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Bike trials is a form of mountain biking derived from motorcycle trials. The rider negotiates man-made and natural obstacles without their feet touching the ground. It originated in Spain and is said to have been invented by Ot Pi’s father (a world champion motorcycle trials rider). As it is hard for small children to control motorcycle trials bikes, he had wanted his son to learn and to practice motorcycle trials on an ordinary push bike instead of a motorbike.
At the most basic level, trials riding can be summed up as bicycle handling skills. It evolved from motorcycle trial riding (riding up, over obstacles, man-made or natural) into an off-season bicycle pastime. It now has a strong — though small — following, and can be seen worldwide. Skills taken from trials riding can be used practically on any bicycle for balance, for example controlled braking and track standing, or balancing on the bike without putting a foot down. Trial bike characteristics include, but are not limited to: powerful brakes, wide handlebars, light parts, low gearing, and a thick rear tire that provides grip and a heavy emphasis on frame geometry and no seat.
It is completely different from individual time trial races, which are an element of road bicycle racing.
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The general principle in a bike trials competition is to ride a number of pre-marked sections (usually 2 laps of 10 sections or 3 laps of 7 sections), the winner being the rider with the least points at the end of the competition.
The maximum number of points that can be obtained in each section is 5, the lowest (and best) score is 0 points or ‘clean’. The most common way to gain a point is by putting a foot down within a section; for this reason points are sometimes known as ‘dabs’. Certain rules enforce the number of points gained within a section, for example, putting both feet down will result in 5 points. Exceeding the time limit for the course will either result in 5 points (BIU rules) or an additional point for every 15 seconds over the limit (UCI rules).
Currently there are two regulated types of competition ruling, enforced by the UCI and BikeTrial International Union.
Within UCI ruling, if any part of the bike except the tires touch any object in the course, a dab will be given. The UCI rules were changed to this format after too many competitions ended in a draw and riders were forced to ride an extra section. UCI rules also allows riders to compete in both mod and stock categories.
When a rider is in a section, neither tire is allowed to cross the side boundary tape even if the wheel is in the air. The rider’s hands must remain on the handlebars. Riders in the 26″ class must also have six working gears.
The UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships are held annually and crown a 20-inch and 26-inch wheel trials world champion.
The rules are unlike UCI scoring and parts of the bike (for example, bash guard or bash ring, cranks and pedals) can rest on an object without resulting in a ‘dab’. The level of riding for the elite 20″ class is regarded as the highest in bicycle racing since the section beginner is set at the highest technical level.
Over the years, trials bikes have become very specialized. There are two types of trial bikes in competition classes, the 20″ or mod and the 26″ or stock. There are also a few 24″ trials bikes, though these are deemed illegal are not allowed to be used in most competition circuits. All trial bikes have powerful brakes (usually hydraulic rim brakes, or to a lesser degree, hydraulic disc brakes, the latter being primarily a marketing issue as opposed to any increase in braking power over hydraulic rim brakes or even cable-operated "V" brakes.) in order for the rider to have maximum control over the bike. Grip is very important so wide tires (2.2–2.7″) with soft, sticky rubber compounds are run on wide rims (32–47mm), to help spread the tire contact patch permitting lower tire pressures (10–25psi) to be used without the risk of tire rolling off the rim. Gear ratios are also low to allow the rider maximum power and quick acceleration of the bike at the typically low speeds of trials riding. Mods usually have an 18-tooth sprocket and a 12-tooth rear cog whilst stocks vary from 22/19 all the way down to 18/12.
The 20″ variety of trials bike (known as a modified or mod bike) is a small, short trials bike with a 20″ front wheel and a 19″ rear rim, consisting of only one gear, a bash guard to protect the frame from any damage and to grip onto objects, and a large rear tire (2.5–3.0″) similar to a trials motorcycle rear tire. The term ‘mod’ comes from the fact that the frames were originally modified BMX frames, now used for trials. These where also the first type of training bikes for mototrials riders. Modern "Mod" bikes have longer wheelbases, making them easier to ride over obstacles and particularly "gaps".
The 26″ variety of trials bike (known as a stock bike) was originally derived from a normal mountain bike kept in original condition. Now, however, this designation is often used to describe any trials bike with 26" wheels. Many modern competition stock trials bikes lack a standard bicycle seat and seatpost. During competition the rider has no need for these, and the omission of them allows for an arguably lighter bike which for some riders interferes less with the body movements of the rider.
These bikes have a higher bottom bracket (330–420mm) to increase bash ring clearance, no seat, short chain stays (365–385mm), a long wheelbase (1050–1115mm) and normal head angles (70–72º). This geometry eases balancing on the back wheel, gapping (jumping on the back wheel) from one obstacle to the next and side-hopping (jumping up with the bike parallel to an object).
These bikes tend to have a shorter wheelbase (1000–1050mm), steeper head angles (71–74º), zero-drop bottom brackets and seats. They are typically used for street style trials or smaller riders, and the bikes are not as specialized. This geometry — which is similar to BMX geometry — makes the bike easier to bunny-hop (jump over an obstacle at speed) and manual (roll on the rear wheel whilst the front wheel is held up), and the increased head angle makes it easier to move the bike around whilst on the front wheel. These bikes tend to appear more along the lines of a mountain bike than the natural or competition 26″ bikes even if geometry-wise they are not.
Due to the recent surge of street riding, particularly in the UK, there are now several brands almost exclusively for street riding. These bikes are legal to enter in most competitions due to the wheel size but are also not very suited for natural riding in comparison to comp bikes or mods mainly because of their overly steep head angles. Skilled riders, however can compensate for that and ride one bike on virtually any terrain.
Being one of the least common bicycles disciplines, trials riders have more of a challenge to gain social status among others. In many cases, a rider can find himself on his/her own for a 10 mile radius and although the sport is increasing in popularity, it is still difficult for some riders to find riding companions. Although many larger cities will have local groups that meet frequently to practice and have fun, many rides must be organised in advance, so that riders can travel from the surrounding areas. Riders will travel hundreds of miles to meet new people and ride new locations. Rides are often organised through internet forums, such as the UK's trials-forum, (see external links).
Public views and reactions to street trials riding are mixed, much like any extreme sport. Some members of the public find large groups of trials riders gathering in one area, potentially threatening - close to a gang mentality. There is also the problem of potential damage, which is considered anti-social. Although in most cases, there is only tyre contact - rock/rock rings and sump/bash plates can chip walls when a move goes wrong. Many still consider this to be much more appropriate than waxing surfaces, or damaging walls by intention (i.e. grinding with BMX pegs).
Equally, a large portion find trials to be fascinating and marvel at how such basic moves such as track stands, or merely rolling backwards can be carried out - let alone heart stopping, high risk moves. Often against the will of onlooking audiences, police and community officers are clamping down on extreme sports in public areas. If they see trials riders (or BMX riders, skaters, etc.) they will usually ask them to move on. If the offenders persist, usually at the personal discretion of the officer, yellow cards and in extreme cases ASBOs can be issued. Riders also run the risk of being fined for cycling on pavements, and in theory, criminal damage.
These two styles are well known in the majority of sports and trials is no exception. When trials first started, as no-one knew how to ride trials effectively, it was much more difficult for riders to learn moves and utilise them. For example the ability to hop the bike vertically upwards and sideways (sidehopping) was pretty much un-heard of. If it was used, it certainly wasn't as favoured as bunnyhopping or pedal-upping as most old footage shows. Common old school moves include a lot of spinning combinations/variations and moves done on the front wheel. The reverse side to this is modern day "new school" riding which uses near enough every move possible to navigate obstacles. As more and more riders learn techniques, they are able to teach newer generations, who in turn learn the moves quicker and have "more time" to learn new moves or improve current techniques. Also a lot of riders (especially competition riders) are learning moves with their bad-foot-forward which helps if they are on an obstacle, where another obstacle impedes the use of their preferred foot, to execute a move. As well as conventional new school, there is also another style known as TGS which is an acronym for Tap, Gap, Sidehop. This style is for riders who can execute a reduced number of moves, but can do them to a far greater height than most normal riders. TGS riders are street riders, as it is too difficult to achieve such moves on un-even natural terrain. They also appear quite fearless when it comes to usually frightening moves such as gaps of 8-9 feet as well as a drop of 6-7 feet. Other riders believe the TGS style to be "boring" and narrow minded, while others say that TGS is what trials riding is all about - overcoming obstacles without coming off the bike. Its worth mentioning too however that some riders are not as fond of other styles, other than their own, but still respect it and envy it when it is shown off to them.
With the new school riding style era, bike manufacturers naturally altered their designs of bike frames so that riders would gain the maximum amount of enjoyment from them. Whereas old school frames had long seat tubes, seats and steep head angles, new school frames had shorter seat tubes, meaning a rider could "tuck" themselves over the side of the bike when sidehopping, no seats as there was no real need for them and sligtly slacker head angles (as mentioned above for street riding). Heat treated aluminium has played a major part in modern day frame manufacture, and advances in CNC machines result in more exotic designs and (arguably) stronger frames. Steel frames are still in production but the number of companies is much smaller in comparison to aluminium manufacturers. Particularly, modern steel frames are produced with custom geometry to suit old school riders' tastes.
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