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

The line over the rock on Rock-it isn't very often taken from what I've seen. I am glad that Joe is showing you guys that line! I give a lot of props to those who are just learning manual skills and are already applying them to that section of rock-it!

Glad to hear that Joe isn't a 11:58 start packing up for a 12:00 end type of guy! Leaving over two hours later shows where his heart is.

 

Yeah...Joe is really a great teacher. Anyone who is on the fence about taking his class, I'd highly recommend him. Even if you are not new to the sport, Joe can definitely teach you a thing or two.

 

I am a self taught mechanic. I started tinkering with my old Kuwahara when I used to race at Ascot raceway as a kid. I have learned a few things working in shops and reading but have never been to a clinic or class on bike repair.

 

When did you race at Ascott? I started racing PeeWees there in 1988 and raced there til it closed.

 

I raced there off and on between 83-85

 

This is a thread adout bike HANDLING skills not mechanic skills. FYI. Or about Ascot raceway.


shitty

 

Sorry we offended you.

 

Hey Guys, Bob here (obviously...) getting a kick out of your posts. Glad to see the enthusiasm, and happy to see you all got out (relatively) unscathed. OK, you're a little sore, but that just means you pushed your personal envelope. So would you have tried all that had you not taken the clinic?
So I'll say it one more time: get back out there as soon as it dries up and ride "the course", remembering all of Joe's lessons and pushing yourselves even harder. And bust out of your "regular" riding habits and places; explore new trails and continue to make your "envelope" bigger.
Blindman, thanks for the "thanks", and Ming the Maniac, don't be cheating yourself on water; fill it up all the way Hope your legs have recovered!

 

genny and i took julius's XC class yesterday. other than being hungover from riding joplin the day before, the clinic was a big success. first of all, we were the only two people in the class (he limits it to 4 or 5), so we got personal instruction. he was extremely patient and observant, and spent a good 1/2 hour in the parking lot checking out our form and going over some (not so) basic skills. then we spent the next 3 hours on the los penasquitos--and some sweet adjacent--trails, sessioning sections to work on our individual areas of weakness.

julius is a natural teacher who will make you a better rider. period. and it's a bargain for $55. i just wish i could've taken the class 20 years ago (i'd have a lot fewer scars). he's off to england in the fall, so catch him while you can.

 

I'm dying as I haven't ridden on the dirt since the clinic because of the rain and because I took my bike in for a tuneup afterwards and they wound up finding an issue with my brakes. They're replacing them under warranty, so that's good, but I've been doing road rides since. I need to get out of there and ride it again and prove it to myself that it wasn't a fluke--that I can clean the rock garden like I did for the first time during the class and I am pretty sure I can clean "the rock" on Rock-It now that I saw it (over and over again by Joe). It's amazing how watching someone like Joe (and Bob, for that matter) ride something you're having difficulty on can help me see a line I never knew existed before. I felt like John Belushi in The Blues Brothers..."I can see the light"... I used to ride by obstacles and not see that there was something I could actually ride over or through. And it wasn't like Joe just said, don't be a wimp--just hit it hard and wish it well..., he explains WHY it's possible and HOW it's possible then shows it is possible. My favorite part was where he showed how much you can get away with on the rock garden (if you apply the skills he taught us) and just zig-zagged side to side all over the place on the rock garden section--that did a lot for me to give me the confidence that I could do it.

And Bob, you are great--Joe couldn't and wouldn't be effective without your support. Your tips were really helpful too. I remembered last time I took the clinic, watching you and the other assistant (KJ?) ride over the ledge right before "the rock" and made it look really easy; that was something that I couldn't / wouldn't try to ride at that time, but after that first clinic you gave me the confidence to give it a shot and I eventually nailed that.

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed the class--both times I took it!

 

Just took Julius's xc/am clinic this past weekend in Los Penasquitos. As mentioned before, Julius is a very good instructor. The class size is small (2-3 people) so you get more individual attention. What I really liked about it was that I really wanted to work on cornering and Julius made that happen. Another cool thing for me about the class was riding in Los Penasquitos's tunnels. The tunnel trails there unlike anything I've every ridden before. Besides just scanning the ground ahead, you have to scan above your head too...I hit my head on several low branches.
Because of the rain this past Saturday, Julius pushed the class back to 12pm and it turned out to be an awesome day for riding. I'm so glad we didn't have to reschedule. The class lasted from 12-5, and like Joe, Julius is also not a wrap it up at 11:55, get out by 12 type of instructor. +1 for Julius.

Now comparing Joe's Bike Skills Clinic vs Julius's Clinic...it's a hard choice. Depending on where you are coming from, its about the same price. Joe's is a little more expensive than Julius's, but the drive down to SD kinda even's it out, at least for me since I have an SUV gas guzzler. Both Joe and Julius are great instructors and you can't go wrong with either one. I guess maybe the only advantage I could see with Julius's class is that if you are a somewhat experienced rider looking to brush up or improve on a certain aspect to your riding, Julius's class might be better as it is smaller. Joe's clinic also has Bob, who is a great instructor as well, so you get an extra set of eyes to critique you. I guess it evens out.

I want to take Julius's DH clinic next, and better do so quick as Julius is moving to London soon for graduate school.

Hope that helps some of you.

 

I just took a bike skills clinic with Mark Langton over the weekend and it was an extremely valuable class that I recommend to anyone. Rather than learning by "trial and error" as I have up until now, Mark went over basic bike setup and proper form and technique and a wide variety of other things - all at a very reasonable price. Most importantly, he identified my bad habits and how I can work to improve them. After the class I was able to go places on my bike that I would typically avoid (especially the technical stuff) - which has greatly boosted my confidence. I can't wait to get back on on the trail and practice what I learned! :bang:
Here's his website for more info: http://www.mountainbikeskills.com/lessons.htm

 

Took both. Can't go wrong with either Joe's or Julius'...both great instructors. Definitely not for absolute beginners though.

 

FYI, Julius leaves for London and graduate school mid August. He will be doing clinics on the weekends until then. Hurry, schedule your clinics now!!! BTW, he does jump clinics too!!!

 

I'm looking to take the Beginner's class next Saturday May 7th with Bob. I emailed him and there aren't enough people signed up as of yet. Anyone else interested?

 

Anyone taking the XC class this Sunday?

 

^^
julius will do his class with only 2 people. just sayin'...

 

Just got done taking a downhill clinic with Ray Cheng. He's rcheng94 on youtube. He's only sixteen, but he's got a lot of patience, but more importantly, he's actually a good teacher. We went down five oaks, and he covered a lot of basics with drops, jumps, cornering, etc.

You can contact him through youtube or emailing him at [email protected]

 

How much is he charging? Min group size? Thanks!

 

$50. I didn't get a min group size from him, but our group was only 3. I'm sure he'd do a group of 2.