bikespace

Ooooooh - that could be good. What I need now is a KTM dealership in Oswestry. What's the chances of that happening eh?

But doesn't your equation work it out in lb-ft? Can we cancel the two 5252's out then and say that at 5252 rpm horse power equals torque? Don't seem right? Educate me

Yeah - i know what you mean Dabster. These aren't decent mud sections though where you've got a chance to blast through it and have a good ride. Like Gasserboy says, it's peat on the side of a hill. The observer took the p*** out of us too much last year Bad sections. Only way through was to walk it through. We sort of thought that it might give the earlier entries a chance last year, but even so, they were really bad sections - maybe we'll turn something else up somewhere.

Exact quote though "052.4.2 If a rider passes, in either direction, between the gates of another class it will be considered as a failure." Now I would probably give more benefit of the doubt than I've seen some give, because I have to be convinced that the rider has without any doubt broken the rules or boundary. And it may be that I'm wrong in doing that. Tough call I think. Ron's been round a few years, and is the chief observer - all the riders know that too - they know what they need to do. If you showed them what they did, they'd probably have to agree that it breaks the rules. There would probably be a few "yeah but's" and I sort of agree with them, but the purists will say rules is rules. They're not wrong.

I should add, do we just count the axles, such as the start and end gates? I do not think this is the last time these problems will come up! As even IF there were a tape marker there, the riders could many times push the tape for maximum advantage! What do you think? Good question - I would judge it (rightly or wrongly) as though it were a tape across the ground. If their wheel crosses it, then it's a 5, and I mean where the wheel touches the ground, so it would be covered by the rule which gives a 5 for the wheel touching the ground outside a boundary.

And for anyone local - If you fancy helping out in any way - observing, timekeeping, swapping punch cards, marshal, anything, please let yourself be heard. If you think you're too new to trials to help out, you're wrong!!! We need you!!! No clicks in our trials, we've got too many weirdo's and foreigners like myself to be clicky

Not quite sure what you mean, but FIM rules state that you can't cross through the gates of another course. No matter if they're the only gates around or if they take you a harder way, if they're not yours you can't pass through them. The riders know the rules. It is unfortunate, and I don't like to see them get fived for silly stuff like that, but when you've got 3 courses close together like that, there are going to be times where the courses come close and the riders have to make sure. Last year we had a section where it was tempting to cross your own tracks. You can do this with one wheel, but not with two. Some of the top minders placed their foot where the front wheel went on the way up, so that the rider could make sure he got it right on the way down. I wouldn't have complained in the section 15 situation if the minder placed his foot on the line of the other route. I suppose some observers would throw the minder out of the section. I think there has to be some common sense. On my section this year, if the rider failed the step, there was an awkward route up the side of the rock, but very close to the green route. If the rider went that way I warned them not to cross the line and pointed it out. I don't think there's anything wrong with warning the riders where you're going to be absolutely strict.

Just a reminder - the regs are out for this years Mid Wales Novogar round on 24th September. Last year was our first year as a Novogar. We were happy with it. Riders told us they were happy with it, from the top boys to the stragglers at my end of the entry. We aimed to get the top boys on around 15 marks, and we ended up with Sagar on 13 so not far off. Hopefully we can hit roughly the same mark again this year. It is a very sensible round - not easy, but nothing stupid. Lots of streams through brilliant countryside. Good marking for riders and support vehicles. One retirement last year, but that was old Marky G and his hands are made for washing up Throughout the whole trial last year there were only 2 sections that we were disappointed with - the mud ones too easy at first, then turned to **** - so we've scrubbed them and found a new stream - and it's looking good. Let us know if you think there is anything else we can do to make it better, and we'll have a go. Limited accommodation available very locally, more available short drive away if you're travelling far - space for campers near start, but need to pre-book, it's in a country pub car park. Contact me if you need me to find some numbers. I retain the same job as last year - get the Southerners drunk the night before to give the local lads a chance I'm sure I remember Wayne Holdsworth doing "Roll out the barrel" to the wee small hours last year, and he still came in the top 10 - that's stamina. More info available at www.trialspace.co.uk Click on the Novogar News Link Entry limited to the first 400

Can you explain what this is supposed to mean please? If you are suggesting the observing was not done in a proper manner I propose you get off yer backside and do some next year. That's how it read to me at first but I think Nigel's not actually having a go at the Bradford people. Quite the opposite, in fact! I can't work the old bugger out sometimes either , but I think you'll find that the sarcasm is aimed at the continental observers and is meant in your favour Stu.

I now need too buy my fourth set of handlebars in around the three month marker!!!! bloody renthall cr*p! Get some decent grips so you can keep hold of the bugger. GET UNDER IT as my old man used to shout

Thanks for the replies - especially you Windlestone I'm at a disadvantage as i didn't get to meet you I was in the TC tent but it was dark you must have had to go home early On Sunday morning I wished I had That red cider of r2w's sealed my eyes shut and gave me a stonking head. Can't believe you were in that tent and I never heard you gobbing off

Hmmmmm...... I think that's the trouble when maybe the observers are not dead sure of the rules. If you're dead certain and you point out why they got a 5, they can't say an awful lot (although Taddy probably would), but most of the riders know the rules better than some of the observers. Ron does a pretty good job of going through the rules, but there's always the rules that aren't quite watertight. A few spring to mind: 1. The dismount rule which we were already discussing. Loophole seems to be that if you manage to leave one foot off the ground, you can never be given a 5 according to the rules. 2. Handlebar touching the ground is a 5. That's clear cut when the ground is fairly flat, but when they're riding across a really steep camber, they slip and the bar touches a hump in the ground, is it a 5? Maybe it's a rock that it touches - it's not so clear cut then, but......I'm a little happier with that one being a common sense decision. 3. Rider is lying on his side having fallen off, still astride the bike and has managed to keep the bars off the ground. He could be lying almost upside down on a hill, but what can I five him for?

Not many people are I suppose, but hopefully you're not still running Windows 98? If you are, I think you can only use Media Player 9 which doesn't allow MP3 ripping by default. You'd have to search for a freeware CD-MP3 ripper for 98. With Media Player 10 you can "Rip" (Copy and convert) audio files from an audio CD to your hard drive. You have the choice of format to save them on your hard drive - If you're intending putting them on your MP3 CDs then you need to select MP3 - sometimes called compressed audio in some rippers. I normally record them at 192kbps and you don't notice much difference from CD quality at all. 160kbps is OK too. 128kbps starts to get noticable but still not bad at all. Once you've got the MP3's on your hard drive, you just need to copy them to your CD with whatever app you normally use (no conversion at all). Nero, or summat similar. You can normally even leave them in the folders like they are on your PC, one album in each folder for example, to help you sift through.

What d'ya mean - I missed that bit of controversy. What was that all about?

Click here

These were the things going through my mind (the bits in blue are excerpts from the rules): The machine touches the ground with the front or rear wheel, outside a boundary. The rider or machine breaks, removes, knocks down or rides over or above a marker or marker support with one of his wheels before the front wheel spindle passes a

On a similar topic to the Laia Sainz post - for those of you who were following the big boys round the last lap - what would you have given Raga on section 11? This was where he got the tape hooked over his back wheel and managed to hook it out with his foot. He got a two for his dabs. I heard a few people murmering it should have been a '5'. What d'ya reckon? And why! I was the fat bloke that left it at two fingers by the way

I'm guessing that this is a similar situation to our section. The riders weren't going out of the line of their own markers (the red course), they were crossing the line created by two markers from the green course for example (sideways on where the green course came in from the side. I gave the benefit of the doubt every time, particularly as the riders gained no advantage from it, and it's not always immediately obvious that you're crossing the line of another route by a few inches. Rightly or wrongly I would rather give the benefit, unless they're taking the mickey.

You could also put on about 6 stone. I find it calms mine down nicely without all the mods With the slow pull throttle I reckon you'll get used to it. It's much softer than many others. Softer than the Sherco 250 for instance and the Gasser 250 and 280 in my view. Got grunt, but not as snappy. Good luck, I think you'll enjoy it.

Brought a tent last year, but got pi55ed too quick and had to sleep in the car. Brand new Mazda 6 with leather seats got very wet. No, not that, worse! Fell asleep with a nightcap in hand, woke up at about 4am soaking. Just glad I drink cider, it leaves a much better aroma in the car than bitter or lager This year - scruffy polo, just to be on the safe side See you on Saturday.

That's not me - the bloke's bald for God's sake

My problem was the stopping. I knew in my mind when a trials bike would stop. My first foray in to enduro was on an Army 500 Maico. Not ideal at 17 year old. Stopping distance was doubled. It would go anywhere up hill, and would go THROUGH anything downhill At 17 the adrenaline was great. At more than double that adrenaline hurts I'd love to have another go, not particularly to be at the front, as I've not got the bottle any more to take the risks, just to get the buzz that you do get from a bit of speed. Too expensive for me at the moment though.

You've had good value out of that photo ya bitch Yeah - I'd concede that. My comment was just because of my experiences with the 04, and some other local 04's. Pretty solid. Can't remember what the differences were to be honest. Not massive. A new bike always seems better, but I reckon generally for a rider of our standard, it's not going to make a msiive difference - I'll go for reliability if I've got the choice.

Totally jealous - great pics, great land. Hasn't the Gasser got 6 gears? The Sherco has 5 and that's limiting sometimes, especially with a lardy like me on it Now that's what makes me think that trials would grow and grow if they just make some mainstream bikes like the one you're talking about, so that people can actually use them for trail riding too. Not everybody needs the ridiculous low seat of modern machines, especially the over 6 foot club. Sell it as the greener/quieter way to take a bike off road and make trials the friend of the rambler - OK I'm taking the **** with the last bit, but you get my drift

Best bike I've ever had. I'm a heavyweight on the expert route giving mine a real good test, and it's been almost faultless. I'd like a new one, but it's so damned good I'm going to run it in to the ground. If it doesn't blow up soon I'm going to have to shove some new rings in it, just because I feel I should be doing something after three years of tireless service After washing it, strip off the airbox and drop the float bowl, then seal up between the silencer/mudguard/airbox and should run spot on every week, with the odd bit of general maintenance. I use around 75:1, so that's around 70ml in a 5litre petrol can (fully synthetic). Use the best fuel you can get - optimax for example. You'll hear the odd scare mongerer, usually for Sherco's someone's heard a rumour from a cousin of a friend about main bearings. The worst thing on the bike is keeping the stickers on - so how bad can that be I think it's sort of like the Beta - you'll hear people scare mongering about the electrics. Well not much else usually goes wrong with them so the main thing you ever hear about Betas is the electrics. A possible weak point, but nothing really in the grand scheme of things. Always an exception, but generally I rate the Sherco 290, especially the 04 pretty highly.