rob214 Posted September 22, 2015 Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 way back in the day, about 1990 i met andrew codina with gas gas, he said the company philosophy was to build bikes that only needed oil on the chain and gas in the tank. that was their goal for getting and keeping customers. his words not mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collyolly Posted September 22, 2015 Report Share Posted September 22, 2015 I am surprised at the number of posts advising limited tire changes. The tires are the only things touching the ground and giving you grip and feel, I would suggest anyone riding competitively will change a rear tire every 10 to 15 trials, so that's only about £7 per trial. Anyone suggesting you can ride on a rear for longer than a couple of months is not riding trials, if you doubt this fact try a bike with a new tire it's not the new bike that feels so good it's the new tire ! This does of course depend where you ride, I ride 95% mud, cambers and roots so as soon as the edge has gone the tire gets turned or changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivebrick Posted September 29, 2015 Report Share Posted September 29, 2015 Yep. A new tire makes such a big difference even at my level. If you have the dough get a new tire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 (edited) Contrary to some opinion, I've been riding trials since the early 1970s and don't feel the need to renew rubber at regular intervals. In about 35 years of riding I've bought maybe 4/5tyres! Yes, a new tyre is a good thing but it doesn't affect my finishing position in any trial. The state of the blocks on my rear tyre isn't the cause of the vast majority of the marks I loose, that's down to a different combination of factors such as balance, throttle control, mental attitude on the day, fatigue, gear selection etc, etc, and the best route to improving my performance is by working on these points. Edited September 30, 2015 by cleanorbust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazybond700 Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 And there are a lot of riders who can ride the **** out of me/''you'' with the same bike, and a very much worn tyre. So skills matter. It depents on what you want, if you are competitive etc. If you want the hobby to be as cheap as possible dont change them, if you want to win your sports than change more regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob214 Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 I am surprised at the number of posts advising limited tire changes. The tires are the only things touching the ground and giving you grip and feel, I would suggest anyone riding competitively will change a rear tire every 10 to 15 trials, so that's only about £7 per trial. Anyone suggesting you can ride on a rear for longer than a couple of months is not riding trials, if you doubt this fact try a bike with a new tire it's not the new bike that feels so good it's the new tire ! This does of course depend where you ride, I ride 95% mud, cambers and roots so as soon as the edge has gone the tire gets turned or changed. a few years back i had a 06 beta i rode that bike for 7 years never changed the tires i competed regularly, about 10 events per year plus a weekly practice. i won the regional sportsman class one year on that bike and the tires were about 3 to 4 years old. i've never taken a point because i had a bad tire only bad riding technique. yes tires are cheap but i'm not a pro and i'm not riding on anything nearly as demanding as upper class riders. i sold that bike with the original tires still mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted September 30, 2015 Report Share Posted September 30, 2015 I find that it's more important to run tyres at the correct low pressures than to have a new edge on them. I'm still amazed at the number of riders who run their tyres too hard, and never bother with a low pressure gauge. I think it was Mick Andrews who advised pumping up your tyres for practice sessions as not only does this force you to sharpen your skills but when you come to use the correct, low, pressures where it matters, ie in a trial, everything will feel easier than usual and you'll have a useful confidence boost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 I find that it's more important to run tyres at the correct low pressures than to have a new edge on them. I'm still amazed at the number of riders who run their tyres too hard, and never bother with a low pressure gauge. I think it was Mick Andrews who advised pumping up your tyres for practice sessions as not only does this force you to sharpen your skills but when you come to use the correct, low, pressures where it matters, ie in a trial, everything will feel easier than usual and you'll have a useful confidence boost. Not many riders who practice would follow this advice as its illogical. You need to learn what your bike will do with you on it,set up for competition.Whats next a badly set up carb or a front brake that doesnt work? In practice i try to ride sections that i loose marks on so what would be the point of handicapping yourself so you were failing? New/good tyres are crucial in muddy events(as stated above), not so in dry or rocky trials. Inbetween is just that. Agree correct pressures are very important 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted October 1, 2015 Report Share Posted October 1, 2015 Disagreement is a wonderful thing! Funny thing is that the harder-tyre-for-practice routine works for me, as it did for Mick, and who am I to argue with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I can only see that advice damaging confidence. Fall down a waterfall in practice as the tyres to hard and then there is a similar obstacle in your next event, are you going risk getting hurt again ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timp Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 A good sharp edge is the difference between success and failure in many sections. If your only riding dry, grippy rocks then a worn tyre may be ok but anything slippy forget it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collyolly Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Strange how a lot of riders will change tires during the Scottish, I bet none of those would go a couple of years on a back tire. Why spend thousands of pounds on a bike and then run on blunt rubber after a couple of months, as I said earlier they are the only things touching the ground ( or should be !) I recently purchased a 2014 gasgas with absolutely knackered rubber and was told ' there's plenty of life in those' I went straight out and fitted new boots and it really is still like a new bike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Oh, hang on, I'll go and find my Stanley knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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