Getting Trials More Coverage

[haydon_peter]

I started trials on a Scott XC bike, I experimented with endo's, learnt to back hop then figured out how to pedal hop forwards, eventually I found myself using these techniques to drop of walls etc... But at the end of the day I still had a mountain bike that I could use for other things. I could ride to school on it, I could ride XC, I could do what I liked on it. As I got more and more into trials I slowly modified my bike making it more specific for trials and of less use for other things.

Back when I started trials the bikes I saw people riding in MBUK did not look so alien, they were just mountain bikes with a few modifications, I didn't look at a trials bike and go "I cant ride trials on the mountain bike I already own, I need to go out and buy a special bike" like I can see many people thinking these days. Not many people are going to be too keen to go out and buy a specialist bike to learn trials on, they won't even know if trials is what they enjoy and the bike will limit them to just trials.

Quote, Martin Hawyes in last months MBUK:

I'd love to run a trials series next year that's fun and involves mountain bikes

I would love to see something like this, a trial that anyone can ride in no matter what discipline you ride or what bike you own. Trials doesn't have to be big ups, side hops and drop gaps, trials is navigating your bike over different terrain. The most fun I have had on a bike this year was riding the black run at Haldon freeride park near Exeter! My trials experience meant that I was nailing parts of the trail other riders were completely skipping out. It would be great to see trials merging with the growing 'freeride' scene, look at Ryan Leech's northshore section in Evolve all those years ago! At the end of the day the skinnies, teeter totters and steep roll downs found on northshore trails are 'trials' anyway.

If a trial involving more regular mountain bikes was run and had a feature in MBUK people would hopefully start to see that even a technical section of XC is a form of trials. Alongside this article a 'how to' section explaining the techniques riders used to navigated the sections could be done. Half a page explaining the simple modifications you can do to a bike to try out some trials would also be great (eg lowering your seat and why you should lower it)

I have gone on enough now and cant get any more of my thoughts typed out so that's it from me for now

[Christophe']

I started trials on a Scott XC bike, I experimented with endo's, learnt to back hop then figured out how to pedal hop forwards, eventually I found myself using these techniques to drop of walls etc... But at the end of the day I still had a mountain bike that I could use for other things. I could ride to school on it, I could ride XC, I could do what I liked on it. As I got more and more into trials I slowly modified my bike making it more specific for trials and of less use for other things.

Back when I started trials the bikes I saw people riding in MBUK did not look so alien, they were just mountain bikes with a few modifications, I didn't look at a trials bike and go "I cant ride trials on the mountain bike I already own, I need to go out and buy a special bike" like I can see many people thinking these days. Not many people are going to be too keen to go out and buy a specialist bike to learn trials on, they won't even know if trials is what they enjoy and the bike will limit them to just trials.

Quote, Martin Hawyes in last months MBUK:

I would love to see something like this, a trial that anyone can ride in no matter what discipline you ride or what bike you own. Trials doesn't have to be big ups, side hops and drop gaps, trials is navigating your bike over different terrain. The most fun I have had on a bike this year was riding the black run at Haldon freeride park near Exeter! My trials experience meant that I was nailing parts of the trail other riders were completely skipping out. It would be great to see trials merging with the growing 'freeride' scene, look at Ryan Leech's northshore section in Evolve all those years ago! At the end of the day the skinnies, teeter totters and steep roll downs found on northshore trails are 'trials' anyway.

If a trial involving more regular mountain bikes was run and had a feature in MBUK people would hopefully start to see that even a technical section of XC is a form of trials. Alongside this article a 'how to' section explaining the techniques riders used to navigated the sections could be done. Half a page explaining the simple modifications you can do to a bike to try out some trials would also be great (eg lowering your seat and why you should lower it)

I have gone on enough now and cant get any more of my thoughts typed out so that's it from me for now

Tic was also riding the wrong way up the helterskelter

first and only time its been done probably

the power of trials!

[Matt_Tupman]

I think big man-made competitions are going to break trials into the line light. Even though I'm a through and through natural rider when Andrei and I ran the indoor competition in Exeter earlyer this month I was amazed at the amount of spectators who turned up to watch, most of which were just general public not mountain bikers or extreme junkies but parents with their kids for a day out! A day out watching trials??

This is how trials will make it big, a rider can't show off his true skills on natural (even though it pains me to say it!) the public need something to relate to so when a rider hooks the side of a Ford Escort the public go 'WOW!! that bloke just jumped up a Ford Escort!' Natural events will still go on and once a percentage of the public have been to a few man-made competitions and got their head around the sport then they can watch a natural trial in the woods or on top of a hill and enjoy it just as much.

This isn't a quick procces though and I think it'll be at least 3 years till trials becomes as mainstreme as freerunning, people know what it is they have watched a bit of it seen the advert and know some of the main faces, they know they can't do it but that doesn't bother them they are just in awe of out ability and bravery. Some will persue it further and start riding and they might even be the future worl champion bring yet another style or twist to the sport. Advertisers, companies and the mediea will pick up on this new sport and push it even further but unlike free running were it slips away back into the relms of the extreme sports trials will continue to grow due to more and more competitons, jams, roadtrips, dvds, mags, websites all of which will help us become gods. Ok lost it there a bit

But you get the idea, that how I think the sport will grow and I know my plan to help it is very competition orintated until the public know what there looking at by being educated at events then your just another yob on a bike vandilising tax payer propety.

Matt

[Tommy d]

I agree with what some people have said about trials bikes themselves being too specific for a lot of other riders to consider. A picture of a typical comp styled trials bike won't actually look much like a bike to most mountain bikers. Even I as a trials rider, when I look at a mod, find myself thinking it's hardly a bike at all, so for someone who just rides off road tracks on their mountain bike it's going to be pretty alien. The wheels are smaller, the frame looks like two poles, no seat, rigid forks, huge stem and bars etc etc etc.

I haven't really considered it from this angle before, but maybe this is the reason why my personal idea of the best trials bike is 26", proper seat. I've always considered myself a mountain biker and not just a trials rider. That kind of bike is never going to be quite as capable at sidehops/gaps/comp riding as something long low and sticklike, but then my style of riding isn't exclusively about that.

Maybe a way to help other people relate to trials bikes more easily is to publicise that end of the trials spectrum - 'street' style 'bike' shaped bikes. It seems to me that most of the high profile trials events are competitions, where the long low bikes are going to be found?

[Muel]

They never test anything in MBUK, I saw a Brisa B26D tested once, and they put a review of the Zoot on the website.

Thats it.

[F-Stop Junkie]

Personally I've tested an Orange Zero frame, Planet-X forks, Geax tyres, Qranc gloves, Salomon shoes and all sorts in MBUK. On top of that, there was a group test of trials bikes that was done for MBUK too.

[Rossi]

What leedstrials said, sums it up in my opinion.

[Walleee]

Personally I've tested an Orange Zero frame, Planet-X forks, Geax tyres, Qranc gloves, Salomon shoes and all sorts in MBUK. On top of that, there was a group test of trials bikes that was done for MBUK too.

What your not talking about the one that had that awful decathlon bike or whatever it was called? or was that just an individual review in hip hop?

[huge]

I think that the main reason why trials is not as well exposed as other forms of biking is because it harder to relate to. For example most people can appreciate someone going quickly down a hill or struggling up a steep climb on a bike that looks something like any "normal" bike. Whereas most low long seatless trials bikes look nothing most people have seen before.

The reason i first started riding was becasue I saw Hans Rey getting up rocks on a bike that looked very similiar to the one I used for XC. I think that far more people would take up riding and it would recieve greater coverage if more people rode bikes similair in build to Ryan Leech, Jeff Lenosky, Jarimor spensy and Petr Kraus . I think that videos such as Prague and Ryan Leechs sections in the Kranked films are more likely to get someone into trials than if they were to watch a gap/tap/sidhop video such as the zoo series....

As impressive as some of the huge moves are, I think it would do trials a world of good if we moved away from the big move,cut,big move etc+heavy music style of late and produced more fluid videos with flowing lines on bikes with gears, suspension on the front and saddles

rant over

Edited December 22, 2006 by huge

[Matthew_Gibson]

I think it would do trials a world of good if we moved away from the big move,cut,big move etc+heavy music style of late and produced more fluid videos with flowing lines on bikes with gears, suspension on the front and saddles

rant over

But thats the typical yank style of riding, 'big' frames, front sus, and gears etc. there more street over there, with manuals and snips, there are people over here thats do that. But most people like the ridgid, long and low frames in Eurpoe.

Comps should get more coveregae, why not have a tv programe? If poeple like Koxx can charge plus £400 for a frame the least they could do it help trials get a bigger name.

[Has anyone seen my shoe?]

Does anyone know if Tunni is still going to be on BBC on sunday?

I checked the TV listings and im pretty sure that Neil isnt in Calendar Girls

[Flip-Mod]

Personally, i hope trials stays a minority. It not to fussed about our coverage or commercial advertisment. We head down that road and before long trials bikes will be sold in argos and jjb sports. I got into trials because i loved feeling unique and that people didnt undertsand it.

Tom L

[Ali C]

whats wrong with trials bikes being sold in argos? I can only see that as a good thing.

I want trials to get bigger, Andrei was telling me how on the British surfing comp scene, theres big cash prizes from 1st to 5th (like £600 for 1st or somthing) and then an overall prize money at the end of the year on top of the years winning. I wish trials was like that....with lots of sponsors too.

but there are many sports that dont get coverage or money, but I feel trials could be one. More red bull style events for trials, man made comps in citys could all help.

[Village Idiot]

Even though the bikes have changed from modified mountain bikes to specialised trials bikes, I'd say more people are getting into trials now - even though the new breed of bikes is less familiar to someone than a trials bike cross mountain bike. Thing is, more people getting into trials has probably caused the bikes to evolve and become different (bigger market for trials, new companies setting up, more money into R&D to come up with these new designs/parts etc).

Edited December 22, 2006 by Village Idiot

[Fixed Pants™]

Does anyone know if Tunni is still going to be on BBC on sunday?

I checked the TV listings and im pretty sure that Neil isnt in Calendar Girls

He isn't? I thought he was the fit brunette...

[joe b]

I think big man-made competitions are going to break trials into the line light. Even though I'm a through and through natural rider when Andrei and I ran the indoor competition in Exeter earlyer this month I was amazed at the amount of spectators who turned up to watch, most of which were just general public not mountain bikers or extreme junkies but parents with their kids for a day out! A day out watching trials??

This is how trials will make it big, a rider can't show off his true skills on natural (even though it pains me to say it!) the public need something to relate to so when a rider hooks the side of a Ford Escort the public go 'WOW!! that bloke just jumped up a Ford Escort!' Natural events will still go on and once a percentage of the public have been to a few man-made competitions and got their head around the sport then they can watch a natural trial in the woods or on top of a hill and enjoy it just as much.

This isn't a quick procces though and I think it'll be at least 3 years till trials becomes as mainstreme as freerunning, people know what it is they have watched a bit of it seen the advert and know some of the main faces, they know they can't do it but that doesn't bother them they are just in awe of out ability and bravery. Some will persue it further and start riding and they might even be the future worl champion bring yet another style or twist to the sport. Advertisers, companies and the mediea will pick up on this new sport and push it even further but unlike free running were it slips away back into the relms of the extreme sports trials will continue to grow due to more and more competitons, jams, roadtrips, dvds, mags, websites all of which will help us become gods. Ok lost it there a bit

But you get the idea, that how I think the sport will grow and I know my plan to help it is very competition orintated until the public know what there looking at by being educated at events then your just another yob on a bike vandilising tax payer propety.

Matt

He's cracked it ...

Love you, Matt!

Cheers,

Joe.

[steve1rc]

Whenever i go out riding trials with my mates, there are always the typical few that tell you off, or move you on to a different place, but there is always an audience. Yesterday i went riding in London and although there was only around 5 minutes on each spot (Guards doing their job ), an audience always gathered.

In the past i have had younger children ask if they can have a go on my bike, and parents asking about the sport of trials, and to me this shows that people are starting to become interested in the sport. I just hope that trials can become popular, but not too popular, I have always like the unique factor of trials.

I became interested because my dad helps run a trials motorcycle event called the TALMAG, and many of the riders there have children with trials pushbikes. From there i bought a trials bike and now many of my friends who i regularly ride with have become interested and have started to buy their own trials bikes.

It would be nice to see trials on the TV as i occasionally do with mototrials, but i don't want the sport to become one that everyone has seen before.