Bikeskills

Bikeskills RAW… Bikes Industry News in the Raw

by Leave a Comment

We’re often asked “so, what’s up with Santa Cruz Bicycles?” Or, “what does Fox Racing Shox have up their sleeve for next year?” So what about the new carbon fiber Blur XC in the picture? Or what is the difference between a mule and a prototype anyway? Curious to find out what SCB’s Rob Roskopp’s favorite bike is these days?

So while we were at Santa Cruz Bicyles today, Jeremy busted out the Panasonic P2 HD and we talked to a couple of folks – ad-hoc – including one of SCB’s top engineers, and the man himself, SCB’s legendary founder and CEO, Rob Roskopp. Read on…. [Read more…]

Share

Tenderfoot Tune-Up: Great Clinic. Lousy Pictures…

by 2 Comments

Only in Marin… only in Marin California can you deface a public sign (as long as it’s PC) but get arrested for riding on a trail that you can do anything on, other than ride a bike…

If you live in Marin and have ridden the Tenderfoot Trail, you have probably looked up and seen good old Chief Tenderfoot (or whatever his real name is). You’ve probably enjoyed Mill Valley’s only little spit of legal singletrack and been more than challenged by a few of its quirks. Yesterday, on Superbowl Sunday, Jiro held Bikeskills’ first Tenderfoot Tune-up. Read about it and check out some funky [as in bad] pictures… [Read more…]

Share

Announcing Bikeskills SESSIONS Clinics

by Leave a Comment

HB Performance (aka Hayes Brakes) and Bikeskills have Teamed up for the first Bikeskills SESSIONS clinics. So what’s the difference between Bikeskills’ existing clinics, and SESSIONS?  Real simple: SESSIONS clinics are focused on either a single skills area (say jumping, drops, etc.) and, SESSIONS are compact, two-hour clinics.  The first two SESSIONS clinics will take place at the Rockville Bike Park (close to Sacramento, CA) and the justly famous Tenderfoot Trail in Mill Valley CA. For additional clinic information, times and locations, read on!

[Read more…]

Share

Start February off Right With a Bikeskills Clinic

by Leave a Comment

With yet another week of fantastic, unseasonably warm weather predicted for all of California, what a great time to take a Bikeskills clinic. Here are some recent pictures starting with Jiro (above) sessioning a very techincal rock garden at Rockville Bike Park, near Sacramento California. For more pictures and information, read on [Read more…]

Share

Changes in Weather Call For Special Riding Skills…

by 1 Comment

After record breaking high temperatures throughout much of the west coast, the forecast is for gray skies and at least some rain. Not only does the West Coast need rain, but the trails have started to get a bit dry, dusty, and even a little too loose. So while the sun was nice, newly tacked down trails will be that much better.

As we’ve said many times in the past, when the trails are wet, the riding will be different. By and large, damp is good, but there are special skills and techniques that need to be applied. The best way to learn about them is to take a Bikeskills clinic from the pros that had to earn a living, like Joe Lawwill, Paul Thomasberg, and Jiro Nakamura, who made their livings, rain or shine, on the World Cup tour. If there’s not a clinic located close to where you are, then watch this video we created to help you deal with the Slippery Stuff.

Video: Riding Roots, Rocks and Water Crossings
Check out this classic Bikeskills video and learn… [Read more…]

Share

Take a Clinic and Bikeskills Video of the Week

by 2 Comments

If you are lucky enough to either live, or be in California right now, we don’t need to tell you the weather is great. But, you might not know that there are Bikeskills clinics scheduled in both NorCal and SoCal this coming weekend. With temps forecasted to be in the 60s and 70s, the trails in perfect shape, what could be better than taking a Bikeskills clinic from two of the best instructors on the planet, former World Cup veterans Joe Lawwill or Jiro Nakamura?

The Art of the Switchback Video

Anyone that has been frustrated with one of mountain biking’s perennial challenges, steep and or complex switchback turns,  knows that they are not easy. However,  if you’ve taken a Bikeskills clinic, then you know that every switchback turn not only has common elements, but that there are skills you can develop and tools to apply to successfully tackle even the most difficult switchback.  Check out the video… [Read more…]

Share

Bikeskills Helps the “Going The Distance” Project

by Leave a Comment

Left to Right: Dr. Robb Gaffney MD,  Jim Moran, Jay Waller, Jiro Nakamura

Bikeskills’ Jiro Nakamura, listens to Dr. Robb Gaffney MD, a specialist in treating traumatic brain injuries TBI (and well as the co-founder of Skiskills) discuss the long lasting effects of brain injuries during break a in filming this past Sunday.  The round table group included six time World Cup winner (freestyle skiing) and brain injury survivor, Jim Moran, his close friend and Olympic Gold Medalist, Jonny Moseley. [Read more…]

Share

Bikeskills Clinics Galore in January!

by 1 Comment

Not only has the weather been relatively mild this January in California, modest amounts of rain have left our trail systems in terrific condition.  About the only thing that could make things better is having an array of Bikeskills clinics to choose from. And best of all, this January – for the first time – you’re in luck whether you live in NorCal or SoCal!  So check out the schedule and sign up now for one of the J&J (Joe or Jiro) clinics. You’ll be glad you did!

Share

Are You Predictably Irrational?

by Leave a Comment

This past weekend was organizational development time for Bikeskills NorCal group. That’s a fancy way of saying we simply got together, rode, talked about ways of refining what we do, tossed around ideas, and had fun riding mountain bikes. One of the things we talked about the most were ideas we got from an “assigned reading project” that being Daniel Ariely’s new book, “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.”

While MIT professor and behavioral economist Daniel Ariely’s book deals primarily with research and applications relating to economic issues, his broad range of examples and layman’s explanation of complex experiments he’s conducted, make extrapolating and applying his ideas to an even broader range of day to day life issues – and in our case, riding mountain bikes – almost automatic. And while we highly recommend Airely’s book, we also recommend taking a Bikeskills class (if you are a mountain biker) and we hope that Dr. Ariely would not only agree, but endorse our rationale as well!

The picture above is not just an artistically rendered photo of an artistic rider and Bikeskills instructor, Jiro Nakamura, but an example of our own observations of “Predictable Irrationality.” As it turns out, this root-infested, tight turn, knock-your-block-off drop, is one of the trail challenges that very, very few people even attempt – and even fewer pull off. However, Jiro was able not only to demonstrate it to countless “watchers” many times, and flawlessly so, his doing so sure seem to impress (maybe even anger)  lots of nnvious mountain bikers on this well known, Marin (Tenderfoot) trail. [Read more…]

Share