Mountain bikers may struggle to learn new skills or add fitness and that's completely normal. However, we can learn, progress and become stronger riders without the mental suffering! Give yourself grace, recognize your inherent worthiness and celebrate all the small wins on this amazing mountain bike journey!

Share the stoke, progression and MTB lessons as Dan recounts two awesome South Mountain rides in Phoenix, Arizona! First up was a National Trail Technical Climbing CLINIC with new friends Mike & Stefanie McDaniel! The very next day Jeff, Joe, Ryan and Dan embarked on a massive 5 1/2 hour South Mountain Epic Trail Ride called "National Trail Coast to Coast." Progression on tech, climbing, descending and fitness all in one massive ride!

The guys also discuss giving grace to ourselves around the holiday season (and all the extra eating we may have done!). Let go of judgement and step into presence on the trail and in life! Join the conversation as we debate MTB trials skills vs. moto skills, radial tires for MTB, tech climbs, body position, short travel vs. long travel bikes, learning from better riders and much more!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Sage: Nick, Christian & the Infinity Demo! - Sage sessioned some frozen jumps and learned from expert level jumpers. Thank you Keswick Cycles for the Specialized Stumpjumper 15 demo!

Dan: Dan appreciates all the riders he's met in Arizona so far. Gratitude to all the people he's met and who have welcomed him on group rides. Special shout out to listener Jeff Jackson for getting this all started! Mountain bikers are the best! Jeff’s Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jeffjacksonmtb

MTB Tip of the Week:

Follow Riders Better than You! If you have the opportunity to ride with mountain bikers better than you, take it! Observe, ask questions, learn and progress!

Featured Riders:

Mike - https://www.instagram.com/rosenfieldmike/ Sean - https://www.instagram.com/saguarosingletrack/ Stefanie - https://www.instagram.com/m0sstef/ Jeff - https://www.instagram.com/jwinsor20/ Joe - https://www.instagram.com/_mojoe_/ Ryan - https://www.instagram.com/ryanwilliamjames/ Nick – https://www.instagram.com/jns1014/ Christian - https://www.instagram.com/_______christian_/

Additional Links:

Schwalbe Radial Tires - https://www.schwalbetires.com/radialtires-mtb/ CST Tires - https://www.csttires.com/us/tires/bike/ American Classic Tires - https://www.amclassic.com/

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Eh6WHHETRvQ

The Ride and Laugh MTB podcast is hosted by Dan @the_ride_abides and Sage @TrailSage. Join us as we discuss all things mountain biking! Riding technique, MTB gear, bikes, nutrition, fitness, mindset and more! Feel the gratitude. Flow on the trails, Flow in life! Please enjoy the content then like and subscribe. Join the Ride & Laugh community in the comments and/or rideandlaugh1@gmail.com.

#MTB #MountainBike #MTBPodcast #MTBtips

2025 means unlimited progression on our mountain bikes! Join us as we refine our bike jumping skills, improve body position, increase confidence and unlock more flow & joy on the trails!

Dan & Sage discuss their 2025 MTB & Podcast goals. Move forward from fear, make 'shapes' in the air and be open to advice! How much does beer/alcohol play in your mountain biking? Why is jumping a smaller bike more technical than a larger mountain bike? Practice being present on easy trails, so you're 'locked in' and present on the harder trails!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Dan: Godeson Presta Tire Gauge - Dan appreciates this little gadget for checking mountain bike tire PSI before each ride! Tire PSI is so important in mountain biking and this simple gadget confirms that Dan's tires are exactly where he wants them before each ride. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09GF2D326/

Sage: Ceres MTB Crew (Steve, Nic, Ed, and Mike) - Sage is incredibly grateful for the tour, advice, encouragement and stoke from this awesome crew of riders! The trail building and the riding at Ceres has been a huge part of Sage's progression, jump journey and MTB joy! Thank you fellas!

MTB Tip of the Week:

How to stay 'present' on the trail! Before your ride, set an intention or a goal to work on. Focus on one or two skills to practice and look for opportunities to practice as you ride. Not only will this keep your mind in the moment, the practice will make you a better rider!

Featured Riders:

Nik “Salty Shredz” https://www.instagram.com/jns1014/ Mike - Ceres MTber https://www.instagram.com/ceresmtber/ Steve - Bent Spokes MTB https://www.instagram.com/bentspokesmtb/ Ed https://www.instagram.com/chefboyar_edd/

Additional Links:

Lee Likes Bikes - https://www.llbmtb.com/ Ceres Park: https://www.trailforks.com/region/ceres-park/

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/gfPjo1siZ5g

The Ride and Laugh MTB podcast is hosted by Dan @the_ride_abides and Sage @TrailSage. Join us as we discuss all things mountain biking! Riding technique, MTB gear, bikes, nutrition, fitness, mindset and more! Feel the gratitude. Flow on the trails, Flow in life! Please enjoy the content then like and subscribe. Join the Ride & Laugh community in the comments and/or rideandlaugh1@gmail.com.

#MTB #MountainBike #MTBPodcast #MTBtips

We're upgrading our mountain bike operating system from moving backwards with fear to moving forward with aggressive confidence! Take a deep dive into clever techniques and new thought patterns to perfectly balance on the bike and attack the trails with increasing confidence!

The 'fear response' of leaning back on the bike is not serving Dan so Sage suggests a new 'fear response' of moving forward with trust in our MTB skills! We do not need to be the kind of riders we thought we were. Let's all update our belief systems to be the best riders we can imagine! Also discussed are trials bikes, BMX & moto for MTB Skills, tips for riding trails "blind," best MTB tires and much more! Flow on the bike, flow in life! Anything is possible and you're unlimited! We got this!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Sage: Demo of the new Specialized Stumpjumper 15! Thank you Sean at Specialized for making it happen! Early reports from Sage are that the Stumpjumper feels incredibly stable/planted on the ground and instantly comfortable in the air! The bike wouldn't allow a pre-ride. It goes! Huge gratitude to Sean, Keswick Cycles and Main Line Cycles for making this demo happen! Specialized Stumpjumper 15 https://www.specialized.com/us/en/stumpjumper

Dan: Dirt Therapy Project! Helping military veterans find healing through mountain biking! Everything we love about mountain biking all wrapped up in a great cause. Fun, stoke, community, joy, laughter, progression and appreciation! Happiness through Mtbing! Consider joining your local Dirt Therapy chapter, donating or buying some swag to support this great cause! Dirt Therapy Project https://veteransfuture.org/pages/dirt-therapy

MTB Tip of the Week:

When you're leading a group ride, you have to pay attention to all elements of all riders. Set a pace that is comfortable, provide a good warmup and choose progressive jump and/or tech features that everyone can enjoy.

Featured Riders:

Alena https://www.instagram.com/alayna_mtb Andrew https://www.instagram.com/heyitsblandrew Mike https://www.instagram.com/mikepetruzzi Danae https://www.instagram.com/danae.dearden JeffJackson MTB: https://www.instagram.com/jeffjacksonmtb

Additional Links:

Slanted Ground - Breaking the Glass Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJjcfVS78VE Keswick Cycles https://www.instagram.com/keswickcycle.paoli Mainline Cycles https://www.instagram.com/mainline.cycles Hawes Trail Alliance: https://www.instagram.com/hawestrailalliance/ Mt Penn: https://www.trailforks.com/region/mount-penn-preserve

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Mrmcg7vn1gM

The Ride and Laugh MTB podcast is hosted by Dan @the_ride_abides and Sage @TrailSage. Join us as we discuss all things mountain biking! Riding technique, MTB gear, bikes, nutrition, fitness, mindset and more! Feel the gratitude. Flow on the trails, Flow in life! Please enjoy the content then like and subscribe. Join the Ride & Laugh community in the comments and/or rideandlaugh1@gmail.com.

#MTB #MountainBike #MTBPodcast #MTBtips