Off Road technical

[Ian Watts]

Everybody has to learn sometime and everybody slows someone down!

Cheers Mate - i will try again

 

[I like Skol]

Keep at it! I'm lucky, I started as a kid and just like Danbo says, I would spend ages trying to ride the same obstacle until I mastered it. Anything that came to hand was fair game, steps, roots, ledges, old railway embankments, rivers, walls, anything! Now I'm older (turned 40 this year) I still push myself to ride new things in new ways. Just in the last 12 months I have learnt how to ride onto and off a bench outside the local market hall, considering it has armrests at each end it isn't easy but I stuck at it until it all came together.
It all comes down to practice. Do it again, and again, and again etc. There's still loads of stuff I'm not good at, like clearing tabletop jumps or wheelies, but I keep trying and I'm improving a little bit at a time and so can you

 

[Chris1983]

I ride sherwood pines a lot, when I first went it took me 70mins to do a lap. I can now get round in 47mins....pushing for a sub 45min lap. Its a good place to learn,

I went there as a complete novice and never found the red trail to intimidating but I was on the brakes a lot, picked bad lines, poor posture etc. But the guys I went with are good riders and easily get a sub 40min lap. To start getting better they would slow down so I could follow them, watch their lines, how they weighted the bike etc and it really works, learn from your peers

With regards to feeling pressured, try to go when its quiet and don't worry about holding others up. i tend to find most riders are patient, after all well had to learn the ropes, yes there will always be idiots that think they own the trails but thats just life. Just ignore them

Just keep practicing and your confidence and skills will improve massively. The biggest factor I had to over come was learning when speed is your friend and when its not.

Above all enjoy your riding

 

[Ian Watts]

Keep at it! I'm lucky, I started as a kid and just like Danbo says, I would spend ages trying to ride the same obstacle until I mastered it. Anything that came to hand was fair game, steps, roots, ledges, old railway embankments, rivers, walls, anything! Now I'm older (turned 40 this year) I still push myself to ride new things in new ways. Just in the last 12 months I have learnt how to ride onto and off a bench outside the local market hall, considering it has armrests at each end it isn't easy but I stuck at it until it all came together.
It all comes down to practice. Do it again, and again, and again etc. There's still loads of stuff I'm not good at, like clearing tabletop jumps or wheelies, but I keep trying and I'm improving a little bit at a time and so can you

I ride sherwood pines a lot, when I first went it took me 70mins to do a lap. I can now get round in 47mins....pushing for a sub 45min lap. Its a good place to learn,

I went there as a complete novice and never found the red trail to intimidating but I was on the brakes a lot, picked bad lines, poor posture etc. But the guys I went with are good riders and easily get a sub 40min lap. To start getting better they would slow down so I could follow them, watch their lines, how they weighted the bike etc and it really works, learn from your peers

With regards to feeling pressured, try to go when its quiet and don't worry about holding others up. i tend to find most riders are patient, after all well had to learn the ropes, yes there will always be idiots that think they own the trails but thats just life. Just ignore them

Just keep practicing and your confidence and skills will improve massively. The biggest factor I had to over come was learning when speed is your friend and when its not.

Above all enjoy your riding

Thanks both - I'm going out in a couple of weeks - I'll let you all know how it goes

 

[YIMan]

1) Just keep riding and practicing. In time you will get better and faster. This is what most people do.
2) Some trail centres have "skills areas" where you can practice technical skills on obstacles.
3) Go on a skills course and your riding will improve leaps and bounds. This is the best option for fast learning and learning how to do things "properly"....

 

[Cubist]

1) Just keep riding and practicing. In time you will get better and faster. This is what most people do.
2) Some trail centres have "skills areas" where you can practice technical skills on obstacles.
3) Go on a skills course and your riding will improve leaps and bounds. This is the best option for fast learning and learning how to do things "properly"....

Skills course? Definitely. For the cost of a tankful of fuel which you'd otherwise use to get you to and from places to practise you can be given expert assessment and tuition, but most importantly you'll have it all to yourself so you can concentrate on you!

 

[Ian Watts]

Skills course? Definitely. For the cost of a tankful of fuel which you'd otherwise use to get you to and from places to practise you can be given expert assessment and tuition, but most importantly you'll have it all to yourself so you can concentrate on you!

I have looked up the chase skills courses at cannock and they seem reasonably priced. I think I shall do that.