neils on wheels

Justify to who?

I can't see any better outcome for TRS than JGas.

But why would anyone take this on? Surely it could only be emotion over economics.

I very much doubt any debt has been written off.

Why do you believe this company manufactures Gas Gas frames? Because you received an email saying "the structure is the same to Gas Gas original ones"?

It's a tricky one, I can see both sides. Trueba have invested in Busto & could have rightfully expected some loyalty in return. For Busto, with the state of world trials, his best chance of earning a decent living is with HRC.

I'm with johnnyboxer here; the little I know about GLEAM suggests they are against all off road motor vehicle access. I'm assuming that most people that interact here are law abiding riders who support sanctioned events. The Catch 22 we face is that there is a population who do not abide by the law, consequently legislators, encouraged by lobby groups, create ever tighter access laws. The consequence of this is that those of us who choose to abide by the law are penalised, whilst those who choose to flout the law continue to do so, their actions unhindered. The paradigm needs to shift here, from one of increasingly tight legislation to one of policing the existing laws, with significant deterrents for transgression. I wish I knew a way to get this message through to our MPs and legislators. I tried, in relation to the Ridgeway, when I lived in Oxfordshire and Boris Johnson was my MP, his response was so facile it was depressing,

I've just read an open letter from Trueba. Clearly feeling very aggrieved that HRC have offered Busto a contract when they felt they had an agreement in place.

A 125 will be fine. Look not just at what the top Youth riders are doing on 125s, but also I think the Normandale Over 50 championship was won a 125 Beta last year,

How on earth do you get a trials bike in the back of a 90 hardtop? I can get my mountain bike in one diagonally, but really the best bet is to drop the front wheel out & clamp the front drop outs on top of one of the wheel boxes, so the bike(s) sit sideways in the back.

I've been tempted more than once by a Land Rover Defender 110 hardtop, for mountain bikes & the trials bike. I wouldn't need the off road capability 99% of the time, I just like them! But I am a bit concerned about getting the trials bike through the back door. For the mountain bikes it would be a breeze. Has anyone any experience or thoughts?

As of today, I think Casales is better. As a mid to long term prospect, I think Busto shows more potential ....but then again 10/12 years ago, I rather fancied that Jeroni Fajardo would turn out to be better than that upstart Toni Bou kid, so what do I know!

Good succession planning from HRC. I think most of us would be expecting Fuji to retire from WTC at the end of 2015. Most of us would also see Busto as the guy most likely to follow Toni Bou to the top. On the other hand... best funded team, most expensively developed bike, best riders under contract, smaller competitors in financial difficulty. It's all getting a bit Premier league isn't it!

There must be something you're dying to tell us (or you are just being a tease!), but it's OK, I'm a patient man

I have?

Is that Beta trials bikes or the sum of scooters, enduro, trail &'trials bikes?

You only have to look at the rate of companies entering the trials market & then finding it financially unviable to realise that this is not and rarely has been an attractive market. The first wave of bikes were off shoots of British road bikes, these lost out financially and competitively to the first wave of Spanish manufacturers. Bultaco & Ossa went bankrupt, Montesa were saved by a Honda investment that gave them local manufacturing facilities to avoid Spanish import tax. In the mid '70s all of the Japanese manufacturers explored the trials market to varying degrees, of these only Honda remain involved, the rest having concluded the market to be too small. The first Spanish wave and Japanese were replaced by largely Itlaian manufacturers, Fantic, SWM, etc, who have also either gone bankrupt or left the market for more attractive sectors, e.g. Aprilia. I think only Beta have survived from this group. We now have a second Spanish wave headed by Gas Gas and Sherco and who knows the revived Ossa brand, JGas, soon Vertigo and TRS will be the third Spanish wave. Through all of these periods there have been many small start ups that have never made much impression, or reached the market. This amount of entry and subsequent failure or exit indicates two things: the barriers to entry are low for a trials manufacturer, but it is hard to make a sustainable business building low volume bikes into a small market.

Beta also have Jamie Busto, so probably the two most promising talents. They'd do well to hold on to both of them. Yes, 5again, it would be great to see Casales in the SSDT, but I think the entry list is already published isn't it?

That's how the real world does work. If it comes to liquidation, assets will be sold and creditors paid from any surplus. Raga's contract has no greater value or priority than a parts supplier, or other business service provider, in fact since it concerns future liabilities it would most likely count for less & be more easily terminated. Ultimately, most business's fail due to cash shortages, not lack of profitability. What Gas Gas need to do is become more efficient at converting their assets into cash.

Anyone that does know isn't saying yet.

Probably a good deal for John Lampkin too, to get a top rider to replace Dibs. Perhaps Beta had a whip round with the Trueba & JLI to help fund the deal.

Thanks for sharing this, another interesting interview. I remember that Butser world round, including having my Mom's Austin Metro towed out the field. That took a bit of explaining! I and others have posted about a desire for greater variety of seasons, conditions & sections in WTC events. This is the sort of thing that Butser offered. I plan to go down to the BTC there in March, I figure it may offer something a bit different.

Dabster, I agree with asking "the drop-outs". Best idea yet. I also enjoyed the 125s, more than the Junior class to be honest. One aspect of this that I don't feel has worked well is the Youth and Junior classes acting as a feeder to the WTC. I think to top five in the world, who have been there for many years, all came directly into WTC. Those who have won Youth & Junior titles have tended to fill the places from 6th downwards.

I think the biggest challenge for any rider wanting to beat Toni Bou will be the sincere belief that they can beat him. I think his domination is founded on three factors. 1. He pioneered & mastered a different riding style, very cyclo-trial inspired & back wheel focussed, he uses physicality as much as engine power to move the bike. He has superior technique to the other riders. 2. He has the best support package with the bike & team set up. 3. He has committed to & genuinely believes he will win every event he enters. This confidence helps him produce winning rides at critical moments or in critical sections. The confidence comes from the first two points and his track record of success. It is evident when you read or hear other riders that they are aiming for second or for the podium. Either Bou's commitment will need to waver or a rider with sufficient technique and belief will need to arrive on the scene. It will be interesting to see how Casales goes in his second year in WTC and also hoe Jamie Busto fares.

With attitudes like this perhaps we need another thread: How long before grass roots trials implodes?