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I'd be dead chuffed if someone could explain to a novice why the freewheel (on an XTP) is at the bottom bracket rather than the rear hub. Ta, Al

Thanks - I was gobsmacked when I found out what the list price was! So I hasten to add that mine is a bit beaten-up and only cost me 250. However, when I get home and put some badass, blingin' new grips on it, it'll be worth 257. Cool. Think you might be right about the stem - I'll try to find something that'll lift the bars a bit closer to me. Thanks also to everyone else for words of encouragement, and to Squad-e for the video which is great - looks like a good step-by-step way to practice without having to wheelie!

Thanks for all that! I found TrashZen a bit cryptic until I figured out that the author isn't English! And I hadn't seen the Wiki section of this site yet, so I have a lot to go at. Brilliant!

So! My 2nd-hand 26" Koxx XTP arrived yesterday, and with great excitement I put the wheels, pedals and bars on, only freaking out very slightly when I found that the freewheel is totally in the wrong place. I'll investigate that later. Pretty cool though. Anyway, once I'd moved on from that and figured out how to pick the bike up (or even just hold it steady) without a seat, I ventured out into the lane at the back of the house to have a go. Now - I've tried doing wheelies on various mountain bikes with varying degrees of success, but I can sort of see the principle and with perseverance and practice I reckon I could get the hang of it. No sweat. BUT... I also thought that if I'm going to teach myself how to do this, I should get the proper tool for the job - those fangled 'trials' bike are purpose designed for hopping about on the back wheel. So it's bound to be MUCH easier than on a mountain bike, right? Is it f*ck!! I couldn't even get the front wheel off the ground, and I knackered the palms of my hands by constantly heaving the bike up and down - I think my record for the evening was about 3 inches (in fact I was only on the bike for five minutes before the missus gave me a row and I had to take the dog out). Obviously it's going to be a steep learning curve. It would be very helpful for me if you could recommend either some online videos of people who are as crap as me, because that would make me feel better, or some good instructional videos covering the very basics. Thanks a lot for any advice or suggestions! Actually I do have one specific question: when experimenting with wheelies on the mountain bikes, I'd always used a ratio slightly higher than the granny gear - I think I found the extra push to the back wheel helpful. The ratio on the Koxx feels very low to me - is it worth persevering with that, or should I change up to a ratio that feels more useful? I don't know enough about anything yet to recognise the advantage in the 1:1 ratio, but I guess there must be one or you wouldn't all be using it!

Hey - I am the oldest - 44! I ride a bike every day, have about 6 bikes in the shed, and have just bought a trials bike from ebay. When I was a student in Glasgow (80s) I used to watch folk messing around in George Square on BMXs, and was totally impressed by the way they could jump around on those things. I always wanted to learn how to do it, but never got around to it - was too keen on other sports at the time. Now I have no excuse. But I promise not to hang about next to you wearing a cardigan.

Dudes. I'm your worst nightmare! I'm an old fat guy who's just bought a trials bike on eBay. Fear not however - my intention is to hide away round the back of the supermarket after closing time, secretly practising until I'm ready to burst onto the scene in my own YouTube video, wearing a lycra king-of-the-mountains outfit including GoreTex overbooties. So! I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of a 2nd hand Koxx XTP Long, and can easily handle comments like: "That's too much bike for you, old man". In fact, on reflection, I'm wondering if a shorter 26" jump bike with rigid forks wouldn't have been a better bet for getting started on (at least it'd have a seat!), but the price of the XTP was too good to pass up. Unless it's a total lemon, of course. Anyway. I look forward to watching your videos and looking at your girlfriends in a creepy way. Thank you very much.