not very good at this

[oilspot]

I got a chance to go out riding this morning. 2nd real chance to ride.
I had fun but started to get pretty frustrated. I think it was that I was by myself (I know, not a good idea incase I get hurt). I think it's easier for me to follow somebody. I can focus a little more on staying relaxed and working with the bike. After just a little while I felt exhausted.
It's kinda a blow to my own ego to relize that "I suck at this". It's a real eye opener how bad of shape I'm in. I need to start jogging or something of the sorts

There's alot to remember about riding!!! I'm trying to remember what seems like a thousand things about what I"m doing. example... I was concentrating on putting weight on my outside peg during hard cornering, then I realized I wasn't using my clutch. So I start using my clutch also, next thing I know I've got the death grip on the bars, and I've got to stop for about 10 minutes so that my arms will work again.

Sorry about the horrible grammer/ sentence formation. I'm still a little blurry and worn out from the ride.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

You should not be cluttering up your ability to ride with thinking! In the pits think about it, that is where bench racing was developed! Out on the track ride fast for as long as you can stay focused and fluid, after you rest and think about it, go out as long as you did before, you should begin to see improvement. Every time you practice, practice racing to the checkers, just keep your time or laps and increase the time till you can go out and push for 1/2 hour to an hour. As always if you can film it the better for you, don't get down on yourself or start thinking that money will make you faster! Bike jetted correct and the suspension set for you and your good till you turn pro. Pssst., everyone who knows how to ride , sucked at some point too! HAVE FUN!

 

[kmccune]

OR, you could relax and just have fun until you improve with practice. :cool:

 

[Moparman1539]

Just keep going and relax. Dont worry about making mestakes.(sp) Just have fun. Dont think so much either. Once you get the hang of it. And relax yourself. All the things you do should happen naturally. But it does take practice. And you will get better at it. Dont worry.

 

[Okiewan]

Trying to "go fast" when you don't know what you're doing is VERY BAD advice. You'll crash a lot and develop bad habits.

Spend some time learning the basics. Start slow and make sure the technique is correct. As time passes, the speed will increase. There are videos, MX classes, etc... if you want to actually improve and not just look like a dweeb trying to go fast, LEARN. Hook-up with someone that IS fast, see if you can get some tips, watch the fast guys and learn... there are many ways to learn. Becoming "second nature" is true; riding bad or riding correctly.

 

[oilspot]

I'm not really trying to get fast at this point. I'm just trying to get better. I just got a little overwhelmed. Arm pump sucks!!!
I burnt up so much energy in the little time riding that I had troubles throwing the bike on the stand... and I'm not a little guy at all.
I also need to ride with my friend that knows the trails around here. When I went with him a few weeks back he took me through an excellant path. All the trails (desert) criss cross with each other and some of the trails are horibly rutted jeep type trails, some are really sandy also.

I love the feel when I relax, it's a blast. And when I do relax I really supprize myself at how well I can get around.

 

[FruDaddy]

I disagree with anybody that says not to think, you should be constantly think about your riding, and your surroundings. That being said, don't try to go too fast, and have fun. When I first started, I was exhausted in about 5 minutes. I'm still old and slow, and I don't care.

 

[mrliquid]

make sure you wear all of your protective gear. Since your new try buying some good under armor with elbow and forearm protection too. Wear a thin t-shirt under the armor so it doesnt drive you nuts and you take it off. BOOTS! BOOTS! BOOTS!

And listen to the advice they give here (excluding: riding fast with no experience) sorry whenfoxforks-ruled......

I've fallen a lot over the past month and every part of my body has hit the ground hard.

ALSO! KNEE BRACES!!!!! expensive but worth every penny.

 

[Okiewan]

Seriously, it's like anything else. A Golf swing? Same thing. You can whack that damn ball as hard as you possibly can, and it goes 100 yards. While Mr. 110-pound-skinny-dude is smaking it 300+ and putting it in the middle of the fairway with little effort. It's all about technique.

Arm pump is most often due to gripping to hard. Squeeze the bike with your knees. Carry your weight on the pegs, not the handle bars. It's all stuff that needs to be learned... very few people survive by trying to man-handle a MX bike. Ever seen a winning MX'er that looks like Arnold? Nope. It's technique, not strength. Endurance, yes. Working with the bike instead of against it...

Like everything else, theres a right way and a wrong way. Find a good MX school. It's worth it.

 

[oilspot]

I'm only 34 but I'm not getting any younger. Man am I ever sore from this morning.
thanks for all the advise! I'm sure with time I'll get way better. I just wish I had more time to ride/ practice. As far as gripping the tank with my legs... My rmx's tank doesn't give me anything to grip. It's slick plastic and tapers up with the height of the tank. I think I've seen some grip sticker thingys, would those stick to a tank, I"ve heard tanks have a way of repeling any type of stickers pretty quickly.


My son's 3years old and loves riding his pw50. Its humbling to know that he'll probably outride me withing 5 years if not less.

 

[mmz77]

Yeah oilspot you will get used to it. My dad started riding with me in trails when he was 42, about 4 years ago. He says it somehow "helps his knees" when he is out and riding(I dont know how). Took him a while to get used to riding something a little more crazier than what he rode back in the late 70's with his friends. He stated that the new 250's 2-t could of easily took the old 400 2-t. Yeah, but anyway keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it. :cool:

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

How far have you ever seen some one ride over their head, when they don't know how to ride? Common sense usually takes over! I have seen a lot of riders who think they ride fast by their self, its a common misconception, that if left can push them out of racing when reality sets in. The best a person would be looking at is 3 years of rigorous training to get to speed, likely longer, but, best case. People can tell them till they are blue in the face, it is up to the rider! If your are on the track racing, it is mostly natural reaction, not thinking, no time for that, thinking gets involved after the fact.Fast is only relative to the rider.

 

[truespode]

I started at 29 and was slow as can be!!! Kids on 60's passing me on straight aways and I was on a 250!

I rode in 1st gear scared and timid as hell!! Gomer can attest to how "Spodely" I was when I first started.

But I made some great friends and I have slowly improved. I am still one of the slower ones in the group but I ride safe, have decent form most of the time and have gotten in better shape.

I love this sport for the friends I have made and the riding I have done and the places I have seen.

Don't worry about how good or bad you are at riding. Just focus on being safe, riding with good form and having fun. The rest comes in time.

Ivan

 

[FruDaddy]

Stick the grip tape to the shrouds. That's what I did. You might also consider a gripper style seat cover.

 

[GETMETOCA]

HaHa! That is too funny to read about arm pump! I started riding at the age of 36 (I'm 41 now) and I can still recall with vivid color how freakin' sore my arms were the first few times I rode. I could hardly lift a coffee cup to my lips or raise my arms to wash my hair in the shower. Actually, everything was sore...from trying to stand or from doing figure eights to practice weighting the pegs, etc. It amazes me now, even if I haven't rode in a couple of months, I'm still conditioned to think "Oh, Man! My arms are gonna be SORE!!!" But surprisingly, they never are! Once you lose the "death grip" habit, it'll get better! :cool:

 

[splatt]

One thing you might want to try to help your bike handling is to get a mountain bike. You don't have to worry about the clutch or throttle just how the bike handles.

Steve