2008 is just about in the books. So why not make taking a Bikeskills clinic a New Year’s resolution you’ll not only stick with, but actually enjoy and will help you get more out of your bike, your sport, and yourself? We’re going to make it not only easy for you by scheduling January clinics in multiple locations, but we’ll be adding some special incentives to make our clinics all the more valuable for those of you who want to start the year out right. Check the individual clinics near you to find out what those special incentives are! [Read more…]
Come Join Jiro For WTB Tire Day 28 December!
We’re giving everyone who takes a NorCal clinic this Sunday, 28 December 2008, a free WTB mountain bike tire. We’ll have an assortment of tires ranging from Nanoraptors to Prowlers for you to choose from. There are only a couple of slots left, so sign up now! Contact Jiro at Jiro@bikeskills.com For additional information about the clinic, including time, location and content, just click on the “schedules” button above.
Jiro’s Latest Clinic Group Shot and J-Hop demo at Camp Tamarancho 8 Dec 2008
The Holidays… A Very Busy Time of Year. Here’s Our Checklist:
No doubt about it, the holidays are a busy time of year for anyone, especially those of us who love action sports. Mountain bikers in the west have some of the year’s best riding conditions. Skiers are thinking about shredding powder, and big north swells are arriving for surfers to rip.
But the holidays are also time to take stock of our good fortunes. That we’re able to surf, ski, run,hike, climb, ride, or whatever it is that brings us joy. For all too many, these simple pleasures just aren’t possible. With that in mind, the first item on Bikeskills’ checklist is not just to think about others, but to act in their behalf. One group of people that could use our help are those suffering from traumactic brain injuries. To read more about them and how you can help, go to our “Going The Distance Project” page under “Pages” to the right on this web page. Now here are some other things to put on your action sports related holiday check list:
- Get out there on your bike, board, skis, etc! Don’t let the rush of the holidays keep you from doing what will keep you healthy mentally and physically for a lifetime… especially during the holidays.
- Take better care of the stuff you already have! This year, think about the gear you already have. Clean it up, tune it up, fix it. You might already have everything you really need.
- Learn and get more out of that gear you already have. This goes well beyond taking a Bikeskills, Skiskills, or Surfskills clinic; it’s applicable to just about everything in life.
- Help someone become more involved in an activity that can quite literally, save their lives. But remember, if they don’t like: getting dirty on a bike, the big fish associated with surfing, or dealing with skiing’s cold, help them find something that resonates with them, that they love. Remember, it’s them you’re helping.
Need a reminder on how to keep a positive mental attitude during the insanity and demands of the holiday season? Do what we do here at Bikeskills: go for a ride with Jon “Sick Air” Sigerman. Can’t do that? No problem, here’s a little gift from Jon and Bikeskills (If you’ve seen it before, it’s worth seeing again…)
Santa Cruz Bicycles Owner Appreciation Day!
On 7 December 2008, Bikeskills hosted Santa Cruz Bicycles first ever Owner’s Appreciation Day. We were honored that Santa Cruz had the confidence in us to show their owners a good time. But then again, we’ve certainly placed our trust in them and their bikes!
Together, Santa Cruz Bicycles and Bikeskills have helped thousands of people become Better riders, Safer riders, and gotten them there Faster than any other method. Stay tuned for more pictures and video from the Santa Cruz Owner’s Appreciation Day!
Fresno Woodward Bike Park Clinic Photos Coming Soon!
Not to be out done by either Jiro Nakamura’s SCB Appreciation Day in NorCal – or Joe Lawwill’s Trail Riding Clinic in SoCal – JP Sickler of Bikeskills Central Valley served up a new skool, park style, clinic at the Woodward Bike Park in Fresno California. Stay tuned for pictures and press on the park and our clinics there.
News Items, Updates, and Changes
- NorCal Clinics At Camp Tamarancho Now Start at 10:00 a.m. It’s getting cold – even in Marin – so two extra hours of sunlight to warm things up seemed like a good idea!
- Bikeskills has just one, SC Blur LT2 left to purchase. It’s a black anodized, medium size, with the X9 All Mountain built kit and Fox 36 Float RC2. Very sweet. $4,599. Contact us for more information.
- We’re working on an a project with world class photographer, Walt Denson on helping anyone with a camera who wants to take get better action sports pictures, do just that. Keep a look out for “Getting the Shot with Walt Denson.” In the meantime, check out Walt’s astounding galleries at: www.waltdenson.com
- And last but not least, look for more Bikeskills location and instructor announcements over the next few weeks. More Bikeskills people in more places, that’s the goal.
Introduction to Bicycle Park Skills at the Woodward Bike Park in Fresno California: December 7, 2008
If you haven’t ridden in a bike park, you’re really missing out! One of the clearest trends we at Bikeskills see in off-road cycling is a synthesis of imagination and reality: the bike park. And we’re not talking about the mega, mecca-like Whistler Bike Parks, but much smaller parks, like the temporary Ridezones Bikeskills builds, and the new 16 acre, Woodward Bike Park, in Fresno California.
Bike parks combine a number of features derived from snow and skate boarding, mountain biking, and other actions sports and deliver non-stop fun in a small footprint; just what our sport needs! But the point of this entry is more basic: get yourself to the Bikeskills Introduction to Bike Park skills clinic on the 7th of December, from noon till 4 p.m. in Fresno!
You’ll get instruction on the basics from former Trials Professional and park designer, JP Sicker, who will be assisted by NorCal chief instructor, Jiro Nakamura. Here are just a few things you’ll learn:
- Setting Your Bike up for Techincal Terrain Features, Jumps, and Pump Tracks
- How to Ride a Pump Track
- Jumping Basics
- Introduction to Trials Basics
Need more motivation? Well then check out these videos (Jumps and Pump Track) shot a the Woodward Bike Park and then contact JP at jpsickler@bikeskills.com
Free Clinic and Santa Cruz Bikes!
Okay, this isn’t a free clinic, but a free look at one…Lots and lots of folks ask us: “so…what’s it like at a Bikeskills clinic?” We’ve done our best to tell people that it’s fun, cool, you’ll learn a lot, meet some nice people…” But in this day and age, people keep asking for video. So, a couple of weeks ago we got our ace videogrpaher to come out and grab some footage of Jiro Nakamura teaching a trail riding clinic at Camp Tamarancho in Fairfax California. Check it out!
So What About Those Santa Cruz Bikes?…
Here’s the deal. We have two, Santa Cruz Blur LTs. The specifics are listed below. These bikes are out of stock anywhere and everywhere… they are that good. If you are getting this email, you are part of the Bikeskills team. Being a member means you get 10% off (the prices listed below) on what we feel is the best trail bike available… that isn’t really available.
Santa Cruz’s new Blur LT, also known as “the LT2,” is one of the best trail and all mountain bikes, period. If your riding ranges from fire roads to Mr Toad’s (a great single track ripper in Tahoe) then this might be the bike for you. Best of all, here’s your chance to pick up one of these as-good-as-it gets mounts and also help us help others!
If you’ve been reading our Bikeskills blog, you know we have some on-going projects that require funding – like The Lake Tahoe Crossing – an event we are documenting to raise awareness and funding for our injured veterans. We’re not asking for donations, quite the opposite: we’re giving you you the opportunity to get a dream machine and know that your helping others who really need it. We’ve only got two bikes, so for more information including pricing, contact us soon at rhoward@bikeskills.com
The Blur LTs we have are as follows:
- QTY 1, Medium Size, Anodized Black, RP23 Shock, XT Kit, Float 140RLC Fork $4,299
- QTY 1, Medium Size, Anodized Black. RP23 Shock, X9 Kit, Float 36RC Fork $4,599
Get Ready For Wet Weather Riding Conditions!
Early season wet weather riding can make for the best riding – but only if you know how to set your bike up properly, how to handle tricky conditions, dress right, and as important as anything else, to take proper care of your bike before and after the ride.
Once again we’re going to point you to that time honored, Bikeskills article, on wet weather article written way back in 2004. And while we can – and will – provide you with more tips and advice to have safe fun this fall, winter (and spring in most places) as “old” as it is, our advice way back in 2004 is still a good place to start. But before you read the article, here are some basic things to think about, plan for, etc:
- A little water on the dirt often makes for optimal riding in terms of traction, reduced dust, loose rocks, etc.
- Even a light rain can make rocks and especially roots, a lot more slippery. This is something to keep in mind especially on the trails you ride the most often in the same way you need to think about those first rain’s effects on your daily commute to work and back!
- Some tires provide more traction and control in wet and slippery conditions and are also less prone to getting clogged with mud and gunk
- There are “things” on your bike you will need to keep well lubricated if you plan on riding in wet, messy conditions
- Don’t forget about yourself! If you get wet, you will most likely end up getting cold so remember it’s often more important to stay dry than it is to worry about layering up, if the layers end up getting soaked
- Last and certainly not least, there’s no doubt about it, wet weather, cold temperatures, etc. make for more challenging conditions which means more things to go wrong! Make sure to wear more protective gear including eye protection, pads, a full-face helmet if the trail is demanding…
For more information on how to become four-seasons ready for mountain biking, check out the full article by clicking on the “Wet Weather Riding” image above, or by going to: http://www.bikeskills.com/wet.php
More Clinics in More Places in November and December!
Bikeskills has several clinics scheduled throughout November in Southern (SoCal) California as well as NorCal, Bend Oregon, and our newest location, Fresno California. Check our calendar on our homepage and blog for dates and times!
Bikeskills NorCal Team Heads NE to Lake Tahoe
Although the primary mission was to meet with Skiskills co-founder Dr. Robb Gaffney MD and sort out some Bikeskills / Skiskills crossover events, we managed to get some riding in. We had a pefect set-up: a chilly morning that gave way to a cool, crystal clear day, and recent thunderstorms had damped down the infamous Tahoe moon-dust making for “as good as it gets” conditions on one of Tahoe’s best all around rides: the 17 mile long Hole in the Ground.
That’s Jiro above, on the far left, with an all star Tahoe ski crew including Skiskills’ JT Holmes, fourth from the right. To the left, Jiro demonstrates how much big-to-flat a skilled pilot can soak up aboard a Santa Cruz Nomad.
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Bikeskills Bend’s Paul Thomisberg leads NorCal student, Brian Foster, on some of Oregon’s most beautiful and challenging trails. Paul would know: he designed and built many of them! If and when you are in Oregon, whether you’re up for a clinic, or want to get one of the best local guide there, Bikeskills Bend is the place, and Paul T is the man.
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Dr. Dmity Livdan, the double PhD (plus a masters), obtains what he really wanted all these years: a degree of confidence when headed downhill. No doubt about it, Bikeskills NorCal’s main man, Jiro Nakamura, confered upon Dmitry some serious cycling education. While Dmitry was a great rider when he showed up for his first Bikeskills clinic, at the end of his second he had that one thing that was missing from his quiver, skills when the trail points down. Congradulations Dmitry!
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Another Cal Bear Demonstrates Perfect Form. Maureen demonstrates the perfect body position to manual and J-Hop. Notice how she’s moved down and back. She’s ready to safely hop over obstacles, absorb shocks, or, manual a section of rollers. All in a day’s work for this Bikeskills student who turns out to be a pro class mountain biker, and a PhD candidate in Cal’s Environmental Science program. Whoa…
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Click on the Image below to see the Video!
Here are two more Golden Bears (Cal graduates)
Here’s Jon “Sick Air” Sigerman making it absolutely clear that being a former trial lawyer is no more barrier to getting out there on a mountain bike than is being 62, or having a pace maker. If the name sounds familiar it might be Jon was the founder and CEO of Summation Legal Technologies, or, that he’s been one of mountain biking’s biggest philanthropic forces and role models for all ages. Get down Jon:
What The Heck, Here’s Skiskills Jonny Moseley – Olympic Gold Medal winner and Cal graduate. It’s just about ski season, so what the heck. Yes, there is a Skiskills.com! And just like Bikeskills.com, Skiskills.com has some of the best skiers on the planet: Jonny Moseley, Dr. Robb Gaffney MD (the only world class skier who’s also a practicing psychiatrist… that we know of anyway) JT Holmes, to name a few. Here’s a short video that has a collection of clips of instructional videos we’re working on at Skiskills. If they look something like the videos we make at Bikeskills, good. That’s what we’re after. Click on the image below to see the video:
Reminder: NorCal Clinic. Saturday 18 October 2008
Jiro Nakamura and his NorCal Bikeskills team will be on hand at the Fairfax Biketoberfest this Saturday, 18 October 2008. Be sure to sign up for the Bikeskills trail riding clinic starting at 8 a.m. The clinic will take place on Camp Tamarancho’s epic single track trails. You’ll finish in plenty of time to check out the Biketoberfest event where you’ll find an array of bike displays new, old, cool – and of course the downright weird – great food, and lots of fun for all ages. To sign up for the clinic, click on the schedule button above, or, contact Jiro directly at jiro@bikeskills.com. To get more information about Biketoberfest, go to http://www.biketoberfest2008.org/
Guaranteed Return on Your Mountain Biking Investment: Bikeskills Clinics
We may not have the cure for the macro economic environment anymore than we have the solution to global warming, but we think it’s fair to say that we can help you at a micro level. Not only can Bikeskills help you get a better ROI (return on investment) in your mountain biking, but, getting you to spend more time on your bike just might translate in to less time in your car or doing other things that aren’t nearly as earth friendly as cycling.
And as luck would have it, our most recent Bikeskills clinic had experts in both economics and ecology. Dr. Dmitry Livdan Ph.D., a UC Berkeley finance professor, and Duane Kubischta, the founder of Adventure Film Works, an action sports film firm that specializes in documenting ecologically sound sports practices.
In the Foreground, Dr. Dmitry Livdan Ph.D. looks to Duane Kubischta, founder of Adventure Film Works, to see if he’s buying what Bikeskills instructor, Jiro Nakamura, is selling. Read on to see what they concluded…
Key Fundamentals Driven Home: Elbows Up
There are a number of Bikeskills “Key Concepts” that will make you a better rider, a safer rider, and get you there faster than any other method. None are more important than keeping those elbows up.
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On-Trail Work: Switchbacks 101
Under the watchful eyes of Jiro and Bikeskills’ director of electrical engineering, Ed Becker, a student is guided through a switchback tutorial known as the Lawwill method. If switchbacks leave you frustrated in general, or you have a hard time with the complicated ones, Bikeskills has spent a lot of time developing instructional techniques that apply to all switchbacks. You can check out some of those techniques in our switchback video in the video clips page on our website.
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J-Hop: Just Maybe the Single Best Way to Supercharge Your Riding
Jiro Demonstrates what the J-Hop – named after Joe Lawwill – is all about, and what it can do for your riding control and safety. Want to see it in action? Learn how to do it? Find out about and learn how to do one of the most powerful tools in all-mountain cycling? Sign up for a Bikeskills clinic!
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Time For Single Track Fun: Putting the Skills Learned to Work
There’s always time at the end of a Bikeskills clinic to put those new and refined skills to the test and have some fun. And there’s no better place in Marin County than the downhill sections at Camp Tamarancho for rip and rail fun: all single track, 100% legal!
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Team Bikeskills and Epic Way Sports’ Newest Addition: Duane Kubischta
From left to right: Ed Becker Bikeskills NorCal, JP Sickler, Bikeskills Central Valley, Duane Kubischta, Epic Way Sports Director of Video Editing Services, and Jiro Nakamura, Bikeskills NorCal Operations Manager
Well, Duane was so impressed with Bikeskills that he decided to join our organization! Duane will be heading up Epic Way Sports’ (Bikeskills, Skiskills, Surfskills) rapidly growing video production projects. We’re really excited to have someone with not just Duane’s professional and educational background, but his committment to the environment and action sports as well.
As for Dr. Livdan, the economics expert, he seems to be a bit tied up with macro economic issues at the moment, but we will post what he has to say about riding bikes during economic ups and downs, so stay tuned!
Check Out The Bikeskills Channel!
NEW NORCAL CLINICS DATES AND LOCATIONS POSTED. CHECK OUT THE SCHEDULE PAGE AND SIGN-UP NOW!
Jiro Nakamura. Bikeskills’ New NorCal Operations Manager
We’ve been after Jiro for a long time! Jiro is one of mountain biking’s true MVPs. In addition to having raced the very first Mammoth Mountain Kamikazee event at the age of 12, Jiro has been part of the competitive mountain biking scene for over 20 years. He climbed the ranks to become a professional license holder some 12 years ago and has used that license quite literally around the world in disciplines ranging from the high intensity demands of cross country, physically demanding world cup downhill events and more recently grueling marathons and Europe’s new “Enduro” scene. The result is the kind of rider that most of us aspire to become: capable and confident in virtually any situation with a style that can only be described as… mellifluous – look it up…
And if two-decades of being in the world class mix wasn’t enough to qualify Jiro to teach at Bikeskills, his UC Berkeley psychology education certainly helps as there’s a great deal of sports instruction that takes place above the neck! Seriously, ask any great sports instructor be it Skiskills’ Dr. Robb Gaffney MD (himself a practicing psychiatrist) or Surfskills’ legendary waterman, Dave Kalama, and they will tell you: the difference between physically able and actually capable, is often psychological. And who among us hasn’t had some form of psychological barrier keeping us from getting to the next step, or overcoming an unreasonable fear?
Talk about the rubber meeting the road: within 72 hours of showing up for work at Bikeskills, Jiro was digging in to his first clinic. I have to say, he did not dissapoint the Bikeskills staff; and I’ll let what one of his students do the talking from the customer’s side:
Jiro is a pro racer and can definitely teach anyone enough to get to the next level. He was extremely patient and asked us what we wanted to work on… They helped me tweak my bike so it felt way better than I had it. I just built it up but Jiro and Ed showed me some tricks that made it feel a lot better in terms of control and comfort.
…my skills at switchbacks improved by a factor of 2. REALLY great experience overall. I highly recommend it. If you want to get better these guys can take you to the next level – no matter your current level. I’ll do some homework and practice and when I’m ready to advance I’ll drop by again.
Thanks a lot guys!
Wilson Wong, Electrical Engineer
Jiro is currently teaching trail riding clinics at Fairfax’s Camp Tamarancho. For more information about the clinics including times, and dates, go to http://bikeskills.com/event_calendar.php
If you would like to contact Jiro directly about one of his upcoming clinics, a custom or private clinic, you can do so at jiro@bikeskills.com