This section is dedicated to trials.
MTB trials is a style of riding mountain bikes. In trials you run an obsticle course. You must complete each obsticle without placing a foot or hand down. If you do then it is called a dab an it incurs a penalty of 5pts. The person who, at the end of the run, has the least points wins. Trials usually takes place in a rocky bit of a mountain and usually takes quite a long time to complete. So in 1998 Martyn Ashton and Martin Hawyes came up with the idea of 'speed trials'. This would take place on a purpose built course in an arena, against the clock. This would make the sport more appealing to watch like dual slalom and DH. The first ever speed trials course was at Bike 99 and was a big success.

If you are interested in riding trials e-mail me and i can send you some info(uk only).

If you want to get started in trials the best thing to do is to use you current bike and not get a specialist bike until you get serious, unless of couse you have a roadie in which case you need serious help. If you lower the seat on your bike and put on some wide riser bars it will make doing small tricks easier. To start off with you will need to learn to 'endo'. This trick forms the basis of a lot of other tricks. To do an endo you need to roll forward fairly slowly then jam on the front brake and lean forward. If you go too fast or lean too much you will face plant and that is not good. If you shut your eyes and visualise yourself doing the trick it will help, also if, when you accomplish the trick, try to recall what you did right and that will help too.
Ok bunny hops:
To do a bunny hop, you must be able to do 2 things at the same time. Fisrtly you must be able to lift the rear wheel with only your feet, no brakes. Secondly you must be able to lift the front of your bike a considerablre height. It is worth practising just these two tricks separately until you can do them. Once you can do these you must put them together into the one trick, first you lift the front up a little way, then the back and pull up really hard. You may get on your first go or you may get it on your 40,000 go, just keep trying.
So...backhops. To do this you need to be able to bunny hop and to endo.
The easiest way of learning this trick is to roll forward and pull an endo. Then pull the rear brake and pull up on the bars, a warning, do not pull up too hard as you will go backwards off the bike. This should make the bike go up on the rear wheel. This will take a lot of practise but is the basis of most trials tricks.Once up on the rear wheel pull up on the bars and jump whilst gripping the pedals. Once in the air (it will be so quick you won't have time to think) you must lean forwards as you come down and once the front wheel touches the ground release the brakes and roll off.
To do multiple hops don't lean forward and repeat as for a single hop once, landed.



COMING NEXT TIME:FRONT HOPS