kevind

Just wondering if your friend in the men's toilet is still there to have a chat with, when you were really drunk, three years ago or do you have him with you all the time?

What Ross says!!! ("Pile of Life" very philosophical and Air is free.) Marshals always welcome.

The time is upon us. Back to Kinlochleven after a two years. Hope for good weather this time! Please note that the new Bike Trial federation rules apply and are available on their website and on entry form. As usual please let me know you are coming. Club membership form available as well as entry form here BikeTrial federation and Facebook page. Birthday beers at Macdonald Hotel on Saturday night if you feel the need. 2015kinlochleven entry.doc SCOTTISH BIKE TRIAL CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM 2015.docx

Thanks to all that were involved. great day out in some cold sunshine, well worth the drive down. Best ELF burp ever you know who you are.

Tyke trial Sunday. Lots of new young faces and decent numbers in the lower classes. Lots of older!!!! riders retired to pastures new. New rules seemed to work well if you paid attention and will need as always with everything new a bit of tweaking by both section setters and riders. We had a great day out as I have posted else where, its maybe just an British Attitude (East enders syndrome) that you have to moan and complain all the time. it was simple and easier just to have great day out.

Good luck on getting a set of regs up to help observers mark on putting on a show in a section. It will be like synchronised swimming but at least it may become an Olympic sport. Was at Tyke trial on Sunday as well, positive to see a lot of younger riders starting out, but nobody seemed to be offering advice or helping to much from what I saw. Maybe I am wrong. 2 min is 2 min and we just dealt with the change, sections seamed to time ok for us. We went round with Andrew Chia and Antonio and had a great time, never heard someone laugh so much, brilliant lad. They both struggled big time in Jack set out sections BUT its a start of a hard road and event by event there will be less fives as they find experience and strength. To us that was a perfect day out maybe a bit to many fives but new friends, spoke to a couple of new riders and dads. Thanks to all the officials and Tim for a few beers the night before. simple

The cost thing has been discussed at length. Personally It will always be an issue to some people and that's understandable, as the saying goes if you want something bad enough get of yer arse and make it happen. Just take a walk around both paddocks at Fort William to see, is there a money issue or just an attitude in trials. One of these downhill bikes would pay for a years trialing and don't ask about entry fees. Also the modern requirement to have a new/best everything all the time is another issue. There are SH bikes very cheap all the time on various places. You don't need a big van unlike other trials to do bike trials as the bikes fit in most boots and as stated just share travel costs.

Ross, I've had a bad day please explain about whores?

tony, I go to bike trials with my old muckers and we just ride round together for the toffee crisp trophy (don't ask) but just ignore the must win at all cost brigade. We support the trial organisers and have a great day out taking the piss out of each other all day. Maybe that's the attitude needed to have fun and let the must win riders get on with there fun. I open my mouth with the queue jumpers and tell them there is a queue and that includes the top riders. That gives us another reason to laugh and mock them. Attitude re adjustment is required.

CLEATS! all riders must use cleated shoes and pedals. Problem solved. Good point Robin, I think the lift the bike type dab is here to stay and as stated ok with me as one is better than a five, but the dabing around gates when you are above them is hopefully a thing of the past with the new rules and better taping.

Read Giacomo's response to Kenny's letter. Interesting points. Take world trials back to Natural? From a personal opinion I like that, as to me that's what trials is all about. BIU type sections with UCI rules and but professionally run. But then you are out of city centres and the uninterested masses. UCI although as I have stated was amazing to watch, but it seems to much about who can hook onto the biggest rock and then up to back. I cant comment on UCI involvement at world level, but if its anything like British cycling then perhaps it should be run another way. But who and do they make a business out of it and then the riders are back to Giacomo's last letter.

There is group of guys in Inverness that ride and some come to the Scottish comps. Other than them I don't know of anybody up around your area.

Now it gets personal. If you are not directly involved and only hear one side of a story then it is not a position to be openly commenting. If he progresses the sport, which he has then thanks from me. I loved watching the comps on internet and its even more amazing being there and seeing what the top guys can do on a trials bike. I was truly gobsmacked in Norway last year at the level of Elite riding in UCI. We have been with Jack loads of times, but to see him and all the others at that level is better than anything we see here. I know Jack was Junior but he did go back after the elite final and clean all there sections!! Watched modern family for the first time yesterday, Made me smile. Never watched any soap in my life ever as that is the main reason trials and this country is on its ass. Miserable and never happy. We need a joke of the day section on here like loads of other forums . Moderators will you consider? I start the happiness and love. HUG A TRIALS RIDER TODAY

A lot more than just putting into back into trials. Even just lifting the section markers at the end, help count the punch cards at the end, sorting out the flags into colours, coming along on Saturday for a few hours if the trial is local to set out advise on sections. The list is endless but much appreciated by certainly me and I am sure all the other organisers. Up here somebody always gives me that little hand which just makes all the difference at the end of along two days work. 60k would do nicely but I know I could run it for a lot less but lack the experience to do some of it. (UCI event I havn't looked into so not sure on that one). The general bodies BIU and UCI I know would love the UK to run something, the BIU took a step closer with BTF taking control. UCI maybe a problem as it would have to go through the British cycling and they don't care about trials. Its not about one sponsor now, its about many wee sponsors putting enough in with maybe one bigger sponsor. I know that I can get up to a decent figure up here that would cover the main sponsor, but as we havn't asked properly then nothing is fixed. Did someone not try to get something going down south last year? This doesn't sort out the decline in our sport, maybe it cycles (pun intended) up and down and we are just on a low at the moment but I do think travel cost is a very big issue, but as I have stated before when I were a lad we had less money than people have now and we just all piled into one van and split the cost, slept in the van, drunk beer and rode the trial the next day. I was 15 and the older riders with vans just chucked me and my motor bike in the back for nothing until I had a job. Keep the views/ points going it is what maybe is needed to see if we all can get comp trials going again.

Interesting reply's. Great suggestion on the at least one foot on the pedal at all time. Would stop a lot of cheat dabs. But at world level its allowed!! Example of a new rider in any class that wants to progress but some steps are just to big for them so a dab rather than a five is ok in my book. The new ethos from us section markers is a lot more tape to stop it as well. As I stated the safety/cheat dab of one instead of five I have no problem with, but the past the gate and dabbing round the marker has to stop or like Shipley last year reversing the bike through a gate then riding back through it cause they couldn't do the gap. That is the only time I have complained in five years, not because of any result situation but the complete disregard for the rules was just beyond cheating. UCI rule maybe need to go down to inter but any lower then the younger riders will struggle a lot or we make the sections easier, which has been discussed as one reason for the fall off in riders. I agree with the city centre trials would be a huge step forward in growing the sport, but from first hand knowledge it is very very time consuming and costs a lot more than a trial in a field. I would love to do a city centre trial, but I cant give any more time or money than I already do and know for a fact that very few if anybody would stand up and help. I am sure plenty would love to ride and probably complain but as stated they don't bother me any more. Anybody want to sponsor a city centre trial, I am really cheap!!

Heard the stories as well, BUT as I stated like him or not from my outside view he seems to do more for trials than many others. What country is these Rozz Cleytun from as I think he sounds like the type figure head we need in this country!!!! Is Jack worried? I hear he is best pals with another top rider with tights?

Reading through some threads here there is to me an interesting trend to riders wanting fun events instead of pure comps. Sheffield town centre charity do, over subscribed, We came down and had a great day. Tarty's new have fun ride what suits you type comp got a big thumbs up. Comp entries on a downward spiral. Constant discussion of cheat dabs and various other unhappy rumblings. Scottish trials from my point of view just goes on year on year at about the same level. I do try to make it more fun than compy and a ride round with your mates. My points of view are: 1 Other than a very few core comp riders who have the facilities to get to world level the majority just want a great day out with mates and not break themselves for work next day. 2 Cheat dabs are maybe out of hand, but like it or not they are part of any type of trials. The organisers are now making a big effort to layout sections so the cheat dabs are impossible. If you are there to compete then I don't have a problem with a dab up a step that gives you a one rather than a five. If you are a comp rider, then you go back home practice that kind of move/height then its doable next time. (bit naïve I know but that how we do it). 3 As with all sports I have ever been involved with there are the organisers, riders and the complainers. I have with age adjusted to the later and just have fun with the others. 4 I know that the comp scene in Europe has huge entries, so in my opinion its a British attitude that is killing the comp scene. Solutions for discussion!! 1 More people stand up and organise, as then at meetings or setting out help and advice can be offered. I often change sections the morning of a comp on advice from riders. 2 The core comp riders should be excepted for what they want to achieve in there trials career, rather than being derided for what they and there families are having fun doing. Of to work now to pay for diesel to get to Shipley next week. Lots more to say but we will be there to have fun and help where we can and say thanks for all that put in the hard work.

Brilliant letter, but any sport is full of the complainers and just turn up then go home, I have seen it in any sport I have been involved with. Just got to ignore the negative and do what he does, if people don't want to participate in their sport there is nothing we can do as organisers. I do it because I get great fun out of it and enjoy the game of building sections to see if I can beat the riders into dropping marks. (not fives before you all complain). As for the British trials scene then, other than a few riders its on its way down and I don't have an answer, opinion yes!! British cycling have no interest in trials and therefore world level future is never going to be positive as it isn't organised for any rider willing to put the effort in. (Jack is included in this). I have first hand experience of how bad mannered and unhelpful they are to the trials team last year. The sport is heading into crisis in my opinion at all levels and people like Kenny, if you agree with him or not are standing up to try and do something about it, offer opinions and stand up and offer to help.

New dates now British is confirmed. Rnd 1, 2 and 3 are confirmed Round 4 is now at Bob Macgregor on the 16th August and is a joint British Scottish round and the September round is at a new venue that we are waiting on conformation. Club membership forms will be on the clubs facebook page shortly.

It was me the last time I looked in the mirror. Gav membership (forms will be available shortly) is required but its enter on the day but if you can EM or post who is riding so I can at least do some things pre event.

Hi team. At last, my years weekends are already gone! round 1 24th May Kinlochleven (hope its good weather! as its a great site) Beer in the Macdonald as its my Birthday. round 2 Fort William 6/7th June with British at World Downhill round 3 Killin 27th June (Saturday) round 4 TBA 9th August hopefully new venue round 5 Bob Macgregor 20th September (this may change as Bike Trial Federation may use this as a replacement to Aviemore) Club membership forms up soon and more info on the new Facebook site for the club. Thanks to Lyndsay.

Ben if you have time some photos would be nice but if you think it would suit a bike trial then I will give them a call. I don't have much time this year to spend lots of time on site so it really needs to be a roll up maybe a weekend before to get the sections sorted in my mind then marked out on the Saturday unless you can help? Aviemore, has a new boss that wanted it all cleared up to make it look nice (fair enough) but basically every section has been destroyed. Now we have had discussions he understands what Simon and I were trying to achieve and is more than happy to reinstate the sections in other locations, but as above I just will not have the time this year. The British date is cancelled due to this and the date clash with the BIU world champs in Spain.

Going all out! Heads up to anybody thinking of going to Aviemore, they have removed most of the sections. Couple left but all the logs and tyres and bottom top and bottom sections away.

Will do, but is it suitable, have you been there? Have you got a proper bike without a seat?. Were you away. Just new cranks Ross!

Great to here, would love a weekend in Skye but very busy with work. Asked around Aberdeen a few years ago for a venue and nothing came up. Been working on farms all last year up the East coast and none of these had anything to offer. Got my self a really clean SY Scorpa now, so can get back to having some days riding. Could do with a weekend away up in the mountains riding!! Let me know when you want to do Skye and I will see if its an empty weekend.