- (Woman) You know the feeling,
you've picked a time to meet your buddy
at the trailhead.
You're going to head
out on a sick lap, but they're late again.
So instead of twiddling your thumbs, cursing them
in the back of your head,
use this time wisely, brush up
on some car park skills 'cause they're gonna
be really helpful when you finally do hit the trails.
And if nothing else, you'll impress them
with your insanely long wheelies
and your super balanced track stamps.
Lucky for me, Tom Bradshaw is on time today,
so while we wait for Jason to finish doing his hair
and meet us out here, let's play around in the car park.
- We've even got the flat pedals
on today to keep us really honest.
(mellow music)
- First up, we've got the front wheel lift.
Now, most people can't remember the last time
they actually practiced a front wheel lift in a car park.
And why would you?
Well, because they're actually very helpful when it comes
to on trail riding, lifting your front wheel up
and over obstacles like roots and rocks.
It's going to make a huge difference
if you actually practice.
Now, once you've mastered this little stick we've got here
jumping over, maybe level up,
take it to a speed bump or a curb.
Things that help me when I'm doing front wheel
lifts is to keep your body in a nice neutral position.
Maybe just a little bit forward with the body weight,
compress into the fork, and then lift up that front wheel.
(mellow music)
- All right, now you've nailed the front wheel lift.
Let's go for a rear wheel lift.
Now out on trail,
you're going to use this on a technical climb.
Maybe when you come to a slippery rock or route,
instead of pedaling up that feature,
try and wait to get that rear wheel over it.
So here in the car park, you can sit your body position,
drop your heels,
and hop on over like you did with that front wheel.
- Find a little pro tip,
especially if you have flat pedals, don't forget to scoop.
Otherwise, you're literally just jumping
up and down on the platforms.
(mellow music)
Moving on to the ever popular wheelie,
it's a bit of a complementary move
to that front wheel lift we've already done,
but this move is really important when you're out on trail,
you're seated, pedaling,
and you got to get that front wheel up and over an obstacle.
Things that help when I'm practicing
my wheelies are to remember to start
in an easy gear, but not too easy.
Keep those arms extended out in front
of you and keep your chest nice and open.
- Now I'm no wind master, but I always have my rear brake
on when I'm doing a wheelie.
That allows me to control how far back
and forward I'm going and lets me shut it down
if I'm going to loop out backwards.
(mellow music)
Possibly the safest thing to practice
in the parking lot, skinnies.
Someone's kindly painted
a bunch of practice lines for us here.
And if you're like me,
and terrified of the high wooden consequences on trail,
here's a perfect place to start.
- Now, if Tom's skinny is just a little too skinny
for you, a little intimidating,
I've chosen this awesome little speed bump here.
It's quite a bit wider, but with the round on top
it's going to feel a bit more
like you're on an elevated skinny.
And what I actually do is I drop my seat post just
a tiny little bit, so it's not fully extended,
and that way you've got a bit more room to move around.
Oh god, eyes up.
Ground is lava.
(mellow music)
One skill I do actually enjoy practicing a lot
are track stands.
This little technique comes
in hand quite often out on the trail
and is really helpful in improving your balance.
For example, if you're coming up to a big rock roll
and you just want to stop and pause
at the top to check out your line choice,
and then just nose on in.
To keep your wheels from rolling all around the car park,
try locking your brakes up.
It's going to keep the bike in one stable position.
Either both brakes, front or rear,
doesn't really matter but it is going to help.
- (Tom) If you need some motivation
to practice a track stand,
just think about the next time you're at the traffic lights
and there's that pack of roadies there.
Give them a run for their money or turn it into a game.
A bit of a game of foot down, pick an area,
find a mate, whoever puts their foot down first loses.
(mellow music)
- Now what I always say is practice your strengths
and strengthen your weaknesses.
For me personally, the stoppie's a little bit of a weakness,
but I could always use more practice because I've been
on tons of tracks with really tight switchbacks,
and there's nothing that's going to get you
around those besides getting your wheel
off of the ground, repositioning it,
and getting out of there.
Stoppies are also an awesome opportunity
to practice your front brake control
and shifting the weight on the bike.
All right, that was looking a little bit easy
for you there, Bradshaw.
How can we make this harder?
- Well, if you're feeling okay on the stoppie,
start bringing the rear around.
Think about it like going around the clock.
12, 11, 10, maybe put a stick down, hop around that,
make it relatable to the trail a bit.
(mellow music)
If you've been scrolling around social media
seeing a bunch of people turning around cones on a grass
slope and wondering what the heck that's all about,
well, they're practicing their cornering.
And hot tip between you and me,
you don't need the fancy cones.
Bunch of sticks will do just fine.
- How's that for a stick, Tom?
- Put the sticks down as far
or as close as you like to get it.
You'll get a feel for it, but practice leaning your bike,
looking ahead and even try swapping your feeder out.
Just see how that feels.
- Now, if you're still waiting on a mate
and just went through all those skills, here's a couple
of party tricks to pull out at your next post-ride sesh.
(mellow music)
Now hopefully those car park skills don't tire you
out so much that you can't go peddle
when your buddy finally arrives.
Now I'm a huge fan of marginal gains,
and I know a little practice session goes a long way
in leveling up your riding.
And if nothing else, it reminds you to stay fun,
move around on the bike,
and don't take yourself so seriously.
- (Tom) Thanks for watching them,
make sure you subscribe
for all our new releases that are coming out soon.
(melodic music)