Missing E Bikes

[faussy]

On 6/28/2019 at 8:23 PM, micm said:

I also hear what you say about Cabestaney but surely the same argument obtains regarding the utterly brilliant Toni Bou and his super bike made of unobtainiaum. 

No, Toni competes in a class that has been established for over forty years and is the pinnacle of the sport. Cabestany is competing in a class that is 2 years old with very limited numbers. Theres  2 ways you can look at it i guess, one being that having a world class rider there adds value to the class and attracts more people, but IMO if you want a class to grow it needs to be reasonably competitive for the people thinking of riding it. Having Cabestany there does not make it competitive for the amateur. The class is only 2 years old and its already beyond most peoples reach

Edited July 1, 2019 by faussy

[nhuskys]

49 minutes ago, faussy said:

No, Toni competes in a class that has been established for over forty years and is the pinnacle of the sport. Cabestany is competing in a class that is 2 years old with very limited numbers. Theres  2 ways you can look at it i guess, one being that having a world class rider there adds value to the class and attracts more people, but IMO if you want a class to grow it needs to be reasonably competitive for the people thinking of riding it. Having Cabestany there does not make it competitive for the amateur. The class is only 2 years old and its already beyond most peoples reach

TrialGP (The WTC, not the class) is an elite premier series, and they are approaching TrialE as such.  The aim isn't a bunch of clubmen, on their bits and batteries bikes.... It's to get top companies to invest in the new technology, and showcase it on the world stage.

We can argue whether this is a good approach or not?  Off road motorcycle sport is more accessible compared to road racing, so the elite argument maybe isn't holding up. The World Enduro Super Series Championship is pushing the FIM Enduro World Championship out as the premier series, mainly because it allows clubmen to compete in the events along with the top riders.

This is going off on a non- TrialE tangent.... Trials is a very small sport compared to enduro, but imagine a World Trials Super Series, with more traditional type trials..... SSDT, Scott Trial, Santigosa 3 Day, the new Jurrasic 3 Day in Costa Rica, and some more. A place for second tier WTC riders to find work, other than become Hard Enduro riders.  Clubmen riders ride along with the the professionals.  I think this could be a shot in the arm for trials.

[faussy]

1 hour ago, nhuskys said:

The aim isn't a bunch of clubmen, on their bits and batteries bikes.... It's to get top companies to invest in the new technology, and showcase it on the world stage.

You talk as if trials is some sort of lucrative sport that 100s of new age high tech companies are just busting the gut to enter. Look at the TTzero, its a bunch of universities with their bits and bobs bikes as you call them and the road bike market is a 1000 times larger than trials. You take who wants to enter. How can they attract new companies when the only manufacturer of a reasonably priced expert level trials bike doesn't even want to compete.

EM is the world's premier electric trials bike manufacturer and seller, so not having them there really discredits the class. Having 10 expert level riders (or 20 clubmen lol) all on EM type bikes would be more valuable for the class than 2 top level riders on 2 machines that no one can realistically compete with

Edited July 1, 2019 by faussy

[2stroke4stroke]

I assume EM (a business that has to have profit to survive) are selling all they can make, so why bother spending a lot of money for no commercial return?

Works specials have existed for decades, perhaps not as extreme as the Honda, and are part of what makes trials what it is.  I suspect many (most?) trials bike purchasers see the WTC as an irrelevance anyway. I know I do but also feel that trials is important enough to have a world championship; a bit of a dichotomy, I know.

[nhuskys]

4 hours ago, faussy said:

You talk as if trials is some sort of lucrative sport that 100s of new age high tech companies are just busting the gut to enter. Look at the TTzero, its a bunch of universities with their bits and bobs bikes as you call them and the road bike market is a 1000 times larger than trials. You take who wants to enter. How can they attract new companies when the only manufacturer of a reasonably priced expert level trials bike doesn't even want to compete.

EM is the world's premier electric trials bike manufacturer and seller, so not having them there really discredits the class. Having 10 expert level riders (or 20 clubmen lol) all on EM type bikes would be more valuable for the class than 2 top level riders on 2 machines that no one can realistically compete with

Don't shoot the messenger.... It's not what I think, but seems to be what the FIM is thinking.

EM is being conservative, as they should be. Gas Gas has spent money on competition like drunk sailors for the last 3 years, and they are on thin ice again.

[micm]

On 6/30/2019 at 7:29 PM, Andy said:

Really? According to the FIM Supplementary Regs the lap length for Netherlands was 1KM and for Belgium it was 5KM. Source of this requirement?

I have been told by both a UK trials dealership and by a European based trial contact independently.  The allegation, and I repeat it is an allegation, is that the requirement to carry out a single lap on one battery was reneged on by the organisers of both events, I assume ultimately the FIM, or their agents being responsible. A 5km distance equates to a local club trial here in the South of the UK for 3 or 4 laps and is the least you should expect I suggest from an E bike range. The current EM bikes, never mind the new 2020 models could easily cope with 5km plus sections and more, that I can confirm personally. I have monitored a 2019 EM bike at Bognor MCC Bluebeards Trial earlier this summer whose route length is very similar to around 5 km and it coped easily with about 70% battery left. So showing off bikes with mini battery is unsporting in my opinion and the bikes are useless in a retail sense. If you want to know more details personally Andy you will have to e-mail me.