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Graham introducing himself and thank you for all your help


Graham2
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Hello,

Saying hello, introducing myself and sharing my experience.  Hopefully useful.

Spent a lot of time on this site trying to distill ideas and advice.  What bike etc.

I have come back to riding after 15 years, I so very nearly did not come back......in fact last winter I sold my Dave Cooper bike rack and have just had to buy a new one!

Loving it!!

 

First time around in the late 90/early this century.........  Working, family, mortgage. queuing for sections, looking after my son occasionally, no time or places to practice.  Then both bikes were stolen.  Not too much fun to be honest. probably rode less than once a month for three years or so.

 

This time around, I am loving it.  I am 58 years old, reasonably fit and 70kg. I am mostly retired and can afford better gear.  I live in Bourne End near Maidenhead, South Bucks.

About three months ago I bought a virtually new condition 2013 Gas Gas 125 txt pro.  Absolutely brilliant bike.  No need for more power.

I ride with Mountfield body armour and have tested it a few times, excellent kit.  Also tilers knee pads that work very nicely.

Berkhamstead club and Hook Woods club have been very friendly and welcoming .  Both have practice grounds.

For me practice grounds have been the biggest improvement to my enjoyment, along with a decent bike.  I think it is under rated how very difficult it is to be a beginner and just ride trials.  Thanks to all the hard working volunteers and teams who put the trials together, not your fault, just the way it is.  I have more thought here if any one is interested.

So I go to Hook Woods near Guildford most Saturdays, ride for maybe three hours with lots of stops for chatting but enough bike time to really get some fitness/exercise/skill.  Getting through say  4 litres of fuel.  The I go to Nash Mills ( Berko) on a Tuesday morning with the old boys/wrinkly's or anyone else lucky enough to have time on a Tuesday.  I am getting better quite fast, learning to undo all my road bike skills... 

Did I say how brilliant the 125cc Gas Gas is?  A tad awkward to start occasionally ( yes I have read and received all the comments on special techniques.)  apart from this I cannot fault it as the bike for me.  I am generally a cautious anxious rider (osteoarthritis and osteoporosis the main issues) but making good progress.  I am currently well above a white route wobbler, and somewhere less that a yellow route clubman.  No critism but the colours and routes are very confusing to a returner riding in different regions.

You experienced guys will not understand but I have a fear of the front wheel leaving the ground.  It nearly always goes badly wrong when it does!!  This clearly makes some sections a tad difficult, so a big achievement recently was to jump a small ditch.  in the past the front wheel would roll in, bike stops and a somersault and bruises would result.  I have also had some results with small logs and a particular small rock... very pleasing.

Years back I did sign up for a training day, unfortunately the trainer was not able to relate and pitched skill levels way above me and I had to drop out.  This time around I find friendly club members are only to willing to help and advise how to attempt things. 

One thing I did learn, I was trying to ride over a very modest sloping rock.  About 12 inches high and leaning away from me at about 50 degrees, to any experienced rider so straightforward as to not be an issue or indeed an obstacle!  Four club members gave me coaching, with four different techniques!  in the end I asked one of them to show me on my bike, rather than his 300 cc one.  to his surprise he used a different technique on my 125cc.  Forget double blip,.......... approach, bounce/compress , wind the power on and keep it on until the back wheel was well on the way up, then back of and cover the brakes.  Very satisfying, I know when I have it right because the sump plate does not hit the rock....and I can practice it again and again and ....

 

Yikes, lots of typing. must stop.  

Thanks to everyone who has written content that has been useful to me.

Experienced wobbler! Graham.

 

 

 

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25 minutes ago, Graham2 said:

Hello,

Saying hello, introducing myself and sharing my experience.  Hopefully useful.

Spent a lot of time on this site trying to distill ideas and advice.  What bike etc.

I have come back to riding after 15 years, I so very nearly did not come back......in fact last winter I sold my Dave Cooper bike rack and have just had to buy a new one!

Loving it!!

 

First time around in the late 90/early this century.........  Working, family, mortgage. queuing for sections, looking after my son occasionally, no time or places to practice.  Then both bikes were stolen.  Not too much fun to be honest. probably rode less than once a month for three years or so.

 

This time around, I am loving it.  I am 58 years old, reasonably fit and 70kg. I am mostly retired and can afford better gear.  I live in Bourne End near Maidenhead, South Bucks.

About three months ago I bought a virtually new condition 2013 Gas Gas 125 txt pro.  Absolutely brilliant bike.  No need for more power.

I ride with Mountfield body armour and have tested it a few times, excellent kit.  Also tilers knee pads that work very nicely.

Berkhamstead club and Hook Woods club have been very friendly and welcoming .  Both have practice grounds.

For me practice grounds have been the biggest improvement to my enjoyment, along with a decent bike.  I think it is under rated how very difficult it is to be a beginner and just ride trials.  Thanks to all the hard working volunteers and teams who put the trials together, not your fault, just the way it is.  I have more thought here if any one is interested.

So I go to Hook Woods near Guildford most Saturdays, ride for maybe three hours with lots of stops for chatting but enough bike time to really get some fitness/exercise/skill.  Getting through say  4 litres of fuel.  The I go to Nash Mills ( Berko) on a Tuesday morning with the old boys/wrinkly's or anyone else lucky enough to have time on a Tuesday.  I am getting better quite fast, learning to undo all my road bike skills... 

Did I say how brilliant the 125cc Gas Gas is?  A tad awkward to start occasionally ( yes I have read and received all the comments on special techniques.)  apart from this I cannot fault it as the bike for me.  I am generally a cautious anxious rider (osteoarthritis and osteoporosis the main issues) but making good progress.  I am currently well above a white route wobbler, and somewhere less that a yellow route clubman.  No critism but the colours and routes are very confusing to a returner riding in different regions.

You experienced guys will not understand but I have a fear of the front wheel leaving the ground.  It nearly always goes badly wrong when it does!!  This clearly makes some sections a tad difficult, so a big achievement recently was to jump a small ditch.  in the past the front wheel would roll in, bike stops and a somersault and bruises would result.  I have also had some results with small logs and a particular small rock... very pleasing.

Years back I did sign up for a training day, unfortunately the trainer was not able to relate and pitched skill levels way above me and I had to drop out.  This time around I find friendly club members are only to willing to help and advise how to attempt things. 

One thing I did learn, I was trying to ride over a very modest sloping rock.  About 12 inches high and leaning away from me at about 50 degrees, to any experienced rider so straightforward as to not be an issue or indeed an obstacle!  Four club members gave me coaching, with four different techniques!  in the end I asked one of them to show me on my bike, rather than his 300 cc one.  to his surprise he used a different technique on my 125cc.  Forget double blip,.......... approach, bounce/compress , wind the power on and keep it on until the back wheel was well on the way up, then back of and cover the brakes.  Very satisfying, I know when I have it right because the sump plate does not hit the rock....and I can practice it again and again and ....

 

Yikes, lots of typing. must stop.  

Thanks to everyone who has written content that has been useful to me.

Experienced wobbler! Graham.

 

 

 

This is exact.y what happens to one who is smitten with their sport, no compromise. You carry on as you are, 125’s rule if you feel comfortable. A 250 is just a bigger piston covering the same ground?? Useless and useful content always available 24/7??‍♂️??‍♂️?

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