trapezeartist

I have a system almost ready to go. It's simple, and would just work for a club without all the complexity that the ACU system has (which would be great if it worked, but ....). It would be free for any club to use if they want it; just my way of giving back something to the sport. Having said that, not every club does want on online system. I certainly know some who prefer enter-on-the-day.

It's not a closed shop. There's AMCA. I ride a lot more AMCA trials than ACU. (But I agree, the person who adopted the Sport 80 system should be taken outside and shot.)

I've just hit that mark, and have every intention carrying on trialling for a long time yet. Interestingly, the trial I did last weekend had riders ranging in age from 8 to 82. There can't be many sports where those extremes (and everyone in between) can compete on a more-or-less equal footing.

I have a wheelchair-adapted Doblo to carry my trials bike. The lower floor gives much more headroom so I would guess a MX bike would fit easily. The ramp is a bonus for easy loading. I put mine in corner-to-corner and have the passenger seat well forward, but I don't turn the front wheel much so it would be possible to fit in a slightly longer bike.

Personally I much prefer competing to playing or practising. (I'm using the word "competing" in a very loose sense, of course.) I'm not very good at judging how hard something is going to be so having a trial organiser to mark out what I should be riding is much more helpful and enjoyable. And sometimes I actually clean something that I never would have thought I could.

You really couldn't go wrong with Inch Perfect, but there may be others closer to you. I wouldn't know.

+1 for the experience day. That was my first initiation. For £100 or so you get hours of riding, someone to guide you and you don't even have to wash the bike when you've finished. If you decide trials is not for you (though I can't possibly imagine anyone thinking that!) you've had a fun day out. +1 for the Mechanic gloves too. Just as good as the trendy brands and a quarter of the price.

Some people have the strength and flexibility in the their legs so kick-starting is no problem. For others, the high position of the kickstart shaft on a trials bike will always be a problem, whether left or right. I think there is a massive benefit in electric start, though I chose to go the whole way and bought an electric bike. I believe the TRS e-start carries less than 1kg weight penalty.

I had the same thing with my Beta. It wasn't out by a lot so I taught myself not to look at it and worry. My assumption was that the wheel had been laced with a bit of an offset. Loosening all the spokes on one side and tightening on the other should have fixed it, but with no experience of wheel-building I could have made it a whole lot worse. So I left it.

You're getting very indignant about this. You're right, any trials rider could wear a MX helmet with face protection if they want. I'm not advocating such a thing being made mandatory. I was just querying why no-one does wear one, why no manufacturer produces such a thing specifically from trials (I've only just learnt about the Arai), and whether anything would change in the light of Gabriele Marcelli's crash. Given that the risks of injury in X-Trial are considerably higher than for us wobblers on the easy route, I think it could be the top riders who might take the lead. BTW, why are you so vigorously opposed?

I've just looked at the Arai Penta Pro. Its an interesting alternative to the MX style helmet I was thinking of, and it would almost certainly provide adequate protection for the low speed impacts that are most likely in trials. Provided it can't shatter and make injuries worse in a heavier impact, I can't see any reason not to. Except fashion and cost.

No, I'm not riding with a full-face helmet at the moment. Although it was something grumbling away at the back of my mind, it only came to the forefront after seeing Marcelli's crash (and hearing the noises he made immediately afterwards!). As there are currently open-face helmets that are supposedly designed specifically for trials, I think maybe it would require a combination of the features that make a "trials helmet" with the face protection of a motocross or enduro helmet. It's interesting though that turbofurball wears an enduro helmet for trials without a problem. The proof of the pudding ....... Getting a face guard caught on a branch? Like you could get the opening of an open-face helmet caught on a branch?

I can partly agree with that point of view, but sometimes people need a nudge. Trials riders didn’t wear a helmet at all until it was legislated. Perhaps the first step would be a top-level rider (Marcella himself maybe) working with a helmet manufacturer to develop something suitable for trials.

Well I can now answer my questions myself. The bearings do seem to be unique to EM. In the end I got them from a local factors which was quick, easy and cheap. I warmed the dog bone with a heat gun ( to about 100 deg I would guess) and the bearings tapped out easily. The new ones went in the same way. I didn't have any luck with removing the rear shock bearing, but while I was working at it and squirting in lots of WD40 the bearing freed up. So I cleared as much of the WD40 as possible with an airline and re-lubed it with chain spray. It now moves easily and smoothly.

Gabriele Marcelli's crash in Toulouse looked horrendous (belly flop from 10-12 feet up onto concrete, if you didn't see it). It was a relief to see him joining the podium, even if he looked very tender and had a big dressing on his face. Is it time to consider helmets wit face protection in trials? I can't really see any downside.