davidbaker

Try one of these before you spend any more time and money on new seals. http://sealmate.net/ Best £6 I've spent on garage equipment - works every time.

Butsfield sounded very good and local to me, however I already committed to the Sunday and there was no way the handbrake (puts a stop to everything) was going to let me have two days biking in a weekend. I've got a couple of children to entertain and we had plans. So nothing at all wrong with the way it was advertised, just couldn't make it. I did spectate at Butsfield a couple of weekends ago and thought some of it a bit much for me but having done the conducted thing yesterday it doesn't feel quite so bad, if the dates work for me next time I'll be there. I think the next one I can make is Weardale - just enough time to forget everything Ray & Glen told me.

LONG POST ALERT The original question posed in this thread was ‘where are all the entries?’ - this gracefully morphed into ‘how to attract new people into the sport?’. 8 pages of opinion later and the good people organising the Seaton Delaval trial decided to take some action and host a conducted trial for adult beginners. Well, I was one of three adult beginners who signed up, all of us rather predictably male, white and hunting down middle age so we may have increased participation but we did nothing for diversity! Perhaps a topic for another day. I will not go over the format of the day as this has already been described in a previous post, I would rather focus on the question in hand and feedback on my experience. The only reason I (and I suspect the other two) attended this particular trial was because it was conducted. This immediately voids any comment around the fact that it was not worth the effort. Three new riders, each buying a bike, riding gear and a load of new parts to get those bikes up to spec - the person I bought my bike off only sold it in order to buy a new one - show me one thing here which is not a positive. Given that trials is a minority sport I can not imagine it attracting any more than 1 or 2 new riders per month in a region so we should not be disheartened by what could be considered a low number - it is unlikely there are hundreds of people out there sitting on sofas in boots and helmet wishing they could take part. So lets be happy with 3 for now. All of this must be looked at from a beginners point of view, all you long termers can have your say, and constructive suggestions are always good but if you want the answer to a question - ask the people who might have the answer. A lot of people thinking about getting into trials will be like me, had road bikes for years, maybe had a field bike or two when they were younger so riding the bike has never been a barrier to me entering a trial, the barrier was always not wanting to look like a fool in front of other riders and having watched several trials, the whole thing looked very intimidating. As a beginner I don’t see trials as a sport, I see it as enjoying riding a motorcycle, a Sunday activity, I don’t care about the points, I don’t want to be competitive (for now). Having a conducted trial was EXACTLY what I needed, enabling me to feel comfortable and confident in an otherwise unfamiliar and mildly stressful environment. While advertising it as a ‘conducted trial’ may be technically correct, advertising it as something like ‘help and guidance for beginners available’ would be more appropriate so anyone reading the event details knows exactly what they can expect. Ask your Auntie Dot what she understands by ‘a conducted trial’ and I suspect she will not give you the answer you were looking for. If we want to encourage new people into trials we should always try and remove any barriers which prevent people understanding what it is, how it works and how to get involved. If that means breaking with the odd tradition or accepted norms, so be it. As I alluded to earlier, if you want to know what the barriers are, ask the people to whom there are barriers I have already thanked Ray Crinson & Glen Quinn for managing us through the trial on the day and on a local forum, however I would like to do so once again. And for any other clubs considering similar conducted trials I would say it is important to use people who have the correct temperament to do the conducting. Both Ray & Glen approached it with a great attitude, calmness and the ability to clearly describe sections / bike inputs etc. The three of us went home with a sense of achievement and I suspect Ray & Glen did the same. I already have several trials penciled into the calendar so it would appear this adult conducted trial experiment was very much worth the effort, for me at least. It might be that no new people show up but at least the door is open for people to have a look inside and just maybe they will walk through. All clubs should offer adult conducted trials - it’s a no-brainer and cost neutral. Would I suggest changing anything? Nope, all us beginners need is a little bit of structured help - nothing more. And just for reference, the fact I had to fill in a form with an actual pen and hand over £15 in actual money isn’t one of the barriers..… Thank you

Indeed, the only advice given was "follow the white flags" - the fact the white flags turned in to blue and red flags half way through then back to white for the exit was impossible to figure out until I asked the "this might sound like a stupid question but....". After that I just followed the 6 year old on an electric bike. Not sure but I think I beat him on points - that'll teach him to be 40 years younger than me.

Interesting thread. As someone who has only done one trial and didn't know what the hell was going for the first hour, I can say the idea of a conducted trial for beginners (regardless of age) is a great idea. I did consider this Seaton Delaval trial to be a bit further away than I would have liked for that particular day due to family commitments, however I will be attending because of the fact it is now conducted and I would like to support the extra effort being put in to try and make a difference for beginners. Turning up by yourself not knowing what is going on / how things work / what the different flags mean etc can be very off putting - all on top of the stress, I mean fun of trying to get through the sections. Now that I know there will be someone there to give me some guidance and remove that stress, I can't wait. Thank you in advance to all concerned.

I have a standard TY175 which has been lying around the garage for some time unused as I also have a scorpa 250 and because the TY is a little bit on the small side. I was thinking about selling the TY however I started her up and had a little pootle about and realised that I love that little bike and for the couple hundred pounds it cost me its great just to have about. So, my question is has anyone modified a TY175 to make it a bit more comfortable to ride, lower foot pegs, longer swing arm, don't really want to spend the money but what difference do the majesty frames make etc? I'm 5 11 tall and just feel as if I am hunched over a bit when I ride it (I don't walk hunched over you understand...). Any suggestions welcome.

I am amazed that choice of trials jacket can create so much interest. No wonder they cost so much if everyone's bothered about what they look like. I've had my Barbour International jacket and trousers for about 18 years, doesn't let water in, lets sweat out, doesn't rip when I fall in the hawthorns and I can wear it walking down the street without looking like a tool. Anyone who lives near Tyneside can go to the factory shop and get a bargin that will last a life time.

Thats that sorted then. Cheers

Thanks for that, I'll borrow the wifes measuring jug tomorrow. Well my measuring jug, don't think she even knows where the kitchen is.......

Its taken a few months but all the bits are back together and all is well, started no problem with the fuel that was still in the tank but now need to fill her up. Any suggestions on a good fuel mix for novice use and general pottering about?

Hello, does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 1997 easy (yellow & grey)? Putting mine back together and have lost the photographs I took before I stripped it. Doh!

Got sorted, managed to find a none running bike minus a few bits through this forum. Thank you to everyone who PM'd me with suggestions and offers.

the swing arm is cast alloy (not sure what type) rather than box section, do you reckon that is still repairable?

I am in the middle of rebuilding a Scorpa easy (1997 yellow and grey) and have discovered a crack in the swing arm about an inch or so from the axle end. This is a bummer as I have everything I need for the rebuild and so far it has not cost much but I suspect that might all change if I have to buy a new swing arm. The bike will never be worth much so I would like to avoid the expense of a new swing arm, does anyone out there have a spare for sale or know if they can be repaired (cost effectively) ? An alternative would be if anyone has a whole bike for spares or repair, at least that way I could have a stock of other parts should anything else let go.

I've sent you message with my email address so thanks in advance for the info. I ordered the spacers, Nigel did not want dimensions as he said they are standard issue and he had them in stock. I will let you know if they solve the problem before you buy some.