[Bloodhound]

I supose anywone who wants it bad enough could have a future in trials (pro), but how good is good? What skill does it take to be a pro, or even have propor sponsership? To be honest, I have not been all that impressed by the pro riders (mod or stock) that I have seen, and I may be completely off, but some of the amatures I have seen on vids dont look too shabby in comparison.

It seems that 9/10 times pro comp riders are on mods, why is this? and does it mean that you have a better chance of getting somewhere in the trials world if your on a mod?

Who of you out there, if possible, would choose such a life, professional trials rider? I wonder what kind of money they make, probably only enough to get by on...

Personally, I'd love to do some serious competitions in the ages of 18-22, but internationally professional, I dont think that would ever be for me.

 

[oicdn]

Yeah, readin this is what kinda brings me to my post about it. People seem to do better on mods, but on the other side of teh coin, there are people that are doing just as well, if not in some case better on a stock.......perplexing....

 

[BiKe4EvEr]

meh, stock is better for urban and mod is better for natty i suppose. not really true tho because if you take a look at cous. bro's they kick arse on stock (although gilles is now on a mod).
i would definately want to go pro on my bike, even if it was just enough to get by on, to me it's worth it

 

[Allmjm]

As of right now I don't know if I'd want my job to be riding trials. My personal goal is to get to a level more like Andrew's. He rides and trains hard yet he is a full time student, even had a job on top of that for a while, and still is able to ride at a very high level. Now he's got a girl friend too and is riding more then ever. crazy,
Martin

 

[oicdn]

Yep...that's a realistic level, but if you had the talent of it...hey, why not get paid to do what you LOVE, granted, it's not alot, it's still doing what you love...

 

[Mark B.]

My way of looking at it is, why not spend the time you have being happy and having fun, rather than being depressed and stressed out just for some more money.

 

[Pancho]

I hate to be a dick, but just about everything in this thread is wrong...

First off, the only pro in NA that is making a living at trials is Hans Rey. Every other pro packs boxes at the factory or has some other job. Demos on the other hand can be rather profitable, but even that usually isn't sustainable for long. Professional is just a class, which is just a pro liscence from NORBA. There aren't any riders, perhaps in the world, who make a living off competition...

On the stock - mod thing.... Stock is better for rolling moves while Mod is better for explosive moves. One is not better than the other for any type of riding. Infact, I'd say stock may be the most profitable for a pro because a stock can easily resemble a Mtn Bike.

 

[BiKe4EvEr]

i think that jeff lenosky used to make a living off of demos etc? ryan leech probably could if he wanted to, but i think he has another job

 

[AndyT]

Lenosky is a genius at marketing, he made his living (a decent one as well) at doing TONS of demos (that shit adds up). Demo's are the only way american riders can make any money- Jeremy vanschoooooon is like the main provider for his family.... He would love just to train but you have to do demos as well if you want to make a living....Shaun Miller is a pest exterminator , the head of trials in the US delivers PIZZA.

 

[silus2000]

First off, the only pro in NA that is making a living at trials is Hans Rey

Hans Rey makes a living off demos as well. He's not pro, he's retired.

In America, you cant make any money off riding a mod. Thats why I think Ryan Leechs front suspension has some marketing ploy in it. It really just looks like he's doing all that shite with a plain o'l mountain bike. That is a lot more accepting to Americans than some crazy looking mod bike that you cant ride anywhere.

 

[oicdn]

First off, the only pro in NA that is making a living at trials is Hans Rey

Hans Rey makes a living off demos as well. He's not pro, he's retired.

In America, you cant make any money off riding a mod. Thats why I think Ryan Leechs front suspension has some marketing ploy in it. It really just looks like he's doing all that shite with a plain o'l mountain bike. That is a lot more accepting to Americans than some crazy looking mod bike that you cant ride anywhere.

Exactly...maybe a subliminal marketing ploy? Having a seat and matching colored wheel and a suspension fork make it look like "you too can do this with MTB" And most noobs when looking at forks, look to Marzocchi....good marketing...

 

[Elan]

hans rey can sell his name and live for a month or 12.... and i sense a nut hugger.

 

[Pancho]

I meant to say Hans Rey is the only person in NA who makes a decent living off trials alone. There are others like JV who do pretty well I think, but its all about the name.

 

[Kartoffel]

Jeff Lenosky works a regular job too, IIRC. Libor Karas used to make a living riding stock bikes, though not exclusively in north america.

I think your best bet for sponsorship is to ride stock. Bike companies want a representative who can sell bikes, and stock bikes are the only ones that sell in great numbers. Nobody outside the small world of trials has heard of any worldclass mod riders, yet lots of casual cyclists can identify with "extreme" riding on a 26 inch wheeled bike.

To get sponsored, you gotta make REGULAR appearances at events everywhere. Establish a track record that you're the type of guy who's at every event, with visibility. Don't argue with judges or get in fights (duh). Be a good sport and show that you can ride CONSISTENTLY, even if you're not riding at pro level. Once you have this sort of "portfolio" you can approach various companies and ask for support. A lot of companies have contingency programs or nonprofessional teams, where you get discounts on gear and stuff. Companies are gonna look at you as an investment. You need to project an image that jives with their business plan and will help them sell bikes/t-shirts/etc. Good luck!

 

[silus2000]

Is it possible to suck at trials (competition wise) and still get sponsered?

 

[BiKe4EvEr]

PIZZA.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm pizza :bigthumb:
i do agree on the stock thing looking like a mtb, unfortunately it's not the case :eek3: and people will give up fast cuz they're lazy :greddy:

 

[WhiteRavenKS]

Is it possible to suck at trials (competition wise) and still get sponsered?

sponsored??? yes. look at leech. while he is an amazing rider he is certainly not the most comp oriented person out there. he is well taken care of by sponsors.

 

[Elan]

look at kevin shiramizu...ahahaha...

 

[oicdn]

Is it possible to suck at trials (competition wise) and still get sponsered?

Yeah, it's TOTALLY possible. It's possible to be not as good as alot of people but still be sponsored. It's all about how you can sell yourself to the company and make it look as if you could be the best thing for them. All you're asking for is product, and in return, they get free advertising.

Look at me, I had RC cars that I brought with me to Car shows when I entered my car. Sure, my cars were the main theme, but a shameless plug about the RC cars and what you can do to them goes a long way. I was sponsored by Kyosho AND Tamiya and I never went to one sanctioned RC car event or race. I just gave shameless plugs at EVERY PLACE I went, put a decal on my cars, and was basically a rolling billboard.

LOL, I used to breakdance and was sponsored by New Balance. I didn't run hardly ever, but the fact that I was active and repped thier clothes and shoes, landed me free clothes. Granted it was more like a wear test program where after 2 months you give the stuff back so they can analyze the weakness', I kept getting new clothes and shoes.....

It's all about marketing.....if you can market yourself and be "sellable" you can get whatever you want.....

 

[Pancho]

Is it possible to suck at trials (competition wise) and still get sponsered?

YES. How one does in competition might only account for 5% of their likely hood of being sponsored. As every one else has pointed out, there are a lot of other things that go into being sponsored. You do though have to be an AVERAGE trials rider. This is to say that you should be roughly expert level. No matter how nice you are, if you can only trackstand, sponshorship doesn't make any sense.

In all honestly though, sponsorship in the trials world is POINTLESS for the most part. I have been offered several sponsoships, and I've turned several down. The ones that I have chosen I have done so because I like the company and I want to do my best to support their growth. These are all small deal things, but they help me and I try to do my best to help them. But to the point... ride for fun, ride how you want, where you want, and let sponsorship come to you. You won't get GREAT deals, even once you reach the top level in NA, so try not to worry to much about it. There are incredible riders out there who couldn't get sponsored if the wanted to, so sponsorship is by no means a status symbol. Riding for yourself is the best thing you can do in a sport this small.