Bikeskills

Tenderfoot Tune-Up: Great Clinic. Lousy Pictures…

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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…]

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Announcing Bikeskills SESSIONS Clinics

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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…]

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Start February off Right With a Bikeskills Clinic

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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…]

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Changes in Weather Call For Special Riding Skills…

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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…]

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Take a Clinic and Bikeskills Video of the Week

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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…]

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Bikeskills Clinics Galore in January!

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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!

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Are You Predictably Irrational?

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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…]

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2009 New Year’s Resolution: Better, Safer, Faster!

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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…]

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Come Join Jiro For WTB Tire Day 28 December!

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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

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