Where To Start After Getting Back Into Trials

[gfisch]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've been riding Trials off and on for many years, but never competed on a regular basis.  I would enter a few events in various classes and do OK, but circumstances kept me from completing a full season of competition.  The last time I entered a competition was 12 years ago.

 

About about 4 months ago, I decided to get serious about riding Trials again, and have been out every weekend practicing.  Since my skills are quite varied, it's hard to determine what class I should start competing in.  In looking at videos of some recent events, it seems that things have changed a lot over the years since my last competition.

 

Should I just start over at the beginning at the Novice level and work my way up, or try Sportsman or higher?

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

[rob214]

hi

go to an event, while everyone is warming up go out and look at the sections and try and judge from that or go out and warm up with some others and ask them which class they ride, good way to make friends. if it looks to hard it's probably your line, lol

 

[gfisch]

Thanks, that sounds like a perfect solution.

 

For some reason, at this later stage of life, starting over at the beginning and truly working up the classes and proving that I stuck with it and mastered each class seems more desirable.  However, it also seems a bit unfair on my part, since many of the Novice riders have NEVER ridden in an event before and are struggling with just getting through.

[lineaway]

 Go easy on yourself. Everyone remembers themselves better than what they truly are. Come the third loop you will be glad you did. Worse that could happen is you move up next event. Myself I`m not that smart, I`ve ridden on and off for years. I think in the last four years I`ve finished maybe eight events in modern style. Many more in vintage. But next weekend I`ll be trying to beat my kid in expert!

[gfisch]

Sounds like great advice.  Start easy and just keep going.

 

Good luck competing against your kid in expert!

[taffe]

Hi gfisch, Good advice above. I started again after 20 odd years away from the sport. I restarted on my mates 200 Beta we shared the bike in our practice country for three months. I was surprised at how much my body needed to come up to speed, the brain had not forgotten what to do but the body....well. The brain kept telling me no you cant do that anymore. I could not believe that I once rode national trials rounds all over Australia.

At that time I started again  I was 69 years young, and got my own Beta 250. And now four years and three bikes later I've worked my way up by regular riding and practice. I feel great when younger riders say they have had enough and I'm still firing  .

Enjoy, just pick your battles.

Cheers Taff

[billyt]

Gfisch   Where are you located?

[steve fracy]

Billy, can you email me, at teamfracy@shaw.ca

[gfisch]

BillyT,

 

I'm in Southern California.  The first round of the season is this coming Sunday.

[axulsuv]

gfisch ;

 I got back into trials after a 30 odd year vacation . When I was a kid in New England , I was blessed with the space and time to ride and practice everyday on all sorts of terrain .

As life progressed , i never stopped riding bikes , but trials fell by the wayside . Then in 2005 the trials bug bit me again and I bought a Fantic 240 ... I had never even heard of a Fantic before , but was quite impressed with the build quality of the old girl and started amassing  parts and building a serious twinshock bike . I've got a modern bike now too , but I get much more enjoyment on my 240 .

 And at 55 years old with the responsibility's that go with it , I ride whatever class I'm in the mood for. Some weekends I ride novice for no points so I can ride with my 16 yr. old son and try and teach him some technique . Other weekends I may ride expert and frustrate myself ... (the mind knows what to do , but the body resists ...)

 But for the most part I just love to get my feet on the pegs and just have some fun. I don't give a damn about points and winning , I still compete against myself , first.... I ride trials for me and no one else ,

 So  go out and ride what ever class you can and at the end of the day if your smiling , tired , and not hurt , you rode the right class ....

Glenn 

[gfisch]

Thanks, Everyone!

 

Yesterday, I rode the SCTA event in Lucerne and just entered the Novice class.  It was a very hot day out in the desert, but it was a great ride.  As Glenn mentioned, at the end of the day I was smiling, tired and not hurt.  It was great!!!

 

One thing I noticed is that the upper classes were riding things MUCH MORE DIFFICULT than I remember from the last events I entered 12+ years ago.  Things have changed more than I thought.

[axulsuv]

I left Lake Arrowhead in the fall of 2003, (after the wild fire ). I never got to ride Trials there , (STUPID ME !!!) but I did go watch a national  or WR. in lucerne  .I don't remember what year it was , But I truly wish I still lived in the mountains out there .

 Glad you had a fun day   And when I had stopped competing in events years ago , Ty 250's and TL125's were the new bikes on the market ... The first time I took my newly obtained Fantic 240 pro out for a ride was with a couple of pro caliber riders on the then brand new to them Cota's.... And I proceeded to watch these guys do things I had never seen before .... And then I entered a event and was almost stumped by the "rules" .What do you mean I can stop , but I can't do a rollback to tighten a turn ????

 Anyways I haven't looked back since , I've put all three of my kids on trials bikes , and only one has stuck with it .... But I'll keep doing it as long as I can start my bike by myself...

'cause it is the only thing I do that is just for me . period .

Glenn