[Closed] best Jedi Alternative in Scotland

Not used them myself, but I have got the [url= http://www.dirtschool.co.uk/ ]Dirt School [/url] DVD 😀

If you can afford it, I think 1-2-1 is the way to go with coaching in general.

Ridelines in the Tweed Valley. They are up at GT on a regular basis.
http://www.ridelines.co.uk/

I can definately recommend a 1-2-1 session with Dirtschool- not cheap, but excellent.

I'm a wee bit more on the fence about their group sessions... 6 is a decent sized group and I didn't feel Andy managed it all that well, there was one rider who tbh was just in the wrong class, which is a shame but instead of dealing with that, he let them soak up loads of his coaching time and also we didn't complete the planned course as he changed the pace.

But still, the coaching was of excellent quality and the choice of locations was superb. I'm sure I'd have been very pleased without that issue.

Haven't used Ridelines but Andy is a good chap and they have an excellent rep.

Dirt School all day long.

Ruth @ http://www.bottlegreenbiking.co.uk/
Clive @ http://www.mtbskills.co.uk/mtbskills/home.html who is just back from a few weeks biking in the French Alps 😆

I've had good results from GW's virtual skills school. Scottish-based, but accessible to all.

cheers guys i'll have a look at them 😉

😯 😀 😉

Consider a return flight to Luton. You can always camp at the venue - and as its in the warm south you (probably) won't die of crime or hypothermia.

Tony has been known to venture north on occasion. I've had a couple of sessions at GT.

You could do worse than drop him an email to see when he's next up?

Where exactly is GW's virtual skills school?

In his head.

Another vote for Ridelines.

Where exactly is GW's virtual skills school?

Someone is jerking your chain 😉

Andy at Ridelines is a super nice guy (did a 2 day small group thing).

Just to re-iterate : a 1-2-1 or a 1-2-2 is probably at least 10 times better than being in a mixed group. Irrespective of who you choose.

Lastly - as an aside - are Tracy / Emma still doing courses: I know the Hub is gone and all - I'm just wondering.

I had a few hours 1-to-1 with Clive Forth, fantastic and very worthwhile.

I had a group lesson with Andy from Dirt School that turned out to just have a group of two - was really good and he's a nice guy, can recommend. Never done a Jedi session to compare it to though.

Is that muppet punter on the dirt school dvd anyone we know?

muppet punter on the dirt school dvd

Well - even if he was on here - he's not going to jump up and claim that prize is he? Or maybe not.

the best alternative is to ride at least 3 days a week with one alldayer min. Ride with people better than you, make sure you're bike is set up properly, best of all its free,I.E teach youre self..

Some truth in that jumpupanddown - skills coaching can only compensate so much for saddle time

Wouldn't the best way be too study a decent amount via books / online, come to graps the techniques and theories, practice the techniques then do a skills / coaching course once or twice a year, so that your progress can be evaluated and any flaws corrected?

Can anyone elaborate on GW's skills virual tingy?

And is GW scottish 😯

GW's skills thing is a pop at GW who has a massive chip on his shoulder about skills courses saying they are pointless and that he is a riding god without ever needing or wanting to go on one. On a number of these treads in the past he has poped up to chuck his weight about and generally piss people off.
The virtual bit is he is awesome mega rad sic in this virtual world.
He rides at glentress quite a bit from other posts so some people have put 2+2 together

GW?

Aah, got it, so GW is a Flow Fu riding God, because he says so.

Has he won any races, or trained any riders ❓ I haven't met him or seen him ride, but he seems OK by STW standards 😆

I'm thinking about some coaching. Saddle time and reading books is all very well but if the same thing keeps happening over and over again despite doing what the book or internet article says then maybe it's time for someone else to have a look.

When I consider how much I've spent on bike parts over the years £100 pounds is nothing, especially if it could dramatically improve your riding.

To be fair to GW he can talk the talk and walk the walk , Most good riders I have ridden with can hammer down trails and just know what they are doing but maybe cant explain It that well. Obviously a decent coach like Jedi can do both and explain step by step what you should be doing.
Try following GW or Coastkid down a trail and they actually flow and look stylish could they coach It , who knows.

skills coaching can only compensate so much for saddle time

Many years of riding won't "compensate" for poor skills.
Keeping on making the same mistakes over and over and over won't improve anything.

Having a good foundation of the basics to build on, however, followed up by of practice and applying the basics can result in huge improvements in a surprisingly short time.

Shame I didn't realise this some years earlier, but better late than never 🙂

I think you need to keep balance with the learning techniques books dvd's, practicing and having someone coach you as well to give you an other perspective, I doubt there are many riders that cannot improve!

I like the books and DVD's once you understand techniques you can then evaluate and analyse other peoples, after that every clip you watch becomes a chance to learn from the best in the world.

I've used the guys at Dirtschool, twice. That was just when Chris was starting out and it was just him coaching. I thought it was ace. He started a change in my riding that is still going today, like switching a lightbulb on. That was.... wow, quite a long time ago now I think about it, maybe 6 years ago, maybe more?

GW is a pretty incredible rider. I've ridden with him a few times. Actually that's not true, I've watched him disappear at the first corner a few times! He once destroyed my ego by leaving me way behind, me in the dark, without lights, on a small girls bike. I had the best lights at the time and was riding a 6" bike 🙂

I don't think that saddle time = coaching time. Coaching = Learning good practice. Saddle time = making that into good habits. With just saddle time you can find that you get a lot better at doing bad things, if that makes sense. That's just my opinion though from having ridden with a lot of people who ride a lot but can't pump or corner.

This.

I don't think that saddle time = coaching time. Coaching = Learning good practice. Saddle time = making that into good habits.

Saddle time only helps if you know what you need to improve on.
Any decent coach will watch you, highlight what you're doing wrong, tell/show you how to do it correctly, and offer tips on how to put it into practice.

As for GW, he's s**t, and also on a months ban 😆

How much is dirt school for a 1=2=1 session and who's the best coach? anyone got thier book or dvd that they would like to sell me?

Are any of these coaches good but not too expensive? I want to learn I don't want to have to take out a mortgage!

kaesae - I've not used dirtschool - but around £120 for a half day one on one.

There are a number of options - call and discuss / chat in advance if you can.

I've never got a choice - I get vouchers from kin - its always a surprise for me.

The only constructive thing I'll add after doing a few (and still being useless) is that 1-2-1 is ten times better a group thing.

What do you wanna learn Kes? 😯

will trade virtual skills for overpacked bearings 😉

Sounds interesting GW

My bearings aren't over packed though, the way the weather proofing process works they have just enough grease.

What kind of bike do you have and how good a mechanic are you ❓ maybe I could service the bike and keep it running sweet you can help me develop my riding ability.

I know, just being cheeky 😉 I bought a full set from you on Ebay for one bike last year.

Got lots of bikes so could find a use for plenty different bearings/kits, I'm already a very experienced (ex-shop) cycle mechanic and don't actually like anyone else ****ing with my bikes.

You didn't actually answer my question tho.. what do you want to learn?

I really want to learn everything, truth be told I just like riding as fast as I can, however to do that with a minimal risk of injury I want to hone my techniques.

Been practicing my moto x cornering for 6 months and a few other things that make me grin, however I will be spending a good amount of time and money developing my techniques.

Looking to race DH next year, I'm totally useless but also don't really give a shit what other people think, we could very well see me become the worst DH rider that has ever lived 😀

"everything" and "motoX cornering"? 😕 - this really isn't the best answer to my question.

What are your strengths and weaknesses on a bike? - and I don't mean spotting that Commencal's and GT's are shit 😉

Where do you ride? and what do you want to start racing? SDA's? There's one on next weekend at inners. 13 spaces left.

Actually entering a DH race can teach you a lot about DH racing and how the fast guys manage to ride so fast, it's not all about just going as fast as you can, you need to learn how to practice, how to walk a track, learn every section of it and spot the best lines (for your ability) to make up time, how to conserve energy including during practice (esp at inners). if you are a half decent rider why not enter? at least then you'll have an idea if it's really what you want to pursue.

Ps. WTF is "motoX cornering"?

Moto X cornering is with one leg off the inside pedal!

Been practicing it for ages, even had a go on some ice a couple of months back.

My weekness's are fitness and wheelies / manuals, but I'm working on those, I have a few weekness's actually, as for what I want to start racing, I don't really want to race I just want to get a lift to the top of hill and have it so that there isn't any riders ambling along at a retarded pace.

For now I will just work on my all round fitness and my techniques, can you teach me to do jumps, tail whips and other good stuff?

As for where I've ridden, the first shot I had of my Iron horse sunday bike and at DH riding I went to Fort william, did the red route a few times then had a go on the black, also been to dunkeld and inners. I've been to glentress as well a few times.

from your schizophrenic rambling are you quite sure psychiatric help wouldn't be of more use? 8)

Is the Sunday your only bike? and do you still live in craigmillar/niddrie?

Not looking for psychiatric help GW, nor do I need any more self important delusional assholyness in my life.

You may be a decent rider but I doubt you have the right attitude to help others develop thier skills 8)

Me neither 😉
5mins along the road from you is Transgression, there's a nice easy funbox there, book a beginners lesson and hire bike, if you like it buy a s/h bmx and spend the next 6months learning to ride that instead of pretending to be an Mx rider. (Or were you going for "Sam Hill")
No payment needed, first "virtual skills" session's free 8)

Cool GW, but if you don't even know what moto x style cornering is, then your advice isn't worth a sook, of a shit coated lolly pop?

You don't have a motoX bike (and I'm 'delusional'?) 🙄
Why didn't you book lessons with DirtSchool a month back when it was suggested to you?

Good luck with "tailwhipping" a Sunday BTW - darwin would be proud 😉

So you're saying that we don't use moto x techniques in DH riding ❓

Hahahaha! you might be a half decent rider GW, but you would need to have balls like godzilla and moves like bruce lee, for your arrogance to be half justified.

I'd love to watch you try and throttle a DH bike out a flat corner with one foot off. 😆
Do you have playing cards in your spokes too?

GW - Member

I'd love to watch you try and throttle a DH bike out a flat corner with one foot off.
Do you have playing cards in your spokes too?

Your the one trying to show off GW (Gimp Wrong), Ooo look at me Loook at me!!! 8)

Please tell me this one isn't done yet.

I've just had an (excellent) day with Andy Weir at Ridelines. Really sorted out some things for me, and clued me in on a lot of areas where I was going wrong. Lots to practice now.

The hardest bit was the cornering technique- don't really think I had a clue but I'll work on it. Funnily enough, his technique does sound a lot like the "Moto X" technique described above.

I'd recommend him.

Loads of techniques and knowledge are coming from other other disciplnes, moto x is coming into DH and road riding theories like cadence or fast slow twitch muscle fibres are coming into XC / Enduro.

Once you start looking at it as a chance to learn and develop, it's a completely different mind set for riding, one of the best days riding I've ever had was a couple of months back when it was icy.

I had practiced my cornering techniques on all sorts of surfaces and in all weathers, mud, dry / dusty conditions, mud + leaves, dry + dirt, root + muddy, even muddy + leaves, truth be told I thought I had it pinned on every surface. Then I had a go cornering on ice, very wild and different from the other surfaces, but once you get the balance and start to feel your way through the corners, so much fun.

Haven't done ice + roots yet, but I have done roots + mud, roots + wet and roots + leaves, I have a lot to learn and if it was just about getting to the end and being a perfect rider, I would probably give up now, but it's not the whole point is to develop and hone your techiques, the thing I want more than anything else is to discover myself and hopefully how to ride a bike fast along the way!

+1 codybrennan.. Think I might have been on the same session as you on Monday night??
Enjoyed my go on a mojo, and Andy is a cool guy. Very relaxed style, easy to understand but effective.
Considering a proper go at it now!

If you get some coaching your riding will improve and you will be far less likely to crash!

Go out riding with people who're better than you. If they're nice, like all the better-than-me riders I know, they'll tell you where you're going wrong and help you improve.