Having already aquired several (double digits) push bikes, a girlfriend, classic MG and other various hobbies/moneypits I feel like I need another big expensive moneypit in my life***.

Anyone into it? Watched a bit arround Castleton yesterday and it looked a lot more accessible* than I’d imagined, lots of riding up and down steep slopes, switchbacks etc rather than bunnyhopping a motorbike up onto a 6ft rock.

Whats the difference between bikes, what’s a good starter for 10? Theres a local shop specializing in them, would walking in there with a credit card be a reasnobly safe bet or am I liable to be sold a donkey**?

*Dare I say it, “easy”?

**not the best metaphor as donkeys seem quite adept at getting up and down hills.

*** I’m 25, how bad is my mid-life crisis going to be!

local club, borrow one and give it a go?

from what I’ve seen you have to like wearing flouro pyjamas to do it properly.

mid-life crisis

I thought a mid life crisis was just a case of finally being able to afford/not caring if the wife leaves you for buying the toys you always wanted (at least that’s what I’m hoping, as I’m 29 and poor as)

One does sit here and wonder what job you do thisisnotaspoon as you must be rather well paid to be able to afford so many expensive hobbies…But MX seems good fun, wish I could afford to do it.

Aye, I’d try it first. I’d go green laning as well, you might find that more enjoyable.

Also, what order are your addendums in? Confused the hell out of me for a minute.

Puddle jumping eh?

get yourself an Enduro bike instead

One does sit here and wonder what job you do thisisnotaspoon as you must be rather well paid to be able to afford so many expensive hobbies…

I’m the annoying bloke who doesn’t smoke, gamble or drink, drives his car at 40mph everywhere, shops at TKMax, thinks a holliday south of Birmingham is exotic and basicaly makes the inhabitants of the moneysavingexpert.com forums look frivilous. I then spend all that saved money on pointless toys.

Tirals, not MX BTW.

Aye, I’d try it first. I’d go green laning as well, you might find that more enjoyable.

Thought that, but I’m more of a slow/technical person, going fast enough to hurt myself isn’t really in my nature. I actualy get annoyed on road rides when the climbs run out and I have to get back to the bottom!

That and despite the TRF’s best efforts the available networks measured in miles, so the ability to have fun in just a field appeals.

Get yourself over to the Scott Trial in October
It’s run by Richmond MCC and is starting this year [IIRC] at Marske [near Richmond not Saltburn]

I’m the annoying bloke who doesn’t smoke, gamble or drink, drives his car at 40mph everywhere, shops at TKMax, thinks a holliday south of Birmingham is exotic and basicaly makes the inhabitants of the moneysavingexpert.com forums look frivilous. I then spend all that saved money on pointless toys

This is ‘thisisnotaspoon’…

Trials is awesome, i’ve been into it since i was 8, one of the cheapest forms of motorsport, buy a good solid bike (im a Scorpa man) in good nic and you probebly wont loose much money if its not for you, resist the temptation to buy a spanking new bike to learn on as you will probebly bash it around a fair bit before you get good.

car roof = needless frivolity, clearly.

I’m in a similar boat:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/motorcycle-trials

Unfortunately, I’m still stuffed for somewhere to store a bike in my current flat, so it’s on the back burner for the minute.

This is ‘thisisnotaspoon’…

That was me going through my “I don’t need a sensible car” phase. Annoyingly the midget was never more reliable than when it was being used daily, managed 3 years of regular use with only routine maintenance, as soon as it started just being used for just jollies it got unreliable (currently in the girlfriends garrage with a long to-do list).

tele back in the day..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4110DiwCnJk[/video]

though junior kick start was funnier

Well having watched my m8 do it 20 years ago, I’d go with getting a decent enduro bike and bimble along the bridal ways.
My m8 used to go 30-40ft what I thought to be sheer wall, turn round and come back down… though another m8 has taken up classic trails, which sounds to be fun (if you have mechanical abilities).

Get yourself a 300cc Gas Gas then simply enter The Scott Trial next October. It’s only one lap so you should be ok, in fact you’ll soon see how ‘easy’ it is.

Go to any trial and watch. There will be plenty of people to talk to. Find a club and go to a meeting. Search the ACU website for the centre (region where you live) and go from there. Many clubs run dead easy trials. We (West Glos and Dean Forest MCC)run several novice/trail bike trials a year.
http://www.wgdfmcc.org.uk. We are in the FoD
Where are you?
Try a bike before spending. You can get a nice bike for a couple of grand. Unless you are very good even something 10 or 15 years old will be fine if its in good nick. Pick something with a local dealer nearby. Buy a 2 stroke to start with.
Cheapest form of motorsport out there. Round here trials are about 15 quid to enter. You need ACU affiliation, a tenner once you join a club which can cost as low as a fiver,us to several times that.

For something else to think about, I used to ride lots of long-distance [reliability] trials, a mix of tarmac (of course), green-lanes, and observed sections.

Not as ‘fiddly’ as trials trials, but certainly not what I’d call easy.

😯

Towards the end of the day, after lots of hours / miles in the saddle, I found that riding into a section, going around the flag and back out again for my 5 point penalty was far easier than having to be helped out from under a bike halfway down a rock-filled stream-bed in the gathering darkness, and still getting the same 5 point penalty.

Great fun tho’, and I’d do it again without hesitation, (but for somewhere to store and work on the bike).

Is there any were you can pay for a 1 day introduction to trials riding?

I’m not sure I’ll ever take it up properly but I wish I could give it a proper go

trials is maybe cheaper than mtb which is a surprise.entrys are £12 up to £25 depending if you want to do club trials or national.
it is very similar to mtb and if you ride in south yorks you would be amazed how many top mountain bikers ride trials,it’s a long list.
bikes are £800 to £1600 for a 96 to 2007 bike either would be fine or an old aircooled yam ty which is usable would be around £750.the latest trickest bikes are quite pricey but look good value next to a downhill bike.
if you want a day training theres “tricks in the sticks” down south and stuart day does something in macclesfield area ,ring pidcocks in notts for details.
if any one fancys a look theres maybe the best event of the year on in the sheffield area this sunday, starts at bradfield ,program and details are on hillsborough trials clubs website.

Yeah what you want is a TY 125…

simply enter The Scott Trial next October. It’s only one lap so you should be ok

😆 at essel.

I took up trials a couple of years ago. It’s a great laugh.
Look on trialscentral.com, or the tmx site for finding your local clubs. Trials central is full of usefull stuff.
Most trials have different routes, so you can potter round, launch yourself up big steps, or something in the middle.
And a lot of your mtb skills pass over 🙂

‘sighs’ I rode for 13 years, between about 1974-87ish. Wish I’d never packed it in (bloody wimmin/weddings/kids) Best times of my life & would love to do it all again.
‘bursts into tears’

i ve ridden trials for 20 years ( a little less than mtb) i have dug the money pit deeper than i care to imagine at the moment i have 6 trials bikes in the garage..
first up i cant bunny hop and all that jazz.
trials is one of the most acessable sports on the planet and certainly the cheapest motorsport.

first up a bike.. how much do you want to spend? either way all you need is a bog std. 250. i’d opt for a Beta soft power and easy to ride. importantly the importer is the best in the world and stuff is available off the shelf next day delivery.
bike age is not as important as condition. a 10 year old bike that is well cared for and rarely used is better than a 3 mth old thing that is ridden by some loon who never maintains it. buy from a dealer if its your first and you know nowt buy from a trials specific dealer.
get the best fitting quality helmet you can afford get the best two boots you can afford. other than that your away.
go to somwhere like back cowm to learn to ride. when you feel moderately comfortable enter a trial ring up the secretary you want a beginners trial… DO NOT ENTER THE NOVICE CLASS its for people who are good. ask for the easiest route they have. ride round at your pace enjoy!
all you need and more.. http://www.trialscentral.com/

Now if you want long distance trials we are running the Wyegate trial on the 1st April. That will keep you busy although I have shortened it this year to 80 miles.

a real money pit.. possibly 8 grand in this
http://pre65trials.blogspot.co.uk/
http://contour.com/stories/totalshelll-pre65blogspot-fantic-trials

ampthill, theres a place in bletchley, Milton Buzzards, they have an open day next saturday, worth going along. Also theres a trial on sunday in Beau brickhill.
thisisnotaspoon
I have just got myself a trials bike again after 30yrs off, and its great fun, would obviously recommend it, great for upper body strength, trials meetings are friendly and everyone is helpful and encourage you.
If you are going to use it for distance riding, like around castleton and area or classic alps type trials, i would go for a 4 stroke, but they are a bit heavier, and more costly, if your going to do trials, mess around and practice and not ride it for hrs on end and want a lighter probly more bouncable bike, then 2 stroke. This is how i looked at it, I want to use mine to do some local trials, and some big rides {with a spare tank n fuel bottles in my backpack} and classic alps trials,and some trail riding, so i went for 4stroke.

ampthill, thats Great Brickhill not Beau. im a numpty!

Thing with trials if you are not going to enter events you need a few places to take your bike or you will get bored.Were you in the Quarry at the back of castleton?.You will pay over the odds at a dealer.There are some great secondhand ones going some hardly used.I have use a Alp 200 use in local quarries in the Cotswolds.Can be bloody dangerous if you come of sometimes in the quarry.Good fun though.Proper trials bike cost very little to run spares are way cheaper than MTB.Beta/Gasgas/sherco/Montessa/Ossa/Scopa.Loads to choose from.You need work of them bit.I think greenlaning is more fun.Go for it.Have a look at http://www.bvm-moto.co.uk

You’re on this thread like a rash aint you Andres? hehehe

I sold a bike once that had only done 2 trials.
The SSDT & the Scott.

What a wreck.

I sold a bike once that had only done 2 trials.
The SSDT & the Scott.

It’s quite commen to see bikes that have only done one trial for sale, lots of the top lads sell the week after the Scottish, there are always a few in the trials central classifieds, I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole.

Compare the Kick Start vid above with the modern equivalent:

[video]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BElXtfHg4b4[/video]

Toni Bou, what a boy 😀

I’ve been doing trials since I was 8, do it, it’s ace fun, it’ll really help your MTB skills

Toni Bou, what a boy

Thats nothing, i watched some very very oldschool footage from my local club (Richmond) recently, i bet Bou couldn’t clean i greasy gully wearing a flat cap AND smoking a woodbine. If i remember rightly one of the prizes was some fags.
I find MTB helps with trials loads, having to use your own momentum to yuck you over things and having to be more picky about lines.

My cousin’s husband has used the same bike for about the last 10 SSDTs. I think he’s happy to give up some competitiveness for simplicity and reliability.

Would your user name have any links to your cousins husbands name??

NB? One of the best rock kickers ever!

No, my username is where I live.
But he is mates with NB.

Have you seen what Graham Jarvis is up to these days 😯 mind boggling.