jml

I've heard good things about the Seal Doctor but personally have never used one (will buy one in the near future). Currently I've got a piece of plastic cut out in the shape of the motion pro Seal Mate. Just make sure your when you cut it out the scissors cut the plastic and don't tear/serate the edge as it could possibly damage the seal. Otherwise it works great.

I actually run open grips with bar ends. I always thought that the solid ends rule in the Australian rules required a bar end. But I've since been told it's just a matter of making sure there is something solid in the end of the grip on the bar opening (like a coin). I might go with that next time because I'm constantly paranoid of dropping the bar end into dirt as the throttle tube just eats dirt.

Whatever bike will result in the least number of excuses from the rider.

I would say the the importance of a modern bike is both in having access to plentiful parts and also having a bike that's benefited from all generations of bikes previous bikes R&D. I'd kill for some of the improvements that later model Betas have incorporated into their bikes, basic design changes that would just make my life easier. I don't believe it would benefit my riding but would help with longevity and maintenance.

Looks like you're in the UK, check out splatshop! http://www.splatshop.co.uk/dvd-s.html

I agree with this statement and believe to a degree there is a substitute to riding. If you can absorb and understand high quality training material (either DVD or watching another rider, or private tuition) in cooperation with training, as opposed to training in isolation this can shortcut your learning path dramatically as opposed to practicing incorrect technique over and over. Like learning anything it's best to incorporate a multi-pronged approach and not just trying to learn via a single method.

I'll second that. I've had a few stacks and apart from being worried about damaging the controls (levers etc.), I'm never really concerned about any cosmetic damage to the bike. I think if I was on a new bike I would of been far more concerned to beat on it as much and been a little too cautious. If you do end up going second hand, get the newest bike you can afford for your budget. There are a lot of great 1-4 year old bikes to be had, saving you anywhere up to 30% of the retail price.

Buy whatever brand of bike (new or used) that has great local parts support in your area. The biggest problem in trials (I've found) is that if you don't have a great parts supply or a really good local distributor you can be weeks without parts especially for unexpected problems. I know it's not the a greatest thing to say, but try and buy whatever the popular well stocked brand of bike is in your area. In regards to what I would buy, I recently (15 months ago) made the decision to buy a bike for the first time and went with a 5 year old 2010 Beta EVO 125. At the time I was 120 kg and the bike had no trouble hauling me around the Clubman/C-Grade (Australia) lines. It's a strange phenomena that once you add the pressure of competition and throw some tapes up, how quickly you realise you're not in control of your bike, this is only amplified when you have a 250,280,290 or 300cc bike. Even on the 125 it took a few months to rid the feeling of being a passenger, even today I'm still not using 100% of the bikes potential. If you're a sensible weight a 125cc bike is a great learning tool and in the right hands is a very capable machine. It really depends what you want out of the sport, but I think a 125 for 12 months will force you to really focus on proper technique, than just blasting over objects with throttle. Juniors spend a large portion on a 125 for a reason and it only made sense to me to follow that path. The only con/pro to a second hand bike is you become very quickly acquainted with repairs and dealing with your local parts distributor. I had zero mechanical skills before I bought the bike so it's been a great learning experience. Ideally a fresh bike would have made my first year easier, but now I have the skills I feel more than confident to perform a multitude of repair tasks and adjustments (for rider comfort) which might have seemed a little too daunting on a brand new bike. The con is that for a new rider, if something is already a problem is might not be apparent it's an issue because you don't know any better. 125cc adult rider. Hope this helps.

My recommended purchase list is as follows: -- Top Quality -- Learning Trial - Jordi Pascuet Ryan Young Trials Training Ryan Young Advanced Trials Training (watch after you've ridden for a while) Basic Trials Technique - Dan Thorpe (this is a different perspective on training) Trials for Everybody (Good, but not great. Voice acting is very poor) -- Average quality -- Toni Bou Trials Reviews: Learning Trial - Jordi Pascuet (9/10) - One of the Gold standards in training DVDs. Starting off with the cons, the DVD is a bit fickle on some DVD players but if you select the very right option on the opening menu (Inicio), let the intro play then select "English" the DVD plays fine and you'll be served with some great training content. The DVD features clear instructions, multiple examples and is structured in a way that gives the new rider a clear and logical progression of skills. The DVD also covers other aspects of the sport which others brush over or completely ignore; including bike maintenance, setup, required equipment to ride and fitness in depth (about 10 minutes each). The DVD goes above and beyond what it needed and this is why it's my favourite and top of this list. Highly recommended Ryan Young Trials Training (9/10) - Another Gold standard in training DVDs. The only con is the quality of footage is a little poor due to the DVDs age. The quality does not detract from the training though and as above the training has clear instructions, multiple examples and structured in a way that gives the new rider a clear and logical progression of skills. Ryan does have a different way of teaching some of the skills, but this gives riders the options to see multiple ways to achieve the same goal. Another Highly recommended DVD Ryan Young Advanced Trials Training (9/10) - A more modern DVD so the footage and presentation has improved since the previous DVD. The techniques are more advanced and not applicable to most new riders, but instead focused on those who have mastered the first DVDs content. Still worth watching as a beginner if you wish to take a sneak peek at advanced techniques and possibly start thinking about these tricks. Definitely a must have for riders who are looking to add more dimensions and skills to their riding. Basic Trials Technique - Dan Thorpe (7.5/10) - A different approach to training DVDs, the DVD follows a group of Youth riders as they're coached by Dan. He both commentates the DVD and also provides in-DVD instructions as he mentors the students. Being 2 hours in length it's a long DVD especially since it's not cut into discrete units, but it's entertaining none the less and does give some good instruction. The delivery is similar to what you would expect from a training day/camp and feels a little more personal. It does bring a new dimension to the training as it does show a lot of examples of common mistakes as demonstrated by the inexperienced riders in the group. Trials for Everybody (7/10) - I'm of two minds about this DVD, it seems to have all of the right ingredients to make great training DVD but the execution is somewhat average. The voice dubbing is confusing as sometimes two actors share the same voice, then have different accented voices. The techniques are shown well, with slow motion and recapping of techniques broken down into stages but the background soundtrack is annoying and takes the focus away from the activity at hand. The banter between the two hosts is also sometimes confusing and unnecessary. That aside it does present a range of techniques by different riders so it's worth watching just for diversity of techniques although sometimes the instructions of how to perform the technique are a little too simplistic. Toni Bou Trials (4/10) - I'm being extra harsh here on Bou because not only is he the best rider of this lot, he also has large factory backing and ideally you would think his DVD would reflect the quality of his riding. The DVD has only recently (last 3 years) been produced and has a gamut of other training DVDs to learn from. It seems to have completely ignored the structure that good DVDs use and the topics presented have no logical order (wheelies are taught nearly last even though they're a core skill). The DVD feels rushed, misses a bunch of skills and is organised in a fashion that just doesn't teach any type of student well enough for them to go from a complete novice to a semi competent rider. With all the other DVDs it's good to own all for diversity of examples, but it's really hard to recommended such a half hearted attempt.

I'd assume there is a fair amount of stock left in Australia especially since the GP has now taken the crown. Most of the typical suppliers I go to have plenty of stock left.

Most of the top riders around here who are sponsored by Dunlop have ditched the old F's and moved to the GPs. But in saying that, most of them have been running the F's for zonks and all went well. If you want the latest and greatest grab a pair of the GPs, if you want to save a bit of coin get the F's. My D803F rear is getting to the end of it's life. I'm still tossing up moving to the GPs front and back or moving to X11's.

I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while but it would be more for the bling factor than anything else. Without doing a blind test it's hard to tell if it's just a placebo. The current domino system is hard plastic on plastic which even without lubrication seems to slide easily. If you've gone from a lubricated throttle wheel to a bearing this would be an improvement as I've described below. My bike came with lubrication in the throttle housing and on the bar from the previous owner. It was terrible, it binded up and resulted in the throttle sticking. I removed all lubrication and ran the system without any type of lube (wet or dry), due to the venues I ride it's generally very dusty and any type of lubrication just accumulates dust. I can get away without having to clean the system for months with no changes in throttle feel. After a few months I'll pop off the throttle, clean it up with some contact cleaner and it will be perfect for another few months.

I was rocking the caliper back and forth to see if I could eyeball the gap, it's smaller than a bees dick. Going to need to find some ultra thin packing shims! Thanks for the reply too, I'll give the file a go!

I may have figured out the issue. It seems that the contact area where the caliper meets the fork leg, on the fork leg side has receded for some reason or another. This results in the whole caliper body sinking a little when it's fully torqued and in term skewing the entire caliper body. I believe a very thin shim on the upper caliper bolt between the caliper and fork leg should resolve this issue.

Hiya all, Silly question but do the Evo calipers separate into two pieces? The caliper is off the bike (still attached to the brake hose) and I've removed the pads but there is one bolt to the front the caliper I dare not touch... yet. Will this bolt split the caliper? Thinking of doing a piston rebuild as I've got a stuck piston. Regards,

I had the sames ones on previously but in Red (which I think is a medium compound). I really liked them but they did all of a sudden wear out and become slippery which I think led to a few struggles with bike control. One day I looked at them and went "holy smokes, they're knackered".

How long are we talking about? 3-6 months? I'm happy to change grips a few times a year, especially since how easy the Renthal ones are to change. As I'm a newbie and hit stuff without a little harder than a more refined rider I'm just worried all the vibrations and jolts might be no good for me.

G'day all, I've currently got myself a set of the Medium compound Renthal trials grips and curiosity has got me pondering what I'm potentially missing out on with the 2 other compounds. Has anyone used any 2 or all 3 of them and can comment on the differences between them? Feeling, impact resistance, wear and tear? Bonus question: For a new riders would a softer grip be better to reduce impacts from bad form?

I'll be giving this stuff a try for my next tyre change, never knew it existed until today.

Do you have any sources of information which explains this in further detail? I'm unable to find anything which talks about the reaction between Silicone grease and (Aluminium) alloys? From what I've read this might be referring to silicone sealants that dries and hardens which in some cases uses acetic acid to aid in the curing process. Apart from that silicone grease (not silicone caulking) from my understanding is inert?

I think we might have finally uncovered Bou's secret training video.

Her upper body and core strength is phenomenal

Cable ties holding the mudguard on, still better than steel bolts directly into an aluminium frame

Note before: My advice is based on an older bike 2010 model, with wheels that have a slightly shabby rim channel. A little bit of extra love was needed as my wheel surface isn't perfect. I struggled big time getting the rim band to seal on my tyres, I would lose about 2 psi a day before I ended up finding a fix. My Dad recommended silicone grease (keyword here is grease that will never set, avoid sealants) all over the spoke nipples and on the bottom of the rim band. You need to ensure you clean any of the residual grease from the channel of the rim the tyre bead sits against with a cloth and some type of cleaner (contact cleaner my choice). I also left the tyre at high pressure overnight to make sure it compressed the rim band into the channel. For the first 2-3 rides excess silicone did oozed out of the spoke nipples, but that quickly subsided. Now it can hold constant pressure for weeks. I believe part of the problem is the rim band needs to be lubricated well enough to allow it to relive friction it creates against the wheel and settle evenly around the wheel. The silicone grease gives it ample time to find a happy position on the wheel. When using soapy water I found it dried to quick to allow for this. Pro tips: Avoid car tyre sealing solutions like the plague. I have heard of MTB solutions like "Stans No Tubes" which remain liquid and never set hard, but never personally used it myself. I think the key here is correct lubrication and installation of the rim band.

I've got fairly big calves (but I'm also overweight) so I bought Forma's and these fit okay even with tucking the pant and knee guard into the boot. The only problem I have with my Forma's is they crease at the back and dig into my foot. I'm wearing fairly thick socks to try and avoid it but I believe it might be a by product of having to go a few sizes too big to fit my wide foot. If you have either wide feet or big calves definitely shop around to get a perfect fit.