53 yr old went to pisgah and dupont in sept for a week of riding mountains 5 days straight! Ridgeline was the best I've ever been on!! Highly recommend!
NWA Local here, Joe is a great guy and a friend, so glad he was able to tow you in! I think fear is totally natural when attempting new features, I think where people get in trouble is not having enough "time under task". Progressive overload makes you comfy with the feeling you experience on big drops and fast DH runs. The amount of time you spend pushing yourself, ever so slightly, adds up. When I used to ski race we'd have hundreds of repetitions and runs to figure out timing and technique in practice. I love how visually intimidating Drop the Hammer is, it makes you think, which probably prevents a lot of people who are not ready yet from hitting it. In reality, it's one of the most forgiving and smooth drops of that size around.
Those guys were awesome. Just love the community you guys have there, so warming and encouraging! I agree, I think the fact DTH looks intimidating keeps people who know they’re not ready from hitting it and for the people who push themselves are rewarded!
Nice work dude. 41yr old shredder here. Im going to Bentonville in March for my birthday and plan to cross Drop the Hammer off my list. Ive been watching hours of videos of other people doing it and I feel ready for it. Thanks for the cool breakdown of your own experience, really helps me feel good about it 🤘
54, almost 55 shredder here. Love the name Midlife Shredder, so I just bought a tshirt and hoodie. Been to Bentonville twice now. Nov ‘20 and March ‘23. Conquered and beat a lot of fears down there. Tow ins are key. Have nailed everything at Coler with style. Other places I’ve hit up down there. Blowing Springs(Mad Hatter, Area 51, have done that one you feared out on), Back 40, Handcut Hollow, everything at Slaughter Pen of course, Mt Fitzgerald, Passion Play and Lake Leatherwood in Eureka Springs, Centennial Park in Fayetteville, and Buffalo River in Ponca. Love em all, and there are still so many others to hit up. Howler is definitely on the list, that place looks sick! Great vid, keep it up on facing them fears.
There is so much there! Can’t wait to get back and hit the stuff we missed. You’ll love Howler, it’s still new and only handful of trails but they’re so fun and you can ride them differently each time choosing different lines. So fun. Can’t wait to see how they expand! Thanks for supporting the channel! 👊🏼
I like how you phrased it as intuition. There’s a difference between fear and anxiety. Anxiety is a constant buzzing that includes over analysis of worst possible outcomes, versus fear, which as you described, is a visceral powerful reaction to a stimulus and has kept humans alive for millennia. Thanks for doing this video man, we all fear stuff and it’s good to discuss it!
I can relate to a lot of the themes in this video. Thanks for putting yourself out there Bobby, that's not easy. From a production standpoint fantastic edit, I enjoyed your commentary throughout, b-roll and quality of work overall. Good luck with the channel.
Great stuff! At 56 I'm always running that calculator or fun vs risk vs punishment for failure. We were in NWA early November and took the learning to jump clinic with @annekebeerten and in 3 hours went from not jumping or at best, awkwardly casing things, to clearing decent sized tables and safely casing things we are not up to completely clearing. Spent another 4+ hours riding all over Bentonville for over 40 miles on the day getting air wherever we could to reinforce what we learned in the morning clinic. Been planning to move to NWA since before covid - should have been moved there by now except for nutty housing market. Once we get there for good I expect to progress a bunch and be one of those guys towing people in!
We ran into Anneke while at The Castle. She was doing a private lesson so we didn’t want to interrupt but we said Hi. I can see how anyone could progress with Bentonville in their backyard. The thought has crossed my mind many times! 😜
Awesome man. I have stood on that line many times debating it. I think the new drops at the Slaughter Pen skills park are a better practice for it. I just got back from Bentonville on Sunday. I would love to send that line.
Great video! I'm 45 and have been biking for 4 years now. I hit Drop the Hammer for the first time last October. It's twice the size of anything I've done previously...AND I was on a rental eMTB! I don't own an eMTB so I was a bit concerned if I needed to throw my weight differently. Turns out you don't. It was amazing! I'm glad you got to hit it!
@@midlifeshredder yeah, I have friends who are constantly asking me how I went from small jumps to a 10'+ drop so quickly. I'm still scared of jumps though. 🤣
Bobby, really great video, thank you. The biggest gap to clear, most of the time in MTB'ing, is the gap between our ears. So much of what we do is mental. Sure, there's lots of riders that go gonzo, but that's not what most mid-life guys/gals are looking to do. I once read, "All this may be lawfull, not all things are advantageous." Just because "we can" doesn't mean we should. Three years ago, 1st ride on my new full squish, 20 mins in on a trail I'd ridden dozenssssss of times (Rollercoaster, Alafia MTB Trails, FL) I dropped in with the full intent of rolling the tabletop. I want to be careful, I hear my wife's voice in my head, "Don't get hurt" - "Oh look, there's a bypass. I want to be super careful, I'll take that. Oh, look, there's a little jump. Let me just pop off of this little jump because I wussed out on the table." I'd never taken this line before, it was a Gap Jump. I endowed into the 2nd, OTB'ed, and taco'ed my front wheel. I could be eating through a straw right now, so I'll settle for the permanent click in my neck. But the mental damage I was GIANT. It's really hard to jump anymore, at 57 yrs. Like you said, we don't heal as fast as we used to, and we have a LOT of people counting on us - we're not 14 yrs old anymore. We can still have fun, though. This past Friday, I did something I hadn't done in 40 years. I took a couple of runs on my very old 24" Redline at Alafia, on Lost Meadow (jump line) and had a lot of fun. Barely got any air, but it was still fun. Be safe, Bobby, we're not 14 anymore. Thanks again for such a great video.
Turned 43 this past summer and got back into riding after 13 years of not riding. And watching your content has really helped with my riding confidence and helps pit it all into perspective with being a MidLife Shredder myself!! Keep it up the great work🤘🏼🤘🏼🇨🇦🇨🇦
Bravo ! ~! Drop the hammer cracks me up as I did it once towed-in and had not really looked at it. Then I looked at it . . . .from every angle . . . and could not do it a second time that day. Your brain says NO NO NO ! 😆
Awesome vid! I definitely respect the fear as an ex DH racer. I had a nasty crash at 15 and shattered my wrist and lost a collar bone. About 7 years ago I had another crash and that same wrist had to be rebuilt with a spider plate. Now at 43 I just got a new ride to get back into it. The wife, who is 50, got one as well. The risk is a little higher now at our age so we’re not quite riding what I used to, but looking to shred some trails like the ones you showed. Definitely excited to see how both my brain and body handle this!
Yeah man, love you’re getting back into it. I started late so I don’t have any history of major crashes but I’ve had a few that have taking me out for a bit. The healing time is definitely longer as you get older. 😜
Love this. Just started riding about 7 months ago and love to jump but definitely experience some of the same. We don't heal like we used to lol. Great video
Great videos! I hike a lot of the trails in Bentonville/Bella Vista. Others are obviously bikes only so its cool to get to see them! I remember hiking Mad Hatter watching this guy do the jump, thinking "we didn't have that when i was a kid"... dude was my age if not older! (I'm always watching and listening for bikes so i can step off)
Great video...I just hit area 51 and mad hat this weekend. Very muddy but a lot of fun. DTH was closed so got to try next week. Those 2 are a very good progress to DTH.
I am 47, and I can totally understand where you are coming from. If anything looks to sketchy for I will not ride it. I can't afford any broken bones....lol.
Midlifer here trying to do my thing. Thanks for the inspiration and useful content. I’m digging the logo. Deff getting some merch to rep for the young’s at heart 🤟🏼
That shit's funny. I'm in recovery from breaking the ball-joint of my left shoulder into THREE pieces! Hahaha. DON"T let fear RULE your decision making. There are worse things than broken bones,... some wounds can go much deeper.
I went to bentonville in October and drop the hammer was closed but I did get to the rail yard and hit the largest of the dirt drops behind the park. If you went to the rail yard did you hit those drops? If so how did the biggest one compare to drop the hammer?
The website is going through some changes. But until then you can get some swag on the store linked to my UA-cam page or hard goods at shop.midlifeshredder.com 🤙🏼
Both the Wire and Timp are great bikes! I love my La Sal so when I saw the geo and kinematics were almost identical I knew that was the bike for me. But the Wire is a great all rounder, reminds me of the Delano Peak if it had a motor!
Ive been riding mtb 33 years. Never been a big jumper but still have alot of fun. I would have no problem riding right around that. Most dropoffs suck anyway. Lets see how hard I can slam into the ground😅
I finally figured out to listen to that little voice in my head (now 53) If we have a 6th sense....that's it. Listen to it....something is telling you to not do what you are about to do....come back and do it again another day when you are good to go.
I’m 47, been riding mtb since I was 15. I give the same advice to all of my trail riding friends that struggle with bigger features. Get a season pass to a bike park. Don’t trail ride for an entire season, just hit drops, jump lines, steep tech shit at the park. I barely trail ride anymore because the level of difficulty is so low compared to my local park (Mountain Creek). Don’t just go to the park 3 times per season, go every weekend. Live there. Watch the local shredders. Ask them to tow you in to things. Get comfortable with REAL speed. Before you know it you’ll be making trips to Thunder to hit Fort Hill
It's crazy what someone leading you can do ....to help you... or hurt you. Confidence without competence can be a problem...but one doesn't know what one doesn't try... So my advice...know Jesus as Lord and Savior FIRST...cuz one never knows when that last send....sends you to Him. God's Only Son Permits Eternal Life! 😇🙏💪 I'm 52 and occasionally have time to shred a bit...Got an old frankenride... but have been spending more time at work than on the bike...plus I got some repairs to make. 😅🤣😂
Thanks for sharing, I have a lot of familiar sentiments. We live here and I know I have the skills to drop the hammer just haven’t done it yet. Maybe someday soon…
Honest feedback? Boring video. There are millions of folks who can record themselves riding tough features and then put the video on the web. You apologized for rambling and not having a special story to tell, so you knew the video was not up to snuff before you posted it. Why post it then? Couldn’t finish the video. If you want my time, please make it worthwhile. Just unsolicited advice. All the best.
Consider a scenario where other people enjoy things you don't or can learn from things you can't. Just sayin'. I can appreciate this video for what it is without the need to be "entertained". Making videos like this - even the "boring" ones - take HOURS and lots of planning and thinking. Kudos to Bobby for baring his fears and sharing with us.
53 yr old went to pisgah and dupont in sept for a week of riding mountains 5 days straight! Ridgeline was the best I've ever been on!! Highly recommend!
NWA Local here, Joe is a great guy and a friend, so glad he was able to tow you in! I think fear is totally natural when attempting new features, I think where people get in trouble is not having enough "time under task". Progressive overload makes you comfy with the feeling you experience on big drops and fast DH runs. The amount of time you spend pushing yourself, ever so slightly, adds up. When I used to ski race we'd have hundreds of repetitions and runs to figure out timing and technique in practice. I love how visually intimidating Drop the Hammer is, it makes you think, which probably prevents a lot of people who are not ready yet from hitting it. In reality, it's one of the most forgiving and smooth drops of that size around.
Those guys were awesome. Just love the community you guys have there, so warming and encouraging! I agree, I think the fact DTH looks intimidating keeps people who know they’re not ready from hitting it and for the people who push themselves are rewarded!
Nice work dude. 41yr old shredder here. Im going to Bentonville in March for my birthday and plan to cross Drop the Hammer off my list. Ive been watching hours of videos of other people doing it and I feel ready for it. Thanks for the cool breakdown of your own experience, really helps me feel good about it 🤘
Yeah man, glad I can help! Even if you’ve done drops half this size you can hit this! Send it! 🤘🏼
54, almost 55 shredder here. Love the name Midlife Shredder, so I just bought a tshirt and hoodie. Been to Bentonville twice now. Nov ‘20 and March ‘23. Conquered and beat a lot of fears down there. Tow ins are key. Have nailed everything at Coler with style. Other places I’ve hit up down there. Blowing Springs(Mad Hatter, Area 51, have done that one you feared out on), Back 40, Handcut Hollow, everything at Slaughter Pen of course, Mt Fitzgerald, Passion Play and Lake Leatherwood in Eureka Springs, Centennial Park in Fayetteville, and Buffalo River in Ponca. Love em all, and there are still so many others to hit up. Howler is definitely on the list, that place looks sick!
Great vid, keep it up on facing them fears.
There is so much there! Can’t wait to get back and hit the stuff we missed. You’ll love Howler, it’s still new and only handful of trails but they’re so fun and you can ride them differently each time choosing different lines. So fun. Can’t wait to see how they expand!
Thanks for supporting the channel! 👊🏼
I like how you phrased it as intuition. There’s a difference between fear and anxiety. Anxiety is a constant buzzing that includes over analysis of worst possible outcomes, versus fear, which as you described, is a visceral powerful reaction to a stimulus and has kept humans alive for millennia. Thanks for doing this video man, we all fear stuff and it’s good to discuss it!
Very good explanation! Thanks for checking it out! 🤙🏼
I can relate to a lot of the themes in this video. Thanks for putting yourself out there Bobby, that's not easy. From a production standpoint fantastic edit, I enjoyed your commentary throughout, b-roll and quality of work overall. Good luck with the channel.
Thank you sir! I appreciate the props!
Great stuff! At 56 I'm always running that calculator or fun vs risk vs punishment for failure. We were in NWA early November and took the learning to jump clinic with @annekebeerten and in 3 hours went from not jumping or at best, awkwardly casing things, to clearing decent sized tables and safely casing things we are not up to completely clearing. Spent another 4+ hours riding all over Bentonville for over 40 miles on the day getting air wherever we could to reinforce what we learned in the morning clinic. Been planning to move to NWA since before covid - should have been moved there by now except for nutty housing market. Once we get there for good I expect to progress a bunch and be one of those guys towing people in!
We ran into Anneke while at The Castle. She was doing a private lesson so we didn’t want to interrupt but we said Hi.
I can see how anyone could progress with Bentonville in their backyard. The thought has crossed my mind many times! 😜
That was sick. Great job 👍
Awesome man. I have stood on that line many times debating it. I think the new drops at the Slaughter Pen skills park are a better practice for it. I just got back from Bentonville on Sunday. I would love to send that line.
Great video! I'm 45 and have been biking for 4 years now. I hit Drop the Hammer for the first time last October. It's twice the size of anything I've done previously...AND I was on a rental eMTB! I don't own an eMTB so I was a bit concerned if I needed to throw my weight differently. Turns out you don't. It was amazing! I'm glad you got to hit it!
It’s weird how it’s one of the largest and intimidating features in Bentonville and the easiest feature to ride… go figure!
@@midlifeshredder yeah, I have friends who are constantly asking me how I went from small jumps to a 10'+ drop so quickly. I'm still scared of jumps though. 🤣
Wow!!! SEND IT!!!!
Bobby, really great video, thank you. The biggest gap to clear, most of the time in MTB'ing, is the gap between our ears.
So much of what we do is mental. Sure, there's lots of riders that go gonzo, but that's not what most mid-life guys/gals are looking to do.
I once read, "All this may be lawfull, not all things are advantageous." Just because "we can" doesn't mean we should.
Three years ago, 1st ride on my new full squish, 20 mins in on a trail I'd ridden dozenssssss of times (Rollercoaster, Alafia MTB Trails, FL) I dropped in with the full intent of rolling the tabletop. I want to be careful, I hear my wife's voice in my head, "Don't get hurt" - "Oh look, there's a bypass. I want to be super careful, I'll take that. Oh, look, there's a little jump. Let me just pop off of this little jump because I wussed out on the table."
I'd never taken this line before, it was a Gap Jump.
I endowed into the 2nd, OTB'ed, and taco'ed my front wheel.
I could be eating through a straw right now, so I'll settle for the permanent click in my neck. But the mental damage I was GIANT. It's really hard to jump anymore, at 57 yrs.
Like you said, we don't heal as fast as we used to, and we have a LOT of people counting on us - we're not 14 yrs old anymore.
We can still have fun, though. This past Friday, I did something I hadn't done in 40 years. I took a couple of runs on my very old 24" Redline at Alafia, on Lost Meadow (jump line) and had a lot of fun. Barely got any air, but it was still fun.
Be safe, Bobby, we're not 14 anymore.
Thanks again for such a great video.
Man, glad you’re ok! And thanks for the kind words! 🤙🏼
Great video. I feel the tow-in allows for a confidence level of speed and technique right at the drop level. Nicely done.
👊🏼
Hell yeah ! Awesome content keep it up
Thanks! 🤙🏼
Looks like an awesome place to learn. I need that! Lol
Turned 43 this past summer and got back into riding after 13 years of not riding. And watching your content has really helped with my riding confidence and helps pit it all into perspective with being a MidLife Shredder myself!! Keep it up the great work🤘🏼🤘🏼🇨🇦🇨🇦
Dude, thanks for kind words! Glad you’re getting back in the game! Rock on my northern brother! 🤙🏼
@@midlifeshredder Dude, it’s been a blast getting back into it. And my son loves that I am riding again. Shred safe Bro🤘🏼
Respect the insurance deductible! Great video. I really need to get back to Arkansas.
🤣👊🏼
Awesome!! We’ll be there in two weeks!!
Enjoy! 🤙🏼
Love it man!! Great job!! Beautiful trails!
Bravo ! ~! Drop the hammer cracks me up as I did it once towed-in and had not really looked at it. Then I looked at it . . . .from every angle . . . and could not do it a second time that day. Your brain says NO NO NO ! 😆
Haha, you got it. Just have to get that pesky voices telling you “no” out of your head! The hardest part you’ve already done! 🤙🏼
Awesome vid! I definitely respect the fear as an ex DH racer. I had a nasty crash at 15 and shattered my wrist and lost a collar bone. About 7 years ago I had another crash and that same wrist had to be rebuilt with a spider plate. Now at 43 I just got a new ride to get back into it. The wife, who is 50, got one as well. The risk is a little higher now at our age so we’re not quite riding what I used to, but looking to shred some trails like the ones you showed. Definitely excited to see how both my brain and body handle this!
Yeah man, love you’re getting back into it. I started late so I don’t have any history of major crashes but I’ve had a few that have taking me out for a bit. The healing time is definitely longer as you get older. 😜
Love this. Just started riding about 7 months ago and love to jump but definitely experience some of the same. We don't heal like we used to lol. Great video
Great videos! I hike a lot of the trails in Bentonville/Bella Vista. Others are obviously bikes only so its cool to get to see them! I remember hiking Mad Hatter watching this guy do the jump, thinking "we didn't have that when i was a kid"... dude was my age if not older! (I'm always watching and listening for bikes so i can step off)
Great video...I just hit area 51 and mad hat this weekend. Very muddy but a lot of fun.
DTH was closed so got to try next week. Those 2 are a very good progress to DTH.
Heard Bentonville was getting hit with a lot of rain! Hope you can hit DTH 🤙🏼
Sound advice. It's so important to find that line between sending something new that you can handle and pushing yourself too far too fast.
And congrats on clearing a sick, sick drop!
It is a fine line and it’s one that you yourself can only decipher!
My friend i want to thank you for such a good video and important subject.
I am 47, and I can totally understand where you are coming from. If anything looks to sketchy for I will not ride it. I can't afford any broken bones....lol.
TIMP PEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Midlifer here trying to do my thing. Thanks for the inspiration and useful content. I’m digging the logo. Deff getting some merch to rep for the young’s at heart 🤟🏼
Yeah man, thanks for the support!
Tnx I learn something
That shit's funny. I'm in recovery from breaking the ball-joint of my left shoulder into THREE pieces! Hahaha. DON"T let fear RULE your decision making. There are worse things than broken bones,... some wounds can go much deeper.
I broke my hand in March was racing June 15 with 2 consecutive weekends of training before at 57 years young! Where there’s a will there’s a way!
Yeah man, keep getting at it!
I went to bentonville in October and drop the hammer was closed but I did get to the rail yard and hit the largest of the dirt drops behind the park. If you went to the rail yard did you hit those drops? If so how did the biggest one compare to drop the hammer?
We did go to the Railyard and yes hit the big drop. DTH is way easier and smoother! 🤙🏼
I dont see any logo stuff on Gear page?
The website is going through some changes. But until then you can get some swag on the store linked to my UA-cam page or hard goods at shop.midlifeshredder.com 🤙🏼
Fun video. BTW Are those Oscar statues I see on the shelf in the back?
😮 I wish! They’re actually Telly awards for some of my past commercial work.
What size Pnw bars are those? 31.8 or 35?
31.8. I’m waiting for them to release the Loam carbon bars in 31.8 so I can give those a go.
Do you ever come to Huntsville, AL? If so give me a holla I’d like to ride along side of another mid life shredder
Yeah man! 👊🏼
How is the timp peak compared to their last ebike? Good stuff dude!
Both the Wire and Timp are great bikes! I love my La Sal so when I saw the geo and kinematics were almost identical I knew that was the bike for me. But the Wire is a great all rounder, reminds me of the Delano Peak if it had a motor!
Ive been riding mtb 33 years. Never been a big jumper but still have alot of fun. I would have no problem riding right around that. Most dropoffs suck anyway. Lets see how hard I can slam into the ground😅
I tend to favor drops more than jumps but like every decision in life there’s caveats! 🤣
Drop the Hammer is really scary at first then its just scary fun after that! lol
Just like Windrock! 😜
Great video...New Subscriber ✌
Thanks for the sub, welcome! 🤙🏼
Riding forever jump like sh*! And I’m terrified of drops. Maybe someday
🤣🤣🤣
I finally figured out to listen to that little voice in my head (now 53) If we have a 6th sense....that's it. Listen to it....something is telling you to not do what you are about to do....come back and do it again another day when you are good to go.
I’m 47, been riding mtb since I was 15. I give the same advice to all of my trail riding friends that struggle with bigger features. Get a season pass to a bike park. Don’t trail ride for an entire season, just hit drops, jump lines, steep tech shit at the park. I barely trail ride anymore because the level of difficulty is so low compared to my local park (Mountain Creek). Don’t just go to the park 3 times per season, go every weekend. Live there. Watch the local shredders. Ask them to tow you in to things. Get comfortable with REAL speed. Before you know it you’ll be making trips to Thunder to hit Fort Hill
Best tool for progression, ride with people better than you! 🤙🏼
@@midlifeshredderfacts. After a couple seasons of hardcore park riding YOU are the fast guy everyone wants to ride with so THEY can progress👍
It's crazy what someone leading you can do ....to help you... or hurt you.
Confidence without competence can be a problem...but one doesn't know what one doesn't try...
So my advice...know Jesus as Lord and Savior FIRST...cuz one never knows when that last send....sends you to Him.
God's Only Son Permits Eternal Life!
😇🙏💪
I'm 52 and occasionally have time to shred a bit...Got an old frankenride... but have been spending more time at work than on the bike...plus I got some repairs to make. 😅🤣😂
Aren’t you MTB OVER 40?
I am many things to many people! 😉
Thanks for sharing, I have a lot of familiar sentiments. We live here and I know I have the skills to drop the hammer just haven’t done it yet. Maybe someday soon…
Fear gets no respect you confront it and you conquer it and then you move on like it's a pile of chit...
Less talking, more riding.
Great, let’s see yours!
Honest feedback? Boring video. There are millions of folks who can record themselves riding tough features and then put the video on the web. You apologized for rambling and not having a special story to tell, so you knew the video was not up to snuff before you posted it. Why post it then? Couldn’t finish the video. If you want my time, please make it worthwhile. Just unsolicited advice. All the best.
I now know someone who Santa isn’t visiting this Christmas! 🤣
Consider a scenario where other people enjoy things you don't or can learn from things you can't. Just sayin'. I can appreciate this video for what it is without the need to be "entertained". Making videos like this - even the "boring" ones - take HOURS and lots of planning and thinking. Kudos to Bobby for baring his fears and sharing with us.