CROSSOVER OSET
Who rode the first Oset? Guess what, he is still riding them today. Fifteen years ago, in 2004, Ian Smith came up with the concept of a mini electric trials bike. His son Oliver had been obsessed with bikes more or less from birth through watching motorcycle videos, and he didn’t want to wait until he was six or seven to start riding. From day one on the concept bike ‘Oli’ was standing up and balancing almost immediately! That was the birth of the OSET revolution, Oliver Smith Electric Trials, and a worldwide brand was born. A good friend of Ian Smith and his family, from as far back as 2007 when Trial Magazine in Great Britain broke surface the same year, the editor John Hulme has watched both the OSET range and Ian’s family grow over the years. The originator of riding the very first electric OSET, Oliver has grown into a very good, mature trials riders as he passed through the youth championships and moved into adult life, making the transition to a petrol-aspirated full-size trials machine. With the transition made to the modern two-stroke made it was a chain of events that made him realise where his roots still lay, ‘My friends electric’.
After what seemed an eternity in the youth trials ranks, Oli Smith recently turned 18, making the successful transition from ‘Boy to Man’, not just in life but also in the trials world. A very well-mannered, studious character, he thinks before he answers questions – a very nice attribute in the modern world we all live! Recently finding himself in a situation, his regular two-stroke trials machine was in transport to another event. As he lives for riding in trials, and with Sunday approaching, he had to give his enthusiastic father, Ian, a nudge: “Dad, can I please have my old OSET back to ride in a trial?”. “Sure!” was the answer, with the words: “You bend it, you mend it son”.
On any Sunday
Andy Withers talks up the story: “Oliver Smith is a tremendous trials talent competing in the ACU Trials 2 championship, but not only that, he still oozes enjoyment when riding anything with two wheels.
“Recently, at a club championship meeting in Hampshire, Oli’s usual competition machine, a Gas Gas, was packed ready to be transported to the Santigosa three day trial in Spain. “Do not touch it or break it” was the message on the box! Not to miss out on the fun, in an ‘On any Sunday’ moment, Oli turned up with an OSET in the back of a small hatchback to take on all comers in the Expert class at the club trial. Stuart Hammond, acting as the spanner man, helped to put the OSET together in the car park. What followed was a day’s trialling that gave grins – not only to Oli but also to the 55 other riders and their supporters while giving the best advert for electric trials bike money couldn’t buy.
“The bike was an OSET 24.0R weighing in at 45kg, an advantage over the petrol heads of approximately 20kg. RST forks and Oli’s personal choice of a DNM air shock gave good suspension in most conditions, although dropping four metres from the edge of a gravel pit to a gravel mound did test the travel, as it did with all machines. Hope Tech 3 brakes are the only other personal choice non-standard part.”
The pit
“It was in the pit that the power of the electric OSET was tested to the limit, designed for both adults and teenagers to enjoy. With Oli, a full-grown adult, on board the more significant climbs needed the OSET to be fully wound up to the limit. With some creative and, at times exciting run-ups, he made most climbs with flamboyant leaps and applause at the top as the light weight had an effect that he used to the bike’s full potential. He explained that they are working on the next generation of OSET electric bikes.
“As electric technology gathers pace and moves forward, they will soon be ready with the step up to a full-size machine. As a test pilot knowing how to use the electric power to its full potential, Oli brutally put the bike through its paces. A change of battery, the chain slipping off the tensioner and a loose battery cover (Stuart’s fault apparently), were minor distractions from the wheelies, outrageous jumps and balancing acts that any rider would die for. It was a spectacular display executed by the throttle of an inspiring young rider giving an indication that when the full-size model arrives, it will be right up there bringing new cutting-edge technology to the world of trials.
Light and nimble
“Over the tricky technical sections, the OSET had a clear advantage, with the lighter weight and agile handling exposed to its full potential by Oli. Section three was up an increasingly bigger concrete staircase. Oli managed the only clean rides of the day on three out of four laps, which was a true testament to the machine and the rider’s ability! A
“t the end of the trial, there was a stream of enthusiasts wanting to ‘have a go’ including Mike Powdrell, a two-stroke rider who won a tight Expert class. He tested it over some technical sections with a very positive verdict: “It is so light; what surprised me was the amount of power it could deliver. I really enjoyed it. It was great fun and makes you realise you how much the electric bikes have progressed over the past few years”.
“The photographs never really tell the true story; Oli is still enjoying riding the OSET 15 years on. He summed up the day: “It was a load of fun challenging myself and the bike to try to prove that at whatever level you’re riding there’s still loads of fun to be had on the OSETs — enjoy”.”
OSET
“When Ian Smith opened the door of the trials world to electric bikes back in 2004, it changed the future of the sport forever. Based initially in America, OSET is the UK part of the company started by his mother and David Knight in 2007. Ian, with his wife Louis and the young family, would move to the UK in 2009. Oliver has grown up through the development of the OSET brand and youth trials. The new trials star is ten-year-old Elliot, with their daughter Ella in the middle as another set of eyes for OSET at events.”