Davey

Hi Everyone Who's out and about in Colchester during the week in the evenings? And where abouts do you usually go in Colchester? I've been out of the game for a few years, just starting up again but could do with some company who know what they're doing for inspiration!! Davey

I've had my Cannondale Fatty's for about 5 years now and they are still going strong, and Mr Ashton swears by them so much that when he set up his own bike company and started making bikes he pretty much just re-branded a pair of Fatty's and they now appear on Ashton Bikes as standard! Couldn't say they're the strongest, probably someone out there who has totalled a pair, but that probably goes for most things. They're a good strength/weight compromise...... and lets face it they look the muts nuts too! Davey

It's amusing how opinions can start arguments so easily, as though if we all argue for long enough we'll agree to like the same stuff, haha!! Anyway, I ride one of those long low and silver thingies and I love it, but I for one think this bike looks fantastic and it reminds me of a time when trials was about doing things on regular looking bikes that most people wouldn't even do on two feet! After all it's not the bike it's what you do with it that is "trials"!!! Besides, let's not forget who helped design this bike, something tells me Akkers know's what he's doing!!! Which is better, old school, new school, seat, no seat, long, short, big, small, 20in, 24in 26in, street, natural............ I say diversity is best, and I know one point on which we can all agree... TRIALS IS BEST!!! Davey

I've PM'd tomturd, cheers guys!

Sweet, cheers!!

Say someone wanted to change their login name, I dunno maybe they have a really stupid one like xSTR8xEDGEx or something (for example). How would they go about changing it? I've had a look around my controls but can't find anything, and tried a search on the forum but that didn't help either!! Help! Dave

I had this problem with some forks I bought off a mate, but you can buy steerer tube extensions!!!!!!!!! They screw into your current star fitting, then you knock another star fitting into the extension and voila, longer steerer!!!! They're about 2 inches so you might need to cut your cuttent one down a bit first but they work a treat! I'll see if I can find out where you can get them, got mine from my local bog standard bike shop! Dave

Have you experimented with different gear ratio's? This has a much bigger affect on how far you can potentially gap that crank arm length!!! Maybe give it a go!!! Other than that I'd say yes, in theory, longer crank arms would give you more leverage to power the back wheel and make a bigger gap, but as with anything in trials it's 95% technique, so maybe have a look at vids of people doing huge gaps, usually the clip will be followed by a slow motion replay and you can see the technique. If you're looking at getting new cranks anyway then wouldn't hurt to try a longer pair!! xSxEx

Blimey so I am, ta very much, that was a bit quick!!! Yeah, I'll give it a go next time and drop you a PM if I get stuck, both wheels running like a dream at the moment though so it's all good! xSxEx

To be honest it's the person on the bike that makes the difference!!! I know people who use UCI style bikes for street when they're traditionally used for natural (like me for example) and likewise I know people who use bikes like yours which I think is more street style for natural stuff!!! What terrain do you have nearby? I'd go with whatever you can get access to, try both see what feels right, like I said the bike is only half the equasion!!!! xSxEx

I bought a new rim recently and was tempted to give it a go myself, but I'd have no idea how to figure out what size spokes I need, and by the time I'd taken it into the bike shop to ask them it just seemed easier to let them do it...... yes I am a chicken!!!!! So...... can you shed light on this, is there any way of figuring out what spokes you need or is it an "ask the experts" type of this? Maybe next time I need a new front wheel I'll give it a go, probably safer than going for a real wheel, and more straight forward!! xSxEx

Rounding off tapers really won't be an issue with Middleburns, I've had a few pairs of cranks round off in the past but I don't know of anyone who has rounded off a pair of Middleburns (let me know if you have, I could be wrong). The ISIS cranks are slightly more expensive and the bearings in ISIS BB's are larger and more prone to wear and tear than square taper BB's, so I would personally recomend square taper! xSxEx

Well they are linked with one another. Truing a wheel is tightening or loostening the spokes from either side of the hub to get the rim running straight in the frame and between the brake pads. On the rear wheel the hub is offset to one side because you have your freewheel on the drive side, so to get the rim in the centre of the frame the spokes on the drive side are shorter than on the other side. How much shorter/tighter these are is the "dish" of the wheel. If you are looking to build a wheel I would get you local bike shop to do it, I trust myself with everything else on my bike accept this because it's quite technical and obv very important to get it right. If you're just looking to straighten out an egged or buckled wheel then you should only need to worry about truing, the dish will already be set when the wheel was made! xSxEx

I've been running middleburns for about 4 years now with the pro trials bashring (half inch thick) and they have never failed me. They're stiff as you like, they look absolutely stunning and I just fitted mine with the new titanium 16 tooth chainring/bashring, which is real light and looks superb! I've never tried tensiles, but I hear they are also very very good. There was a review on MBUK website which said that middleburn are the better crank but there's very little in it. To be honest, the difference is in how they look more than how they perform as they are both superb choices, so it comes down to which you prefer and which is cheaper (not sure of prices)!!! That's my two cents! xSxEx Forgot to mention, my middleburns are the square taper variety, with good old Shimano UN57 BB xSxEx

Ah wicked, old school or as I like to call them "back in the day" trials bikes!!! Cannondale Beast of the East, Pashley 26mhz, Giant Hawes replica, Heavy Tools!!!! Then Brisa came along and it was all change! Trouble was in those days all I could afford was a Barracuda Ghetto frame, and the most "trialsy" part on it was my raceline maggys (still going strong on a diet of water to this day, about 5 years later)!! Pictures of the Leeson frames were like porn in those days..... still are in fact, but I must admit I have given in to the UCI style, I guess because I have a car my bike doesn't need to function as a regular bike anymore! I love these little trips down memory lane, who remembers "Chain Spotting"?!?!?!?!? xSxEx

Exactly, it all adds up. What about clothing? I bet if you got all the metal you'd drilled out of your rims and a pair of jeans and weighed them the jeans would weigh many times more, guaranteed! So is it lycra all the way?!?!? xSxEx

I'm nervous of doing this anyway, unless it comes drilled I figure leave it alone, if it was meant to be drilled they'd have made it that way!!! I know you can get away with it on things like front rims and maybe insides of crank arms, but it doesn't make a massive difference and if it goes wrong or you drill too much and the part fails then more than likely you're gonna break something else.... maybe your neck!!! xSxEx

Well yeah, I kinda agree, but obviously there is a point to losing weight because we're all spending money to do it to our bikes, and lets face it it aint cheap and sometimes the weight saving is only very slight! Just wondered if a few sit ups each night might be cheaper than buying those pricey lightweight components or compromising strength by drilling great big holes in everything!!! xSxEx

I ride a stock bike but I secretly have feelings for a mod bike.......... I may have an affair pretty soon!!! But as everyone has already said, it depends what kinda stuff you ride (natural/street/flatland) and what you like the feel of, so don't really see what you'll get out of finding out everyone elses preference?!?!? xSxEx

100% Fact HOWEVER!!!!! High testosterone levels makes you less relaxed, so you'll be less smooth (not a probelm for weightlifters but a problem for trials riders). PLUS high testosterone means you're more likely to be distracted by all that totty that's around in the summertime, which can be fatal when executing a 6ft drop to a rail............. PS: Stacking and breaking your leg so the bone comes tearing out through your leg in a bloody mess will NOT impress her!!!! I can't see it catching on somehow............. wonder why! xSxEx

I had this problem, and had run out of WD40, but there's another lubricant that most people have in their bathroom cupboards and it's just as good................. talcom powder!! It's a dry lubricant, trust! xSxEx

I met a kid the other day, and he had really gone nuts on drilling out components on his bike, it was like swiss cheese! But got me thinking about saving weight, because you can spend all day spending ££££ on lighter parts and drilling bits out, but it's not just the bike you're hauling around.... it's you too!!!! So, does anyone here watch what they eat to save weight? Is there a "Trials Diet"? Do you find yourself buying Aero's because they're full of bubbles? Also, on a similar topic, does any one else take a large dump before goin out for a ride? I mean, that's gotta save a bit of weight right? ..... it's all relative!!! xSxEx

I'm not completely void of inteligence, it's not like they're grinding away and I keep on merrilly screwing them in or anything. The bolts go in smooth enough and everything is brand new so no f**ked bolts! I had the shorter magura bolts, the went in smooth and then bang, suddenly everything was very loose and there was half a thread wrapped around the end of me bolt. So I bought longer bolts and they seem to hold ok. Perhaps I just have a dodgy frame, but I've seen a few comments on here about this so assumed I wasn't the only person having this trouble!! xSxEx

Cheers for the advice guys!!! Looks like I'd better get my ass down to the local bike shop for some helicoiling then, although I still say manufacturers should make them strong enough to begin with, but at least I don't have to worry about totallying my frame!! xSxEx

Does it strike anyone else as a little odd that 4-bolt magura mounts (presumably designed for stronger breaking) are manufactured with such crappy threads. They strip so easilly, especially with the bolts that magura supply which are barely long enough!! I bought some longer bolts and have had to tighten them just enough to hold the breaks, but the slave units do twist in the mounts if forced a little. I can't risk stripping the threads because that's my frame totalled.... am I wrong? I'd appreciate other peoples thoughts on this, perhaps it's just me, lol! xSTR8xEDGEx