Al_Fel Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I personally think that having 6 working gears on a trials bike is pointless. These bikes are designed to get over obsticles. Everyone I know only uses one gear to ride with. I think if comp organisers ditched the gears we would see companys coming up with much better chain tensioners that are more robust reliable and safer. You could say mechs work well to tension chains so why change it? Well to that I say XC frames worked for riding trials so why change that? Its not exactly the same but things move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totaltrials Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Ye agreed, I myself don't need gears at all, but I have 6 of them??? and because of a rule to which is to keep 26" trials bikes as stock mtb bikes and not mod bikes, I think tradition will just have to be binned soon. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Fel Posted June 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I've done this twice now and posted in the wrong f**king bit. What a tool I am. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicH_87 Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Testify! cos i don't ride stock could you clear something up for me. Does the bike actually have to have a shifter and cable along with the 6 working gears? or can you just have 6 gears and a locked out mech with no shifter? basically. do the gears actually have to be functional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesb Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Yes, the gears must all be functional. This means you need a working shifter and cable. I think gears on a trials bike are pointless. Since when are stock bikes stock anyways. Single speeds should be allowed in competitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biketrialler Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 At the essex comps I went to I just had a mech and 6 cogs, they werent working gears... they never minded or said anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totaltrials Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 At the essex comps I went to I just had a mech and 6 cogs, they werent working gears... they never minded or said anything! ← It's more the nationals and world rounds which are effected by the rule, I don't think club competitions are bothered. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Drewery Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 It's more the nationals and world rounds which are effected by the rule, I don't think club competitions are bothered. Phil. ← True, the national competitions are strict with rules where as local club comettions dont care so much about little things like that. I can understand the rule as it helps divide the twqo bike categories because nowadays stocks are basically mods with big wheels. Frames and parts have become more and more trials specific as time has gone on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIX Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 I totally agree. I had to pay £60 to get 6 working gears on my bike just so I could ride the first national, and I only use the one. I think it is more of a hinderance than an advantage to have one gear so I dont see a problem with it being changed. Just think how many more people would come along if this rule was changed. I think alot of street riders would come and have a bash at some natural, but this stupid rule puts a lot of people off. I know I didnt do the nationals in 2004 because of it. People are always saying lets make the sport more popular, more people get involved and things like that, but rules like this stop people rather than encourage. Our BIU rules have been altered slightly so that we dont have to have ankle protection at nationals because it was deemed to be a silly rule. I think if enough people get behind changing this rule, we could have it changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 I can understand the rule as it helps divide the two bike categories because nowadays stocks are basically mods with big wheels. ← I don't think that's right though. Mods are different to stock and they always will be. Mods have smaller wheels and you ride a mod differently to how you ride a stock bike. I don't think that will ever change. The gear rule obviously is to try to keep stock trials as close to its roots as possible, but in my opinion, that is a stupid, backwards thing to do. If we were doing that, why not say that every trials bike has to have a seat, and at least 18 gears, and a BB that touches the ground? Obviously no one is gonna say that. Trials bikes are trials bikes now, they are no longer modified XC bikes. To be honest, these rules are only holding the sport back. I'm with Anal on this one. The revolution starts here (Y) Just think how many more people would come along if this rule was changed. I think alot of street riders would come and have a bash at some natural, but this stupid rule puts a lot of people off.← Maybe, but most people entering comps for the first time will do YMSA or tykes or whatever, where no one cares about gears anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thechink Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 i think you will find that some riders do use there gears to good use. like different gears for street ans natural etc. by having the working gears you can endo and change gear by pedling quickly. thechink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Bleech Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 i think you will find that some riders do use there gears to good use. like different gears for street ans natural etc. by having the working gears you can endo and change gear by pedling quickly. thechink ← that is true! i like gears too, but I just use singlespeed because its a hell of a lot easier. But the rule is you must have 6 working gears, regardless if you use them or not. scrap the rule and then people can run gears if they want and vice versa! mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thechink Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 touche spose but meh. i like the look of gears. makes me feel all uci. (Y) thechink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 i like the look of gears. makes me feel all uci. :wub: ← Hmm. BIU has gear rules too though (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Shaw Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 I agree with Al Fel totally! I hate the rule, i fitted 6 working (well nearly :-" ) to my bike for the 1st round of the nationals, and it was big ball ache to get them to work. (Y) I've ended up taking them back off, and using single speed and im not sure if want to re-fit them for the national in a week or so. :wub: I think the rule should be ditched and then companies can work on bringing out some decent tensioners etc or possibly make 26" frames with horizontal style dropouts? Things move on and i think this is one thing that has to change. Stan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 I think tehy just need to totally overhaul the rule book. The majority of those rules must've been drawn up 10 years (or more?) ago, when bike design, riding styles, techniques and competitions - not to mention the level of riding - were drastically different. Do they still have that "Maximum bottom bracket height" rule as well? If so, Vinco, Hi-Fi et al are all technically illegal? If they decide on a comp by comp basis to "ignore" that rule, why not just take it out? For example, if you want to ride stock at a competition and you went by the rule book, you'd need 6 working gears, trials boots, long trousers (even if you wanted shorts, theoretically?), and all that sorta crap - it's just more hassle to add onto the license application forms, comp application forms and so on. The rules just need to be looked at, basically, so it's just up to the riders to ride what they want (within reason, obviously) how they want to. Limiting the development of bikes by over-bearing rules, and putting off potential riders due to the licenses and applications needed as well as all the other rules is just counter-productive. Saying that, I guess Mr. Pi knows people will still buy Monty product, and seeing as Monty seem to pretty much be the ones to dictate what happens regarding comps, I doubt it'll change for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waynio Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 i have put in a claim about this. the problem is it has to be confirmed with japan as that is where the rules are made or something. i was speaking to barbara wright about it a few weeks ago. but yes great point and im totally in with what your saying anal & phil and who ever agrees with 6 working gears being a pointless excercise. Waynio...................... Cracking topic we should get a petition going and send it to the people in japan "the RULE makes" and say hey check this out mate. we dont need gears,,,, and see what they say. it needs more than a handful of people to stick up for it, even if just england did it it would take alot more countries to follow suit which i personally feel most would. but iv always asked "Why" why 6 gears????? whats the point behind it? if there was then the rule would be fine but there is no real reason behind it. ok iv got no major say but it would be nice if we had a full report on why we have to have 6 working gears on a 26" bike. why doesnt a mod bike have 6 blinking gears? :- (Y)" :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurtisRider Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 "Why" why 6 gears????? ← presumably when the rules were written there was only technology for 6 speed at the rear...just a guess? unless they already had 7 and 8 speed out by then i dont participate in comps yet, and this does put me off from trying as i run single speed although i have all the bits ready to change if i like.....just hassle i suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Shaw Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 i have put in a claim about this. the problem is it has to be confirmed with japan as that is where the rules are made or something. i was speaking to barbara wright about it a few weeks ago. but yes great point and im totally in with what your saying anal & phil and who ever agrees with 6 working gears being a pointless excercise. Waynio...................... ← Lets sort somthing out , and try and change it!! (Y) Stan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echobikes Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Take two riders, rider A and rider B. Rider A rides with 6+ working gears, Rider B has just the one working gear. Now Rider B can afford to have his chain exactly at the right length as he only needs to consider his one gear. Rider A however needs slack in his chain so it can go into the lower gears (presuming he uses gear 3/4). Therefore Rider B will sound a hell of a lot smoother than Rider A even if this isn't the case. I know it's technique 'n' all but if you shorten the chain and make the derailleur / tensioner closer to the frame as a result, it will sound better which MIGHT give the impression of being smoother. I dunno thats the reason I presumed anyways.... Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tartridge Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 But... the impression of being smoother doesn't mean you get less dabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_travis Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Take two riders, rider A and rider B. Rider A rides with 6+ working gears, Rider B has just the one working gear. Now Rider B can afford to have his chain exactly at the right length as he only needs to consider his one gear. Rider A however needs slack in his chain so it can go into the lower gears (presuming he uses gear 3/4). Therefore Rider B will sound a hell of a lot smoother than Rider A even if this isn't the case. I know it's technique 'n' all but if you shorten the chain and make the derailleur / tensioner closer to the frame as a result, it will sound better which MIGHT give the impression of being smoother. I dunno thats the reason I presumed anyways.... Comments? ← why on earth would you be bothered about running 6 gears just to sound smooth at a comp. thats not the point, im not sure what the point it, but it certainly aint that. cheeers ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echobikes Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Fair point. Isn't there still points for skill / style though? Meh not exactly the comp no-all so I'll stop now (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totaltrials Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 Take two riders, rider A and rider B. Rider A rides with 6+ working gears, Rider B has just the one working gear. Now Rider B can afford to have his chain exactly at the right length as he only needs to consider his one gear. Rider A however needs slack in his chain so it can go into the lower gears (presuming he uses gear 3/4). Therefore Rider B will sound a hell of a lot smoother than Rider A even if this isn't the case. I know it's technique 'n' all but if you shorten the chain and make the derailleur / tensioner closer to the frame as a result, it will sound better which MIGHT give the impression of being smoother. I dunno thats the reason I presumed anyways.... Comments? ← Even if that was true, it would be the riders choice to run single speed or gears so it would still be fair. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank_rider Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 presumably when the rules were written there was only technology for 6 speed at the rear...just a guess? unless they already had 7 and 8 speed out by then i dont participate in comps yet, and this does put me off from trying as i run single speed although i have all the bits ready to change if i like.....just hassle i suppose ← Monty probably used 6 gears as standard on their bikes, therefore the rule is 6? Thats my guess anyway. I think its a bit of a silly rule too, although only have one working gear on the stock i ride in the YMSA series. It was something that put me off riding comps for a bit, but now its clear that at club level it doesnt really matter i dont think it will be as much of a factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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