Level X - Wheelies I
04-07-2005, 11:02 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Syracuse, NY
Age: 54
Posts: 180
Level X - Wheelies I Well, I just got done watching the Wheelies I Video (twice, back to back) and I wanted to post a quick review.
Purchasing: I bought the video online from levelxvideo.com and the transaction went nice and smooth. The video took about 10 days to show up, which I didn't think was outrageous. The DVD was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope for added protection... a nice touch.
Playing the DVD: I'm not sure if it's my $79 DVD player or what, but the lag after selecting menu options had me pushing the play button several times before anything happened. Come to find out, there is about a 3 second delay after selecting the option for some reason. Not a big deal.
Menus are straightforward and easy to navigate. I liked the fact that there is a 'Chapter Selection' so I can go right to the parts of the video that apply to me.
Content: The first 10-15 minutes of footage had me thinking that this was going to be a good video. There were some good bike setup tips, but I was quite disappointed that Matt and Kyle used their pizza pan sprocketed, FMX barred, furred out bikes instead of a stocker like almost EVERYBODY who starts out wheelieing uses.
I liked their presentation on powering/bouncing up wheelies. They addressed bike physics and body position in depth, which I thought was awesome, but this is where the glaring weakness of the video started to show.
They talk about throttle control over and over, even showing it up close with a trick 'shoulder cam'... but the transition from being on two wheels to balance point suffers from what Kyle would describe as 'throttle chop syndrome'. No, I'M NOT REFERRING TO THE 'Throttle Control[Wrong Way]' PART OF THE VIDEO... I'm saying that they don't talk at all about the mechanics of adjusting bike height with the throttle. They go right from 2 wheels to BP without any explaination, never even mentioning 'The Hump'. Also, the instructional quality suffers because they go past BP a couple times and never talk once about covering the rear brake. Most of us who watch the video don't have pizza sprockets to get that massive engine brake.
The section on clutching wheelies was OK, but should have been about 3-4 times longer, with lots more shoulder cam footage as well as better sound so we could HEAR what the bike is doing when clutched up as well.
Everything after the Steering Wheelies section (which was very detailed and well done) was completely useless fluff. It seemed like Kyle started having a nasty A.D.D. attack and just wanted to get the video over with. C'mon, nac-nacs and can-cans on a basic wheelie video? Like I said, that sh|t doesn't belong here.
Bonus Features: I liked the Balance Point Discussion a lot. I thought they did a good job of describing the process of relaxing your body and being smooth. Once again, Kyles A.D.D. kicks in after a bit and what could have been great becomes so-so.
Conclusion: I know Kyle is a big name in this sport, and I have mad respect for his riding skill... but his teaching techniques just aren't there. Matt definitely has the edge in this area, but he needs to spend A LOT more time covering the basics in depth. Stick to bike set-up, powering up, clutching, sit-downs, and stand-ups... If I wanted to be impressed by tricks I'll watch Serve It Up... I bought this video to help learn the basics... and it doesn't quite hit the mark.
I'm not saying it's a worthless video, but if I could have a do-over I probably wouldn't buy it again, but since the cost is relatively low ($26.94 with shipping), I encourage people to buy the video and judge for themselves.
Purchasing: I bought the video online from levelxvideo.com and the transaction went nice and smooth. The video took about 10 days to show up, which I didn't think was outrageous. The DVD was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope for added protection... a nice touch.
Playing the DVD: I'm not sure if it's my $79 DVD player or what, but the lag after selecting menu options had me pushing the play button several times before anything happened. Come to find out, there is about a 3 second delay after selecting the option for some reason. Not a big deal.
Menus are straightforward and easy to navigate. I liked the fact that there is a 'Chapter Selection' so I can go right to the parts of the video that apply to me.
Content: The first 10-15 minutes of footage had me thinking that this was going to be a good video. There were some good bike setup tips, but I was quite disappointed that Matt and Kyle used their pizza pan sprocketed, FMX barred, furred out bikes instead of a stocker like almost EVERYBODY who starts out wheelieing uses.
I liked their presentation on powering/bouncing up wheelies. They addressed bike physics and body position in depth, which I thought was awesome, but this is where the glaring weakness of the video started to show.
They talk about throttle control over and over, even showing it up close with a trick 'shoulder cam'... but the transition from being on two wheels to balance point suffers from what Kyle would describe as 'throttle chop syndrome'. No, I'M NOT REFERRING TO THE 'Throttle Control[Wrong Way]' PART OF THE VIDEO... I'm saying that they don't talk at all about the mechanics of adjusting bike height with the throttle. They go right from 2 wheels to BP without any explaination, never even mentioning 'The Hump'. Also, the instructional quality suffers because they go past BP a couple times and never talk once about covering the rear brake. Most of us who watch the video don't have pizza sprockets to get that massive engine brake.
The section on clutching wheelies was OK, but should have been about 3-4 times longer, with lots more shoulder cam footage as well as better sound so we could HEAR what the bike is doing when clutched up as well.
Everything after the Steering Wheelies section (which was very detailed and well done) was completely useless fluff. It seemed like Kyle started having a nasty A.D.D. attack and just wanted to get the video over with. C'mon, nac-nacs and can-cans on a basic wheelie video? Like I said, that sh|t doesn't belong here.
Bonus Features: I liked the Balance Point Discussion a lot. I thought they did a good job of describing the process of relaxing your body and being smooth. Once again, Kyles A.D.D. kicks in after a bit and what could have been great becomes so-so.
Conclusion: I know Kyle is a big name in this sport, and I have mad respect for his riding skill... but his teaching techniques just aren't there. Matt definitely has the edge in this area, but he needs to spend A LOT more time covering the basics in depth. Stick to bike set-up, powering up, clutching, sit-downs, and stand-ups... If I wanted to be impressed by tricks I'll watch Serve It Up... I bought this video to help learn the basics... and it doesn't quite hit the mark.
I'm not saying it's a worthless video, but if I could have a do-over I probably wouldn't buy it again, but since the cost is relatively low ($26.94 with shipping), I encourage people to buy the video and judge for themselves.
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