Trials Australia Forums

Hey just wanted to introduce myself to the forum,
Tristan, 21, Male and currently in Gladstone qld

I went along to my local club and it looks like alot of fun (way different to my initial image of people climbing up and down insane obstacles) it looked allot more fun and closer to what id be able to start doing and im looking at finding myself an entry level bike around the 2 - 4 grand mark soon. Hoping to meet some new people and improve my skills with a new discipline of riding.

A few novice questions here i know practice makes perfect like any sport but how hard is trials to get around the learning curve for a dirt bike rider. Ive ridden some pretty big hills and trails on enduros I handle a bike up an obstacle quite moderately id say. its the sharp turning and balance i find most daunting, I really cant even wheelstand that well compared others.

Secondly how experienced are the people at open grade level who just jump ontop of rocks and bounce around on the back wheel like a pogo stick. Its obviously the rider and not about the flashest bike but what is the path involving tp go from zero to hero.

hi tristan, welcome to strange and highly addictive world of trials. :)

great bunch at that club, they often come down to our events at esk and vice versa. dirt riding definitely provides a lot of grounding for trials but usually there's a lot to unlearn, particularly if you like wheel spin, sliding the bike and revving a lot. but if you've focused on minimising wheelspin, picking lines carefully and using a higher gear and slipping the clutch you'll already have some great skills to apply to trials.

even if you've been a full throttle sort of rider, the trials techniques kick in very quickly and you'll find your dirt riding is transformed as a result. our trials club also does cross training videos: http://www.wdtc.org.au/cross-training-enduro/cross-training-enduro-techniques.htm

we apply trials techniques to the dirt bikes and it's incredible to see how fast dirt riders pick up on this and how it changes the way they ride. one of the guys i know is extremely fast but had never done any technical riding... he spent two hours doing basic techniques on my trials bike then he applied it to his 300exc the following weekend. here is a video of his first cross training style ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZf9niuTLjE

balance and tight turns are initially hard to do on a dirt bike but really pay off once you start to get the hang of them.

how experienced are the people at open grade level who just jump on top of rocks and bounce around on the back wheel like a pogo stick? as a rule riders might start very basic bouncing around on the rear wheel when they are in either B or A grade. but doing it accurately from rock to rock etc would mainly be the top level, expert.

from top to bottom the grades are expert, A, B, C, clubman, intro.

zero to hero? master the basics before trying to many advanced techniques. it's always tempting to learn the flashy stuff but if you don't provide a solid foundation of balancing, cornering and clutch skills first then it will take longer to learn.

re: buying bikes, we've provided a guide on the club website here: http://www.wdtc.org.au/sub-pages/buying-a-trials-bike.htm

obviously your club will know of any bikes for sale in your area so it may be a case of having to travel to brissie if nothing turns up. good luck with the hunt. :)

hello Tristan . my name is Patrick whitfield . I have a small trials supply business , selling trials riding gear and spares ect . also have some bikes . ive a 2011 280 gasgas for sale $4500 if that is of any interest to you , cheers Patrick
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oops forgot . you ncan look at her on www.calderamoto .com