Performance Mountain Biking with Ned Overend - Video Review

During a trip to library, noticed this DVD hanging out in the rack next to all the Tour de France DVDs, so grabbed it for a look see. Appeared to be pretty dated, but hey - Ned Overend - so worth a spin. Gave it a whirl tonight with 11 year old son Ian as the copilot.

Yeah a bit dated, circa 1996, so hardtails and Bar Ends-O-Plenty. That's okay though, since XC riding techniques haven't changed that much, even with full-suspension now the norm. And with the rise in popularity of 29er hardtails, all of the techniques and tips shown still apply. Plus, did I mention Ned Overend? The man is a legend and even today at 55 years old, still can place in the pro class.

The video covers climbing, descending, cornering, switchbacks, bunny hopping, jumping and other useful skills and drills. It's really a supplement to Ned's book from that era: Mountain Bike Like a Champion, which I recommend. The DVD and book are XC riding and racing focused, but those skills are the building blocks for any off-road action. If you're a beginning mountain biker, you'll pick up plenty from both resources. If you already have many dirt miles under your belt, still hard not to pick up something from watching. There's always something to learn when it comes to riding mountain bikes.

For me, the coolest part of the whole show was the guest instructors Ned brings in to display some tricks. If you're the old school NORBA XC racing fan, you'll dig watching John Tomac, Greg Herbold, Daryl Price and Julie Furtado in action. All icons from the heyday of XC racing during the '90s.

The Bonus Chapters: Trailside Repairs and Suspension Set-Up were added to the original DVD a few years later, since Ned is now post-famous-moustache and the bikes magically appear with disk brakes and full suspension. That's okay though, since Ned does a decent job of describing some suspension basics.

Overall, dated or not, still a fun watch for me due to the famous names involved. Son Ian mentioned he learned a few things, so we give it two thumbs up.

The Legends Inspire

I caught this story on the VeloNews site - one of my favorite sites and print magazine as well - race report on the Tamarancho Dirt Classic, recently held in Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking as we know it today.

I've never heard of this race, but certainly some of the people who competed you've heard of - well, if you're an old school mountain biker like me - you have for sure. Hit VeloNews for the full story. I really enjoyed it, so took the liberty of posting a few pictures here....



Joe Breeze, mountain bike pioneer and one of the dudes who helped kick off the whole mountain bike scene. From making custom frames, to racing Repack, to starting his own bike company, to pushing the bicycle transportation agenda. I don't know exactly how old Joe is, but he's certainly not a kid anymore. Here, Joe is styling in the Masters class aboard one of his latest mountain bikes. Joe Breeze is someone I'd dig sharing a ride or a meal with - always comes across as the super nice guy in any interview that I've come across. Combine that with what he's contributed to the bike world, would be some cool conversation for sure.

Ned Overend, what can you say? A living legend. Here, Ned pounds it out in the Pro class at 55 years old. That my friends is pretty freaking incredible. To be competitive at the Pro level at 55 is just plain unbelievable. Plus, again - another super nice dude. Awesome. A true legend and role model for cycling.

Otis Guy rocking the bar ends in the Masters class. Otis is another mountain bike pioneer from the early days of mountain biking. His custom frames for that crazy Softride beam stand out in my mind, from "Back in the day". He still makes custom frames as well as being a fireman. Dude, check out those arms. Is he a mountain bike racer or a boxer?

Reading about these guys still racing and riding made my day. It also inspires me to some extent. If these guys can still crank it at this level, at their age, I can drag my sorry ass out of bed to ride to work, plus suffer in the occasional mountain bike race - all in the name of fun. It's also a reminder that cycling is a lifetime sport. Oh, and what a life it is.

Ride on.....and race on.

Ned Overend - Mountain Bike Like a Champion

I picked this book up a few years ago, don't remember exactly when - it's been awhile. Even so, occasionally I'll pull it out of the cluttered bookshelf and flip though it. It's a bit dated, published in 1999, though only a tad - mostly concerning dual suspension bikes - since in '99 the idea of dual suspension for XC racing was just starting to be widely accepted. Besides that fact, some great pointers from Ned Overend on riding and racing.

Any old school mountain biker knows who Ned Overend is - a legend. Multiple world and national mountain bike titles. Even after "retiring" from pro mountain bike racing in 1996, he continues to do well in road and off-road triathlons. Add in some road, cyclo-cross and hill climb victories as well. Not bad for a "retiree". Even today at 55 years old, can still compete at a pro level. Incredible. Ned could kick easily kick your ass.

Ned's book (with assistance from Ed Pavelka) is easy to read and laid back. Tips on riding - cornering, climbing, bunny hops, descending - bike set up and other useful advice. That's all cool, but my favorite sections were the training and racing sections. Ned uses more of a free-flow type training process, no endless charts of info to bore you. It's more real world advice - to me anyway. The race tips were good also. Nothing earth shattering here, but great tidbits of info useful to any racer.

Beyond the advice available in this book, the most entertaining aspects were the stories sprinkled through out the pages. Race stories, battles with John Tomac, and other glimpses into the mountain bike cross-country racing heyday of the '90s. For old school XC geek me, the best part of the book.

My neighbor, not a super serious mountain biker, but rides fairly often, borrowed the book from me awhile back. After highlighting sections of the book in pen that he found useful, he kept that copy and bought me a new one.

I think that would qualify this as a good read in anybody's book.