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We'll be staying in the lower loop as there's tree shelter and lots of great options for skills training. Looks like the worst of the weather will be tonight with showers tomorrow. Ideal conditions then - you can't beat a bit of slither!
The group was 6 but we're down to 5 as an 'incident' last weekend meant that one person has deferred their place until the December 'Stop Crashing' date. There is therefore a spare place if someone fancies getting wet with us.
See you all tomorrow 🙂
Dang... short notice Ed otherwise I'd have snatched your hand off.
Just hoping my bike doesn't play up, in the last two weeks it's had a new BB, rear mech, mech hanger, cables, brake pads, chain and middle chain ring. Seems to be bedding in OK.
I've built up my new frame and haven't even ridden it yet, (other than round the block of course) 😳
Couldn't wait I'm afraid....
Well that was useful, everything I've been doing upto date was wrong. Now I know why I couldn't steer around berms 😥 . ANyone else thinking of looking at a skills day, I'd recommend it, it's amazing how many bad habits you get into. I've now got to relearn how to ride my bike.
Big up to the Dog & Partridge pub at Tosside as well, not been in before (definitely my loss), was really impressed with that place. If you go to Gisburn, go to the D & P for a pre / mid / post ride coffee / pint / flapjack. Free bike wash too 😀 .
A grand day out. Thanks for coming everyone.
There are a couple of photos here:
http://www.great-rock.co.uk/blog/?p=690
Yes indeedy, a super day.
Now I just need to make sure I get out a darn sight more often than I have been doing, and work on my fitness and confidence levels so I can do justice to Ed's superb coaching!
Completely changed all my ideas about body position on a bike. Felt very alien at first but by the end of the day made complete sense. I started off with the saddle dropped down but put it back up by the end of the day, even on the relatively steep stuff, just hope I don't sink back into the bad habits. Would recommend a skills course to anyone, its already saved me the cost of the gravity dropper that I thought I must have.
skills coaching is very tiring for both coaches and coached 🙂
its already saved me the cost of the gravity dropper that I thought I must have.
Too late for me, now thinking the Joplin is actually encouraging poor technique 😥
explain stumpyjon?
i havnt looked through all the posts but chris ball does an amazing training session called dirt school. you can go and see him or there is a good dvd. http://www.pinkbike.com/news/dirtschool.html http://www.dirtschool.co.uk/
look it up
joe x
Adjustable seatposts have their place. Extra weight, extra maintenance and they remove that sociable moment of mountain biking when you all stop to drop and have a chat at the same time. They are the colostomy bags of mountain biking - best saved for race day IMO 🙂
Jedi - Ed spent most of the day getting us to stand up straight, centrally on the bike, not crouching down, legs bent, bum stuck out the back. Since I got the Joplin I've been doing a lot of the latter and to be honest hitting stuff harder and faster than I was before, but.
If you ride like Ed was teaching us you actually have way more control over the bike. With your weight further forward the front wheel grips and you can steer the bike, plus if you're not crouching down you can bend your legs to allow the bike to come up into you when you hit a lump or go into a berm. I'm still only just getting to grips with the technique but I did find myself noticeably faster and more importantly more in control on the berms at Gisburn.
See Ed, I was listening, just got to practice it properly now 😀