The only issues on a standard
trials bike are the lack of a seat
and insufficient gas storage. Gas-
Gas, as well as other trials bike
manufacturers, has addressed this
potential market with their Contact
bike, as it gets a removable seat
and more fuel capacity.
As a hybrid trials/trail bike, the
Contact is very capable in both cat-
egories, but it is certainly catered
towards the trials end of the spec-
trum as opposed to bikes like the
KTM Freeride or Beta X-trainer that
lean more toward trail riding.
The Contact's mellow power de-
livery and soft suspension allow for
a comfortable ride at slow speeds,
however, these characteristics are
not ideal for a more aggressive
rider.
The Contact maintains the same
geometry and handling charac-
teristics as GasGas' other trials
bikes, which are spot-on for trials
application, but not always optimal
for trail use. Like a traditional trials
bike, the seat is still very low rela-
tive to the footpeg and handlebar
position. The benefit of the ultra-
low seat height is that it allows for
plenty of room for rider mobility in
technical situations and inspires
confidence with the low stand-over
height. But on the other hand, it
also makes seated trail riding a
little awkward. When it gets down
to it, the Contact's seat really isn't
meant to be sat on while riding, but
is nonetheless very useful between
sections—it gives you a nice, soft
place to sit and rest while you're not
maneuvering over rocks and things.
And a slick carbon fiber exhaust
heat shield prevents scaring if you
happen to rest your leg on the lava-
hot exhaust pipe.
But the most appealing thing
about the Contact is its electric
starting. It makes a huge differ-
ence for the better. Trials bikes with
their heavy flywheels need a lot of
muscle to start manually, but the
Contact's magic button changes
all that. This is a gigantic plus. It's
powered by an easily removable
lithium battery. There is, however,
still a manual back-up kick lever just
VOL. 55 ISSUE 18 MAY 8, 2018 P127
(Right) The larger-
displacement
Contact will
appeal more to
the experienced
rider. (Left) The
hybrid Contact
is designed for
trials and trail
riding with more
emphasis on
trials.
