rosey

It depends what the definition of smooth is. Look at 2 multi world champs: Bou looks really smooth whilst in comparison Lampkin looked much more deliberate.. but the results were both there! Still in comparison with the rest of us they're both smooth! Chewy is spot on with line riding. When practising, I used to pick lines for the rear wheel to travel on an really try to feel where it was and smoothly move the front wheel (pivot turns etc.) to achieve this path for the back wheel Whilst doing this remember: 1) Most important wheel is your back wheel (its the one that is connected to the engine!), so it needs the optimum path... Jerky movements break traction! 2) To help this smooth progress, use the most advanded suspension system available... Your legs! And body positioning. You need to get the feel of what the bike is doing and where the wheel (back wheel) is... once you get this you can apply power at the right time etc. Some of the old books like the Bernie Schreiber Observed Trials http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/36982-bernie-shrieber-trials-book/ are really worth looking at ... it doesn't matter that they are on twinshocks, the fundamentals are still there! as 2/4 says.. body lean etc. Good luck... you'll get there, but it'll take a bit of perserverance

Last decent pair of Alpine Stars were the original No-stops with stitched on soles 1984-6 ish (Still got a pair!) Although I think they offer more shin protection than Gaerne and all the Gaerne clones?... maybe the new ones don't though

As I recall we used to bolt them on the inside of the swinging arm too. It doesn't catch your boots then!... I cant remember if we had to bend anything though.

I once got a 5 for knocking a flag out in the lower part of a section with a rock that I dislodged from further up the section!

Hard to ask too much from volunteers isn't it? Stand here for 4 hrs or so.. freeze yer nads off and erm... there may be a coffee in it! There are/were a few (only a few) that want(ed) to be god of their little section and you find that these types are so arrogant that they 'know the rules', but they don't know the rules! If we want to take it all seriously then lets have paid officials?... aye... hmmm? Thats when we have to just put up with the best efforts from a lot of willing helpers As for the bystander telling the observer.. they then need to stand there all day (assuming they know what they are on about). I've witnessed other riders in Brit Champs saying 'Oh he's caught that flag! Shall I stand it up again?' this is to sway the observer and really the observer needs to be seasoned/hardy not to be swayed! Still, I can't believe that touching a marker/flag is a 5!

Trials riders wouldn't even have bothered filming that!

But still much quieter than a 307!

Pity Burnacle is not commentating ... that chap last night just babbled on in a non entertaining way. Sections were silly though. The big steps at the start don't give the scrubbers (well thats every rider other than Bou!) a chance to even get in and do anything.. Still it speeds the proceedings on!

Has a lightening effect. On yer wallet P

Whilst this is mega control/balance etc. do they still have begins cards? ... wasn't he out of the section then when he reversed?... Is that a 5?

400 quid.. bargain! ...Oh Plus Vat!!£480 quid.. so 10 flywheels = 1 bike. Thats barmy! what does a bike cost in bits then 50k? I'd expect your importer to know.. You could try GG UK, but the USA Gasgas.com site is pretty useful too. I'd expect that you could fit quite a few of the pro flywheels, but then they have probably changed the stuff over the years depending which was the cheapest!!!

Superb! Always thought (back in the mid 90's) that Jarvis would have been the one to 'make it' at trials not Lampkin... Jarvis always made it look smooth and easy and on that big lump he still makes it look the same!

I had to laugh a good few years ago at a trials school I was doing.. I set a section out where I wanted the riders to put their front wheel on one rock and then place it onto another whilst going round a corner.. ... basically a pivot turn and then up a smallish step. So I showed them... and the questions came back "We can just hop the back wheel and line up and go that is easier"..Oh and most of them could ride like this too (in the dry)! BUT when they tried to do it the way I asked, the ones with real riding ability stood out...The other 'Frenzied Hoppers' were OK until we moved onto a slippery section. I asked the same andn they hopped and hopped and couldn't move due to lack of grip. What am I saying? Erm ?? Well I'm trying to say that JUST being able to hop on your drive or in the carpark (on a grippy surface) doesn't mean you can can ride. It helps you balance and have a better idea of control sure, but its not the magic key to being able to ride. Just look at the best riders and see how they only do it when necessary. Regardless of the rules chosen in the trial, you will notice how the better riders move the bike less (or should I say less hastily). This means in general they are more in control. The hopping riding style does more to highlight riders inadequacies more than any other.

I can't recall what exactly went wrong with the British Championships. I'm not sure it was just one thing, but Brit Champ events used to have 150 riders and multi venue (road trials).. Then the top 10 were balloted together. A mobile road-block went round the events causing havoc! .... Maybe this was part of the big problem too. A while back there was also a push from importers to make the british champ rounds hard. So our riders could benefit in World Champ stuff... well some riders did benefit and as they improved (or advanced), the section severity increased, but Trials in the UK didn't benefit from having top riders in the World Champs ...Or did it? Did the ACU card/licence holder numbers increase??? Whatever is the problem in the Brit championship, I dont give a monkey's... I don't care if there is no British champ. Or indeed, if there are 50 riders and 50 routes in these events. I'd just like to see lots of people getting enjoyment from trials at whatever level they ride. I don't like to see willing volunteers get 'stick' for events they have plotted or helped to organise. There are a few who do it because they want to be gods, but only a few! Others do give up their time for riders to have an easy (no hassle) enjoyable weekend. Hopefully the organisers plot sections in a suitable manner for the trial and hopefully, if no-stop goes ahead, then old pieces of land become useful again. I'd still like to know how many ID card/licence holders there are now?.. How does this compare to say 20 years ago????? This isn't a secret is it?

Proper period gear too or pretty close to it! Wait on! He's not seen Blazusiak over there has he? He's poised on the clutch! ..Oh no dont' ghost ride that SWM 'past' Taddy!

If you want to reduce the switchiness just move the master cylinder further inwards in the bars... You will then use the lever nearer the end and it'll be lighter and more progressive... OK you may have to set the bite point to suit.

Effective filter area is most important... any volume (apart from larger ID 'tubing'allowing easier flow) does nothing, as you cant really drag the air out of the volume unless its replaced somehow e.g. through the effective filter area. Scarlett had a 330, but I'm not sure if he rode it all the time..I think having the option was confusing! I remember we were practising on a waterfall section (at Eadonfield) and he kept swapping bikes (between 250 and 330) as he couldn't clean it on either!... It was just one of those sections, as I was doing it easy on my S model

Stop for a 1 was pants ! OK.. I see your point, but there were all those other complications hand off bars ..dead engine etc. No-stop is simpler, but I prefer the stop, roll back etc. However, we've seen how long this takes and how fiddly the solutions are. Sad about BTC, but in the minds of the few I've spoken to its been dead for a while, not dying! I'm sure those who are competing in it don't see this and this is understandable! Still ACU's done it now so lets see how it goes.

Wow those spacers really do go high!.. I used to have 7350 Renthals, which are only a fraction (1/2 inch) higher than the common 6600 ones.. not sure if they use these designations now! Baldilocks Standard cc was about 246/247.. when you look at it 262 is less than 7% increase... not mind blowing! The main improvements were porting/inlet length and setting the reeds. One thing that other manufacturers never seemed to get anywhere near was the clutch... the TY clutch was light and bullet proof... never had one lock (fail to disengage due to overheating!) so they worked great on cable... unlike TYZ and 311 Mont. As I mentioned before, the bike was more laid back in terms of fork angles and weight position . cant recall weight? 83kg?... dunno (Lighter than the first Rotax engined Scorpa anyway!) All this contributed to the Yams lack of agility.

Well the Montesa v's Gas Gas /'rest of the stuff' battle has certainly gone No-stop Works bikes? ... oh.. as in some (bikes) works better than others! Oh and... That fake official Gas Gas factory entry in the Dakar....The Yamaha with Gas Gas stickers. With a bit of luck the stickers may be reliable to last the whole event

Turn your bike around! Requires a small room and a porcelain throne doesn't it ... 8ft square is more than ample!

Must be the stickers that make the difference on plastics... Eh? I know!!! .. lets pay to advertise.. great idea... ....... wait for it.... Everything is far too cheap IF PEOPLE PAY £40 FOR £$%^$£G RIM STICKERS.

There will always be something else to moan about!

It did in a way, but the fact that Bernie which Bernie?? Clifton ??? did his floaters everywhere really did not require a rule change, neither did 3rd gear mud burning... (apart from banning mud!) Anyway I'm with you on this bit.... What do we need to do to make the sport attractive and affordable? 2nd hand bikes are affordable! don't need riding kit as modern trials clothes are no better than a tracksuit. Helmet £30 .. boots .. erm £100... Attractive.... erm?? let me see? Sunny weather? Bikini clad officials? (preferably slim ... oh and female!) I don't see going no-stop as turning the clock back its a small change to the definition of a 5! .. Yes it would be nice to see FIM make the decision, or Spain as all the others would then have followed on.

Well done for ACU for making a decision! However, they should not keep their reasons a secret (if indeed they are doing so). ... on a side note I asked a Q. in another discussion on here about how many licence (or ID card whatever) holders there are in trials and with no response.... Is this secret too? As for moaning about O 40's... I'm an old git.. hardly ride now, but those that think old gits can't ride bikes are wrong.. there are a lot of old duffers who can hop, bop AND also ride no-stop too!....... From what I've witnessed too there are a good few young guns who think they are really good at the trick stuff... OTF... Yes! Clearly old duffers are mad for laying out trials for ungrateful types (who probably don't even provide observers etc. rant rant rant....).. its a good job they are mad (insane even), as otherwise they would realise it wasn't worth doing! Works bike stuff.. fancy Honda Mont etc.... Bou would still be up there on a standard bike (yes it would make a difference, but not that much).... The bike in trials is not that important!!!... Just see how all those (at a trial near you!) that try to have all the latest 'works kit' etc. ride..??? No better than they do on normal stuff! Now't wrong with having the stuff if they want it/can afford it, but its not the bike...... ... unless you have rim stickers on then its just a secret weapon