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Mountain Bike Trials
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Published: September 29, 2006
Mountain Bike Trials are more than what the name suggests. In a mountain bike observed trial, the goal is to ride the bike up, over and onto objects that nobody would normally attempt; some can be up to, or even higher than, the handlebars of the bike. These trials spawned from motorcycle trials, which started as a technical form of riding in Europe.
Mountain Bike Trials basically break down into two sections: competition and everything else.
Competition is a very small part of trial riding, only around 10%. Competitions can vary, but generally include 4-6 sections of objects which the rider must go through, making 2 or 3 loops. These sections are made up of both natural objects, such as rocks, logs, hillsides and streams, as well as man made objects, like cars, stairs, tables and ramps.
There are three classes of riders in most trial events.
Beginner- This is for those starting out, who haven't had a whole lot of experience. This class focuses on basic techniques like hopping, rolling and wheel placement. The obstacles are generally small, with one foot or less in vertical differences between surfaces.
Sport- This is the intermediate level, but is quite a step up from beginner. The Sport class requires almost all the major skills and techniques. Here the obstacles are much more challenging, with higher surfaces to climb, less preparation room and bigger drops.
Expert/Pro- This is an extreme version of Sport. In this class there can be 3-4 foot climbs with very steep drops, tricky positions and big moves. This is as intense and dangerous as a bike trial can get. A mastery of all the techniques is needed to survive at this level.
Rules:
There is one basic rule to mountain bike trials: get through a section without letting your foot touch the ground. This is also known as a Dab. The person who gets through a trial with the least amount of dab points is the winner. There are some clarifications for dabbing, however. For the first three dabs in a section, the rider will get three points, however a fourth dab is considered free and will still count as three. A fifth dab in the section will still amount to five points total. An additional 1-5 points can be received for a rider's bar touching anything. Three points are given if a rider's foot slides across the ground during a dab. Five points can be given for taking too long in a section, having both feet on the ground, putting a hand on anything, crossing over section boundaries or crossing a foot over the bike.
The other 90% of mountain bike trials is spent doing everything else outside of competition, but can vary depending on the rider and what skills they are trying to perfect. This includes practicing, doing demos, or just trying to show up other riders. This is the most fun and important part of bike trials, as riders need to spend weeks tweaking and honing their skills to work toward the next competition.
There are certain skills or techniques needed in mountain bike trials, some which are basic and others that only advanced riders can master. The basic techniques, however, may not be easy to learn either. Included in the basic techniques are Balancing/trackstand, using a short pedal stroke, pivoting, hopping, bunnyhopping and Riding up and object. The advanced techniques are required for riders who wish to compete in Sport or Pro events. These include dropping off, sidehops up, sidehopping and fishing drop-offs, the lurch (aka pedal kick, backhopping Forwards), gapshoots, the japslap/pedal up and hopping to real wheel from bashguard.
While competitions can be exciting, having fun and mastering technique is the most important aspect of Mountain Bike Trial Riding. It takes a lot of time and practice for a rider to get to the Pro level and only those with the utmost focus can make it there.
Carpenter, Paul. 2004. trials-online.com. 26 September 2006. http://www.trials-online.com/index.php
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Competition is a very small part of trial riding, only around 10%. Competitions can vary, but generally include 4-6 sections of objects which the rider must go through, making 2 or 3 loops. These sections are made up of both natural objects, such as rocks, logs, hillsides and streams, as well as man made objects, like cars, stairs, tables and ramps.
There are three classes of riders in most trial events.
Beginner- This is for those starting out, who haven't had a whole lot of experience. This class focuses on basic techniques like hopping, rolling and wheel placement. The obstacles are generally small, with one foot or less in vertical differences between surfaces.
Sport- This is the intermediate level, but is quite a step up from beginner. The Sport class requires almost all the major skills and techniques. Here the obstacles are much more challenging, with higher surfaces to climb, less preparation room and bigger drops.
Expert/Pro- This is an extreme version of Sport. In this class there can be 3-4 foot climbs with very steep drops, tricky positions and big moves. This is as intense and dangerous as a bike trial can get. A mastery of all the techniques is needed to survive at this level.
Rules:
There is one basic rule to mountain bike trials: get through a section without letting your foot touch the ground. This is also known as a Dab. The person who gets through a trial with the least amount of dab points is the winner. There are some clarifications for dabbing, however. For the first three dabs in a section, the rider will get three points, however a fourth dab is considered free and will still count as three. A fifth dab in the section will still amount to five points total. An additional 1-5 points can be received for a rider's bar touching anything. Three points are given if a rider's foot slides across the ground during a dab. Five points can be given for taking too long in a section, having both feet on the ground, putting a hand on anything, crossing over section boundaries or crossing a foot over the bike.
The other 90% of mountain bike trials is spent doing everything else outside of competition, but can vary depending on the rider and what skills they are trying to perfect. This includes practicing, doing demos, or just trying to show up other riders. This is the most fun and important part of bike trials, as riders need to spend weeks tweaking and honing their skills to work toward the next competition.
There are certain skills or techniques needed in mountain bike trials, some which are basic and others that only advanced riders can master. The basic techniques, however, may not be easy to learn either. Included in the basic techniques are Balancing/trackstand, using a short pedal stroke, pivoting, hopping, bunnyhopping and Riding up and object. The advanced techniques are required for riders who wish to compete in Sport or Pro events. These include dropping off, sidehops up, sidehopping and fishing drop-offs, the lurch (aka pedal kick, backhopping Forwards), gapshoots, the japslap/pedal up and hopping to real wheel from bashguard.
While competitions can be exciting, having fun and mastering technique is the most important aspect of Mountain Bike Trial Riding. It takes a lot of time and practice for a rider to get to the Pro level and only those with the utmost focus can make it there.
Carpenter, Paul. 2004. trials-online.com. 26 September 2006. http://www.trials-online.com/index.php
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