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Alternative to observed trials?


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5 hours ago, splatered stu said:

seems the thing wrong with trials competition is the people,...everybody is so full of themselves these days they are hard to be around.trials is not as bad as other moto sports but in the end just the same.anytime you put 50 of these people into a crowd the usual dynamics occur.i ride by myself or with friends,you could not pay me to attend another event even as a spectator.when put in groups people kinda suck.maybe you are having an epiphany and just starting  to realize this...

For me, trials seems to be full of really nice, friendly, and sociable people. Makes a massive difference to a trial when you're having a bad ride but a quick chat to someone in the queue brings me back to reality that it's a bit of fun and a good day out. I cannot imagine how anyone could find the people in trials off putting. Ok, it does attract a few socially awkward types but everyone seems to treat it like a big community..... Makes me feel bad when I let out the occasional expletive due to stalling or missing a flag.. 

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On 3/30/2019 at 8:45 PM, boner said:

I’ve decided that I really don’t enjoy competitive observed trials riding... but love riding my trials bike.

This dawned on me as I rode between sections at a competition today...

Each to their own, but I couldn’t disagree more. I really struggle to find the motivation to go and practice on my own, but I love it when someone has precisely set out my next challenge. I may be still in the cricket-score class but competitive trials (in the loosest possible sense of the term) is still the mutts nuts for me.

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  • 6 months later...

Trials taught me that I must have some sort of learning disability. I can NOT follow the cards and stay in the section at splits. It's infuriating. I also sometimes think, "ooohh...look at that lovely rock," and ride out of my line. 

I used to 5 almost every section like this.

No chance of me turning pro and only having one line to follow.

My answer was, I just did it anyway.

Took my 5, smiled and thanked the checkerboard, and on to the next 5.

This was very liberating, and I could relax, have fun, and enjoy the camaraderie that is so prevalent in a trial.

YMMV.

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On 4/1/2019 at 12:05 PM, splatered stu said:

seems the thing wrong with trials competition is the people,...everybody is so full of themselves these days they are hard to be around.trials is not as bad as other moto sports but in the end just the same.anytime you put 50 of these people into a crowd the usual dynamics occur.i ride by myself or with friends,you could not pay me to attend another event even as a spectator.when put in groups people kinda suck.maybe you are having an epiphany and just starting  to realize this...

Yikes! Not my experience at all. Only sport I can think of where you can go to a banquet after and be served champagne by the world champion. Where you can call a factory and get the owner. Where you crash and your competitors pick you up, dust you off and offer advice. Where a novice can finally clean a section and have a national champ give a “whoop!” From the loop trail because they stopped to watch YOU ride.

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Hmmm.  There is a truth many don't see - you only ever really compete with yourself.  If being "better" than someone else is important to you you are pretty sad.  It is always easy to find people less talented if you try and just as easy to find people more talented.  My club is friendly and helpful to newer riders like me and not about winning - at least for the majority.  We have a few good riders that take it seriously and ride other venues and want to win - good luck to them.  They are friendly and helpful too on the whole.

I love green lanes but the missus has no interest (working on it).  The club meeting is a cheap and easy way to get to ride my bike for a few hours and the organised route gives me a marker as to how well I am progressing in my skills rather than any "competitive" element.  You get to watch other people and learn and also to see that you are not so bad, nor so good.  We all have a good laugh and it is a pleasant way to spend time.

I very much enjoy riding the trials bike, just as I enjoy my road bike.  The trials meeting is a cheap and easy way to spend time on my bike.  If I ever work out what all the little flags are and how the scoring works I might try to get something called a "clean" (I think that's what they call it).  Meantime I am having a hoot riding a bike.

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On 10/21/2019 at 10:19 PM, dan williams said:

Yikes! Not my experience at all. Only sport I can think of where you can go to a banquet after and be served champagne by the world champion. Where you can call a factory and get the owner. Where you crash and your competitors pick you up, dust you off and offer advice. Where a novice can finally clean a section and have a national champ give a “whoop!” From the loop trail because they stopped to watch YOU ride.

I agree with you almost entirely. My only disagreement is with the word “only”. Sailing is much the same. I’ve chatted with world champions in the bar after a race, and picked their brains on technique and boat set up. They couldn’t have been more genuine, friendly and helpful. (They wouldn’t have felt any more threatened than Toni Bou would feel about me now.?)

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Certainly agree that most trials riders are brand new however over the years Trials has become clunky and fragmented which I find very off putting.

Your local trial now has about 4 routes sections look like a Christmas tree, just about get a migraine working out where to go, I know they're trying to be inclusive .

To me you either run a serious trial with observed sections and a degree of difficulty or a fun trial for casual or beginners mark yourself.

This isn't the way it seems to be going with more routes and classes plus a classic scene which to me is just an excuse for running an easy trial.

Add on the complicated scoring system which no beginner could possibly understand.It's not really got the making off a fun day on the bike.

Anyway I'll still be out this Sunday thankfully the Trial will have only one route with a few extra sets of gates for the "good" riders because I'll be setting out.

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On 10/30/2019 at 7:20 AM, breagh said:

 

This isn't the way it seems to be going with more routes and classes plus a classic scene which to me is just an excuse for running an easy trial.

Get yourself down to Edmundsbyres on Sunday, classic trial in the Kia series, two routes to choose. Might just change your opinion.

@breagh @breagh you coming over to riding "easy" trials ? Must be an age thing.

 

Edited by b40rt
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  • 5 weeks later...
 
2 hours ago, slicktop said:

After watching a tonibou video I realized im too lame to compete. 

I rarely watch TB, as I don't really consider what he does as trials. Have a look at this, just a group of like minded people having fun. Some extremely skilful, some not so.

Don't know why the start came up , look further down for the sections.

Edited by b40rt
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