SpikeX

I went out practicing my skills today, and I realised that I can only balance on the bike without moving forwards for 5 seconds or so, which is pathetically low. So, I have a lot of practicing to do, but I was wondering if bike setup maybe had something to do with it? At the moment I'm practicing on a Specialized FSRxc, which only has 640mm wide handlebars. I assume that longer bars would help?

What do you think of the Onza Cleaner or Hitman? They look like good bikes, but the only worry I have is of component quality. I had this old Diamondback XC bike a few years back, and I broke or twisted almost every single part on it after a while because they were bad quality. But I'll take your word for it that Onza are good.

I've built a bike from scratch before, so building another one wounldn't be a problem at all. The Echo bikes look awesome, but expensive. What makes trials bikes so expensive? Wheels, brakes?

I'm 13 years old, but I can quite easily throw a 20kg DH bike around. And I can do bunny hops and stuff on a 26" XC bike too easily. I am about 168cm, which makes 5ft 7"ish.

The Echo bikes look sweet! Does Echo have an official website? I looked on Google but counldn't find anything.

Thanks for all the fast and informative replies! Aside from Onza, are there any other good, popular manufacturers? Are the Da Bomb bikes any good, or the Cannondales?

Hi, my name is SpikeX and I would like to get into trials. I am 13 years old and I already ride downhill and XC mountain biking. I have a few questions I would like to ask: Firstly, which bike would you recommend? I want something that is good quality and will not break straight away. Which wheel size is most popular (24" or 26")? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Also, what skills do I need to learn for balance, etc.? Thanks