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JKH

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Everything posted by JKH

  1. This link worked for me: http://eachvideo.com/watch?v=eQz3jZ16WQM
  2. I think I prefer this guy's style over Abel Mustieles. The place reminds me of that Yao Zhi 26" video from a long time ago.
  3. For an arcade, I would run 170mm at the very most. Longer cranks put your foot further into the front wheel, making it more likely for your foot to rub the tire. I had 170mm SLX cranks on my Console that I pulled over from my Hex, but I ended up swapping for 165mm XTs recently, They are basically the same crank except the SLX has a pedal insert and the XT doesn't.
  4. You were that kid who just killed it on a 20"? Like 10 years ago?? As far as the M5 goes, my friend has one and I ride it occasionally. They are ridiculously light, and the geo is not hard to get used to at all. My friend`s has a long Monty stem and the Jitsie carbon high rise bars and it rides great. The one thing I absolutely hate is the chain slap so I personally would never EVER buy this bike, even the new one. For new 20 inch bikes, I would take a look at the new Clean X2, and the Crewkerz. Both of these bikes have nice features such as oversize headtube, BB30, integrated tensioners, 2-pc cranks. Of these two, I prefer the Crewkerz because it has through axle hubs which are much better than regular axles (wheel alignment, weight, strength, etc). The graphics are a bit over the top for me, but you can easily remove them with nail polish remover. As far as Alu frames and good value, I really like the most recent Gu 20 inch. It has oversize headtube, intergrated ti ISIS BB, M6 bolts for the rear brake, and it has a nice chain tensioner system. The BB is high so might fee a bit strange to you, but with a high rise bar setup these bikes ride really well.
  5. The biggest difference with 165mm cranks is that your cranks/pedal/foot will not hit on things like the ground (for comp bikes), and your your foot will not rub the front tire (for street bikes). Sure, in theory longer cranks have less leverage, but I don't think many top riders are lacking in the leg strength department.
  6. Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the problem with the Shimano M820 caliper is that the post mounts are weak. Honestly, if your M810 is not leaking and you are not a weight weeny there isn't much reason to change. Funny about the BB7 AndyT, it is hard to beat this brake, especially with good pads! The other option is to build a set of brakes around MT7 calipers, but the mineral oil system limits you on lever choice. A friend of mine built a set brakes Deore levers and Magura MT7 calipers and it worked well but felt spongy compared to my Hopes. Hopefully Magura comes out with a nice CNC lever, then it might be worth taking a second look at the MT7.
  7. Not to be a downer, but using a barbed fitting there is not the smartest thing to do. Also, the brake lever cannot be changed without taking the grips off. This could have been prevented by using the Avid XX design, which retains the smooth clamp. It appears that Jitsie has gone with this design.
  8. I heard great things about the MT7, so I ordered one up with my new bike as a xmas present to myself. I had a bunch of shows lined up over the winter, so I put the new brake on my bike the day after christmas and went to my local indoor spot for a little ride. The first thing I noticed was how terrible the pad knock was! Honestly it felt like something was broken "KRACK KRACK KRACK!!". The double-pad setup fits very loosely in the caliper, and the retainer pins are much smaller than the hole in the pads, making for a terrible pad knock combination. I heard later that the pros riding this brake are mostly using MT5 pads, which reduces the problem. Despite the terrible pad knock and cheap plastic lever feel, the brake was decently powerful. So I warmed up a bit, and did a few gaps to front and it locked super well, I was impressed. However, on my next move I went to pull the brake and the lever blade fell off! The little silver pin that holds the lever blade in place had worked itself out of the brake!! The result - crash and sprained pinky and ring finger. I was pretty pissed off, especially since I had 2 months of shows to do. I switched back to the hope, and even with stock pads it's just as powerful as the MT7. I can't trust the MT7 anymore - I just cant get over how the whole cheap plastic assemble is held together by press-fit pin that is apparently loose enough to fall out after 15 minutes of riding. My brake should have never made it out of the factory. It was missing one of the plastic sticker things which is supposed to be on both sides of the brake (it's a flip flop design), and also prevents the pin from falling out. Needless to say, I do not recommend this brake, but if you do use it, make sure you get the MT5 pads and check your lever body to make sure both stickers are in place and the retainer pin is not falling out.
  9. I swapped my 810s for mono trials on my Console purely because the bike has IS mounts and I hate using brake adapters, plus the saints are pretty heavy. Using Jitsie pads on the rear for good on/off and standard pads on the front for better modulation. As far as Hopes go, the Tech 3 has better lever feel and adjustability but the power is about the same. Have you looked into the Magura M7? The power is amazing and good lever feel. The only bad thing I can say about the M7 is the pad rock, but the Trialtech pads are supposed to fix this.
  10. I want my cranks to look like that! How did you do that?
  11. I used a Alex DX-32 and Echo mounts on mine and it worked perfectly.
  12. The steel Inspired bikes are noticeable softer, and heavier (the Console weighs 1kg more than my Hex!). I would be happy with either the Arcade or the Console, but coming from a comp background I prefer the slightly easier gear and higher BB of the Console. In terms of looks, I prefer the Console, but they are both sick!
  13. I think it really depends on the rider and their background. I am relatively tall 188cm, and coming from the Hex, but I also ride a Inpulse R26 and Meta VTT2. Here is my view Skye: felt great, very stable for manuals and easy to bunnyhop, probably due to the shorter wheelbase and low BB. It was very stiff and responsive; with the through-axles front and rear you barely feel any flex. The reach is short, so my knees hit the bars, otherwise I might have considered it. Fourplay: Similar to the Skye, felt a bit more like a trials bike (higher BB, slightly longer reach) Arcade: Finally a bike where my legs didn't hit the bars. This bike feels very special, you can ride it like a BMX or a trials bike. Back-wheel moves not the best due to relatively heavy gear ratio. Bike flexes so everything feels a bit smoother. Console: Similar to Arcade but a bit better on rear wheel and more comfortable gear ratio. Front end flexes a bit more due to non-through axle fork.
  14. Actually it was the shop that set it up that way I thought the logo thing was a bit weird when I first saw it! The drive side is actually XT. I did something stupid and stripped the non-drive side of the XTs. The only single replacement crank I could find was an SLX. So now I have mismatched cranks, oh well! It is a lot better for me than the Hex! I have really long legs so it was hard for me to get my weight far enough back to bunnyhop the Hex properly. I tried the Skye, Fourplay and the Arcade before settling on the Console. The Arcade felt almost perfect, except I though the BB should be a bit higher and a 22-16t gearing rather than 22-15t. The Console rides like a dream!
  15. Here is a pic of my new street trials rig! Traded my Hex for a Console. Still working on the final setup, but parts selection so far: - Inspired Console frame and fork - Inspired high rise bar - Chris King ISO Hubs front and rear (polished silver) - Shimano cranks (XT drive side, SLX non-drive - Hope Pedals - Hope Mono Trials Brakes (front regular pads, rear Jitsie pads, mono rotors 180mm) - Pimplite rims - Conti Tires - KMC K810 Chain - Trialtech arcade stem - Trialtech foam grips - Inspired Pivotal Kevlar Seat Weight: 11.5 Kg I will get a proper camera and post better pics soon. Second ride on it tonight.
  16. You don't need spacers to fit Shimano cranks on an Inspired. It is dangerous to run more than the prescribed number of spacers, as you reduce the contact between the spine on the non-drive side crankarm and the BB spline. This can result in stripping the crankarm spline, which is made of soft cheese-like metal. This happened to me last winter and it was not fun! There is a easy solution if you want to run these cranks. What you need to do is machine the spider down enough so that the chainring will not contact the frame. Then you need to choose the right BB (more narrow is better). I am running a Truvativ GXP on the drive side and a Shimano XT on the other side. The Shimano is the most narrow and will work, but pick up a spare because they crack easily. Truvativ on both sides is too thick. Hope is also too thick. A thicker BB could work but it means you need to machine the spline a bit more, and run the risk of the chain contacting the bashring. I will post pics of my setup later, hope this helps.
  17. JKH

    Manuals?

    The lady with the dog at 2:10 has very nice posture. Video was nice, very chill
  18. I tried everything with the BB7 when I used to run them front and rear. The best bite was with Magura wavy non-SL rotors and standard pads with a groove cut along the long side of the pad. Apparently Jitsie makes pads for the BB7 now, but I haven't tried them yet.
  19. I figure I should respond to this thread because after years of bicycle and moto trials competitions, I have figured out how to stop callouses. I used to get them really bad but now I don't have any at all! There are a few secrets, but they main ones are foam grips and proper gloves. The foams I am using are the trialtech ones that are a bit thicker, and I use mechanix "utility" gloves that are one size too small. Don't make the mistake of using the more expensive leather mechanix gloves - those are terrible - you need the cheap synthetic grey ones with the velcro strap. The other gloves which are good are the Hebo ones, but the palms are a bit slippery until they are broken in, they are expensive, and they have this weird stretchy "mesh" material between the fingers which tears easily. But if you can afford a few pairs of these a year all the power to you - they are good gloves. The other secret is to not ride with wet gloves, or wet hands. If it is raining at a comp, I bring a bag full of gloves and change them every few sections. On a hot, humid day I swap between 2 or 3 pairs and let the wet ones dry on a rock while I wear the other ones. The last tip has to do with technique. When you grab your handlebars, slide you fingers on the bar, then wrap the fingers rather than just grabbing the bar and letting that piece of flesh at the top of the your palm get caught. Also, about hand cream, I think its a great idea to use it after you ride to keep your hands soft and smooth. The girls (or boys, depending on your preference) you are with will appreciate it because nobody likes to be touched by gross scratchy dirty calloused hands!
  20. I have Saint brakes on my Sky2. I'm not using adaptors - the rear is the post mount version and the front is IS160. The brakes have incredible bite and don't slip. A bit of pad knock, but no more than any other disc brakes on the market. Weight is a bit higher than the Hope techs. If you can live with that, I would definitely recommend them.
  21. JKH

    Golden Oldie!

    same vid better quality crazy for me, as I saw a lot of this being filmed (it was koxx days 2006 if i can remember correctly). Video credits to AndyT, same guy who brought us the Kenny in LA vid and many more
  22. Reminds me of this prototype from back in 2006ish - KOXX KOMPOZIT
  23. All Plazmatic pads were made by TNN engineering in Australia. Since the TNN guys have started their own company, I don't think we will see any more Plazmatic pads. I support TNN - recently purchased their booster mount setup and a few sets of Beleay pads and I am thoroughly impressed! A bit more on the history of Plaz/TNN. http://www.tnnengineering.com/15701/16101.html
  24. I don't notice the flex on the lever body much. There is a bit of flex in the frame, so I will be running the TNN booster. That should stiffen things up a bit. The front hub is a bit of a joke. I bought a big bag of RB stuff years ago...levers, bashrings, boosters, hubs. I'm getting a new wheel built with ti spokes, superlight hub in a couple of weeks.
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