Too Mainstream ?

[CBProductions]

Ok either way anjow lets keep on topic I rarely post and when I do I always get some discrepancy or misinturpretation.

keep the opinions coming I dont want a wasted topic as I think this matters quite a bit as It does effect us all day to day in riding

[Simpson]

Look mummy im a pirate!!! hahaha

[Ash-Kennard]

^^^

wtf

on topic, i like the sport the size it is, at the moment it is at the stage where it is still special yet people are beginning to recognise it as a sport. the billions of nippers on t-birds and saracens that just somehow appear on rides, oh my god, i feel that alot of them have no purpose in trials, they always just seem to just watch, they never have helmets and i barely see any of them ever try anything. it kind of pisses me off that its what our sport is coming to. of course there are still alot of beginners who take it very seriously, these are the people i am proud to have in the sport. but the lazy kids should just piss off imo.

[CBProductions]

completly agree ash, I remember my first big ride in cambrdige and I was so stoked that a few of us were hitting this same line that it motivated me to try new things and I met some great new people and that motivated me soo much.

[Ali C]

the more mainstreem the better! more money in the sport, more sponsorship, bigger better events, better bikes etc

[Anjow]

Look mummy im a pirate!!! hahaha

What's that got to do with anything?

the more mainstreem the better! more money in the sport, more sponsorship, bigger better events, better bikes etc

But also the more snobbery, more negative attention (directed at people riding on public property), the more people on trials bikes will be thought of as a nuisance.

[gianttrials]

i see trials as the rugby of mtb-ing wheras downhill/dirtjump etc as the football of the mtb-ing scene. football will always be more popular with the masses but rugby is always much better. and i like the way it is, not to big not to small, just right (if you get what i mean) lol

[Krisboats]

^^^

wtf

on topic, i like the sport the size it is, at the moment it is at the stage where it is still special yet people are beginning to recognise it as a sport. the billions of nippers on t-birds and saracens that just somehow appear on rides, oh my god, i feel that alot of them have no purpose in trials, they always just seem to just watch, they never have helmets and i barely see any of them ever try anything. it kind of pisses me off that its what our sport is coming to. of course there are still alot of beginners who take it very seriously, these are the people i am proud to have in the sport. but the lazy kids should just piss off imo.

Maybe they're intimidated by you better riders. I know i wouldn't ride in front of people when i went on big rides and to some extent, i still don't now (mainly due to wanting to learn from everyone better than me nowadays)

[Ash-Kennard]

possibly but when i was learning i didn't really sit and watch on rides all day. maybe its because i never went on a street ride for the entirety of my first year riding? the only real time i sit and watch is at a demo, when im eating, when my bikes broken or when im waiting for a go on something and theres a que.

[RobinJI]

Yeah, I find I ride craply on big group rides, its just intimidating being around soo many people who are so much better than you, you feel like a tit if you fall off. I always ride my best when I'm on a smaller ride, with maybe 4 or 5 people who I know well, but are much better than me. That way I'm not embarised cos I know them and can just laugh it off, but theres still awesome riding going on to inspire me.

Anyway, back on topic, I agree with what people are saying, in that I like the idea of it growing, but it can grow in the wrong direction. It's too easy for there to just be a bunch of tits who like to think they ride when they don't. Like with skating and BMX, there are hundreds of people who think they do each in every town/city, but there's only a few who actually do.

Saying that though, I really like the BMX scene, because while there are hundreds of tits who think they BMX, there pretty separated from the serious guys, who are mostly legends and really nice guys. If in a few years trials was more like the current BMX scene, I'd be a very happy boy

I don't think you can really compare it to downhilling, because purely from the nature of the sport there are too many rich kids on 3K bikes who think they can ride because they can point there front wheel at a down slope and hold on. But then again, like I said, you can see them from miles off compared to the serious guys, it's just annoying that there the ones who are always on M3s and V12s, when some of us are stuck on mongooses! haha

[Greetings]

Well it sure does seem too mainstream in the uk (judging by this forum and a London ride i've been to), thank god it isn't the case my end. Actually it's pretty much perfect, most riders across the country know each other, the average trials scene in each city is rather small. No annoying 13 year olds and difficult access to biketrials parts. Frankly speaking i enjoy it the way it is, maybe apart from the polish trials forum which is full of twats whos opinions are mainly based on what they've seen somewhere on the net.

I'd rather have 1 good mate to ride with (in a 600k city) than an army of annoying little kids and idiots who's parents bought them brand new bikes a week ago.

[CBProductions]

Well it sure does seem too mainstream in the uk (judging by this forum and a London ride i've been to), thank god it isn't the case my end. Actually it's pretty much perfect, most riders across the country know each other, the average trials scene in each city is rather small. No annoying 13 year olds and difficult access to biketrials parts. Frankly speaking i enjoy it the way it is, maybe apart from the polish trials forum which is full of twats whos opinions are mainly based on what they've seen somewhere on the net.

I'd rather have 1 good mate to ride with (in a 600k city) than an army of annoying little kids and idiots who's parents bought them brand new bikes a week ago.

I think the parents buying their kids bikes is becoming too common over here its like oh daddy I dont want designer clothing now its not in , I want to be a trials rider and have silly expensive parts for it.

Gone are the days of saving up for your 2.3 tioga and hoping it will fit.

For example look how many companies have popped up and how much expansion there has been? Dont get me wrong ITS GOOD FOR THE SPORT

[Ali C]

yep, it is good for the sport, who cares if theres annoying kids, just let them be annoying on their own. I am top 3 in the country and top 3 in the worlds in expert, any guesses to how much money I won? how much more help and sponsorship I got? NON!! I have to pay lots to enter comps. If this was a mainstreem sport I would be expecting a LOT more out of it......I met a runner the other day when riding, he was top 3 in the country and got £14,000 a year just to run! So the more parents buying their kids bikes, the more annoying kids buying bike just to be "cool" the better, more money will be going back into the sport, bigger companies will want to sponsor riders, more prize money will be available.... I cant see ANY bad points!

[Ash-Kennard]

^^^

yeah, but that means its better for you, exceptional riders who compete constantly and still have time to produce awesome footage. whereas us, alright riders would get f**k all and get stuck with more daddys boys

[ManxTrialSpaz]

Things going mainstream might be a bit crap. When little people ride trials and you find 'another rider!' you'll meet him, talk to him probably be mates with him. But if there are lots of riders, it'll be harder to find nice people to ride with, as every other rider you find is just another rider and is less special than the ones you find when trials was rare.

So it could make enjoybale rides harder to find as there's greater chance of assholes accomopanying you :/

Edited May 19, 2007 by ManxTrialSpaz

[sex_on_wheels]

yep, it is good for the sport, who cares if theres annoying kids, just let them be annoying on their own. I am top 3 in the country and top 3 in the worlds in expert, any guesses to how much money I won? how much more help and sponsorship I got? NON!! I have to pay lots to enter comps. If this was a mainstreem sport I would be expecting a LOT more out of it......I met a runner the other day when riding, he was top 3 in the country and got £14,000 a year just to run! So the more parents buying their kids bikes, the more annoying kids buying bike just to be "cool" the better, more money will be going back into the sport, bigger companies will want to sponsor riders, more prize money will be available.... I cant see ANY bad points!

i would have to agree with ali on this one, then i would feel there was more of a purpose in trials at the moment i feel even if i did become "amazing" i wouldnt really of gained anything imo. if i was ali with what he has acheived i would feel quit upset about the situation of paying to enter the comps, winning them but not getting anything in return . if that makes any sense lol???

dave.

Edited May 19, 2007 by sex_on_wheels

[Krisboats]

Why isn't there prize money at comps? Not even a percentage taken from entrance fees?

I'm sue a lot of riders would pay £1 more on the admission price to compete and have say a pot of all the extra £1's split into prizes for first second and third places. Local bmx comps do it and they got a much bigger turnout when they did it. The atmosphere was much better too, loads of people competing and having a laugh with each other trying new and crazy moves.

[CBProductions]

yep, it is good for the sport, who cares if theres annoying kids, just let them be annoying on their own. I am top 3 in the country and top 3 in the worlds in expert, any guesses to how much money I won? how much more help and sponsorship I got? NON!! I have to pay lots to enter comps. If this was a mainstreem sport I would be expecting a LOT more out of it......I met a runner the other day when riding, he was top 3 in the country and got £14,000 a year just to run! So the more parents buying their kids bikes, the more annoying kids buying bike just to be "cool" the better, more money will be going back into the sport, bigger companies will want to sponsor riders, more prize money will be available.... I cant see ANY bad points!

Do you not ride for the sake of riding ?

I agree and disagree with that comment ali , it seems a bit selfish that you should be wanting the sport to be full of dicks and daddys boys for the sake of your sponsorship ? But I also think that a rider of your satus should be given support. So ok contradicting there but , I hope we as a sport dont set our eyes to firmly on getting it too known and loose sight of why we ride.

Im not sure this makes a good point im tired and itl probably get me shreaded but oh well

[Dan Jones]

I think he rides because he loves it, but would love it even more if he could make a living from it.

[Simpson]

I think the parents buying their kids bikes is becoming too common over here its like oh daddy I dont want designer clothing now its not in , I want to be a trials rider and have silly expensive parts for it.

But i mean I've got a uber expensive bike but my parents havent given me as much as money for a innertube for it, i dont ride much on group rides and really achive on smaller rides where i feel comfortable in front of 4-5 people who are about the same / better level as me as they push me on.

[CBProductions]

But i mean I've got a uber expensive bike but my parents havent given me as much as money for a innertube for it, i dont ride much on group rides and really achive on smaller rides where i feel comfortable in front of 4-5 people who are about the same / better level as me as they push me on.

Same here.

[Ali C]

I ride because I love riding, if it was the case of I just wanted money or sponsorship, I would have left trials a long time ago!

[RR_Trials]

OK... My input.

I haven't read peoples replies yet but i will in a bit.

My idea is that Trials will not go mainstream because the bikes are 'un-ridable' when was the last time you saw some 10 year old kid with a falling apart 'Apollo' trials bike just to get around on, exactly.

I think that things like BMX etc are so big because the BMX'ing industry has so much to spend on updating their products etc because you can get from A to B on a BMX.

Well anyway i tried to explain but if that doesn't make sense say and ill try and re-explain.

[Walleee]

OK... My input.

I haven't read peoples replies yet but i will in a bit.

My idea is that Trials will not go mainstream because the bikes are 'un-ridable' when was the last time you saw some 10 year old kid with a falling apart 'Apollo' trials bike just to get around on, exactly.

I think that things like BMX etc are so big because the BMX'ing industry has so much to spend on updating their products etc because you can get from A to B on a BMX.

Well anyway i tried to explain but if that doesn't make sense say and ill try and re-explain.

Downhill is bigger than trials by a long shot, those bike's are not for taking a run down to the shops(well maybe down, but not back up again!!)

Do apollo even have a trials bike?

[CBProductions]

I ride because I love riding, if it was the case of I just wanted money or sponsorship, I would have left trials a long time ago!

I know this is a bit off topic but what makes you enter the competitions and pay the fee's etc if you can ride anywhere you like ?

I actually started trials to help improve my downhill riding now I no longer ride downhill I find myself mutually addicted to trials but not for the competition like I used to do in downhill.