Kahala's Nathan Goodhue can do stunts on his bike most others wouldn't even think about.

Some of his better ones are maneuvering over a steep 6-foot- high rock or a car. He also is adept at balancing on either wheel and doesn't back pedal when confronted with 12-foot drops.

Goodhue, 33, competes in the sport of bike trials, a sport in which he has qualified for a world championship in New Zealand at the end of the month.

The event is described as "an individual sport that incorporates the use of a special bicycle which the rider must maneuver and balance on in order to complete specially designed artificial or natural 'sections,' " according to biketrials.com.

Sections may contain mud, rocks, water, logs, walls, pallets, spools and cars.

Goodhue said he's been competing in bike trials for about 10 years, and added: "I'm the only one in Hawai'i that competes professionally at it."

The technique for scaling 6-foot-high rocks, according to Goodhue, is this: "You're doing a wheelie into the rock and letting the front tire hit the rock and the rebound you get from that boosts the bike up."

As for 12-foot drops off rocks and other structures, he said: "Generally, it's back wheel first and then front wheel. There's a way to land the bike safely from that height."

Bike trials courses also contain numerous small ledges with limited area to gain momentum. Competitors conquer these areas by using a stop-and-go technique, which includes hopping up and sideways on their front or back wheel. Goodhue said riders spend "80 percent" of the time on one wheel during a run.

It's not a full-speed-ahead sport, so competitors have to advance, balance and think about their next move in quick succession.

"Trials does require an analytical mind," USA Cycling Trials World Team manager Mike Fridell said. "We have more people with engineering backgrounds in trials than just about anything else I've encountered. They have to know what they're capable of and apply it to certain situations."

An official stands near the competitor and issues penalty points, most of which come when a biker's hand or foot touches the ground (also known as a dab). Individuals race one at a time.

Riders also have two or three minutes to complete courses.

"It is really intense sometimes," said Goodhue, a 1990 Wai'anae High graduate. "I barely make it out."

Trials bikes are built with low frames with the back wheel under the rider and the front wheel far in front. There also is nothing to sit on.

The riders and bikes often take a beating during competition.

Competitors are required to wear helmets, gloves and ankle-covered shoes.

Goodhue said riders have suffered internal injuries and broken bones, and helmets have been smashed during events.

He said the worst he's gotten has been sprained ankles.

His bikes have been less fortunate. He said he's wrecked nine.

Goodhue trains on his bike on Mount Lahilahi in Makaha because there are "a lot of good rocks on that side."

U.S. world team coach Zak Maeda said he's impressed with Goodhue's work ethic and drive, considering he has few people to train with here.

"There's a lot more (riders) in the states," Maeda said. "When you don't have people to ride with it's hard to stay motivated."

Goodhue placed third at the USA Cycling Trials Team Selection Event on July 9 at Sequatchie, Tenn., in the 26-inch (wheel diameter) division.

The course was set up in a river bed.

"I would have to say his skills are comparable to anyone in the United States and anyone in North America," Fridell said.

The finish qualified him for the International Cycling Union Trials World Championships, Aug. 24 to 27 at Rotorua, New Zealand.

"I'm not sure what the course will look like in New Zealand," Goodhue said.

He said the sport is popular in Europe, and the French are the best in the world.

Maeda, who still competes in events, said in the 20-plus years of the world championships no American has reached the finals. He said 10 riders qualify for the finals among 30 to 40 per division.

Fridell said the sport has grown in the United States over the past five or six years, but "there are no coaches, per se" for the U.S. team.

Maeda said bike trials were part of ESPN's X Games in the mid-1990s, but the sport lasted for only one year.

"People find it boring," he said. "Guys aren't going fast, not doing backflips."

Fridell, who runs events in Tennessee, said he tries to recruit motorcycle trials riders, mountain bikers and cyclists.

He said many can't make the transition to bike trials because "they like steady, fluid motion. They like to be moving."

Fridell added bike trials skills "take months to learn and years to perfect."

For more information on bike trials, go to www.biketrials.com or www.observedtrials.net.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.