coops

Did a tandem hill dive.... perfect symmetry of me and bike going AOT down a big hill... (Fortunately we missed each other) .... think we both manged 4 full revolutions. Picked up bike minus rear mudguard and with bars almost upside down and rode back to fix looking like a circus clown !!! Ah well... If you never try you never learn or get better !!! If only someone had been filming, you've been framed £250 nailed on ...

Hi Cass Depends what you want in spend in terms of budget etc as to how you do this ... I started again after 20yrs last year and didn't have a massive budget (kids and wife to look after). Bikes- get down to trial and talk to people and if possible try a couple of different types as they all ride differently. It's all personal preference in the end and people swear by different makes. All will do the job for beginner / clubman route so go for the best you can find in your preferred make and price band. I bought a gas gas txt 250 pro 05 in good nick well looked after and it's still miles better than me !! Perhaps give Gwil and Mark a bell at Trials Wales and they may have something suitable and also offer some advice on bikes and gear etc that they can supply. They are based in north Wales so not too far away .. They also are usually at Frodsham trials if you plan to pop there next weekend for a look? For transport I went for a dave cooper bike rack for about £100 and for me that does the job as I didn't have space for a trailer. Again some love them and some hate them but for me mine is great and means I'm not restricted to 50mph either. But again you can pick up a trailer from eBay or the like if ou prefer or if you have space and budget then a van could be the way forward for you... Plenty of info on types in the transport forum. For gear, either eBay or from a dealer depending on budget. Boots helmet and gloves are a must but again enough bargains about if you shop about and if you're happy with second hand. Finally clubs ... I'm in warrington and do Frodsham and darwen trials as well as others in lancs and cheshire. Depending on where you are you could head to lancs or into cheshire or even north Wales... Check out the north Wales and cheshire center and lancs center websites and you can gauge where is best,.. Good thing with it is that all clubs a very friendly and all have very different venues and terrains! Good luck with he search and don't take too long as addiction is just around the corner!!

There's a good video on the trials UK website under the how to guides that shows step by step how to do it. Think you have to register to view it but takes a min to do. Coops

You boys have a point .. might leave it after all ... fixing my dents could be like painting the forth bridge I reckon ... Just gonna buy a massive sticker that will cover the whole thing if I sell and spend my time riding or on the bar recounting the triple step clean that got away !

Mr T, not tried the 200 but found the 250 is perfect to start out on! Not too fierce, easy to handle and even my 8 yr old 250 is plenty good enough even now and still miles better than me!! The 280 or 300 are a bit more challenging for starting out on I've been told but I've not ridden them so others can better advise! If your pal fancies trying a 250 and we do cowm then happy to let them have a play. Coops

Shipdamite and Shercoben - cheers for the suggestions will give them a go and see if they work ... if all else fails I may head to the freezer.. at least the frozen peas will have that nice 'fuel' flavour regardless of outcome !! blocky ... you're on ... do you reckon she could do the job from that distance ???

Noticed I'd put a small dent in the side of my tank last time out .. not happy !! Anyone any tips for fixing this? Zippy / Ted .. may or may not help you, but try some super strength Ibruprofen, diclofenac in gel form and rub into the area that gives you trouble.. better than just popping the pills and doesn't screw your stomach up either .. doesn't help cure my knack'd knee that some 90yr old seems to have swapped with my proper one,but I also don't feel when I've dabbed now either !!

Good luck on the TY, I'll keep an eye out for you ! Should be a good un !

Yep, I'll be there ...looking forward to it !! Can't believe I'm riding at a place I used to go sledging at 25 yrs ago !! You riding tomorrow, if so see you there ??

Highlights today at 12:10pm on Motors TV UK....

Keep meaning to go to cowm but still haven't yet. In fact all my practicing has been pretty much in comp since I got back into it, between frodsham and darwen comps, broken wrists, knee ops and wife and kids cowm just hasn't happened as yet!! If you fancy frodsham comps give us a shout.. good club, great people and like you, i know the area well, even went to school and lived there till the misses dragged me away!!

How did you go ??... I thought it was a really good event with a nice mix of stuff and thoroughly enjoyed it. Apart from one easyish section that I completely missed a flag on for a couple of laps and made myself look even more stupid than normal !! Seen the Andorra parked up at one section but couldn't see the owner to let on, that's one tidy machine, very smart. Did she ride as good as she looked?? Hope you enjoyed it ...

Yup, I'm planning on being at that tomorrow.. so will maybe bump into you there (probably by accident, depending on how early it goes dark!!). First trial in 20 years, should be a doddle for you, I started again last year after a similiar lay off and it all comes flooding back .. bit like riding falling off a bike !! Just enjoy it and if you need owt jut ask!!

I agree, spending the time getting it right without the tube is the way to go and just think how satisfied you'll be when you sort it !! FWIW I had a new rear fitted recently and got some leaking around the spokes after the rim seal was disrupted changing it over. However, even though it's a pain in the *rse .. with a bit of patience in cleaning the rim up thoroughly (worth the effort and good excercise for the arms) and reseating / changing the rim band (when you clean it all up you may see some damage to it and decide to change it) but after taking some time with that all this it was fine! For me, I got my local tyre shop to remove and fit it as it's easy to cause issues getting it back on and I wasn't going to waste all my hard work bodging it myself. If an when you get it sorted, a good tip I got on here, was to make sure that you pump it right up hard as soon as it's on... as the pressure will help everything seal. Also keep pumped up between use and just deflate when you take it out! Good luck, it's a pain but worth the effort !!

sting, thanks for the advice, I think you and dombush make really good points and I can see the sense in keeping practicing for now with the current set up and the benefits of that. TBH I'm still pretty green this time round and on a modern bike ... so guess it's time to practice, practice, practice until the control is there (or not) at least if I can't nail that I have the option of dropping down a tooth on the front later on. Thanks to all for the reply's and opinions... much appreciated!

Thanks for the advice, will try a new 10t and current chain see if that works / feels more comfortable without spinning me too much in sections. Guess it may be the first of many changes to see what feels and works best for my dodgy riding style (seem to remember this being easier when I was younger!!)

Cheers for the responses, just checked and i'm running 11t on the front so will try 10t instead and see how that goes. Another stupid question, but I assume changing it is a straight forward excercise.. anything to be aware of (not done it before)... will I also need to shorten the chain ? Again sorry if I should know, but pretty new to the maintenance side of things, but determined to learn.. Cheers

Apologies if this is a daft question but I'm still pretty new to this. Was riding in a comp today and even though I was in first gear the bike was running like it was in second, to the point that a couple of people asked if I was in second gear and should knock it down as it was running fast on idle. Managed to do ok but spent a lot of time on the clutch.. Don't remember it being like this before, any suggestions ? Cheers all... Coops

I was 87 today, number and age of knees, Enjoyed it though, it was nice not to be knee deep in mud for once !! same as nelly (except he has mates) I'm on my own (no mates) so if you want company next time out just give me a shout !!

Yep, best way is to get yourself down to a trial - you won't go far wrong doing that !!.. good option for you may be Darwen Trials Club http://www.darwentrialsclub.co.uk/ which should be fairly handy for you. Really friendly club, very helpful gang and loads of people who'll point you in the right direction and offer advice etc - next one is 7th Apr I think. Oh and I use a Dave Cooper Bike rack for transporting my gasser and it works really well, rack is on and off in 5 mins (bit like me in most trials !!).

Hi Jon, I had some training up at Bumpy 18 months ago just as I was starting out again... it was with one of the young lads there (sorry can't remember his name but he was riding nationals at the time and a good coach) - training was excellent and 1-1 for a couple of hours. Think they still do some group sessions as well and as GarryM says, Dan is a brilliant coach if you get him running one of the courses. I'd throughtly recommend it if you want some training. Nelly, Bumpy is worth a visit if you fancy a trip out for the day (will take an hour for you though) just seen that Garry M has explained what it is.. for me.. terrain is varied and suits all levels and the place is friendly and easy to get to off the M62 and open long hours especially in the summer. I like it a lot and still retain a membership and travel over occassionally for practice and make a day of it. Oh and if the missus complains I stick her in the car and send her off to Ikea and the likes which are just round the corner !! Btw - Did you ride Mouldsworth on Sunday, how was it? I missed it having had a knee op 3 weeks ago but should be back for the next trial !

Tog, when do you think you'll have your TY up and running? It's always great to see the old twinshocks. I rode a TY back in the late 70's / early 80's as a youth!! Great bike and great memories ... think I even did my last trial at Alvanley back then, so it was like going full circle on Sunday (but many more creaking bones and dropped points this time round)! Look forward to seeing your TY fairly soon hopefully!

No pics I'm afraid busy fixing and riding, shame you didn't make it as the weather was good and the venue is great for both riding and watching, although it was a bit muddy in places for speccies. Oh and you don't need more time on the bike (assuming that's practice rather than fixing)... just get it down to the next one and give it a go and that'll be it, I'm riding the beginners routes as I've only been back riding for less than a year now and they're fine for anyone. I'm sure I'll be there so feel free to give me a shout if you fancy it.

Just wanted to say what a top club it is, with a superb friendly gang of people as well as some great trials and venues!!... If anyone is looking for somewhere to ride / join then this is a great place to start. But more importantly thanks to all who tried to help me get my Gasser going yesterday, when it died before the start, and especially to Graham (with his busted foot and all that metal) who spent an hour on one leg fixing it before finally getting it running!! Even managed to rush round and get finished on time (even if it meant a few more marks than I'd have hoped for). Not many sports or parts of life where you get so many top people in one place and all keen and happy to help!! Cheers all, see you next trial. Neil

Hi Andy, you should be fine, you'll be able to join the club on the day and Margaret will give you a number for you to apply for your ACU licence later in the week. Try giving her a bell - 01928 733358 to double check but if not turn up and look out for her. I've just got back into trials after a long while and did the same a couple of months back... I'll be there tomorrow so feel free to come by and say hello !! Clubs dead friendly as are the people there so just come along and enjoy it!!! Cheers Neil