40belowbiker

Yes, the ski prevents trips over the handlebars. I was making daily trips over before installation, none since.

Haha! I spend lots of time in the snow, at least 8 months per year, on the Gasgas and my WR.

Hi Scot, I used to ice race and used street tire liners as you mentioned, but that would be too stiff for trials traction. I tried short ice racing screws, that didn't poke right through the tire, but the tire didn't last an hour, ripped lots of knobs off. Then I used longer screws that stick through about 1/4". The trials tire is so soft and the pressure so low that only a couple of screws leaked air, and a shot of tire sealant cured that, and I've put tons of miles on the tires and haven't lost a knob. I think the longer screws going into the carcass of the tire actually help hold the knobs on.

Thanks Andy. Here's a very short clip from the stud test the day before.

We found this river during a snowmobile trip 2 years ago and it looked like a good challenge for my bike so I went home, studded up my GasGas 250 and towed it back the 120 kilometres a couple of weeks later for a run. When I told my brother what I was going to do and showed him the pictures of the river he said "You're going to need a GasGasGas to get up that!!!"

I think the dry climate has more to do with it. The tire was a couple of years old but I had just installed it. I run lots of studded tires and have never had the knobs break off a trials tire before. Rubber dries out quickly here - a rubber band may last 2 months before it gets brittle. I think the tire dried out and that + the cold helped the knobs crack off. I tried car rally carbide studs in that tire and the traction wasn't good at all, and the knobs came off in an hour or 2. Then I studded a new tire with ice racing screws with lots of traction and the knobs stayed perfectly. With better traction you'd thing the knobs would tear off sooner. The rally studs are inserted into holes drilled into the knobs, and the ice screws are just like sheet metal screws so twisted in. Maybe the screws get into the tire carcass a bit and hold the knobs on better. It coudl be any combination of things. I'm glad it only happened once. Cheers 40

A few photos from my neck of the woods 2nd tire Photo taken during sled trip. On our way Studs in the boots were essential. Made it home just before sunset.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Missing knobs 2nd tire Photo taken during sled trip. On our way Studs in the boots were essential. Made it home just before sunset. and here's a short clip of the studded tire test

I had a great instructor for my first trials lesson. He set my bike (skidplate) on top of a log, shut the engine off, and told me to jump the bike over log with no engine, to concentrate on how much body input is required without the distraction of the engine and all the timing and trying to hit the wheel in the right spot. There are so many things going on at the same time it's difficult to learn. This made a big improvement in my riding. I couldn't get over the log (at least not smoothly) before, and after the engine off practice I could roll over it every time. Jumping with the engine off is very tiring, and feels boring, you're probably like me and want to ride, but if you take the time to master these things they'll pay off for years to come. Find a fairly big log, big enough so when your rear tire is on the ground and skidplate on the log, the front wheel is maybe a foot above the ground on the other side. Sit the skidplate on the log so you have stable balance, engine off, lean way back and then pull yourself forward and pretend you're trying to throw yourself over the bars, but as your weight comes off the bike you pull up and forward on the bars, and once you get this timing down you'll be surprised at how easily the rear will float over the log and follow your body weight. I was actually banging my thighs into the bars a lot as I learned this, so expect a few bruises, but the pain teaches you to get the timing right so you're not hitting the bars. Honestly, once I mastered the hop and was ready for the double blip, I still found the timing too complicated to master, so I rolled slowly to the log, hopped the front up with almost no gas, and when it rebounded I jumped the bike over with zero gas, and it was very smooth. Without the power and speed, it's easier to learn the timing, and then you can gradually increase. My biggest mistakes (still are) when learning is I want to ride hard and skip over the basics, but now I realize I need them. Hope this helps. Cheers 40

I've been riding most of my life, but have only been riding trials a few years, so the learning is still fresh. On downhills (and basically everywhere) you should have all of your weight on the pegs, so you could almost let go of the bars if you had to. I found this very difficult to do and began using it uphill first and saw that it worked well, and tried on downhill, and it also works well. You have to get way back over the rear fender to center your weight on the pegs, so levers almost level and sit back as these folks have already mentioned. For any of the techniques I try I find it easier to learn them in a simple setting, and then gradually upgrade - so - practice you steep downhill technique on very tame downhills first until the feeling becomes natural, and then step it up. This way you can build your skill instead of needing it right away. I did the same for balancing. It's pretty hard to practice balancing if you can only sit still for a few seconds, not much time to train the brain. I started balancing in snow, mud or sand, in places where the bike would almost stand up by itself. In this situation you have lots of time to get the feel of what's going on since you're not falling over, and you have time to see what works and what doesn't. Once you master balancing in deep stuff, move to less and less deep and before you know it you can do it almost anywhere. I think this applies to most techniques, and certainly to uphill and downhill. On uphills I was riding with a great instructor who would take one hand off the bars to show that all weight was on the pegs, and only a light touch on the bar to steer. It was hard to get used to but once you realize that it works, it sticks. Doing this on steep downhills was very hard for me to learn, but I started gradually and now I am much better and have a very light hold of the bars. You have to be good with the front brake, and if you're not, don't practice on steep hills, practice in level ground. Lock the front wheel and let it go to get the feel of it. Squeeze progressively to the point of almost locking up until it's a familiar feeling. I'm an ex roadracer so I have lots of miles on the front brake. The only time I used my rear was when I was off the track and heading for the rhubarb. In fact, I used to pry my rear pads away from the disc for less drag. Sit back so there's no weight on the handgrips, use the front brake mainly, but keep your foot poised over the rear brake in case you have to ease up on the front for a second as someone mentioned, dragging the rear is better than none at all, and then get back on the front as soon as possible. Even if the front starts to slide from braking, it recovers very well when you ease up, so you don't have to let it go completely. I keep mine almost to the point of sliding when it's very steep, and constantly adjust the lever pressure. When it stops sliding I squeeze a bit more to get rid of as much speed as possible when the traction's there, and hopefully there are enough spots like that to compensate for the speed you build on the slippery stuff. With your weight back you can brake harder with the front without feeling like you're going to flip, and with less weight on the front, the tire will go where you want more than where the terrain knocks it. Try all peg weight on uphills also, and test yourself by seeing if you can open your grip on the bars to prove you're not hanging on. Once you master this the front will feel very light and agile like it's not affecting much at all, almost the way a wheelie feels more controllable in some cases rather than with the front on the ground. I'm still learning myself, and I hope I'm not giving bad advice, but this is what works for me. Cheers 40

Couldn't have said it better myself, Haha! We are a bit north so things are a bit different here. For example, here's a photo of my streetbike

Here are a few simple clips of some balance practice. Someone saw the first and said I should've balanced on top of the big rock in that background, so I did for a laugh. The last is just a few wheelies. Cheers 40

Hello Everyone I'm fairly new to trials (3 years) and new to this group so I wanted to say hi. I've always ridden bikes and have ice raced and roadraced in Southern Canada. I moved to the North in '98 so I had to adapt a bit. There aren't a lot of bikes here, and definitely no one riding trials so I have to kind of make things up as I go. I brought a WR400 with me and have added a few accessories so I could ride year round. That's great for winter, but the terrain here in summer is extremely rough, so after 10 years of summer riding in 1st gear on the clutch I decided to try a trials bike, though I've never ridden one. There are no bike shops here of course so I ordered one from Ontario and had it shipped up on a ship. I thought that trials riding would be be 2nd nature to me, but it wasn't, so I ordered a couple of DVD's and have been learning ever since. I intended to use the Gasgas for summer riding but I got hooked so I couldn't let the bike sit for 9 months of winter. I studded and jetted and rode it through the winters. I was wondering if other riders have tried some ice obstacles and tire studs? A few weeks ago during a snowmobile trip I spotted a frozen river that looked like it would be fun to ride. I loaded the bike the following weekend and towed it (80 miles) to the river for a run. Here are a few photos. Cheers 40 Summertime traction Missing knobs 2nd tire Photo taken during sled trip a few weeks ago. On our way. Studs in the boots were essential. Made it home just before sunset. I shot this short video when I reached the end of the line (for me anyway), a bit too tall and steep. Whenever I shut the bike off I could hear the water running under the ice, and the top was cracking a bit as I drove, so that added to the rush. and here's a short clip of the tire test Saturday