Today I’ll share with you experience on what you should have already got before jumping into all this Enduro stuff and what are the basic exercises we recommend regardless of beginner or intermediate rider you are.

It’s always funny to watch all those crazy Enduro and Hard Enduro fails videos on Youtube, but don’t forget that it’s funny until nobody gets hurt, or at least until somebody else does. But those fails are fails, and we want to ride not to fail. We don’t want to screw our knees or necks, we don’t want to launch or sink the bikes, because it costs a lot of money and time.

So:

• Don’t watch Enduro fails vids on Youtube, watch Enduro riding educational vids instead
• Quit smoking, quit alcohol (beer is ok after good riding day), quit fast food – you don’t need extra weight on the knees and bike, you need the money saved from bad habits
• It’s better to be in good physical condition because if you want to learn something, you’ll have to train and ride a lot. You’ll have to work hardly on the bike
• Purchase all riding gear – boots, knee protection, body armor, helmet, neck protection, googles, gloves, pants.. If it’s all new, spend some time to get used – walk, jump, squat..
• While choosing the trainer or school, pay attention to place they use, type of bikes, who is the coach, what is the reputation. Maybe you will have to change few of them until find the one that fits you most.
• Things to pay attention at coach:
  • he checks all the riding gear you use;
  • he has to watch your riding and training process all the time;
  • if he often stops you after few laps on some exercise and tell you what should be corrected – that’s good;
  • he has to show you proper way of doing every exercise, every move and position by himself;
  • first few training sessions he’ll not force to open throttle more;
  • he is persistent in teaching you some technique;
  • he rides next to you, he rides in front of you showing the proper way of doing something;
  • he gives you enough time to rest;
  • he is not upset if you brake some plastics
  • if you fell down he lets you to picks up bike by yourself
  • if you feel that you are winner at least once per training – that’s it.
• Try to manage your time the way to have at least two trainings per week. Firstly, riding is best way to release stress; second, you will not forget the knowledge obtained on previous training.
• If you’re going to be taught on rented/school bikes, it is important that they are in good condition, we recommend that they are sport Enduro, not motocross bikes, that they have electric starter, tires are 70% and better. This generally means – no Chinese bikes, no old CRs, RMZs, KXFs or similar.
• As for the engines – no big difference between new models of 2 and 4 strokes for the beginner. The whiskey throttle is more likely to happen on, for example, 350 4 stroke, instead of 250 2 stroke. New Enduro 2 strokes do not response on throttle (in the first half of revs) such immediately and explosively like 4 strokes. Beginners or intermediate riders who have never tried 2 strokes before usually think quite the opposite.
• The goal of beginners course is to teach you
  • Proper position on bike
  • Moving on the bike while accelerating, braking and turning
  • Proper hands position and moving
  • Using rear brake
  • Cornering
  • Why you got to lean the bike if you want to turn
  • Where to look while ride
• Beginners course is usually been held at some flat place without uphills, downhills, logs, rocks and everything that actually makes Enduro. So, if you are slower that classmates, it doesn’t mean anything. Enduro is all about clever using bike and men’s power J