I’ve address this about a month ago and how I (and many others it seems) ride better with a few beers inside them.

Here’s the thing- I not too bad a cyclist but I’m better than my confidence lets me be. When I bunny hop I seem to pump before I jump (no fluidity) manual I have to set myself up mentally about 2 bike lengths before I do it (not good). Jumps are not too bad but I do feel I look like napoleon dynamite just before the lip of death (yes we’re still talking about cycling)

I wish I could instil the skills I do regularly without thinking about it too much. How? Dunno? Keep riding I guess but have been for 38 years (I’m 43) so if that’s no enough time then maybe it’s the magic 40 years cycling that’ll take me from normal to better?

Anyone else feel the same? Or is it just me

Ps – also getting pissed of about newer models being released of purchases I’ve made such as my fs but that’s another story

Get a day’s tuition.

And don’t worry about the kit, It makes **** all difference.

Looked into tuition and even spoken to two on here (jedi being one of them) but it’s all too far really.

I live in nottingham (near the guy who won 45 million on the lottery who I’m planning on befriending in the very near future) but that’s an idea I really need to explore further. Sherwood pines would be my local choice but always dismiss it as superfluous. I’m wrong

Def skills training. My confidence was in bits after I broke both shoulders in 2 separate falls. a couple of days skills + lots of practice in my own time and I;m smoother, more relaxed and confident than I ever was.
There’s bound to be a skills course somewhere near you.
Try CycleActive too. Based in the Lakes but I think they do multi-location…

Look on Amazon for Brian Lopes’ book – very well written and gives you all kinds of ideas for being a smoother rider

Good luck… the buzz from improving is the best 🙂

go and see jedi. im from notts and it took me less than 2 hours to get there. i have to drive just over an hour for a decent ride anyway so its not that much further, plus you will get far more out of a visit to tony than you would in years of trying to work it out yourself. im back there as often as possible now.

learning to ride a bike from a book seems silly to me. different people will interpret the information differently, how do you know if you are applying what you have learned properly? who tells you when you are doing it right? this is all assuming the book is right in the first place…

Learning from a good book can work well – and the Brian Lopes / Lee McCormack book is good. So can learning from a good teacher. Personally I’d try to learn as many ways as possible. If you can video yourself riding you’ll pick up a lot of issues if you know what to look for but a good teacher will be quicker/better at spotting and correcting them.

Your far from alone, I’m 33 and have Lost all the confidence I had wheni was much younger. The prospect of drop offs and jumps scares me off of trying anything I don’t know inside out.

I’m fine on trails, will drop down steep hill sides etc, but show me tree routes, rocks and drop offs and I bottle it almost every time.

If anyone knows cannock chase the is a small drop called Wearwolf falls or some thing like that , last time I went I finally had a go at it, my mate recorded it on his bike cam from the bottom. Replaying the footage it’s a doddle, a tiny little slope with a could of rocks. But from the top it looked so difficult. I was over the moon when I did it, but still not sure I’ll do it again

Skills day with Jedi followed by lots of riding. I’m from Southwell so the drive was about the same as for you but a few of us booked the same session and camped nearby the night before. Made a nice weekend of it 🙂

And don’t worry about the kit, It makes **** all difference.

Yeah right… You do talk bullshit sometimes al, but this one is worht TJ’s famous sh1te

worth even

juan – Member
And don’t worry about the kit, It makes **** all difference.

Yeah right… You do talk bullshit sometimes al, but this one is worht TJ’s famous sh1te

Get in! 😉