What did you do with your Trials Bike today?

Mark, I think I'm ready to conquer those stairs in your backyard. We need to get together soon.

WOOOHOOO ! ! !


Now I can contribute here too

Took pics of "MY" bike yesterday.






Raining today, but now need to start practicing in the back yard, standing, balancing, compressing and figure 8's

Attempting to embed a little bunny hop vid...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EbEzWVg1smk?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="510"></iframe>


And a (sorta) double blip:

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7CQT_OCEDaw?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Looking good! Looks like your kid has a blast to!

This is one of the main reasons the trials bike is so appealing to me. I can have a good ride right in my backyard and still spend time with the family. My older daughter (the one on the rope swing in the background) will probably start on the TY80 this year too.

In terms of looking good... thanks, but I dunno. I asked my wife to record so I could see if what I'm doing looks anything like how it feels. I was surprised that it did, so I guess that's good. The little bunny hops are a big step for me. It's nice to be able to do something that I just plain couldn't make work last year. It gives me hope that I may actually learn more someday.

Don't let brewtus see that...just sayin'!

Garthe,


My dear, sweet friend Garthe,


Where on EARTH did you buy that???

(I can feel my credit card humming.....)

I would REALLY like to know, please.

Thank you.

My good friend.

It's very kind of you, but you hang on to that one!! I would like to purchase one for meself if I can.

Maybe...but I might give him mine instead!

I was expecting that......


Seriously though, hang on to yours, Jim. My credit card works just fine (I know, 'cause it's Miss Bitter's card). I'll get one, no worries!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfi--PXYPiU

I will post this in here, even though I guess I technically only lifted my bike onto, and off the trailer about 5 times today.

Here goes;



Today I finished painting the outside of the house a new colour, and also did the second coat of wood oil on the deck, followed by painting the facias white with enamel paint.

After this I was a bit bored and thought it would look good if I used the white enamel paint brush I had used to paint all the facia boards and plant hangers around the house to paint the bike trailer white as well.

Not a great colour for trials, but good for visibility.

I ordered a towbar for Nicola's Peugeot 1007 this week, to be home fitted next Wednesday. Then I will be able to get to venues over weekends and possibly through the week while I continue to look for a job.

Of course, typically, once at the garage my head started whiring, and I thought why not weld in a small support so that I can load and strap down the bike on my own when going riding or afterwards.

A quick dig behind the shed got me some angle iron, and a different pile of scrap gave me a piece of heavy guage steel that looked like the right size. One angle grinder session later, it was clean and the very old nut and bolt that went through the hole was cut off.

I welded the lot together, found a small offcut of 12mm marine ply, still left over from the Teardrop Trailer build, cut that to fit, drilled it and added a couple of gutter bolts to hold it in place. This will be perfect to put my cup of coffee and sandwich into when parked up between sections, or a helmet etc.

After this I flipped the trailer over, painted the underside, then the topside.

Will add the lightboard suitably reinforced tomorrow.

So still not had time to practice riding the bike, as there was lets say a potentially unsavoury workforce excavating and laying a new driveway and parking for my neighbour this week, and I prefer not to show off, or make too much noise when there are eager ears and eyes out there...... IYKWIM

Getting the bike onto the trailer with a log support and blocks to stop the wheels turning.



Balanced as it should when I want to tie it down with the ratchets.



Preparing one of the support pieces, self portrait again.



Support and plate welded in.




Nicola came down to see if I had managed to cut anything off, or weld myself to the chassis and took a pic of the progress.




Done...... Paint still very wet, and small table in place, note recess if you can where the side stand will tuck into.




Hopefully I will get the bike started over the weekend and practice my fine motor skills.

In the mean time I again feel the need to mention the fact that I have the good fortune to have a wife who actively encourages me to enjoy the bike, and am hugely thankfull, even though I am sure I will "Pay up some time"

I also need to dismantle some pallets and cut a railway sleeper to create and build a few simple obstacles.

Thats all folks.

Surely you jest. Darth Brewtus IS the Master.......

Made a 5litre mix of fuel and filled the tank.

Was going to ride a bir around the back yard......

However.

Another weekend gone.

After doing a load of domestic stuff this morning, I got to the garage by about 12 o'clock to start creating some obstacles to play and practice the basics on.

A Circular saw, a bag of mixed, used nails and some new nails, along with broken pallets and some bits of timber from when I broke out a dry wall just before Christmas resulted in these by about 5pm.

Bike in the picture just for perspective.

There is a small adjustabe "beam" on the front right, then right rear has a rocking ramp, which also flops over to create two "potholes" to get through and over. The blue ramp on the left reat is adjustable and can be used in various ways to practice less and more ambitious moves on the bike when I feel confident enough. The four upright pins are markers for doing figure 8's and fine motor control. the large sleeper is obviously also moveable and to try ride over at dead slow pace. Lastly a small wedge of railway sleeper for me to start on and to try "bunny hops" over.

Left the backyard today and competed in a trial put on a by a vintage club. They do modern classes as well, but I suspect that the sections are a little bit more tame than a 'regular' club. I did a beginner trials thing about 10 years ago, then one trial with this club a few years ago. Today was number 3. Don't want to burn out by doing too many in a short time frame. The club does 4 lines that were described as A, AB (advanced B), B and C in the past - now just 1 through 4. I signed up for the 4 line, and think maybe I should have signed up for 3. I ended up winning my class. Good fun.

if you are averaging between 20 and 35 points you are in the right class

Thanks, that's a good reference point. My score yesterday was 8 points, with 23 cleans (30 total sections). A lot of my riding was very far from good, but I managed to fumble through a bunch. I don't want to move up and have it be too hard to even improve the basics, but I don't want to sandbag either. I'll sign up for the 3 line next time and see how it goes.

I rode the 3 line in the vintage class yesterday at Candytown. We shared parts of the the same line in many sections. I'd say give the 3 line a try. Candytown tends to be one of the more difficult events for me. 54 points! Ugh!

Thanks, I will definitely sign up for the 3 line next time. I think if it had been dry, I'd have had the nerve to 'man up' and sign up for 3.