Looking for a skills course within an hour and half of Manchester. The two I’ve found are –

chaseskills.co.uk
&
great-rock.co.uk

Any others I should be looking at? Any preference out of the two? I know Ed gets great reviews on here but chaseskills is £30 cheaper. 😕

£30 isn’t that much is it really ? Go with the one you think is best.

FWIW ukbikeskills / Jedi must be within 90 mins or so of Manchester

FWIW ukbikeskills / Jedi must be within 90 mins or so of Manchester

Maybe if Concorde was still flying.

I would recommend Pro Ride Guides at Gisburn, I did a write up from my course with them earlier this year…

Pro Ride Guides Airtime course

Jedi must be within 90 mins or so of Manchester

In a time machine maybe 🙂

{EDIT} beaten to it 😆

In the interests of adding something constructive, I’ve done a day with Great Rock at Delamere (actually with Nigel Page) and a 1/2 day with another Cannock team, but not Chase Skills. Both were OK but not mind-blowing and I mainly put that down to being in too big a group. In my experience there is only so much you can learn when you’re one of half a dozen or more people all at different levels. I’ve also found that you need to practice the skills you’ve been taught, otherwise it’s arguably a waste of money. Stating the obvious perhaps, but important nonetheless.

When I invest in skills coaching it will be on a one-on-one basis or at least with 1 or 2 friends at a similar level.

Maybe not 90 minutes, but the extra mileage is worth it for ukbikeskills.

ukbikeskills look to be about 3 and half hours from Manchester 🙁

Echoing what stilltortoise suggests, going somewhere with technical features to learn how to ride that sort of terrain, and then going back to your own backyard that perhaps doesn’t have those sorts of things is potential waste of time and money, unless you’re going to practice what you’ve learned.

^I spent quite a bit of time last Autumn practising tabletops and got to the stage where I felt comfortable on a 20 foot one. Having done very little since, I discovered at Llandegla this week – to my disappointment – that my table top skills have all but abandoned me. Too little practice.

In the interests of adding something constructive, I’ve done a day with Great Rock at Delamere (actually with Nigel Page) and a 1/2 day with another Cannock team, but not Chase Skills. Both were OK but not mind-blowing and I mainly put that down to being in too big a group. In my experience there is only so much you can learn when you’re one of half a dozen or more people all at different levels. I’ve also found that you need to practice the skills you’ve been taught, otherwise it’s arguably a waste of money. Stating the obvious perhaps, but important nonetheless.

When I invest in skills coaching it will be on a one-on-one basis or at least with 1 or 2 friends at a similar level.

I second that from my own experience. One-on-one session,, whilst being the most expensive option, would probably be the most useful use of money.

My experience is that a one-on-one session can be a bit too knackering and intense. It helps to have a bit of downtime and rest while others are being dealt with.

I travelled to Jedi from Staffordshire and it was well worth it. I stayed in a local B&B at good value so I was well rested for the skills day. It was a one-to-one and defo changed how I ride. Recommended!

fwiw, i reckon the sweet-spot is around 3 or 4 students/1 coach.

there’s a lot of repetition-time* during a coaching session, if you’re anything like me you’ll feel very self-conscious if it’s just you and the coach, and not in a good place to relax and get on with it.

(*there needs to be)

and if you’re with a friendly bunch, it’s a great day out!

2nd chapaking, when I did one to one I felt we got about 3/4 of the way through before I was too knackered to really getting anything from it. In a small group session, while I felt it finished too early I had enough legs left to carry on for an hour or two and practice on my own which really helped. I’d also agree with the ” OK but not mind-blowing” comment in general. I picked up a few useful tips and my riding has steadily improved since but it wasn’t the game changing epiphany that some people seem to have.

It’s a good point that going on a skills course won’t make you a riding god, it will teach you many of the correct techniques that, with a a lot of practice, you can use to become a riding god.
I learnt a lot when I got Jedi’d but in reality as I never practiced specific things I learnt (and stopped MTBing altogether for a couple of years) on balance I’d say it didn’t really make me a better rider (I still have no flow on trails, can’t bunny-hop properly and avoid any drops bigger than a couple of feet) but that’s entirely my fault not down to the tuition (which was excellent).

Craig, give Andrew a bell. he will come and coach you on your local trails if you wanted, or meet you pretty much anywhere in the north west… does a bit at Philips park which would be handy…

http://www.ridewithmee.co.uk/

jaffejoffer thanks for the suggestion, I will give that a look, I ride Philips often

thanks for the kind words guys

I’ve done a couple of group sessions with Ed @ Great Rock and each time they brought my riding on to the next level. After the second session I felt that I would have benefited from having more of a personal coach as his time was (understandably) diluted amongst the other riders. I then did a private session with him in Hebden Bridge and focused on exactly the stuff that I wanted to. Having somebody analyse your riding and giving you feedback on it, as well as getting you to ride stuff you previously didn’t think possible has taken my riding to a level that I didn’t think I was capable of.

Agree with all the other comments re: practicing after the course though. You need to put the time in to get good at anything, however I think a good coach means that when you are practicing then you are making the most of that time.

Jedi. It’s worth the travel.

I have been with Jedi (sounds dirty) and Tom at Chicksands. Jedi was good and I felt awesome afterwards but its a very knackering day and i forgot it all quite quickly. Tom is very good as I pay by the hour and so have short sharp training. Its useful to practice on the same trails and I have been taught on just to re-emphasie the training. Its also useful getting 2 hours training and then going back in a months time for 2 more hours to correct the things I am doing wrong and reinforce the good traits I have picked up,

If you can get training on trails you use frequently then give it a go.

Just a quick update, I booked a 2 hour set me up course with Andrew @ ridewithmee. Had a great time, made a few tweaks to my bike setup, got my attack position on the bike sorted. I was flying into and out of corners a lot faster than before. Set a few PR’s, so very happy. Well worth the £50. Think I will be booking a jumps course next.

Llandegla run a great Jumps & Drops course. Only one date left this year though – October 25th. It’s a great course. http://shop.oneplanetadventure.com/courses

You get coffee, lunch and cake included and time to review the videos so that you can improve.

There’s a charity XC race at Llandegla on that day but it won’t interfere with the course as it’s done on private skills areas and they close off the main skills area too.

The course has proved to be worth every penny.

Thebikeschool, did mine at cannock dh trails.

Did a 1 to 1 with Pete Lloyd and progressed loads with my jumping, cornering.

Jedi is superb, but I’m a good hour and a bit south of you and it was a right sod of a journey.

1 to 1, or 2 to 1 with someone who rides at the same level, and has the same aspirations for the course.

thanks for the update craig. glad you enjoyed it with Andrew – where did you run the course?

A-Line coaching in Sheffield. Had 2 sessions with JP and he’s excellent.

Also second JP at A-Line, based in Sheffield. He’s now linked in with Revolution Bike Park, so maybe gives you another location option too.

I have done a couple of sessions with Ed from Great Rock.

Bit of a mixed review.

There was no what do you want to get out of this course, or at then end any specfific direction to individuals as to what you need to concentrate on.

In one sessions some one was really struggling, and the rest of us were having to motivate her ie dont woorry you can do it etc. She had already been on multiple courses with Great Rock too.

On my second day there was a section that I didnt think I would do. No encouragement from the tutor, just a ‘oh I didnt think you would do that’ when I got down it.

Positives – I liked the style of teaching ie very fluid ride try this, and change this, how did that feel as opposed to very deacriptive do this do that.

Perfectly pleasent tutor.

My skills did come on massively, however do you get there on any course if you have never had formal coaching?

I have not been on any other skills courses so can not compare. However my world has been ski coaching and would have not operated in the same way.

jaffejoffer – We did the course at Philips Park (Prestwich) yesterday. Trails are short enough to fly down and keep making tweaks each time until it all comes together.

yeah its a decent spot. jumps course should be good there too.

Glad you enjoyed the session Craig, great place to do it as a nice easy climb for decent length descents.
121 or 2/3 always works best. Groups of mates are my speciality.

Jedi’s great but he needs to move to bristol 😉