funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Go riding with a great friend. Excellent. Going riding a lot with a great rider, or one who really knows what it's all about, is arguably the biggest thing you can do. You might not know any right now, but try to meet them. Start with the expert class in your local group, and just keep going down the list in your club until you find one (you've gotta ASK) that will start riding with you. Hey, it's worth a try. Actually, I ride with about 3 super-knowledgeable folks...I've learned incredible amounts of stuff. Have them get on your bike and tell you what they think are some adjustments you could make...incredible feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 have a look at ryan youngs DVD,s these are expensive but worth every penny. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 I would NEVER do what Pete suggests - follow the bars with your shoulders as it makes me swing my butt out rather than being centered over the bike - but that is just me. I DO try to follow the bars with my shoulders, but maybe only "half of the way". This is good as it keeps my outside arm bent. Lean the bike into the turn! This requires more weight on your outside peg, usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Check to see when your local club has a yearly trials school. If they don't have one, they should, for new riders at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Cheers ladsLooks like the most popular piece of advice is to practice on the flat for a start,so thats where i will start my training. 1600rpm the bike is a 1982 Montesa cota 200 you can see the pics in the twinshock forum. bambam n chunks rest assured the bike is well secured. totalshell is bernie shriebers 'observed trials' a book or a dvd ? Lots to think about and lots of practicing to get in before i venture onto the dirt me thinks Thanks once again for the encouragment and i shall keep you informed of my progress warts and all. Best regards Mark One of the bikes we own is roughly 1983 trials bike (excellent "back in the day"). But the #1 tip is to get a 2007-2009 trials bike. The difference is so astonishing that we've largely given up riding the old bike completely, as it's a different world with a new mono-shock, way way more powerful, disk-brake, way lighter bike. But if a person likes the nostalgia, or can't afford a newer bike, then those bikes are great. Over the weekend we met a "classic bike" enthusiast with many old bikes (just bought a Fantic for $600 that week...good deal), and he just LOVES those things! Gotta admire his passion. He can't ride the sections very well at all compared to a person with a new bike, but he does have a big smile on his face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funtrials Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 Learn to switch your weight on the pegs to initiate the figure eight turns, keep your inside arm straight while offsetting the bike lean with body and peg weight, look ahead of your path. Little to no weight on the arms and hands, let it FLOW balanced throughout the turn, then switch! With a poke on the peg and shift in weight!Yes, a lot of things changing there, takes much practice! Once comfy, just throw a little board on the loop, then a rock. If you are balanced on the bike it will roll right over them with little disruption. Front, then back, add as you go, body lets bike move to compensate. Split them with the wheels then. Learn your placement in the turn. Just lots you can do in the driveway! Excellent advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocky Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I know this is going to sound silly but in all seriousness... Learn how to fall off !!! Or rather how to dismount when the need arises and it will ie... lay the bike on its side and dig the handlebars in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombo46 Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 I know this is going to sound silly but in all seriousness... Learn how to fall off !!!Or rather how to dismount when the need arises and it will ie... lay the bike on its side and dig the handlebars in Thats some sound advice right there! I dont think you can physically learn it though, its more something that comes with time. Im somewhat an expert on it now...... Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted June 16, 2009 Report Share Posted June 16, 2009 Thats some sound advice right there! I dont think you can physically learn it though, its more something that comes with time. Im somewhat an expert on it now......Tom Not quite sure on that one, as off's are sometimes nasty, and although I have some great saves, I have also seen worse crashes while trying to gangle on. My best advise would be to exit the bike on the uphill side, dig the bar into the hill if needed,and do it just as soon as the bike is no longer leading you in the proper direction. Push off, rool off, step off, whatever you have to do to prevent YOU being on the downhill side and potentially with the bike coming on top of you! Let it go! (can be repaired later) It may still be spectacular without you!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt_urban Posted October 10, 2009 Report Share Posted October 10, 2009 dont eat yellow snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowerz Posted February 1, 2010 Report Share Posted February 1, 2010 (edited) Another few things i found that helped: - Make sure your tires arn't too pumped up on wet trials - Either tweek your bike or buy a bike without a 'bitey' clutch. E.g. a clutch that isn't either on or off so you can feather it more easily. I had a 250 sherco with a horrible clutch and they are no good for learning - When you feel like it, just go to where your bike is, take it off the stand and just stand on the pegs and try to balance. Don't even turn it on. this way you can earn to balance by just using your weight and turning the wheel without the aid of a clutch. This will aslo help with figure eights and got me out of trouble so many times in my first few trials when i over-did things - Find a hill (not even a big on, can be about a meter or 2 high) somewhere and find the lowest revs possible your bike can make it up the hill. This knowledge helps you keep traction in wet trails and makes sure you only use the revs needed to get up the hill so there is no wheel spin - When looking round sections, think outside the box (but not the set guide lines ) I have found looking at it in a different way can easily help. For example i was going around a corner and had to go over a log when doing so. I didn't notice another stick to the far outside that could be used as a ramp go get over it a lot easier. By the time i had dabbed there twice, Benny Ayres, a well known rider in the South, pointed it out to me and i almost kicked myself. It's times like that i wish i would take more time looking at things and seing how i could get round them. Edited February 1, 2010 by Bowerz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boogieman Posted February 7, 2010 Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 The thing that is helping me a lot is..Making up sections. I play on a bit of land that is on the end of an industrial estate and has allsorts of goodies scattered round, culvit concrete, pipes, slag heaps. At first I just rode over things (fell over things) but I am finding that it is a totally different mind set to try to "follow" a route through stuff that you have made up in your mind than to just ride round trying to climb over things that are in front of you. None of my "sections" would trouble anyone with any amount of ability, but I think it is more to do with having two or three things to practice at once that is the point. I lay some concrete squares together that are only maybe a 8" raised and just longer than the bike and not wide enough to put a foot down. It was really difficult to just climb on, stop and then ride off with the back wheel touching the ground first, until I put a tight turn just after it and some blocks to weave slowly round on the aproach to it. maybe it is just pysclogical thing but thinking about the whole thing makes each bit sort of easier to do. Although i have to point out I still havn't cleaned it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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