Why Would Anyone Need a Trials Tutorial In Book Form?
You might be thinking, “How can I learn to ride bike trials from a book?” What’s the first place people usually go when trying to learn how to do something – YouTube, right? Videos are a great resource for learning trials: they show you what the moves look like and may even break down the moves into constituent parts and offer drills to support learning. But searching for videos on YouTube has its limits. If you can even find tutorial videos for the moves you want to learn, they are often shown in real-time (not in slow motion) so there is a lot to take in simultaneously. Studying the videos requires scrobbling around to review nuances. They show you what moves look like, but do not always explain nuances in body position or timing, how the moves should feel, and how to coordinate everything. They vary in content quality as well – the video footage itself as well as the ability of the person to explain the techniques. While there are some great resources out there (in fact we have playlists featuring some of them), there is no single comprehensive video resource for bike trials. Videos are a critical tool for learning trials – but they’re not the only tool in the shed.
Your Complete Guide to Trials Riding by Julien Happich complements the use of videos. In this book, the author describes how each move should feel as well as how the move should be executed. As he explains, you should use the book before riding to understand the moves intellectually (study + visualize), try the techniques on your bike (experience), and then return to the book again after practicing to compare what you experienced to the instructions for proper form (reflection) in an iterative manner. With the latest revision of the book, you can now integrate slow-motion videos on YouTube (using QR codes) with the printed words and photos to help visualize the sequences.
So can you learn how to ride trials from a book? Not only by reading the book – you can only learn trials by getting on your bike and trying it – but this book definitely helps. Your Complete Guide to Trials Riding provides a path for learning and offers a framework for preparing before practice sessions and re-calibrating after practice. And it offers everything in one place without requiring multiple web searches.
Who Needs This Book?
Your Complete Guide to Trials Riding is targeted at beginners and intermediate level riders, but offers progression from basic techniques and guidance for new riders through advanced, expert level moves. It covers techniques for all styles of trials riding – whether you’re interested in competitions, street trials or TGS. It can also be useful for mountain bikers who want to hone their technical skills for use on the trail. As reflected in the words of UCI President David Lappartient who wrote the book’s forward:
“I congratulate Julien Happich on his superbly illustrated, comprehensive manual of trials riding techniques. It is certainly a resource that should be in the hands of every trials rider.”
Julien Happich and TrashZen
Author Julien Happich passed away tragically in 2021, but has left the trials community with a rich legacy in his Guide to Trials Riding and the TrashZen companion website. Julien was an avid trials rider with 20+ years trials riding experience, riding for personal enjoyment as well as participating in trials competitions.
When Julien began riding trials in the late 1990s, the world wide web was still in its infancy so there were limited online communities and resources for learning trials. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, riders would often buy VHS tapes of trials legends like Hans Rey and watch the tapes until they were just about worn out. Some collected articles in printed mountain biking magazines describing how to perform trials techniques. This dearth of how-to information prompted Julien to begin developing the TrashZen website, which was eventually followed by publication of his book. In addition to leveraging his own personal expertise, Julien also integrated tips and feedback from other riders such as multiple-time bike trials world champion, Red Bull athlete, and Bentonville Bike Fest founder, Kenny Belaey who also wrote the book’s introduction.
Writing was not just a hobby for Julien. In fact, he was a professional writer for over 25 years as a journalist in technical trade publications. Prior to his passing, Julien was Editor In Chief for eeNews Europe for nearly a decade. The quality of this book reflects Julien’s journalistic skills and professionalism.
Inside the Book
Your Complete Guide to Trials Riding is a comprehensive resource for learning trials that pairs nicely with the companion website, TrashZen.com, and the TrashZen YouTube channel. It contains tutorials for over 70 trials techniques, starting with beginning basics like trackstands and progressing through advanced moves used by expert and elite riders. For each technique described in the book, the author provides detailed explanations paired with sequences of color photos and concise descriptions. Many of the techniques also include QR codes linking to videos that bring the techniques to life (more on this below…).
In addition to all of the specific tutorials on trials moves, the book also includes several sections that go into detail on a number of different trials topics. The book starts with introductory material (great stuff in here!) explaining how to use the book, an overview of bike trials and trials bikes, trials riding, and getting started in riding trials. Later sections of the book cover topics such as “damage control” (e.g., bailing out, etc.), mental focus, and riding in competitions.There is also an entire section on street trials that includes an introduction to street trials and street trials bikes, followed by tutorials for numerous street trials techniques, tricks, and transitions. The back of the book is packed with a listing of online resources (forums, ruling bodies, riders, bike/parts brands, bike shops) and an extensive trials glossary that defines bike trials terminology.
Video Augmentation Using QR Codes
People have different learning styles – each of us prefers to learn primarily from hearing, reading, watching, or doing, for example. While there are different styles, I suspect we’re all on a spectrum of learning preferences. This book itself obviously supports learning through reading, but trials obviously also requires learning by doing – as stated in the front of the book. With the new QR code feature, the book can now seamlessly integrate watching videos directly with the book content to complement reading with watching: read it, watch it, reflect on it; iterate as necessary. Since the book uses QR codes, pulling up videos on your phone is effortless – whether you’re at home or at a riding location. It’s a great tool for bridging the gap between the hardcopy book and the dynamic video content to support more effective learning.
Why I Promote This Book (and How To Get a Copy)
When I first discovered bike trials in 2017, it was difficult to find resources for learning bike trials. There were some scattered video clips on YouTube (some better than others) and a few online forums, but I had to really dig to find each piece of information. At some point in late 2017 I discovered the TrashZen website, which was great – finally a comprehensive resource! I also noticed that TrashZen mentioned the Guide To Trials Riding book. I realized this book was a great resource for learning trials, but was also a permanent treasure (i.e., not subject to the whims of web hosting or reliable internet access) so I bought a copy.
After receiving the book, I immediately started using it to learn and refine my skills. I studied the book and the TrashZen videos, visualizing myself performing the moves and imagining how it would feel, how I would coordinate pedals, brakes, etc. I also watched other videos on YouTube by other riders on similar techniques to get additional perspectives, and then tried the moves myself. Then I’d re-read the applicable sections of the book, which gave me a new perspective after gaining some riding experience. I reiterated this process as a feedback loop.
I consider Your Complete Guide to Trials Riding a treasure – there’s nothing else like it in bike trials. In addition to being a fantastic resource, it’s also a work of art that was built and improved over two decades. The book aligns with my mission to spread awareness of trials biking to the general public and to help prospective new riders get started. Several months ago, I noticed that there were very few distributors, and that the sole US distributor at the time was out of stock. I felt it was critical to get this book into riders’ hands and I wanted to make that process easier. Despite never having done anything like this before, I reached out to the publisher to see whether they would be open to allowing me to distribute their book here in the US. Fortunately, the timing was right and they agreed to let me offer the book for sale from This Is Bike Trials!
United States: We’re a US distributor, so the book is available directly from our shop.
Outside the US: Visit the TrashZen website to find your local distributor
I bought the book, was hard to get, glad someone is helping! …it’s a great reference when needed.
–Discord user @teracis
