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Weather you go or not is up to the individual, but I'm 100% sure that Tony is only in this game as everyone that has ever ridden with him knows he was born to do this.
He is a top chap & not in it for the money, the money allows him to live & make people happy.
Cheers.
Euro,if offence is intended,tough shit as I fully agree with you !
two of us shared a session - it was £120 each, I've spent more than that on 1 rim! And I reckon I've got a lot less value from the rim. I'd got to a point where I wasn't,t improving, now I know how to take my riding forward.
Nah Zippy, it was a smilie. It's cool that Tony (and the others) can help guys get more from riding. It's gotta be one of the best jobs in the world if you like riding bikes.
I still find it a bit odd that some folk wont go out and give things a go on their own though. Just go for a ride and experiment a bit. Throw the bike about, throw your weight about and generally mess around. You don't even need a trail. Do it in the street. Treat your bike as a toy and play. It's kinda fun and you'll get to know how a bike reacts to your input. You may not work out the correct way to do something (and there are some basic fundamentals) but you'll still learn something from doing things the not so correct way. And you never know when that'll come in handy on the trails ;D
Euro - you're 100% correct
Hooning around at any given opportunity improves your riding no end
However, I think a lot of people are scared that they might hurt themselves or look silly
I do both - well! 🙂
Euro, I did that and thought I was doing ok but never felt fully confident in the air - jumps were always hit and miss and I always thought I was on the edge of something going terribly wrong. Turns out I was right when I completely cocked up the big table at FOD and did something to my shoulder which has only just recently stopped giving me grief (think this crash was in 2010). I did a session with Tony that year and it made me see what I was doing wrong and as such I'm still getting faster and doing bigger jumps, haven't had a proper crash since that one at the FOD despite pushing myself harder.
For me I'd rather not waste my time practicing doing stuff the wrong way - it's why I took guitar lessons for a long time as well!
I would love to go messing about on the pavements and ride the little dirt track in the small park near me. Unfortunately, things like time, available light, living in an apartment block, having to change just to ride your bike for 20 minutes means it's not really an option for me (and probably most city dwellers).
Most of my riding is on a road bike. The closest I get to messing about is when I commute on the mountain bike. That's usually to get it to the mechanic because something needs attention so "hooning" about is not the uppermost thing on my mind.
The sort of thing you're talking about was what we did when we were kids on bikes. There's not much room in your life if you're working and have a family for that sort of thing. I do agree it would improve your bike handling skills though.
[quote=curiousyellow]There's not much room in your life if you're working and have a family for that sort of thing. I do agree it would improve your bike handling skills though.
This guy has exceptional bike handling skills - and all he has to play with is a basketball court.
Even if I'm just "popping down the road to the shops" I see how far I can wheelie/manual/stoppie/etc.
See that kerb? It's only 6 inches wide... how long can you ride on it?
If time/space is tight, you just have to be creative in how you use it.
When you finally get a chance to go out on the trails, the skills you learnt in the "urban" playground get used...
The best way I can explain my session with Tony and the way I ride before and after is like when I had my motorbike set up with on a dyno, it came out producing no more peak BHP but the power was delivered more smoothly across the rev range, my lap times dropped and I felt like i was riding more easily than I was before, so quicker & more confident with less effort.
I think that sums up me post Jedi'ing - faster, smoother, more confident with less effort, things just seem to flow..
The other difference for me is now if I mess up I know why rather than just wondering why which starts to build up the fear of trying again etc. If I know where I messed up I can confidently go back and try again rather than hope the same thing doesn't happen again 😀
@xiphon not really the point is it? That guy's someone who's spent most of his youth on his bike.
I get what you're saying about creative uses of time. If I were solely focussed on MTB then yeah, I would make time to hone my skills and whatnot. Fortunately or unfortunately I just like riding bikes, and secondarily, keeping fit. If I have 20-30 spare minutes then it's probably going to be spent going for a run or an interval session on the commute because I feel that serves my purposes best. The shops are a 2 minute walk from my place, and I don't think I can take the urine doing it like this guy:
Yeah, of course, if I'm commuting on the MTB then I will try and work in the little pump track the local BMX bandits have built in the park, but it's never going to be a substitute for a dedicated skills day at a purpose built venue. I don't think you're suggesting it is either.
[quote=curiousyellow]That guy's someone who's spent most of his youth on his bike.
Doesn't that describe most of STW? 😯
Perhaps these "essential basic skills courses" are for those who didn't?
Either way, the important thing is [u]you[/u] feel like the course made a difference.
I spent many a year as a youth trying to kill myself on a BMX and it certainly helps now...
However, a skills day will help a lot, as will regular group riding with people better than you and hooning around at any given opportunity, be that on the way to the shops or jumping over every little obstacle on the trail
Practice won't make you perfect, but it will give you much more confident and control and loose on the bike - which will make you flow better and crash less
I always enjoy riding my bike, but being faster, smoother and safer is generally more fun for me. I suppose I was gradually improving in those respects anyway (with the occasional conflict between faster and safer!)
Since visiting Tony for a couple of public skills sessions this year I'm more aware of what I'm doing right and wrong, and I've been improving more quickly while taking fewer risks. For me, that was well worth the cost, and I will probably go back for a one-to-one at some point too. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I enjoy my riding more since. The days themselves were good fun too, would definitely recommend one of the public days for anyone who's not sure about paying for a full one-to-one session.
Messing about, copying friends and experimenting is fine. I do that a lot, but I know my limits too these days as when I didn't I ended up in ICU with a bust back. That was when it was time to stop learning by guessing and getting it wrong and to get some pointers.
hora - Member
Why? I'm happy with my riding. I think people chase 'what can be' too much. You should ride to get out there/help you relax. Again, everyone gets that in different ways- I'm tired of 'can be better'.
Then why on earth do you fanny about buying/selling bikes/frames/forks then?! 😆