rudi-h Posted October 19, 2014 Posted October 19, 2014 i can ride rock gardens, drop offs and find my way around most single track that I can find, but I'm not by any means an exceptional technical rider. I admit to sucking at jumps and I cant manual or wheelie for more than a few metres at a time without losing it sideways. My goal for the next few years is to become really good at bike skills. I want to make my way to Whistler / Moab in a few years from now and I really don't want to go all that way so just that I can ride the chicken run lines... I do however wonder if it is possible for a normal dude like me to achieve the level of skill required... 1) Is good balance a genetic feature similar to the ability to sing to tune which you either can or cannot do? reason I ask is that went to the physio the other day for some knee rehab (after a ligament operation last year) and she has given me stabilizing exercises which involves mini squats on one leg with my eyes closed... I can't do much more than 8 or 10 of these mini squats before losing it, so my balance clearly isn't the best around... 2) is there a correlation between technical riding ability and balance? it sure seems that balance is one of the key prerequisites to good skills when looking at vids of danny mcaskill and these folks... 3) if it is possible to "learn" what are the best ways to improve balance (i.e. no falling sideways when I wheelie?) Should I get a unicycle or do specific balance training. What did you guys that can wheelie and manual for days on end do to get it right?
King_Crispy Posted October 19, 2014 Posted October 19, 2014 Waiting on this one.Clearly I also don't possess too many skilllzz as I go lie-down quite regularly
SimpleDom Posted October 19, 2014 Posted October 19, 2014 Peach says you can get better at balance with practice. If only I would listen.
Sniffie Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 I am by no means an expert, but I think core strength is one of the key ingredients to good balance and technical ability. Squats, dead-lifts, planks, crunches, etc should form part of your exercise routine. Once you can do a decent squat and dead-lift, move on to doing it on one leg. Swimming is also a great way to improve and maintain core strength.
GrantRH Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Great question. I do think there is an element of natural ability - I remember as a little guy I could always stand on one leg and balance on beams much better than my friends. But I do think it can be developed and improved. For example, I started road riding at the beginning of this year and didn't MTB for about 6 months. When I got back on my MTB I felt like I was learning to ride a bike again. Over the last 6 months I have been doing quite a few MTB marathons and stage races. I am now far more confident on a MTB than I have ever been. Didn't get off or fall once on the Berg & Bush Descent - and I wasn't holding back either. I also just tried your exercise and can do those squats until my legs fatigue.
patches Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Speak to Peach. I know he used to run trials skills lessons, providing bike and all. The aim of the lessons wasn't to turn every student into Kenny Belaey or Danny MacAskill, but to help develop technical skills that can be applied to all forms of riding. Balancing being one of the big ones. PM him, he may be able to help out.
NotSoBigBen Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 I think you can train 'skillz', be they balance or technical riding, to a point the same as you can train to go faster to a point but I have come to realize that if you're average you're average and come to terms with it ..... If it was just time and effort I would whip Patches ass on a DH bike or Dangles in endurance and that hasn't happened and won't be period
The MTBer Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 A Unicycle won't help to balance a MTB, I have a unicycle and it more something to play with. I think balance come from training. Every week I take out my MTB to play arround, ride up and down a narrow place, standing on one place for 5min. You really need to know your bike, when you know your bike and practice your balance it will later come from self, and you can do the things in your sleep.
hayleyearth Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Learning to balance on my bike has become the most valuable skill I have learnt to date. (Seriously I rate it much higher than being able to do drops or stuff). I have said this to multiple people the last little while. My confidence when riding through rocky sections has improved because of this and when following people I have become less 'scared' of them suddenly stopping in front of me. It is something one can improve on for sure, by practising of course...at red traffic lights, stop streets, crossing roads, going through doors/gates (if you have wide bars of course), I made it part of my normal riding and started doing it consciously a couple of months into this year. I think it improves ones general position on the bike too. It has helped me a lot with short climbs (like that on in the furthest corner of Emmerantia. Last week a guy stopped in front of me and I could stop without talking feet off the pedals and wait a bit and gave a power stroke to continue again). It gives you time to think over rocky sections where you cant see the line from the top, when you feel like you need to stop you can do so without 'dismounting' and we all know how difficult it can get to 'start again/get back on the bike' in some decents. (I dont have a desire to wheelie so cant comment on that, I want to be able to do a nice manual while on the trails though and that for me is a different kind of learning I am trying...some progress has been made on this, but nothing I can comment on yet...sadly)
Marius Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 I just watched a few How too video's on YouTube when I started cycling - Now I'm pretty good with track stands, bunny hopping, side ways hopping, backwards hopping, very handy for mtb'ing. I must admit I also want to wheelie well & have started practicing recently but it's not coming naturally to me like the other stuff..
Peach. Posted October 21, 2014 Posted October 21, 2014 i can ride rock gardens, drop offs and find my way around most single track that I can find, but I'm not by any means an exceptional technical rider. I admit to sucking at jumps and I cant manual or wheelie for more than a few metres at a time without losing it sideways. My goal for the next few years is to become really good at bike skills. I want to make my way to Whistler / Moab in a few years from now and I really don't want to go all that way so just that I can ride the chicken run lines... I do however wonder if it is possible for a normal dude like me to achieve the level of skill required... 1) Is good balance a genetic feature similar to the ability to sing to tune which you either can or cannot do? reason I ask is that went to the physio the other day for some knee rehab (after a ligament operation last year) and she has given me stabilizing exercises which involves mini squats on one leg with my eyes closed... I can't do much more than 8 or 10 of these mini squats before losing it, so my balance clearly isn't the best around... 2) is there a correlation between technical riding ability and balance? it sure seems that balance is one of the key prerequisites to good skills when looking at vids of danny mcaskill and these folks... 3) if it is possible to "learn" what are the best ways to improve balance (i.e. no falling sideways when I wheelie?) Should I get a unicycle or do specific balance training. What did you guys that can wheelie and manual for days on end do to get it right? 1 - From what I have seen some people do have a better "natural" ability, weather this is due to genetics or a sporty childhood im not too sure, but I do believe that you can train yourself to a point, Danny has been riding Trials his whole childhood so his balance and tech skills would have developed from that. 2- For slow technical riding balance will definitely help, If you are smashing a tech section on a DH run then it will help a bit but being loose on your bike is key. For any Trials riding (like Danny does) balance is the most important part. 3- Unicycles don't help, I can wheelie for quite a while but I can only get 10m on a uni, they are very different, but will probably help if you can do it. Best way to improve a wheelie and manual is practice, practice, practice and more practice. You need to get a feeling for the balance point on your back wheel. Watching youtube videos is a good way to learn. The best and fastest way to learn is skills clinics or riding with people that can give you pointers. I taught myself most of what I know but learnt a lot more and faster riding with people better than me. I can run a skills clinic if 5 or so people are keen. 3 hour session, R300 per rider. We can focus on whatever the group wants to learn, jumps, drops, tech, rocks, bunny hop, wheelie. We can meet at Fratellis along the spruit at 2pm on Sunday? PM me if you are interested.
mrbaker Posted October 21, 2014 Posted October 21, 2014 I can vouch for the value of a skills session with Peach- I did one a few months back and it definitely built up my confidence in new technical skills I had been wanting to learn.I found it actually 'opened my eyes' in the sense of seeing other options when riding- being able to create lines where others couldn't see them. Anyone in JHB wanting to improve their riding should give Peach a call- well worth the R300
NukeproofPeanut Posted October 21, 2014 Posted October 21, 2014 As with most things it's just practice and time in the saddle I feel.Sure some people are just naturally gifted, but you need to push your limits every now and then to learn new things. Messing around on the bike also just helps. Bouncing on the back wheel, sitting still and balancing etc. I can wheelie over a km quite easy especially uphill and around corners etc.But that came from me practicing,trying to wheeling across the drive way,then trying to wheelie the length of my wall,then between lampposts, then three,then the street, then around the block. Also don't forget setup of the bike! It is very important, and definitely something that many people over look.A shorter stem, Higher rise bars, Wider bars, and geometry of bike (shorter chain stays make wheeling/manualing easier) should be considered as they make getting back over the rear wheel much easier. But are not always practical for some riders and bikes.
rudi-h Posted October 22, 2014 Author Posted October 22, 2014 thanks peach, i'm in for sunday if you get enough interest
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