Trials Discussion Thread

[Danni]

After the popular street discussion thread, I thought it would be a good idea to start something similar.

Discuss anything trials:

-technique
-accomplishments
-questions/answers (all welcome)
-parts evaluation and comparison
-trials courses
etc.

I love trials, but I fear that street is starting to become more popular.

[Luke Collalto]

Trials is awesome. It's simplicty is appealing.

[Danni]

Who is your favorite rider? (Including style and ability)

I personally like Ryan Atkins lazy style and amazing precision.

[Luke Collalto]

Tom Pec's my favorite rider from what I've seen of him.

[ivan]

I used to be able to up 60cm with a sidehop, but now I can't even do four pallets(54cm) properly. I can rolling hop up the four pallets very consistently now(if I get the guts) which I couldn't do before at all. Isn't this funny. Comes with lack of practice, I suppose, but I should have much more free time soon.

Ryan Atkins is great. I also really like Zack Baldwin, but he doesn't ride anymore. And I loved Nicolaj(spl?) from Fluck, he's insane.

[Jerrick]

Its hard to say who my favorite is. Ryan is up there, as with Tom Pec. I have seen way more of Ryan though. Id like to see a full trials video of Tom.

Hmm, I cant really say much more, because I havent rode for almost a month now. Waiting for my torn ligaments to bond back together before I can do any jumping and wrecking again.

[ivan]

Who's Tom Pec, if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to see some videos.

[Jerrick]

Ive only seen him at the ends of some Koxx videos. There is one they made called 'Koxx <3 Fluck' or something like that, and he has a few moments in there.

[TrialsUni]

Originally Posted by Danni

I love trials, but I fear that street is starting to become more popular.

Don't worry about that. Just do what you love doing.

The sport's very young, and there are many directions you can take each discipline in. Look how Zack integrated street into his trials. Or, what about Keaton Miller? What do you call his riding style, strials?

MUni was the first 'extreme' side of unicycling to be popular, and then with Kris Holm, Universe 1, and Profile cranks Trials gained more popularity because it was something new. Suddenly a new field of possibilities cropped up for unicyclists. And of course people like Heaton were laying down the law with street back in 2000, but it took people until Universe 2 to really catch up, and the amount of street riders started growing. The second and third wave of riders to come along since those movies have really revolutionized the sport. They made it new and exciting. Also, there have been a large number of prominent street riders who possess unique styles all to their own. I don't know how many riders have their own styles anymore since street's starting to have trends just like any other street sport.

Who knows. Maybe something else, or someone else will come along and do something new that a lot of people will get excited about and want to join in on, too.

I will commend anyone that's proudly doing their own thing, regardless of what's popular. Make up your own style, your own hybrid of unicycling. Take what's out there and view it in a different context, a different way, and go for it.

Even if trials were seen as completely stupid I would still be riding it, because that's what I love. I love that competition with balance, gravity, and my own mental/physical abilities.

[Eddbmxdude]

Even though "street" is seen as the new, cool side of unicycling, I prefer and always have, trials.
I see trials as going back to the roots of extreme unicycling. Some of the really influential riders from the early days I bet alot of the new "street" kids have never even heard of! Ben Plotkin-Swing, Ben Turley, Joey Cohn, Carl Hoyer and James Cowan, all complete legends and the pioneers of unicycle trials.
My favorite video is still spaced out, by far!

Trials is not dead, and never will be!

Ride on dudes!
Edd

[Lutz]

People only judge from this forum and from videos they see. At fluck I noticed that in europe street and trials is nearly same popular. This is crazy because trial is much harder to practise because you always need new spots not like street where a flat space can be enough.
Also street rider have much more to discus in a forum. As a trials rider you basicly do only rails, gaps, ups and drops.

My favourite rider if you judge from style is Zack Baldwin and in skill Ryan Atkins and Kris Holm.

[mouse]

saying trials is ____ and street is bad because its _____ or the other way around is on a small scale how skaters and inline kids are these days. I'd say that street and trials unicycling are VERY similar as they embrace the same balance and principles. Trials riders should play off of street riders they know and the same to street riders for trials cyclists.

[TrialsUni]

How about some trials pics?

It's hard to guage just how high the hop is, but it's about 3 feet.

(I'm posting this for any beginners wondering what the apex of a good side-hop looks like. This is an example of good tucking).

[TrialsUni]

When I get into bigger (pre-hop) SIF hops I like to keep my seat away from my head and body. I've bumped my seat into my chin before, as well as my collar bone, chest, etc. Not the most fun. Keeping the seat away from me on the bigger hops helps me to angle my unicycle better, if I need to tilt my unicycle to get an extra cm or so.

[sp4rky-m4rky]

What do you people do to combat the rubbing on the front/inside of your leg from were the back of the seat rubs when ever you hop or jump? I wear cyling shorts but they dont quite go down that far and I normaly wear cut off jeans but it still rubs realy bad.