INTRODUCTION
Street/Dirt/Vert/Parks

10/31/99-  This is the debut of what will hopefully be the complete comprhensive guide to street riding...  I will be using the generic term 'street' to refer to ALL types of riding- since 'true' street is the ability to adapt to what the world throws at you.  Even if it IS man made and surrounded by walls.

The MOST important factors for street riding are developing your skills and working your way up.  This ONLY happens through hours and hours and months and YEARS of practice.  Just as with flatland- to REALLY get good you will take a ton of falls and need a lot of control.

Falling:  WEAR YOUR PADS.  Okay, this sounds generic- and for some people may sound lame.  But the fact is, the more you wear your pads the more comfortable you will be with falling.  It becomes less about the fall as this comfort level rises and you will be able to focus more on the trick.  This will allow your progression to increase dramatically.

Bike Control:  Once you are comfortable with falling then you can really focus on gaining control of your bike.  Air control, for dirt especially is a PRIME factor.  If you are comfortable soaring 20 feet through the air across doubles, then you will be comfortable trying TRICKS across that distance.  For parks and grinding it is the familiarity that you will gain over how to clear gaps with precision and put your pegs exactly where you want them.

In conclusion, practice and progress lead to comfort...  The more comfortable you are the better you will get.  It's circular- but avoiding injuries is one of the keys to it all.