Mountain Bike Skills Courses

skills-group-youyangs MTBSkills has proven instruction techniques which will improve your riding. You will be guaranteed to learn a whole new set of techniques to get you riding singletrack like you never have before.

MTBSkills courses are suited to all riding abilities, from beginner to advanced. We use trails with varied terrain and challenging obstacles to practise skills on common features in singletrack mountain bike trails.

Our courses have no more than 5 people in a group. Each person in the group is of a similar ability and confidence level. This enables the instructor to closely observe, give feedback and offer recommendations on how to improve each individual's riding.

In our courses, we teach techniques that will help you to:

Position your body for optimum riding efficiency
Get maximum flow on single track
Ride smoother through corners
Focus on the trail ahead of you
Negotiate obstacles with ease and safety

Ride technical uphill
Be more confident riding downhill
Brake less but stay in control
Have fun on the bike
Get confidence to try something you've never done before

Click on the tabs below to find out more about us.

OUR INSTRUCTORS

Jessica Douglas
Norm Douglas
Rowan Lamont
Liz Mulconry
Adam Kelsall
Jackie Schapel
Su Sprott
Jacqui Clynes
Sandy Maxwell
Chris Atkinson
Evan James
William Bird
Wilson Low

SKILLS VIDEOS

We have a number of videos that you may help you to further improve your skills.

New videos will be added on a regular basis so make sure you check back. We also add exclusive videos to our community.

Mountain Bike Skills Instructional Videos	Events Videos and other activities.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

Jeff Smith

I enjoyed the whole day, it was just fantastic and the 4 hours went way too quickly. I look forward to attending some another course in the not to dis...
Patrick O'Callaghan

A great day - time flew which is always a good sign, and we had a ball learning to get to know our bikes and ourselves a bit better. The course defini...
Will Kenna

The course structure allowed us to learn and practice core techniques and link them together as the day progressed. Overall it was a very enjoyable da...
Calum Campbell

Structure was well thought out, teaching points well explained, locations for practice well chosen and the instructor was both clear in his explanatio...
Bruce Phillips

I got so much out of this day.
While I need to improve my skills I feel I have come away with a base level of understanding to work upon. I really app...
Monique Grbec

Great instructor - patient, friendly, and very encouraging. Initially, when the groups were divided I expected more of a detailed overlay of the skill...
Thy Hue

Liz was fantastic. I loved her enthusiasm.
Her patience and encouraging words for the girls was great. She altered the training as required for us and...
Tanya Murphy

I found the course content to be excellent.
All questions that I had before arriving were answered without me even having to ask. I found that I was a...
Jo Hand

I really enjoyed the course, and can't wait to get on my Mt bike tomorrow and practice my new skills! Ride smarter/smoother/less effort! Can't wait! T...
Daniel Burge

Great day.
I'm a smoother rider already and looking forward to building on everything learnt. I've e-mailed my riding mates so hopefully some more eag...
Gavin Clarke

Just wanted to congratulate Rowan on a fantastic morning of active, engaging education and fun. The tracks that we practiced on were on the money enab...
Ronan Sweeney

Well done Rowan, you are a superb instructor.
I learned so much I assumed I knew. Technique/skill are king when it comes to mountain biking, not powe...
Megan McDonald

I felt that Sandy was really watching what I was doing and gave tips that were relevant to my riding and didn't just give generic pointers.
Ross McLeavy

Being a beginner to the sport, my confidence matched my ability.
The workshop activity encouraged me to test the skills and my confidence grew. At the...
Brendan Johnson

I really enjoyed the fact that there were relatively small groups so the instructor was able to observe and give recommendations on a more personal ba...
Craig Rowley

Rowan was great; a natural instructor; very detailed clear instruction and very positive.
Andrew Jolly

I learned more on Saturday morning than I have in the 12 years since I bought my first mtb and started riding around the Cornish countryside, and I ha...
David Johnson

Jess was outstanding.
Her patience, focus on each student, and clear description of each skill and how to perform it made the day both fun and informa...
Lance Cupido

A fantastic day of technique refinement, with some fear conquering on the side, all washed down with some of the finest singletrack in the country. Th...
Navak Lorkin

I thought Liz was a great instructor and I really enjoyed her encouragement and enthusiasm.
I learnt so much from the day and have already been out th...

FAQ

Q. I'm very new to mountain biking, I'm worried I will be the only beginner at the course. Will I be made to feel stupid?

A. You are the reason we exist! Everyone had to start somewhere, and we can show you the techniques you will need to become more confident on a mountain bike, in a fun and reassuring manner.

Q. My fitness is very low, do I need to get in shape first?

A. When you register for one of our courses, you will fill in a form asking about your current riding ability. You will then be put into a group of people similar to your own level. On average most groups cover less than 10km over a 4 hour course.

Q. I'm not as young as I used to be, can I still join in?

A. To date our oldest participant was 65 years old. So long as you and your doctor think you are ok to attend, then we will welcome you.

Q. My child wants to improve her mountain bike skills, is your course right for her?

A. Our minimum age is 13 years old, and so long as you think your child is mature enough to be in with a group of adults for a minimum of 4 hours, then they are welcome.

Q. I don't know how to ride a bike yet, will you teach me how to ride a bike from scratch?

A. No. Our courses are designed to cater for cycling enthusiasts, who already know how to ride a bike.

Q. Do you have children's courses?

A. We will conduct school holiday courses for children if you have a group of 5 or more children wanting to participate.

Q. I'm a keen downhill mountain biker, and want to learn how to boost mega gaps on my 8 inch travel bike, are your courses for me?

A. Perhaps not. Our courses have a definite XC (cross country) flavour to them. Whilst we won't discriminate we do ride UP hills as well as down.

Q. My bike is very old without any suspension, can I use it?

A. As long as your bike is checked by a bicycle mechanic and is in good condition. However as a beginner you will find it much better with a modern mountain bike that has some suspension. We have a fleet of Giant hire bikes you can hire for the course.

Q. My bike is a HYBRID with 700c skinny wheels, is it suitable.

A. The only requirement for our courses is a good condition Mountain bike. This means a 26 or 29 inch Mountain Bike, that can accept at least 1.9inch knobby tyres.

Q. What if it rains on the day, what happens?

A. You get wet! Our courses will only ever be cancelled or postponed due to dangerous conditions. Rain is quite common in the areas we conduct courses, and in fact the trails are often nicer with some rain. As always our cancellation policy applies.

Q. Can I book for a private or small group course?

A. Yes, however due to our busy schedule we are normally only available for private lessons mid week. Contact us for more details.

Q. My stock portfolio went down 5 points last month, should I sell?

A. Yes, and buy more bikes, so you can ride more often.

Got more questions...? Just ask.