michael_t

if you skip through the videos there are some ones on mountain biking and stuff that are a little better suited.

http://gopro.com/support/articles/gopro-tutorial-videos

Brilliant !!! Hopefully some of the new riders will take note of the importance of asking questions - which ultimately leads to some good finger pointing.

1) I live in Canada, we don't typically shout at each other . 2) That is my Sherco X-Ride which is street legal here in Nova Scotia or at least I was able to convince the dept of vehicles that it was (doesn't excuse the sidewalk though )

Yes I saw the chesty at the store but went for the $10 clip instead probably a bad choice on my part but am going to try it on my back pack strap.

Have a great time Heather, We are all rooting for you !!! Let people know it your first go and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. If you can join up with somebody to walk the sections and ride with it is a big help. I also find that if I have buddy to ride with they are handy when I need somebody to help lift my bike off me when things don't go quite as planned (once we stop laughing ) Good to have plenty of liquids handy - water during the event and maybe something a little stronger for once you are done. Cheers, Michael

The ticking is my zipper tag hitting the camera - lesson learned on that one .

I received a gopro 3+ black for Christmas asking on another forum it seems using a ram mount to attach it to the bike is the post popular as the bike tends to be more solid than a person. I bought a simple clip and clipped it on my chest pocket and was happy with the outcome but it is far from a pro solution. As far as youtube my suggestion would be edit the video down to more of a high light real it is fine to have 15 minute videos for your own watching pleasure but spend a little time cutting scenes by editing it maybe even toss in some sped up parts (for the boring parts) or slow motion bits (for the good stuff). 1/4 of an hour is a really long time - my family typically walks away after the 2 minute mark . The Gopro video editing software makes the editing pretty easy. This is my first video (the wheelies are in slow motion and I edited out most of the street ride as I noticed I hadn't come to full stops at the stop signs).

hahaha - always walk a section before riding it. Man I wish we could get some snow here on the east coast of Canada, it was 15C on Christmas .

Welcome to the sport !!! Man you really lucked in, having people who can show you the ropes is an amazing help when getting started. As far as gear goes, a decent helmet (light with good air flow) is a big help... I can work up a real sweat here in Nova Scotia, can't imagine riding in Florida. Trials boots are another plus. I will warn you just because trials riders wear spandex in videos best to check what riders in your area are wearing before you spend money on some . Keep your feet on the pegs and a smile on your face !!!

I couldn't agree more !!! I had a big issue when I started trials as I decided to start putting on events before ever actually being to one. I read the rule book but there was really nothing specific about how the sections should be designed... My only option was to have a person who had been to trials events before walk my sections and give me pointers and then listen to riders and learn as I continued to put on events. I did eventually find a set of rules (can't remember where) that did have section criteria but it was pretty general like Novice nothing over 18 inches, Intermediate could be ridden without "trick riding" I guess this meant hopping the bike, Advanced required "trick riding" Pro - whatever you could dream up. I do think that sections need to be built very differently for stop, non stop, or stop dab but I have yet to see section guidelines to help in this regard. I have asked governing bodies about this but it doesn't seem like anybody is willing to write things down - preference is to keep it an art more than a science. My current tactic is if it seems too easy I just toss another log into the section some people say "put another log on it" is my middle name .

Merry Christmas from the laid back East Coast of Canada. Great to see a forum based in the UK making the trials world a little more connected

Hi Pat, I would caution you about comparing a 250 and 500 2T MX bike with trials the "hit" when things get a little interesting is when a 2T "gets on the pipe" or hits the "power band" and is something you certainly have to get used to on a typical 2T. Trials do not have the same type of characteristic the power is much more linear even on the smaller displacement. The purpose of the bikes is very different as well you seldom wind them WFO and if you do you had better being holding on when you let the clutch go . A local rider put an old Yamaha 80cc motor into a Fantic that had blown its motor and with the right rider that thing can still keep up on the difficult lines at our events. It was funny though when we had a very experienced Enduro rider come out to try the sport he first tried the Fantic then jumped on a GG250 - Got quite the shock as the bike launched itself out from under him... - safety note always point a loaded bike in a safe direction Anyways just some early morning rambling before heading out to start my X-mas shopping (Figured I would start early this year, I usually wait until the afternoon LOL)

Almost as good as "hold my beer and watch this" . I guess we should add that trials riders have a good sense of humor - are quick to laugh at themselves - and anyone else who is crazy enough to enjoy the sport

that video appears to be not available in Canada due to it being from the BBC .

Hi Borus, I was actually referring to the Vertigo press release as far as having their bikes ready to be sold to the general public (well trials riders anyways) I put "mass" in quotes as I don't imagine they will be producing huge quantities to start with. Thanks for the Sherco insight it will be interesting to watch that one develop as well. It will be interesting to see which grows faster EFI/DI bikes or maybe we will all be on Electric bikes and it will be a mute point .

It sounded like "mass" production was at least a season away in that they where going to use this season of competition to further develop the bike. It sure would be awesome if somebody really in the know would join the forum and give us the inside scoop as this developed... although they would have to have pretty tough skin to put up with all the arm chair trial bike designers

Might be worth a trip to your nearest trials shop or at least an experienced trials rider to help you sort this out. The first time I rode with an experienced rider was a real eye opener for me these bikes are so different than riding Enduro or MX bikes good to get some pro help if at all possible. Maybe just go to your nearest event and ask around - trials riders are typically very helpful to new riders. Advice on a forum is a bit like trying to explain computers to your parent over the phone - my dad called me today wondering why spreading his fingers on his mac air screen wasn't making the screen bigger the way it does on his phone and tablet .

Hey Brian, From this video you posted earlier I'm not sure why you think your shock is shot... As a fellow beginner I am now thinking I might need to replace the shock in my 2002 GG. Is there a way to measure or tell when a shock is "shot" I really hadn't given it much thought before. I have changed the oil in my forks a few times but have never really given the shock much attention. Mine will certainly bottom out off larger obstacles but I am 195 lbs so just figured that was normal. It is my first trials bike so don't have much experience with other trials bikes.

I wonder if Sherco will take the work they are doing with injection and apply it to their Trials bikes as well seems there is a lot of people trying to crack the 2stroke EFI / DI nut. http://www.enduro360.com/2014/10/16/featured/sherco-injection-two-stroke-action/

Hi All, Just wanted to thank everyone that came out and supported trials riding in 2014. Special thanks goes to NSORRA, WTC, RPM Cycle, Beta Atlantic, NSDSC, The Outdoor Show, Jonathan English and all the riders that made the year a ton of fun. We had a great turnout for the outdoor show this year and I think the head to head competitions were a hit with both the riders and the thousands of spectators. Every year we have put on a different type of show and have a bunch of fun during these 3 day indoor events. Now we just need to dream up something for 2015. The training day with Jonathan English was sold out early and for good reason. Just watching a pro level rider up close is a treat but having him jump on your bike and demonstrate the fact that the bike isn't the issue really helps motivate you . Truly Jonathan is a super nice guy and is a real confidence booster no matter what your riding ability is. Eric put on his first event this year and I was disappointed I wasn't able to attend but from all reports it was a great day with some tough challenges for everyone. The Drive to Ride at Miller Meadow had a great turnout and the new rock and tire sections were a big hit (in more ways than one). NSORRA has been a huge boost to Trials riding in NS and it is great to be part of this annual membership drive. Kevin held his second annual event this year with a totally new venue, in a rock quarry. It is surprising but to date we have had limited rock experience so the new venue had some fantastic challenges in store. It was also really cool that there was fairly large spectator turn out... nothing like a little extra pressure All in all it was a great year and we saw 5 or 6 new riders join our ranks. I currently have 42 people on my email list to get the trials updates with respect to upcoming events and any local trials news. If you are interested in being added please let me know. I am in the process of putting together the 2015 schedule and looking forward to another great year of Trials riding in the Maritimes. Cheers, Michael

Not sure what you mean by "defending it" the rules have been in place for many years they are documented there are even videos to help you understand them. I am assuming a committee worked on the rules and they where voted into effect. I don't see why they need to be "defended" especially years after the decision has been made... but maybe I am just getting caught up in semantics. When I started in trials there where no trials events being put on in the local area (within 1,000 km or so), being new to the sport I looked around for a rule book and found the Canadian WTC rule book I contacted the WTC to find out about insurance for events and what was involved in putting on events then I started putting on events using the rule book. My feeling is that as long as everyone knows what rules your event is following and they are fairly enforced (we ride on an honour system) then you could really use whatever rules you like. The 5 second rule is a great example as far as I know the WTC just made it up (I voted on it representing my area) but all the riders here have been happy to adhere to it and I was never asked to defend it (I really just think people are happy to now have 3 or 4 events a year to participate in for free). Now other riders are starting to put on events in the area but we use the same WTC rules for all the events. If I did have to defend the stop and dab, I would say it makes for good fun (fewer 5s), it is super easy to understand, it is simple to enforce, and it is well documented in the rule book. What more would you like in a rule? The only confusion I have found is with people that come back to the sport after many years of not having events and are used to the older no stop rules.

I practice hitting the kick start on the way to a dab... if she fires up I get a 1 instead of a 5... has actually come in handy a few times now .

Stall and dab, go out of bounds, break a tape, cross your path, roll backwards, both feet on same side or off the back of the bike, I have done all of the above there may be a few more . In the spirit of speeding things up I typically impose the 5 second rule (can't dab for more than 5 seconds) but we just ride for fun so it is really an on your honour sort of rule to encourage people to keep moving .