The Mechanic Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I was wondering why are there so few trials clubs, would it not be good for the sport? There seems to plenty of guys and gal's that get together and ride but nothing really organized apart from a few. I used to do Moto trials and locally alone there are 4 clubs, each holding comps on or around the Mendips and anyone could turn up to there comps and ride. It would be great if it was possible to get more comps going, looking on the forum there are a few but mostly up North or the South East. It would give new riders a lead into the sport, and also give experienced riders a chance to ride together pass on information etc. Would it not be easier for an organized group to find new locations and I am sure land owners would be more willing to allow use of there land for a club rather than individuals. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 there just isn't very many people who want to do comps I think. Current comp entries seem to be at an all time low yet there seem to be more riders than ever. I did comps for about 12 years and it was cool, but I don't think a lot of UK riders like the idea of paying to stand around in the middle of nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 You might well be right Ali, but even so a group is more likely to be able to organize a riding area not just for comps but street style as well, there must be hundreds of vacant lots that with a few pallets pipes that sort of thing would make a great riding area for all types of style not just comps. I think that the point I am trying to make is that an organized group has more chance of getting such places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncy H Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I can see where ali is coming from, also i think it is cause there is so many places that are available to ride. For example in moto trials i think the comps work so well cause it is a way of getting to ride on new land as it can be hard to secure permission to ride on land. It also takes so much organisation and work, hats off to the people that do it, i help run a moto trials club and my dad is the secretary and it takes up a lot of time and hard work. The number of people that seem to want to ride a comp compared to organizing it doesn't seem to balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Evil1 Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 It would be great if there were, but now there only seems to be really 2 or 3 clubs in the whole of the UK running a club championship. Very sad. EBTC, the very first biketrials club,created by the people who founded the sport in this country doesn't even have a championship this year. Comparing it to motorcycle trials its even more depressing. Recently joined a club, had such a large choice to choose from in the local area, was brilliant! I know there are lots of people who want to help, but sadly it always gets left to same people over and over running the club,observing, helping out etc For very little or no appreciation. Its even worse for those people when someone complains about the trial, the sections, the price etc - Makes it seem pointless. This is a sport for amatures really, people forget that at all levels these people give up there weekends, take days off work and receive no money or expenses, they do it all to support the sport (I know its the same for most sports so I'm not saying trials in unique in this way) People just need to show more support for the clubs, help out more, actually get involved, offer suggestions. This year I will be working with 2 potential new clubs in the South. So there are still people wanting to push the sport, dont loose hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I do agree it does end up with a few who do most of the work people love to ride, but are a little shy of getting involved in the duller side of things. I have been in that position as well organizing things and getting little support. But it is worth the effort I can assure you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Evil1 Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) Went off out a bit of a boring rant there, didnt see the other replies ^^ 10 years ago, a club comp would have 100 + riders, Now there are so many differnt styles in trials, those 100 riders are still about, but maybe only 30 of them ride comps, 20 ride TSG style street, another 20 ride oldskool/proper street. The rest of those riders may not have been that into comps back then but that was where all the riders used to go, all their riding buddys were there. Those riders local scenes may be a lot better now so are able to go ride with a good group of mates somewhere nearby and not have to drive miles to a comp. ( Thats a lot of mumbling, sorry. It makes sense in my head honest) Edited March 16, 2012 by Scotty Evil1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 10 years ago, a club comp would have 100 + riders, Now there are so many differnt styles in trials, those 100 riders are still about, but maybe only 30 of them ride comps, 20 ride TSG style street, another 20 ride oldskool/proper street. The rest of those riders may not have been that into comps back then but that was where all the riders used to go, all their riding buddys were there. Those riders local scenes may be a lot better now so are able to go ride with a good group of mates somewhere nearby and not have to drive miles to a comp. I can understand that, nothing better than being with your mates. Its the miles of driving bit that a club may be able to do away with, if you had a local Barrow Farm to go to then maybe you would be tempted. I am driving 170 miles this weekend for my grandson to ride, I don't mind its a National but having so few riding areas locally its street most of the time. I am sure that many riders don't get much chance to ride natural so don't know what they are missing a club could maybe solve that problem. I don't know if I am making much sense, its not just comps but the whole club scene and procuring riding places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Evil1 Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I grew up with the motorcycle scene, So I always associated trials with competitions. Living miles from any riding spot or other riders meant that the only time i got to ride new places or ride with a group of people was at a comp. I think another problem with the UK scene/Clubs is that the clubs just run comps, thats it. If they were to have training sessions, fundraisers, fun days etc It may be a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 I think another problem with the UK scene/Clubs is that the clubs just run comps, thats it. If they were to have training sessions, fundraisers, fun days etc It may be a bit better. I would say that is pretty spot on, not just comps its not all about that. There can be lots more, and a club riding spot could allow you to do I think that is what I am getting at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezmtber Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 i think a trials park a little like the northshore and freeride parks you get like south west extreme would pick the sport up a lot as you could hold weekend jams, with camping and shows ect.. it may even be worth anyone local to the freeride parks approching them with the idea of including some trials parts to the parks to hold these sort of events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Gardner Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 It still happens. On Facebook, there are pockets of riders that have their own 'crew' which they talk to to organise rides, general banter etc. Guess the comp has largely died, especially in my area (Berkshire/Hampshire). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurence--Trials Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 It's a shame that the sene is so small, I'd love to try some comps. It might be hard to tell but do any of the older riders think the trial sene is getting smaller? Might even die out in an extreme case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the mysterious leemur Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Well a while ago I created a group on facebook for guys to organise rides and sell stuff ect . But sinse nobody ever seems to want to properly organise anything all we do is bitch about each other . We got a petition for a local trials park to be made that got something like 150+ signatures but nobody did anything with it which is annoying :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 It's a shame that the sene is so small, I'd love to try some comps. It might be hard to tell but do any of the older riders think the trial sene is getting smaller? Might even die out in an extreme case? the trials scene is definitely bigger than it was, just fewer people enter comps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss-Higgy Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 but I don't think a lot of UK riders like the idea of paying to stand around in the middle of nowhere. Especially when street riding is free, or rock's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 the trials scene is definitely bigger than it was, just fewer people enter comps. I expect fewer people enter partly because of the distance you need to travel as well, local clubs and comps would help alleviate that problem and also end up producing more world class riders. Not saying we don't have quite a few already. Especially when street riding is free, or rock's That is true but even that has restrictions in some ways not everyone is happy to see riders jumping off walls or what ever. I am not knocking it at all some of our best riders mostly do street. But given the chance and the facility's I bet they would ride trials parks as well, just because you join a club does not mean you can't carry on riding street. But the more people group together the louder there voice and they stand a better chance of getting better trials facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planet x alan Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 I expect fewer people enter partly because of the distance you need to travel as well, local clubs and comps would help alleviate that problem and also end up producing more world class riders. Not saying we don't have quite a few already. I think as far as clubs are concerned it would be better, rather than to have a local club to have a regional club. Somewhere pretty central for a large amount of people to be able to access it. Something like this could benefit from having better facilities, more land/courses/obstacles ETC. Perhaps something more than just trials. Barrow farm seem to have a good thing going with catering for dirt jump riders also. A large site for instance somewhere just north of Leeds. Maybe near York that would cover the surrounding area that's not too much of a problem to access by train for the younger riders and easy to get to by car that has stuff for bike trials, moto trials perhaps and dirt jumpers I think would be a much better idea. Once the balls rolling and it's set up charge a membership fee (as most clubs do) Also set up government funding and you'll have an amazing facility and a large club virtually running itself financially. Pretty sure the skate park in Corby is run like this Just an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 A large site for instance somewhere just north of Leeds. Maybe near York that would cover the surrounding area that's not too much of a problem to access by train for the younger riders and easy to get to by car that has stuff for bike trials, moto trials perhaps and dirt jumpers I think would be a much better idea. Once the balls rolling and it's set up charge a membership fee (as most clubs do) Also set up government funding and you'll have an amazing facility and a large club virtually running itself financially. There are two major hurdles acquiring the land, and indemnity insurance. A larger group would have a better chance with councils to acquire property, which would be the cheapest option unless you found someone who was philanthropic and was willing to donate or lease land at a very low price. Insurance I am not sure about but trials would not be considered a particularly dangerous sport, so should be possible maybe someone knows better? As for the facilities then I expect volunteers could be found to build stuff, especially if they get to ride it. So the major costs would be insurance and rent for the land, these could be covered especially if a larger area was the catchment, by a small fee to ride which if the centre was good I am sure most would not begrudge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve sturt Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I think comparing it to motorcycle trials isn't fair. You can just get on a bicycle and ride anywhere at any time. You just cant do this with a motorbike. Moto trials riders simply have no option other than to turn up at a designated venue, under the protective insurances of a club at a time where the noise of the engines is considered civilised. Comps and club practice days are the only time most people can actually practice moto trials. With cycle trials, we have the choice and most people choose not to compete or form clubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greetings Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I think comparing it to motorcycle trials isn't fair. You can just get on a bicycle and ride anywhere at any time. You just cant do this with a motorbike. In my opinion that's the reason why clubs are scarce. You don't really need a bike trials club to ride. Sure it could help if you were a beginner but most beginners cope well with getting into the sport anyway. Another thing is that riders who are old enough to actually start a club probably couldn't be bothered with all the paper work and organisation involved. Lets face it, the majority of riders are young and the older ones treat trials more as a hobby rather than a mild form of profession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 You might well be right Ali, but even so a group is more likely to be able to organize a riding area not just for comps but street style as well, there must be hundreds of vacant lots that with a few pallets pipes that sort of thing would make a great riding area for all types of style not just comps. I think that the point I am trying to make is that an organized group has more chance of getting such places. I grew out of my 'riding pallets' phase a pretty long time ago, so I think that I - like probably quite a few others - would like a bit more variety in terms of stuff to ride, and fundamentally that's just going to cost money. To give a sort of real world example, the setup at TartyDays last year was relatively basic and just used the 'normal' sorts of trials obstacles, and that got pretty rinsed within a few days. I don't think that sort of thing would have much long term appeal, and I don't think that using relatively fragile things to make a riding area would work in a long term sense either. I think you'd do pretty well to get any council to take you seriously if you're suggesting using stuff like pallets, pipes, etc. I've had a bit of experience trying to get more 'official' stuff done in the form of skateparks and the like, and basically if they can't get accredited people to do stuff then they're not really interested. They have a list of skatepark builders they generally stick to, even if that means passing up better builders just to use 'safe' ones (e.g. making a shit Freestyle metal abortion rather than a cool concrete setup just because Freestyle offered more incentives...). That's going off on a bit of a tangent though - one of the main things for me is that riding trials is a very much personal thing so I don't really feel the need to be a part of a 'club', and a lot of the enjoyment I get from riding is going to new places, finding new spots to ride and so on. The whole comp mantra of being in a club and being a part of something 'bigger' like that just doesn't really do much for me, and I'd imagine it doesn't for some other people hence there not being much demand for clubs. It's just a different mindset really. I expect fewer people enter partly because of the distance you need to travel as well, local clubs and comps would help alleviate that problem and also end up producing more world class riders. Not saying we don't have quite a few already. Comps happen at the old venues year after year because basically there aren't that many good places where you can realistically hold a comp. Because of that, the concept of a 'local' club for local comps doesn't necessarily work because you can't really just conjure up a beasting place to ride. You're limited by that to quite a large extent because to keep comps enjoyable the locations need to be good. I went to a few comps years ago, and I specifically avoided going to ones that I knew had a generally bad reputation for just being the stereotypical muddy banks/riding rivers moto-trials type setup. If you don't have good local places to ride and hold a comp at, then there's not really much you can do about that whether you're in a form of club or organisation or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss-Higgy Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Another thought, why don't people use the member organized ride's page more if ever i know people are out local to me and roughly where they would be i'd be down there. If a proper club was to prosper it would need to be UK spread. And instead of paying to go into each club you pay one subscription to visit any uk site. And all site's need to vary to give people incentive to travel because it all mount's up and keeping our bike's running well can be costly. And i don't want to have to pay to visit the same pallet's or rock's when i have blackpool moonrock's on my door step. But on the other hand at a club you could tuition, and i'm sure for alot of beginners like myself that would be helpful, i have someone tutoring me and it's helping me on leap's and bounds! Leaving the more adept rider's absolutely no reason to pay to enter a club. Figured that's a better input that my last "ride street it's free" lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mechanic Posted March 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Reading the last couple of replies it would seem rather than a club people would like ideas as to locations with information as to what's available and local attitude, that thinking about it is not a bad idea. At least then it would offer suggestions to riders as to where to go and get a decent ride. Maybe also if locals knew of landowners who were willing or could be willing to allow comps then possibly it would not be the same old venues as has been suggested. I know good venues are few and far between but there must be more hidden gems about. TF offers a fantastic facility for networking information like this its a shame it not more widely used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsbeginner Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 (edited) i might see if i can do the comp in surrey Edited March 19, 2012 by trialsbeginner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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