I'm in the process of building a 16' X 10' shed / workshop to house all my toys .... It's a timber framed, tongue and groove pitched / felted roofed building that was treated at the factory and I have also double coated it with a timber treatment.
I managed to get it built and water tight before Jan as I was away for a month working in Dubai.
The shed is sat on creosoted 2" X 4" timbers that are sat on concrete slab pillars with a good 8" air gap underneath.
I took delivery this week of 24 sheets of 8ft X 4ft X 1" polystyrene which will be going between all the frame timbers with 0.5" chipboard on the front.
I will be lining the whole shed with a thin plastic vapour barrier first.
The floor is also having the polystyrene with .75" OSB board on top.
The roof will be lined with the vapour barrier, polystyrene and then some thin fibre board.
I intend to have a small electric heater in there to add a bit of warmth of required.
As for bike cleaning ..... I have a friend who is a professional detailer and as such stole one of his tool ideas.
I bought a machine that is sold as a dog grooming dryer, basically it's a huge hairdryer for dogs, it can be wall mounted or free standing has a long tube with 2 attachments and can be set to blow hot or cold and at varying strengths (it has some real snot when flat out)
Wash the bike as normal, dry with the dog dryer and liberally coat with GT85 .... Job done.
What concerns riders with experience about the 300cc bikes for a beginner is that although actual speeds while riding over/around obstacles are slow,things happen very quickly during the process for example if you were to go up a banking and around a tree and then drop down a steep bank over some roots and you start to lose control on a 300cc and you open the throttle a little it could turn a bad thing frightening for a beginner; where as if you were riding a 125/200 much more docile machine you may be able to reign it in.Another thing when you are learning/crashing and stalling in the middle of a section after 4/5hrs of riding is the restarting of your bike when your knackered,125cc no compression hardly 200cc easy 300 quite/very tiring on a 2 stroke.modern 4t not so much.
If you are tired and have arm pump on a 125 in a section it can get hairy, on a 300 it could bite badly.
smaller capacity machines feel lighter and easier to move around for some strange reason, even though they actually weigh about the same. To sum up....... you need to ride the bike,not the bike ride you.
Well spotted ! Bloody auto correct ! Lol
And thank you for taking the time to write a well thought out post, some food for thought in there.
I dont understand why you are set on a 300? It's apparent that you have other bikes etc but why start trials on a 300? It's not going to give you any more advantage than a 200 or 250 at novice level. 250 will feel more than enough, take it from those here that have been there and made those mistakes. If you're buying new, last thing you want to do is get it wrong. 250 would be best compromise imho
The theory behind having a 300 is "buy once" as iv stated previously I'm not one for buying and selling bikes, it's the quickest way to throw money away, and a hassle imho.
Trials is something I want to do long term, i appreciate I need to start at the bottom and learn the basics but I would like a new canvas that hasn't been used by anyone else.
I also plan on having any bike I get road registered (there are places I can ride around me within suitable riding distance) and believe a 300 would be better suited for any road work than a 250 or smaller (I also believe that a 4t would be better for the road) please correct me if you think this is wrong.
I am interested in why a 300 would be "too much" any vehicle only goes as quick / accelerates as fast as the person on it / in it, if I had never ridden a bike before maybe so, but after 28 yrs of riding motorcycles I would like to think I have enough throttle control not to mash it into the nearest tree !
Despite most of the advice to the contry I want a 300 ...I'm not exactly a chipstick any more (6ft & 15 stone & counting)and I see it as a long term thing ..... (If I get a lower cc i "may" end up wanting more .... If I get a 300cc its well and truly "future proofed") I want to buy new, it's nice to treat myself, iv never had a brand new bike before, I like the idea of only me ever having abused / loved it, I want the most advanced I can afford and because I just do!!! Ok?!? Lol ......... My jury is still out on the whole 2T / 4T thing, for various reasons to include maintenance, ease of riding, reliability, weight etc etc although it would appear that there is far more choice in the 2T market ..... Also to consider for me though it's no use it being the best trials bike ever made if I don't like the look of it (aesthetics ARE important) even if it's at the detriment to some other factors ..... It's a balancing act ........ And also colour is important ....... For instance and I'm putting my flame suit on now ..... Personally I don't particularly like the look of the beta's .... It's the frame at the front by the headstock .... Just turns me off ........
So there you have it ...... Decisions decisions .....
It does make a difference as where you are may help others say come and ride here with us and try our bikes. Its no good someone in Kansas offering that is it. Agressive my a***.
Tbh iv had a few pm's of people offering as they also spotted my first ever thread on here "Newbie from Warwickshire" you might not think it but your pm came across aggressively ...... That said (and il say the same on here as I did in the pm too you) your latest pm (and actually all your others after the first one) have been informative, insightful and very helpful so thank you !
the best bike for you will be the one you like best try to get a ride on as many as possible where are you?
If you buy second hand be sure to get a bike well set up so that its 100% in controls and function.
Not that it makes any difference (at least to this particular thread) but I'm in the Midlands Nigel, near Warwick, just a thought but as I keep being told the trials world is a really friendly group of people to be a part of, perhaps a slightly less aggressive pm to new members about there whereabouts might be slightly preferential ?
Me .... I'm thick skinned, other less thick skinned people may take offence or get the wrong idea!
Keep all the suggestions coming folks, iv had a look at the Scorpa's, TRS and Vertigo bikes now off the back of your suggestions (which I would otherwise have been unaware of)
Interested to gauge opinion here ...... If you were looking at buying a 2016 model bike what would you buy and why ?
I'm looking at buying a bike next year and want a new one (it's nice to treat yourself) the Montesa's look nice but are out of my price range. (I Had a bounce on one at the NEC yesterday)
I had been looking at Shercos as I liked the look of them and the price, but also had a go on a beta on the try trials area (albeit a 125) And it got me thinking .... By the looks of it the beta is around £500 more than the Sherco (was looking at 300's) is there other makes i should be considering around the same price bracket ? Say 5 - 6k
Also beta 2 stroke or beta 4 stroke ?
Any thoughts or opinions would be most welcome as I'm sure they will differ a lot.
Well I beg to differ a little ..... You CAN legally ride SOME electric bikes where you would normally ride normal pedal cycles, and do so without a licence / insurance etc but they have to be below a certain power output, I believe they have a minimum age of 14 yrs and they have to have other means of propulsion (pedals), and something to do with full throttle acceleration / top end (I got bored of reading by that point) laws were updated a little while ago and are being updated again in regards to them in early 2016 iirc.
I totally agree however with the last sentence ...... Only problem is the police have the power to seize the bike if they so wish so I'm not sure I would risk it personally.
Adam Raga Vs Toni Bou - Fim X-Trial Sheffield Round 1 2016
in Trials Videos
Posted
Fantastic video thank you.