old trials fanatic

Thats a VERY good point. I know a lot of us have lost track of what is easy. It's such a subjective thing. i suppose even though i'm pretty useless on a bike i just assume if i can do it then it must be easy.You do hear a lot of people who are thinking of taking it up say "i've ridden moto x or i've ridden road bikes for years so wont be a problem" then they turn up and struggle to finish 4 laps even on the easy route. Deffinately a point worth much more consideration than we all, especially those of us who set the courses, give it sometimes.

With the country suffering from some of the wettest weather this year an ark might have been more appropriate than a trials bike last Sunday when the Peak Classic Trials club held round 10 of its 2012 Club Championship at Bracken Rocks near Holloway in the heart of the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District. The clerk of the course Paul Beswick had spent Thursday and Friday setting out along with the help of fellow club member Jim Wickstead and did their best to take the downpours of late into account when doing so however one thing they didn’t take into account was a last minute training day organised by James Dabill on the Saturday which left the venue looking more like a moto cross course and Paul resetting sections and putting flags in in the dark Saturday evening. Whatever the event went ahead on Sunday however due in some part to Saturdays event the sections were more difficult than intended as they looked like a trial had already taken place when the event started. The Expert Twinshock class was won by young Robert Carson on his trusty 175 Yamaha with a fantastic score considering the conditions of just 42 with a closely fought battle between Mick Atmore out on a Fantic in total contrast to his normal mount a thundering rorty Triumph twin powered Trifield who lost 100 marks just beating Robert Mycock on his Bultaco into third losing 101 wow THAT was close. The Championship contenders were fighting it out in the Classic Expert Twinshock class with Ian Bend on his OSSA keeping them at bay with a score of 58 from Gary Shaw on his Fantic in second on 62. Peter Kearsley on his Honda did his Championship aspirations no harm with a third place score of 79 narrowly beating Championship leader Tony Sprinks on 82 in fourth. Neil Walker used all his experience to win the Intermediate British Bike category on a very credible 65 proving that his recovery from his recent accident is almost complete. The Classic Intermediate Twinshock class win was taken by current Clubman Championship leader Sean Wickstead trying out the class with an eye on next year’s Championship with a winning score of 22 which is very encouraging for the Honda mounted rider. Majesty mounted Cliff Bradley kept Sean honest taking second on 34 with Tony Shaw on his Bultaco taking third place and the lead in the Championship with a loss of 41. So all in all a testing day for ALL the riders who took part and the organisers would sincerely like to thank all the riders who took part along with the observers who braved the elements and glutinous mud to help make the day that little bit more enjoyable. Our next event will be on December 16th and will be at Burycliffe quarry near Elton Derbyshire start time 11.00 and will hopefully be a lot less wet. We look forward to seeing you all there. For more details and Club Championship standings see our website www.peakclassic.co.uk Expert Twinshock 1st Robert Carson Yamaha 175 42 marks 2nd Michael Attmore Fantic 100 marks 3rd Robert Mycock Bultaco 101 marks Classic Expert British Bike 1st Peter Carson Bantam rigid 15 marks Classic Expert Twinshock 1st Ian Bend Ossa 58 marks 2nd Gary Shaw Fantic 62 marks 3rd Peter Kearsley Honda 79 marks Classic Expert Air Cooled Mono 1st Gary Martin Yamaha 69 marks Intermediate British Bike 1st Neil Walker Francis Barnett 65 marks Intermediate Twinshock 1st Phillip Sibley Honda 73 marks 2nd Steve Blackburn Montesa 85 marks 3rd Steven Eyre SWM 96 marks Classic Intermediate British Bike 1st Paul Beswick James 46 marks Classic Intermediate Twinshock 1st Sean Wickstead Honda 22 marks 2nd Cliff Bradley Majesty 34 marks 3rd Tony Shaw Bultaco 41 marks Clubman British Bike 1st James Wickstead BSA 46 marks Clubman Twinshock 1st Stephen Baker Yamaha 77 marks Youth 1st James Sibley Gas Gas 48 marks 2nd Harry Lyons Beta Evo 50 marks

Drop the pressure to 4 psi then also try 3.5 psi then see how you go. The tyre is shot when the leading edge of the knobbles are rounded not square.

another one. Fair enough if thats how you feel it's a free country but shows a distinct lack of dedication and commitment to the sport of trials IMHO. I started in 1967 and have been doing it ever since. Seen the rules change the bikes change but most significantly the "attitude" of the riders change. Trials isnt a way of life for the average rider nowadays just a fashion thing. Too much look at me and not enough dedication and commitment along with way way too much ATTITUDE especially amongst the youth riders.I hope all of you find what you are looking for in the camraderie and good humour of your average MX event.

Nice piece of kit

Just to let everybody know the trial this Sunday is definately on. Been laying out yesterday and going back today to finish off. Ground is wet but no flooding issues so a good day out assured. 4 laps 10 sections. Classes for British bikes, Pre 85 Twinshocks, Pre 95 Air Cooled Monos sorry no sidecars this time. Routes for Expert, Classic expert, Intermediate, Classic Intermediate and Clubman. Bacon and Sausage cobs served by the lovely Donna and Tina plus the PB Trialsport sales van will be in attendance and there is a toilet block for the ladies. All mod cons LOL So see you there start time 11.00am Bracken Rocks, Holloway nr Matlock, Derbyshire.

The WTC is an amusing aside but is totally devolved from Trials as we know it and as such i cant see how whatever happens at WTC is going to equate to selling more bikes. Stop, no stop, roll backwards, stop for a 1, whatever. WTC has as much relevance to Trials as Stadium Cross has to Moto Cross.

Plus it's bloody noisey. I SAID IT'S BLOODY NOISEY.

Great piccys mate. Having trouble accessing the album but thats probably down to me. Keep the piccys coming really enjoy them

We introduced a youth championship class but as yet have only recieved less than a handfull of entries however locally the YMSA do regularly get 100+ turnouts from all over the country so there is "participation" already. Perhaps there isnt a problem at all? Perhaps we just think there is? Perhaps we couldnt handle a flood of entries if it happened? I know our club when it hold trials with over 50 entries suffers from queues which is one of the main complaints as CoC i recieve wouldnt a massive influx of entries from whatever age group exacerbate this? I only suggested the bikes because it has worked in the past. Perhaps the youf of today has moved on and with the invention of the dreaded games console they just want instant gratification and cant be ar5ed to put the hours in assuming the bank of mummy and daddy are happy to finance to purchase of a new bike etc every season. Most "parents" are too busy chasing the latest plasma screen or whatever makes them feel a sucess to run little Johnny or Jean around to practice and trials. Most if not all the riders i know took it up because they had family who rode or knew friends who rode i cant think of anybody who took it up solely due to reading or seeing a video. As an aside we all had bikes before we were 12 and rode them on the local tip then one local guy turned up on a Bultaco and it just blew my mind when i saw what he could do on it. From that moment i was hooked and my £10 stripped down road bike was history. I pestered my parents got two paper rounds and a Saturday job and bought a Greeves Scottish for £35, wish i still had it LOL, and entered my first trial and probably came last it was that long ago i cant remember. It was all down to that rider turning up at the tip to practice. Well that plus the fact that there was a group of us already riding old what we would now call "field bikes" so i suppose we were just waiting to be shown the light. Then again as others have said land access then wasnt the problem it is now plus there were loads of old bikes at the bottom of their owners garden for a tenner or less just waiting to be reborn. So perhaps it comes down to availability and opportunity both bikes and land but none of us had even heard about the Scottish or European championship, remember there was no WTC then, so it wasnt us trying to emulate the gods of trials that inspired us just a local clubman on a trials bike practising. Have things really changed so much? It was the artistry and efficiancy of movement that hooked me i wanted to be that rider and going around our makeshift circuit no longer held any fascination for me. I was going to be a Trials Rider. Now 48 years on i'm not much better in ability but i have so many rich and rewarding memories and have met so many good and long lasting friends and thats all because of Trials. first and foremost i am and always be a Trials rider. Sorry i'm having a "boring old fart" moment back to the point of the thread. I think everything starts at grass roots level and whatever happens at the WTC BTC or whatever has bu66er all to do with grass roots club trials which is actually what keeps the sport going. The costs for the uninitiated and undedicated just frighten them off when a skateboard or BMX can be bought for the cost of a couple of trials tyres. It's no use showing people what they cant aspire to. Bit like me licking the window at the local Aston Martin dealership. I aspire to one but know i'll never own one so it will just stay a dream.

Agreed perhaps we have to look to China? or even a European entrepreneur to modify an existing Chinese dirt bike. In the old days various manufacturers used to buy in motors and fit to their own frame and cycle parts. After all all the TY's were developed from existing trail bikes even the TY80 had to be developed in secret by MA and mechanic then launched to dealers as the factory didnt think it worthwhile. History now tells us who was right and who was wrong. Just as an afterthought remember the old RTX ? ok everybody thought they were crap at the time but wasnt that because we were comparing them to cutting edge product not viewing them as an entry level machine and grasping the opportunity they could have presented? Participation as has been said so many times is the key but to participate you need something to participate on wherever it comes from.

Fair points but i also dont find the clutch progressive enough when compared to my James and Ossa and am hoping to get the action more like the James, which has a very long clutch arm by comparison, or at least the OSSA which has also had it's clutch arm lengthened. The TY is too much like an on off switch for my liking as i like to be able to feather the clutch to help gain grip and am finding the TY too sharp and would like to lengthen the bite point. Just personal preference really. I do have a couple of spare arms anyway so no prob if it doesnt work. Remember it worked fine on my old TY in the 80's which after all is what i'm trying to recreate. Dont ever remember the old bike slipping and that had a 270 motor by Mick.Thanks for the advice though

Havent seen any for ages thats why i'm thinking of welding.

Thanks thats just what i was looking for

True but i think as long as the kids bike was sub £1500 and the 175 was sub £2000 then it would be there or thereabouts. Theres no reason at all that that shouldnt be attainable. the bike dont need to be cutting edge as they are an entry level / clubman machine. In fact doesnt need to be monoshock. The manufacturer could even promote a championship for these bikes. Struth at this price the dealers could even offer a rentabike / lease bike option with a guaranteed buy back after a year dependant on condition. Well they do it with cars why not ? It's their and our future they are investing in after all.

Anybody know if you can remove the clutch operating shaft without stripping the engine? Just asking cos i want to extend the arm on the top to make the clutch operation a bit lighter and dont fancy welding with it in situ. Thanks

Well said Nigel and i would add TY175. These two bikes alone possibly got more people into the sport than any other. Affordable, great VFM and almost bulletproof. How many modern bikes can you say that of?You can have all the media coverage you want but apart from massageing a few egos and making it easier to explain to colleagues how you spend your Sunday's it wont do jack 5hit unless people can afford to buy something to do it on that wont cost an arm and a leg and wont devalue by the hour plus will still be around for the little un to have a go on in a few years when they are ready.

£50 still sounds prohibatively expensive, we struggle to get people down here to pay £10 and i thought Scots were supposed to be tight LOL, to me but i'm glad an agreeable compromise has been sorted out. A triumph for democracy.

Worth uprating the gearbox too as some have been experienceing problems due to the massively increased torque over what the engine, remember it was originally a gutless 125, was "designed" for. Also they are very sensitive, like all 2 strokes, to exhaust design and very worthwhile benifits can be gained there. Take a look at Wrightys and Mick Grants which are pretty highly developed and go nothing like what you would imagine a Bantam would. You could also ask them but i doubt they would tell you whats in there but what you can see and photo will give you a good start.. Last but not least though remember theres a LOT more to a sucessful trials bike than a greta motor. IMHO junk the frame and start again plus good suspension is worth more than a trick motor every day in the real world. If it aint gripping and driving forward it's a five

Firstly you need to establish if you will ever intend to ride the bike in the Scottish Pre65 2 day or at some point sell it to somebody who might aspire to. You havent said where you are from or intend to ride but the mods you suggest and more are the basis of the better Bantams around. Really you need to check what is acceptable at the clubs you intend to ride with. The bike you suggest would also have to enter at least as a "special" at Yorkshire Classic events to name but one club. Bantams are possibly the most highly modified of the "Pre65" LOL trials bikes and when done make very good trials bikes however as with all P65 machines double check the rules first with the clubs you will be riding with. Good luck

As always when buying any bike caviat emptor but always trust your gut feeling as it's usually right and remember if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is. You should get something useable for a grand. Might need new tyres, dont go on tread depth but is the leading edge square or rounded off also they go hard after about a year or so, which you can always use as a bargaining tool the same with chain and sprockets.The good thing about twinshocks is they are basic engineering which will be a doddle for you to work on and maintain. Prices dont really vary with the seasons but perhaps with Christmas coming bargains may be able to be had as people are selling to fund Christmas but the buyers are saving for Christmas so go for it. Oh and dont forget unless you already have one budget for a trailer or bike rack to transport the bike to events.

Thanks Nick