| Do I have to do the Phundamentals first? |
Yes you do.
It is too difficult for the instructor to catch you up to speed if you go straight into a Trailmaster Clinic and very unfair on the participants who have paid to learn something new.
If you cannot bear the thought of doing a group clinic and the possibly of overlap then you will need to do a One on one to fast-track through the Phundamentals platform.
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| I'm an experienced rider, do I really need to do the Phundamentals? |
We prefer that you do, especially to make sure your body position is sorted and you have the understanding and awareness supporting that.
But we do have a Gravitymaster clinic for experienced riders who are very comfortable with their bikes, and who may feel like they are well past a group Phundamentals session. Gravitymaster is often a quick route into the more advanced Trailmaster clinics.
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| How many people will there be on the clinic, will I get enough attention? |
We limit the numbers to seven per instructor for Phundamentals which we have found to be the ideal group size. For Trailmaster/Gravitymaster we limit group size to five. We have structured the clinics so that there is group theory and then riding drills and there is plenty of time allocated for individual instruction during the drills.
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| I have never rode off-road before, will I be OK/learn anything? |
It is a good idea to do the Phundamentals as soon as possible to save yourself learning bad habits from the start. We have had many people do the Phundamentals with great success having not rode a bike since childhood.
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| Is the Phundamentals suitable for kids? |
Depends on the child, under 13 we require they be accompanied by an adult. The techniques taught are entirely valid for kids and will set them up from early on to be safe and controlled riders. But, because the day is aimed at adults there is quite a bit of theory. Some kids love listening and others don’t.
If your child is particularly fidgety it is better for them to be accompanied. The Phundamentals techniques are also quite easy to pass onto children as they don’t require all of the background info that adults need. If you ride with your child you could consider doing the course on your own and teaching them over a period of time as they require the help.
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| What will you want to change on my bike in bike set up? I have already had my bike set up. |
We are well aware that there are a lot of people doing a great job of bike set up out there. In the bike set-up section of the course we will look at making a handful of changes only if you need it, these changes aim to make you more balanced, stable, and comfortable on your bike.
We do two things different than everyone else.
First we actually watch you ride your bike so we know we are not setting your bike up on a theory, we can see first hand what needs to be changed.
Secondly most people look at a seated static riding position which is great for road cycling, but when it comes to mountain biking it’s not that simple. Over the period of a one hour ride on a mountainbike you will change your position hundreds of times and you will need to deal with many different types of riding; technical descents, technical climbs (up to 15 degrees), jumps, bumps and everything in-between. If you were to set your bike up for one specific type of riding, i.e. a flat road, your bike performance would suffer on the other type of trails you ride. We look at an overall mountainbike set-up depending on the riding you do most and your weaknesses. This will mean you have the most fun out on your bike possible.
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| Will I get a workout on the clinic? |
No, if you are very fit and used to riding a few days a week do not expect to get a good workout. The clinics are aimed at instruction and are more than enough energy output for the average person.
If you are champing at the bit to ride then it would be a good idea to go for a ride before the clinic to burn off some steam.
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| Do I need to be fit? |
The Phundamentals is made up of theory and short, easy drills so fitness is not an issue. We also encourage everyone to take breaks whether to catch their breath, observe others practicing or relax for a moment to regather thoughts.
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| I am incredibly unfit, will I be holding the group up? |
No, we ride to a location and tend to stay there for big blocks of time doing drills. If you are unfit you can skip the odd drill and catch your breath while others practice. The techniques you learn will be your best chance of keeping up with your friends until you do get fit!
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| Should I do the whole the Trailmaster series? |
We see thousands of people come through our Phundamentals courses every year and we also see a fair few of them out on the trails in the weeks after the course. We can give you all the information in the world but you won’t change Rome in a day. After you have attended a course you will still need to remember to do all the good things you learnt when you need them out on the trails.
We regularly see people a couple a weeks after a course and they look great and can’t believe how much difference it all makes but then we see them six months down the track and their good habits have often faded. After completing the Series you will have replaced your reactionary habits with good ones that are there to stay. We see guys and girls out in the forest all the time that have completed the Trailmaster Series and they are different riders and they will ride like that for the rest of their lives.
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