markmaltby Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 What is your best tip for a new rider other than get out and practice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdchair Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Buddy up with someone who is better rider than you and is prepared to watch and help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombo46 Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Dont put your feet down.... but seriously..... one tip I would give is to look after your bike. and most importantly, have tonnes of fun! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmaltby Posted June 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Cheers lads One thing i find myself doing is when turning to the right i tend to open the throttle the bike then jerks and i pull the throttle even more and my turning circles are absolutly huge. I can see i need loads of practice. My son has ridden a bit of trials and went out with me this evening for 45 minutes and showed me how to tackle a small hill both up and down which i managed on my second attempt,my first attempt and i stalled near the top. I know 45 minutes is not a lot of time but my left hand couldn't take much more. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coxy Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 obviously like you say the main thing is to practise as much as possible but start with the basics and move on as you progress and try and ride with someone better than you as much as possible! another thing is to try and ride sections that are challenging and cannot be cleaned on your first few attempts rather than just tweedle around and not learn anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16000rpm Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Hi What bike do you ride ? when doing a tight turn i tend to slip the clutch so i can be as slow as possible and smooth out the power. Most of all have fun ,ride with a buddy if possible and have a look at ryan youngs DVD,s these are expensive but worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bambam_n_chunx Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Buy the biggest lock and chain and keep your bike hidden as much as possible. Dont worry about riding it properly just have fun with it until your confidence grows. Worst thing is trying to copy a good rider when learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 If you learn the boring stuff at the start, it will help you do the exciting stuff sooner. Stick to a flat surface for a hour or two and practice figure or eights. Keeping your shoulders parallel to the bars as you turn helps. Once you can do these on (or close to) full lock without putting your feet down you are ready to move on. Riding on the flat initially will also help you learn to balance and build up strenght in you hands and knees, then when you go out on the hills etc you will be able to ride for longer. In no time, you will be riding for hours at a time. Good luck and let us know how you get on. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzralphy Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Practice lots, even spending hours riding on your driveway will pay huge dividends. Get a copy of the ryan young trials training DVD and watch it lots. Mark there are many ways to ride a trials bike and many may be wrong for you. take all the advise you can get but be warned it will only be another person's preference. I would NEVER do what Pete suggests - follow the bars with your shoulders as it makes me swing my butt out rather than being centered over the bike - but that is just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 for an absolute beginner get hold of a copy of bernie shriebers 'observed trials' loads of really useful info about the basics ..keeping centred etc. also you see that a carpark is the best place to practice get the carpark stuff down before you even think about getting the bike dirty.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmaltby Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Cheers lads Looks like the most popular piece of advice is to practice on the flat for a start,so thats where i will start my training. 1600rpm the bike is a 1982 Montesa cota 200 you can see the pics in the twinshock forum. bambam n chunks rest assured the bike is well secured. totalshell is bernie shriebers 'observed trials' a book or a dvd ? Lots to think about and lots of practicing to get in before i venture onto the dirt me thinks Thanks once again for the encouragment and i shall keep you informed of my progress warts and all. Best regards Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thespikeyone Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 What is your best tip for a new rider other than get out and practice fall off, laugh about it, dont get angry with yourself, try it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Learn to switch your weight on the pegs to initiate the figure eight turns, keep your inside arm straight while offsetting the bike lean with body and peg weight, look ahead of your path. Little to no weight on the arms and hands, let it FLOW balanced throughout the turn, then switch! With a poke on the peg and shift in weight! Yes, a lot of things changing there, takes much practice! Once comfy, just throw a little board on the loop, then a rock. If you are balanced on the bike it will roll right over them with little disruption. Front, then back, add as you go, body lets bike move to compensate. Split them with the wheels then. Learn your placement in the turn. Just lots you can do in the driveway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 HAVE FUN!!! Go riding with a great friend. Good friend says "Keep practicing you will get it." Great friend says "Give it more gas, I'll catch ya if ya don't make it" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Get out and practice - no, wait, nevermind.... Actually, not running around 4 lbs. pressure in the rear tire is maybe the biggest mistake new riders make? Also, having the bars too far towards the back is a big mistake. Get a black (slower) throttle tube, too. Standard is the white (faster) throttle tube, but it's likely not best for a beginning rider. Don't rely on the clutch TOO much during your first couple months of trials riding....it can actually hurt you in the beginning to have the power killed, which is what pulling in the clutch is for most beginning riders. Learn w/out the clutch, but then certainly do start using the clutch, especially in turns. "But don't use the clutch as a crutch." The top 3 tips are: 1. Practice. 2. See tip #1. 3. Re-read tip #2. If you can practice 3 days per week (sure, it's impossible for most folks) you'll be MILES ahead of where you'd be otherwise. It's kind of amazing how much of a difference it makes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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