Stepping it up a gear...

[Trev]

I was just having a chat with Nick (Gashead) about my riding and how often i get to go out on my bike.

i've now been back into riding about 18 months. in that time i would ride maybe once a week. usually charlton on a wednesday. if it was dry and i wasn't too tired on a sunday morning, i might have occasionally gone to Rom. In that 18 months I have only learnt a few new tricks. things were going very slowly. too slowly for my liking. i was always finding an excuse not to ride more than just charlton & rom. whether it be going out to the pub or just tiredness.

anyway, over the last month or so, i've had leave to burn, so been up Corby a few times. We've also had a few sessions at Creation and more recently me & Rarman have been going up to Skaterham once a week.  getting all this extra riding in has made a huge difference. i am now getting my fitness levels up. no longer do i feel really knackered after riding and feel fine the day after. i'm getting more and more comfortable on a bike again. i've started hitting ramps just holding the grips and not having my fingers hoverring over the brake levers. all of a sudden things are starting to fall into place. in the last week or so, i've gone from landing on top of the jump box to getting my front wheel clear. a couple of weeks and i reckon i might start clearing it. i went over the spine at skaterham. something that i've bottled ever since i got back into riding. and last week i even managed to pop out of the vert ramp at skaterham. i probably achieved as much in the last couple of weeks as i have done in the 12 months prior to that.

now i'm at the stage where i'm really enjoying being on a bike. sure i was enjoying it before, but i'd be at charlton on a wednesday and enjoying it and looking forward to riding there again the following week. now after riding somewhere, i want to ride again the next day. putting the hours in is starting to pay off.

so to everyone else who like me, have been struggling this time round, stick with it. it will come good in the end. as long as you get some riding hours under your belt, you'll be fine. the key is riding constantly. i was finding everytime i got on a bike, i was near enough starting from scratch and it would take a good hour to get back to where i was the last time i rode.  now days it doesn't take as long.

So stick with it. Get on your bike as much as you can, even if it is just riding around the block and you'll get there in the end. I hope I do.

[evamedia]

Good news Trev.

Time in the saddle, time in the saddle, it's the only way you can progress.

[SaMAlex]

Nice one Trev. Really cool  

[jimwise68]

Nice one Trev.

The hardest part is not the riding it is finding the time to do the riding.

[Trev]

Nice one Trev.

The hardest part is not the riding it is finding the time to do the riding.

Tell you what Jim, I used to struggle to find the time to ride. But now i'm finding it more comfortable to ride, it's amazing how much easier it is to find the time. I think everyone could find the time if they really wanted to.

[jimwise68]

That's very true Trev.

that is what i found. My confidence went when i broke my hand. Then it seemed everytime i rode afterwards i was getting worse and worse. So decided to jack it in and take up the racing. Still miss the ramps and the fun though. But know I'm never gonna be as good as i would like to be.

[pickle]

nice one Trev!  i think you and Rob riding together is a great idea    i also think Robs riding has improved 100%

i'll be honest......i find it so hard to juggle my riding between, Kids, The Mrs getting the hump, not having ANYWHERE at home to store my bike, work and generally feeling fooked!  
i also need about an hour before i feel happy enough to be anywhere near as confident as i did the last time i rode............and last time we rode Creation i got so down about it on the night that i thought i will never get any better the way i'm going, the odd session once a month if i'm lucky is just not good enough!  but i simply cannot fit any other riding in due to the above reasons.........i felt so low about my riding that i did actually think of jacking it all in! THE only thing that stopped me was the fact that my Mrs bought me the Proper frame for Xmas, so out of shere kindness i couldn't sell it  

i'm obviously glad i didn't sell up as i love BMX and even if my riding is Cr@p i will still try to get better even if i can only ride a couple of times a month.

Hats off to ya though mate  

[SaMAlex]

i'll be honest......i find it so hard to juggle my riding between, Kids, The Mrs, work.
once a month if i'm lucky, i simply cannot fit any other riding in due to the above reasons

I Heard that! I havent touched my bike since the last RAD session at Creation .... in February! 

Oh well, almost Summer, and I wont have to drive hours to indoor parks to get to ride a bit. Evening sessions - ON

[Trev]

wife and kids huh.... they're taking too many good men down.

Rob, you know TwoBob has invited you many times to Charlton. I'm sure you could manage that once a week or even once a fortnight.  Surely your missus can't deny you that. She even bought you a £220 frame....<cough> i mean a £60 frame
You need to tell her that she got you such a great Xmas present, it would be a shame not to be able to use it.

Jim, I'm sure TwoBob wouldn't mind you riding at Charlton too. It's the perfect environment to build up your confidence again. it has helped me no end over the last 12-18 months.

[pickle]

   Alex the slight diference being your riding is The Dogs!  where as mine resembles the stuff Dogs leave behind  

[pickle]

wife and kids huh.... they're taking too many good men down.

Rob, you know TwoBob has invited you many times to Charlton. I'm sure you could manage that once a week or even once a fortnight.  Surely your missus can't deny you that. She even bought you a £220 frame....<cough> i mean a £60 frame
You need to tell her that she got you such a great Xmas present, it would be a shame not to be able to use it.

Jim, I'm sure TwoBob wouldn't mind you riding at Charlton too. It's the perfect environment to build up your confidence again. it has helped me no end over the last 12-18 months.

I hear what your saying Trev, i really do..........but (and i know it's the same old but) we only have one car now, we get home from work about 5 to 5:30, it's then an hours drive to Charlton in rush hour on the M25 (sorry it may not be rush hour, remind me again what time you start?) but i have to admit the prospect of doing that drive really puts me off doing it.....and yes with an attitude like that i'm never going to get better i know! 

I'm going to be bringing the Proclaimer home every other weekend and ride the local park with my lad and his mates, so hopefully that will help me a little.....that's if i can ride after the kids have stopped asking me if i can backflip or tailwhip!   

[jimwise68]

Jim, I'm sure TwoBob wouldn't mind you riding at Charlton too. It's the perfect environment to build up your confidence again. it has helped me no end over the last 12-18 months.

Rob has already said that to me. But i have no bike anymore for one and I am in exactly the same boat as Rob (Pickle) except the kids and the missus. Just really fooked when i get in from work and was also really down about how bad my riding was. The last time i "rode" at Legacy i hardly rode at all.

Gonna be heading down to Braintree track this week though to dust the cobwebs off and also to take the Floval for a blast. Ineed the race practice more than the ramp practice  

[superbikedan]

so you ready for your challenge again

[Trev]

I hear what your saying Trev, i really do..........but (and i know it's the same old but) we only have one car now, we get home from work about 5 to 5:30, it's then an hours drive to Charlton in rush hour on the M25 (sorry it may not be rush hour, remind me again what time you start?) but i have to admit the prospect of doing that drive really puts me off doing it.....and yes with an attitude like that i'm never going to get better i know! 

People usually get there around 7.30-8pm. So you have plenty of time to get there. You should at least try it once to see what the journey is like. If it really is a nightmare, then fair enough. But leaving at 7, it shouldn't be too bad.

Also, with an "attitude like that", I think TwoBob is gonna have to have words here....  

[pickle]

as of next weekend i will be riding my local park every other weekend with my lad and his mates..........so i should start to improve a little bit more........like you say i should at least try the journey and see how bad it really is??  but doesn't Charlton just have the two quarters at each end with a spine in the middle?  if so i don't think i could ride that anyways!!   

[Trev]

but doesn't Charlton just have the two quarters at each end with a spine in the middle?  if so i don't think i could ride that anyways!!   

i think uncle TwoBob is going to have some serious words with you....

[pickle]

but doesn't Charlton just have the two quarters at each end with a spine in the middle?  if so i don't think i could ride that anyways!!   

i think uncle TwoBob is going to have some serious words with you....

    and he's one scary fooking Uncle i tell ya!  you got the post code or map to this secret place? pm me with it so i can see where it is mate 

[evamedia]

You'd have to, it's got an 8ft section that's a bit smaller to get over the middle.

Jumping spines/volcano's is a bit of a bitch to start with, more mental than anything. Just jump it to flat for the first few times

[pickle]

Trev, i just looked on the old Goolgemap thingy to see where Charlton is...........and i think i'd rather drag my genitals across barbed wire than do that drive!  looks like i'd have to use both the M25 and the south circular!

that's part of the whole problem, from where i live in Hertfordshire you HAVE to use the M25 to get to either Skaterham or Charlton.......either way, for Charlton you have to go over that poxy bridge! or for Skaterham i'd have to go the other wat round past Heathrow........and it begs the question....why the fook would you actually want to drive through that!!  

but PM me the addy and i'll have a butchers

[Sean 2000]

Rob
North Circular>A13>Blackwall Tunnel and 2bobs ya uncle. Its just the other side of the tunnel mate.

I dont know, excuses excuses eh!

The "R" 

[spicybob]

Trev

You riding Charlton tonight?

See you ride that spine at Skaterham so the Charlton Volcano should no longer be a problem.

[Trev]

Trev

You riding Charlton tonight?

See you ride that spine at Skaterham so the Charlton Volcano should no longer be a problem.

I would like to if I can get a lift. I am so desperate to try the volcano (and even possibly, dare i say it,  the spine)

[spicybob]

If you try the spine then Im gonna try it.
MIght just have a session getting my confidence back on the volcano.
I can only fit me a spencer in my car otherwise you would be welcome to a lift

[priv]

nice work men


priv

[QUADROPHENIA]

i ride every 4 - 5 weeks and thats way to regular for me