Another factor to consider, which may or may not be an issue for you, is that if you go for a 125, when you come to sell it there is a specific demand from youth riders who are restricted to that capacity.
The question "Will a 125 be powerful enough for me?" is fairly common on this forum. The answer is always an emphatic yes. Don't think of any modern 125 as "just a 125" instead consider it a well developed trials bike which can be ridden at any level.
Have bikes improved in the last 15 years? You bet they have, especially if you read the list of improvements every manufacturer puts out when they introduce each year's new model.
On the other hand (reality check coming), providing it's in reasonable shape that old Gas Gas is likely good enough to clean most sections you'll be riding.
Also note that, if you bought the boots with a credit card and the dealer won't play ball, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act the card company is held equally liable for refund for faulty goods and so you would be entitled to your money back from them. This is often invoked when there is a dispute with the supplier as in your case and usually works out in a quicker resolution with less hassle.
Problem is that the dealer thinks it's necessary to send the boots back to Alpinestars to sort out your problem. That's wrong. He should agree they are not fit for purpose and by law refund or replace them himself, it's his responsibility as a trader. If he was wants to take it up with Alpinestars to claim back his costs of the faulty goods that's up to him. You should not be inconvenienced.
I'm really sorry to hear you're having such difficulties, it's wrong and unfair.
Sounds as though the dealer is trying to evade his responsibilities by saying it's not up to him, but the manufacturer, to meet a claim for the faulty nature of the goods. The Consumer Rights Act makes it clear that is not the case - your right is to claim against the dealer and it is then for him, not the manufacturer, to resolve the issue by replacing or refunding the goods. See the Which.co.uk website, section on Consumer Rights Act. As in above post its not clear who is responsible for the return postal cost but a call or visit to Citizens Advice should sort that out.
Tell your dealer you are invoking your rights under the Consumer Rights Act, he may not like it but cannot evade his responsibility to resolve the situation. If he refuses to do more then Trading Standards office will persuade him otherwise. Do take advice and make use of the free statutory services if you need to.
Your rights are such that you should be able to return faulty goods to the dealer for replacement or refund without a problem. Your local Citizens Advice or trading standards office can be helpful in levering the seller into acting correctly.
Do you know if they really are the originals, and what make they are? If so a rebuild kit may be available but modern shocks are likely to be superior in any case. I run Rockshocks on my Cota which are fine, and have the advantage of being totally rebuildable and tuned to suit your bike and weight when supplied new.
Enjoy your day, and perhaps the Radox bath you might need Sunday evening.
Once you've got established with getting the bike going and some general blatting around, do make the effort to sort out a few easy sections as you might find in a trial (no need to use markers at first) and ride each one repeatedly to start thinking about the skills you need to use and improve to get it right. At first it'll feel like you're just practicing the same mistakes on each go but when a measure of confidence, and competence, develops it'll feel great.
In addition to weighting the outside handlebar, actively pulling upwards on the inner bar can help the turn. I learnt that one from a former British champion. It's all about percentage gains in defeating the factors which might make you fail.
A 247 isn't a popular bike in the twinshock class, although I ride one myself, as it's probably seen as a bit outdated when stacked against Fantics and Majestys. As such a good one, I'd say, should be able to fetch £1200/1300 and I'd pitch it at £1500/1600 for starters, after spending a couple of hours smartening it up a bit. I've noticed restored ones failing to make that money recently. That said, twinshocks are a rising market and you could get lucky...
How do you know he's young? No firm evidence in the video other than his use of the term "bro" in the YouTube comments which, sadly, is used by older people too.
I started riding trials in 1973 and have bought, oh, five or six rear tyres in that time. Sharp edges can be overrated in comparison to technique and correct pressures. I still notice lots of people running too much air, new tyres or not.
Scott Entry List?
in UK Trials Talk
Posted
hillary posted:
"The programme doesn't go to press until October so there's no chance of knowing the entry much before the second week of October at the earliest."
Not so. Full list of entrants is on the club website.