To promote the upcoming Trials World Cup in Berlin, cup coordinator Frank Drygalla is touring the German capital with a bike show – and a whole host of item solutions.

The challenge for Frank Drygalla’s trial bike show was to design an obstacle course that fits into a car boot. The solution is a course built using lightweight, quick-to-assemble and flexible item profiles. Drygalla is now using the solution to promote bike trials, a relatively young form of cycle sport. The first competitions in Germany were held in the mid-1970s. This October, Berlin is playing host to the UCI Trials World Cup 2018. When he’s not busy organising the Trials Cup in Berlin, Drygalla works as a mechanical engineer. As a result, he is very familiar with the advantages of a wide range of materials and 3D engineering is part and parcel of his daily work. When his intriguing proposition landed in our inbox, we didn’t hesitate to pledge our support to the project.

What are bike trials?

Trial cyclists need to demonstrate balance, strength, concentration and endurance. They have to tackle a range of obstacles on a lightweight 20 or 26-inch bike, usually without a saddle and suspension. How? Riders jump, hop and try to keep their balance – sometimes only on the front wheel, sometimes on the back wheel. “In principle, it’s height that makes all the difference, which is also the tricky part,” explains Drygalla, who knows a thing or two, having initiated several trial bike shows already. The obstacle course is not just designed to test competitors, it also delivers captivating viewing for spectators.

It all comes down to not touching the floor – if you do, you lose points. There are five different sections to complete. The objective is to stay on the track, which is marked by arrows or gates. Cyclists are eliminated if they put both feet on the floor or if they rack up more than five penalty points.

Developing a trial obstacle course

In addition to the standard wooden pallets, tree trunks and concrete blocks, aluminium is also a perfect building material for a show trial course, which naturally has to be stable and secure. When designing a section, trial organisers usually draw on their many years of experience. All the same, when they have sufficiently stable materials to work with, they can let their imagination run wild. As an engineer working with Line 8 from item, Drygalla was able to unleash his full creativity: “Many cyclists look for systems that they can set up relatively quickly for an obstacle course in the show area, and are really interested in materials that can be used for that purpose.”

The obstacle course planned for the show area needs to be flexible and lightweight. The cyclists tour a variety of locations, both indoors at large and small trade fairs and outdoors in parks. “You can obviously also use pallets to build the obstacle course, but it usually doesn’t look as good. item products just make it look more professional and much easier to set up. They’re also easy to transport and that’s exactly the major advantage that item offers,” says Drygalla.

Trial bike show – variable thanks to item

The UCI Trials World Cup is taking place in Berlin from 13 to 14 October 2018. Before the event kicks off, the organisers are on tour with their item obstacle course. Anyone interested in taking a look at this relatively unknown sport therefore has the perfect opportunity to do so at one of the trial bike shows in Berlin:

Berlin Bicycle Week (20-25 March 2018)

VELO Berlin (14-15 April 2018)

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