André

No problem

Hi there McWhitey, it looks like a 'Mongoose Girder'. Here's a built up one:

Hi Dman, I've sent you a PM. Thanks, Dré

Sorry guys, there were no mobile phones with cameras 10 years ago (well if there were none of us had one anyway). I wish I could have got a photo of it sat on the rails, i'm sure it would have made good 'caption competition' material. André

I think it's something like 600 - 700 volts DC running through the rails so it would certainly ruin your day........and your bikes! Plus I think you tend to 'stick' to DC - ouch! I don't have much understanding of materials and their properties but I was very suprised that the electricity 'blew' a hole in the alloy bike frame though....crazy! André

Well it was certainly the most stupid trick a novice could attempt on a railway platform. I agree, it's definitely not a good idea to ride on the platform! Yes my friend was thoroughly gutted, but nobody got hurt and it was very entertaining watching the bike go fizzle - pop! André

I started by trying to pop little bunnyhops over small sticks and little side hops off the edge of a curb. I then learnt endo's against the edge of a curb stone, this helped prevent me from tipping too far over the bars on my first few attempts (keep hold of that front brake!). I then started to rock back from the endo and pull my front wheel off the ground a little bit to try and get used to life on the back wheel. To learn back hops I placed my front wheel on a bench at 45 degrees and rested my leading crank arm / pedal on the bench also, to make it easier to balance (my front foot was basically stood on both the pedal and the bench to make my setup / preparation balance easier and less tiring). As my front wheel was already elevated I found it easier to have little backhop attempts. I started by hopping both wheels together (ie. a static bunnyhop with the front wheel on the bench), and then I experimented with leaning back a little more and lifting the front wheel first before the bunnyhop, et voila, I started doing little tiny backhops. I learnt almost everything (including a static 360 spin) on a £99, 15 speed 19" frame heavy steel bike with caliper brakes, so new riders reading this shouldn't be put off if your budget doesn't stretch to a proper trials bike yet, you can still learn tricks, just try and get your brakes working well! Awesome looking bike Alex, this is your first bike then? It's better than any bike I have ever owned! he he. André

Hi everyone, I just thought this may be a source of amusement for someone as it was fairly rediculous and I couldn't believe it at the time (it was nearly 10 years ago). When I was just starting out riding I had a friend with a new (2 weeks old or so) Orange hardtail dual slalom bike. The frame was very similar to the Orange Zero and the bike cost around £1800 with some top notch components on it, such as front and rear hope discs and massive triple clamp rockshox forks. Anyway we were all waiting at the train station for another friend to arrive to go on a ride and we were doing a few tricks. My friend with the Orange didn't know many tricks but he was able to jump off the bike and let it roll, then run after it and jump back on again (we called it a 'Ghosty / Ghostee', is this still a known phrase?). Unfortunately on one of his 'Ghosty' attempts his bike veered off course a little and ended up falling off the platform onto the electric train tracks! The bike managed to land on the live rail and there was a loud bang and a flash followed by some sizzling! The electric shock had managed to blow / burn a hole in his frame and it looked as though one of his hope levers had possibly been melted off too! There was also melted tyre dribbling off the rail. As if ruining a nearly new £1800 bike wasn't bad enough, Merseyrail called the transport police because they saw what had happened on their cameras and my friend had to go to the police station. The accident apparently stopped trains in both directions for a few hours while the rail was inspected and then specially cleaned / repaired. Merseyrail claimed it cost them over £10,000 but luckily no charges were made against my friend. I suppose it's not the most amazing story but it is quite rediculous, we couldn't believe it when the bike landed on the rails and 'frazzled'. It's lucky a train wasn't arriving in the platform at the time I suppose. André

Thanks again Ben, that's really useful info. I have never ridden a Modstock so I will have a look for one and give it a try, I do like to have a seat when i'm riding though! Thanks again, André

Thanks a lot for that information. I now understand! So can Stock and Modstock compete in the same competitions? Or are there separate categories? What advantage would the narrower Modstock frame have over a Stock frame? Perhaps there's a weight saving? Many thanks for the advice, André

Hi there, i'm coming back to trials after many years off. I'm unclear on the exact difference between stock and modstock. I'm guessing modstock is a singlespeed stock bike with no seat? Is the geometry specifically different between the two types of bike? Also I notice that they are making some frames in short and long versions (such as the Echo Control). Is this difference in length and geometry simply personal preference or is one length designed to perform better for a certain style of riding / type of environment? I imagine the answers to these questions are common knowledge to most riders these days, so I apologise if it's a dumb thing to ask but there were not many different trials specific frames around back when I origionally started riding. I've had a quick search for some answers but I didn't notice anything, perhaps it's just too fundamental! Many thanks for your time and help, André

Hi everyone, my name is André and I live in Southport in the North West of England. I am in my mid 20's and I have just got back into trials after about 6 years of not riding. I messed my shoulder up and I also broke my leg, and shortly after this I started working long hours and got a car. Anyway all of that is behind me now (apart from the shoulder complaint) so i'm back on my bike again. I ride stock and i'm rather out of touch with the current scene and the latest technology, so i'm trying to learn what new parts are out there and what manufacturers are making the best quality components now. My bike is around 8 years old and a little heavy, but it seems to be in good working order. I'm also looking out for any riders in my area as it would be great to ride with a few people again (any skill level, I don't mind). There used to be a little group of us here but i've lost touch and I think everyone else I knew has long since packed it in now? Anyway I look forward to getting in touch with some riders and learning about the latest kit.............I just wish it would stop raining here so I could go out and ride! Many thanks, André