Dirt School
![star rating](/static/images/star.png?v=1.02)
Tuesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 09:00 - 17:00
Friday: 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00
About Dirt School
Mountain Bike Coaching and Guiding in the Tweed Valley
Guided Mountain Bike Rides | Day Courses | Private Tuition | Fitness Plans | College Courses
Dirt School Description
Why choose Dirt School?
We have one simple ethos at Dirt School - to make sure your coach has not just the paperwork but the riding credentials to match.
Our work has taken us all over the world and we have been fortunate enough to work in partnerships that have given us great insight and the ability to fully deconstruct our sport and develop an in depth coaching knowledge that is based not just in textbooks but on clear results from work with psychologists, physiologists, top riders and people around the world. Making you have more fun is our passion not just our jobs.
Whether it's standing trackside at the World Championships or trailside on the Blue Route at Glentress - we’re working with riders. Come and join us, whatever you ride we'll make this amazing sport better for you. We promise.
Reviews
We’re excited to announce that Janey will be running our first women’s courses in 2019. There’s been a huge increase in women’s participation in the sport over the last decade and it’s ever growing here in the Tweed Valley which is amazing to see. We can’t wait to be part of it.
This week's Trailside Tips feature Santa with some valuable advice on how to approach your Christmas dinner. Hope you all have a good one! 🎄
Our latest Trackside Tips video looks at how to set up wide in steep corners to maximise your exit speed. Head over to our YouTube channel to learn more...
Our Kids Academy courses are back for 2019. Easter dates for both Youth and Advanced Academy are up on our website now!
https://www.dirtschool.co.uk/courses/Kids -Lessons/
— Products shown: Advanced Academy and Youth Academy - 3 half day sessions.
This video is a brilliant example of how to push back into the trail for grip. Worth watching with sound on!
Our 2019 Course Dates have just gone live! Visit our website for details if you're looking for more confidence and control on your bike.
It would be amazing to see the unofficial trail networks we all love riding adopted and managed across the country. Could this new guidance be a huge step forwards to making this happen? We certainly think so.
Our Trackside Tips are back for winter. Follow the link to see how to manage choppy, technical corners.
Check out the new range from BAWBAGS underwear by our very own graphic designer and friend Hasta Inc.
Our Winter Workshops are short, informal, fun half day sessions focussing on a key area of your riding. There's even a bowl of soup at the end of it! https://www.dirtschool.co.uk/courses/wint er-workshops/
Who reckons they could ride the hip like this?
Who will win? Danny or Danny?
Would you do this gap at Glentress? Yesterday we took our first year Borders College BASE students through a progression of manual challenges that ended up on this gap. Knowing your basics allows you to progress with confidence and control.
— Products shown: Borders College BASE Mountain BIking.
If you're planning on riding at Glentress this weekend please have a read of the link below.
How much faster are professional mountain bikers?
This week we've been looking at how a good solid body position, and why using a smooth delivery of pressure back into the trail, can be used to create huge areas of stability in choppy conditions. Just another day at Borders College
— Products shown: Borders College BASE Mountain BIking.
Head over to our website to see the dates on our Jumping Winter Workshops.
It's crazy how many cheat-lines are appearing at Innerleithen! How would you get through this section on Angry Sheep?
— Products shown: Ride The Impossible.
Without doubt the best money i've spent 'on my bike' ever. Great coaching from Andy, really dialled in to what we wanted to learn and what our needs where. The video analysis is incredibly valuable. Stop buying bike trinkets and get a lesson with these guys!
Top marks to Rab for a brilliant day's cyclo-x training in Pollok Park, Glasgow. Rab built us a mini cyclo-x course over the day as we steadily built up all the skills that come in handy during a cyclo-x race. Rab kept us moving all day long, building confidence, encouraging us to take our time to master the techniques including hopping on and off, carrying the bike, cycling up and down steep bits, and choosing a speedy line around our private race course. Really looking forward to my first race this season and getting very muddy!
Stan would like to thank Rab and Tom for the awesome little rippers course over the past 3 mornings. He had a blast and felt he learned loads from you guys. I would Defo sign him up with Dirt School again. Thank guys!
Since I started mountain biking I always wanted to improve my techniques in off-roading. Whilst I was looking through a magazine I found the article about Andy and the dirt school company and I got the idea to go there and learn professionally. Now Thanks to Andy I am doing better in downhill competitions !! �
My husband and I are just back from a session with Andy, what an amazing day we had! Andy is so patient, enthusiastic and has a way of making everything make sense (finally!!). We cannot recommend Dirt School enough. Can't wait to get back out and practise everything we learnt today.
Many thanks to Tom for his great guidance and coaching as part of the Get Started course today really enjoyed it and looking forward to getting on a bike again soon!
Many thanks to Brodie for another excellent course from Dirt School. The Trail Craft course gave an excellent grounding in all the main MTB skills. Brodie's attention to detail was superb and his in-depth and individually-tailored feedback ensured that we mastered each skill. Really can't give it any less than 5 stars!
Just returned from a brilliant private lesson with with Andy. His knowledge and instruction are excellent plus the real
time video analysis is a fantastic aid for visualising the correct technique.
Just finished amazing course with Janey at Glentress- great day and great tutor. Learned so much can't wait to hit the trails again with my new skills.
Just a note to say thanks for a great day on Trail Craft. Learned a lot and have a lots to to take away and practice. I'm sure my confidence and enjoyment on the the trails will grow with the tips and techniques taught. Rab explained what he was looking for at each stage really well. Thanks again
In my opinion some of the best coaches out there for all different standards of riding, also a really great bunch of guys that are super chatty and just want to see there customers with a smile on there face by the end of the day! 👍🏽 They helped me get two consecutive world championship medals and sure in the years I have left racing my bike they will have a part in getting me the gold!
I've had a couple of 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Andy Barlow and wouldn't hesitate for an instant in recommending Dirt School, for any level of mountain biker.
I did the trail craft course with Janey on Saturday. It was excellent and well worth doing to learn the fundamentals. I'll definitely be booking another course soon!
I attended the trail craft day with my wife. Janey is a very knowledgeable instructor. The day excelled our expectations and gave us new skills to practice and build on . Thankyou so much
Had a great morning doing the beginners course led by Tom. Learned so much, confidence is up and had loads of fun! �
Had a great day on the trail craft course yesterday! Rab did a fantastic job of pitching the techniques at everyone's level, allowing each of us to try new things without feeling pressurised to do so. There was so much to learn and lots of fun to be had doing it...despite the weather! Rab's amazing skills and encouragement have left me feeling inspired so I am off out to practice some more! Thanks!
Had a great afternoon 1-2-1 session with Rab, learning how it all works so rather than just getting myself up and down the routes I can now practice my technique on different parts of the routes to improve, his knowledge and experience is immense, couldn't recommend highly enough the benefits of having a session. Thanks Rab.
Had a fantastic day at the Dirt school elementary trail school with my 14 year old son. Tom was a great instructor and we both learnt a lot, gaining in confidence as the day went on. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dirt School to others.
Had a days assessment on my riding as i felt i had hit a peak at my current level. found the feedback to be very constructive and has given me lots to work on and think about. would definitely recommend if you think you need to improve on something. cheers, cal.
Great lesson with Tom on Saturday. As I'm new to mountain biking I did the 'Getting Started' course and found it to be worth every penny. Laid back and non-intimidating coaching which has helped give me more confidence on the trails and given me lots to be working on. Would thoroughly recommend it to anyone starting out. :)
Great day out yesterday on novice course to get some decent tips on how to ride - been doing it for a while but never quite enjoyed it enough. Just what was needed to improve confidence and technique, some great pointers to help with speed, flow, and covered all the key stuff - braking, cornering, climbing, and getting the most distance for the least effort - very important for me!! Laid back, relaxed and yet covered a lot of ground, literally & metaphorically. Highly recommended and would suit absolute beginner too. Thank you Tom!
FANTASTIC! - I can't recommend this enough. A few major tweaks in body position have made such a noticeable difference. By the end of the day I was riding familiar trails smoother and more confidently than ever! - Thanks Rab.
It's worth downloading the app, as it compliments the course and will be a good way to refresh knowledge.
Excellent day out with Andy and the other guys on the flow and air course yesterday. This was now my 3rd time at dirt school. Having start with trail craft, had a private session and now moved on to flow and air. All the course are exceptionally well structured and builds on the skills learnt in previous session so that your mountain biking becomes a logical evolution. I didn't believe I'd ever be hit jumps as large as I was by the end of the course, but most importantly I felt in control of the situation, I also understand to how you can translate this to more natural riding and use it smooth out tricky sections of trail. I just need to get out there and work on repition to really sink the skills in. All the instructors at dirt school are passionate about there sport and have a brilliant way of explaining the why's and why nots of mtb technique, would certainly recommend. see you guys on the steep and natural course in 2017.
Excellent day on the trails at FW doing the trail craft course with Brodie on Saturday. Superb tuition and a really fun day out. I did the old World Cup XC course at the end of the day and the difference in my skill level was really noticeable after a days tuition:)
Excellent 'Little Rippers' course #upthebraes over the holidays that my daughter really enjoyed! Thanks guys.
Due to family commitments I have very limited time and energy for training, so I need to get a good return from what training I do. This is why I started a Privateer Personal Training Plan with Rab. I have done 3 cyclocross race seasons, and usually hangout in the bottom half of any field. I ALWAYS get lapped by the leader (and often others too). After 5 weeks of a training plan tailored to fit my family needs, coupled with weekly support phone calls with Rab, I did my first race of the season. Whilst I came 8th out of 26 women, my real personal highlight was for the first time I did not get lapped by the leader. To have completed the same number of laps as the winner (Jane Barr) was a massive step forward for me. It is still early days, and I know a lot of strong ladies were absent from that race, but I am definitely starting to see good improvements in my performance with in a short space of time. This improvement has also happened without any impact on my family life too. Very excited to see how the next 5 weeks go. Thank you Rab!
Done the beginners course on Sunday, was amazing, learned so much from tom about our seating position, cornering & going over the hills with ease. He took time explaining what we were doing wrong & how to fix it!! Feel so confident hen I'm on my bike now. Money well spent, can't wait to book my next course when I've mastered what we went through!! Would recommend to anyone starting out.
Dirt School is without a doubt the best mountain bike coaching company in the world. I'm a little biased though.
Can’t say enough good things about Dirt School. They say the proof is in the pudding and we are so impressed how the kids can explain what they’ve learnt, why they’ve learnt it, how to be safe and how to have a lot of fun. Ticked every box and would thoroughly recommend.
Both my boys loved their time on the little rippers course, came back each day with new skills they had learnt and we're excited for what the next day would bring. Thanks
Big shout out to the lads at Dirt School, our Team Giant Dublin spent an amazing weekend back in 2014 with Andy Barlow brushing up on our skills, techniques & everything enduro, boy did we learn a lot. Andy is fantastic at explaining everything, very thorough & makes learning fun as it should be. We are already planning a trip back over next year.
This year im in the middle of a brilliant cross country race coaching with Rab Wardell & im loving it. The boys really know there stuff & just love riding their bikes & it shows with their coaching. Cant recommend them enough & will be sticking with the lads for future training.
Best decision in MTB I have ever made. Thinking of buying a new bike? Spend some of that hard earned cash on a private lesson and open up the potential of the bike you already have.. Andy Barlow just opened up a whole new level of riding for me yesterday. Granted I need to go practice but I now have the foundations for practicing properly and I'm not afraid of the Freeride park anymore. Totally took away the mystery of jumping for me and a few other things I didn't expect. Took away some bad habits as well and was engaging and enthusiastic throughout. I've been riding for a bout 5/6 years but it feels like I've just rediscovered MTB'n again. Thanks Andy!
Awesome day on the Trail Craft course. After a nasty fall at the start of the year I lost a lot of confidence with my technique, but thanks to Toms patience I now feel a lot more able! Really good fun and worthwhile for all levels of rider. Big thanks!
#dirtschooltrailcraft #nocrash #nomorebadhabits
Attended the “starter course” on Saturday and would highly recommend it! Tom was brilliant at teaching the correct techniques & maintenance of bikes. The difference in my ability from morning to afternoon was easily noticed.
Thank you!! �
Attended one of Dirt School's cyclocross courses in Pollok Park today. Great course, covering all aspects of CX riding and racing. Rad Wardell, who took the session, was brilliant. He has a ton of knowledge and his teaching style was relaxed, informative and fun. I had a mental block when it came to remounts and have never been able to do them. Rab had me completely fixed and remounting confidently in just 5 mins. He's like a cycling yoda! Couldn't recommend the course highly enough. Anyone who rides or races CX should do themselves a favour and sign-up.
Attended Getting Started course in April. Great instructor, nice size group. Have limited MTB experience. Really opened my eyes up to technique and strategy to approaching downhill sections. Would recommend this for complete beginners / those that need a confidence boost.
An excellent day enjoying the sun and hills of Glentress under the excellent instruction of Andy and Joe. Many thanks.
A few too many years of bad habits diagnosed and a prescription for a cure provided. Delivered in an efficient, non tech way with focus on getting your riding improve for the passion of mtb and pumping the trail. Couldn't recommend it enough.
A fantastic few days with Andy and the crew last week. Kids had a great time learning new skills and making new friends on their 3 day boot camp. Fair to say the parents did too with tailored group lessons - Andy has a great way of breaking down the component skills and then putting them together on the trails. Trailside video play back was great. Parents and kids alike can't wait to get back for more.
Without doubt the best money i've spent 'on my bike' ever. Great coaching from Andy, really dialled in to what we wanted to learn and what our needs where. The video analysis is incredibly valuable. Stop buying bike trinkets and get a lesson with these guys!
Top marks to Rab for a brilliant day's cyclo-x training in Pollok Park, Glasgow. Rab built us a mini cyclo-x course over the day as we steadily built up all the skills that come in handy during a cyclo-x race. Rab kept us moving all day long, building confidence, encouraging us to take our time to master the techniques including hopping on and off, carrying the bike, cycling up and down steep bits, and choosing a speedy line around our private race course. Really looking forward to my first race this season and getting very muddy!
Stan would like to thank Rab and Tom for the awesome little rippers course over the past 3 mornings. He had a blast and felt he learned loads from you guys. I would Defo sign him up with Dirt School again. Thank guys!
Since I started mountain biking I always wanted to improve my techniques in off-roading. Whilst I was looking through a magazine I found the article about Andy and the dirt school company and I got the idea to go there and learn professionally. Now Thanks to Andy I am doing better in downhill competitions !! �
My husband and I are just back from a session with Andy, what an amazing day we had! Andy is so patient, enthusiastic and has a way of making everything make sense (finally!!). We cannot recommend Dirt School enough. Can't wait to get back out and practise everything we learnt today.
Many thanks to Tom for his great guidance and coaching as part of the Get Started course today really enjoyed it and looking forward to getting on a bike again soon!
Many thanks to Brodie for another excellent course from Dirt School. The Trail Craft course gave an excellent grounding in all the main MTB skills. Brodie's attention to detail was superb and his in-depth and individually-tailored feedback ensured that we mastered each skill. Really can't give it any less than 5 stars!
Just returned from a brilliant private lesson with with Andy. His knowledge and instruction are excellent plus the real
time video analysis is a fantastic aid for visualising the correct technique.
Just finished amazing course with Janey at Glentress- great day and great tutor. Learned so much can't wait to hit the trails again with my new skills.
Just a note to say thanks for a great day on Trail Craft. Learned a lot and have a lots to to take away and practice. I'm sure my confidence and enjoyment on the the trails will grow with the tips and techniques taught. Rab explained what he was looking for at each stage really well. Thanks again
In my opinion some of the best coaches out there for all different standards of riding, also a really great bunch of guys that are super chatty and just want to see there customers with a smile on there face by the end of the day! 👍🏽 They helped me get two consecutive world championship medals and sure in the years I have left racing my bike they will have a part in getting me the gold!
I've had a couple of 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Andy Barlow and wouldn't hesitate for an instant in recommending Dirt School, for any level of mountain biker.
I did the trail craft course with Janey on Saturday. It was excellent and well worth doing to learn the fundamentals. I'll definitely be booking another course soon!
I attended the trail craft day with my wife. Janey is a very knowledgeable instructor. The day excelled our expectations and gave us new skills to practice and build on . Thankyou so much
Had a great morning doing the beginners course led by Tom. Learned so much, confidence is up and had loads of fun! �
Had a great day on the trail craft course yesterday! Rab did a fantastic job of pitching the techniques at everyone's level, allowing each of us to try new things without feeling pressurised to do so. There was so much to learn and lots of fun to be had doing it...despite the weather! Rab's amazing skills and encouragement have left me feeling inspired so I am off out to practice some more! Thanks!
Had a great afternoon 1-2-1 session with Rab, learning how it all works so rather than just getting myself up and down the routes I can now practice my technique on different parts of the routes to improve, his knowledge and experience is immense, couldn't recommend highly enough the benefits of having a session. Thanks Rab.
Had a fantastic day at the Dirt school elementary trail school with my 14 year old son. Tom was a great instructor and we both learnt a lot, gaining in confidence as the day went on. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dirt School to others.
Had a days assessment on my riding as i felt i had hit a peak at my current level. found the feedback to be very constructive and has given me lots to work on and think about. would definitely recommend if you think you need to improve on something. cheers, cal.
Great lesson with Tom on Saturday. As I'm new to mountain biking I did the 'Getting Started' course and found it to be worth every penny. Laid back and non-intimidating coaching which has helped give me more confidence on the trails and given me lots to be working on. Would thoroughly recommend it to anyone starting out. :)
Great day out yesterday on novice course to get some decent tips on how to ride - been doing it for a while but never quite enjoyed it enough. Just what was needed to improve confidence and technique, some great pointers to help with speed, flow, and covered all the key stuff - braking, cornering, climbing, and getting the most distance for the least effort - very important for me!! Laid back, relaxed and yet covered a lot of ground, literally & metaphorically. Highly recommended and would suit absolute beginner too. Thank you Tom!
FANTASTIC! - I can't recommend this enough. A few major tweaks in body position have made such a noticeable difference. By the end of the day I was riding familiar trails smoother and more confidently than ever! - Thanks Rab.
It's worth downloading the app, as it compliments the course and will be a good way to refresh knowledge.
Excellent day out with Andy and the other guys on the flow and air course yesterday. This was now my 3rd time at dirt school. Having start with trail craft, had a private session and now moved on to flow and air. All the course are exceptionally well structured and builds on the skills learnt in previous session so that your mountain biking becomes a logical evolution. I didn't believe I'd ever be hit jumps as large as I was by the end of the course, but most importantly I felt in control of the situation, I also understand to how you can translate this to more natural riding and use it smooth out tricky sections of trail. I just need to get out there and work on repition to really sink the skills in. All the instructors at dirt school are passionate about there sport and have a brilliant way of explaining the why's and why nots of mtb technique, would certainly recommend. see you guys on the steep and natural course in 2017.
Excellent day on the trails at FW doing the trail craft course with Brodie on Saturday. Superb tuition and a really fun day out. I did the old World Cup XC course at the end of the day and the difference in my skill level was really noticeable after a days tuition:)
Excellent 'Little Rippers' course #upthebraes over the holidays that my daughter really enjoyed! Thanks guys.
Due to family commitments I have very limited time and energy for training, so I need to get a good return from what training I do. This is why I started a Privateer Personal Training Plan with Rab. I have done 3 cyclocross race seasons, and usually hangout in the bottom half of any field. I ALWAYS get lapped by the leader (and often others too). After 5 weeks of a training plan tailored to fit my family needs, coupled with weekly support phone calls with Rab, I did my first race of the season. Whilst I came 8th out of 26 women, my real personal highlight was for the first time I did not get lapped by the leader. To have completed the same number of laps as the winner (Jane Barr) was a massive step forward for me. It is still early days, and I know a lot of strong ladies were absent from that race, but I am definitely starting to see good improvements in my performance with in a short space of time. This improvement has also happened without any impact on my family life too. Very excited to see how the next 5 weeks go. Thank you Rab!
Done the beginners course on Sunday, was amazing, learned so much from tom about our seating position, cornering & going over the hills with ease. He took time explaining what we were doing wrong & how to fix it!! Feel so confident hen I'm on my bike now. Money well spent, can't wait to book my next course when I've mastered what we went through!! Would recommend to anyone starting out.
Dirt School is without a doubt the best mountain bike coaching company in the world. I'm a little biased though.
Can’t say enough good things about Dirt School. They say the proof is in the pudding and we are so impressed how the kids can explain what they’ve learnt, why they’ve learnt it, how to be safe and how to have a lot of fun. Ticked every box and would thoroughly recommend.
Both my boys loved their time on the little rippers course, came back each day with new skills they had learnt and we're excited for what the next day would bring. Thanks
Big shout out to the lads at Dirt School, our Team Giant Dublin spent an amazing weekend back in 2014 with Andy Barlow brushing up on our skills, techniques & everything enduro, boy did we learn a lot. Andy is fantastic at explaining everything, very thorough & makes learning fun as it should be. We are already planning a trip back over next year.
This year im in the middle of a brilliant cross country race coaching with Rab Wardell & im loving it. The boys really know there stuff & just love riding their bikes & it shows with their coaching. Cant recommend them enough & will be sticking with the lads for future training.
Best decision in MTB I have ever made. Thinking of buying a new bike? Spend some of that hard earned cash on a private lesson and open up the potential of the bike you already have.. Andy Barlow just opened up a whole new level of riding for me yesterday. Granted I need to go practice but I now have the foundations for practicing properly and I'm not afraid of the Freeride park anymore. Totally took away the mystery of jumping for me and a few other things I didn't expect. Took away some bad habits as well and was engaging and enthusiastic throughout. I've been riding for a bout 5/6 years but it feels like I've just rediscovered MTB'n again. Thanks Andy!
Awesome day on the Trail Craft course. After a nasty fall at the start of the year I lost a lot of confidence with my technique, but thanks to Toms patience I now feel a lot more able! Really good fun and worthwhile for all levels of rider. Big thanks!
#dirtschooltrailcraft #nocrash #nomorebadhabits
Attended the “starter course” on Saturday and would highly recommend it! Tom was brilliant at teaching the correct techniques & maintenance of bikes. The difference in my ability from morning to afternoon was easily noticed.
Thank you!! �
Attended one of Dirt School's cyclocross courses in Pollok Park today. Great course, covering all aspects of CX riding and racing. Rad Wardell, who took the session, was brilliant. He has a ton of knowledge and his teaching style was relaxed, informative and fun. I had a mental block when it came to remounts and have never been able to do them. Rab had me completely fixed and remounting confidently in just 5 mins. He's like a cycling yoda! Couldn't recommend the course highly enough. Anyone who rides or races CX should do themselves a favour and sign-up.
Attended Getting Started course in April. Great instructor, nice size group. Have limited MTB experience. Really opened my eyes up to technique and strategy to approaching downhill sections. Would recommend this for complete beginners / those that need a confidence boost.
An excellent day enjoying the sun and hills of Glentress under the excellent instruction of Andy and Joe. Many thanks.
A few too many years of bad habits diagnosed and a prescription for a cure provided. Delivered in an efficient, non tech way with focus on getting your riding improve for the passion of mtb and pumping the trail. Couldn't recommend it enough.
A fantastic few days with Andy and the crew last week. Kids had a great time learning new skills and making new friends on their 3 day boot camp. Fair to say the parents did too with tailored group lessons - Andy has a great way of breaking down the component skills and then putting them together on the trails. Trailside video play back was great. Parents and kids alike can't wait to get back for more.
Without doubt the best money i've spent 'on my bike' ever. Great coaching from Andy, really dialled in to what we wanted to learn and what our needs where. The video analysis is incredibly valuable. Stop buying bike trinkets and get a lesson with these guys!
Top marks to Rab for a brilliant day's cyclo-x training in Pollok Park, Glasgow. Rab built us a mini cyclo-x course over the day as we steadily built up all the skills that come in handy during a cyclo-x race. Rab kept us moving all day long, building confidence, encouraging us to take our time to master the techniques including hopping on and off, carrying the bike, cycling up and down steep bits, and choosing a speedy line around our private race course. Really looking forward to my first race this season and getting very muddy!
Stan would like to thank Rab and Tom for the awesome little rippers course over the past 3 mornings. He had a blast and felt he learned loads from you guys. I would Defo sign him up with Dirt School again. Thank guys!
Since I started mountain biking I always wanted to improve my techniques in off-roading. Whilst I was looking through a magazine I found the article about Andy and the dirt school company and I got the idea to go there and learn professionally. Now Thanks to Andy I am doing better in downhill competitions !! �
My husband and I are just back from a session with Andy, what an amazing day we had! Andy is so patient, enthusiastic and has a way of making everything make sense (finally!!). We cannot recommend Dirt School enough. Can't wait to get back out and practise everything we learnt today.
Many thanks to Tom for his great guidance and coaching as part of the Get Started course today really enjoyed it and looking forward to getting on a bike again soon!
Many thanks to Brodie for another excellent course from Dirt School. The Trail Craft course gave an excellent grounding in all the main MTB skills. Brodie's attention to detail was superb and his in-depth and individually-tailored feedback ensured that we mastered each skill. Really can't give it any less than 5 stars!
Just returned from a brilliant private lesson with with Andy. His knowledge and instruction are excellent plus the real
time video analysis is a fantastic aid for visualising the correct technique.
Just finished amazing course with Janey at Glentress- great day and great tutor. Learned so much can't wait to hit the trails again with my new skills.
Just a note to say thanks for a great day on Trail Craft. Learned a lot and have a lots to to take away and practice. I'm sure my confidence and enjoyment on the the trails will grow with the tips and techniques taught. Rab explained what he was looking for at each stage really well. Thanks again
In my opinion some of the best coaches out there for all different standards of riding, also a really great bunch of guys that are super chatty and just want to see there customers with a smile on there face by the end of the day! 👍🏽 They helped me get two consecutive world championship medals and sure in the years I have left racing my bike they will have a part in getting me the gold!
I've had a couple of 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Andy Barlow and wouldn't hesitate for an instant in recommending Dirt School, for any level of mountain biker.
I did the trail craft course with Janey on Saturday. It was excellent and well worth doing to learn the fundamentals. I'll definitely be booking another course soon!
I attended the trail craft day with my wife. Janey is a very knowledgeable instructor. The day excelled our expectations and gave us new skills to practice and build on . Thankyou so much
Had a great morning doing the beginners course led by Tom. Learned so much, confidence is up and had loads of fun! �
Had a great day on the trail craft course yesterday! Rab did a fantastic job of pitching the techniques at everyone's level, allowing each of us to try new things without feeling pressurised to do so. There was so much to learn and lots of fun to be had doing it...despite the weather! Rab's amazing skills and encouragement have left me feeling inspired so I am off out to practice some more! Thanks!
Had a great afternoon 1-2-1 session with Rab, learning how it all works so rather than just getting myself up and down the routes I can now practice my technique on different parts of the routes to improve, his knowledge and experience is immense, couldn't recommend highly enough the benefits of having a session. Thanks Rab.
Had a fantastic day at the Dirt school elementary trail school with my 14 year old son. Tom was a great instructor and we both learnt a lot, gaining in confidence as the day went on. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dirt School to others.
Had a days assessment on my riding as i felt i had hit a peak at my current level. found the feedback to be very constructive and has given me lots to work on and think about. would definitely recommend if you think you need to improve on something. cheers, cal.
Great lesson with Tom on Saturday. As I'm new to mountain biking I did the 'Getting Started' course and found it to be worth every penny. Laid back and non-intimidating coaching which has helped give me more confidence on the trails and given me lots to be working on. Would thoroughly recommend it to anyone starting out. :)
Great day out yesterday on novice course to get some decent tips on how to ride - been doing it for a while but never quite enjoyed it enough. Just what was needed to improve confidence and technique, some great pointers to help with speed, flow, and covered all the key stuff - braking, cornering, climbing, and getting the most distance for the least effort - very important for me!! Laid back, relaxed and yet covered a lot of ground, literally & metaphorically. Highly recommended and would suit absolute beginner too. Thank you Tom!
FANTASTIC! - I can't recommend this enough. A few major tweaks in body position have made such a noticeable difference. By the end of the day I was riding familiar trails smoother and more confidently than ever! - Thanks Rab.
It's worth downloading the app, as it compliments the course and will be a good way to refresh knowledge.
Excellent day out with Andy and the other guys on the flow and air course yesterday. This was now my 3rd time at dirt school. Having start with trail craft, had a private session and now moved on to flow and air. All the course are exceptionally well structured and builds on the skills learnt in previous session so that your mountain biking becomes a logical evolution. I didn't believe I'd ever be hit jumps as large as I was by the end of the course, but most importantly I felt in control of the situation, I also understand to how you can translate this to more natural riding and use it smooth out tricky sections of trail. I just need to get out there and work on repition to really sink the skills in. All the instructors at dirt school are passionate about there sport and have a brilliant way of explaining the why's and why nots of mtb technique, would certainly recommend. see you guys on the steep and natural course in 2017.
Excellent day on the trails at FW doing the trail craft course with Brodie on Saturday. Superb tuition and a really fun day out. I did the old World Cup XC course at the end of the day and the difference in my skill level was really noticeable after a days tuition:)
Excellent 'Little Rippers' course #upthebraes over the holidays that my daughter really enjoyed! Thanks guys.
Due to family commitments I have very limited time and energy for training, so I need to get a good return from what training I do. This is why I started a Privateer Personal Training Plan with Rab. I have done 3 cyclocross race seasons, and usually hangout in the bottom half of any field. I ALWAYS get lapped by the leader (and often others too). After 5 weeks of a training plan tailored to fit my family needs, coupled with weekly support phone calls with Rab, I did my first race of the season. Whilst I came 8th out of 26 women, my real personal highlight was for the first time I did not get lapped by the leader. To have completed the same number of laps as the winner (Jane Barr) was a massive step forward for me. It is still early days, and I know a lot of strong ladies were absent from that race, but I am definitely starting to see good improvements in my performance with in a short space of time. This improvement has also happened without any impact on my family life too. Very excited to see how the next 5 weeks go. Thank you Rab!
Done the beginners course on Sunday, was amazing, learned so much from tom about our seating position, cornering & going over the hills with ease. He took time explaining what we were doing wrong & how to fix it!! Feel so confident hen I'm on my bike now. Money well spent, can't wait to book my next course when I've mastered what we went through!! Would recommend to anyone starting out.
Dirt School is without a doubt the best mountain bike coaching company in the world. I'm a little biased though.
Can’t say enough good things about Dirt School. They say the proof is in the pudding and we are so impressed how the kids can explain what they’ve learnt, why they’ve learnt it, how to be safe and how to have a lot of fun. Ticked every box and would thoroughly recommend.
Both my boys loved their time on the little rippers course, came back each day with new skills they had learnt and we're excited for what the next day would bring. Thanks
Big shout out to the lads at Dirt School, our Team Giant Dublin spent an amazing weekend back in 2014 with Andy Barlow brushing up on our skills, techniques & everything enduro, boy did we learn a lot. Andy is fantastic at explaining everything, very thorough & makes learning fun as it should be. We are already planning a trip back over next year.
This year im in the middle of a brilliant cross country race coaching with Rab Wardell & im loving it. The boys really know there stuff & just love riding their bikes & it shows with their coaching. Cant recommend them enough & will be sticking with the lads for future training.
Best decision in MTB I have ever made. Thinking of buying a new bike? Spend some of that hard earned cash on a private lesson and open up the potential of the bike you already have.. Andy Barlow just opened up a whole new level of riding for me yesterday. Granted I need to go practice but I now have the foundations for practicing properly and I'm not afraid of the Freeride park anymore. Totally took away the mystery of jumping for me and a few other things I didn't expect. Took away some bad habits as well and was engaging and enthusiastic throughout. I've been riding for a bout 5/6 years but it feels like I've just rediscovered MTB'n again. Thanks Andy!
Awesome day on the Trail Craft course. After a nasty fall at the start of the year I lost a lot of confidence with my technique, but thanks to Toms patience I now feel a lot more able! Really good fun and worthwhile for all levels of rider. Big thanks!
#dirtschooltrailcraft #nocrash #nomorebadhabits
Attended the “starter course” on Saturday and would highly recommend it! Tom was brilliant at teaching the correct techniques & maintenance of bikes. The difference in my ability from morning to afternoon was easily noticed.
Thank you!! �
Attended one of Dirt School's cyclocross courses in Pollok Park today. Great course, covering all aspects of CX riding and racing. Rad Wardell, who took the session, was brilliant. He has a ton of knowledge and his teaching style was relaxed, informative and fun. I had a mental block when it came to remounts and have never been able to do them. Rab had me completely fixed and remounting confidently in just 5 mins. He's like a cycling yoda! Couldn't recommend the course highly enough. Anyone who rides or races CX should do themselves a favour and sign-up.
Attended Getting Started course in April. Great instructor, nice size group. Have limited MTB experience. Really opened my eyes up to technique and strategy to approaching downhill sections. Would recommend this for complete beginners / those that need a confidence boost.
An excellent day enjoying the sun and hills of Glentress under the excellent instruction of Andy and Joe. Many thanks.
A few too many years of bad habits diagnosed and a prescription for a cure provided. Delivered in an efficient, non tech way with focus on getting your riding improve for the passion of mtb and pumping the trail. Couldn't recommend it enough.
A fantastic few days with Andy and the crew last week. Kids had a great time learning new skills and making new friends on their 3 day boot camp. Fair to say the parents did too with tailored group lessons - Andy has a great way of breaking down the component skills and then putting them together on the trails. Trailside video play back was great. Parents and kids alike can't wait to get back for more.
Without doubt the best money i've spent 'on my bike' ever. Great coaching from Andy, really dialled in to what we wanted to learn and what our needs where. The video analysis is incredibly valuable. Stop buying bike trinkets and get a lesson with these guys!
Top marks to Rab for a brilliant day's cyclo-x training in Pollok Park, Glasgow. Rab built us a mini cyclo-x course over the day as we steadily built up all the skills that come in handy during a cyclo-x race. Rab kept us moving all day long, building confidence, encouraging us to take our time to master the techniques including hopping on and off, carrying the bike, cycling up and down steep bits, and choosing a speedy line around our private race course. Really looking forward to my first race this season and getting very muddy!
Stan would like to thank Rab and Tom for the awesome little rippers course over the past 3 mornings. He had a blast and felt he learned loads from you guys. I would Defo sign him up with Dirt School again. Thank guys!
Since I started mountain biking I always wanted to improve my techniques in off-roading. Whilst I was looking through a magazine I found the article about Andy and the dirt school company and I got the idea to go there and learn professionally. Now Thanks to Andy I am doing better in downhill competitions !! �
My husband and I are just back from a session with Andy, what an amazing day we had! Andy is so patient, enthusiastic and has a way of making everything make sense (finally!!). We cannot recommend Dirt School enough. Can't wait to get back out and practise everything we learnt today.
Many thanks to Tom for his great guidance and coaching as part of the Get Started course today really enjoyed it and looking forward to getting on a bike again soon!
Many thanks to Brodie for another excellent course from Dirt School. The Trail Craft course gave an excellent grounding in all the main MTB skills. Brodie's attention to detail was superb and his in-depth and individually-tailored feedback ensured that we mastered each skill. Really can't give it any less than 5 stars!
Just returned from a brilliant private lesson with with Andy. His knowledge and instruction are excellent plus the real
time video analysis is a fantastic aid for visualising the correct technique.
Just finished amazing course with Janey at Glentress- great day and great tutor. Learned so much can't wait to hit the trails again with my new skills.
Just a note to say thanks for a great day on Trail Craft. Learned a lot and have a lots to to take away and practice. I'm sure my confidence and enjoyment on the the trails will grow with the tips and techniques taught. Rab explained what he was looking for at each stage really well. Thanks again
In my opinion some of the best coaches out there for all different standards of riding, also a really great bunch of guys that are super chatty and just want to see there customers with a smile on there face by the end of the day! 👍🏽 They helped me get two consecutive world championship medals and sure in the years I have left racing my bike they will have a part in getting me the gold!
I've had a couple of 1-2-1 coaching sessions with Andy Barlow and wouldn't hesitate for an instant in recommending Dirt School, for any level of mountain biker.
I did the trail craft course with Janey on Saturday. It was excellent and well worth doing to learn the fundamentals. I'll definitely be booking another course soon!
I attended the trail craft day with my wife. Janey is a very knowledgeable instructor. The day excelled our expectations and gave us new skills to practice and build on . Thankyou so much
Had a great morning doing the beginners course led by Tom. Learned so much, confidence is up and had loads of fun! �
Had a great day on the trail craft course yesterday! Rab did a fantastic job of pitching the techniques at everyone's level, allowing each of us to try new things without feeling pressurised to do so. There was so much to learn and lots of fun to be had doing it...despite the weather! Rab's amazing skills and encouragement have left me feeling inspired so I am off out to practice some more! Thanks!
Had a great afternoon 1-2-1 session with Rab, learning how it all works so rather than just getting myself up and down the routes I can now practice my technique on different parts of the routes to improve, his knowledge and experience is immense, couldn't recommend highly enough the benefits of having a session. Thanks Rab.
Had a fantastic day at the Dirt school elementary trail school with my 14 year old son. Tom was a great instructor and we both learnt a lot, gaining in confidence as the day went on. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dirt School to others.
Had a days assessment on my riding as i felt i had hit a peak at my current level. found the feedback to be very constructive and has given me lots to work on and think about. would definitely recommend if you think you need to improve on something. cheers, cal.
Great lesson with Tom on Saturday. As I'm new to mountain biking I did the 'Getting Started' course and found it to be worth every penny. Laid back and non-intimidating coaching which has helped give me more confidence on the trails and given me lots to be working on. Would thoroughly recommend it to anyone starting out. :)
Great day out yesterday on novice course to get some decent tips on how to ride - been doing it for a while but never quite enjoyed it enough. Just what was needed to improve confidence and technique, some great pointers to help with speed, flow, and covered all the key stuff - braking, cornering, climbing, and getting the most distance for the least effort - very important for me!! Laid back, relaxed and yet covered a lot of ground, literally & metaphorically. Highly recommended and would suit absolute beginner too. Thank you Tom!
FANTASTIC! - I can't recommend this enough. A few major tweaks in body position have made such a noticeable difference. By the end of the day I was riding familiar trails smoother and more confidently than ever! - Thanks Rab.
It's worth downloading the app, as it compliments the course and will be a good way to refresh knowledge.
Excellent day out with Andy and the other guys on the flow and air course yesterday. This was now my 3rd time at dirt school. Having start with trail craft, had a private session and now moved on to flow and air. All the course are exceptionally well structured and builds on the skills learnt in previous session so that your mountain biking becomes a logical evolution. I didn't believe I'd ever be hit jumps as large as I was by the end of the course, but most importantly I felt in control of the situation, I also understand to how you can translate this to more natural riding and use it smooth out tricky sections of trail. I just need to get out there and work on repition to really sink the skills in. All the instructors at dirt school are passionate about there sport and have a brilliant way of explaining the why's and why nots of mtb technique, would certainly recommend. see you guys on the steep and natural course in 2017.
Excellent day on the trails at FW doing the trail craft course with Brodie on Saturday. Superb tuition and a really fun day out. I did the old World Cup XC course at the end of the day and the difference in my skill level was really noticeable after a days tuition:)
Excellent 'Little Rippers' course #upthebraes over the holidays that my daughter really enjoyed! Thanks guys.
Due to family commitments I have very limited time and energy for training, so I need to get a good return from what training I do. This is why I started a Privateer Personal Training Plan with Rab. I have done 3 cyclocross race seasons, and usually hangout in the bottom half of any field. I ALWAYS get lapped by the leader (and often others too). After 5 weeks of a training plan tailored to fit my family needs, coupled with weekly support phone calls with Rab, I did my first race of the season. Whilst I came 8th out of 26 women, my real personal highlight was for the first time I did not get lapped by the leader. To have completed the same number of laps as the winner (Jane Barr) was a massive step forward for me. It is still early days, and I know a lot of strong ladies were absent from that race, but I am definitely starting to see good improvements in my performance with in a short space of time. This improvement has also happened without any impact on my family life too. Very excited to see how the next 5 weeks go. Thank you Rab!
Done the beginners course on Sunday, was amazing, learned so much from tom about our seating position, cornering & going over the hills with ease. He took time explaining what we were doing wrong & how to fix it!! Feel so confident hen I'm on my bike now. Money well spent, can't wait to book my next course when I've mastered what we went through!! Would recommend to anyone starting out.
Dirt School is without a doubt the best mountain bike coaching company in the world. I'm a little biased though.
Can’t say enough good things about Dirt School. They say the proof is in the pudding and we are so impressed how the kids can explain what they’ve learnt, why they’ve learnt it, how to be safe and how to have a lot of fun. Ticked every box and would thoroughly recommend.
Both my boys loved their time on the little rippers course, came back each day with new skills they had learnt and we're excited for what the next day would bring. Thanks
Big shout out to the lads at Dirt School, our Team Giant Dublin spent an amazing weekend back in 2014 with Andy Barlow brushing up on our skills, techniques & everything enduro, boy did we learn a lot. Andy is fantastic at explaining everything, very thorough & makes learning fun as it should be. We are already planning a trip back over next year.
This year im in the middle of a brilliant cross country race coaching with Rab Wardell & im loving it. The boys really know there stuff & just love riding their bikes & it shows with their coaching. Cant recommend them enough & will be sticking with the lads for future training.
Best decision in MTB I have ever made. Thinking of buying a new bike? Spend some of that hard earned cash on a private lesson and open up the potential of the bike you already have.. Andy Barlow just opened up a whole new level of riding for me yesterday. Granted I need to go practice but I now have the foundations for practicing properly and I'm not afraid of the Freeride park anymore. Totally took away the mystery of jumping for me and a few other things I didn't expect. Took away some bad habits as well and was engaging and enthusiastic throughout. I've been riding for a bout 5/6 years but it feels like I've just rediscovered MTB'n again. Thanks Andy!
Awesome day on the Trail Craft course. After a nasty fall at the start of the year I lost a lot of confidence with my technique, but thanks to Toms patience I now feel a lot more able! Really good fun and worthwhile for all levels of rider. Big thanks!
#dirtschooltrailcraft #nocrash #nomorebadhabits
Attended the “starter course” on Saturday and would highly recommend it! Tom was brilliant at teaching the correct techniques & maintenance of bikes. The difference in my ability from morning to afternoon was easily noticed.
Thank you!! �
Attended one of Dirt School's cyclocross courses in Pollok Park today. Great course, covering all aspects of CX riding and racing. Rad Wardell, who took the session, was brilliant. He has a ton of knowledge and his teaching style was relaxed, informative and fun. I had a mental block when it came to remounts and have never been able to do them. Rab had me completely fixed and remounting confidently in just 5 mins. He's like a cycling yoda! Couldn't recommend the course highly enough. Anyone who rides or races CX should do themselves a favour and sign-up.
Attended Getting Started course in April. Great instructor, nice size group. Have limited MTB experience. Really opened my eyes up to technique and strategy to approaching downhill sections. Would recommend this for complete beginners / those that need a confidence boost.
An excellent day enjoying the sun and hills of Glentress under the excellent instruction of Andy and Joe. Many thanks.
A few too many years of bad habits diagnosed and a prescription for a cure provided. Delivered in an efficient, non tech way with focus on getting your riding improve for the passion of mtb and pumping the trail. Couldn't recommend it enough.
A fantastic few days with Andy and the crew last week. Kids had a great time learning new skills and making new friends on their 3 day boot camp. Fair to say the parents did too with tailored group lessons - Andy has a great way of breaking down the component skills and then putting them together on the trails. Trailside video play back was great. Parents and kids alike can't wait to get back for more.
More about Dirt School
Tuesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 09:00 - 17:00
Friday: 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00