Back Yards Skills

[c-152]

My wife and I are about to have a baby (okay well she has all of the hard work I just stand there and try to stay conscious). Anyway I am not planning on riding that often as we will be spending most of the time at home enjoying our new addition to the family. I would like to use this as an opportunity to improve my riding balance and technical skills in my back yard. I have 1/2 an acre to use for this and it is along a riverbank that is somewhat cleaned up. I am thinking of setting up some sort of technical very mini endurocross course. Any cheap advice on how to go about it? I am also interested in hearing some of the drills you guys do to improve balance. I have done a search and read some really good stuff such as full lock turns and using cones. The main area of riding I would like to improve is I need to stand up and stop putting my feet down. A drill that would help improve this would be great.

Thanks

[2 strokes 4 life]

I would build a skiny. First start with a railroad tie or something like it and ride up on to it and the ride across it. After you have finished your skills on that try building a skinyer one that sits higher up. Also, a rock garden builds great skills.

[cdn280]

I've only got 1/3 of an acre at home and without going the unsightly way of skids, tires, old fuel tanks etc, you only need a fairly large twisted branch (as big as you are able to move) and a few rocks/boulders on either side to keep it from moving and to have several different lines over/along it.
I'm just rebuilding my home trials practice sections and this one is proving to be more useful than just an a-frame or logs that you keep going over the same way.

[gasser]

One practice item that I find very helpful for everyone from beginner to expert is to layout a circle on the ground (maybe 15 foot across) and try to ride around inside it without using your clutch or brakes or putting your foot down. If you can do it easily make the circle smaller. After you've tried it a few times and are still running out of your circle or having to grab your clutch, try it again not looking forward but up and off to the side in the direction you are turning. This helps more than you could ever believe until you try it. We've all heard that we need to keep looking farther ahead when we're riding and this is an easy way to prove it to ourselves and practice doing so. - Ken

[skid jackson]

get a trials bike
you can play for hours on a 1/2 acre and never get bored. nothing beats a trials bike for small acreage w/limited riding time. If you don't want to spend $$$ on another bike put trials tires on the front and back of your bike, drop a tooth up front and put the biggest rear sprocket on the back you can get. Then you'll have a poor mans trials bike.

[c-152]

Thanks for all of the advice - I am going to print this out and keep it in the garage. I would love a trials bike but I currently have 4 motorcycles and another bike would mean that I would end up sleeping in the garage. I like the trials tires and gearing change idea. I went out yesterday and played around with weaving in an out of trees and a couple log crossings. I am going to draw something out in a couple of weeks - when I am done I will post it for scrutiny

[HuskyDude]

Originally Posted by skid jackson

get a trials bike you can play for hours on a 1/2 acre and never get bored. nothing beats a trials bike for small acreage w/limited riding time.

There are a lot of used Trials bikes around. You don't have to compete once you have one but it's almost a sure thing.

Crawling around your backyard on a trials machine for 10-15mins at nite will improve your riding skills lots. Start by just balancing while holding the front brake on (dead stick), full lock figure 8's, riding along a 2x4 are just a few.
I guess you could do all these on a EC also...

[oregon pampara rider]

I to agree about the trials bike. I've rode bikes for about 30 years, I thought I could ride ok, I went to kauai and rode over there and got thoroughly beat up. I saw a lot of the rider's there on trials bikes, and the place's that were kicking me they made look effortless. I came home and juggled the money and bought an older montessa for 2k. I have improved my riding playing in my back yard more in the last 2 years going slow, playing on stumps, pallets, logs, a little creek area, and some steep rocky hills. If you can I would really encourge you to get one. I have since been back and rode kauai 2 more times and could not believe how much better I did on some of the same trails.