ALEX , HOW DO YOU FEEL THE BIKES HAVE CHANGED FROM THE 2013 / 14 TO 2020 / 21 ?
They ’ re very similar bikes . Beta has made a few small changes that have helped the bike quite a bit . In the time I wasn ’ t on the bike , the flywheel got inverted so it centralized the mass of the bike which made the bike feel more nimble and the suspension has gotten a lot more aggressive which suits my riding style .
A lot of time has gone into making the bike as good as possible with the base that they have . Beta isn ’ t known for making big , dramatic changes . As a rider , the worst words you can hear from a manufacturer are “ brand new bike .” You haven ’ t tested it , you have no experience with it ; you just don ’ t know how it ’ s going to be . With little changes , it ’ s no big deal ; you can always put on something you had the previous year and nobody will know the difference . But when you ’ ve got a completely different frame and a completely different engine , that ’ s when you start getting worried because if you don ’ t like it or it doesn ’ t work , you can ’ t change it because it would be visually different .
For me , the fact that the bike hasn ’ t changed a whole lot made me feel very comfortable . From selling them and watching Andi , I knew they were very reliable . That ’ s a big thing to me . A trials event isn ’ t one section ; in the Pro class , it ’ s seven hours of pure physical , mental , and mechanical abuse on the mind , body , and bike .
SEEING WHERE EVERYBODY ’ S SKILL LEVEL IS THIS YEAR , WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITION ?
ALEX : I always laugh about that , because the question gets brought up a lot . Obviously Karl Davis Jr and Daniel Blanc Gonnet and I have been going at it for years . In the 2019 season , the three of us went into Oregon on a dead tie with 111 points . At the end , Karl and I were split by one point . Karl and Daniel are going to be , how should I say , a nuisance to my success [ laughs ].
ANDI : Looking from an outsider ’ s perspective since I ’ m not riding , I think there are so many capable riders . You ’ ve got both the Myers kids , Alex and Will , you ’ ve got Josh Roper whose riding is fantastic right now ; you ’ ve got Daniel who has a lot of experience , Karl , and hopefully his shoulder heals up . Then you ’ ve obviously got Pat Smage , who is always a force to be reckoned with . He ’ s going to be the tough nut to crack . Ultimately , everyone can win ; I think it ’ s going to come down to the mental fortitude and probably physical strength
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 178