Beginner Progress...

[zander]

Nothing too exciting--just playing w/ the camera. I'm thinking I'll eventually be able to show a progression of learning the basics. Too bad I didn't catch casing on my back... ;)

http://vimeo.com/1903669

I was pretty happy with the front driveway and stairs, but this guy's back yard was trials paradise... for someone with skills:

[kpop]

good lord!

sickness

k

[vandy]

I suck too.

Thanks for showing that, it makes me feel better that i'm not alone.

[Maverick_ZOO!]

you will soon be able to ride the stuff in the pictures ! You've just need to practice more, you are already on your way.

[ONE EYE]

nice, keep with it you will get there soon enough. On another note, i found out recently that we have a mutual friend, named Mike Gregory.

[zander]

I suck too.

Hey... I think you just said I suck!!!well F!(@$*^%#!

ha ha. just kidding. I don't mind sucking because it feels like every time i ride for more than an hour i make a serious leap in what I can do/what i'm aware of...

Seriously fun learning curve. I just have to stop crashing.

BTW, if anyone has *pointers* i'm all ears.

[zander]

On another note, i found out recently that we have a mutual friend, named Mike Gregory.

Ack, you're going to have to help me with that. It's not ringing a bell... :?

[MontyTrialer]

Well im just a beginner myself. I just got the pedal kick down (not good) can only jump 3 times and up a curb sometimes. What I noticed is that it took me longer to learn how to get on the rear like you did than actually jumping forward. It took me months to get on the rear with puting my front tire on something and pulling back and then jump. But once I got that I was more motivated I guess and learned the rest in about 2 weeks. I hope I can put up a vid soon too, because I like watching people in progress thats why I keep up with my cousin who just started too. You can look at his websited if you want to, but its in german. http://www.fahrrad-trialer-suedbrock.de.tl/
Go down to Trial-video and click it then you see Trial Team Honda Schmid and click it it brings you to his youtube site. I hope it helped

[literocola]

I could have so much fun back there

[ONE EYE]

Ack, you're going to have to help me with that. It's not ringing a bell... :?


He owns the coffee shop called 'trebian' (I know this is spelled wrong). He pretty much only wears black and has long hair.

[ONE EYE]

Well im just a beginner myself. I just got the pedal kick down (not good) can only jump 3 times and up a curb sometimes. What I noticed is that it took me longer to learn how to get on the rear like you did than actually jumping forward. It took me months to get on the rear with puting my front tire on something and pulling back and then jump. But once I got that I was more motivated I guess and learned the rest in about 2 weeks. I hope I can put up a vid soon too, because I like watching people in progress thats why I keep up with my cousin who just started too. You can look at his websited if you want to, but its in german. http://www.fahrrad-trialer-suedbrock.de.tl/
Go down to Trial-video and click it then you see Trial Team Honda Schmid and click it it brings you to his youtube site. I hope it helped


Awesome!

I am glad to hear that you are sticking with it even though you don't have anyone to ride with. Also, awesome to hear of the progress. Keep at it, it can only get better from here.

[TTownJon]

nicely done Zander! Looking way more stable already.

When do I get to ride the place in the pictures ;)

[zander]

nicely done Zander! Looking way more stable already.

When do I get to ride the place in the pictures ;)

:) Next time we go to whistler?

[zander]

He owns the coffee shop called 'trebian' (I know this is spelled wrong). He pretty much only wears black and has long hair.

Oh, yeah! Trabant. Cool... Mike and Tatiana... Cool people.

[Can't Sit Still]

Zander, you are my hero :h5:

I was just talking to someone the other day about how hard it is to be a beginner trials rider in a world of people who make everything look so easy. Obviously there's a huge learning curve in this sport, and it just takes time...but seeing someone else hop around and lose their balance is actually refreshing for me at this skill level.

Thanks for putting yourself out there...you rock!!

[Rbendit]

Dude besides the learning curve.I think some riser bars or a longer stem would help alot.It looks like you are running a 145mm echo when a 170mm stem is the norm on a mod that has straight bars.I run a 155mm viz with mont risers and that combo works.....just watching your vid I can see that you are cramped,and staying on the back wheel looks like you are fighting the bike to much.Also think more about relaxing on the bike instead of choking it to death.good luck,and keep riding.:joshers:

[zander]

Don't encourage me... I can produce hours and hours of video of me losing my balance. It's a core competency at this point. Thanks for the props!

On the stem--what does the length actually mean? The guy I bought the bike from was about my size. I know the cramped feeling you mention, but it goes away if I have the presence of mind to relax and let the bike pivot out away from me, leaning back a bit to compensate. I'm just not very good at that. I'd love to blame the bike, but i'm pretty sure it's still me. ;)

[Rbendit]

IM not saying its the bike all im saying is that it wouldnt hurt to try a different setup.The stem length say longer will give you more leverage thus makeing it easyer to hold up plus put your body in a better position more relaxed.

[mcrae]

Zander, you are my hero :h5:

I was just talking to someone the other day about how hard it is to be a beginner trials rider in a world of people who make everything look so easy. Obviously there's a huge learning curve in this sport, and it just takes time...but seeing someone else hop around and lose their balance is actually refreshing for me at this skill level.

Thanks for putting yourself out there...you rock!!


:werd:

[zander]

i just saw the ryan leech "art of trials" video... I think i'll post a video "response" to each drill...

:)

Hee hee.

[Bikeme]

nice dood...keep on posting videos through your learning process...it'd be cool to have the progression from beginner to [wherever you wanna go] documented.

I know when I first started learning stuff, I was awesome at helping other people out...and then after it become second-nature, I was clueless about how to explain it. Videos could help keep it fresh in your mind.

[literocola]

i just saw the ryan leech "art of trials" video... I think i'll post a video "response" to each drill...

:)

Hee hee.

Just buy the DVD. Its bullshit most of the video is on youtube.

[music_maj_34]

Thanks for sharing your video - Keep up the good work.

Just throwing in my two cents here, but try keeping your feet more level to the ground. I kept noticing that your left foot was way higher than your right. Thats gonna throw off your balance.

Also don't focus on jumping/bouncing - save your energy and hop only if you need to hop.

[hopsalot]

A bad habbit to get into is rocking forward to get onto the back wheel, use your drive train to get onto the back wheel by letting off the brake and doing a small kick. Long time trial riders know back wheel hopping is a very small part of the sport, don't forget to focus on the basics like track standing with either foot forward. Keep it up!!!

[Kibble Fat]

:eek5: what helmet is THAT?

[Can't Sit Still]

Zander...I say we double up on these vids and make our own "mastering OUR art of trials" dvd. If you talk to my local boys here, I rename my own moves all the time.

I used to call the rear wheel hop, the Katie hop, hop flop for the longest time cause that's all I could do. Got that one down now, thank GOD...but now the endo side drop attempts are laughable at best and REALLY should be shared with the general public...and my ability to get up things...good stuff.

I mean...yes trials vids are awesome to watch when the riders are wicked good...but there is definite entertainment value in watching me ride...beleeeeev dat! :hahano:

[tra la log]

try hopping with your front foot a little more thru the stroke

[xsv4crob]

Good vid. As music maj 34 said, keep your pedals more level. I think you are doing well with your rear wheel hopping in that I can see you are trying to correct hop to regain balance as opposed to hopping just to do it. You do need to relax more but that will come with time. Like Hopsalot said too - practice the basics - it's an important lesson I learned from him.

[zander]

thanks all for the comments! the new lesson plan is no more endoing into rear wheel. Going for manual or pedal kick. (i feel like i'm cheating with the pedal kick, so i'm mainly working on the manual for balance) also, i have a pretty good trackstand, but will keep practicing. need to work on R foot forward.

I *did* buy the leech dvd, and I do like it. I'm just thinking a video of my attempts to hit each drill would be funny. :P

pedals level--yeah, they're dead vertical in a couple of my attempts! I'm trying to correct, but it's not totally natural for me to do yet. You can see me try a couple times but I usually lose balance right after trying. My poor head can only do one thing at a time and even then, not that well. I'm better at correcting pedal position when i have both wheels on something.

last time out with boots he was showing me the little bit of how to use pedal pressure to keep the bike from going backwards and i started working on that too--i'm still nervous about looping out, but i got it enough to start to know what it feels like to not have the rear brake TOTALLY clamped. Am going to keep working on that too.
:x:
It's sunny out! Gotta go ride.

[Can't Sit Still]

I have found that to learn my pedal kick...I do the pedal kick motion and release the brake, but I don't "hop" the bike, so the rear wheel actually rolls while I do all the other pieces of the movement, rather than coming off the ground and going forward...so it's more of a "pedal roll" than a kick in my case...LOL...but now that I've mastered how to use my drivetrain to roll my back wheel across the pavement, I'm able to add the actual kick (thus hop) to it. :weak:

So today, I pedal rolled off a curb for the first time...haha...it was tight. Maybe tomorrow I'll try actually jumping off the damn thing.

Eh hem...anyways...brought the vid camera out today but was WAY too lazy to actually tape any of this nonsense...LOL...maybe next time!

[zander]

yeah, the pedal "roll" off the curb is how i demolished my back. Not doing that one for a while..

[Can't Sit Still]

Well don't do it wrong, you idiot! :joshers:

lol...just playin! Hope your back is good now. I personally found the pedal roll off to be pretty safe. Then again, people get injured every day doing less so I guess you never can tell...lol...:dunno:

[TeeTee]

:eek5: what helmet is THAT?
lol its the same helmet iv got..... for snowboarding lol its the k2 something rather idono

nice progress there, lookin good except for the rocking forward.
and am i ever jelous of ur dual disk!

[jak442]

Sweet vid braugh!!!!

It's funny to me that: you're struggling a bit with the rear wheel thing, but are pretty good at using the skills you do have to navigate real obstacles, "surge" from static and maintain decent balance. While I'm alright on the rear and can manage some silly endo stuff, but can't actualy climb anything, especialy from static.

I think it shows the big difference in skills we both bring to a trials bike.

Give me a call or text, the next time you hit the park, even if yer just goin to fool around.