retromlc Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 I agree, enduro is going the same way, physically off the scale, extreme sections, high risk of injury on an£7500 bike that drops money faster than a cheap hooker's draws on a quiet night, I'm actually moving over more to trials because travelling 2 hours to an enduro to be beaten up and suffer all week has lost its shine 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCH Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 10 hours ago, section swept said: ... With no British bike industry to speak of any more with no trials or competition models manufactured (one off’s excepted) is it any wonder the sport is contracting. I can’t afford to pay the price of a new machine just to risk throwing it and myself at some virtually unridable courses and end paying for replacement parts or injuring myself. You might say the same about a twinshock or pre 65 bike but then the courses are less threatening. There has been too much change to the sport, spectators don’t necessarily want to stand about watching failed attempts at some impossibly hard section, they can go to an indoor trial for that and watch the circus acts. The average rider doesn’t spend 4-5 days training in the gym and on the bike, hold down a daytime job or have the luxury of limitless bike parts/bikes. So thats my take on the current situation, a personal opinion aired. Thank you for sharing your view - it is genuinely interesting and a great point to start a discussion. I started trials about 18 months ago after wanting to do it for years but never actually getting round to it and getting to a point where I had pretty much forgotten it existed. I bought an old Rev3 which I shared with the missus and we "had a go" to see if it was something we wanted to do. It was and still is and we have a bike each now and prior to the lockdown have been (practice) riding most weekends. We are lucky to have a facility near us. I don't really see what difference the source of origin of the bike makes. The UK lost it's manufacturing outlook 40 years ago and that is not changing any time soon. At top level the sport has become rather more "Spanish" if you like as in the best riders are from there and a lot of bikes too. But are the two connected? I really don't know. As a spectator sport X-Trial is much more popular on mainland Europe than here but again I don't know why - the missus and I went to Rennes to watch just before xmas and it was great but I wish they had events like that in southern England. There were loads of people there and loads of kids. The local trials club were putting out invitations to people to come and try it over hte loudspeaker and looking at the kid's faces I would say the sport has a healthy future. As to cost - I spent more on a mountain bike than my '17 TRS. I can't say that trials is very expensive, I would use the term "cheap" to be honest. I've used the down time to put a chain and sprocket kit (and tensioner) on the missus' Beta and it was less than 100 quid. Have a quick look at the pushbike equivalent of a back sprocket - https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/hope-11-speed-cassette-10-40t/rp-prod147744 My own personal opinion - for what little it is worth as a newbie - is just that the UK is changing and the money in society is more in the older boomer generation and as they age they are giving up active sports. I like scuba diving and we are seeing the same thing there. If youngsters had more disposable income instead of paying through the nose for rent or mortgage I am sure lots more people would love to ride trials. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 "Boomer Generation" ??? Think you mean the facebook generation ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 A lot of the generation that could be coming into trials can only afford a flat with nowhere to store a trials bike.Seems many of them have taken up mountain biking and keep the bike in the flat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCH Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 1 hour ago, b40rt said: "Boomer Generation" ??? Think you mean the facebook generation ? There is no facebook generation - it is a (horrible) platform for everyone that wishes to be on it. I meant the boomers who have all the money are getting older and are dropping active sports in favour of things like gardening. It is though nice to see that trials riding still attracts older people, there are plenty in our club, but as pointed out earlier they tend to just have a nice ride round rather than try to do Bou impression. My point, which I perhaps didn't really make very well is as @huski correctly points out the younger people are property skint and have so much stacked against them. You do need somewhere to store the bike and that is not a flat. (Mine's at work). Plus the rent/mortgage is many times what it was back in the days when trials was a mass market sport in the UK, back in the day everyone had a garage - even on a council house. Also people need to be able to get the bike to events. Youngsters are put off as they don't get the automatic B+E licence and car insurance for younger drivers is bonkers (my nephew paid over a grand for a Skoda Fabia). You need to store the trailer somewhere in your flat too ? You can keep a pushbike in the house/flat and stick it on a roof rack. It's more "trendy". But it certainly isn't cheaper. Go to one of the paid for MTB venues and there is some serious dosh swilling about. We went to Bike Park Wales last year and you can see there is a lot of enthusiasm for two wheeled recreation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 7 hours ago, ChrisCH said: There is no facebook generation - it is a (horrible) platform for everyone that wishes to be on it. I meant the boomers who have all the money are getting older and are dropping active sports in favour of things like gardening. It is though nice to see that trials riding still attracts older people, there are plenty in our club, but as pointed out earlier they tend to just have a nice ride round rather than try to do Bou impression. My point, which I perhaps didn't really make very well is as @huski correctly points out the younger people are property skint and have so much stacked against them. You do need somewhere to store the bike and that is not a flat. (Mine's at work). Plus the rent/mortgage is many times what it was back in the days when trials was a mass market sport in the UK, back in the day everyone had a garage - even on a council house. Also people need to be able to get the bike to events. Youngsters are put off as they don't get the automatic B+E licence and car insurance for younger drivers is bonkers (my nephew paid over a grand for a Skoda Fabia). You need to store the trailer somewhere in your flat too ? You can keep a pushbike in the house/flat and stick it on a roof rack. It's more "trendy". But it certainly isn't cheaper. Go to one of the paid for MTB venues and there is some serious dosh swilling about. We went to Bike Park Wales last year and you can see there is a lot of enthusiasm for two wheeled recreation. Your starting to scare me with your misplaced angst. Your absolutely correct ChrisCH, or may I call you Greta, it was all so easy back in "your" parents day ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petorius Posted May 16, 2020 Report Share Posted May 16, 2020 I think that's a bit unfair, okay whatever generation you are it is never easy to justify throwing away money on a luxury item but Chris does make some good points. I am in the older demographic and welll exposed to mechanical shenanigans when i was young, times have changed. I would be doing stuff like bleeding car brakes and changing plugs at primary school age. That seldom happens now, if you are not exposed to mechanical items you are not likely to develop an interest. During the lockdown i have actually been wondering if i really want to continue competing, progress for me is really slow. Having said that i am buiding a Bultaco right now, i may do as Chris indicated and ride twinshock, i may carry on riding my modern or i may just give up completely. Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCH Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 12 hours ago, petorius said: .. During the lockdown i have actually been wondering if i really want to continue competing, progress for me is really slow. Having said that i am buiding a Bultaco right now, i may do as Chris indicated and ride twinshock, i may carry on riding my modern or i may just give up completely. Time will tell. My mate had a 350 Bultaco when I were a little lad. It scared the living daylights out of me. I think him too, as it was soon gone. I had an old scooter that we used to ride over the fields when they were just stubble. When I turned 17 I took my test and soon had a 500 road bike. My interest in off road bikes persisted but was on the back burner and my budget went on the main road machine. Returning to off road after all these years I have to say the modern stuff is 2 thousand light years away from my memory of that old Bultaco. The brakes work for a start. I'd like an old bike as a project but I don't have the time. Also anything old seems to be worth near on the price of a new bike, even if it is a heap of junk and has rusted in a shed for the last 30 years. I don't see the point, other than nostalgia or mechanical interest. If I had the time and cash I am not sure I would want to ride the thing when I finished it in case I broke it. I am really just don't get it to be honest. I get why a person might want one out of interest - I share that interest - but why you would move over to riding one for some sort of age-related or similar is just beyond me. A bit like vintage cars, you wheel it out for the London-Brighton and have a nice day out but then it goes on the trailer behind the L200 for the ride home. I am really enjoying trials. I particularly like it because my missus has taken to it as well. I've read all the threads and posts about slow throttles, flywheel weights and so on and really wonder if people come into the sport with no motorbike background? The bike only goes as much as you open the throttle. I remember that Bultaco and how much it scared me, but then I was about 15 and used to a worn out scooter with no clutch or gearbox. There is a chap in our club just started and he's a bit over 70 IIRC and bought himself a Montesa. I take great pleasure in seeing him riding as it reassures me I can keep going until I am 70+ Maybe by then I might have progressed a bit ? But sorry the fist impression is still there, you are not going to get me on that Bultaco..... ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Just watching him ride, you just know that is one great running Bultaco. Not the same as riding a stock `73 model.? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 36 minutes ago, lineaway said: Just watching him ride, you just know that is one great running Bultaco. Not the same as riding a stock `73 model.? We all know,but don't always admit,that the rider makes the biggest difference and he's very talented as well as having a well sorted bike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rr62 Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Wow - that's a punchy bike (and great riding). Sounds amazing on song. Wish we had stream sections like that in these parts. There used to be a club, Banbury NOBAC (correct me if I'm wrong), in SMC who used to set really good old school sections. Rideable but would take marks from everyone. Oxford Ixion ditto (though not been up there for a while). Just read some of the earlier comments about getting folk into the sport. We've got three grown up 'kids' 25-32. None of them ever massively got into trials as (for them) it was a bit too "old bloke" - less aspirational (for them) than watching/participating in various board sports that they did then and still do now. Yet I know they'd love it right now if they had a bike/space etc. But there's just no way (in the South East) they could afford a discretionary purchase like a trials bike without compromising getting onto the property ladder, etc. And even worse here are some of the postage stamp areas to ride around. When I was a nipper, you had the trials bike registered, used it as your main form of transport and you could pretty much rock up at any woods and ride without any complaint. Obviously not the case now. nb. in case off topic, TC is for me still about trials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Great bike, great rider, great ride but nothing like any Bultaco i've seen or ridden before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rr62 Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 They normally sound 'flat' (in a good way) - this sounds like a modern bike... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbofurball Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 9:19 PM, rr62 said: They normally sound 'flat' (in a good way) - this sounds like a modern bike... Well, he's riding it like a modern bike, using the clutch a lot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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