SAMPLING THE GASGAS TRIALS LINEUP
P92
Feature
is more of a niche scene in the U.S. but having a
variety of displacements allows more riders to get
involved, including younger riders like his own.
I found Murph and Beck a few hills over, get-
ting in some practice runs before their event later
in the day. Right off the bat these two found lines
that left me thinking "really?!" They revved up
the TXT 125's engines and rode atop boulders
that would have towered over them off the bike.
"You try it," they exclaimed with a mischievous
giggle. In a rookie haste, I fell for their tricks but
was forced to abandon ship about halfway up this
tricky rock section. I spent some time turning the
bike around, putting my ego in my back pocket,
and navigated down the hill where we shared a
laugh at the bottom. These two continued to ride
circles around me for the majority of the morning.
It took some time for me to familiarize myself
with the power of the GasGas TXT 250. The
small, yet lively powerband was quite torquey and
had strong pull on the bottom. After that bottom-
end pop, it would rev up quickly but fall flat
towards the top. Obviously, these aren't designed
to be high-speed race bikes; rather they give
riders a smooth, controlled feeling in technical
sections with enough oomph to climb some of
the steepest rock faces around. I idled through
some of the novice sections, concentrating on
balance and throttle control while doing so. It was
easy to notice the increased traction with aired-
down Michelin trials tires paired up with the plush,
almost bouncy, suspension. The TXT models
feature Tech 39mm forks with just over seven
inches of travel up front with an Ohlins hydraulic
