[Battman]

True, trials will never be popular in the US ... but sadly it never was. It was never and will never be mainstream. I personally like it that way. Had conversation a month back about people still doing "_" like rollerblading or something that was mainstream in the 90's, and the epitome of mainstream and it's odd by today's standards to be participating. As much as I couldn't stand that, I kid credit where credit is so, and those people that still do that shit are the ones who love it for what it is and provides them and not merely for the trend of popularity. Hats off to them for legitimately "keeping it real" .. we gotta do the same. Keep riding for the love of Riding.

Now, as far as getting kids off they're lazy entitled asses ... most of that is on the parents! ... that's a rubber for another time. We see these these trends in biking all the time, and frankly it's a love/hate relationship, mostly hate, with constantly changing standards and wheel size shit, and fucking E-bikes ... again, I hate the concept of this ridiculousness but understand business and the need to keep fickle people interested in cycling all together. It's marketed towards who ARE NOT necessarily people that "keep it real." Then, on the other hand it just may get a kid off their lazy entitled ass and do something physical outside. Sadly, these kids are adult aged and need some "cool shit" product motivation to do it. I'll say the cliche, keep it real, ride what you want not because it's popular, but because you love to go outside and DO THAT for the sole reason because you love doing it!

 

[Swoofty]

My local skatepark has one day allocated for bikes only and I'm amazed at how many kids there are lately. I know for a lot of the parents it's just day care, but some of these kids are killing it. Most of them are on those odd small 26" bikes that kids can 'grow' into with effing 27 gears insanity. One or two have BMX bikes and some have kids 24" mtbs. When I show up they are all intrigued by the simplicity of a street trials bike and how nimble they are. But, yeah, seeing people do what they love is the best sales poster.

 

[Elan]

Trials will never be remotely popular in the USA again. There will be no new infusion of young riders. It will pretty much always be done solo or in small groups of old guys and generally not talked about online. Even modern MTB riders have zero interest in trialsy riding, speed and flow are king and the throne will never be usurped by slow methodical hops. Deal with it.

Lance Trappe and Ryan Leech got mentions in this really stupid essay:

What I Learned from Doing 100 Wheelies a Day

In her quest to master a quintessential cool-kid trick, Outside contributor Kim Cross found the sweet spot at the crossroads of work and play

www.outsideonline.com

did those of us riding in the late 90's-2010 experience the pinnacle of USA trials? idk, but im happy i was there.

 

[tda]

did those of us riding in the late 90's-2010 experience the pinnacle of USA trials? idk, but im happy i was there.

them mountain states competition years were definitely my favorite times, Comps in different ski towns in the summer all over colorado... fucking bad ass, point series, yearly over all winner. Definitely miss that, would be the same 20+ dudes who came from all around AZ / CO / WY / UT to compete, happened for me in 2000 / 2001 / 2002 / 2003? when did we meet?! that was a killer comp!!


On the kids thing. I just had my nephew here visiting, I need all kinds of help on the farm. He is twenty years old... We were nailing a fence up with staples and I gave him the hammer. He looked at me blindly, had no idea how to use it and said “I’ve never been taught how to use a hammer!” . I’m like... what the fuck is my brother doing. beyond that why had this kid not picked up a stick and hit something once in his life?! Whatever... old man shit.

 

[De_Nada]

did those of us riding in the late 90's-2010 experience the pinnacle of USA trials? idk, but im happy i was there.

It didn't feel like it at the time, but yeah I think we did.

Got my first trials bike in like 2006. By 2009 I had moved a thousand miles from the city where I grew up. I went from living where there were zero trials riders (unless you count Rupintart, who always had some whack excuse not to ride with me), to riding with a whole ten people on a university campus my first month in my new city. TEN! It was amazing. And I think that number put us in like the top 3 cities for active trials riding in the US. In the following years I traveled around a little for comps. Met some of the ghosts of this forum. Had some great times.

Within a couple years everyone local had quit or moved away. Then of course there was the OTN "hack" of 2009.

Since then we've all just been coming on here once in a while to have the same conversation/lamentation about the death of this thing. Every once in a while some old dog dusts off an old bike, or buys a new one, and starts filming himself riding alone in a skate park. A few of us give some props. Then the guy stops posting. Rinse. Repeat.

I caught the tail end of things and I'm glad that I did. One day this website won't even be here anymore and we'll all be even older and all these things will be forgotten.

 

[Swoofty]

Shit man you're gonna make me cry. I didn't even get here until 2011 or so. I think I've done comps with less than ten people. A fun group ride with 10 people would be amazing. I do at least have a 15 year old to ride with in the neighborhood, but once he gets a car and discovers girls I'll probably be riding solo again. Meeting Andy years ago at a comp was probably one of the best things that happened to me, trials wise, but alas, he's gone now too. Mikey lives way down the street now, but getting him to ride is like a friggin root canal. The British riders seem pretty lucky, except for that whole brexit thing....

 

[tda]

Shit man you're gonna make me cry. I didn't even get here until 2011 or so. I think I've done comps with less than ten people. A fun group ride with 10 people would be amazing. I do at least have a 15 year old to ride with in the neighborhood, but once he gets a car and discovers girls I'll probably be riding solo again. Meeting Andy years ago at a comp was probably one of the best things that happened to me, trials wise, but alas, he's gone now too. Mikey lives way down the street now, but getting him to ride is like a friggin root canal. The British riders seem pretty lucky, except for that whole brexit thing....

may be far away from.. everyone i ever knew ... but I. still have them bikes and i still dream of riding. Hoping a neighbor kid will pick it up... they walk past my house and i ride up and wheelie around and do sick stoppies with him and hes super fired up on it so I’ve got the spark started hopefully i’ll have a local rider in a few years.

I can get some kids over to help build the “goat play area” . “ yeah they like handlebar height sloped walls”

 

[THEDEMOLITIONMAN]

I will take one Fullbuttsex, please.

Outside of Matt, does anyone still even own a bike?

I still have a ton of trials bikes and still ride, it's true, the numbers are getting rather low. It's also hard to be accurate considering Covid-19 shut downs, after restrictions lift. I see the numbers making a come back and videos will start popping up again..

thedman