the dabster Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 Not trying to start one of these silly which bike is best threads, honestly! I know it's a futile exercise. I am however intrigued to hear trials peers thoughts on this. I have predominately ridden Gassers for the past five years with a vertigo and TRS thrown into the mix. Today I had a quick go on a 19 factory beta and I have to say it felt incredibly easy to ride, it was a 250. A mate was studying it and saying its a 16v shock in contrast to the latest Rieger/ohlins offerings of leading brands. It doesn't have the latest tech forks etc plus the design is prehistoric. Now I know they have been around a while but I also know they are reliable. My question is, are the components used in this bike inferior to other brands and how significant are the differences in direct contrast? I don't personally like the colour scheme if I'm honest and was set on the new 19 gasser GP but I have to say I'm more than impressed with the Beta. My head has been turned which surprises me. I know the standard answer is buy what you like but I feel I need some broader advice. Can anyone out there understand why I'm thinking like this after riding one? I know this model doesn't look radically different to previous years but it is surprisingly nice, Tell me why I should stick with my original idea to order a GP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted January 26, 2019 Report Share Posted January 26, 2019 I ride a `16 factory 250 Beta. I have ridden all brands over the years, but always rode the Beta well. My son has a 2018 TRS 300 rr which I love, but for whatever reason I could probably have a lower score on the Beta at the end of the day. Sometimes it is not about the bling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamo_duval Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 I'm onto my third Beta evo now after having three 250 Gassers and a Sherco Factory 300. With the Beta's my riding has improved most. I'm an average clubman rider but since getting on the Beta my riding has come on most. I had the same query as yourself re the bling parts and that, last year I put Tech forks and an Ohlins on my 2018 Evo which felt mint at the time but after returning the bike to standard for selling I've noticed very little difference haven ridden it standard again three or four times. With this I've decided that the 'mint' feeling was actually more psychological than anything else. Since then I've sold the Tech forks and in the future I'm going to keep the Beta's standard. The Beta rides incredibly well in the sections and on the moors without pulling your arms off. In my opinion it is the clubmans best friend and the reliability of the Beta's is just incredible. Two SSDT finishes in a row with no mechanical issues and granted I was out of time at the Scott in 2017 but the bike got round without a hiccup. Don't let the lack of bling put you off, they are excellent bikes and in my opinion the bling factor is in the head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 I am not sure I agree on the tech forks and Ohlins Shock not making a rider better than they would be without them .... its the best £1,300 + that a rider could spend on their bike ...the Tech fork and Reiger 5 way shock have actually been available since the 1980's although only to top riders who also had available to them at that time a revolutionary rear hub design that provided such an advantage that it wasn't long before it was banned in competition by all the governing bodies around the world. https://youtu.be/ODYuQa08R64 Imagine trying to ride like that without a tech fork and Reiger 5 way shock .....its just not happening and that hub clearly makes a lot of difference everywhere .....no wonder they banned it......you can imagine what would happen if Toni Bou had one of those on his Honda. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 I swear every time he put his helmet on, the bike seemed to gain weight too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted January 27, 2019 Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 7 minutes ago, lineaway said: I swear every time he put his helmet on, the bike seemed to gain weight too. Its a strange world isn't it Michael Schumacher bangs his head in a ski accident and Jordi Tarres rode the early years of his practice sessions over some serious rockery without wearing a helmet and survived un scathed. Goes to show 950gm helmet has to be better than 1200gm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dabster Posted January 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2019 15 hours ago, jamo_duval said: I'm onto my third Beta evo now after having three 250 Gassers and a Sherco Factory 300. With the Beta's my riding has improved most. I'm an average clubman rider but since getting on the Beta my riding has come on most. I had the same query as yourself re the bling parts and that, last year I put Tech forks and an Ohlins on my 2018 Evo which felt mint at the time but after returning the bike to standard for selling I've noticed very little difference haven ridden it standard again three or four times. With this I've decided that the 'mint' feeling was actually more psychological than anything else. Since then I've sold the Tech forks and in the future I'm going to keep the Beta's standard. The Beta rides incredibly well in the sections and on the moors without pulling your arms off. In my opinion it is the clubmans best friend and the reliability of the Beta's is just incredible. Two SSDT finishes in a row with no mechanical issues and granted I was out of time at the Scott in 2017 but the bike got round without a hiccup. Don't let the lack of bling put you off, they are excellent bikes and in my opinion the bling factor is in the head. Thanks for the answer, your experience is exactly the kind of info I was after. My thoughts were the bike is good and I can't see there being much difference. I have ridden bikes with all the brand name components but this bike feels right to me, I think I'll take a chance and see how it turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markws80 Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) I just got my 19 factory 250 from SW Trials And love it Will it make me ride any better I doubt it Edited January 28, 2019 by Markws80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oni nou Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, Markws80 said: I just got my 19 factory 250 from SW Trials And love it Will it make me ride any better I doubt it It will be easier to become a better rider on that than on the heavy old RSJ of a Beta TR 32/33 that Jordi Tarres has obviously got the better of. So its all good Edited January 28, 2019 by oni nou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIckyT Posted January 28, 2019 Report Share Posted January 28, 2019 The 2018 factory suspension was completely uprated with the latest R16v shock on the rear and the fork internals which now work as well and are as plush as Tech forks in my opinion I had an Ohlins shock which I always swapped when changing bike but sold it when I got the 18 factory as wasn’t needed. I don’t think 19 factory is that much different tbh apart from colours but definitely awesome bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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