jersey stew

My daughter whos 13 has just started on a Bw Beta rev 80. She gets on ok with it but it can be a bitch for her to kick sometimes. I have just bought myself a Gas Gas 125 txt pro to start on and she had a go on it but said she still prefered her "Bertie!!" However the gasser is much easier to start and is more refined I believe, quieter, smoother and generally feels like a better quality bike in my opinion. I'm not biased either way as I have never had a trials bike before, but I have had people say things like "that Beta is a nice tidy bike but I'd still have a gasgas anyday". Having riden them both I tend to agree. As for 80 or 125 I think there is very little difference as the 125 wont tear your arms off.

Anybody tried doing an engine swop so as to avoid the crap twist and go thing? Once my boy has grown a bit more we would like to progress to a proper petrol bike but a medium wheel might be too big for him so I was wondering if I could mod a gasgas boy to a proper multi gear bike?? Any ideas?

Many thanks I will try that and see how we get on. Cheers

Hi Anybody have any suggestions for improving gear selection on my daughters rev 80? Compared to my 125 gas gas its a bitch to find neutral sometimes, it also seems that the gearchange lever is very flexible which adds to the problem as it feels to bendy to me? Is there a stronger, stiffer lever to use than the alloy one it has which incedentley is aftermarket and not Beta? On the gas gas the lever is positive and much shorter. Please dont say get a gas gas instead although I would agree as they seem better to ride all round and much easier for her to kick. Any advice would be good Cheers Stewart (on a rock in the middle of the english channel otherwise known as Jersey!!)

Hi my son currently rides an Oset16 in Jersey, C.I. I have been trying to find a fair way to score our riders here who are at vastly different ability levels. As there aren't enough of them to split them up into different classes/routes I'm just wondering if any of you ahve similar experiences and a have any ideas. Sometimes the results are scewed towards those who aren't neccassarily riding the best but who are not falling off but actually foot the whole section! getting only a 3. I believe this isn't helping them either to progress their skills? I know its supposed to be about fun at this young age 5-7 yrs but surely after riding at least one season they should be looking to get a little competitive? No? We might venture to the uk next year to see how he is performing relative to the mainland kids to get a broad comparison. Cheers Stew

Yes youre right mate not easy to find stuff that is a straight fit! Ive fitted a rockshox damper with the 500llb spring from Oset, took some fabrication but should work a treat. Tom will try it at the weekend at the first trial of the season here. But already it seems smoother rebound compared to std so hopefully will be worth the effort. Think we will stick with the std forks for now as you said its a bit involved to fit the Marzocchi forks and also a bit pricey I would imagine? Tom's rockshox was used and off ebay £40 so good upgrade for very little money. Also I dont want to spend too much on it as next year he will prob move to petrol bike if his legs grow enough!!LOL

Hi anyone on here any advice on which forks etc will improve the handling of the OSET 16?? Ive found a Rock shox rear shock which with a little engineering will work but I'm unsure which front forks I could use from say a mountain bike, Rock Shox, Fox or similar? Are they sized as 20" then? 1 1/8 steerer? It just seems to me that once the rider has progressed to a reasonable level the bike is letting him down, as the suspension doesnt damp like it should but rather just springs and bounces around lifting the wheel off the ground and losing traction. I dont want to spend a fortune as I am rather hoping his legs will grow and next season get him a petrol bike. Any ideas?? Stewart

Have just done brake tube modification to master cylinder end. We have problems with the nipple on the fitting shearing off when he comes off the bike sometimes. So I have come up with a mod to fit a banjo fitting which then brings the pipe in parralel to the bars instead of sticking out ready to be ripped off. Very easy with some inginuity . Used drilled out clarks banjos and banjo bolts from amazon. few quis each end.

Oh yea my style too!!!

Hi just purchased a Beta 80 for my daughter. Hasnt arrived yet but just interested to know if there are any issues/ advice on this particular model to be aware of? Its apparently been fully rebuilt with new tyres, bearings, seals and powdercoated frame and looks mint with new later decals from 2010/2011 (I think). Any advice gladly received guys. Stew

Have found some mx ones on the net but they are a really unpopular size and also I'm not sure if they would be legal for trials events? Why cant OSET come up with an alternative tyre for muddy conditions with slightly deeper tread? We could then have a spare rim and tyre combo to keep in the van. It all very well them making them wider but that wont allow them to dig down through the mud top find the harder stuff!

My lads has the skeletals on and they are fantastic as he is 5 and a small 5 at that! Levers are very close to the hand grip and still have enough travel to work (approx 3/4" inside diamension). Are you sure they are bled properly???? And as said before are they lined up to the disc to reduce flex in the caliper?

Does anyone know of an alternative rear tyre to the Kenda 2.7 x 16 for the Oset 16"? Ideally one which is a bit knobblier as they seem to struggle on muddy sections with the lighter riders on them. Also the mechetechno 12" seems to have more traction? I wonder if this is due to better frame design or/ shock is better quality??

Is anyone doing smaller shell helmets for Juniors? MY son has a xxxs but the shell is adult size meaning it is rather heavy for his little head and in particular his neck. Stew