turbofurball

Trials is absolutely exhausting to begin with, because a new rider's instincts are to fight the bike ... if I've had a bit of a break I catch myself doing it again as well Glad you're enjoying yourself, stick at it and it'll get easier in no time!

Mechanix gloves for me, I prefer them over the MTB gloves I've tried so far (I have a big pile of crappy MTB and MX gloves, the Mechanix ones are always the ones that sit on top of the stack, lol)

The reservoir to master cylinder hose shouldn't be long enough to do any of that (and should be downhill all the way, it's gravity fed!), I don't know the specific routing but on the earlier bikes it was just a simple s-shaped affair IIRC.

Unfortunately it's not open very often ... lovely practice spot though, plenty of easy lines so you can work your way up. The next closest dedicated trials practice area is Zona 1, which is open any time you like (during the day, and you're not allowed to ride alone just in case of emergencies). Also look up Mortimer Fun Trials, they're a really lovely bunch and their spot is just up the A4 a bit

I recon it's for the simple reason that they don't look quite as cool as Bultacos (also there's the rebel image of Bultaco, compared to Montesa which was run in a much more businesslike way). There's shedloads of them here and yet it's very rare to see more than one or two at a trial. Anyway, I wish my 349 looked as clean at that

Good stuff, hope you enjoy your test day

I guess with LEDs not pulling as much power you could use them to run it off the lighting circuit with no ill effects (?)

Well, I cleaned the air filter when I bought my Sherco, because the previous owner had overdone the oil a bit. It still seems to be ok, so I'm going to try and get a nice round number like 1 year from it before I clean it again

I was talking about club trials, which are a fun bit of practice between the "proper" events, with a score kept for a bit of friendly rivalry. You can get your underwear out of a knot now.

Just to chip in, small club members only trials with under 20 entrants also exist in the UK and are usually much quicker - 5 laps of 5 sections and finished for lunchtime, for instance.

lol, riding a trials bike on the road is always entertaining, one way or another - have fun!

They are.

I'm very glad it's not generally like that here, if you're going at a gentle pace and giving plenty of room the only people who get annoyed are usually tourists ... the people who grew up in the countryside just see it as a normal part of being here, the neighbour I wrote about above is a transplant from a city.

What a fab story! I love seeing "greasy rag" restorations of original bikes over ones that are done up as-new FWIW my '82 Cota 349 is original and the points work fine on it (unlike the rest of the bike, lol), if it were me I'd just clean the gap and see if it just runs as-is for the moment. Remember that if it's a fibreglass tank don't put any modern ethanol-mix petrol in it.

There are some things you shouldn't joke about, you've crossed a line there! (I had a '63 Triumph 2000 once upon a time, loved it to bits but it never returned my feelings)

Yup, early on I used the ability to enter events and then just ride about the venue (after checking that was ok), and maybe do one (or even a half) section. "Fun trials" and "Dead easy trials" are excellent for bridging the gap between practice and actually getting properly stuck in, so keep an eye out for those, and you can also ask people at the club where they go to practice

Please tell me in the background there was a Stromberg fan passed out at the bar while this exchange took place

😕 One of my neighbours recently put a message to the village resident's group online asking if there was any way to stop the motocross bikes racing up the mountain, who were always trying to run over his dogs ... I'm one of several residents who ride the trails here regularly, and we all have dogs too, so it was easy to calm him down and point out that his imagination was running away with him, but this is exactly the sort of thing that kills other people's enjoyment of the countryside. Off topic I know, it's just something that bugs me.

Agreed, a really good writeup I wish they did those sorts of events here! The closest thing nearby is an off-road orienteering event, but it's done almost exclusively with enduro bikes so wouldn't suit a pootler like me 😅

Really depends on what you're doing, for normal trialsy stuff they're dead handy in my opinion. Then again if you're riding fast enough to get rocks to the face then a full-face would be best ... I use a full face with occasional goggles at the moment because I practice on my own in areas with lots of jagged rocks.

For trials riding a cheap helmet works fine, it's not like you'll be headbutting a lorry at 70mph - the expensive ones only add airflow and take away a bit of weight, and anything bought now will be ECE compliant safety-wise anyway. As for the boots, anything flexible that doesn't fold around the footpeg works well to start off with - the Lidl boots I had at first were great, just not up to the rigors of more than half a dozen trials, lol

Any bike will be a slog after 300 miles and various off road sections. Come to think of it, one suggestion that mixes new and old school would be an XR250R, I had a 1991 one set up for long distance offroad touring (250 miles on a tank) and it was nice to use and not horribly heavy

I use a Wulf dual sport helmet on the road here in summer (with a visor and sun visor built in, but can use goggles too). It's been very very good for the price! If you want a cheapish open face, I can vouch for the budget Spada ones

Well, someone's entered that one on a TY175, so you're already set - always better to use a bike you've got if you can, otherwise you end up with too many of the damn things.

I'm guessing they mean Long Distance Trials, which is a very different kettle of fish to Observed Trials! My advice on bike choice: get something light, and if you're new to it something with a front disk brake. I would err towards a 4 stroke, but that's personal preference (says she who owns a 250 Pampera and a EC 250 which were both long distance trial machines). Make sure you have an o-ring chain in good nick. Be prepared to be soaked, frozen, and exhausted - think about what kind of bike you'll be happy picking up out of the mud and kick starting when in that condition.