skills course (near Gatwick) + website recommendation?

dubcat

Last weekend I went out riding with BelugaBob and he showed me how to ride over logs. My method to do this, being a noob, was to manhandle my bike in to a wheelie by pulling up the bars as i approached the logs which killed all the momentum on my bike and left me stranded on top of the logs. He shoed me how to dip my heels down and kinda push the bike forward as i hit the log and all of a sudden riding over logs was much more fun and also easier. I tried it on a couple of little jumps too and it made them real fun.

So i guess i need a skills course

Can someone recommend one not too far from Gatwick? Also can anyone recommend a website with technique tips that i can read as i won't be able to go on the skills course for a few weeks?

Cheers,
Dubcat

benpinnick

Try looking here...

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefaultMTB.aspx?TabID=5207

Probably surrey hills or swinley is your closest.

ollie_lucas1985

I to am looking at the skills course from gorrick at swinley forrest, I'm just unsure which one to go for.. Singletrack rider I would say but trails are what I want to learn.. hmmm

I'm looking to do the one on the 19th Nov..

Stevo_666

I tried this lot based in Surrey Hills last Nov and they were pretty good:
http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk/

Mytchett Mike

Stevo 666 wrote:

I tried this lot based in Surrey Hills last Nov and they were pretty good:
http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk/

+1

kona_matt

Mytchett Mike wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

I tried this lot based in Surrey Hills last Nov and they were pretty good:
http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk/

+1

+2

Sent the missus on a course with them and she really loved it. Am planning to one myself at some point.

hbrashaw

http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk/ ... aining.htm
these guys

Mytchett Mike

hbrashaw wrote:

http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk/mountain_bike_skills_training.htm
these guys

That'll be +3 then

popstar

Dubcat, don't fool around ... get to our group and organise between yourselve a day's skills course with Jedi (www.ukbikeskills.co.uk) or alternative use -www.allbikedup.co.uk- at Surrey Hills.

daniellesheridan

Hiya

Another option in The Surrey Hills (and therefore close to Gatwick) are ourselves here at Astounding Adventures.

Best place to start for most people is our fundamentals course:

http://www.astoundingadventures.co.uk/c ... entals.php

We'll have you manualling in next to no time.

Cheers!

Jedi

thanks for the recommend popstar

how's the riding going?

kona_matt

popstar wrote:

Dubcat, don't fool around ... get to our group and organise between yourselve a day's skills course with Jedi (www.ukbikeskills.co.uk) or alternative use -www.allbikedup.co.uk- at Surrey Hills.

all biked up and http://www.mountain-bike-guiding.co.uk are the same company.

popstar

Jedi wrote:

thanks for the recommend popstar

how's the riding going?

My riding changed to kind of effortless style, my riding buddies commented on that. Managed to ride Laggan Wolftrax black graded trails (one of most techy rock gardens within trail centers in UK) with ease without any fear of crashing.

Now happen to ride more and more techy stuff which I wouldn't even dare to try before.

There are few companies which do quality skillz course, suppose some of them have different style of teaching don't think any of them would be a waste of money though. Pick'n'choose really.

In my eyes however the way Jedi teaches is the future.

belugabob

@Dubcat - glad to be of help. Good to hear that you enjoyed the trails.

I did a skills course with allbikedup with a few of the otherMuddy@rses and found it very useful
Another member of the club did a course with Jedi and speaks very well of him too.
Then you just have to kepp on riding and developing.

P.S. Helmet cam footage was rubbish - as I had it pointing too high, and just got lots of shots of foilage & sky :-(

Jedi

[quote=

In my eyes however the way Jedi teaches is the future.[/quote]

kind words indeed popstar

dubcat

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm going to improve my fitness a bit more before booking a course. I know I don't technically need to but I want to do it that way round. I may do a few suicide runs with popster, naveed, cooldad and the gang first too

dubcat

OK so fitness has come along a little bit - not much but enough to do a skills course anyway! I did Surrey Hills yesterday and fell off twice for no apparent reason! Time for the course.

Jedi - any chance you could pm me your number? I want to get the same loving that popster got!

Jedi

did you get my pm?

Jedi

did you get my pm?

Jedi

did you get my pm?

dubcat

nope

Jedi

pm re sent now

dubcat

Ah got it now will call you in the AM sensei

Jedi

the choice is yours