Mokwepa, try to heed these guys' advice about "riding loose", and keeping your knees bent slightly more than they are in the photo. Keeping my legs too straight./knees not bent is a problem I continually fight myself. It makes a huge difference in your riding.......
Sometimes, on obstacles like you have in the picture, if I have enough room, I approach them with my knees flexed pretty good. I'll pick the front end up several feet before I get to the obstacle, and drop it downwards on the upper 1/3 or 3/4 (You pick your own fraction!) of the obstacle. As the front end rebounds from this, blip the throttle a small bit, and jump up as hard as you can; you have to put some effort into it. The unloading of the rear suspension as you blip your throttle/straighten your knees/jump up will usually pick the back end up high enough to help roll over the obstacle. Timing is pretty much everything in this "Zap" type of obstacle clearing, but even old Dorks like myself can manage to learn this. Sometimes......
Zippy, I try not to think when I ride, or most any other time in life, hee hee. It's worked for 57 years.....
Jimmie
yep like Neutron says (I will paraphrase) most of it is in the legs and timing.
being "loose" and comfortable on the bike makes things much better.
Since math does not seem to be your stong point instead of driving your front wheel into the obstacle 75% up on its face just drive into it 3/4 of the way up...... LOL There, does that help you?
This way you do not have to convert 75% to fractions in your head as you ride.
Or if you really want to simplfy the math aim 1/4 (or 25%) down from the top of the obstacle.
Where you home schooled by any chance? LOL
Actually I am quite good at math. (Senior year High school took Analysis and Math V at the same time. The two courses combined were the equivalent of a college pre-calculus class. Slept during both at different times during the week and finished with an A in each class. But enough bragging about something I have never used in 22 yes. Since graduating and have forgotten most of it.
Anyways point is I try not to think too much when I ride. It usually makes me worry about the obstacle too much or I concentrate on one thing too Much and screw it up.
Blip throttle, front tire comes up. Something that size is immaterial if it tire hits face or sits on top. The key is push down on pegs to compress rear suspension then as you give the second blip "jump" up and the rear will "bounce" on top of log.
May not be pretty or smooth or "greatest" technique but gets the job done.
If he stopped then yes a 5 under current rules, but if he was still moving forward and restarted the bike while still moving forward than he satisfied the no stop portion of the rule.
So far I do not know of a "No Stall" rule.......................yet.
possibly you could loosen the banjo bolt and rotate the brake hose down a tad bit so it follows the same angle as the bars. Giving a little more downward swing for the master cylinder?
Or take a chance and bend the metal part of the line a little bit away from the bars?
If we could get some actual Brick and Mortar dealerships with bikes on hand that may help with exposure.
Think of Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, etc.. There is a dealership relatively close to just about anybody. Or it is "well known" enough that people would travel to it. You can buy one of the bikes that are right there in stock. right now if you want a trials bike, it gets ordered, and we wait for it to be imported and wait and wait and wait and wait.............
GasGas and Beta are making good Enduro bikes as well as the trials machines. Have seen both around. Most trials manufacturers do have a range of other bikes available. So if some of these established dealers would pick up a new brand or two that would help and then have a trials bike parked alongside the enduro machines etc.......
but which one of the established dealers wants to be the first to take the risk?
Trouble is some riders will have ridden the section non stop and possibly suffered because of making a genuine attempt, how does "consistently wrong" benefit them ?
Because if they make a "genuine attempt" that means they may also have a "bobble" for a moment that will be scored the same as all the others that have a "bobble". Which brings the score to footing being the deciding factor.
I have heard other riders had a more "flowing style" but herky jerky style that does not stop is also no stop. The more pretty flowing style matters not if you put your feet down more often then the sporatic style. (Notice I said both styles do not stop. Herky jerky = motion forward quickly then real slow, then quick, then rel slow etc...)
Again just my opinion and the FIM won't listen to me anyway.
At least if the observer observes every rider "Consistently Wrong" then all riders are judged on the same criteria and have a fair sporting chance at the win.
Now of course what would be best is if every observer at the trial observed consistently with all the other observers to what the written rules are. I.E. stop = 5 then every observer sees a stop of forward motion scores a 5 no matter who the rider is or length of time of the stop.
(by the way I hate No Stop rules, but if that is the rule then it should be scored as such and scored consistently)
I cannot comment on any specific section or specific scoring practices at a World Round as because I was not actually there. And majority of the videos are too far away/grainy for me to be able to really make a final determination (and my computer lags sometimes causing it to appear they stopped, when it is just my puter buffering) My comments are more of a "general" nature on the rules themselves.
I can't help how other folks keep score , but in our section sunday we didn't play games and I think word spread thru the riders quickly... I hope somewhere out there , there is some footage of the section I worked . We scored ALL the riders the same .
Glenn
Consistency is the most important.
Problem is getting all Observers to have the same consistency. AAAHH arguement for a different day.
Before you take the old pads out, stick a fat screwdriver between them and give it a twist to push the pistons apart to allow for the thicker new pads.
I usually remove the master cylinder cover when doing this to allow the fluid to go back into the master cylinder easier. Not exactly sure if it is necessary or helpful...........just something I do.
AWESOME PICS really wish I could have made it there.
First 2 pics of Raga and Bou, I imagine the conversation as this
Raga: Hey Toni, How ya doing today?
Bou: Oh not bad, really enjoying the US weather. You?
Raga: Oh yea the weather is great, you try any of the local food?
Bou: yep I tried some Chili, it was named incorrectly. that stuff was HOT and spicy. TTTHHHHHHPPPPPPPPPPPTTT!
Raga: (sniff) I think I will go over here and get a look at the section from a different angle....... see ya around.
#1 and #5 green vest are syncronized.........
Other pics have some really nice action shots, and some really good shots of riders faces. Love seeing the look of concentration on some and the look of enjoyment on others.
I hear what you are saying. Of course I want the bike that suits my riding style the best but I also want one the is easy to maintain, does not break after each little bash, something that will last & hold it value when looked after.
Good luck I here you say!
Well,
I don't really have much personal experience with the "newer" bikes. My "new" bike is 10 yrs old. So if you are going from an 09 to a 13 or 14 that is WAY out of my experience level. So anything I would have to say on the subject would be basic propoganda/ BS or brand loyalty.
GO GASGAS!!!!
Good luck on your search, hope you can get some actually useful information.
You may be honestly trying to get some helpful info on bikes. But over the past few years there have been many "which bike is best" threads. And these generally just devolve into "The bike I ride is best, all others are crap".
So my advice, get to ride as many different new bikes as you can, and go for the one that suits you best.
Well, Tim...you know how it is...old trials riders never die...we just smell that way.
#2 son has caught the bug, so it looks like I'm back in it to some extent.
The apparatus needed to hold my knee together gets more complex as I avoid the inevitable inevitable replacement, so most of my "riding" will be following the next generation around, but DAMN there aren't too many places I feel more at home than on a 'sickle!
Welcome back to Trials, hope the youngen continues to have fun with it for years to come.
I am in trouble because I smell like I died and I am not considered "Old Trials Rider"......yet (40)
I also use a knee brace but mine is for Arthritis and holds my knee apart a tad bit so that it doesn't "slam" together. But I have been told by my Orthopedic surgeon that I "will have a knee replacement in my future" I responded with "We will talk when I can't walk without screaming" Here's an odd bit of info on the Arthritic knee, It never hurts while riding trials or riding bicycles. (maybe it is the brace) but I will have pain when walking, cold wet days affect it........ so my theory is I need to ride more often and walk less.
Bigger Logs/drums - How?
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On Break at the time of writing this of course!