p_rew@theciderbar.na

Do people just show up at Hook Woods these days? Or do you have to ring Jim Connor??

If Gilles likes to think he rides better wearing Skins, then let him do so. They may look horrendous, but he's a French man. And therefore has very little fashion sense.

Nice riding. ...Not too sure about the slightly anti-semitic comment just after the start.... Think the sound could have been blanked out around 0.45. Not the kind of thing you should leave on a video. It's not cool, kids

I would have thought it doesn't make a difference, but I've broken my left ankle once and my right ankle twice doing crappy street riding! Whereas only chipped a tooth (a thousand grazer) riding natural. Street might be more likely to cause injury because of the straight angles, flat run ups etc you tend to go bigger and when you go bigger and get it wrong it hurts more. Plus 9/10 times riding street you land on concrete, rather than perhaps some mud. Get well soon, chief

I feel for you guys. Not that I would be going anyway, but La Tour De Scay was always a crap competition venue and shouldn't be a venue for Koxx Days. Oh how I remember.... - the 10 minute ride from the camping to the riding spot - the porta-loos - the greasy rocks - the climate (its just down the road from the Alps so is known to p155 it down) - the local inbreds and their parties which went all the way into the night. Well, 9.30pm... wild..... - Alain Remys mullet. Although seeing the mullet could be worth the trip if you haven't already seen it. Spectacular

What do you think guys? And for brakes, I can't decide. Any tips?

I had one of these. Probably the best day of my life when Father brought it out the shed. Think I was about 8 and was the bike I learnt my trade on. If I find one, I'm buying it. Check out 3.55 - Gap to bash..... that's how trials was ridden back when men were men.....

Hello guys, If you come across an 04 Monty 221 Mod, somewhere, somehow, could you please let me know. Mine got stolen from the trial today. I wasn't there, but apparently the old man took it out of the car to load up, but then had to go back into the woods to pick up the last few section markers. Came back and it was gone. Think someone must have seen it from road, drove in and stole it. Sad sad day: that baby did World Champs in UK, France, Spain and Andorra. Pretty much standard, except for a Tensile freewheel So: - Silver frame/Black forks - Fluro-yellow maggies f&r - Gold rims, black hubs, - Black monty cranks - One blue grip, one grey. - Creepy crawlers f&r - Really bent, out of shape bashguard Any leads, please let me know. Cheers, Pete

perhaps a nutter, but think about his dedication... he's the guy riding in the ice & snow, when a lot of people stay at home at the first sign of rain. that's what makes the difference... if he carries on in this way he is going to be awesome in a 18 months - 2 years. well done that lad.

Trial looked pretty good to me....although I would say that! Gutted that I was only able to observe. One thing that is really coming apparent from watching last weeks trial at Hook Woods and the one today, is just how good the UK riders really are now. We are right up there. Good to see everyone putting in the work into their riding and improving all the time. Saw some awesome rides today too, but the one that stands out for me was James Hyland cleaning section 5. Apparently he did it both laps, but I only saw it on lap 2. The move he pulled for that enormous gap up, was awesome! Well done to all those who took part. Hope to see you at the next one

er, was it wayne?! chris akrigg?! me?! not to worry, a minute later wayne and i were there and a photo was taken of the whole happy team.....we were worth the wait......

firstly, well done lads. wish i could have been there. secondly, rather than sit on the fence and say the "scene is pretty much dead", perhaps people (nothing personal - i dont know you - just using you as an example because you said it) should "take their fingers and heads out of their own and others arses" and do something about it? The organisations involved are democratic, which requires some effort by those who particpate, but the upside to this is that it means things can be steered by those who get involved. If you lads dont like whats going on, get involved and do something about it - its that easy!!!

with respect john, thats not a good excuse - robbie hasnt had any competition for years in the poussin class!

grind it and grind the crap out of it - who wants a lame front brake? BTW benito still uses a front rim brake, so don't knock it. koxx brown pads are a good choice for the front and will last a while

You'll get loads of riding done in the first year - the first year doesnt count - so you can get away with doing the minimum amount of work. However, you may find that you dont ride at all in the first term as you'll be too busy getting battered with your new mates....! But be prepared to put things on hold in the final year though, you'll want to walk out with the degree you wanted.

there are a few things you can try: in sections put more pressure on your pedals to jump you forward in order to take the heat off your forearms. you can try a few things diet wise: carb loading and taking zinc & magnesium tablets during the week and lots of bananas, oranges, water and maybe a bag of crisps during the trial. riding your bike often, with 2 minute section practice is the best thing though, as it keeps you "match fit" if all else fails, just have reconstructive surgery on your forearms like motocrossers in the US have started to do!

yeah matt, dont I bloody know it.... surely there's some one from the south east on here who doesnt ride street???

hello, ive just moved to buckinghamshire (near high wycombe), but dont know where there is to ride. where abouts do people ride natural in the buckinghamshire/berkshire/oxfordshire region? is there a quarry, or rocky outcrop anywhere in this concrete jungle? would appreciate your local knowledge! pete

one further thing is that they dont come with a key ignition; therefore unless you get one put on (I have never heard of anyone doing so), any f***er can start it and ride off from where you left it! as for bikes, i recommend a beta, as gas gas and sherco are rather high maintenance and expensive to run for a newbie. the scorpas are bullet proof for reliability, but one would be a bit of hand full to ride for a beginner. i think that a beginner should start on a 125, as these are so good now that you wouldnt lack for power, unless youre really fat..... sidehopping? for a start it's near impossible and you would NEVER use the move any way as you have an engine to power you up going forwards!

i dont mean to poo on your dream, but a trials bike would be absolute crap for the road and you would knacker it prematurely. as theyre not geared and powered for road speed one would be tiring to ride on the road and the bike would sound very tired after a short while. plus they arent that robust so bits like the brake pads, tires, chain and sprockets would wear out much quicker than a normal road bike. people do ride them on the road, but only as a necessity when doing trials like in the novogar series or the scottish 6 days when you have to ride on the road between groups of sections. tax isnt expensive and insurance is probably cheap as the bhp/kw rating is very low so theyre not regarded as powerful bikes, although getting your road licence is costing around £300 nowadays with the costs of training and tests etc. up to you bro, but thought i would share my thoughts

whoa, whoa, whoa, back to the point: can i or cant i run 24 speed on my 20"? ive got an eno freewheel in my left hand and an XTR front mech & sprockets in my right and i just dont know what to put on.....my hands are full and im typing this with my nose........either one of these goes on tonight or the bike just goes on the bonfire.......arrrr!

back to the gear rule, out of interest, am I allowed to put gears on my 20"? i think that I could benefit from the weight saved by running 24 speed.... can i put an MRP device on too? that would be SICK!.....

try putting your stem on upside down. you will get massive lift for bunnyhops. whatever you do, make sure your bars and stem are colour-coordinated. that's the most important thing

well done to everyone, especially the lads who were there til the early hours of the morning, especially andrei and all those from the west of england club. the trial was really good - probably the best atmosphere at any trial that ive been to and the sections were quality and looked awesome. i must buy some of those heaters that hung from the ceiling! cant believe ben did the yellow route for 7. animal. think i could have done my 2 laps better in a wheelchair, but no complaints. had a really good day. hopefully weve started something that will continue.

when...only about 30 people turned up to the British Championship. when...monty brought out the blue 221 in 98, where they had flipped the top tube upside down and it had no seat! No way! when...people started to wear fox MX pants for trials, but soon realised they were sh*t to ride in when...people started wearing pot helmets for trials when...before that everyone wanted one of those massive troy lee helmets when...your mod tyres were made by pirelli, not monty when...the UK were desperate for riders to go the world rounds. for example, there were only 13 riders in 97! when...grinding rims was something only done by europeans; they were considered weird for doing so. when...dougie lampkin turned up to watch a british championship round, but was persuaded to ride, borrowed a bike, rode with no helmet and came 2nd in the elite class in 96. when...BBC 2 showed the Devon round of the British Championship in the show Radical Highs in about 99 when....dave holmes was UK elite....what a hero