Have you ever taken a bike clinic or are your skills self taught?

I too took a DH clinic with Julius and totally agree with Denmo in every aspect! he has a way for teaching, his feedback is right on and presented in a positive manner, I learned so much and belive that because I took it with a few buddies who were near or close to my level we were really able to focus on one skill learn it and move to the next. I'm pretty sure Julius wants the class to be set up that way also.

 

Just intro'd myself on another thread, but should cover myself here as well (considering I see my name mentioned Bob here, with Bikeskills.com, the "New Rider Day" instructor.
Good to see a lot of positive thoughts here about learning the right skills the right way. Like the original poster mentioned, there has been a lack of available mtb lessons until lately (last few years) outside of Mark's class up in Malibu

Like a lot of folks, when I started riding in 1989, I spent more time trying to keep up with the group than actually learning anything. And riding solo could end up leaving more questions than answers. But when I would ask other riders for advice, most of it was vague and ambiguous if not downright wrong i.e. "never use the front brake!" . That's when I decided to really develop a program that could get the rudimentary skills taught and get folks having a better time on a bike: riding safer, smarter and faster.

When I started asking highly skilled riders and pros how to do specific things, I began to get specific answers, especially when I explained what my goal was (creating the program). What I found was, for a lot of these folks, riding had become intuitive and not something they could easily explain without thinking about it (hence the vague answers when asked 'on the trail'?). As for the bad advice, that came mostly from bad riders, of which I still see a few of.

I worked on the program for years, refining and polishing it. Not sure what to do with it the universe ran me in to Joe Lawill and the rest is history. We now offer the New Rider Day program through Bikeskills.com and I teach it at Aliso Woods.

But don't be fooled by the name. I get a lot of riders who have been on their bike for a year or more, but are still struggling with basics like cornering, braking, shifting, descending, et al. I also get a lot of spouses, "buds", significant others, etc. who found they just weren't learning from their respective riding cohorts. And yes, I get a few brand new riders on a brand new bike or sometimes a buddy's hand-me-down. Regardless, they all have ridden away with a new found love of the sport through understanding the skills involved.

OK, this is getting way longer than I wanted, so suffice to say whether you go for Joe's class, Julius in SD, Mark in LA or me, the point is to get out there, learn things the right way, get away from bad habits and have a better time on your bike!

Last but not least, I'll be posting up some clinic dates on bikeskills.com after my doc appt. tomorrow; currently on the injured list after a rather rude meeting with a boulder in Precott last week. (be warned: the Granite Dells is best done in daylight!)

Feel free to ping me here or via e-mail ([email protected]) if any questions arise.

 

I'm talking with Julius now for a gravity class on April 9th? Anyone else interested?

 

I am kinda interested, but I only got a XC bike! So...:?:

 

I took my first clinic with Julius riding my Yeti 575 with Fox 36 TALAS. It was sufficient. I took my second clinic with Julius on my new (used) Santa Cruz V-10 that I bought after the clinic. Tells you a little about Julius' feedback

 

I've emailed Julius about this.

 

Thanks Mike! Come to think of it, it makes more sense for me to take a gravity class than another XC/AM class AGAIN. Let's see what he says.

 

He said to have a bike that has at least 4-5 inches of travel front and rear and tires that are 2.3 or wider. Let me know if you are still interested. I might want to take his xc/am class. My goal is to ride faster without more effort. Julius said the xc/am class might be more suitable. Although I'm sure the gravity class will help tremendously too.

 

I just took Julius' XC/AM class yesterday. I agree with denmother's assessment that he is a natural teacher. He's got a good eye for your cornering/body positioning mistakes. The trail he takes you on is also a beaut! Watch your head while going through Tunnels though...I'm 5'4" and I still whacked my head against a branch.

I think the class was just right for myself and my 2 buddies. I need to practice on jumps first before I move on to a more gravity oriented class.

 

I just did a training camp on the east coast, and even though there were no 'skills' teaching involved, I learned a lot of new skills. The camp happened to be in the snow (not planned that way), and I've never put in any miles through snow covered trails (6-8 inches, varying compactness from snowmobile, x-c skiing, 4x4 traffic). The first night was awful, torture! I pushed the bike more than pedaled, but by the last day, I had it all sorted out, and only if my bike 'drifted' into deep, fluffly snow did i have to walk. All of the other riders gave all sorts of advice, and I just tryed out the different techniques and found which ones worked for me and my bike position.
I highly reccommend clinics and camps!

 

Thanks...good info! Taking a class with him on April 9th. Glad to hear you guys worked on cornering too.

 

anybody else having issues with the bikeskills.com website? tried to go there to get some info and it's looks messed up.

 

Yep, looks messed up. Comes up "bike skills blog" now... Best bet would probably be to e-mail Joe and see what's up. The class is next Saturday, right?

 

Yup, it's next Sat. Does anyone know where in Aliso are we meeting? Is the meeting time 8:30 or 9?

 

No, but I recall reading it's not where we met last time--at the main entrance / ranger station. I think it said that the meeting place would be outlined in the instructions we'd get e-mailed. I thought the start time was 8am, but I could be mistaken--might be 8:30am but I don't think it's 9am. We better just e-mail Joe--I will do that right now and let you know if I hear anything.

 

Thanks! Keep us posted. Maybe we'll meet at MILF park.

 

i've never been anywhere near here so may have to rely on you guys for guidance.

 

We can meetup somewhere and you can follow me there.

 

sounds good

 

Do not follow Mike. I repeat...DO NOT FOLLOW MIKE! Especially on the trail! LOL