A detailed, but simple progression to learn how to wheelie… starting with a basic front wheel lift and moving all the way to seated manuals. (more…)

Bleeding your brakes is not something that you should have to do often, but when the time comes it is important to know exactly how to do it correctly. One small mistake can introduce air into the system and mean that you’ll have to begin the process all over again at best, or suffer from mushy brakes that could be down on power. With the right technique and tools it can be a relatively quick and simple job that most home mechanics should be able to handle. Below you’ll find a great video and step by step instructions on how to bleed your Avid Elixirs correctly. If you do not have the correct tools or are are not confident in your ability to perform this job you should take it to your local bike shop.

Watch the video to learn how to bleed your Avid Elixir brakes:

The first thing we need to cover is what defines “the core”. Core training is a huge buzz word that has been used to sell magazines, books, videos and late night television products. It is also one of the most important areas to understand and train. While most people think of the midsection (basically the abs, low back and obliques) you should also include the hips and upper back. In essence, if you cut off your head, arms and legs you would be left with your core.

The core is important because it is the center of your body and if it is weak it will affect everything else. For example, if you do an exercise like a lateral raise (where you raise a dumbbell out to your side) it is traditionally looked at as a shoulder exercise. However, if you had an injured rib you would not be able to lift nearly as much weight. Same shoulder, but a “weaker” core which resulted in the arm being able to lift less weight.

As mountain bikers, the take home message is pretty simple – if you want to increase your strength and power, especially in your legs, you must address the strength of the core first. This is one of the main reasons I dislike the leg press as a training tool for mountain biking – it allows you to bypass core strength and train leg strength directly, often giving you a false sense of true strength.

It is also important to understand the difference in how we trained the core back in the 80’s and 90’s vs. our current understanding of how the human body works. It used to be that if you wanted to get a muscle stronger you picked exercises that allowed you to move that muscle and then you used sets, reps and load with those movements. Crunches, side bends and back extensions are prime examples of this “old school” methodology.

However, we now understand that some areas of the body want to be mobile and some want to be stable. Training all joints in the body the same way is a recipe for pain and decreased performance. For our purposes here, the hips want to be mobile, the lumbar spine (low back) wants to be stable and the thoracic spine (upper back) wants to be mobile. So, based on this understanding of functional anatomy we can see that we want to train the midsection to resist movement, not create it.

If this is the case then we want to avoid exercises that encourage movement and instead emphasize exercises that resist movement. The Core Training for Mountain Biking video that I have posted on my blog is a perfect example of exercise that do just that. If you have not done so already then watch that video and start incorporating those exercises into your routine. Doing planks, side planks and bird dogs on a daily basis will really help jump start your core strength and start addressing the underlying issues that are holding you back from becoming a better rider.

-Note: doing crunches on a stability ball is not more functional and still falls under the “creating movement” category.-

However, there is more to “core strength” than simply doing exercises for the core. The next thing I covered in my talk was how movement ultimately defines your core strength. You can have the strongest core in the world, but if it is surrounded by dysfunctional joints then it will have to compensate for that dysfunction no matter how many planks and side planks you do.

Most people have a lower back that moves too much to compensate for tight hips. If your hips are tight, which describes 99% of mountain bikers I have seen, then you will not be able to shift them back far enough to get the range of motion you need when picking stuff up off the ground or getting into position on your bike. Your body will figure out a way to do what you are asking it to do and so it will then get the extra range of motion it needs from your low back.

This is why you have to look at how your body moves and train it how to move better. For most, this means getting aggressive with you mobility tactics. Stretching, foam rolling and dynamic mobility exercises for the hips and upper back are a must if you really want to break the cycle of bad movement that most of us are caught up in. If those areas can not move freely then you are doomed to a lifetime of compensation and, eventually, pain.

The next step is to utilize exercises that teach your body how to integrate your increased core strength and hip mobility in order to create cleaner, more efficient movement. For the mountain biker nothing beats the single leg RDL and deadlift for this purpose. Those exercises really help you understand how to create movement with your hips while maintaining a strong core.

There you have it – a 21st century blueprint for creating a strong, high performance, injury resistant core. Teach the core to resist movement, increase hip mobility and then practice good movement in the gym. This is the step by step approach I use everyday to help riders build performance from the inside out.

-James Wilson-

*Title photo of Aaron Gwin by cloverleaf.pinkbike.com.

Here is an extract from Bike Radar’s “Step it up” article…

Skills shortcuts: Quick fixes to raise your game

You’ll get more skilful much faster by working on specific areas whenever you can grab a bike and a helmet for a quick play. There are loads of technique videos on our BikeRadar media player, but these are our favourite five-minute skill sharpeners.

Cornering: Find a can and ride round it tighter and faster until your tyres slide. This is guaranteed to improve your cornering no end.

Trackstand: Ride as slowly as you possibly can, rocking between rear brake and pedal when you stop to become a trials god or just a traffic light hero.

Drop-offs:It’s all about getting your weight back. If your back wheel lands first off a kerb, you can be sure you’ll be fine off a 4ft drop.

Steps: Ignore your head and braking urges. As far as your bike is concerned it’s just a steep slope with a buzzing noise.

Get better without your bike: Easy tricks to improve your fitness

Even with an hour-and-a-half midweek and three hours at the weekend you’re off bike for 96 percent of the average waking week. Don’t think that means you can’t improve though. here are a few extremely simple ways to build fitness without your bike.

Take the stairs: This leg working cliché really does work. Also try riding to work, getting off the bus one stop from your destination, and so on.

Stand up: Want to really improve core strength and balance? Read the rest of this article, wait for the photocopier or do the washing up on one leg.

Bike on the brain: Even when you’re walking, think like you’re riding. Just thinking fires the same neural pathways as doing, so hop up kerbs, lean back into drops, singletrack down corridors and take the cleanest line down steps. Just try not to stick your tongue out or make squeaky brake noises too much.

Fitness shortcuts: Much pain, mucho gain

Riding your bike more and riding harder will make you fitter in the long run. Not as fast as these pro fitness techniques though. Try them out for a quick turnaround in fitness levels. [Danger: May cause serious pain and extremely strong language. Always consult your GP before intense exercise if you’re fat or unfit.]

Nitrous injection: Put a rocket in your sprint in half an hour with these intensely evil intervals. Warm up progressively for 10 minutes. Then sprint flat out for 30 seconds and rest 30 seconds, three to five times. Now rest for five minutes. Then repeat the sprints three to five times. Afterwards, wobble home slowly. This one’s ideal for burning off that excess fat.

Learn the burn: Your muscles burn when you push harder than you can breathe. Learn to surf maximum efficient power with this ‘minutes never felt longer’ routine.

Leg-melter: Warm up progressively for 10 minutes. Increase the speed-to-muscle burning point and then hold on the limit for five minutes. Now cruise for a minute. Repeat this two to five times. Then crawl home and wish you had a downstairs loo for the next few days.

Handlebar wisdom

You’ll probably look a pillock with Post-It notes on your handlebars, but keep these positive cues in your head at all times.

• “Can do will. Can’t do won’t.”
• “Look at the solution, not the problem.”
• “Your bike doesn’t want to crash, so relax and let it roll.”
• “Focus as far down the trail as possible.”
• “Everybody hurts, but only the weak give up.”
• “It could be worse, you could be at work.”

Dirt School was set up by Scottish national downhill coach Chris Ball following the realisation that there is no company that can offer mountain bikers coaching from someone who has actually been there and done it and still doing it.

Why not learn how to corner, manual or jump from someone who actually can? Be it Cross country, DH or just hanging out at the trails, there’s something for you. Learn the techniques from the guys who’ve actually developed them over years of international riding and racing. With that in mind, we’ve managed to keep to our aim and are famous for our our relaxed atmosphere and mellow approach. We teach in a way we’d like to be taught. Our classes are flexible and a great laugh. You’ll leave us with an open mind and loads to think about. Knowing not only how to do something, but why and when. Something that few others will give you.

You want it! It’s Here

I saw this and thought of you… Yes you!! You’ve been pumping all over the place….  and you’ve created quite a mess.

Time for some winter brain training, let those grey cells soak up the goodness.

Enjoy!