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dirtbikes bring out the child in us the
thrill of speed powering out of corners
flying through the air and throwing a
bike sideways a funny thing is though
the addiction to speed often leads to
bad habits and limits how far we'll
progress as grain Jarvis says going fast
is the easy bit it's going slowly that
will help you develop control simple
writing exercises which are actually
difficult to perform and give you a lot
of control and as Taddy Blazusiak says
want to be faster off-road slow down try
to be as calculated calm and precise as
possible
virtually every top extreme enduro rider
will agree because they're all former
trials champions who have one extreme
enduro events by applying their trials
training to do it riding they ride in a
way that is so smooth and effortless you
don't realize how fast or good they are
until they overtake others or hit those
near vertical slopes in essence
cross-training
is the application of trials techniques
to dirt riding rain Jarvis in an
interview said his chips were to learn
trials go slow master the clutch develop
balance and build your confidence impede
techniques
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so why does this trial background makes
such a difference
traction losing traction is a cardinal
sin in trials riding will spin and power
logic break but in most cases it's just
slowing you down
watch the top extreme mode zero riders
climbing hills to see that's modeling
much control for maximum traction body
position and waiting watching top trials
riders is like poetry in motion
flipping their bikes in midair through
180 degrees or climbing a cell foot
vertical wall a key part of moves like
this it's the use of body positioning
and weighting and choosing when to exert
pressure on the foot pegs and when to do
weight and lift the bike are balanced
everything in tough gnarly train is
trying to throw you off balance
so balance lays a strong foundation for
enduro skills trials riders can balance
at a standstill for as long as they like
even with no hands on the bars
cross-training has a strong focus on
being under balance on your dirt bike
even at a standstill
you'll spend far more time standing on
the pegs in tough terrain
instead of sitting down but and throttle
control most trials techniques involve
precise use of the clutch
such as feathering the budge for
traction up hills or dropping the clutch
to launch the bike into the air
cross-training applies the same
principles
to writing you'll be amazed at the
difference it makes
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so cross-training has plenty going for
it
first your dirt riding abilities will
improve out of sight too the skills are
transferable
anyone who acquires trials experience as
it improves the way they ride road bikes
adventure bikes any form of motorcycle
three you still get your weekly dose of
challenge and adrenaline but open up
walking pace or less so there are plenty
of bruises and scratches but far less
serious injuries it's G we use
bugger-all fuel tires sprockets and
chains last forever and low-speed
crashes mean way less broken cars also
it's great exercise
this type of slow riding is generally
far more tiring than normal dirt riding
plus the focus needed for balancing is
going to give you plenty of mental
exercise teamwork instead of racing each
other you'll put is more against the
terrain the teamwork is plenty of fun
especially spotting for each other when
tackling new obstacles or skills for the
first time
and finally for us old parts over 50
it's a great way to enjoy the thrill of
riding without worrying so much about
whether we'll still be in one piece at
the end of the ride and finally have a
think about getting into trials riding
as Graham Jarvis said you can pick up
tricks on an enduro bike pretty quickly
if you've done trials because the skills
are there with my trials background I've
never had to practice tricks on an
enduro bike not surprisingly trial
skills are most easily learned on a
trials bike consider getting a trials
bike and getting into a club the vast
majority of the skills are directly
transferable to your dirt bike
and a final warning this cross-training
is incredibly addictive probably more so
than heroin but the added benefit it
won't leave track marks on your arms
probably just your part when you fall
off
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