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  • A toe in the mud

    If I wanted to try riding my newly acquired 1963 Scottish in a trials fashion, how would I go about that?

    Please bear in mind I have no experience whatsoever of off-road riding, I’m 55 yrs old, unfit and lacking in both courage and strength, and I have no desire to be in any kind of competition any time soon - I just want to try riding on that kind of terrain, dip my toe tentatively in the water (or mud) as it were.

    I live in Southminster, Essex, a rural location but with no green lanes or other bike friendly resources I’ve been able to find. I’m thinking I might buy one of Dave Taylor’s bike racks so I can travel a bit, if I knew where to go.

    Jon

  • #2
    You may find this web site helpful, in fact may be a good idea to join them https://www.trf.org.uk/beginners/ They have a branch in Essex

    Essex TRF

    Contact: Graham Coker
    Meeting Details:
    Meet 1st Wednesday of the month at 8pm
    Contact:
    grahamcoker89@gmail.com
    07305 602765
    Address:
    The White Horse
    2 Church Street
    WITHAM, ESE, CM8 2JL
    United Kingdom
    Last edited by John Wakefield; 29/06/2021, 11:52 PM.

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    • #3
      Cheers John, I’ll look into that. I’m not much of meeting attender or a joiner or things, although I did join the GRA. I guess I need to step outside my comfort zone if I’m ever to give the old girl the chance to do what she was built for again.

      My other option, or perhaps a parallel option, is to change the gearing on the bike to make it more road suitable. In my mind, a smaller rear sprocket would do that job. Has anyone else done this successfully? Again, in my mind, if I had two chains of different lengths and two sprockets of different sizes I could swap them dependant on what I’m using the bike for. Am I taking nonsense here?

      Jon

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      • #4
        ;Having had many years Trail riding in various parts of these Isles and a lot of leading and demonstrating various things to newcomers, may I make a few points? Firstly .......Don't go out alone until you are experienced! No 2....Do a spanner check before you go out, not after something falls off! No 3....Do balance and manoeuvre checks like "figure of 8", gradually tightening the radius until you are nearly on full lock. If the throttle rises on lock, re-run the cable! You will need to stand up for the tighter parts of this, so ensure you are comfortable in both seated and standing modes. No 4....Tyres should be inflated to off-road pressures if you are doing "soft" ground. Exactly what those pressures are will depend on what tyres you have. The rock-hard original Dunlops on my little Honda will tolerate pressures down to 6 psi with no problems, but then I have security bolts. A good starter pressure would be around 12 psi. No 5....Offroad braking is somewhat different to road braking. A) the brakes are weak and B) don't hit the front brake hard or you will be off. No 6....You may well fall off. One newbie we had seemed to be off about every hour! Make sure there are no protruding bolts, or anything that dill damage you. Folding footrests are recommended. No 7...Wet Mud is slippery! Water can be very tricky. Flowing water can indicate a firm base, whereas static water may be just a little puddle or a deep hole. Have a good look before you commit! No 8.....It's usually warm work, especially when you need to push your machine any distance. No 9.....Fuel. Make sure you have enough for you ride programme and remember to turn the fuel off whenever you have a lengthy stop. Needless to say, check you turn it on again when you resume. No 10.....Ride within sight of your companion, not within rock throw-up distance.
        Have fun..... Click image for larger version

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        • #5
          Superb tips Brian, you should write a manual. Thanks mate.

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          • #6
            Some good advice there from Brian, but I would still recommend that you join the TRF, you dont have to attend club nights or meetings, although initially that may be a good idea to get to meet other members who you may then be able to arrange rides with, they will know all the local green lanes. I would certainly make contact with their Essex representative Graham Coker for a chat.
            As for gearing up the Scottish for road use, this is a simple matter of fitting a smaller rear sprocket (and reducing chain length to fit) but the bike is designed for off road use and will not make an ideal mount for road riding, (Horses for Courses)

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            • #7
              Thanks John. I have now discovered the ‘advanced search’ function so should hopefully not ask as many questions that have been covered frequently before. Thanks for you patience with the new boy.

              Jon

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              • #8
                Hi Jon, well done for wanting to have a go, as you say its what the bikes were built for! I don't know how close you are to Swanley, but Sidcup &DMCC always used to run beginners trials at Canada Heights, Covid will have affected the frequency of events, most clubs welcome people wanting to have a go, might be worth finding an event local to you (search the ACU/AMCA websites for those), go along and chat to people (secretary of meeting, clerk of course, riders), they will advise you.
                There are practice venues around, on a 'pay and play' basis, not sure of their location in Kent but Hook Woods Trials Centre in Surrey not too far, check out the website.
                Have fun! Jeff

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