gfisch Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Hello Everyone, I just recently returned to trials after having been involved in an on-and-off manner for the past 30+ years. Living in California, the environmental/air quality issues made purchasing a bike that I could ride all year long extremely difficult. I ended up buying an Electric Motion 5.7 and really love it. However, now there are now fewer places to ride and fewer trial riders at the events. Trials seems to be on a very steep decline and I would like to hear your opinions as to why that may be happening. I've seen the OSET company trying to get very young riders involved in trials, and I think that's great. But what do you think can be done to get more teens and young adults involved? Is it FIM rules, extreme sections, cost, or something else. I know when I show work mates what I'm doing, they seem interested and want to give it a go. But without someone they know who's actually doing it, they seem to think that trials is way beyond their skill level. Is the press making trials seem too extreme? Thanks in advance for you comments. Best regards! Edited July 7, 2015 by gfisch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hannon Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 No easy answer here.... this has been debated over and over In SoCal we have about 100+ different riders who competed throughout the season total, but the events seem to be 35-50 riders http://www.socaltrials.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Most people are too busy on the phone to have their own life! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breagh Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Been well debated Trials is like a secret society,never really promoted except at a low level by some well meaning clubs and dealers. I've probably more chance of getting invited.to a Ku Klux Klan meeting than a Trial and I live in the UK and I'm trials convener of my local club. Even in my club I struggle to get promotional material like flyers and posters and reports in the press but these things do work Really don't think it's anything to do with the sport just no one knows about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collyolly Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 There are plenty of riders down here in the south east of England, but competitors is another question. If we run a practice day 60 to 80 riders will turn up,often on recent bikes with all the gear, but put on a proper trial and you are down to 30 to 40 and they will be mostly different guys. If you have a 10 section 4 lap trial which is what most of ours are and 80 competitors turn up (it used to happen ! ) then you are going to spend all day in a queue, one experience of that and people do not come back, practice days however mean you can just ride for 4 hours and just have fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 There are plenty of riders down here in the south east of England, but competitors is another question. If we run a practice day 60 to 80 riders will turn up,often on recent bikes with all the gear, but put on a proper trial and you are down to 30 to 40 and they will be mostly different guys. If you have a 10 section 4 lap trial which is what most of ours are and 80 competitors turn up (it used to happen ! ) then you are going to spend all day in a queue, one experience of that and people do not come back, practice days however mean you can just ride for 4 hours and just have fun. Good point i had never considered. I am probably in the minority though as on these practice days i get bored after 20 mins as it doesnt matter if you dab or not so whats the point. People do say to me i'm going "practising" a lot but i never see them at events like you say. What the heck are they practising for then if they never ride in a competition ? I must be the odd one out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_orange Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Definitely a quiet sport that you have to go looking for. No one under the age of 50 ever seems to know what it is unless their "dad used to do that". Part of the problem is that it's pretty boring to watch and definitely doesn't translate into Youtube videos well. But just hopping over a few logs and doing some muddy climbs is such good fun. I ended up buying an Electric Motion 5.7 and really love it. So tell us more about the EM 5.7! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfisch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 There are plenty of riders down here in the south east of England, but competitors is another question. If we run a practice day 60 to 80 riders will turn up,often on recent bikes with all the gear, but put on a proper trial and you are down to 30 to 40 and they will be mostly different guys. If you have a 10 section 4 lap trial which is what most of ours are and 80 competitors turn up (it used to happen ! ) then you are going to spend all day in a queue, one experience of that and people do not come back, practice days however mean you can just ride for 4 hours and just have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) There are plenty of riders down here in the south east of England, but competitors is another question. If we run a practice day 60 to 80 riders will turn up,often on recent bikes with all the gear, but put on a proper trial and you are down to 30 to 40 and they will be mostly different guys. If you have a 10 section 4 lap trial which is what most of ours are and 80 competitors turn up (it used to happen ! ) then you are going to spend all day in a queue, one experience of that and people do not come back, practice days however mean you can just ride for 4 hours and just have fun. This is one reason why I don't think it is automatically a good idea to promote trials. There is an optimum number of competitors for a given venue, beyond which most people are turned off by queuing. In several places the optimum number is already achieved. Yes, riders could be started at different sections to reduce the problem but in my experience that doesn't happen much when it could be a positive help. Edited July 8, 2015 by cleanorbust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfisch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Yes, that's a good point. Perhaps some of the events could be shorter and have different start times. That way, riders wouldn't spend most of their time in queues. Although, watching other riders can be fun and beneficial. The last event I rode in (2003?) had 3 loops to complete the first day and my first lap took nearly 3 hours. Not to mention, riding the loop itself was much harder than many of the sections. I recall Trials "classes" at a location here in Southern California called Saddleback Park where the first couple of hours were instructional, and a short (5+ sections) event was held for during the last 2 hours. Those used to have many riders attending and events where held several times per month. They also welcomed non-trials bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfisch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Definitely a quiet sport that you have to go looking for. No one under the age of 50 ever seems to know what it is unless their "dad used to do that". Part of the problem is that it's pretty boring to watch and definitely doesn't translate into Youtube videos well. But just hopping over a few logs and doing some muddy climbs is such good fun. So tell us more about the EM 5.7! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfisch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 The EM 5.7 has many similarities to a Sherco, but the electric system is amazing. No shifting, a "clutch-like" switch, and a power setting switch for selecting various throttle response curves. The Novice mode is very tame and suitable for someone who has never ridden before, the Trek mode is good for average trail (loop) riding if there are no major hills/steps to deal with, the Trials mode also uses a thumb switch near the throttle to select two different curves: one for full-power, quick response and the other for about 95% power and smoother response. The latter mode is good for loose terrain and/or muddy, slippery sections. It definitely feels like a regular Trials bike when ridden. I've had a couple of expert riders put it through it's paces and it performed well. It sounds basically like a petrol bikes does when coasting downhill with the engine off. Chain noise predominates and the motor has a quiet, pleasing sound. However, when going downhill, the motor does produce an odd whining sound, but still very quiet. It also has a button on the left that engages re-generative braking. It feels somewhat like the compression release on a two-stroke does when engaged on a downhill. The energy from the motor is fed-back into the battery and slows you down at the same time. I'm still trying to figure out how to use the "clutch". It basically shuts the motor off when pulled, but when released, it will instantly accelerate to whatever the throttle was set to. This is challenging since there is nothing moving, nor any sound, while advancing the throttle when the clutch is pulled. As a result, I have to guess where the throttle is set, then release the clutch for an immediate surprise. I'm sure with time, I'll be able to get the correct feel for setting the throttle. On steep hills, it just climbs, and climbs and climbs. Just add more throttle. So far, after a full day of riding, the most I've used was only 40% of the battery capacity. In 45-60 minutes, the battery can be fully charged from that point. It takes at least a couple of hours to fully charge the battery if it's nearly depleted. Plus, I can ride it in our yard and the next-door neighbor doesn't even notice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_orange Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Sounds wicked! I really want one but the only thing I'm concerned about is the clutch. We use the clutch so much that I just can't get my head around not having one. I'll have to try and get a ride on one but I think I'll get one in a year or two. And as for the original thread - I agree that the queueing is a nightmare and I don't see why they don't split the entries over the first 3-5 sections. I know some could complain about starting on harder sections etc. but for club level events, it would be a very good idea. I'm hoping that electric bikes will open up a lot of venues and options. Edited July 8, 2015 by al_orange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collyolly Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) We already have a starting system to lessen the queues, you start at the second number of your riding number so rider number 27 goes and starts at section 7, No 34 goes to No 4 etc. But it only works if the course allows as you obviously cannot ride through a section to get to your start point. It works very well, the only downside is if the Cof C needs to modify the course to either toughen it up, due to it ending up being easier to ride, or slacken it off, due to the weather, he doesn't know where all of the entry is. The plus side is all of the event starts at say 10.30, so all observers have customers and then it is all over probably an hour earlier , in the winter a good point from the observers point of view. Edited July 8, 2015 by collyolly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfisch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 We already have a starting system to lessen the queues, you start at the second number of your riding number so rider number 27 goes and starts at section 7, No 34 goes to No 4 etc. But it only works if the course allows as you obviously cannot ride through a section to get to your start point. It works very well, the only downside is if the Cof C needs to modify the course to either toughen it up, due to it ending up being easier to ride, or slacken it off, due to the weather, he doesn't know where all of the entry is. The plus side is all of the event starts at say 10.30, so all observers have customers and then it is all over probably an hour earlier , in the winter a good point from the observers point of view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.