hrmad Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I would be tempted to just get out the old sewing machine and some decent foam and try making a little pillow and attaching it with Velcro like this... Hey, your pic hasn't shown up? I'm rubbish at sewing, but a cheaper option would be good, I'd only be going out green laning 2 days a month or so probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoebrian5 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I think any skills learned on two wheels of any sort will help. Like others have said, this is a very difficult sport. You have to concentrate on your victories, not your defeats. Every time I go out I learn at least one little thing, and also I fail doing many things. It's the one thing I did right that keeps me going out every day. As far as learning to ride aggressively, I think the trick is controlling your fear. You must push yourself until you crash.. A lot. You will probably Injure yourself but the more you beat your self up the tougher your body becomes and the fear goes away. Also the more you crash, the better you get at crashing without hurting your self. Being able to crash well is crucial in any sport. Watch some of the top riders coming off huge obstacles. They look very casual for the most part. Just to clarify I don't recommend this because you can really hurt your self! This is how I learned to skateboard and I was very aggressive after a while, but also perpetually injured. I think it's the same for any sport... Well maybe golf aside. What type of road bike do you ride? Is that the cbf500 in your sig? I think road biking can teach you something as well. I find it interesting that for cornering, on the street the more you lean your body weight to the inside the better, while on dirt you want to stay on top of the bike and let the bike do the leaning. Also after topping out at 179mph at the track on my cbr1000, nothing else really seems fast to me so there is some cross training skills for Ya 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I think any skills learned on two wheels of any sort will help. Like others have said, this is a very difficult sport. You have to concentrate on your victories, not your defeats. Every time I go out I learn at least one little thing, and also I fail doing many things. It's the one thing I did right that keeps me going out every day. As far as learning to ride aggressively, I think the trick is controlling your fear. You must push yourself until you crash.. A lot. You will probably Injure yourself but the more you beat your self up the tougher your body becomes and the fear goes away. Also the more you crash, the better you get at crashing without hurting your self. Being able to crash well is crucial in any sport. Watch some of the top riders coming off huge obstacles. They look very casual for the most part. Just to clarify I don't recommend this because you can really hurt your self! This is how I learned to skateboard and I was very aggressive after a while, but also perpetually injured. I think it's the same for any sport... Well maybe golf aside. What type of road bike do you ride? Is that the cbf500 in your sig? I think road biking can teach you something as well. I find it interesting that for cornering, on the street the more you lean your body weight to the inside the better, while on dirt you want to stay on top of the bike and let the bike do the leaning. Also after topping out at 179mph at the track on my cbr1000, nothing else really seems fast to me so there is some cross training skills for Ya Thanks for the encouragement, I was a real state when I first got on a 125 ybr for my CBT (the first step of getting your license in the uk, a days training on a 125) and when I first tried riding the trials bike, I have attempted hills and obstacles I never thought I would in the beginning. So with more time anything is possible. I agree about the crashing, which is a problem when you want to improve your road riding. Crashing teaches you where the limit is, it's dangerous in a way not to know the limit. Fear stems from the unknown. But you can't go testing your limits on a public road. It's a catch 22, at least with an off road bike usually the consequences aren't as bad. But trials isn't a 'slow' sport in someways, you need momentum and speed to get up big hills- it's easy to underestimate the discipline until you actually try it out yourself. Fair play on the cbr speed front, yes the cbf500 is my road bike. Problem is I'm still riding it like I rode the 125 in most situations (apart from getting past cars and on some more open roads) Don't want to get in trouble for breaking speed limits either and loose my license. Maybe some track days would be fun in the future and a safer way of pushing myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoebrian5 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Track days are huge fun! The downside is it's incredibly hazardous and very expensive. Part of the reason I started trials was to keep myself distracted from track riding and it's doing a good job so far. So if gaining speed on the dirt to get up hills is what your after I would recommend finding somewhere with a bunch of good hills and spend a day failing. Mx or enduro has been good for this. To me going fast on the trials feels awful. The way the suspension is setup is not lending itself well to speed. On the mx bike, pinned in 3rd gear approaching a sandy hill climb is a normal occurrence. Then by the time you hit the top you are in first searching for traction to make the last bit. It teaches you how important momentum is. Also hills can be scary. The same concept applies.. Learn how to fail a climb gracefully and then you won't be afraid to try a hill that is possibly too difficult. For me I'm finding going down steep stuff on the trials to be a bit daunting. More so than the mx bike. I suspect my forks are not setup properly so that is on my list of things to do. I guess I should take my own advice and learn how to fall down some hills:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betabonkers Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) it was tough in between sections for the novices, I seen loads stuck so weren't just you. Edited January 20, 2015 by betabonkers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totty79 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 "You will probably Injure yourself but the more you beat your self up the tougher your body becomes" You might change your mind when those injuries are 20+ year old. I speak from experience, but to be honest I'd do most of it again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoebrian5 Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yes, I have some permanent damage as well. I did say that it was not recommended and very dangerous! Knowing what I know now, I would probably do it all over again as well. What I would do differently is not stop. I took about ten years off where I didn't do any extreme sports. Getting it back is very difficult and when you stop beating yourself up that's when you get old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Track days are huge fun! The downside is it's incredibly hazardous and very expensive. Part of the reason I started trials was to keep myself distracted from track riding and it's doing a good job so far. So if gaining speed on the dirt to get up hills is what your after I would recommend finding somewhere with a bunch of good hills and spend a day failing. Mx or enduro has been good for this. To me going fast on the trials feels awful. The way the suspension is setup is not lending itself well to speed. On the mx bike, pinned in 3rd gear approaching a sandy hill climb is a normal occurrence. Then by the time you hit the top you are in first searching for traction to make the last bit. It teaches you how important momentum is. Also hills can be scary. The same concept applies.. Learn how to fail a climb gracefully and then you won't be afraid to try a hill that is possibly too difficult. For me I'm finding going down steep stuff on the trials to be a bit daunting. More so than the mx bike. I suspect my forks are not setup properly so that is on my list of things to do. I guess I should take my own advice and learn how to fall down some hills:) I've got a few hills down the farm where I practice, I'll attempt some climbs tomorrow. There are some third gear hills, plus some second gear technical hills with turns. There are also a few steps in some of the hills I haven't attempted, might have a go tomorrow. Along with the balancing, turns and wheelie practice hehe. Yeah, it's getting stuck half way up a hill and having to come back down is pretty daunting, there are some places you don't want to get stuck! On the subject of down-hills, at the trials I went to last sunday a guy came off on a steep muddy descent and broke his handlebar by the clamps- crazy stuff. it was tough in between sections for the novices, I seen loads stuck so weren't just you. Thanks, I felt like a bit of a failure for finding it too difficult/ intimidating. All the guys were great though and really helped me out of trouble, I really appreciated the help and how welcoming everyone was. How did you get on points wise? Did you enjoy the trial? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betabonkers Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I had a couple of good rides but ended up on 24 marks on the expert, so 4th not the best, You need to get out with other riders to help you along, we go up the Rhondda most weeks if you fancy a ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 I had a couple of good rides but ended up on 24 marks on the expert, so 4th not the best, You need to get out with other riders to help you along, we go up the Rhondda most weeks if you fancy a ride. That's great considering how muddy it was, the expert course looked hard, especially that section with the massive hill (started in a stream at the bottom) and the turns over rocks and tree roots at the top. The only trouble is it would take me about 2 hours to get there, but if you guys are out for a full day it would be worth it, Thanks. Next couple of weeks are busy going to a trial on sunday, project 2000 the week after. Is it ok if I send you a message about it sometime soon? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betabonkers Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yeah we meet at ten and out all day, I will let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yeah we meet at ten and out all day, I will let you know. Thanks, look forward to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_t Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hey, your pic hasn't shown up? I'm rubbish at sewing, but a cheaper option would be good, I'd only be going out green laning 2 days a month or so probably. It was just the picture of a Beta on the buttrest gallery. Not a lot of sewing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrmad Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 It was just the picture of a Beta on the buttrest gallery. Not a lot of sewing . Thanks, it's come through now Practice was hard going today, poor traction, really wet and muddy. I practiced a particular hill climb over and over, it did me a lot of good and improved my confidence a bit. I can't quite get up the same places as my friend yet, but I am pushing beyond my comfort zone at my own pace. Using more speed and momentum now, using 2nd and 3rd gears works the best. Downhills were scary with no grip, went sideways a few times, it was easier just relying on the engine braking and leave the brakes alone in places. Came off probably around 10 times, but it got more fun as the day went on. I tried out my friends 250 beta, I preferred the power to the 200, and the clutch was much lighter! Maybe it's the short levers the previous owner has put on my 200, thinking about trying some full length ones. The 250 wheelies a treat, more fun to ride and easier to muck about on. I know what size bike I'll get next time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherconoob Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 interesting thread and topic! we have quite a few dirt riders coming into our trials club and of course at first it's all wheelspin, locking up the rear wheel, uncontrollable wheelies and generally too much throttle and hitting stuff hard instead of with finesse. would it work the other way - dirt riding bringing needed aggression to trials? i think it could. as you probably know we've been doing all that cross training for the past year trying to do all the trials techniques on dirt bikes and having heaps of fun trying. i think it has helped me with being aggressive on the trials bike at times e.g. big handfuls of throttle to big climbs or logs. whatever the case hmrad, i'd concur with others and say you are doing really well! i figure why not get a nice light weight dirt bike with easy power and have a try? one of our guys is a hard core fast rider who's only recently got into trials-style riding so thought this video might be timely. :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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