FAQ’s
Here are a few answers to the most frequently asked questions. If it’s not here, feel free to drop us a line.
Q: I have just bought a bike and done a few rides off-road. Do I need more experience to do a skills day?
A:Absolutely not! In fact the earlier you learn the basics the better, and the less likely you are to pick up any bad habits. As long as you are comfortable on a bike, are happy riding on firetracks and a little ‘off-road’ and know the front wheel from the back wheel you should be fine- we can help you with the rest. More experienced riders need not worry though, as we will keep the discussions relevant to all participants.
Q: I’m a really good rider, can I go straight to the Day 2 skills day?
A: We strongly recommend against this. The courses are not ‘beginners’ and ‘advanced’ courses, but rare two parts of the same skills course- we just couldn’t fit it all into one day, and we find it helps to practise things learnt on the first day before going on to more complicated stuff. So, we start off on day 1 dealing with the correct positioning on a bike, getting the basics right, and teaching key skills properly first, and then use these as building blocks on the day 2.
If you really are that keen to go straight on to the hard stuff and you feel already confident enough to perform drop-offs and bunny hops correctly then you probably don’t need to come on the course!
Q: Can I sign up my 10 year-old son for a skills day?
A: Of course, we have no problem with taking anyone on our courses (within reason!). However, please bear in mind most of our customers are between 20 and 60 years of age. The skills day also is a full day of riding, starting at 10am and running until about 4pm, and there are a lot of activities and riding to be done. If that sounds like the thing they are into, then drop us a line!
We do hope to run kid-specific half day courses in the future, watch this space.
Q: Do you hire bikes? my bike is a bit old/broken/dead….
A: Well no, but we can probably help! For our skills courses all you need is a basic mountain bike in good working order. Make sure the gears and brakes work at least, and the wheels go around. We can help with some tuning on the day, but Ian cannot spend hours servicing bikes AND teach too…..
If this doesn’t sound like your bike, we may be able to suggest other options. In particular we can often arrange for our guests to take advantage of the Specialized test bikes from Lifecycles, which gives you the chance to test out a top-end bike whilst learning to ride it properly. If you are not sure just drop us an email and ask.
Q: I only ride with clipless pedals, why do I have to get flat pedals for the part I course?
A:OK, if you have got used to riding ‘clipped-in’ we appreciate it can be annoying to revert to flat pedals. However, we find it is much easier to learn new skills on ‘flats’, and it also means you need to learn skills like wheel-lifts properly. Indeed, if you can ride well with flats, this just makes it easier when you switch back to cleats. Its worth remembering some of the most skilled riders (Downhillers, and BMX riders) all use flat pedals and still have amazing control of their bikes. By all means go back to cleats after the course (We do!) but we do recommend everyone has flats for at least the afternoon skills session. If you don’t have flat pedals let us know, and we will see what we can do. If you are going to borrow pedals from us PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CAN REMOVE YOUR CURRENT PEDALS BEFORE YOU ATTEND THE COURSE! Thanks!
Your question not answered? Email me now at info@escapegoat.com.au