Hi guys, just wondering how long does it take to get to an average/good level? I started trials last April and I've done 50hours on the pegs and I feel improved heaps and also now I ride better my enduro bike so it's really motivating to keep on training harder

Depends on the rider known guys that have ridden for years and not progressed from the beginners route, then there are others with natural ability reach Expert status within a short period?

 

Then there is me rode at a fairly high level, now over 50, over weight and unfit so heading back to the lower classes 

I notice training more helps a lot, 1 time every now and then keeps you on the same level, more times a week improves you.

 

But it also matters how you train. Just ride about keeps you the same level, training specifics improves.

Since august I've started bike trials and I'm doing it daily so it really boosts my balance and technique and yeah training on a specific section really helps..yesterday I focused on riding over logs, so double blip, wheelie, balance and control where involved and the progress is almost every attempt

30 years in my case...

Some never reach a good level. The more time you spend on the bike at trials and with friends (ideally a bit better than you) the sooner you will improve.

Practice 2 nights a week and trial 3 weekends in 4 and you should progress fairly quickly

Edited October 12, 201510 yr by dadof2

the standard number for getting to world class level in any sport or endeavour that requires brain and body coordination is 3000hours of practice, so it pays to start at a young age and do lots of it every day

This is my second year riding trials. I put 120 hours in my first year and 90 this year, and I feel like I'm now generally on par with the guys who have been riding trials a lot longer. 

 

That said, it really also depends on what your background on a bike is like. I started riding when I was 13, so it wasn't like at 40 I was making up for 39 years of never having ridden something with two wheels and a motor.

 

The quality of the hours you practice makes a big difference too. If you can, find people who are a level better than you to ride with and you'll improve a lot quicker.

Nobody mentioned the mental aspect of the sport, that can really get in your way, i stood at one section, quite a while ago, to see how the other riders were going about it and one rider came a cropper, it was a really steep bank and it was raining so it was really slippy, i was all for doing it until the guy fell off and that was it, i bottled it, obviously the further you get in the sport, the harder the sections and more dangerous they become, I'm an over 50s rider and have been riding for less than two years so i have no illusions of doing the expert route but i have done some of the easier yellow routes this season and didn't do to bad, as long as i have a good day out with my friends and don't hurt myself to bad, i'm an happy man.

The mental aspect is a key factor, a few seconds without being focused and bang your out of the games. I just bought today ono of those bright led cycle lights so I can train after work. Sadly I live in a flat part of north Italy so there's nobody around me doing trials nor knowing what trials is all about. My training plan now is: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 45 to 60 minutes bike trial, Tuesday and Thursday 1 hour of trials, Saturday from 2 to 5 hours of enduro and finally Sunday 2 hours of trials and a good rest. That will get me going at a good pace hopefully!