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Hey so I really want to learn how to free ride and jump a little. does anyone want to teach me? Do you need a lot of xc experience in order to do it? I'm wondering if there is a reason no girls do it? I went to Epping today and it was awesome. I'm pretty athletic but I also get nervous about falling off and getting hurt so id really need someone patient haha. I live in london right near waterloo station. don't mind traveling. Let me know what your recommendations are and if anyone is willing to teach!



Thanks,
Becky

Hi becky there's always loads of epping group rides going on. Id say doing XC is a good idea as it cant do anything but improve your bike skills.

Cool! thank you.

Get yourself on ukbikeskils public jumps and drops course, bit like golf, dont practice bad habits (or worse, other people's)

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Thanx for the info, I have checked their website as I am in the same position as Becky, it sounds cool.
Do you know if there are many riders going to the public courses?
Also, I never understand if it would be a good thing to start with a singletrack course first or go straight to the jumps one. I can't say exactly what my level is and if I already have bad habits...probably I have them

Good idea

Thanks for the help. Also, I didn't even know there were bad habits. I've just been riding. What are some of them to look out for?

Lol bad habbits in everything, like using the back brakes and when people saying "hang off the back", Jedi will sort you out.
Ive been riding for decades, my eyes were opened when I had the first lesson, things I thought I was doing but wasnt, like feet position in a corneretc

Wow okay I have a lot to learn. Thank you so much for that ukbikeskills website, I'm going to go to an open day for the single track riding hopefully on the 14th of october if theres space.

Result, best money you can spend on a bike

Definitely recommend UK Bike Skills. Went there for the Jumps and Drops day this month as I'm new too. Valuable starting point to know that your technique is right in the first place and then go from there. Enfield's close to you for jumps and some Northshore. Best to go up there with someone though in case you come off.

Thanks guys.

I found Danbury a good place to learn, if you do some of the runs you can do them slowish to start and everyrhing is rollable, no need to pull up out of jumps, etc but then build up speed and confidence and before long youll find yourself getting air out of the bombholes, etc and getting higher n higher, sometimes doing runs and dealing with the various jumps and drops is better thsn concentrating on a single jump, well thats my opinion anyway.

That's actually really helpful. thank yoooou!!!

Its good to chose a run and start with the last jump, just roll down the first lot and concentrate on the last one, get that dialled and move your way back to the previous one, just repeat this over and over until you at the top doing the whole line, learning specifically to jump your bike is probably best done on an isolated jump, just hit it and hit it and hit it no matter how small it is and your technique will develop and you then apply the same technique to the next one you try.