The past weeks while I was teaching my kids how to ride the bicycle, I was also riding my 20" trial bike with them. A boy about 10 or 11 years old was cycling past and saw me riding the Monty. He could not help it but noticed that the trial bike was without a seat.
So he stopped and asked me what bike the Monty was and how one would ride a seat-less bike. I tried explaining in my best Malay that it was called a trial bike and that we could ride it in many ways.
I did not know whether if he understood me or not, so I decided to show him the track-stand, hopping, pivoting and the rear wheel hop. As pathetic as my skills were, I managed to impress him before I embarrassed myself... LOL.
If I may be so bold, I believe I have opened up the boy's mind to the many possibilities of going beyond conventional cycling and bike control. I could almost see the flame lit up in his eyes!
After a few nights, the boy came back with a friend. While I was teaching Joel how to pedal on his bike, the boy asked me to show the rear wheel hop or "willie" as he calls it. I obliged and both of them were suitably impressed... LOL.
Then last Saturday, while I was teaching Jordan how to ride, the boys came back and this time, there were 6 of them! LOL... And they made the same request, to see the "willie". I was under a lot of pressure not to fail... LOL... stressed!
I let each and everyone of them try the Monty and taught them how to track-stand and so on. All their bikes were old and not well maintained. I took one of their bikes and show them how to track-stand and hop, just to show them that even with their own bikes, they can still practice the things I showed them.
And then tonight, just 2 days later, while I was teaching Jodene how to glide on her bike, the boys were back. This time around, they wanted to show me what they have been practicing... so I brought out my bike and sure enough, some of them could track-stand pretty well. I was suitably impressed!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHUe_VuHMHc8sXK83OKjOsJtTR9YflEgJ80CXGqoeKLiU9Dgw6f7k4N8DoLgA-i50d1bwWYPnSe5ey5KUDtBzBOUprDQguPcIp8og7Pb-u3SqMUdIxjYg9ZlhiulCKRze1iEuyIoVx0LB/s320/Future+of+Biketrial+001.JPG)
The future of biketrials in Malaysia rested on these boys... :-)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbmWX0TJlMrSGYFUXbOka2zeFnWTDQA6Nh_6e8RzTmM-8R6mq5oPyof5Iu04TZTBoWQgsN4YOe61ZXkJMwXu_qX_azmX6RDKLkh9zd_NOU7pboHEi-YoRcN5StoGZyYDxe9QRLsmX3nfU/s320/Future+of+Biketrial+002.JPG)
Not bad.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnZjS2ntUIylCH5Mit955wNo02agCDsJpyBQwf9RAdHhhmtft53DvIBEsElozdXAhLc8_Hpt52brdMKjPEJW36WzZj53P4eAmXozz24I0Kabq1rd64trVTagjTgbtSK7YNmmU1bkxd7fO/s320/Future+of+Biketrial+003.JPG)
This boy was by far the best!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX3muvOqHKiRe6hURVlzyztWobO9splEN8UKTrWTPimIUoBq0Ntr-z7sI0BiiLGtT1YuK5jKz4UHq2YNNJC5-K9E7X6LChKeUvy8mmMsCIY1ciQ-xIbQ_qGZLCRQnEn1ABCZV_6kv_e_1/s320/Future+of+Biketrial+004.JPG)
Still wobbly.
I believed that given the right size bike and some coaching, they will learn trials in just a couple of months!!! Like all beginners, they found track-stand boring (LOL... I would have to agree) and they were already attempting pivoting.
Btw, I should also mentioned that almost all of them could willie cycle on their own bikes. If you can see them, I will bet that you will be suitably impressed as well... LOL