tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7657353167004756152024-03-14T08:42:36.976+08:00BikeTrials and a Fistful of BlistersA blog about anything and everything BikeTrials by a wannabe biketrial rider, who is 50++ years old, that was born in Sibu, grew up in Miri, studied in Canada and now settled in Bangi. Yet he is still searching for that something... maybe the Spiders from Mars.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-60061861035741827042016-06-25T03:58:00.001+08:002016-06-25T04:04:02.499+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 5 - Rear Wheel Hop
The rear wheel hop was the technique that intrigued me the most when I first started learning BikeTrial. I never thought that such a move was even possible to do on a bicycle. And it was something that I had wanted to learn really badly during that time almost 8 years ago.
I was first introduced to BikeTrial while on a company trip to Krabi, Thailand, when a MTB friend showed me a video on his Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-3937093373968598482016-06-22T07:48:00.000+08:002016-06-22T07:59:46.532+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 4 - Pedaling
Pedaling, seems like the easiest thing to do. Well, in BikeTrial, there are techniques to pedaling. But for the purpose of this tutorial, we will only discuss one of them.
Our goals in BikeTrial are to navigate and overcome obstacles when riding paths or sections. Sometimes we need to navigate very small and tight spaces. We must always be ready to move forward in an instance at anytime Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-40386948361737731472016-06-21T07:34:00.000+08:002016-06-22T07:57:58.922+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 3 - Hopping
Hopping has got to be the most important of all the 3 fundamental skills. Whether hopping on 2 wheels or one wheel, hopping will literally let you boldly go where no bike has gone before... lol. Could not resist that being a Trekkie and all. Lol.
Well, it is mostly true. Hopping will let you climb stairs, balance on steep boulders, set up other sophisticated moves, climb tables, chairs, jump Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-90129696500202196272016-06-17T00:45:00.000+08:002016-06-17T02:26:52.225+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 2 - PivotingNow that you have mastered the track stand, it is time to move on to the next fundamental skill of BikeTrials, pivoting, also referred to as "rocking".
Pivoting is all about leverage and momentum. By shifting your body weight and using the brakes to counter the forward and backward momentum, you are able to pivot your bike forward, backward or sideways to change the directions you intend to go. Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-31696239176898205502016-06-16T11:28:00.000+08:002016-06-17T00:48:19.683+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 1 - Track Stand
In this tutorial, we will explore the various ways to learn the age-old track stand. The track stand is used in all types of biking styles and disciplines ranging from regular cycling, technical mountain biking, BMX flatland, cross-country, etc. It is one of the most useful biking skills that can be used anywhere anytime.
In BikeTrials, the track stand is one of the most crucial skill to masterJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-62072107552553480962016-06-14T04:22:00.001+08:002016-06-22T08:01:09.397+08:00BikeTrial Tutorial 0 - The FundamentalsThere are 3 fundamental skills that must be mastered before one can progress further in BikeTrials. They are track stand, pivoting and hopping.
These skills will be used in various combinations with each other to achieve more advanced techniques by the rider to over come the challenges of riding over obstacles of varying height and surfaces.
1. Track Stand
The track stand is used in all Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-75089168130754662872016-06-13T00:43:00.001+08:002016-06-13T03:37:37.207+08:00BikeTrial Basic TutorialsNow that my kids are getting interested in BikeTrials, I plan to work on a few tutorials to cover the basic BikeTrials skills and techniques. They are track-stand, pivoting or rocking, hopping, pedal hop, pedal up, rear wheel hop and pedal kick.
If possible, each tutorial will show the various ways of learning a technique and how to use it in combination or together with other techniques to Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-51939070067860692742016-06-12T03:24:00.001+08:002016-06-14T00:10:30.290+08:00Two Brothers Learning Track StandAfter about a 2 years hiatus, I managed to get the boys interested in BikeTrials again. It took some convincing and inspiring videos to get them off their game consoles and out of the house.
In the 2 years, they have grown much taller. The younger one is now able to grip the handles and brakes firmly but still lack the strength to hold the brakes over a sustained period. Over the next couple of Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-9997493750461779752016-06-03T03:01:00.003+08:002016-06-03T03:41:17.259+08:00European BikeTrial Championship 2016
The European BikeTrial Championship organised by BIU will start on June 18th in Bolotana, Sardinia Island, Italy this year.
I really hope they will post videos on YouTube or Vimeo on the same day of the event. I don't think there will be any live coverage. Really looking forward to it!
So far only 38 riders have registered for this competition. The latest BikeTrial Technical Rules for 2016 Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-55989356853766166612015-07-21T01:36:00.000+08:002015-07-21T01:38:45.220+08:00Biketrials Domain Name ChangeIts almost exactly a year since I last posted anything on Biketrials or about anything in this blog. Well, lets hope it will change starting from here on. I have given up on the domain name, "wildgeeks.org" and decided to consolidate all my blogs to use "here.my" as the primary domain name.
So, from today onward, the current blog domain URL of "we.wildgeeks.org" is now changed to "Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-58756430208497165312014-07-09T15:24:00.002+08:002016-06-01T13:38:26.581+08:00Starting Joel on BikeTrialsTook me a while, but I finally managed to get my 14 years old son, Joel, interested in BikeTrials. He is a pretty quick learner. The track-stand is not very consistent yet, but he has already started to learn pivoting. He has been complaining that his fingers, palm and arms are aching, so that is a good sign.
Overall, I am very impressed with his progress and I can see that he is alreadyJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-11312195850240184042013-08-26T19:49:00.000+08:002013-08-26T19:51:48.323+08:00Its Been Too LongI don't know what is happening in the Malaysian BikeTrial scene any more. It's been too long since I even got on a trial bike. My regular riding buddies are MIA and I can't even contact them.
But recently in June 2013, a couple of friends from Singapore decided to make a trip to Kuala Lumpur and asked me to see if I could take them to some riding spots. I took them to the Shah Alam lake garden Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-34250096684253559872012-09-30T02:39:00.001+08:002012-09-30T03:44:24.813+08:00Crappy Crank from Monty!Last week while relearning the pedal up on the wooden pallets, I saw that the right pedal on my Monty Kamel 219 was a bit wobbly. Immediately, I proceed to tighten the pedal. To my dismay, I could not tighten the pedal. It appeared that the threads in the crank where the pedal was attached was damaged. It was a WTF moment. The crank looked brand new and was hardly damaged.
To make things Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-34647844756337957952012-07-30T21:51:00.001+08:002012-07-30T21:51:42.475+08:00What a Great Start!Finally managed to get on my Monty. It's not too bad. The skills are still there. It's true. Once you know how to ride a bike you can't forget.
It felt kinda rigid at first. Then the muscle memories kicked in and it is almost like I have never stop riding... lol. Stamina still sucks though.
I keep wanting to lose weight, but it's a tough fight, with me losing in spades. My rational is that Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-14254099757807625862012-07-28T01:50:00.001+08:002012-07-28T01:50:11.133+08:00Another RestartYes, its been like forever since I got on my trial bike. I could not even remember when. The bike has been sitting in a corner of my dining room gathering dust.
Work, back problem and lack of motivation to exercise were my frequent excuses. Lately, I have been traveling a lot. Been in and out of Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia.
It's time for me to get off my ass and get back in the Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-32829464714728579562011-11-29T17:15:00.003+08:002016-06-13T03:48:54.623+08:00Spring Cleaning
Finally took the time to clear out all the rotten wooden pallets. Now I just have enough pallets to keep myself busy for a while.
My next goal to use concrete pipes or v-drain to arrange out a nice training area. Till then cheers!
Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-40988162455543558572011-10-01T23:24:00.012+08:002011-10-02T00:21:27.861+08:00BikeTrials RevivalFinally, I am back on trials again. I have been searching for a used 20" trial bike for more than 8 months. I received a call on Tuesday from a friend (Sean), that there was a Monty 219 Kamel on sale in an online classifieds. That afternoon, I got in contact with the owner and bought the bike immediately... LOL.Coincidentally, the previous owner was someone I knew from Biketrials Malaysia (http:/Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-56651880119804556942011-08-18T14:27:00.005+08:002015-07-21T03:57:22.846+08:00Danny Macaskill's New Video - Industrial RevolutionsIn my last blog post, I wrote that "Something Wicked is Coming This August - Concrete Circus". Well, here it is! Watch this amazing Danny Macaskill video and check out the other urban sports stars on Channel4's Concrete Circus.
Also, check out Danny Macaskill's Channel4 profile. Hope you all enjoy watching the video as much as I did. Cheers.
Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-83004812748623598692011-07-14T15:23:00.012+08:002011-08-18T14:42:54.850+08:00Something Wicked is Coming This August - Concrete CircusAny of you following Danny MacAskill on Twitter? If you are, then you will know that something wicked is coming out in August on Channel 4!
First off, Channel 4 is a public television network in the United Kingdom. Next month, as part of their Street Summer series, they will be releasing Concrete Circus, a documentary that brings together the major names of urban sports from biketrials, parkourJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-85443511464594705472011-03-07T13:33:00.004+08:002011-03-07T13:42:15.884+08:00Chris Akrigg Magnifico!Chris Akrigg just released another fantastic video of his bike adventures! This time the location is in Spain. The video, titled "A Hill in Spain", has Chris riding a Mongoose Nugget. The ride combined downhill, freeriding and trials all-in-one sweet symphony of bike ballet.I watched it a few times just to make sure I dun miss anything :-)Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-77660738209849189802011-02-12T13:42:00.005+08:002015-07-21T03:59:11.963+08:00Sold My Echo PureRecently, just after the Chinese New Year holiday, I sold my 26" Echo Pure. And now I do not have a trial bike... :-(
I had been trying to sell my ECHO Pure for a while now. I had advertised on several online classifieds and received many enquiries. More often than not, I replied too late as I did not check my email (that I used for classifieds) regularly.
Earlier, I had upgraded the rear Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-67016770699036412192010-11-29T21:35:00.001+08:002010-12-09T15:08:48.427+08:00Yeah! Bought a New Magura HS33 Rear Rim Brake!!Went down to Singapore on Nov 27 and bought myself a new set of Magura HS33 rear rim brakes! Paid SGD 160 for it. Based on the advise given, I went for a 4 fingers lever. Suppose to give a better a better braking and performance.Came back to KL on the night of Nov 28 and installed the brake the very next evening... LOL.The old Echo rear rim brakes.The box of the Magura HS33 rear rim brakes.The Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-72667609789512370442010-11-06T21:23:00.015+08:002010-12-09T14:56:33.896+08:00Trial Bike MaintenanceIt had been quite a while since I took a good look at the condition of my 26" Echo Pure trial bike. I had noticed that the bolts were pretty rusted and some parts of the treads on the rear wheel tire were ripped off. I could see the tire's inner lining and reinforcement. Time for some major replacements.The replaced rusted bolts just waiting to cause pain... LOL.The new steel bolts on the front Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-33734183420175572252010-09-05T19:43:00.015+08:002010-09-06T13:25:12.124+08:00Before You Start Bike TrialsHere are some tips or lessons you will need to know before you take on bike trials. You would have probably learnt it as you go along, but there is no harm to know about it now, to get a head start and cut short the leaning curve... :-)One finger braking is a MUST if you want to take on this sport. Whether you are using hydraulic brakes or cable brakes. It is safer and you will have a better gripJackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-765735316700475615.post-85053553565002559452010-07-28T17:26:00.007+08:002010-07-28T18:13:43.096+08:00Bike Trial Restart on the 26" EchoFor more than two months after I sold my 20" Monty, I have not been riding. Last weekend, I managed to get back to trials again on my 26" Echo. It was extremely tiring and I felt really clumsy handling the 26". All this while, I have been training and riding the 20".In fact, I was trying to sell my Echo 26" for a while now, thinking that I could then focused on riding the 20" Monty. After Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09193062922866265129noreply@blogger.com