# The History of Bike Trials

[Bike trials](/intro/what.html) — riding a bicycle over obstacles without letting a foot touch the ground — grew out of motorcycle trials in the 1970s. It took root in Spain, where Montesa's Pedro Pi created the sport of *trialsin* and the bicycle that became the Monty, and reached the United States around 1980. The first-hand account below, *Hopping Along — The First Decade* by Jim Ellis and Rich Brooks, traces those early years in America — from Eddy Kessler's first events to the NORBA National Champions and the riders who carried U.S. trials onto the world stage.

First published c. 1992 · reviewed and reformatted July 2026.

## The first U.S. bicycle trials (1980–1981)

Bicycle trials, or trialsin in Spain, or Cyclotrials in England, started
slowly in America. Eddy Kessler, the Texas State Trials Champion between
1973 and 1980, and the organizer of four motorcycle nationals, recognized
the possibility of getting youngsters into trials through bicycling.
So, he started organizing local bicycle trials and in 1980 held the
first U.S. Bicycle National in Amarillo, won by Steve McNeal of Alabama.
The '81 National Championship took place in Kansas City.
In 1981 Eddy published a 12-page, pocket-sized, Bicycle Trials Guide
which mentions that the Germans were one of the first to adapt trials
to bicycles around 1974. I have no information on organized events in
the U.S. during the 1970's or between 1982 and 1984, but presume that
some bicycle trials activity was happening. If you know of such activity,
we'd enjoy [hearing from you](/contact/).

## Spain, the Montesa Monty and Ot Pi

In Spain around 1980, Pedro Pi, a Montesa executive and rider, started
trialsin. Pedro also designed the 20x20 Montesa trials bicycle, which
evolved into the Monty. His son, Ot, earned several World Championships
and has become the world's leading "Bicycle Trials Ambassador." Fantic
also produced a 20x20 trialer in the early 1980's. And, in '81 the BBC
(British Broadcasting Company) was planning to film bicycle trials for
"Stopwatch," their children's sports show.

## America's first stars: Norton, Young, Brooks and Rey

Our first "star" of the sport was Kevin Norton, a motorcycle trialer
from California. Kevin easily dominated the first two NORBA (National
Off-Road Bicycle Association) National Championships, held in Durango,
Colo., in 1985 and '86; and was the first American to compete in the
four-round World Championship Series in Europe. The Europeans were phenomenal
riders and their events were so difficult that Norton usually "fived"
every section. Kevin returned with new techniques, and his influence
as U.S. Champion included trials coverage in numerous bicycling magazines
as well as design work on the Kuwahara Trials bicycle and IRC Trial
Winner tires.
Ryan Young earned National No. 2 in Durango in '86 while competing
in his first ever bicycle event! Here was a 19-year-old competitor that
the bicycle world had never heard of, dressed head to toe in a full-length
white riding suit with tall white boots and a "USA" helmet, riding a
strange beast of a bike no one had ever seen before with such poise,
balance, moves and confidence that the crowd followed him like a Pied
Piper ... His long and tall, polished aluminum, double cradle frame
bike with "triple tree" aluminum forks, sporting 26x24 wheels with drum
brakes ... was the Maverick XT, the unique handmade creation of Bill
Grapevine, a motorcycle trials pioneer from Leon, Kansas, who accompanied
Ryan to the event. At that event Young and Grapevine demonstrated the
classic marriage of motorcycle/bicycle technology and bicycle/motorcycle
trials techniques. Though Ryan's formal involvement with bicycle trials
was brief, his influence persists, as his protege at the time was 14-year-old
future National Champion Marc Brooks.
In 1987 Ot Pi, the World Champion from Spain, spent several weeks
in the U.S. giving demonstrations and schools that inspired riders for
years. Ot's proteges included Andy Grayson in California, Marc Brooks
in Pennsylvania, and Tom McNeal in Alabama, who would share the victory
circle at the 1987 NORBA National Finals.

World class rider Hansjorg Rey, a competitor of trialsin champion Jordi
Tarres, moved from Switzerland to California in 1987 and immediately
raised the level of all who rode with him. Rey won the National Championship
with a narrow victory over Jim Trigonis in Durango. Kevin Norton was
seventh, a testimony to Rey's influence on riders like Andy Grayson,
Peter Delaney, Dave Arbogast, and Mike Craig.

## The bikes that built the sport

![A rider competing on a Monty trials bike](/pictures/monty.jpg)
The Monty — the Spanish 20-inch design, descended from Pedro Pi's Montesa, that defined early bike trials.

The growing popularity of bicycle trials in the mid 1980's encouraged
several manufacturers to "test the waters" with new designs, many of
which saw very limited production. Besides the 24x24 Kuwahara and the
26x24 Maverick, Raleigh Bicycles build the Raleigh Edge. Designed by
John Olsen, another escapee from motorcycle trials, the Edge sported
26x24 wheels and a five-speed derailleur. Olsen, an admitted trials
addict and organizer in Washington state, has always favored trials
bike that can be ridden rather than merely hopped, like the Monty. Prior
to the Edge, John designed the 26x24 Montana Trials, built by R & E
Cycles in Seattle. Several other manufacturers including Fat Chance,
Mountain Goat, Moots, and Cunningham made a few trialers, usually tailored
along mountain bike lines.
Serious trials efforts were initiated by Scot Nicol at Ibis Cycles
in Sebastopol, California. Nicol experimented with 26x26, 26x24 and
26x20 designs before producing the Ibis Mountain Trial, a multi- speed
26x24 model. It soon became apparent, though, that the European inspired
20x20 size was far superior for hopping and other agile moves. So Scot
downsized, bringing out the 24x20 Ibis Trials Comp in 1987. The turquoise
blue machines were built in Japan but lacked a skidplate. That was readily
solved by Mike Augsperger in Boston, a pattern maker and bicycle/motorcycle
trials enthusiast/organizer who sculpted the prototype for the Ibis
cast magnesium skidplate. In 1988 Ibis had a shipment of violet and
orange Trials Comps built in Taiwan including some with 20x20 wheels.
For 1992 Ibis has limited its trials models to specials in the megabuck
neighborhood.
In the mid '80s Allen Carpenter, an Englishman in Boulder, Colorado,
built some 26x20 trialers called Velocitechs. Carpenter also designed
and built two Rokon powered sidehacks that he entered in the 1979 A.O.T.S.C.A.
(American Observed Trials Sidecar Association) National Championship
in Kansas City.
Two major BMX and Freestyle companies tackled trials in '88. Haro,
with help from former U.S. Champion Kevin Norton, tore a page out of
the Monty book and released the Haro Response. It featured 48-spoke
wheels, center-pull brakes, and a BMX style fork. Their competitor,
GT, hooked onto trials supporter Hansjorg Rey for help designing and
promoting the GT Ricochet and Ricochet Pro. Rey, who had made his mark
in Europe on Monty, specified Monty style full- length forks and side-pull
brakes for the GT. The Pro featured a high quality three-piece crank
and spindle assembly.

## NORBA National Champions (1988–1991)

1988 saw NORBA restrict National Championship eligibility to Americans,
effectively slamming the door on Hansjorg and other foreigners. Andy
Grayson took the title that year in Sun Valley, Idaho. Andy repeated
in 1989 in California followed by Marc Brooks and an Alabama rebel who's
had his sights locked on Brooks for a couple of years.
Marc, who was unbeaten by Americans in 1990, won the National Championship
in Mammoth, California. Concurrently, Marc's former mentor, Ryan Young,
won the motorcycle championship, enabling the two Pennsylvanians to
bring both trials titles to the east coast for the first time. Tom McNeal
of Alabama followed with Aaron Faust of California taking third. Grayson
skipped the '90 Nationals, but earned nationwide exposure performing
trials demonstrations on the David Letterman and Johnny Carson shows
in 1991. This led to an opportunity to perform trials demos for Chevy
Trucks in '92.
Mt. Snow, Vermont, hosted the 1991 NORBA Finals. This first ever east
coast National Final featured some of the most challenging sections
ever seen in the U.S. Mike Augsperger and his wife Leni Fried, believe
wholeheartedly in long, wide, completely natural sections. Quite the
opposite of the one obstacle, stadium trial philosophy. The fatigue
factor combined with a bit of rain elevated the low score into the 35
point neighborhood, much to Hans Rey's delight. Hans, who has had low
score for the fourth straight year, was pushed by Marc Brooks. Brooks,
as top American, took the '91 National Title as well as the Stock Mountain
Bike Title. Several young and promising east coast riders made their
first appearance in the nation's top ten, including Neil Willey and
Ian Cooke from Maine and Chris Slentz of Pennsylvania. Tom McNeal and
Aaron Faust repeated as National No. 2 and No. 3.

## Americans on the world stage

Each of our National Champions has ridden in the World Championship
Series and our competence at that level steadily improves. In 1988 Mike
Craig finished fifth in the Senior Class while Andy Grayson earned 12th
in the extremely competitive Junior Class. Marc Brooks struggled to
14th in Europe in '89, but returned to finish a strong eighth place
Junior in 1990 as well as sixth in the World Cup Indoor. Marc returned
in '91 to finish 11th in the Senior Class on the strength of an eighth
place in Germany. Tom McNeal spent a month in Europe in 1990 contesting
the World Championship Series, earning a 16th in the Junior Class.

## The people behind the scenes

Finally, there are numerous "behind the scenes" heroes whose enthusiastic
efforts have helped advance the sport. Among others, they include Scot
Nicol of Ibis, Tom Hillard of Specialized Bicycles, Mike Augsperger,
Bill Grapevine, John Olsen, Bob Lawson, Greg Morin, Brent Mullin, Nelson
Crouch, Dale Young, Yeti Bicycles, Maurice Tierney of Dirt Rag, the
Patrick family of Trials competition and Pedro Pi, a strong supporter
of U.S. trialsin. Other heroes include the promoters, supporters, checkers,
families and competitors who give the sport many great events and great
times. Their efforts give America's present and future trialsin stars
an opportunity and a venue for their appreciating talents.

## From the first decade to today

This account closes in the early 1990s. In the decades since, bicycle
trials became a **UCI World Championship** discipline, and a new generation
of champions — among them Ot Pi, Dani Comas, Gilles Coustellier, Kenny
Belaey and Vincent Hermance — carried the sport forward across the
20-inch and 26-inch classes. Their results, and thousands of others, are
recorded in our [competition archive](/comp/).