bikerbob

So long as he wasn't too injured then. HAHAHAHA. Don't leave that out of the video! I wish my mates had accidents like that more often! Bob

Yeah, I thought it was a good video. The music went with the style of the vid i thought and there were afew bits of technichal riding and drops and stuff. Bob

A little bit of grit won't make noticable diference, i doubt you'd be able to get it out even if you tok the bb right out, they are generally quite well sealed and i think that most people just run them into the ground if you are using square taper what with them being only about a tenner. I'm afraid I've offered as much advice as i can though really. Bob

Perhaps you should try removing your wheels and try spinning them whilst holding onto the axles and see how it feels, they should be nice and smooth with no or very little play. Do the cranks spin freely? I would seriously consider disconnecting the brakes if you're running cables or pop them off if you're using HS33s to completely eliminate that. That has been a problem for me before. Bob

That sounds like a brake is rubbing or your bearings are stiff, or the chain could be mega tight. Do you mean that when you put pressure on the pedals the bike feels to react slowly? Where abouts is the resistance coming from - front or back? Check your brake pads aren't rubbing on the rims (What type of brakes are you using?) if thats not the problem then look at your chain tension. If thats not a problem then it could be your wheel bearings, but it seems unlikely to me that it could be that since you'd probably feel the back end being really rough first. Bob

I'm also half way through buying something off here (we're agreed on terms and we've exchanged details and stuff but i haven't paid and he hasn't sorted out postage yet) and I'm not a member, however I think that it is completely the sellers decision if they want to sell it to somebody who has no reference. On the other hand i think the validation system is a good idea, it keeps non-members from posting loads of pointless messages when they are only really half interested; because that is what a lot of people seem to do even without the validation system. The way I see it, if you are interested and the seller has left their e-mail address, then why not send them a polite email and ask them if they would consider it. If you recieve a reply then exchange phone numbers and have a chat with them before any money changes hands and make sure that you both are happy with whats going on. Bob

I'm having a bad go of it with punctures as well, The BMX is in the garage with at least four holes in the front tube and a few in the back, well I thought that I'd be able to ride round the thorns, I was wrong. Also i got a puncture on the front wheel of my Beta once and it took me about three hours to get the bloody tyre back on, but there comes a point where a four inch long bulge in the tyre is good enough and you just have to go out and ride. Punctures are part of biking. Bob

Is it? I thought that they were still on Beta3, Where abouts have you seen it? Bob

Oh well fair enough, I'm living in hope that when 'internet explorer 7' comes out it will solve it all, still atleast i can leave the internet open with firefox. Thanks Flipp Bob

Hi, I was hoping someone might be able to help. I realise this is a trials forum and i may get warnings or all sorts for this but, you guys do all use computers regularly and you're free so i thought i'd give you a try. The problem is that when i log off and switch user if i leave internet explorer running in the user area that i have just logged out of then i cannot open internet explorer in another user area unless the other user is logged off or internet explorer is closed. The error message says something along the lines of: This program has terminated the runtime in an unusual way. Contact the program company for more information. This isn't a mew problem, i've just realised what is causing it. I'm using Windows XP Media Centre i think it must be 2005 Internet Explorer 6 Before any of you tell me to get firefox I already have it, but this issue is affesting me being able to access documents aswell which is abit of a bummer. Anyway, thanks for reading this. Bob

I suppose, But i didn't notice any creaking. The thing that i was most surprised about was the noise it made, no loud bang as if the metal had broken under alot of strain, just a quiet ping like a spoke snapping or something. Now it's just a wobbly scooter. Bob

Hi, I was riding my bike home after cutting some grass today and everything seemed fine, until i rode off a curb and then there was a light 'tink' noise and my bottom bracket spindle had just snapped right in the middle. It was an Onza square taper and I've had it about a year but done nothing big with it really, the biggest drop off was probably only about six foot. Has this happened to anyone else or should i stick with this bottom bracket, i am getting rid of the bike soon anyway. Bob clicky

And which way do you turn the lockring? I think mine could do with a nip up. Bob

First of all you really need to decide whether you want a 26" bike or a 20" bike, this is completely up to you, the best thing to do would be to have a go on a number of mates' bikes and see what you like about them and decide what is best for you. Onza are a good brand aspecially for beginners, their prices seem so much less than all the other brands. Bob

Very good giude, however one tip which i reckon i need to add because it can make everything so much easier is that: If after a couple of attempts at removing your bb it won't shift then put the tool vertically in a vice and pllace the bike onto the tool. This allows you to apply pressure to the tool with one hand whilts using the bike as a lever with the other hand. Be careful though because if you do need to use this method the bb is probably siezed in and taking it out quickly may damage the threads. Good idea to add these kind of things though before somebody actually has a problem because it can save alot of time. Bob

There are bolts of the correct size on tarty bikes under frame spares if you're struggling for bolts.

Thanks alot, I'll have a look in my nearest bike shop if they have Giro helmets in so i can try one on before i buy. Bob

You are quite right though Adam, i don't see why, i fell into the tart's trap aswell. Bob

Perhaps because newbies are mostly teenage lads who live by the computer and Tarty Bikes has a really good website, also their almost 24 hour Helpline, Dave once phoned me at 12:30 ish am when i sent him an email about a knackered hub. Bob

Hiya, I'm Bob I'm after a new helmet, i use a 661 piss pot at the moment and it's not a good fit and it's quite heavy, so i was thinking about getting a new one which would be comfier, lighter and look better. However i'm afraid im only going on the cheap, say 20-30 quid. Most of my mates ride without Helmets, so what kind of Helmets would you reccomend? Most of the people who i know and do wear helmets wear the lightweight XC type giro helmets. Any opinions? Cheers Bob

That was a really good find. Are there any indoor events like that in the UK? I allways go to Sheffield to watch the moto trials, and i was really impressed with the bike trials this year. I think that the indoors are really good to go tobecause it can be made into more of a show. Bob

Well done! you made the right decision, probably a good bike to start on aswell beause you won't have to worry about too much maintainence, and with it being brand spanking new you'll be able to cruise arund on it with a huge grin on your face. Now try and get that step brother out on his aswell and have a laugh. Bob Edit - Having said that you won't have to do much maintainence i just thought i'd warn you to keep an extra careful eye on the bolts for the first few weeks as they always seem to come loose all of a sudden, especially bolts holding cages onto your pedals or studs in the pedals, crank bolts might need tightening up abit too but you will notice them creaking first. Just check everything over with your allen keys when you get back in after every few rides, there's nothing more annoying than losing a bolt out and having to search for something to replace it just when you want to be out riding.

I think that would be really good, but it wouldn't be cheap, they would have to charge afew quid at least for it i suppose, but if you're ordering a load of stuff then i suppose thats not alot. I allways like just lookingt through catalogues though for something to catch my fancy. Bob

If you have a welder and are skilled at using it then welding a 'bulb' of weld onto the top of the bolt is a very good way to get out a siezed stud, once the weld has cooled then you will have something to get at with a pair of molegrips, spraying some penetrating oil on might help. Whatever you do use to get your bolts out if they are siezed then you have to be very patient, work them out really slowly rocking it backwards and forwards applyng only the smallest amount of pressure, eventually the tiny bit of movement will become a reasonable amount and then it will eventually slide out like butter, you might want to retap them to be sure. Bob

Me and my mate both got our frames powder coated it was 35 quid per frame, we looked a load of colour chips to choose, there are alot of different coloured powders available, but you can have almost any colour painted. According to the guy who did the powder coating and also does painting, powder coating gives a much harder and longer lasting finish and is much better for bike frames, and if you were to paint it then it would probably need a clear powder over the top. The frames looked really good afterwards, but my mate said that his bike felt noticably heavier, and when he chipped some powder it was clear that his frame had alot of powder on. So what i'm trying to say is that according to an expert powder is better, but also have a chat with whoever is doing it to see how much heavier it wil make the bike, on a trials bike paint might be better even if the finish is not quite as good. Sorry if i've rambled, Bob