mags Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 Heather, Pic 1 was a thorn in our side for months when we started! It is about a 2 ft shear drop followed by a rocky creek floor to ride over (Pic 2) It took months and some advice from people in here how to approach shear drops and go over them before I attempted it. I eventually did go down it and now go down that section regularly for a 0. It was a psychological barrier but I needed confidence to do it! That came with some more practice going down much smaller drop-offs and building up to the bigger ones... and technique! After my wife saw me going down that section she eventually tried it... she was very nervous the first time and had to lower the bike down the drop using front brake and feet on ground.... then dabbed all through the rocky section but didn't fall down. She has done it only 3 times now with the rocky section dab free and she is building up to the drop off to eventually ride over it verses lowering the bike down it. It can take a bit of time sometimes... but in the end you will be amazed how quick you start catching up to the abilities of the bike! Going across the face of a hill and turning is a scary one at times! Cindy was practicing at our favourite hill and there is a tree stump about 2 yards up a steep bank and we go up the left side of the tree stump... static for split second or two at the stump then go around the stump and back down the hill. 3 or 4 times around the left and then swap top 3 or 4 times around the right. You have to hang ya bum out reasonably far to turn and static or you will fall downhill... which is what happened to Cindy! She went to static at the stump but not enough bum out so fell down the hill... all I heard was the smack of the helmet on the side of the stump as she went down! The lanyard did its job and shut the motor off... she was ok just a little shaken up! I parked my bike and raced to her as she was getting up.... she says " I think I dented the stump with my head!" I said "Yep! Its got a 30 degree lean now"! She then said "My bum was not far enough out was it?" I said "nope!" That particular fall was straight down to basic fig 8 technique or more correctly the lack of it. Hundreds and hundreds of fig 8's later she goes around that same stump with ease and has never fallen there again. She actually takes a harder route to it by going up beside a boulder first then around stump. As a side note... even when doing some stuff around home we have a rule... if the engine is to be started you have to have a helmet on!!! Don't be tempted to its only 5 minutes it will be right... if you dont already... once engine started to do something, helmet on! Don't be in too much of a rush to get through the beginner stage... its a fun time and one of the best times to look back on as thats where most of the funny stories about misadventures come from!!! Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Just another our note, our club has always had good women riders. We`ve had some that rode the Scottish and several more that has ridden the Women`s rounds and several times the TDN team. Not bad from a small state in the USA. Keep at it, you never know how good you might end up being! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Ah, "woods". Take heart, I'd suggest that an easy woods section is probably harder for the beginner than an equivalently easy rocky section. As well as all the balance and use of controls you probably also have to find grip whereas that's usually less of a problem on the right kind of rock section. Thirty-odd years ago, during the Bath Two Day (regrettably no more), we were trying to persuade a Centre champion from the south west area that he should be doing the Scottish, so impressed were we with his ability to find grip, but he thought rocks would be too hard. Our opinion was that if you can find grip in "English" mud and woods then rocks are easy to adapt to compared to going the other way. Stick at it. Woods are especially difficult on a wet day, and this time of the year too with all the leaves on the ground, leaves can hide a lot... Rocks seem to be about confidence, a decent amount of speed/ momentum, smoothness and body positioning. Hell, a lot of things seem to be about that, but it's easier said than done. Thanks for the encouragement Heather, Pic 1 was a thorn in our side for months when we started! It is about a 2 ft shear drop followed by a rocky creek floor to ride over (Pic 2) It took months and some advice from people in here how to approach shear drops and go over them before I attempted it. I eventually did go down it and now go down that section regularly for a 0. It was a psychological barrier but I needed confidence to do it! That came with some more practice going down much smaller drop-offs and building up to the bigger ones... and technique! After my wife saw me going down that section she eventually tried it... she was very nervous the first time and had to lower the bike down the drop using front brake and feet on ground.... then dabbed all through the rocky section but didn't fall down. She has done it only 3 times now with the rocky section dab free and she is building up to the drop off to eventually ride over it verses lowering the bike down it. It can take a bit of time sometimes... but in the end you will be amazed how quick you start catching up to the abilities of the bike! Going across the face of a hill and turning is a scary one at times! Cindy was practicing at our favourite hill and there is a tree stump about 2 yards up a steep bank and we go up the left side of the tree stump... static for split second or two at the stump then go around the stump and back down the hill. 3 or 4 times around the left and then swap top 3 or 4 times around the right. You have to hang ya bum out reasonably far to turn and static or you will fall downhill... which is what happened to Cindy! She went to static at the stump but not enough bum out so fell down the hill... all I heard was the smack of the helmet on the side of the stump as she went down! The lanyard did its job and shut the motor off... she was ok just a little shaken up! I parked my bike and raced to her as she was getting up.... she says " I think I dented the stump with my head!" I said "Yep! Its got a 30 degree lean now"! She then said "My bum was not far enough out was it?" I said "nope!" That particular fall was straight down to basic fig 8 technique or more correctly the lack of it. Hundreds and hundreds of fig 8's later she goes around that same stump with ease and has never fallen there again. She actually takes a harder route to it by going up beside a boulder first then around stump. As a side note... even when doing some stuff around home we have a rule... if the engine is to be started you have to have a helmet on!!! Don't be tempted to its only 5 minutes it will be right... if you dont already... once engine started to do something, helmet on! Don't be in too much of a rush to get through the beginner stage... its a fun time and one of the best times to look back on as thats where most of the funny stories about misadventures come from!!! Mags CindyGC27071401.jpg CindyGC27071402.jpg Hey Mags. That looks like quite a drop off, it's surprising how intimidating they are when you're on the bike and faced with the obstacle. You can do all the reading, watch all the videos but it's a different matter actually carrying out a technique. Going down hill, turning and going back up isn't so bad. It's turning maybe near the top of the hill to go back down is the problem, getting your weight in the right place is hard, at least turning into the hill the tyre has something to bite against, if you get what I mean? Good job Cindy was wearing a helmet when that happened, glad she was alright. Just another our note, our club has always had good women riders. We`ve had some that rode the Scottish and several more that has ridden the Women`s rounds and several times the TDN team. Not bad from a small state in the USA. Keep at it, you never know how good you might end up being! A few years down the line, you never know thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 (edited) First trial age 12 on a ty80. It was a single route back then (34 years ago). I got through one section, in the results I got through two as one of the observers felt sorry for me. Id been riding since I was 10. It took another couple of years to clean a section in single route trials. At 16 things started to click. At 17 I rode the ssdt and have done all kinds of trials since and im still addicted. Trials is hard to learn and in someways even harder to teach. Just keep at it, practice is everything but you need to ride with someone better than you now to help you learn. Edited October 31, 2014 by baldilocks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted October 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 First trial age 12 on a ty80. It was a single route back then (34 years ago). I got through one section, in the results I got through two as one of the observers felt sorry for me. Id been riding since I was 10. It took another couple of years to clean a section in single route trials. At 16 things started to click. At 17 I rode the ssdt and have done all kinds of trials since and im still addicted. Trials is hard to learn and in someways even harder to teach. Just keep at it, practice is everything but you need to ride with someone better than you now to help you learn. Thanks, it's great you stuck at it and improved over the years. I think I underestimated it a bit thinking I could enter a trial with only a months experience. It was certainly a hard but good lesson to learn. Thankfully I've got a friend with a trials bike who is also a beginner but is braver than me and will try out lines I didn't think to try! He's given me a lot more confidence to attempt obstacles and it's great to have a friend to practice with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 How do you do going UP the same drop? Going down is easier to me, it was the getting back up that took me a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breagh Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Trials must be hell starting out when you're that wee bit older? Riders who have been around as long as me have so much advantage over older beginners. 76 was my first trial,Honda TL125 the bike weighed 100kg and we all rode the same route. Thing is at 13 you didn't get tired and you just bounced and someone else was paying the bills. Massive advantage and everything gets hardwired in to the brain so now you ride instinctively.. Much respect to anyone giving it a go in there 40s or older. All the ones that keep at it do get it. Best advice I can give is learn to walk before you try to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted November 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 Trials must be hell starting out when you're that wee bit older? Riders who have been around as long as me have so much advantage over older beginners. 76 was my first trial,Honda TL125 the bike weighed 100kg and we all rode the same route. Thing is at 13 you didn't get tired and you just bounced and someone else was paying the bills. Massive advantage and everything gets hardwired in to the brain so now you ride instinctively.. Much respect to anyone giving it a go in there 40s or older. All the ones that keep at it do get it. Best advice I can give is learn to walk before you try to run. You're right, got to get the slow speed control down and basic turns. I'm 24, I wish I had discovered trials when I was younger. Compared to someone who started in their early teens they've already got ten years more experience than I have. Plus when you get older you're a little less fearless I suppose. Saying that, just gotta keep trying, getting there slowly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mags Posted November 1, 2014 Report Share Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) Much respect to anyone giving it a go in there 40s or older. It is pretty hard later in life. I did a little in my early teens but soon went to motocross... at least I had a good grounding on other bikes first. My wife, as most know, wanted to start riding a motorcycle at 50! I insisted she start with a trials motorcycle to learn skills other motorcycle disciplines won't give you. I dont think she will ever lift the front wheel to log jump or ride on the back wheel for any great distance but she is now very addicted to her trials bike and loved her first comp. She is also addicted to road riding as well. Rode 1000 k's in the last 3 weeks on her road bike. Just the way she pulls up very slowly at traffic lights and lifts her foot early to take off is ALL down to her trials riding. She has only had a road bike for a month and is booked in for her motorcycle licence test on the 23 rdNov. Mags Edited November 1, 2014 by mags 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmark Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 I have just done my first trial at hillend weardale and I may as well of pushed my bike through the sections but I still enjoyed the experience and I am going to do my second trial on Sunday which has a very easy rout that I am hoping give me a bit of confidence I seem to loss all my ability to ride a bike when 50 odd people are watching me haha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pschrauber Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Interesting thread, my first trials competition must have been in 1982 I think, I was 16 years old and riding a 50cc Italjet. In fact I was already outclassed in my youth class as with 12 years you were allowed to ride 125cc and with 16 up to 175cc bikes back then, the other guys had Yamahas, Fantic's Montesas and SWM. Anyway it was kind of nice, I did not manage to clean one single section but when I remember right I mostly got through all of them there was one with bigger logs which I couldn't manage at all tried hard but failed every time. Anyway I was hooked even more as I was before, because all riding in diffrent terrain was thrilling too also to meet so much other people riding trials in my age. I only have one picture of me left from this special day the photo was taken by one of my parents when we started to the trials early in the morning here uploading the bikes to the trailer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 No beard then, Patrik ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pschrauber Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Nope far too young, and don't forget I'am blonde . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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