Bikesafe Rider Training (Sheffield)

[NSR125-Kid-UK]

Bikesafe are one of the more popular training centers in sheffield, and as such I went there to take my first CBT. While i didn't pass, they suggested I come back again next time. Halfway through the second CBT, as I and another learner began to fall behind, it became apparent that the instructors placed far greator priority on bringing a good trainee up to road standard, than turning a bad trainee into a good one. I noticed the same on my third CBT, being effectively "written off" as a bad rider.

After passing my CBT (at a different instructor's) and getting my bike, I went down to Bikesafe to ask about doing my theory test. I took the details, had a chat and left.

This afternoon however, when I went down, I was met with a familiar greeting "Wot?" followed by "What do you want?" I asked about doing my Theory test, to which I was effectivley told that the theory is nothing to do with them, and I have to talk to the DSA. Suprised by this apparent freezing reception, I asked "Am I then, no longer welcome?" To which the instructor's response was "No you're not".

It is my belief that whether this is the official stand of the school or one instructor's point of view, this is unprofessionalism in the extreme, and I made a point of informing the instructor that I would take my money elsewhere, and that i would not be using Bikesafe in future.
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[Ste]

Can't exactly blame them. Theory test is absolutly nothing to do with them as has been pointed out about a million times. You book it with the DSA, and do it with the DSA.

I'd have told you to piss off as well TBH, as I'm sure they have better things to do than explain your need to book with the DSA again.

[NSR125-Kid-UK]

The two matters were not related. The center deals with revision and practice for the test, and I was offered neither.
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https://www.bikepics.com/members/nsrandy/96rs250/ My Bike!

"I'm either going to teach andy to get his knee down, or I'm going to get him killed. One of the two" - Teaman

[Ste]

You buy a book in a shop like everyone else. Or practise online like you say you've been doing. It's a theory test. It's no big deal.

[True Blue]

The people in these training centres must realise that as a learner you may not be up to speed with the ins and outs of completing your test etc. The least they could have done was to be polite. It doesn't cost anything
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Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[stu]

The place I passed my CBT and Direct Access at wouldn't have been that rude, people have bad days though, so maybe he just had a bad day, can happen anywhere. Had some problems with my CBT so had to come back the next day and they were really helpful, think they also used to loan out theory books and things like that, ultra helpful (I'd already bought some but it's good that they offered)

[mr.z]

At the end of the day you are paying them for lessons, they weren't doing you a favour, theres no call for them to be like that weather its their responsibility or not, you wouldn't expect to go in a car dealership and have them say..
"wot do you want?"
no matter what qualifications you have there is just no need, especially if your running a business..

As far as the theory test goes i'd seriously consider getting "driving theory test success" (cd rom) costs about £10, has questions for car and bike theory tests there is a hazard perception test (which i WOULD have failed if i hadn't had the chance to practice) and the questions were more or less the exact same ones i got on the test, it felt almost like cheating!

[NSR125-Kid-UK]

I've got that CD mate, it's fantastic . I'm starting my hazard perception stuff now, i've spent most of my time revising for the questions...
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https://www.bikepics.com/members/nsrandy/96rs250/ My Bike!

"I'm either going to teach andy to get his knee down, or I'm going to get him killed. One of the two" - Teaman

[Adam_P]

I certainly wouldn't have told you to piss off like Ste said. From what you've said they sound like the most unprofessional bunch of tossers I've ever heard of.

Think about it, if you go to them for advice about a theory test then it goes that at some point you're going to want practical advice, practice, lessons and, eventually, a test booking. So, that makes future business then. Not rocket science, is it?

I had a one hour free trial with a school before I went to do my DAS and they couldn't help enough with the theory part of the test. They had CD-Roms that they could lend out and offered advice and assistance. See, they want the business and have the right attitude.

It would have taken the guy the same amount of time to tell him that he needed to ring the DSA to book his test politely as it did for him to be a complete wanker.

A bit like your answer Ste.

No need for being bitchy and nasty, doesn't help anyone.
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[Ste]

That wasn't my point.

From what he said, he'd already been there and chatted to them about it. He's also talk for hours about it on IRC with people, being told every time to book it with the DSA himself, as it is nothing to do with the training school.

Quite why anyone would want to go back to the training school which failed them 3 times on a CBT is beyond me.

[andrew]

I'm sorry but how on earth do you fail a CBT '3' times? My brother crashed in his test and still passed because by the end of the session he was good enough and that was after crashing into a parked car. How the hell have you managed to screw it up 3 times? No offence but you shouldn't be on the road and people like you are the reason I feel unsafe when riding on the road. Maybe you should stick to public transport? I'm also with Ste on this, if you've been told to book your theory with the DSA then why don't you just do it instead of asking every possible person on the planet how to go about it.

[McJamweasel]

[MarJay]

Not being funny but the training people are only human. If you did something to upset them (I'm not saying you did) then you are hardly going to own up to it!

This will never happen:

[andrew]

[priller]

There isn't a pass or fail on the CBT, its not a test. You just need to keep doing it until you reach the standard needed.

Did you have to keep paying because a lot of training centers will only charge you £75 ( or what ever it cost now ) regardless of how many days it takes.

[Kris]

I think there's more to this story than what we've been told to be honest. When I did my CBT there were some really dodgy learners who kept dropping the bike etc etc but in the end they all passed. I'm left wondering whether you were 'that' bad (in which case Dru has a valid point) or something else has happened to make them fail you...


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[priller]

I dropped the bike on the cbt and still passed.

[G]

CBT standards will also depend a lot on who is doing them.
While some places will pass almost anyone first time (the second time I did mine I only had an hour on the road as opposed to the regulation two; this was in a back street doing U-turns as well), other places can be really picky; if they can make more money, then possibly also if they've got empty spaces.

I'm sure a lot of people are passed when they really shouldn't be on the road, while some are failed when they'd be fine.

[dainesefreak]

When I did my CBT a good while ago, I went out onto the road last at the end of the day for about 15 minutes. The instructor then said "That's it, I can tell who's ok minutes unless you want to go for a ride?"

One bloke in our group actually refused to go out on the road saying he wasn't ready. The rest of us couldn't wait to get out there, it was probably quite dangerous at the time though.

[JimboJ]

Why don't you give them a bad name?

Bikersafe are wankers!

/me goes to search google

James
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[EuropeanNC30R...]

As said above the standard of the CBT depends on the training school. When I did mine I was the only person in a group of 8 who didn't have any previous biking experience (one bloke had been riding his R6 for 2 years ). I had to have an additional 30 minutes practice on the car park, but I felt a lot more confident for it and completed the 1 hour road section without any problems.

[Demonic69]

Erm.... I learned to ride with Bikesafe and they were great
They were a really friendly bunch and taught me lots.
I was the only one on my CBT and the instructor told me what I needed to do to pass.
I mean no offence but failing a CBT is a big black mark against you, especially seeing as I had never ridden anything other than a mountain bike and I still passed.

Who were your instructors? And who was rude?
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[biketeacherda...]

OK i have answerd to this before, lets get it straight the CBT is not a test but a compulsary basic training course which usually takes a day to complete. Any good or half decent instructor can get most people up to the minimum standard by the end of day 1, some times for no reason a few people are a bit slower to pick up these new skills IE riding a bike,clutch, gears,brakes put your foot down when you stop and have to come back for some extra training. A good instructor works at the pace of the slowest pupil.

Its the instructors who are clearly at fault here by there lack of proffessionlism and i doubt that the instructors where even qualified to teach they were proberly down trained monkeys which means they ain't qualified but have been shown and are being supervised by the chief instructor at the school to earn him loads of money by teaching loads of people all at the same time.

I have been known to book the theory test for my pupils in the past but it is a problem when you tell them when it is and they say they cant do it so know all my pupils book there own theory tests, i do how ever lend them free cd roms to practise on the week before the test and try to be as helpful as possible.

I only ever teach 2 people at a time on any training course, even cbt so people get good instruction and value for money, proberly why my first time pass rate is so high
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[True Blue]

I don't necessarily think that if you "fail" your CBT the first time or second that you are crap. Like some people have said, it really depends on what the instructor deems to be competent. i went to do my CBT with a girl I know. She was asked back twice, but I honestly thought she had done fine the first time out. She certainly didn't do anything drastically wrong that I could see.
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Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[Ste]

Fail once. Okay, fair enough, having a bad day.
Fail twice. Okay... shit happens, don't worry, you'll pass the third time.
Fail three times. Ermmm.