hrmad

What about a 250 Beta? They might have more of those in stock. BTW a friend went from a 4rt to a beta evo 250 and is doing much better in sections, he found he couldn't get grip with the 4rt and you have to be quite physical with the bike to get it where you want it to go.

Thanks I'm trying to get in touch with Barry, will have to give him a call Monday

Hi, just wondering if anyone is going to the trial on 18th at cwm woods. If so, how difficult is the novice route? What are the routes like with this club?

More natural terrain and a greater variety in sections would help. Amazing as it is to get up massive steps there isn't that much variety. It might level the playing field a bit if the riders had to use a broader range of techniques over different types of terrain. Outdoor world rounds just look a whole lot like the indoor world championship.

Carol Nash just fire and theft though, a hundred and something- can't remember off the top of my head

It would be cool to see bou attempt the Scottish Six days, totally different kettle of fish like comparing an endurance race to short circuit racing. He could work on his paddling technique like the rest of us then, haha

He looked totally relaxed but at the same time in the zone at Sheffield, even show boating a bit for the crowd. He could probably do it all on a 125 if he really wanted to- I bet if everyone was on the same make the result would still be the same. I guess they've got the same situation in moto gp at the minute

Thanks for explaining

Has anyone dropped their FI bike in a stream/ river above the handlebars? It was a fairly simple procedure on my bike to drain out the air box, take the bottom off the carb, the spark plug out and pump the water out with the kickstart. I wish it hadn't happened though, lol . Just curious if the procedure is different on an FI bike. Speaking to a guy at a local trial who has owned 3 ossas he said he loved the way they rode and the grip they got was phenomenal but leave them alone because when they had mechanical failures they were difficult to fix. Not sure if this is related to the FI system on these bikes or some other failing. It's a shame, ossas look really cool- maybe the 2014/15 bikes have ironed out some of the problems?

Nice pics and excellent result I had a look at the scores tonight, I got 93 lol But I didn't come last! Third from the bottom. The lowest score was 12 on the easy route, 20 on expert route. So no cleans, and no one at all cleaned section 9! So fair play to you and your brother s_monty

We get a turnout of around 40 to 60 on average locally at club trials, what's it like in other places?

Thanks Mags Tell them getting on a trials bike is one of the best things I've ever done! I'm managing to slow the bike right down on the clutch in turns now during practice, not far from being able to do full lock- it's taken a while but it's been a fun journey so far. Going to put a 44 tooth on the back today or tomorrow, the 10 has helped but 1st gear could be lower. Hope you had a good holiday

Looks nice and dry, wait till you ride mud and slippery tree roots! Get some flags or markers and set up a path through and around the rocks would be my advice. Paths that force you to do full lock turns and go at a slow pace. Once you can do this without dabbing, make it more difficult by introducing an obstacle straight after a turn. It's true that you don't have a lot of room in sections. Work on perfecting your technique on small obstacles (that includes going down the other side) and then build your way up. I'm a beginner too, but that's what I would attempt EDIT: lineaway beat me to it, haha

Well done! Glad you had a good day, your score is much better than mine! I fived at least 4 sections per lap, so bound to be up in the fifties- I just couldn't get up banks with all the mud and roots- I wasn't the only one struggling though! The trial was set up by a former twin shock champion/ red route rider so maybe that was why the blue route had some hard sections. Fair play to you, bound to be muddy where you are too right? At the trial I went to we had 60 entrants, blue or beginner route started at section 1, clubman and experts started their loop at section 5. A good plan as it reduced the ques a lot. 159 is a great turnout! Most people are pretty friendly right? didn't have too much of a problem in the que, people were really polite and sometimes let me go first. Convince a family member to go along with a camera next time photos are a nice record Heres a few more pictures I didn't include last time, as you can see, between the sections was difficult too! Just couldn't get up some of those banks, I know they don't look that hard in photos, but they were tricky for me!

awesome thanks for filming this. Would love to see the view from a helmet cam, the obstacles must be really intimidating. Great confidence and skills

Thanks Fivebrick Thanks, I'm glad I had the practice I did though, is it a wobblers/ beginners trial? Might seem a bit full on after only 8 hours, try your best, do what you can and don't be embarrassed to ask for a 5 if the section is too hard. And have an escape route/ place to bail if all goes to pot. Have fun and please do post how you guys get on

I've got a pair of alpine stars I got for 130 second hand (hadn't been worn), awesome boots, very comfortable, good for protection against the chain, wheel and other parts of the bike! Most boots have adjustable buckles these days, maybe buy a size up? And good luck and enjoy yourself from a fellow newbie

What is the modern style? I went to a trial on new years eve and got round pretty well with a few clears not touching the clutch just careful use of the throttle in first gear. On the subject of power I am now considered putting a fast action throttle on the beta, there wasn't a lot of room in the sections and by the time I had wound the bike on it was too late on some of the banks and I just ended up getting stuck I had a go on two TY 175s, I preferred the power delivery on the one with a fast action throttle. Talking to some of the guys that day they said most riders there were over biked and not to to touch a 300 with a barge pole, a 300 is an experts bike apparently.

Good luck and have fun. There are a few fellas at my local club who have health problems, mainly knee and joint injuries but still show the young boys a thing or two about riding

I know what you mean about the mud. It was a slow crawl in the sections in 1st and 4th/5th gear between them! I definitely need to lean back more I think to get traction on the rear wheel, just need to be able to manage any resulting wheelies. Thanks for your advice. I was very impressed by the guys TY 175s, they were trick bikes. And very different bikes too. One had a quick action throttle, the other a slow action. One had sharp brakes, the other one had them into the handlebar. The guys had lengthened the swing arms, put the foot pegs lower and further back, put 250 forks on one, gasgas forks on the other. One bike had won the Welsh twinshock trials championship a few times. I have more respect for twin shocks now, in traditional muddy trials they shine Thanks shame about the distance, maybe we'll meet in a trial someday somewhere I think watching is a good idea, trials looks easy but it's seriously not. I'm glad I practised for 4 months, I was better prepared. Also by watching you can get a sense of the difficulty level set up by that club. Plus you're not used to your bike yet, when the bike is set up for you it makes a world of difference.

I'm biased as I like my rev 3, it would be good if you could try riding both and see which you prefer, all these bikes are pretty different in the way they ride. Gasgas bikes are known for being full on

You'd get someone coming out for sure over here, or they'd report you. Apparently people in my neighborhood think I am dangerous on my road bike because I weave back and forth round the block (to warm up tires) I envy you, haha I have landed harshly after wheelies or getting over a bank or something a few times, probably more body positioning than anything else. I didn't realize it was a 4rt, sort of explains the exhaust note. Fair play, a lot of people I've spoke to struggle for grip with those

Thanks for all the encouragement, advice and well wishes, you guys set me up well for today! Hi Lou, I'm based in Pembrokeshire- whereabouts are you? Good luck with the bike and enjoy yourself, it's a steep learning curve but the sport is awesome! Well, I managed 4 laps of the 10 sections. Only requested a 5 on section 9 on the 4th lap, I'd 5'd it the first three times and didn't fancy getting dragged out the 4th. Everyone was dabbing there, you had a 2 ft drop off into a deep muddy trench, where you had to then turn and somehow get the bike back out up a bank. That was the only real silly section. There was another section where you had to go up a bank and turn- I just couldn't get the approach right or the power on early enough. It doesn't look that bad in the photos but it was a bit daunting in real life. The area I need to improve most on is using enough throttle and momentum up steep banks and of course turns. One of my friends spoke to a observer and on their section I had the best throttle control in the beginner group, so that was nice! I managed quite a few clears, one or two sections I managed to do all 4 laps clear. Some silly dabs here and there. It was mud and more mud today, traction was tricky. Between the sections was fun- muddy fields and turns- quite easy to lose the front end! Everyone was really friendly and nice, that's part of what makes this sport special. I really enjoyed meeting new people and talking bikes. At the end of the trial the guys who designed the course went round the first 4 sections with me and we did them again with the guys giving me advice- that was really nice of them. They also let me have a go on their trick TY 175s, which were beautiful to ride. The twinshocks were coping well in the mud, cause the tick over was slow and they felt a lot more planted than modern bikes. I'm on a 10 front sprocket and 41 rear now, I might go down to a 9 or get a 44 rear to slow the bike further, get a weld done on the pegs so they aren't slanted down, put some longer levers on instead of the shorties on there now. And a fast action throttle so I don't need as much of a run up to obstacles. Sorry about the long post, but I had a brilliant time, it was a good trial, with a good mix of difficulty levels with the sections. This sport is great fun next one is on 25th near me in a quarry, so I'll go for it! Keep your feet up and have a happy new year!

Great footage, how do you set the front wheel down so gently? It's interesting to hear when you use the throttle too and how you don't need loads to get over obstacles- correct me if i'm wrong. Camera position good, gives you a sense of riding the bike. Michael you're going to get in trouble for riding on the pavement, hehe, how come a neighbour hasn't come out and shouted at you yet?

First time I'm attempting the beginner route in a local trial tomorrow! Been practising since September, having seen other trials put on by this club I've got an idea of the difficulty level, feeling more confident after more practice. Last time I went to one of their trials I wimped out and practised on the conducted route instead, haha, not tomorrow! Having talked to the land owner he sad it will be over muddy banks, through a stream and woods. Grip will be interesting. My goal is to complete all 10 sections over 4 laps, never-mind about the points first time out, I just want to finish and do my best. Family and friends will be about to capture the inevitable falls, I'll post pics tomorrow or new years day, recovery may be required! Any advice?