Thanks for posting, I plan on heading up there soon and wanted to make sure it wasn't too knarly. I'm just getting back into the saddle after a long time away...and back when I was into it, it was riding bayous and creeks and stuff that weren't really even meant for MTB.
Sorry, I'm just seeing this! There are some tough trails out there but the green is certainly beginner friendly. Viper's Den is a good one to try next. It's a little rougher now after tons of riders have torn it up. They've kept it up though, I was just there and had a great time.
Excellent Chris! I enjoyed this complete run to show itsy bitsy. We will definitely run a few laps on itsy bitsy before going to the more advanced sections.
That was seriously fun to watch! This spider mtn sure seems to be one cool setup. It appeared you were going pretty dang fast in some sections, and fast enough on the rest. So, green means go go go!👍👊🤘👍
That’s great to hear! This is one of those trails I’d take almost anyone down. Beginners, my wife and even kids. Its unfortunate that the blue trails are kind of a big leap in difficulty from the green. My wife would kill me if I took her down those. I hope they build more trails soon!
Hi there Great video, going there next weekend, do you think a hard tail is good enough for that trail? Also, are all the blue trails equals difficulty wise or it gets more and more challenging.? Thanks
I think you’d be fine on the green trail and even some of blue trails. The place is pretty rocky though, Id be careful on the upper portion of Vipers Den. You’ll probably tire out quicker than you would on a full suspension but it’s do-able. My friend Cobra Kyle (on UA-cam) rode there on a hard tail and made a video on it. ua-cam.com/video/gfqPm8qtYP4/v-deo.html
Great video, Chris. Thanks. Maybe you said it but what bike were you riding? I want to try my Trek Marlin on Itsy Bitsy. I don't have any delusion about trying it on black, but maybe green? What do you think? I'm over 50, and I can handle most intermediate trails in near my home in Houston. And I'm not going to be too aggressive. I think it would be awesome to use my Marlin, if I can do it safely and enjoyably.
Thanks! I actually started mountain biking on a Marlin 5! I now have a 2017 Trek Fuel Ex 8. I think you'd be fine with the Marlin on Itsy Bitsy. My only concern would be the brakes. I'd take the first run down cautiously (I'd suggest this no matter what bike you're riding lol) and see how they do. Worst case: You drove all that way and either have to leave after one run or spend more to rent a downhill bike. Either way, its the only lift access downhll park anywhere near us so I'd say give it a shot!
I forgot to ask: If I were to visit Houston, what trails would you recommend? I've been meaning to get out there but it kept raining and the summer was way too hot.
@@ChrisCXKThanks for the info! If/when I ever upgrade it'll probably be the Fuel Ex. Anyway, I'm feeling super confident with Marlin's hydraulic disk brakes and I can lock either tire with one finger (though I'm pretty good at feathering the brakes... definitely don't want to lock up downhill, or anytime really). Well, so actually I've only been doing MTB for a few months. My home trails are along the Brazos River, but I think after Harvey (before I started riding) parts of trails and some full trails became totally washed away forever so it's probably not as good as it once was. So I guess I'd recommend Jack Brooks Park, based on word of mouth. People say it's the most challenging in the area, but I've never successfully visited, as I have driven there twice but seem to have picked days that were status green the night before but turned out to be muddy and closed by the time I got there the next morning. Oops. Anyway, it's just another 20 minutes to the seawall on Galveston Island, which I like leisurely riding - it's just a sidewalk. You know, like a boardwalk with rollercoaster and fried Oreo. It's not every day you can ride and look at the ocean at the same time! (And it's the secondary reason I got the Marlin, because it's quite serviceable on pavement with my dropper seat raised to max and front suspension locked out.) And the sand is usually compact enough if you want to actually ride on the beach.
Oh if your Marlin has hydraulic brakes I think you'll be just fine! Mine had mechanical brakes. Thanks for the tips! I wouldnt mind riding and looking at the ocean lol!
@@ChrisCXK Cypress Creek Mountain Bike Trail, Spring Creek / Flintridge, Ant Hills...do some searches for those. There are some FB Groups around those trails also. If your GoogleFu isn't strong, reply back & i'll dig up some links.
I tried to ride this after digging out there one day, but it was just to loose at the time. Ready to try it again. Nothing hard, but that is kind of what I am looking for. lol
I can't for these, I already formatted the card. I've never tried doing it yet, I will look into that in the future. You can kind of see my bike computer's screen. There were some sections where I was around 20mph and peaked at 25 or 27.5 (according to Strava).
Just because a trail is green doesn't mean it can't be ridden as a blue, depending on how you approach it. Speed can turn green into blue very quickly. Really great video kid, hope to ride there in the next few weeks, cheers!
it's not that smooth now. great video went today, 3/2/24 . 1st time on a real mountain bike. I blew a berm felt like I jump pretty high. I was in the air and grabbed a tree, was on a ledge. My legs got hung up in the bike, so the tree didn't help, flipped and landed on a pile of old cut cedars and rocks and a stick, i was sure i was impelled on it. I could not moved even a little bit, my head was ringing, vision a little blurred. My son (18) fly's down all the trails. Bottom line is that these trails are NO joke. No broken bones but a concussion and some nasty bruises and punctures, the reason that I felt skewered was the bike had me wrapped up. I saw countless people is Styrofoam helmets. If I was wearing one of those I think that would be it. Did I mention that I am 60? people told me its like racing MX, No its not. the switch backs with berms are one thing that I can't figure out and you make it look so easy.
Wow! I’m glad you’re alright. What’s interesting is I happened to be there yesterday. I haven’t been in a year or so. I fully agree it’s gotten way too rough out there for beginners. I’d argue is a little rough overall for average mountain bikers like myself. When they first opened, I’d do 13-16 laps a trip. I only did 6 on this trip. The green trails has turned into a hard green or a fairly easy blue trail in my opinion. The blue trails are more like an easy black diamond trails I’ve ridden at other bike parks. I’m sure the amount of traffic they get year round is causing this. Most bike parks are closed half of the year. I remember thinking yesterday that I’d never bring a new rider there now. I saw guys brining their wives out, kids and none had full face helmets on. A friend of mine wanted to go, I invited him but he was out of town. I’ll probably advise he gets a few months of experience on his new mountain bike before going.
@@ChrisCXK we were the gray Tundra with a brown fly pad on the tailgate. J has a grey Carbon fiber bike, I rented one. In the morning I was wearing my shop jacket SPS Sugarland power sports in the morning. if you see my back and legs today you would think I was put through a grinder, not as bad as it looks still real sore. in fact I worked 1/2 a day.
I agree......speed makes it fun...........especially the last section.
Thanks for posting, I plan on heading up there soon and wanted to make sure it wasn't too knarly. I'm just getting back into the saddle after a long time away...and back when I was into it, it was riding bayous and creeks and stuff that weren't really even meant for MTB.
Sorry, I'm just seeing this! There are some tough trails out there but the green is certainly beginner friendly. Viper's Den is a good one to try next. It's a little rougher now after tons of riders have torn it up. They've kept it up though, I was just there and had a great time.
Very helpful! Thanks. Really appreciate the preview.
I’m glad to hear it! Thanks for watching.
That looks like fun!
Excellent Chris! I enjoyed this complete run to show itsy bitsy. We will definitely run a few laps on itsy bitsy before going to the more advanced sections.
That was our plan, go easy first and work your way up.
That was seriously fun to watch! This spider mtn sure seems to be one cool setup. It appeared you were going pretty dang fast in some sections, and fast enough on the rest. So, green means go go go!👍👊🤘👍
Its a really speedy trail. Strava said my max speed was 27.5 and I was sort of riding the brakes at times haha.
If I had not seen this video first, I probably wouldn't have gone... thanks for this! It made it easier for me to decide to go give it a try!
That’s great to hear! This is one of those trails I’d take almost anyone down. Beginners, my wife and even kids. Its unfortunate that the blue trails are kind of a big leap in difficulty from the green. My wife would kill me if I took her down those. I hope they build more trails soon!
Hi there
Great video, going there next weekend, do you think a hard tail is good enough for that trail?
Also, are all the blue trails equals difficulty wise or it gets more and more challenging.?
Thanks
I think you’d be fine on the green trail and even some of blue trails. The place is pretty rocky though, Id be careful on the upper portion of Vipers Den. You’ll probably tire out quicker than you would on a full suspension but it’s do-able. My friend Cobra Kyle (on UA-cam) rode there on a hard tail and made a video on it. ua-cam.com/video/gfqPm8qtYP4/v-deo.html
Great video, Chris. Thanks. Maybe you said it but what bike were you riding? I want to try my Trek Marlin on Itsy Bitsy. I don't have any delusion about trying it on black, but maybe green? What do you think? I'm over 50, and I can handle most intermediate trails in near my home in Houston. And I'm not going to be too aggressive. I think it would be awesome to use my Marlin, if I can do it safely and enjoyably.
Thanks! I actually started mountain biking on a Marlin 5! I now have a 2017 Trek Fuel Ex 8. I think you'd be fine with the Marlin on Itsy Bitsy. My only concern would be the brakes. I'd take the first run down cautiously (I'd suggest this no matter what bike you're riding lol) and see how they do. Worst case: You drove all that way and either have to leave after one run or spend more to rent a downhill bike. Either way, its the only lift access downhll park anywhere near us so I'd say give it a shot!
I forgot to ask: If I were to visit Houston, what trails would you recommend? I've been meaning to get out there but it kept raining and the summer was way too hot.
@@ChrisCXKThanks for the info! If/when I ever upgrade it'll probably be the Fuel Ex. Anyway, I'm feeling super confident with Marlin's hydraulic disk brakes and I can lock either tire with one finger (though I'm pretty good at feathering the brakes... definitely don't want to lock up downhill, or anytime really). Well, so actually I've only been doing MTB for a few months. My home trails are along the Brazos River, but I think after Harvey (before I started riding) parts of trails and some full trails became totally washed away forever so it's probably not as good as it once was. So I guess I'd recommend Jack Brooks Park, based on word of mouth. People say it's the most challenging in the area, but I've never successfully visited, as I have driven there twice but seem to have picked days that were status green the night before but turned out to be muddy and closed by the time I got there the next morning. Oops. Anyway, it's just another 20 minutes to the seawall on Galveston Island, which I like leisurely riding - it's just a sidewalk. You know, like a boardwalk with rollercoaster and fried Oreo. It's not every day you can ride and look at the ocean at the same time! (And it's the secondary reason I got the Marlin, because it's quite serviceable on pavement with my dropper seat raised to max and front suspension locked out.) And the sand is usually compact enough if you want to actually ride on the beach.
Oh if your Marlin has hydraulic brakes I think you'll be just fine! Mine had mechanical brakes. Thanks for the tips! I wouldnt mind riding and looking at the ocean lol!
@@ChrisCXK Cypress Creek Mountain Bike Trail, Spring Creek / Flintridge, Ant Hills...do some searches for those. There are some FB Groups around those trails also. If your GoogleFu isn't strong, reply back & i'll dig up some links.
I tried to ride this after digging out there one day, but it was just to loose at the time. Ready to try it again. Nothing hard, but that is kind of what I am looking for. lol
Spider Mountain looks really fun! Even if you have to eat a few bugs on the way down. I subbed!
It was worth the free snack! haha Thanks for subscribing!
Subbed and nice video! Hey man, what's that computer you are using?
Thanks! I use a MacBook Pro 16 inch with Final Cut Pro.
Wish I was back there right now instead of at work!
I wish I was too, I'm not even working today! haha
I went back today!! But I didnt go do Stinger again. LOL. Im subscribed to you now, @@ChrisCXK. It was nice to know you.
Did you do this trail mostly standing or sitting?
Can you add GPS telemetry data overlay? Would like to know how fast you were going down hill.
I can't for these, I already formatted the card. I've never tried doing it yet, I will look into that in the future. You can kind of see my bike computer's screen. There were some sections where I was around 20mph and peaked at 25 or 27.5 (according to Strava).
Once in a while you can catch a glimpse of the handle bar computer! It varies from 10mph to 25mph from what I saw. That's accurate enough for me!
Just because a trail is green doesn't mean it can't be ridden as a blue, depending on how you approach it. Speed can turn green into blue very quickly. Really great video kid, hope to ride there in the next few weeks, cheers!
That’s true, If I had more confidence in the turns I would have been going much faster. I need to replace my rear tire with something with more grip.
Seems like there is not a lot of people there. When did you guys go? Was it a weekday or weekend?
I looked back on my Strava and it was a Friday, 2/15/19. It wasn't very busy that day.
it's not that smooth now. great video
went today, 3/2/24 . 1st time on a real mountain bike. I blew a berm felt like I jump pretty high. I was in the air and grabbed a tree, was on a ledge. My legs got hung up in the bike, so the tree didn't help, flipped and landed on a pile of old cut cedars and rocks and a stick, i was sure i was impelled on it. I could not moved even a little bit, my head was ringing, vision a little blurred. My son (18) fly's down all the trails. Bottom line is that these trails are NO joke. No broken bones but a concussion and some nasty bruises and punctures, the reason that I felt skewered was the bike had me wrapped up.
I saw countless people is Styrofoam helmets. If I was wearing one of those I think that would be it. Did I mention that I am 60? people told me its like racing MX, No its not. the switch backs with berms are one thing that I can't figure out and you make it look so easy.
Wow! I’m glad you’re alright. What’s interesting is I happened to be there yesterday. I haven’t been in a year or so. I fully agree it’s gotten way too rough out there for beginners. I’d argue is a little rough overall for average mountain bikers like myself. When they first opened, I’d do 13-16 laps a trip. I only did 6 on this trip. The green trails has turned into a hard green or a fairly easy blue trail in my opinion. The blue trails are more like an easy black diamond trails I’ve ridden at other bike parks. I’m sure the amount of traffic they get year round is causing this. Most bike parks are closed half of the year. I remember thinking yesterday that I’d never bring a new rider there now. I saw guys brining their wives out, kids and none had full face helmets on. A friend of mine wanted to go, I invited him but he was out of town. I’ll probably advise he gets a few months of experience on his new mountain bike before going.
@@ChrisCXK we were the gray Tundra with a brown fly pad on the tailgate. J has a grey Carbon fiber bike, I rented one. In the morning I was wearing my shop jacket SPS Sugarland power sports in the morning. if you see my back and legs today you would think I was put through a grinder, not as bad as it looks still real sore. in fact I worked 1/2 a day.