spiderpig

Thanks! Trying to keep it nice but I fall off a lot at the moment... Good luck with the Suzuki - and hopefully see you at a BMCA event soon.

Nearly 40 years after I rode my last trial in my teens, I have bought a bike (Sprite 37A Villiers) and decided to have a go. Just thought I'd post my experiences at my first trial - to maybe encourage others who might be thinking of doing the same. For me, it had to be pre-65 as that's where my interest lies. I live in the South Midlands, so my obvious choice was to enter a BMCA trial (www.bmca.org). Before the trial (at Ullenhall near Henley-in Arden) I only had one chance to practice, so arriving on the day I was pretty nervous. The reception I got from the organisers and other competitors was incredibly helpful and very friendly. In fact before the trial even started, I got some good set up help from other riders and loads of encouragement. I entered in the 'Gentlemens/Beginners' class, where riders must enter the section through the Section Begins Cards and exit through the Section Ends Cards but can ride anywhere within these markers. I think this is a great idea for guys like me to help build confidence before hopefully moving up to the clubmans class next year sometime. So how did I do? Unfortunately I only completed one of the four ten-section laps because the bike developed a fault (crud in the GRP fuel tank which cut off the fuel flow). However, on the lap I did complete, I managed cleans on 8 out of 10 sections, so I was quite pleased with myself. Some of the clubmans and experts routes looked a bit daunting at this early stage, but I'm sure as time goes by and as I develop the bike, it will become more achievable. Talking of developing the bike, again I had loads of really helpful input from other riders. A word in particular here for Steve Gollins and the guys at Villiers Services - and for Jim Pickering of Drayton Frames fame - who took time out to give me some useful riding and bike development tips. Thanks guys! Moral of the story: if you're thinking about getting back into trials, this could be the route you're looking for.