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Who's the person to speak to regarding skills coaching? Thanks in advance, Gary
Jedi. Nuff said.
Yup,
Go see Tony.
depends a bit where you live or, rather, where you want the coaching
Jedi or Great Rock.
Where are you geographically and where are you with your riding? I've been coached by Ed (greatrock) and Tony (ukbikeskills). In my opinion, there's no comparison, Tony is in a different league.
However, unless you want/need the best of the best, someone local might be able to offer a lot of help with a lot less travel.
Hi all thanks for your replies, I'm based close to Manchester but not fussed about travelling.
Jedi is the man.
Hi all thanks for your replies, I'm based close to Manchester but not fussed about travelling.
Great Rock is your closest then.
...or combine a weekend riding trip to the Stanes with a session at Dirtschool ?
Not used any of the above or the one I'm about to suggest, but Neil Donaghue (sp?) at llandegla would be another one localish to you?
Can anyone shed any light on his coaching ability? He's clearly a very good rider...
I can highly recommend ALine Coaching in Sheffield. I've had a couple of sessions and my riding has really progressed over the last year.
I've been to Jedi a couple of times and he is undoubtedly a good coach. But I recommend Tom Dowie at Chicksands.
these guys are in your area,
I know them both and can vouch that their both good skilled riders/teachers 🙂
It all depends what level you're starting from but I can highly recommend the Llandegla courses. I did 12 months of riding as a total beginner before taking a course and wished I'd taken one much earlier because the confidence gained from being able to properly take decent sized drops and jumps after the course is brilliant.
They video your day and use the video clips during coffee breaks to analyse what you're doing wrong.
You'll learn the skills to manual and bunny hop properly. You might not be able to do it properly on the day but you'll be given the tools to go away and practice - basically every time you ride after the course you'll just be a faster and a better rider. It takes months to dial it all in though.
I couldn't take the drops before the course. Absolutely no way. When we came to that bit during the day I was pretty worried. They said we can't force you to do them but we know you're capable of doing it. It took a bit of MTFU to do it but it worked!
I did the Jumps & Drops course in July 2014 at Llandegla with Neil and PJ. Here's my video clips:
And while I was searching for that someone else has put their clips online too:
This year Neil has a new Speed & Flow course at Llandegla which I'm going to do soon. That is for Enduro style racing and meant to be done after doing the Jumps and Drops. It'll still go back to basics but you'll be expected to be able to manual and bunny hop properly to get the most out of the course (I expect, anyway!).
If you're just starting out they do a Core Skills course. You'll advance much quicker and more safely by having the basics dialled in.
Best £100 I spent on my bike.
Manchester you say? http://www.ridewithmee.co.uk/
Andrew will come and coach you on your local trails if you wanted, or meet you pretty much anywhere in NW.
These guys are highly recommended and do courses in Gisburn which isn't horrendously far from Manchester. There's an Airtime course there on the 22nd Feb:
http://prorideguides.com/pages/air-time/
EDIT: although if you can make it to Hertford, Jedi is very good indeed, my riding has improved massively since my day with him
I've done a course with both UK Bike Skills and Great Rock and personally I preferred the latter. To me it was eaier to apply what I learnt because it was done on the sort of terrain that I actually ride. It also felt like a day out with your mates. The group of lads who were on the course were great too.
Having done two group courses now, I think I'd save up the extra for a one on one course next time.
What do you want coaching on?
These guys are highly recommended and do courses in Gisburn which isn't horrendously far from Manchester. There's an Airtime course there on the 22nd Feb:
Recommended, especially if you're the analytical type or focused on racing.
It's more confidence in descending on rougher stuff really, but drop offs and jumps would be a bonus. I know that more time on the bike would be a massive help but I work long hours plus an hour to hour and half travel each way.