From the pros racing Red Bull Hardline Tasmania to brand new riders, all mountain bikers possess the three prime MTB talents of balance, coordination and comfort on a bike. What makes some people fall in love with mountain biking but scares others away from ever taking a bike on a trail again?

Join the fellas for a fun debate on how soon new riders know if they love or hate mountain biking? Are all mountain bikers fans of progression? Does mountain bike social media inspire or scare new riders? How important is proper mountain bike coaching/instruction for new riders? The guys also discuss MTBer time travelers from the past, comfort vs. progression, enduro bikes on Hardline courses, talent vs. experience, red light healing and much more!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Dan: Red Light Therapy! - After Dan injured a quad muscle, he has gratitude for the healing power of red light therapy! Certain frequencies of red light have been scientifically proven to increase blood flow and stimulate cell regeneration. Dan has utilized red light therapy to accelerate the healing of many injuries. Thank you red light therapy! Red Light Therapy Wraps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFTY5CHR

Sage: Jeff Jackson! - Sage asked Jeff for some video of night riding and Jeff came through in a huge way with awesome footage of night riding at South Mountain. And this wasn't footage that Jeff already had... The guy went out of his way to get awesome and fresh footage of mountain biking at night for the Ride & Laugh Podcast! Jeff consistently has insightful and helpful comments on the R&L YouTube and he often promotes the show on Instagram. Jeff Jackson is a fixture in the Arizona mountain bike scene and he made sure to introduce Dan to many of his awesome MTB buddies in AZ! Thank you Jeff Jackson!! We appreciate you! https://www.youtube.com/@jeffjacksonmtb

MTB Tip of the Week:

Demo a MTB! A great way to try mountain biking for the 1st time is to demo a bike! Bike shops and bike companies offer opportunities to demo a bike. When you go to a mountain bike "Demo Day" you'll have the opportunity to ride recommended bikes and talk directly to the bike mechanics. Whether you're trying mtbing for the 1st time or deciding on your next mountain bike, "Demo Day" is a great idea! Call your local bike shops or look online for mtb demos near you!

Additional Links:

Redbull Hardline Tasmania: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT2CF0B-7cc Dan's Oldschool MTB DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Roam-Collective-2-Andrew-Shandro/dp/B000FUWFIU JeffJackson MTB: https://www.instagram.com/jeffjacksonmtb/ Stick https://www.instagram.com/stephenstoccardo

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/eMkDKYbjQT4

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 can all agree that hardtail mountain bikes and full suspension bikes are great choices, but what is the best NEXT bike for most riders to excel on? E-bikes (aka E-MTBs) allow almost limitless laps and miles on your trails, but e-bikes are expensive while Dirt Jumpers (aka DJs) are inexpensive and demand precision from riders. Listen to the episode & then let us know which you would choose: e-bike, DJ, or something else!

The fellas debate the best bike to own AFTER your hardtail and full suspension trail bike. Dan & Sage make some surprisingly compelling arguments for e-bikes vs. dirt jumpers. Who do you agree with? Which bike would you recommend and which bike would you buy? The guys also discuss riding 'blind' vs. sessioning drops/features, icy Pennsylvania mountain bike trails, night riding, bike jump 'mastery', Dan in Arizona, riding centered/riding confident, and Sage's New Bike Day!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Sage: 500 Subscribers on YouTube for Ride & Laugh! - The fellas have so much gratitude and appreciation for all our listeners and viewers on YouTube. Sage especially puts a tremendous amount of work into the YouTube episodes. We're unlimited and we're so excited to see what's next for Ride & Laugh and for all of our awesome listeners and viewers!

Dan: The State of Arizona - Dan is grateful to Arizona for the sun, positive vibes and healing energy. Dan shares that his amazing wife, Lauren, has been fighting cancer and explains how he followed his intuition to move to Arizona for her healing. Open to intuition, open to flow. There is appreciation to be found in everything. Be in the moment. We got this.

MTB Tip of the Week:

When riding at night, use TWO lights. The handlebar light will be your main headlight but a 2nd light on your helmet is key. The helmet light will swivel with your head and also bail you out should the 1st light fail! Night riding is fun and modern trail lights are amazing!

Additional Links:

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 - https://www.specialized.com/us/en/shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/stumpjumper Magicshine MJ-902s review - https://youtu.be/6UTCUobPMUg Desert Trails Bike Park - https://www.visitmesa.com/directory/desert-trails-park-parks/ Phoenixville Bike Park https://www.phoenixville.org/2861/Phoenixville-Bike-Park JeffJackson MTB: https://www.instagram.com/jeffjacksonmtb/

The video version of this episode is also available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/50Us8VF4WAU

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

What type of mountain bike do experienced riders recommend for new MTB trail riders? Join a "Ride & Laugh" mountain bike debate about hardtails, full-suspension, e-bikes, skills, fun, budget, weight, passion and much more!

How important is the right bike to a new mountain bike rider's joy of our amazing sport? Do most riders start on hardtails, or can we go right to a full-suspension trail bike? How much do we spend on a 1st bike before we know if mountain biking is for us? We may waver but eventually, Dan & Sage come to a definitive conclusion! Do you agree with the guys on this one? We want your feedback?

Also in this episode, Sage is stoked to eventually ride his new Specialized Stumpjumper 15! The guys discuss handlebar length, bike fit, South Mountain vs. UCI Downhill, underbiking and much more!

MTB Gratitude of the Week

Dan: Hawesfest Mountain Bike Festival! Thank you to Hawesaholics, Hawes Trail Alliance and all the other organizations and volunteers who made Hawesfest 2025 possible! So many cool people who love bikes and the Hawes trails! The festival was well attended, the vendors were awesome and the vibe was super high! Mountain biking is awesome & Mtb’ers are the best! Gratitude Hawesfest!

Sage: Sage appreciates the positive feedback R&L is receiving for the YouTube version of the podcast. Sage and Dan put an enormous amount of time and energy into adding MTB video; which makes the R&L podcast on YouTube really unique and special. Thank you to all our viewers and we appreciate the positive response and feedback!

MTB Tip of the Week:

Get a professional bike fit! We spend a lot of money on our bikes and gear. Let’s make certain we’re fit for optimum performance on all of our current and future bikes! Avoid injuries, add comfort, and maybe get faster at the same time! A good bike fit can be invaluable.

Additional Links:

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 - https://www.specialized.com/us/en/shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/stumpjumper TrailSage - Mt. Lemon https://youtu.be/MZzloNVev-o Hawes Trail Alliance https://hawestrailalliance.com/ TrailSage - Stumpjumper 15 Review - https://youtu.be/DA2WWv2s8JI Keswick Cycles Paoli https://www.instagram.com/keswickcycle.paoli/ AJ Steeber - R&L Realtor! https://www.instagram.com/aj_steeber/ Ride Reactive - https://www.ridereactive.com

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

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