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View Full Version : Ride Frequently to Improve Your Riding Skills



Brizz
Mon May 14th, 2007, 08:07 AM
Frequent short rides are better than infrequent long rides.

I was once told, "Given a fixed amount of riding time, it's more beneficial to ride frequently for shorter durations, than it is to ride sporadically for a long duration."

My personal experience indicates that he's right.

In other words, given the following scenario, which rider would advance more quickly?

Rider A: Rides four times per week, for 30 minutes each ride.

Rider B: Rides one time each month for eight hours.

Motorcycle instructors will tell you, Rider A would advance more quickly.

Still not convinced?

Ask a great piano teacher whether it's better to practice once a week for one hour, or four times a week for 15 minutes. Nine out of ten will choose the latter.

When time is short - "frequent" short rides are the better than "infrequent" long rides.

Devaclis
Mon May 14th, 2007, 08:12 AM
^^ Based on my personal experience, I agree with this. I have a few miles under my belt and I have found that I naturally practice and develop my skills more when I am headed to/from work than when I am out for a 200+ mile ride. The shorter rides also seem to put in situations where I NEED to use those skills more.

DevilsTonic
Mon May 14th, 2007, 08:29 AM
:imwithstupid: Commuting to work is a great test of skill, there are so many retards out there especially when you have to commute in rush hour traffic like I do every day.

I've also noticed that on long rides, I get tired quickly and catch myself doing stupid things, like not paying attention to the road / road conditions, I get fatigued and start point fixating...which is extremely dangerous. It's better to ride for a short period when you have your head in the game, gives you more focus to improve. It's hard to improve on anything when you're worn out from riding for 8 hours.

Raptor
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:03 AM
I get fatigued and start point fixating...which is extremely dangerous.

Very n00b question but what is point fixating? I think I have a good idea but I don't just want to assume being that it's a dangerous situation.

G.

dm_gsxr
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:04 AM
Short rides and then long rides :) I've been going out when I can on the weekends both to build up riding muscles but to make sure my skills aren't too rusty. Since I don't commute (since last August), I don't get the daily motorcycle exercise. In less than a month I'm heading out for a 9,000 mile ride. It'll be more enjoyable because I'm hitting the road on weekends.

Carl

Brizz
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:08 AM
Very n00b question but what is point fixating? I think I have a good idea but I don't just want to assume being that it's a dangerous situation.

G.
An example of this is when your in a corner and you stare at ..say a tree...Instead of looking thru the corner its self...You are fixated on 1 thing..It can cause you to make a mistake or not see whats ahead. It can also be done by watching the rider infront of you..If he goes down you may do the same thing. Do you understand what im saying..Im not sure if thats clear enough.

Devaclis
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:09 AM
Very n00b question but what is point fixating? I think I have a good idea but I don't just want to assume being that it's a dangerous situation.

G.

Yeah Brizz, it is kind of hard to explain. I was thinking about this too :)

Target fixating. When you focus on an object whle riding you will find that you will ride right to that object.

Imagine taking a nice left hander, seeing a cop car on the right of the road and you can't stop looking at it and you run right into it. I am sure most have felt that feeling before.

Raptor
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:11 AM
An example of this is when your in a corner and you stare at ..say a tree...Instead of looking thru the corner its self...You are fixated on 1 thing..It can cause you to make a mistake or not see whats ahead. It can also be done by watching the rider infront of you..If he goes down you may do the same thing. Do you understand what im saying..Im not sure if thats clear enough.

Yep, totally clear. That's kind of what I figured but I wanted to be sure instead of just guessing.

Much appreciated! :rock:

Brizz
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:14 AM
Werd Yo!

Raptor
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:14 AM
Yeah Brizz, it is kind of hard to explain. I was thinking about this too :)

Target fixating. When you focus on an object whle riding you will find that you will ride right to that object.

Imagine taking a nice left hander, seeing a cop car on the right of the road and you can't stop looking at it and you run right into it. I am sure most have felt that feeling before.

That does sound freaky. I haven't experienced that yet but it sure sounds like good advice to be aware of rather than learn it the hard way.

G.

mtnairlover
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:20 AM
Yep, riding in a daily commute is different than weekend riding, which is why I do both. Last summer, I also worked on riding for duration. My longest was about 11 hours in one day and all over the mountains and back again. When I got fatigued on the last leg of that journey, it wasn't that I was doing anything silly, just that I did slow down a bit so that I wouldn't make any stupid mistakes. What I think I improved on that ride was my patience and understanding my physical limits/capabilities.

Spiderman
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:23 AM
I fell victim to target fixation a couple of weeks ago on my first canyon ride of the season - I was staring at a small pothole I didn't want to hit near the exit of a corner. I wanted to change my line just enough to miss it, but couldn't stop staring at it. Guess what - I hit it dead center. :oops:

Edit: Because my above comment apparently derailed this thread in some people's mind, let me remedy that and bring it back on topic. My point is, that, even experienced riders can make mistakes after not riding for a while, thus reinforcing the theory that more frequent rides, albeit short, is better than less frequent, longer rides.

Brizz
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:40 AM
Ok so back on topic..I ride, maybe less than 2 miles to work..I realised that i notice more on that ride than i did in the hills...

Devaclis
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:45 AM
Do you ride in town or is it mostly rural? Also, do you make it a habbit to prcatice a skill every time you go on a ride?

Brizz
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:47 AM
I know that i pay attention to throttle responce. Braking..Situational awareness...And turn signals...Ive been actually using them in conjunction with hand signals. And this town is rural...LOL

Devaclis
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:52 AM
Fomr the very first day I got my bike I was taught to practice something every time I was out. Emergency breaking, scanning, ooking through corners. Anything, just practice something. I have also tried to instill this theory in my wifes riding and my friends riding too. On a 15 minute ride to work you can work on a skill you have not had to use in quite a while (switching fron on to reserve while riding as an example) that will save you a lot of headache.

Spiderman
Mon May 14th, 2007, 09:59 AM
Ok so back on topic..Sorry for being so off-topic. :roll:

I make a point of not being in somebody's blind spot - I'm either behind them, or passing them, and as I pass them, I try to see if I can read the drivers body language to make sure they're not going to come into my lane.

Another thing I try to do, but prolly don't do often enough, is look for a way out of potential situations - what will I do if the guy in front of me (or in front of him) does "this"? What's my best/safest option?

dm_gsxr
Mon May 14th, 2007, 10:07 AM
Rita did the target fixation thing last year on her Aprilia up on Peak to Peak. We were coming around a left sweeper when I saw her head off the side of the road and to the right side of a car parked in the gravel. Scared the crap out of her. I explained it to her but she didn't like it at all.

She's with out a doubt, better now. She still fixates, like yesterday. She ran over a dead squirrel and on some of the curves, she was riding right down the center on the little sandy path.

When we stopped I pointed out fixation again. She didn't remember riding the sand line but she definately remembered hitting the dead squirrel. I told her to remember to look to one side (the safe side) to avoid it. I don't know if she had a chance to test it out on the way home, but at least she didn't panic or anything. A couple of years ago when she started riding, she'd say she wanted a drink at the lunch stop because she was so nervous. Now it doesn't come up at all.

:)

Carl

Toxicgirl
Wed May 16th, 2007, 12:54 PM
I just learned to ride last summer and didn't ride much to work...just on weekends. By end of summer I was still a bit uncomfortable riding....especially in traffic....feathering the clutch in slow moving traffic sucks....my clutch is so tight....anyway this spring I have been riding to work anytime it is over 40 degrees.....brrrrrr! But I do like riding short rides (back and forth to work) much better....gives me lots more practice at the essentials! Long rides????makes my butt hurt....I need a more cushy seat.

King Nothing
Wed May 16th, 2007, 01:10 PM
Notto and I talked about this in the past. It's so true. :up:

All-Labout-me
Wed May 16th, 2007, 03:11 PM
I'm a year round rider and do both long rides (Iron Butt) and commute to work. The commute forces me to pay very close attention to my fellow drivers plus the road conditions. I find that I watch rear view mirrors and small head movements of the drivers around me. I think of it as body language for cars. If they are favoring the lane it is usually cause they are distracted or intending on coming over. The skills you attain in the short rides tend to be sharper than doing the long haul and watching the scenery roll by.
-Doug