Skills courses now operating in line with current COVID-19 Restrictions
Do you want to learn to ride smoother, faster, and with more confidence? What about learning to tackle more technical terrain or harder obstacles with Adelaide’s #1 leader in MTB skills training. Best value and smallest group sizes guaranteed!
Since 2008, Escapegoat has helped improve the riding skills of hundreds of mountain bikers in South Australia.
Our skills training will help improve the skills of all levels of riders, from the brand new novice just getting out on a mountain bike for the first time, through to the more confident, advanced rider who wants to hone their skills and look at improving their riding ability and get the edge in races.
Our courses use the teaching principles developed by British Cycling and now being adopted by MTBA. This framework is one of the world’s most recognised models for mountain bike skills training and will guarantee to see your riding skills improve, no matter what level you are at. We also use video analysis to allow you to see and critic yourself, when applicable.
These courses are suited to almost all standards of rider. It is recommended that you have at least tried some firetrack riding and are comfortable on your bike before commencing the course.
Kids skills training available during school holidays, see our booking page for details!
Core Skills Day
Lets go back to basics. We will focus on some of the most important skills you can ever learn. This begins with us briefly covering bike set-up and your body position and stance on your bike, so you are totally comfortable on your bike before we start getting too technical.
We cover techniques such as track stands, manuals and wheel lifts, and we will also go riding to attempt these skills ‘on the trail’. You may be surprised what bad habits you had picked up, or how much your riding improves by going back to basics.
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When:
Next courses: Saturday 30 Jan, 20 Feb, 27 Feb and 20 March 2021
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Price:
$119 for the day
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Inclusions:
Bike checks and set-up, correct balance, weight shift and movement on your bike, braking, climbing and descending techniques, the four key MTB skills- Manual front wheel lifts, Power-assisted Front wheel lifts, Rear wheel lifts, and track stand and more.
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Options:
Bike rental is an additional $20 for hardtail or $30 for dually
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Start:
10:00am
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Finish:
3:00pm
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Group size:
Max size 7 per instructor – get hands on training
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Training Facility:
Craigburn Farm MTB trails
Or Shepherd’s Hill Recreation Reserve
Intermediate Skills Day
These courses are aimed at those riders already competent in the core skills and are ready to take their riding to a new level. While it is not compulsory we do recommend you have already completed our core skills course to get the most out of these days.
We start off by building on the core skills and looking at how you can use those skills and techniques to tackle much harder and more difficult obstacles and terrain. You may be amazed how you can use what you already know to ride things you thought impossible.
These days will involve much more riding on actual trails, and sessioning and practising out on the dirt. We will also use video analysis to help improve your riding.
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When:
Next courses: Sat 6 March ’21
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Price:
$119 for the day
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Itinerary:
The actual content of the day will vary depending on the group but expect some/all of the following: Learn Step overs, step ups, and drop offs, pump and grind on the trails, and discover the key to utilising momentum in riding, high speed cornering and how to attack berms and flowing single-track with confidence.
Riding up and down switchbacks, technical climbing and descending techniques, attacking tricky trails, and bunny hops.
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Options:
Bike rental is an additional $20 for hardtail or $30 for dually
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Start:
10:00am
-
Finish:
3:00pm
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Group size:
Max size 7 per instructor – get hands on training
-
Training Facility:
Craigburn Farm MTB trails
Or Shepherd’s Hill Recreation Reserve
FAQ
If your question is not answered here, please contact us at info@escapegoat.com.au and we’ll get back to you quickly.
Q: I Have Just Bought A Bike And Done A Few Rides Off-Road. Would I Benefit From A Skills Day, Even With My Limited Experience?
A: Absolutely! 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 Intermediate Skills Days?
A: We recommend against this. The courses are not ‘beginners’ and ‘advanced’ courses, but are 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 core skills day before going on to more complicated stuff. So, we start off on core skills day 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 Intermediate skills days.
However, if you feel you are already able to perform Front wheel manuals, power-assisted lifts, rear wheel lifts, trackstands and the other core skills, then feel free to sign up on one of the intermediate days.
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 run kids skills days during school holidays, see booking page for details of dates.
Q: Do You Hire Bikes? My Bike Is A Bit Old/Broken/Dead
A: Yes, we do. We have a number of good quality hardtails and duallies which we are happy to provide for our clients at a cost from $20 per day. This covers wear and tear, and also our time to clean and service the bikes after use.
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.
Testimonials
Ian my guide was great. Showed me around some very nice single trails at Fox Creek. Excellent value!!!
The scenery on the way down from Lofty is so beautiful. Both tours highly recommended!
