STEVE-0

Great to hear from you Ben! Andy Chai and I were just thinking about what happened to you the other day. Definitely try and head down to a competition at some point. Would be great to catch up.

Haha. Wow. That's a throwback. Andrew Walker owned the Rockman switch and had possibly the first one in the uk. To be honest I never saw another one so no idea how many were sold or how they lasted. It was a good looking bike in my opinion. Thanks for the responses so far guys. Very interesting insights.

Hi Everyone, I’m working with Biketrialfederation to put together some studies and doing what I can to promote our sport. We want to know your story of how you got into bike trials and what keeps you interested still today. Also, please feel free to add any comments or thoughts you have on what could be done to improve our sport and how you think we can attract more riders, old and new. Be that new competition formats, more clubs, coaching sessions or more trials parks etc. Please comment on this thread or feel free to PM me if you’d prefer not to share your views with a wider audience. Here’s my personal story as an example (sorry it’s long - got a little carried away). When I was 11 I attempted my first backhops on my neighbour's recently purchased second-hand trials bike and I was instantly hooked. By my 12th birthday I owned my very own trials bike that I had persuaded my parents to buy. My neighbour and I learnt new skills together back when wheelies, endos, jumping up and down the kerb were everything. We would also try to emulate some of the trials videos that were available at the time like: Tricks & Stunts, Contact & Chainspotting. Having a friend also interested in trials meant we could practice together regularly and help each other progress. The buzz from learning a new trick or nailing a line you’ve repeatedly tried is what I lived for and is one of the reasons I still love trials today. Amazing people with cool tricks also fuelled my desire to progress. It was 2 years before I discovered the competition scene and I was frustrated I didn’t know about it sooner especially given how close the local venue was - Thriftwood, Essex. Stuart Matthews offered regular coaching sessions there too. The Essex Bike Trial Club (EBTC) used to attract up to 100 riders per club competition to ride mainly natural set competitions. It was amazing to me to find so many riders there, many of which became very good friends of mine. Two laps of ten sections was the standard format. From then on in I got a taste for the competitions and regularly attended. Upon discovering Trialsforum.com organised rides became more common and I attended many of the legendary London rides, usually starting at the shell centre (now demolished) near the London eye, which would also attract large numbers of riders (50+). Both the competition scene and street scene had their own heroes and role models that I looked up to. The Coustelliers and Trials Kings come to mind amongst many other amazing riders. My passion for the sport has never really faltered in the face of the occasional negativity from my family and whilst many other riders have come and gone. For me it’s a release and a way to de-stress whilst also keeping me fit and I still get a lot of joy out of cycling. Some of my closest friends have come from riding bike trials and it’s a pleasure to travel around the world and meet many more people with the same passion that are part of our community. Thanks in advance for your contributions. Steve Rogers

Hi Julien, Just wanted to congratulate you on this amazing publication! I've just purchased my own copy Kind regards, Steve

Hahaha,wtf. Yes Matt 1st of march!

Myself and a couple of others are planning a trip to London next weekend. Weather permitting. St. Katherine's dock at 10am since there is free parking.

Cool video, the failed backflip was the best bit for me

What a guy!

Short new video from the Radical bikes barn. Enjoy!

Hi All, 3-4 years ago a friend from Uni filmed me riding over several days in between lectures and weekends. I managed to get some of these clips from him however, they have sat on my hard drive for all this time. Finally, got round to putting them together to make a chilled out vid. Hope you all like. Definitely got an Autumn feeling. Cheers! Steve-o

BIU BANDITS!! haha

YES. Love this Joel. Repeat again soon!

Good effort to all provided it was a pretty wet day in London town. Definitely should do this again to bring back the big London rides of the past! Ross was killing some lines

Yes Chai. Its probably the biggest and scariest line in the whole vid

I haven't broken that many frames over the years plus josh leech at jaf bikes did an awesome repair job.