Are you still flat pedal curious? From enjoying the benefits of comfortable shoes to an increased sense of freedom, more flow, confidence and fun all while not losing pedal efficiency, member Mal Schulstad shared, in a Facebook post, his enthusiasm for flats after finishing the last ride of the 12 Ride Flat Pedal Challenge course. Mal is also an accomplished photographer and provided these photos to help illustrate his experience.

Share your experience with flats in the comment section below, or complete the course and go have fun on Flat Pedal Challenge Ride #12, then answer the nine questions after your ride!

Here is what Mal said: 

So yesterday was what I'm calling my celebratory flat pedals ride - 32km and 1000+ meters of climbing (and naturally descending) on rarely used trails and fire roads that I'd never been on with a fairly fit group.

Throughout the ride I kept up with everyone on the ups - no loss of pedaling efficiency, rode over unfamiliar technical terrain...

It’s with excitement that I announce coach Elaine Bothe is taking on the newly created role of Community Liaison, designed to further improve the RLC member experience throughout the site. Part of her role will be to maintain our Facebook Group as a unique and safe space for members to share their riding experiences and post practice videos. She will monitor the FB comment stream to ensure member-inspired advice, which we highly encourage, is inline with RLC’s core teachings and safety standards. She’ll be working hard on many fun projects to help everyone gain maximum value from their skills practice!

Learn more about Elaine and the rest of the RLC team here!

Steep technical climbs require a tuned blend of technique, fitness and patience.

I love challenging myself to the point of failure, and climbs allow for this much more safely than descents.

If you ever want an incredible workout and skill practice, find a tech climb that is just slightly above the difficulty level that you'd normally clean. Find a climb that you may only ride clean one out of every five attempts - and then session it!

High Fives!

In this 3 minute long video I share a few RLC reflections from 2017 and some plans for 2018. Here are the highlights:

• RLC has grown gradually and steadily again, the site is over four years alive! Since the 12 Ride Flat Pedal Challenge launched a year ago over 10,000 riders have registered - and many upgraded to a full membership.
• There are no shortcuts for adult skill acquisition - RLC continues to create the safest possible skill development progressions that rely on your regular practice. This helps set up a foundation for lifelong enjoyment of the sport rather than forcing and rushing new techniques. 
• 2017 saw the launch of The Cornering Continuum and Jump with Confidence - with guest pros and coaches: Kat Sweet, Thomas Vanderham, Jay Hoots and Shaums March. Dozens of drills and lessons were published exclusively for members along with 50 curated weekly updates.
• 2018 will see an early launch of the Tight Switchbacks and Stoppies...

We LOVE receiving progress reports from customers like this!...

Hello Ryan!

I accidentally discovered your 30 Day Wheelie Challenge in a newspaper and thought, I'll give it a try, I always wanted to. Your program has absolutely convinced me. I subsequently registered as a full member.

Bunny Hop and Manual are currently my current exercises, ...if the weather permits. Track Stands can also be practised in the garage in bad weather conditions ;-)

I have a small video created, which I have achieved in a half-year. I'm excited!

Very helpful was the very good feedback from you and Jeffrey, Peter and Gianluca. Thanks a lot for this!

Wheelie, Manual, Bunny Hop, I will continue to expand and I'm looking forward to Tight Switchbacks and everything that has to do with technical climbing, I love it ...

Big thanks also to Jeff and his Yoga Progression Series # 2. "Relieving neck pain" / "hips under pressure" are my favorites. He's the wizard with the ball!

Merry Christmas and a healthy year...

The coach and ambassador team have responded to thousands of questions inside RLC this year.  It's clear from the following short greetings that the connection we strive to offer our customers has a reciprocating affect on us...

Happy Holidays. Thank you to each member of the RLC community for the inspiration to keep pushing my own limits. I am looking forward to seeing all the awesome things you will do in 2018! - Peter Glassford

Wishing all of you a joyful holiday season, and bountiful riding and learning in 2018 - Roger Joys

Happy Holidays to everyone! It has been an honor and a pleasure to get to know you all, hear your advice, watch your successes and share your 'mishaps.' RLC has been a life-changing experience for me, and you have all had a lot to do with that fact! - Jeff Neitlich

Happy Holidays from Down Under! May your New Year be flat-tyre free and chockers with fun skills progressions. - Carl Roe

Warmest wishes to everyone this holiday...

In recent years, sports psychology has grown in popularity among amateur and elite athletes. And for those of us looking to improve our bike skills, from popping a wheelie to cornering with ease, there are some key tactics that sports psychologists and mental consultants swear by for their clients. Let’s look at a few!

Niche your goals, and make them realistic

You may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals already—ones that are Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely. But have you really looked at your cycling goals and made sure that they fit that model? Most of us have a goal tied to a race result—i.e. finishing on the podium at a local mountain bike race. Or maybe it’s something like ‘Impress my partner with my mad bike skills,’ or ‘Show off on the group ride.’ While those are great, they’re also so vague that it’s going to be hard to hit those markers. A goal that depends on a race finish is tough because you...

Why am I posting this old school crash? Good question - and I have a good reason below. It links to my work as a coach for a customer base that is largely 'middle age'. 

This happened way back during the filming of Reed Merschat's trials film Evolve. I was pushing not only my own limits but the sports. Driven by the curiosity of what's possible and the potential notoriety and relative fame that might come as a result.

At that age, barely 20, no one could stop me. I'm now 38 and priorities have changed. I invested in an exploration of what's possible physically early in my life HOWEVER many people have left this exploration until later in life. And they're charged up!

You can learn a lot about who you are by exploring your physical potential, but the process comes with risk and usually injury. It turns out injuries are a big part of this deeper learning about who we are. 

Can you relate to this?

I certainly had many...

Unlike snow, fresh dirt doesn’t fall from the sky. It’s fun to skid, but skids drag dirt off trails - which may anger the trail gods. Yes some trails (machine built flow) are designed to withstand some sliding around, but many trails aren't.

What other options do you have beyond skids or powerslides for tight switchbacks? 

Learning rotating stoppies and nose pivots will bring powerful solutions to tech trail challenges - and bring stoke to trail builders! My goal? Help riders learn these challenging skills gradually and safely

Learn more about these skills and a rad new course here.

If you can already ride stoppies, let others know what it feels like in the comment section below. Is it worth learning?

High Fives...

Ryan

Filmed and edited by Jonathan Duncan

Guest coach Thomas provides clear reasoning why these techniques go far beyond just style and fun!

Learn more about our Tight Switchbacks Online Course!