Jump to content

I'm nearly 30, midlife crisis??


Erhman88

Recommended Posts

That's right, I'm new and nearly 30. Hardly slender and hardly fit. Have always wanted a trials bike, enjoy my road bike, downhill bikes and restoring an old Raleigh bike. Had a result on an on a t bird for a £20 advertised locally. Collected and £30 of parts later and I have a cool bike all working with nice megura brakes! Only problem is (sure you've heard it before) but what and where do I start on learning on how to actually use it? Should I look at a 26"?  Am thinking of another bike to the collection? Am loving playing in the garden! I want to hop on the back wheel. It's like a life long dream. Any advice/ Critism is welcome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Riding trials isn't a sign of a mid life crisis, wearing spandex and riding road is though.  Trash Zen is the other good starting point.  Learn to track stand first in my opinion.  Think the video link Isitafox posted up above is actually on the forum somewhere, should definately be available to view on youtube.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The TrashZen book is really useful too, we've had a lot of good feedback from it.

Just keeping on enjoying it is the main thing though.  You can only get better by riding your bike, and if you enjoy riding your bike you'll do it more - it's a self-fulfilling thing.  Those early days with riding are awesome as you'll be learning new stuff all the time.  Make the most of them!

Oh, and in terms of age - we've had riders starting in their 50's (and I think possibly 60's too), so age shouldn't be a hindrance.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Mark W said:

The TrashZen book is really useful too, we've had a lot of good feedback from it.

Oh, and in terms of age - we've had riders starting in their 50's (and I think possibly 60's too), so age shouldn't be a hindrance.

The TrashZen website is really good too. It has lots of slow motion videos of just about every basic trials skill.

I just started a few months ago, at age 56. I don't expect to get good, but I am improving, and really enjoying it! The slow speed skills transfer to other bikes too. Recently I've been riding my FatTire bike a lot in spring runoff very soggy conditions. I'm pretty sure I would have fallen over in a couple of large deep puddles with soft mud bottoms, if I had not been practicing on a trials bike all winter in my garage. Ended up riding really slowly in those puddles because the back tire spins in the mud....

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just turned 30 too! Trials isn't easy to get into, it takes a lot of effort to learn the basics, but once you get them down and start using them to real effect, it pays off big time.

The really basic way to start is to endo your bike by moving forwards and slamming on the front break, as you come back down use that momentum to rock onto the back wheel and see how long you can hold yourself there with the brake locked out. When you get better at that start adding in little hops to keep yourself on the back wheel longer.

When you get more confident, you won't need to endo first to get yourself up onto the back wheel, you'll do that by doing a pedal kick with the brake released, kind of like you would when you wheelie, but stationary.

Last step is to then start pedal hopping forwards on the back wheel by releasing the brake and pedal kicking forwards slightly, and then re-engaging your brake. Anything after learning that is easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

HI there!

On 4/24/2017 at 1:43 AM, Erhman88 said:

That's right, I'm new and nearly 30. Hardly slender and hardly fit. Have always wanted a trials bike, enjoy my road bike, downhill bikes and restoring an old Raleigh bike. Had a result on an on a t bird for a £20 advertised locally. Collected and £30 of parts later and I have a cool bike all working with nice megura brakes! Only problem is (sure you've heard it before) but what and where do I start on learning on how to actually use it? Should I look at a 26"?  Am thinking of another bike to the collection? Am loving playing in the garden! I want to hop on the back wheel. It's like a life long dream. Any advice/ Critism is welcome!

Hi there man! I've just recently turned 30 too (17 March). I've always wanted to do trials moves but never really had the chance to get a trials bike through my teen years as in my native country their are completely non-existent. I then moved to Spain where the sport is really developed and got my first trials mod bike. Just a couple months ago! I got a complete second hand Monty 219 Alp V-Brake bike for like 80 euros. 

Before committing to buy the bike, I had been reading technique guides all over the internet trials sites, also watching vids on YouTube to understand the movements and how things should evolve. Also looking throughout forums gathering relevant info from several different techniques. I have a total 3 months on the bike (lets say 50 net hours) and I already can hop on the rear, pedal kick, jump small gaps with only the rear wheel as well as hoping up and down from curbs on the back wheel.

Having this bike has been one of the most pleasant experiences on bikes I've had. I begin with XC riding, then DH riding and now trials (still have my DH rig). It's a really enjoyable experience trying to learn this tricks and how you can easily learn critical fundamental moves in just weeks, then after learning these comes polishing those moves and trying to combine them with the environment where you would be riding. I am no good trials rider yet but I've been able to progressively "unlock" the techniques and moves. As I never had the chance to try trials I was very skeptical about really being able to progress. The thing is, it is doable. As I was also turning 30 and wanting to have a trials bike for all my life, I decided to sign in the forum just to share my experience.

 

Cheers man! got get a second hand bike and beat the shit out if it! you wont regret it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, downhiller900sl said:

I have a total 3 months on the bike (lets say 50 net hours) and I already can hop on the rear, pedal kick, jump small gaps with only the rear wheel as well as hoping up and down from curbs on the back wheel.

That's really good, well done! My progress has been much, much slower. Before you got your trials bike, could you manual? Track stand? Bunny hop? My slow progress must be due to my ancient age. ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before having the trials bike I already knew how to wheelie, bunnies hop and track stand. Although trackstanding in the mod trails bike is a lot harder than on my MTB's. 

What ancient age man? I'm just got a to the third floor too! (aged 30 on March) 

I'm and living example that age is no exception for not to try. Do it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, downhiller900sl said:

 What ancient age man? I'm just got a to the third floor too! (aged 30 on March)  

I'm more than half way down the hall on the fifth floor! Late May last year I had 1 bike, now I have 5.

I first started looking at trials videos last fall when searching for how-to videos for mountain bike skills. Now I have a 24" street trials and a 24" comp trials. I'll never be a good trials rider, but I'm having fun. :-)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ha ha ..  30...  I'm with Peter Pan; at 30 you are just a young whipper snapper.  Try learning this stuff at 55!!  It's pushing me to the limit; but the challenge is one of the reasons I like it so much. There don't seem to be many short cuts to developing an expert level proficiency in this sport.  You have GOT to put in the time and HARD PHYSICAL effort.  (I've ridden mototrials for about 15 years.  This bicycle stuff takes quite a bit more endurance and athleticism though) 

  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, FireChief said:

Ha ha ..  30...  I'm with Peter Pan; at 30 you are just a young whipper snapper.  Try learning this stuff at 55!!  

It's not often I can one up someone, I started in December at age 56. ;-)

It's amazing how much energy is required just to do simple trials moves!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/12/2017 at 7:37 PM, DeersSlayer said:

It's amazing how much energy is required just to do simple trials moves!

NO KIDDING!  The progress is slow - my legs get exhausted much quicker than I would like.  

Having said that, I feel it getting better. I have been doing ATG squats ('Ass to Grass" :-) , and straight leg dead lifts.  These exercises have brought some 'youth' back into my lower half!  

ONWARD I say!   ~Chief

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love this forum, I'm 32 & last week after getting annoyed at the football I drunkenly brought myself my dream bike from back in the day an Martin Hawyes giant for just a hundred quid & since I collected it I've been on it every night. Awesome to see it's not just me getting into it at this age & it's a pleasure to meet you all. Target is to enter a comp one day

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Feel like I should chip in on this one as well, I'm 33 and I just picked up my first trials bike last night (inspired Element 24"), so far have been loving it (commuter to work, might as well have fun on the way).  Working on getting the trackstand better but have been getting the pop/scoop action pretty well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 08/08/2017 at 6:20 AM, Admissioninf said:

That's what I kept saying to her, but she was having none of it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...