazy dude shreds. He is a prolific YouTuber, making multiple videos a week, which are always full of fun. He rides local trails as well as urban free-riding, he can do crazy stunts, session a skate park and has a series where he pushes free bikes to the limit. He rides downhill bikes, enduro bikes, dirt bikes, and electric bikes… if it has wheels Sam can ride them.
Sam has videos with bike builds, massive sends to airbags and ad-hoc jumps with a portable ramp. He has appearances at official events across the world, including urban downhill and slopestyle. He goes surfing, skateboarding and even shreds his electric motorbike.
He gets creative in his videos as part of the “How I See It” series:
Martyn Ashton
Martyn’s Road Bike Party was probably the first viral bike-related YouTube video I saw, as did many people. In 2012 he took a £10k carbon road bike and rode unlike a road bike had ever been ridden and completed insane tricks. In between filming the sequel, Road Bike Party 2, Martyn suffered an injury that left him paralysed.
However, Martyn still rides a bike, and with the help of a modified seat and his friend, he can still tackle some incredible trails. He is also the face of the Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN).
Fabio Wibmer
I stumbled across one of Fabio Wibmer’s videos and it reminded me a lot of Danny MacAskill’s video; they’re inventive and polished. He does some truly big stunts but also tells a story. Fabiolous Escape from 2015 is fun but his follow-up in the snow is another level.
A lot of people are stuck working from home, but this hasn’t stopped Fabio, and his film Home Office video is really well made. You learn that he sees the world differently to most people.
Brendon Seminuk
Brendon’s videos are all about “steeze” – effortlessly stylish – with a flow on the bike. His entries in the Red Bull RAW 100 video series are some of the best, where they capture the sound of the trails perfectly.
However, his unReal Segment “One Shot” is beautifully crafted and is a favourite video to share.
Matt Jones
Matt Jones is all about slope-style tricks. Even though he’s a very good downhill rider, it’s his videos about tricks that set him apart and make him standout.
Recently, I have been in awe of his effort and perseverance in landing three “World’s First” tricks. His behind-the-scenes videos show how much preparation and time is involved in landing some incredibly difficult tricks.
And the finished five-minute video…
Ben Deakin
The Deakinator, a former Royal Marine Commando turned mountain biker, rides some decent downhill courses and sends massive jumps. He’s clearly got a presence in the local area and always has fun with his videos. #OiOi
Olly Wilkins
Olly has a unique style of video creation and editing, a voice that differentiates him from a lot of similar content. His vlog style captures the community of mountain biking in its unprocessed raw form. He often has cross-over videos with Ben Deakin and Brendan Fairclough.
Chris Akrigg
Chris Akrigg is a rider that has similar crazy abilities to Danny MacAskill and has been on the scene just as long but doesn’t seem to be as well known. He has some incredible bike handling skills and also helped complete Martyn Ashton’s Road Bike Party 2.
Chris is capable of riding the wheels off any bike, whether it is an adventure bike, a retro bike or an electric mountain bike. But my favourite video features Chris riding all disciplines of cycling.
Brendan Fairclough
Brendog, as he’s known, can often be found having fun with friends on his bike, whether it’s a game of B.I.K.E riding gnarly ruts or jumping over his house in his “Home Rampage” series. His videos are always entertaining and his enthusiastic personality really shines through.
However, it’s his series called “A Dogs Life Diaries” which is spectacularly filmed and his skills at Red Bull Rampage which really set Brendan apart.
Bernard Kerr
Bernard’s LSD videos – which he tells us stands for “Lifestyle documentary” – are a cross between vlogging and shredding. You get a nice insight into his high-octane life, travelling around the world, smashing his dirt motorbike or messing around with friends, he’s definitely bike-obsessed with the skills that follow; turning his hand to pump tracks, downhill racing and local trails.
Sam Reynolds
Sam loves to build and ride the largest jumps possible. He attends the largest events, including Loosefest, Darkfest and Audi Nines. Not only does he build them he can also send them. His drone shots are also pretty impressive. You can sometimes find him sessioning tricks with Matt Jones.
Tom Cardy and Kara Beal
Tom rides street and trials in spots around the UK. Like Sam Pilgrim (and often featured in his videos), he’s a versatile rider and is a decent teacher. He has shared his passion with Kara who has progressed as both a rider and video-maker in recent years.
Berm Peak
Originally “Seth’s Bike Hacks”, Berm Peak follows Seth as he talks, rides and fixes all things bikes. Seth has consistently been making interesting videos for over six years, and their focus has shifted from bike hacks and tricks to more general mountain bike videos. He built a small trail in the backyard of his house, but since moving, he’s built an impressive set of trails including difficult skinnies, jumps, drops and tricky obstacles – all in this ‘backyard’.
Paul the Punter
Paul is an ex-pat progressing his riding in the British Columbia (BC) area of Canada, a place known the world over for its technical north-shore and bike parks. His style is laid back and he’s not afraid to learn from more experienced riders, sharing that knowledge with viewers.
Yuka Abe and Eric
Van life with BCpov and Van Girl Yuka, a mountain bike couple, as they travel and visit a range of mountain bike mecha’s, from gnarly rock slabs and northshore in British Colombia to Whistler Bike Park and more.
These two are very good mountain bikers, but each have their strengths and weaknesses. Eric gets stuck in his head while Yuka often throws caution to the wind and just sends it. Each of their channels has its unique style and it’s nice to follow their journey as they travel the USA.
BKXC
I followed Brian from BKXC when he started on his epic “50 State Shred” project. In 2020, he travelled across America visiting the best trails in different US states. A highly competent rider, his videos show the range of locations mountain biking can take you; from the “flat” Florida swampland to the midwest prairies and gnarly exposed rocks of Nevada.
Even more channels
Best of British
There are even more channels from renowned UK riders that are worth watching. Here are a few I follow:
- Trail Maps – A group of local riders, hitting local trails.
- MTB Royale – Riding the Shropshire hills with mishaps galore.
- Chase Trails – The folks who build the trails at Cannock Chase.
- Trails Don't Pay Bills – A bunch of local lads often riding Cannock Chase.
- Scotty Laughland – A presenter and rider of all this mountain biking.
- Rob Warner – The voice of mountain biking.
- Rachel Atherton – The GOAT downhill rider.
- The Athertons – The legendary family of mountain biking.
More from North America
- Jeff Lenosky – The Trail Boss explaining mountain biking, riding trials and how-tos.
- The Loam Ranger – High-quality videos, riding and tech reviews/tutorials from Ryan and Beth.
- Emily Batty – Follow a word-class cross-country rider, with bike-packing adventure videos.
Channels
On top of channels from individual people, there are channels that follow a more structured format, including regular weekly segments, reviews and general chit-chat.
I’ve probably watched GMBN the most, with Martyn Ashton leading the segments, but also regularly features content from Neil Donoghue, Blake Samson and Andrew Dodd.
More recently, EMBN has been more useful, led by Steve Jones and Chris Smith as they take you through the increasingly popular electric bike market.