Abacus Mountaineering, Mountain Bike Guiding and Coaching

Introduction to Mountain Biking
Advanced Mountain Biking Skills

The world's best athletes depend on great coaching to achieve their potential and we're just the same. It's easy to fall into lazy habits that hold us back (in the same way as in skiing). What ever level you ride at you can brush up on specific skills that will let you ride to your full potential and have even more fun on your bike.

Introduction to Mountain Biking

Mountain biking is very easy to start out and can be enjoyed by the whole family. It's a great way to explore an area and have fun while you're doing it. On a bike you are so much more in touch with the nature and people around you. This is the home of the best downhill race in the world cup circuit but it also has endless oportunity for beginers too. The trails are very easily accessed from Fort William. Forest trails and estate tracks in the wilderness mean you can ride all day without touching tarmac and without seeing a car.

Bikes are easily available to buy or to hire in Fort William and little other specialist gear is required. You'll learn how to set up your bike for comfort and performance, simple maintenance and on route repairs. When you are 10km from the road you need to know how to fix a puncture and how to adjust your brakes.

Riding off road for the first time will require a few core skills which will be coached with you right at the start. Using your brakes and gears effectively is first. Coaching your riding will be progressive and focused on your confidence. We'll get you moving around on your bike, shifting your weight to control your bike.

Skills coaching is best done in a friendly environment until you have the confidence to put the skills into action on the trails. Skills such as manuals and wheelies, cornering, bumps and pumping the trail, drop-offs and choosing the best line are all covered. Learning these skills for the first time is great fun and, if you've been riding for a while, discovering what you've been doing and learning how to do it better will really help your riding.

The price is Ł90 per person per day but for three or more people it is Ł250 per day total. You need to provide your bike but we will provide tools and spares.

To make a booking please Contact Us to secure some dates then complete a Booking Form.

Possible Course Outline - Two Day Intro Skills Course

Day One	Bike check for safety and best set-up for riding. Warm up and coaching core skills, riding position, braking, drop-offs and manuals. Head out onto the trails to put these skills into practice on real trail features with coaching on choosing the best line and using your gears both in ascent and descent.
Day Two	Head out onto the trails straight away for a full day ride with coaching on basic navigation and trail side repairs such as punctures and transmission problems. Difficult sections of trail will be inspected and riden after coaching on how best to ride it.

Advanced Mountain Biking Skills

Having been riding for a while this course will give you the skills to flow down the trails and get the most out of your bike. To be able to enjoy the best wilderness trails in the world, some coaching can help. Skills coaching will be aimed at getting you confident and fluid in your riding on all sorts of trails. Intensive sessions on key skills will be mixed with longer rides to put it all into practice. See if you can ride the world cup downhill in five days of coaching and enjoy the magic of the Wee Devil Trail.

Getting your bike set up perfectly for you can transform your riding. You'll learn how to adjust your bike for comfort and performance on different types of trails, simple maintenance and on route repairs. When you are 10km from the road you need to know how to fix a puncture and how to adjust your brakes.

Core skills will be checked off straight away. Using your brakes and gears effectively, moving around on your bike and shifting your weight to control your bike. Skills such as manuals and wheelies, cornering, bumps and pumping the trail, drop-offs and choosing the best line are broken down and refined. If you've been riding for a while, discovering what you've been doing and learning how to do it better will really help your riding.

Further coaching will cover rear wheel lifts, bunny hops, bike thrusts for ascent and log jumps, manual and power assisted drop-offs, riding boardwalk, berms, bumps and jumps. All this is practiced in a friendly place then put into action on trail centre features and natural trails. Red and black runs will become a blast and the world's best wilderness rides such as the Torridon trail will be your next target.

For groups of two or more people we will guide the way on the best route for you, coach your skills and get you biking the trails you dream of riding. Group sizes are restricted to a maximum of five per guide.

The price is Ł90 per person per day but for three or more people it is Ł250 per day total. You need to provide your bike but we will provide tools and spares.

To make a booking please Contact Us to secure some dates then complete a Booking Form.

Possible Course Outline - Two Day Advanced Skills Course

Day One	Bike check for safety and best set-up for riding. Warm up and check of core skills, riding position, braking, drop-offs and manuals. Coaching will cover rear wheel lifts, bunny hops, bike thrusts for ascent and log jumps, manual and power assisted drop-offs. Riding boardwalk, berms, bumps and jumps will be covered on man made trails in the afternoon.
Day Two	Head out onto natural trails straight away for a full day ride with coaching on basic navigation and trail side repairs such as punctures, brake and transmission problems. Difficult sections of trail will be inspected and riden after coaching on how best to ride it, puting all the new skills into practice to ride fluidly and confidently.

Download the printer friendly Mountain Biking kit list.

Please read the Course Information.

Go back to Mountain Bike Courses.