YouTube channel<\/a> blends vintage mountain bikes, modern trail rides, mental health honesty and a lifetime of stories from Canadian freeride\u2019s early days.<\/p>\nIt is funny, reflective and sometimes raw. And it is resonating.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Life after Drop In<\/p>\n
For many riders, Tremblay is linked to Drop In, the early-2000s mountain bike TV series that defined freeride culture. He appeared across five seasons, beginning in his early 20s, living out of the bus and riding with cameras rolling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a really good time,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were all pretty young, there was a lot of partying.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the lifestyle came with a cost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hardest part was because it was so long, it was just hard to stay healthy and stay on your game,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cRiding kind of became secondary.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show paid expenses but not salaries. When seasons ended, riders were often left scrambling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe season would end and basically they just kind of drop you off on the corner with all your stuff and it\u2019d be like, now what do I do? My body is broken. I got no job. I got no money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Eventually, Drop In faded. Tremblay\u2019s life shifted toward family, home renovations and staying close to bikes without riding much at all.<\/p>\n
A collector in the shadows<\/p>\n
While riding faded into the background, collecting did not.<\/p>\n
Tremblay began quietly building what has become one of Canada\u2019s most extensive vintage mountain bike collections. More than 100 complete bikes, dozens of frames, hundreds of wheels and forks.<\/p>\n
It started with nostalgia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bike I had when I was 15 years old back in \u201996,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a 1996 Rocky Mountain Blizzard.\u201d<\/p>\n
He found one on Craigslist for $100, sold the bike stand it came with and ended up with the bike for almost nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s what started it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Unlike collectors with deep pockets, Tremblay hunted patiently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never had a lot of money to spend on bikes like some collectors, so for me it was just a lot of digging and being really patient,\u201d he said. \u201cLots of searching.\u201d<\/p>\n
His focus became 1990s mountain bikes, especially Rocky Mountain dual-suspension models and rare frames that tell a story.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me I love the patina,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cSome guys like to strip the paint and repaint it but for me it\u2019s all about it having the bike be original.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pain, health and starting over<\/p>\n
The reason Tremblay stopped riding was not a lack of love. It was his body.<\/p>\n
\u201cChronic back and hip pain, a lot of problems with my body,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my 30s I really started struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attempts to jump back in the way he rode in his 20s ended badly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d ride with my buddies and then my back would be screwed for weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The breakthrough came when he accepted that the only way forward was slower than he wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way I can get back on my bike is the slow route,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cVery slow progression, not jumping back into it like I was 20.\u201d<\/p>\n
A used 2016 Giant Reign, purchased unexpectedly by his boss, helped restart the process. Later, a switch to a 2016 Rocky Mountain Altitude made riding playful again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat really changed my riding,\u201d he said. \u201cThen I really started getting back into some manual stuff and jumping and whatnot.\u201d<\/p>\n
YouTube as therapy and focus<\/p>\n
The YouTube channel began quietly. Filming alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to put yourself out there,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cBut now it\u2019s definitely a lot easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
What surprised him was how grounding the process became.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing the YouTube stuff, it\u2019s just a really great way to focus that energy,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving something to really put it all into.\u201d<\/p>\n
The channel is not about chasing Drop In nostalgia.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the get go, I didn\u2019t want it to be about Drop In,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cI want it to be about what I\u2019m doing now.\u201d<\/p>\n
That includes riding alone in the woods, restoring old bikes and rediscovering forgotten dirt jumps near his home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think just with the bikes alone, I\u2019ve got years of interesting content to show off,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Building without a safety net<\/p>\n
Financially, the channel is far from lucrative. Tremblay is candid about that too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get 10,000 views on a video,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019d be making less than 100 bucks through YouTube.\u201d<\/p>\n
Copyright disputes, music issues and monetization headaches add friction. Occasional viewer donations help but they are not a solution.<\/p>\n
Still, the response keeps him going.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read all my comments. I respond to all my comments,\u201d Tremblay said. \u201cWhenever I get a coffee bought for me<\/a>, that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\nBeing temporarily on EI has given him time to create and reflect but also raises bigger questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I gonna do with my life now?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
A different kind of comeback<\/p>\n
This is not a redemption arc of contest podiums and sponsorships. It is quieter and more relatable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to inspire people to ride and get some laughs,\u201d Tremblay said.<\/p>\n
He is realistic about aging, technology and the modern bike industry, skeptical of electronic shifting and happy on a 10-year-old trail bike. What matters more is feeling connected again: to riding, to creativity and to a community that has grown alongside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so nice to not be spinning my wheels,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After years away, Dylan Tremblay is finally moving forward again; one pedal stroke, one old bike and one honest video at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dylan Tremblay did not come roaring back to mountain biking. He pedalled. Slowly. Carefully. With his seat high,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,1700,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-407261","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-mtb-features","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}