Back in the saddle

[The Spin Doctor]

Well, that was fun... I ran my first training course since March... and the one in March had to be abandoned when I got a puncture! So really, that was the first course since late November. Apart from a day's riding in California in mid-Feb, I've done 20 miles in seven months! I have never had quite so long off the bike.

I was so excited to be riding today, that I got my times muddled and arrived an hour early!

And then the trainee got lost and was fifty minutes late!

To comply with 'work from home guidance, the revised courses use online briefings and debriefs to minimise the time we need to spend out on the road. In particular, by getting this done at home, there's no need to stop for the essential mid-ride break.

Today's course proved there are still a few glitches to be ironed out, but for a first attempt, it all went pretty well.

[Skub]

Personally,I've found riding starvation to quite motivating. My mileage the last few years has been pretty poor,some of that down to family issues,but truthfully the desire to ride has been absent too.

During lockdown,the combination of great weather,empty roads and then not being permitted to ride for pleasure,has galvanised my interest now lockdown has eased. To rediscover the joy of being out on a bike just for the sake of it,was very cool.

Pity the roads are back to busy though....

[Funners]

Personally,I've found riding starvation to quite motivating. My mileage the last few years has been pretty poor,some of that down to family issues,but truthfully the desire to ride has been absent too.

During lockdown,the combination of great weather,empty roads and then not being permitted to ride for pleasure,has galvanised my interest now lockdown has eased. To rediscover the joy of being out on a bike just for the sake of it,was very cool.

Pity the roads are back to busy though....

I've done quite well thru all this, I'd had a few ride outs prior to "Lockdown", then quite legitimately, used it to commute to the various jobs, quite envigorating even gentle bimbling making the most of the good weather and actual time riding, then since restrictions have been lifted I've been out several times so not bad at all really, just need to be able to plan a weekend away now

[Bigyin]

I have been in the fortunate position of riding legitimately all through lockdown as we have been teaching NHS and Essential workers on CBT's so they can get to and from work and avoid public transport. We did get a few "thats not essential travel" crap during that time but you cant exactly stop and explain.

No big bike training allowed though as all Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests are still currently suspended

After Dominic knobhead Cummings decided it was ok to ignore his own policies and go where you want and when you want nobody cares anymore. Been out to play a couple of times too on the Multi and met up with Wratty for an afternoon play up the coast

[The Spin Doctor]

Unfortunately, I had to SORN the bikes to save cash as I knew this was going to hit me hard in the pocket, so no riding for me all through our long, long spring.

But hopefully things will begin to pick up now.

I've got two more sessions booked tomorrow, one in the morning and one after lunch.

To fall in with the 'work from home' guidance. I've moved the usual 'over a coffee' briefing and the lunchtime theory session online. I delivered one at 5pm this evening ready for tomorrow afternoon's course and it actually went very well indeed. I'm looking forward to doing some more riding tomorrow

[Horse]

I have been in the fortunate position of riding legitimately all through lockdown as we have been teaching NHS and Essential workers on CBT's so they can get to and from work and avoid public transport. We did get a few "thats not essential travel" crap during that time but you cant exactly stop and explain.

No big bike training allowed though as all Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests are still currently suspended

If the enquiries for scooters turn into sales, you're going to be busy!

[Bigyin]

If the enquiries for scooters turn into sales, you're going to be busy!

Its been busy already in the last 2 weeks. Normally we run 2 or 3 X 4 bike CBT's a week pre lockdown as the pad area is certified for 4 bikes at a time. At the moment we are already up to those numbers and more without the usual influx of 16 year olds we normally get. Loads of grown ups wanting to get CBT in before the test centres open again so they can get straight onto Mod 1 and 2. Add to the fact we have quite a few who started Mod 1 and 2 and are waiting tests

Chuck in renewals ( i have 6 to do over 3 days) with CBT road rides to get in as well

[Horse]

I know a guy who lives in NW London. He's a bit rusty on CBTs, but might be able to help out

[Bigyin]

I know a guy who lives in NW London. He's a bit rusty on CBTs, but might be able to help out

[KungFooBob]

Every time I see this thread title pop up I start humming this...

[Horse]

I have been in the fortunate position of riding legitimately all through lockdown as we have been teaching NHS and Essential workers on CBT's so they can get to and from work and avoid public transport. We did get a few "thats not essential travel" crap during that time but you cant exactly stop and explain.

No big bike training allowed though as all Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests are still currently suspended

If the enquiries for scooters turn into sales, you're going to be busy!

... Although that might depend on whether factories can match demand:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53023552

[The Spin Doctor]

I know a guy who lives in NW London. He's a bit rusty on CBTs, but might be able to help out

Can schools still use 'trainee' instructors to deliver training to 125 riders who've got their CBT certificate?

[The Spin Doctor]

... Although that might depend on whether factories can match demand:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53023552

Hmm.

Jan 2020... "Bajaj and Triumph have officially penned a deal to produce Triumph branded motorcycles between 200 and 750 cc capacity at Bajaj’s plant"

If I were Triumph, I'd be looking VERY hard at the possibility of quickly badging up a Bajaj and flogging it HERE in the UK rather than worry about developing a bigger bike for the Indian market.

I'm a bit surprised we haven't heard of a licensing deal to do just that.

None of the mainstream manufacturers are particularly well placed with small commuter bikes.

[The Spin Doctor]

So... two more 'socially distanced' courses under my belt and I'm learning all the time.

With the pre-ride briefing now up as a video, and with the theory session and the debrief being handled on Zoom, the two-hour on-road session to put theory in to practice works.

I was pretty damn sure it would because I've never felt that it's necessary to run 7 or 8 hours training sessions to 'make the most of the time'.

I realised that when running basic training, that starting at 8:30 and finishing at 4:30 may have given the £ per minute counters satisfaction, but by mid-afternoon the average trainee was knackered, and I never really attempted to do anything serious after lunch - I usually used most of it for a nice ride. That was why my one-day courses actually start at 10 am and finish around 3 to 3:30. Five hours is more than enough even with a lunch break.

For shorter, non-stop courses, I've been running two-hour sessions for ages - either in the evening when people are back from work in mid-summer when we have the long evenings, or as short 'Basics' courses. The people taking them are always amazed at how much we manage to cover, and just how tired they are at the end.

So, how did Friday's courses go?

I ran two. In the morning, I ran a session for a new rider on a new machine who wanted some help to prepare for riding in London post Covid-19 rather than using public transport when his office in the City reopens, so we started on some (relatively) quiet residential streets before moving onto busier roads. In the afternoon, I took out a mature rider with a full licence but one who hadn't ridden for seven years and had just bought a rather more powerful bike than his previous wheels, with an eye on a mix of pleasure and commuting - we went for a spin on faster roads which was where he felt least confident.

This is the first REALLY significant change to the way I've delivered training and coaching since I first became a bike instructor twenty five years ago. So it's required a lot of rethinking of how I approach the job.

To get it right first time has required a lot of preparation on my part. Even with the enforced layoff, I've been working flat out to be ready. Not least, I needed to re-write the course documentation and plan what to deliver in the online sessions. But I also needed to review and where necessary change my training routes to ensure I can maximise the learning opportunity within the on-road session.

But of course, having come up with a way forward that I thought SHOULD work didn't necessarily mean it WOULD work in practice!

But what I can tell you is that after those three very different courses (including Monday's), I'm actually pretty pleased with the results...

...because the changes to the structure of the courses worked.

OK, there are some tweaks needed, and I've already made a few. I'll no doubt think of a few more.

But... taking the debrief online turned out not just to be 'as good as' but better, something I hadn't anticipated.

That's because it catches the trainee in a far more receptive state and can be far more interactive than me saying "great ride, but this is what you need to improve yada yada".

Usually at the end of a five-hour session of coaching, the trainee's brain is pretty cooked (and if truth be told, I'm tired too - training is hard work).

Tired, however enthusiastic they are, they're not really in a receptive mood to take in constructive criticism. I won't say it goes in one ear and out the other but it may not be as effective as I would like. And then they have to ride home, and by the time they get back, they'll have forgotten some of it anyway. For that reason, I follow up with a longer written debrief.

Unfortunately, I know that the written debrief is often skimmed over, and occasionally I realise it's not been read at all thanks to a sneaky read receipt. People just aren't very good at dealing with long emails.

But by scheduling an online debrief for after the course, the trainee now turns up fresh. They've had a chance to think about the session, digest what happened, consider what they got out of the on-road coaching, and even to compose their own questions about areas where they want clarification. For example, I dropped Richard back off at 12:30 on Friday, and had the online debrief at 3 pm on Saturday.

And although I always have a handy sketch pad with me on the training course and do have a phone with videos and stills, showing them tends to eat into practical on-road time. With the online debriefs I have access to a whiteboard, and the other graphic resources which I can set up in advance to use via screen share, and I'm not trying to get the trainee back out on the road - we also have time to cover it all. In fact, after Richard's session, the online debrief turned into a wide-ranging conversation that went far beyond the original remit, and undoubtedly benefited my trainee above and beyond the actual on-road coaching.

So, in short...

...I'm sold. It works.

It's just a shame that bike training is usually seen as a day-long activity, because most people would get more out of these shorter sessions.

[Bigyin]

I know a guy who lives in NW London. He's a bit rusty on CBTs, but might be able to help out

Can schools still use 'trainee' instructors to deliver training to 125 riders who've got their CBT certificate?

If you mean CBT renewals, then nope ....... downtrained instructors who have passed their DVSA assessement day (but not been to Cardington for their own tickets) can do them. As far as i know they can also train for A1 license test as its all the elements of CBT plus a couple of other manoeuvres for Mod 1 (avoidance and slalom) and a Mod 2 is putting all the CBT road ride elements into practise.

I am not classed as a trainee anymore as now on the DVSA instructors register and before my assessment could only assist on CBT's and do accompany ride on road rides to learn.

I just need to wait for Cardington to open to get my own license (rather than a downtrained one) then go back again for my DAS license ....working towards it so i am ready when they eventually open again

[The Spin Doctor]

If you mean CBT renewals, then nope ....... downtrained instructors who have passed their DVSA assessement day (but not been to Cardington for their own tickets) can do them. As far as i know they can also train for A1 license test as its all the elements of CBT plus a couple of other manoeuvres for Mod 1 (avoidance and slalom) and a Mod 2 is putting all the CBT road ride elements into practise.

I am not classed as a trainee anymore as now on the DVSA instructors register and before my assessment could only assist on CBT's and do accompany ride on road rides to learn.

I just need to wait for Cardington to open to get my own license (rather than a downtrained one) then go back again for my DAS license ....working towards it so i am ready when they eventually open again

No, what I meant was that there was a loophole that allowed an instructor 'in training'' - ie not downtrained so effectively totally unqualified - to deliver training to riders AFTER they had a valid CBT but whilst they were still on L plates and riding anything up to a 125 - so either training for the test or even doing a couple of days on 125s before transitioning to DAS bikes.

CBTs themselves and DAS courses have always had to be run by a qualified instructor but the less-scrupulous schools used to send out these 'in training' instructors with a bunch of L platers on 125s to practise for the bike test itself.

CSM, who were the dominant force in bike training through the 80s and 90s with schools all over the country used to do this... they also didn't pay the 'in training' instructor whilst they were doing a day's work earning money for the company... which is why my tenure with them only lasted a couple of months.

The reason I'm asking is that it had vaguely crossed my mind about having a word with a local school about doing a bit of casual 'fill-in' work - I'm sure they're full up with CBTs and a bit of extra training on 125s right now. After three months with no work I could do with a bit of cash - but I really can't be @rsed to go through the rigmarole of getting a CBT / DAS card again - mine lapsed back in 2007.

[Horse]

Usually at the end of a five-hour session of coaching, the trainee's brain is pretty cooked (and if truth be told, I'm tired too - training is hard work).

I've never liked getting up in the morning (longest ever recorded lay-in was 4pm, woken by friends knocking on the front door ), so always had courses starting at 10am. Also, I've never agreed with the 'bash the miles in' philosophy. I prefer planned routes, targeted at needs, along with plenty of stops for breaks and chat. [laminate a sheet of white paper - instant whiteboard. Then, if you find yourself regularly drawing the same things, draw and laminate some templates to draw over].

At the end of the Born Again courses in particular, we warned trainees would be tired. More than one commented after that they'd gone home and fallen asleep!

As you say, it works both ways. Several years ago I ran two weekend away advanced courses, based in Somerset. After the second course, the other instructor phoned when back home and said "I'm not tired - they didn't make us work". Sometimes, as an instructor, you work hard to make 'it' happen, other times because 'they' raise questions, make you think, etc. The second group weren't really keen. For them it was weekend away advanced training. When it works well, and you work hard, that leads to improvements in training, you overcome challenges, find new ways to explain, develop new techniques.

There was at least one thing of note in that course: one trainee had never ridden outside of London or at night outside of streetlights. When it got dark we found his headlamp was pointing at the sky!

[The Spin Doctor]

I've never liked getting up in the morning (longest ever recorded lay-in was 4pm, woken by friends knocking on the front door ), so always had courses starting at 10am. Also, I've never agreed with the 'bash the miles in' philosophy. I prefer planned routes, targeted at needs, along with plenty of stops for breaks and chat. [laminate a sheet of white paper - instant whiteboard. Then, if you find yourself regularly drawing the same things, draw and laminate some templates to draw over].

My approach exactly. Start at 10, on the bike about 10:30, break for lunch and mid-ride theory around 12:45 back on the road about 1:45 and roll to a stop about 3pm. Typically, total riding time including the intermediate stops is no more than 3h 30m.

Typically I cover 85 miles on a one-day course, maybe less if we do a lot of time in the car park or in an urban environment. But every mile we cover has a reason, it's not just "lets go for a ride and see what happens" mileage. The only time I'm likely to cover more is on a refresher or on day two of the Performance: SPORT course which takes us off to get to some interesting riding.

Of course, under current 'work from home' provisions, we won't be getting to some of those roads for a while.

I had plastic sleeved 'book' of photos and diagrams. Of course, that too can be moved on line.

At the end of the Born Again courses in particular, we warned trainees would be tired. More than one commented after that they'd gone home and fallen asleep!

I hear that regularly, and from experienced riders too... they can actually get pushed much further out of their comfort zone than they expect, further than someone who is a relative beginner, because they are not the 'blank canvas' that a new rider is but often doing things and thinking in ways that challenge what they know and do.

As you say, it works both ways. Several years ago I ran two weekend away advanced courses, based in Somerset. After the second course, the other instructor phoned when back home and said "I'm not tired - they didn't make us work". Sometimes, as an instructor, you work hard to make 'it' happen, other times because 'they' raise questions, make you think, etc. The second group weren't really keen. For them it was weekend away advanced training. When it works well, and you work hard, that leads to improvements in training, you overcome challenges, find new ways to explain, develop new techniques.

There was at least one thing of note in that course: one trainee had never ridden outside of London or at night outside of streetlights. When it got dark we found his headlamp was pointing at the sky!

I get the 'badge collectors' too... one wrote up a really snotty report on a RoSPA group site saying it was really just 'basic' training with a posh frock...

He started by complaining that I'd told him about road signs and how "everyone knows about those"... maybe... but he wasn't seeing them which resulted on a few hurried manoeuvres, not least on a sharp left-hand bend that leads onto a bridge which is about 1.5 lanes wide... the signs are there and quite useful

We also had a bit of a debate about the wisdom of rolling off the throttle on a big Beemer and stopping almost dead 300 , short of a red traffic light on a 50 limit road when an HGV is behind, just to avoid the 'rookie' error of stopping with a foot down.

The truck driver was a bit too close but was completely caught out by the GS going into slow motion with no warning so far from the lights - it surprised me too, and I've seen plenty of daft stunts like this. He was lucky there were two lanes and the outside lane was empty - the truck swerved and barely missed him. We also had a debate about mirror use as part of IPSGA because he'd not actually seen any of this in his mirrors - I had been watching the mirrors, and DIDN'T match speed but instead passed him on the nearside with a warning over the radio.

And finally we had a debate over responsibility for safety - he blamed that incident on the trucker, saying he should be able to detect a bike is slowing down (with no brake light showing, of course) and following at a suitable distance.

[Horse]

And finally we had a debate over responsibility for safety - he blamed that incident on the trucker, saying he should be able to detect a bike is slowing down (with no brake light showing, of course) and following at a suitable distance.

Back in RAC/ACU days, we had a local traffic cop who used to do the 'law and Highway Code' talk.

One point he made, every time, was the number of occasions when a 'black starfish' biker laid on the road would look up at him and groan "you . . . will . . . nick him . . . won't you?", noting that it won't do a fat lot of good to help the injured biker.

[Hot_Air]

I get the 'badge collectors' too... one wrote up a really snotty report on a RoSPA group site

I got a lot from RoSPA training. But I think the way RoSPA positions a Gold award – “the highest civilian riding qualification” – causes problems with some Gold holders (not all). Yes, you have to deliver an excellent ride for 90 minutes to attain Gold. It’s no mean feat, but it doesn’t imbue you with the Wisdom of Haslam.* One Gold standard ride shouldn’t make you too big for your Daytonas. Getting an A grade at A-level doesn't mean you have a university degree. And there's always tons to learn from professional riding instructors.

* Except in my case, but not everyone can be so talented and handsome. It’s a cross I have to bear.