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I'd like to do a skills course or two over the coming months, but don't know which would be best for me. I've read various threads on here. Would appreciate recommendations from the STW collective bearing the below in mind (i.e. not just because it's the one you did).
My current skill level I'd describe as average once-twice a week trail centre / natural rider. Black trails are fine. Enduro/path-type technical trails I'm not so good at, when it's a constant chaotic mess of rocks, roots, and ruts. I can do jumps and drops well enough, but can't manual or bunny hop, I'm quite small and not strong. Tend to avoid exposed, high-consequence, or committing stuff if in any doubt just because the satisfaction isn't worth the risk.
I do take an interest in learning by reading and watching videos, and try to apply some things when out riding. Never go out for deliberate practice or to session something though, I just go out and ride my bike somewhere nice. I'm reasonably adapted to my new LLS bike by now (combination of teaching myself, and the bike teaching me some harder lessons), I feel it's very capable and flatters my skills and forgives my lack thereof and bad habits.
So I'm not really sure what I want or need, and how to choose a course that's at the right level. I don't want a guided tour of a trail centre but nor do I want something for amateur enduro racers where I'll be out of my depth. Riding trail centres faster or jumping better aren't priorities, although I could certainly improve them and am always interested in improving any aspect.
I'm north-east based, but happy to travel for the right course and make a short break out of it.
Either Dirt School or RideLines in Innerleithen will happily customise for you.
Long drive but worth it, Tony Doyle at UKbikeskills in Hertford (Jedi on here) is brilliant, and will do a one on one course where you tell him what you want to learn.
A LINE COACHING based in Sheffield
Gareth is can excellent coach and very skilled rider, qualified as a Whistler Bike Park instructor.
I've learnt loads from him over the past years, simple, precise and logical, my riding at the age of 61 is loads better for his help.
I've used Jedi in the past and found his method to be unsatisfactory, confirmed by subsequent coaching.
I can highly recommend the 6 week residential course put on by STW which gives you all the skills you need (and a rather nice certificate) to be able to post photos on the forum.
Jedi +1.
Whoever you go with though, make sure you're clear on what you want to achieve - I don't get a clear sense of that from your OP but if it's the mental side of riding you want help with then Jedi is deffo the guy (although I do like his approach to the physical aspects too - clicked with me better than other coaching I've had).
Not the same as proper coaching but Ben cathros vids on Pinkbike are great
Thanks for those, all look good options.
Hertford's a difficult sell when the Tweed Valley is both closer and has loads of other stuff to ride if I spend an extra day or two around there.
Whoever you go with though, make sure you’re clear on what you want to achieve – I don’t get a clear sense of that from your OP
Correct - I'm not clear because I don't really know. Just feel it'd be good to make some intentional effort to get better at riding instead of just going out and riding. I think I just need to pick one and do it to get started somewhere.
All of them seem to progress basic/intermediate > jumps/air > steep/technical/enduro. I like the sound of the Ridelines intermediate one, Dirt School Trail Craft sounds a little more basic.
We Ride, based in Greno I think but all over.
The amount of people coming back I think speaks for itself.
I’ve been to Jedi and Andrew at ride with mee, both good. I had a stinker of a cold when I went to Jedi’s place so I didn’t get the most out of that, I plan to go back for jumps. Ride with mee was at Lee Quarry and we had a great time doing I think what you’re after http://www.ridewithmee.co.uk/
Both would be good choices 👍🏻
Can recommend Dirt school.
Correct – I’m not clear because I don’t really know. Just feel it’d be good to make some intentional effort to get better at riding instead of just going out and riding. I think I just need to pick one and do it to get started somewhere.
Agreed. It's difficult if you're not a racer but still feel like you want to 'get better'.
From my own experience. I'm a bit like you I think but opposite in some ways. Happy on pretty much every red I've ridden (including Aonach Mor and similar) but some built blacks psych me out - happier with tech than jumps and drops. Outside of trail centres I'm fine with rocky, techy Lakes and Peaks trails. I quite like the chaos of rocks and loose stones - I don't ride them fast but enjoy the challenge.
I've been to Jedi 3 or 4 times now. I don't think I'm that much faster but I do feel smoother and more in control most of the time. I have developed some mental tools thanks to Tony that mean I know when to push on and when to shrug my shoulders and step off without feeling defeated. I have a couple of riding mates that always comment on my smooth riding when they follow me (line choice is a different matter!).
The other point maybe worth making is that once you decide to get some coaching, stick to that coach if you want more - mixing and matching approaches isn't going to help anyone.
I've done sessions with dirt school and ridelines and they're both really good, but fairly different in feel. And in the end it basically came down to coaching vs teaching. Ridelines (I was out with Andy Weir) was very much teaching, we were drilling specific skills and techniques and features and definitely the goal was to go away from that one day, better.
Dirtschool I've actually done 2 sessions with, a 1-to-1 and a jumps day, and I'd say that while of course there's also a fair amount of that drilling and learning, it's much more "put into place some skills and framework and then you go away and practice it and get better".
Neither one was better than the other- both valid approaches, at the time I found the dirtschool approach probably better for me since I really did go away and spend a load of time practicing the same things and really cementing it. But if it were now, when I've got a bit less overall enthusiasm for that sort of things, then probably Ridelines would have fit me better as I'd probably take more away from the day, then never bother to really consciously practice it.
(the Dirtschool group day was well taught but not imo all that well run, bottom line was there was 6 in the group, and 1 was on the wrong course- it said intermediate level, must be comfortable on red trails, and that person was a beginner that was scared of glentress red. And unfortunately Andy decided to cater to that, and dumbed down the whole day for that 1 person. We only covered about 2/3ds of the course goals and the 5 of us spent ages basically repeating basics unsupervised, while he spent most of the time with the one person. Not a disaster but not right)
I've done an Ed Oxley two dayer at Lee and Crag Quarry, a Pro Ride Guides at Gisburn and two sessions with Jedi. I have got something out of all of them but while the first two felt kinda generic, the Jedi ones felt completely different.
My thoughts after those, are that you should pick a recommended coach in a location with the kind of features that you need to improve on. And to either go one to one or with a friend at a similar level.
My next course will probably be A-Line as I'm not far from Sheffield and Wharncliffe has every kind of feature in one amazing location. I will no doubt visit Jedi again to carry on improving my jumping.
The Ed Oxley course really opened my eyes to pumping the bike.
Pro Ride Guides was a bit of a let down due to the location changing to Gisburn. It was supposed to be about jumping and Gisburn didn't have decent jumps.
Jedi one to one was good, his way of teaching is very different and his facility has jumps, drops, wall rides, etc to challenge most people.
Jedi with a friend was really good. I was amazed how much I had missed/forgotten from the first time and made really good improvements which have stuck this time.
After the first Jedi course I had nowhere to practice the techniques he taught me regularly, since then we have built some decent tabletops with council permission which has allowed me to make his teachings stick. Top and bottom of coaching is that you need an open mind and a willingness to then practice/session till they become part of your riding.
I just think of them as another great day out on the bike, and they are really cheap compared with learning the hard way and being off work for 6 to 12 weeks...
Dirtschool are good. You sound just like me. And dirtschool steep and something course really made a difference.
Thanks for all those. I'll post my searched-for links here for anyone else's convenience:
https://ridelines.co.uk/
https://www.dirtschool.co.uk/
https://ukbikeskills.co.uk/
http://alinecoaching.co.uk/
https://www.weride.co.uk/
https://www.ridewithmee.co.uk/
https://www.proridemtb.com/
https://www.visitcalderdale.com/great-rock-mountain-bike-skills-trips
I'm going for the Ridelines Intermediate one. Sounds like the right level, content of interest and made clear, not too broad or narrow scope, follow-on courses also of interest, good weekend-away proposition in the Tweed Valley. Also has a website with dates available and takes bookings.
Already following the Pinkbike Cathro series thanks, really good.
I don’t think I’m that much faster but I do feel smoother and more in control most of the time.
This would be a good outcome, plus the satisfaction and safety that comes with it.