I’ve started spending more time on specific skills rather than just riding for fun. It seems like I am slowly getting rid of bad habits and my skills are improving.

How often do you practice skills, as opposed to just riding?

Riding is practising.

Whenever I’m riding with a slower group. Do loads just chilling out.

Every ride.

Every ride

yup, as above. Every. Single. Ride.

I’m working on bunny hops at the mo, trying to incorporate as many as possible every ride, but on an alu hard tail with flat pedals finding it near impossible.

I dont need too

Ooh, Mr Taylforth, we look forward to seeing your Akrigg crushing video on mid week movies this week then hmm?

I find it more exciting to keep my skill-level set to sketchy.

All the time. I try and concentrate on certain areas i could be better on. Thinking about body positioning on the bike, cornering speeds entering and exiting etc.

Jekkyl, took me a little while to learn bunny hops. They just feel wrong when you first try but all of a sudden it will just start to come together. Lower your seat if you haven’t already. Good luck and keep at it 🙂 (although I’m still far from perfect!)

I feel I need to ‘play’ on the bike more. I have done pure downhill days in the past and ‘sessioned’ areas of various tracks.

Those days improved my general handling skills no end.

davidtaylforth – Member
I dont need too

Perhaps you could spend more time working on your grammar then? 😉

Riding is practising.

Not for me it isn’t. I can quite happily go for a whole ride without a single thought about my technique.

Yeah I mean, I still ride for fun but I try to be conscious of something I need to work on.

Currently I feel like my body and bike positioning is good but I know I’m still prone for cheeky back pedalling instead of forward pedalling to swap feet in a sequence of turns. And I’m also prone to a tiny comfort touch of the brakes mid-corner, which I’ve been weeding out this week.

Rather sadly with a hint of being slightly if not a lot pathetic, I’ve written reminder instructions to self on my handlebars. Heels down, elbows out, look ahead kind of thing. Generally get back home having had some fun only to notice said instructions and think “hmmm, perhaps I should have….”

So the answer is no, but should.

more than i used to, less than i should

Never, i just ride around places on my bike.

rather than just riding for fun

I’m sorry I don’t understand

Not for me it isn’t. I can quite happily go for a whole ride without a single thought about my technique.

Unconscious incompetence?

davidtaylforth – Member
I dont need too

Did WG manage to sneak back under an alias??

Cant be bothered.
sometimes I put effort into keeping up with my quick mates, but thats it.
It’s supposed to be fun after all.

never when riding the bike in case someone sees me. Instead i run round the garden holding a set of bars going Vroooom Vrooom Neeeaaaaaawwwwww and jumping over the flower beds. Manualled the length of the lawn this afternoon with no fear of injury or humiliation.

To a huge degree, just riding is a good way to hone things. Howevre, I ain’t getting any younger and MTB and “trail” riding has only become a major player in my things I do list, in the last 4 or 5 years , as opposed to a once a month xc epic. Many of the guys I ride with are faster than me in most situations other than perhaps climbing. So, I do try and ride alone every other week or so, just to go at my own pace and sometimes “session” bits which I struggle with or just “survive” down when we are group riding.

Unconscious incompetence?

Swings from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, but then this is the same for everyone, to different degrees.

Unconshus incompittence

So sh!t you don’t even know it. Did it on a management course, it is therefore complete and utter b****x, even if it’s true.

To a huge degree, just riding is a good way to hone things

I’m not convinced. Lots of people just ride and never really get much better in terms of skill. Riders who tend to session stuff (downhillers and DJ riders) often progress quicker due to repeating skills over and over again.

If it’s my local trails then I try and improve, remembering what I need to practice and how to improve. If it’s a long ride somewhere I haven’t been before then I tend to relax and not try to nail every corner I can as fast as I can.

Either way, I enjoy riding whether I’m trying to improve or not. I’ve seen a big improvement in the last 2 years since going to the Alps and heading to Jedi once a year. We’ll be up this summer! 😉

The more I ride the more natural the things I’m remembering are! 😀

used to do it quite a lot, about once a week, maybe just on the front street, maybe a slow commute home sessioning different obstacles, steps or big kerbs or sommat. Nowadays bugger all, just normal riding, as a result my bunny hops, drop offs and wheelies (which were never great to begin with) aren’t as good as they used to be and while my legs are OK my upper body is a little weedy

I’m always working on some little thing so every ride for me.

Jef Wachowchow – Member
Ooh, Mr Taylforth, we look forward to seeing your Akrigg crushing video on mid week movies this week then hmm?

Well I’m not Akriggs standard, infact I’m a fairly average rider.

But the day I learnt flat tabletops was the day I was content with my riding. I don’t feel I need to learn anything else.

I bought a trials bike for this exact reason.

You’ll never regret it.

Look at me go! 8)

Hello Dave, personally I won’t be happy until I can do this
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tKTsz-QAo[/video]

3.48.

Then i’m done.

Never bother.
If I’m on a strava run then it’s simpler just to make a new line than fart about wiggling all over the place.

I don’t work on them as much as I should, if I do it’s mostly when riding alone or slower groups. In faster groups I tend not to experimental with lines and technique as I’m often just concentrating on keeping up. Which of course means I never get any faster or better so I don’t have to try so hard.

Every ride 😉 i’ve been practising wheelies alot recently- and i’m still crap!
You’d think that after 20 odd years trying to pull a decent one on every ride that i’d succeed by now 😕
I can manage 25 metres or so at best so that’s better than i was at least!

I’m still prone for cheeky back pedalling instead of forward pedalling to swap feet in a sequence of turns.

Jedi showed me that you should actually back pedal for some foot swaps, as you can’t forward pedal as you brake before a corner and you’re better off doing a 1/4 turn than a 3/4 turn of the cranks.

I’ve been riding a lot of figure of eights recently – I am now an ambiturner!

I never “work on my bike skills” as i’ll never be as good as i once was* and I’m not that bothered about pushing myself any more.

I do piss about on the bike a fair bit though. 🙂

*In my early 20’s racing European and World Championship Enduros.

Every ride – always got a little demon reminding me of what I should be doing, especially when I don’t remember to do it when i should.

Mostly whilst I’m asleep.Though if I get any more rad my arse is likely to fall off.

I’ve been riding a lot of figure of eights recently

A good drill that.

I too was awesome in my youth and although my bike handling skills are still passable, i’m a shadow of my young me. I don’t ride enough to be able to practice these days, and the only skill i’m trying to learn now is to trust suspension. It’s still fun so i’m happy enough*

*wishes he was 20 years younger 😀

*wishes he was 20 years younger

Me too. 😆