rupintart

Yeah, the vids not good at showing the distance. But I'm right at 6foot tall, and the bike when standing up is like 5'10. I measured it and give or take an inch or so from where I take off, it's 8 feet. I've just been at this distance for a year and it's frustrating. My ups have gotten much better, but this gapping seems to be where I am. I know gearing could probably help as gapping that distance on 25-18 isn't ideal, but it's what works for street riding with trials mixed in. but the technique is still there, I just need to know what to refine. Thanks for the compliments and help thus far, looking forward to hearing more!

I thought about putting this in the beginner section, but thought about it and I already know how a decent distance, I'm just at this plateau. Here's the vid: Pardon the quality, I made the resolution 360x480 and had no idea how shitty it would look blown up for vimeo, but you still get the idea. That was literally like a 2 minute editing job. Just snipped out what I needed, and moved on. I can't seem to get past this 8 foot mark. I know tire pressure and/or a different tire would probably help with rebounding, and that a different bike (i.e. a dedicated trials bike) would help obviously, but there's no reason I shouldn't be progressing on what I'm on. Also, this was just a really quick edit, I literally went outside, and filmed for 3 minutes. Those were my 1st things caught on film. I can usually go a LITTLE bit farther, but it's when warmed up and when I have some motivation. I just wanted to see where abouts it looks on film as I literally haven't filmed in years. It was also filmed because some asshats on Pinkbike didn't think you could gap 8 feet on 90psi, let alone on the KHE's and not pinchflat. Showed them, lol. Any advice would be appreciated!!!!

I have super grippy shoes and pedals....I still never will ride without shin guards. The ONE time I decide not to, is likely the one time I really chews open my leg. All it took was two major ones. One huge one that left a massive scar, and it reopening from me thinking that was "the one big time". Never again. I've realized that a helmet makes me ride stupid. Meaning I would try thing I would normally not try. But it helped me get past my plateau. Sometimes that's what you need, is that one little extra bit of confidence.

http://www.observedtrials.net/vb/showthread.php?t=36642 Probably the most thorough beginner FAQ, but for whatever reason, it wasn't well accepted on here. Well, it wasn't made a sticky and/or people didn't find it useful??? meh. Should answer any question you have though.

Is there any footy of him on the DVD? I remember back in the day when they talked to a couple of the Trials Kings, there was some Trials Kings footy on the free dvd.

2 people I know that own them ride at a fairly high level. And one just piddles in trials. One of them has a scholarship for riding at the collegiate level. Is ranked like 8th or some shit in the nation. He rides 4x and downhill primarily, but has i9s on ALL of his bikes, his BMX and trials bike included. Anybody that lives in Pisgah, North Carolina knows who he is. The other guy, I haven't seen him in probably 3-4 years was running protoype I9's. He competed in old man expert class back in 2006. He's good friends with the guy above and were actually roomates for awhile before he got his scholarship. And when I asked him if he was still running the I9s a couple months back, he said "as far as I know..." The one that piddles in trials rides premarily BMX and is my neighbor. He has a rear I9 on his bike and I've been able to ride his bike at a nearly daily availability. Kid PLOWS through Profiles, KHE, and King axles. Decided he'd switch from a King to an I9 and he says he'll never look back. As far as the "applied with the trials forces in mind" that's why King doesn't want you to use the hub for trials??? It has absolutely nothing with "trials in mind". And if you think many of those freewheels have "trials forces in mind", look at this: So you'd rather trust: Over: And that's a burly white industries freewheel. Just by those three pictures alone, you should be able to gather which one is definitely a bit more "qualified" for trials. The contact surface area alone trounces the crap out of the WI. Even IF they used inferior materials, it would likely be stronger due to that fact alone. In anycase, those picture alone should suffice for any sort of "doubt compared to tried and true trials parts". If you people would whole heartedly trust a freewheel that's OBVIOUSLY inferior, and are close minded enough even with proof of pictures for comparison, there really is no point in debating this.

IIRC wasn't there a trials fork like 6 years ago that was carbon that held up fine??? not too many people bought it because of the price, but there was one. A couple of the OTN guys ran it IINM. The shop I used to work at never had problems with the I9 hubs, ever. We've sold over 2 dozen wheelsets within the 1 year of becoming a dealer to some of the gnarliest riders and none of them ever complained and over 20 sets of their hubs. One of the guys that's riding them now is a Clydesdale and is #1 in the state. He would chew through DT swiss hubs, Mavic hubs, and his Kings just kept coming loose, switched and couldn't be happier. Much stiffer wheel as well. Part of the reason I9 is so backed is everything is done in house and it's ran by like 8 guys total. Also, they don't want people building their wheelsets. But we never had a problem with getting parts in stock, custom colors, nothing. To save time, we asked them if we could build the wheels instead of them and they were happy to. I9's are pretty popular here on the east coast, and pretty much EVERYBODY in North Carolina runs them. Much like any company, it takes a minute to get to the other coast let alone overseas, but here on the east coast, no problems from anybody I've ever ran into. It's comical how people will be quick to trust a freewheel from companies that are just rebadging something else rather than something that is CLEARLY overbuilt (especially by comparison) and DEFINITELY has higher QC standards. If you saw a "trials" fw and then saw the I9 and had no idea which were which, you would likely have more faith in the latter. But since it's a "trials" part, people are more apt to accept it as "burly" when it's nothing more than a rebadged pick-and-choose catalog part.

Should be stickied.

Eff that bike, everybody should buy a top spec bike!

I ran a 110, 100, 90, 80 and finally now a 50mm stem and they all have their advantages. I found that the longer I went, it did feel more trialsy in a sense, but it still didn't feel "good". So I kept getting shorter and shorter and kept liking how much easier it got to bunny hop and do spins. As well as how much easier it was to pull the front end up. I can still do trialsy things, infact, I've been riding more stop-go trialsy as of late. I've been getting harassed at getting a full on trials bike as of late, lol. Play with your bars in terms of rolling them forward. I've noticed that the stems on this bike only made the cockpit bigger, and since it wasn't a full out trials bike, it terms of trials, it didn't really do much of making it feel like a "proper" trials bike. Mainly because, it isn't one.

Yeah, I'm american. They have literally 100's of them out in the open to just drive up with a truck and take. I haven't done that in ages, but it's usually hit or miss for if they bother you or just leave you alone.

That's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard. So you're telling me the forces of somebody tapping up a 5 foot wall is less than the forces of a sloppy 2 foot pedal gap? Or a huge gap to front is less forceful than somebody landing really hard on the rear? No, maybe the only time that could hold water is when you're learning how to tap, and you're just ramming the shit out of your bike into the wall. And there's the obvious exeption of you just being larger than the average bear. But that holds true to ANY frame or manufacturer in ANY sport. Otherwise, the forces the pros or anybody that can achieve a decent amount of inches is going to be putting far more stress on a frame than somebody just learning how to get up a 1 foot wall. That's just a nice marketing way of saying "our shit is light, if it breaks it's because of that fact and/or it's your fault for not being smooth" P.S. that was directed at Koxx, not at you ollied.

Doesn't matter. The I9 has a proven track record in all other disciplines here in the states as well as a company who has BLATANTLY said "if you can break it, we'll fix it". Not to mention the fact that they post data about thier hubs. I don't see Chris King saying or doing that. IIRC, they do not honor their hubs for trials use, or radial lacing, and void the warranty if they find other lubes being used. Kings are nice, and I used to own nothing but them (at one time I had 6 bikes, all of them had king hubs), until I realized there are less finicky hubs that are just as, if not MORE bombproof as far as the drivetrain/engagement goes, even in a trials application. Kings are good, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a fan of a maintenance or hubs that aren't consistent.

This kind of voodoo nonsense makes me stray away from king hubs. That and the constantly (as compared to other hubs) needed tightening of the cones. I'll give up minor lack of engagement (which is easily adjusted for after 1 pedal kick), for a hub that I don't have to worry about some voodoo magic and hoo-hah lube to keep it "working properly". i.e. get a Hope trials or an I9.

JT, it's not about "pusinh somebody on a top spec bike" It's about getting the best for what you can AFFORD. Working at a shop, how many times have you seen a new road rider come in and say "I dunno if I'll like this, so I'll just get a low end model". They get the $800 low end road bike, then 3 months later come back in and want a 105 equipped bike, then a year later come back and buy the $4500 bike. They can afford it, why not make it a point that it's cheaper in the long run to buy high(er) end than keep upgrading and upgrading? In the end, they've spent less money, less headache, and less "I wonder if the higher end stuff is worth it". not to mention all the other nonsense roadies buy, like the higher end pedals and shoes, etc. That $800 bike turned out to be $1200 after accessories. And then, they spend $1500 on a new upgraded bike. Then finally, they buy the high end stuff, and since they have this highend bike, they all of sudden don't want the low end shoes and pedals. At that point, they have NOTHING from the first bike and have bought new everything. Either way looking at it, when you sell a used bike, you're going to take a loss. Higher end bikes hold their value a little better, especially if not ridden that much. And in the case of a beginner learning, if they have a high(er) end bike and there's no scratches on it, well, somebody is going to get a dece deal, and that person will likely have no problem selling a higher spec'd bike than a cheaper model. I'm not saying "go out and buy top spec!". I'm saying, buy the most bike for what YOUR BUDGET ALLOWS. If your budget allows you to spend $1500 on a complete, don't go and buy some low end complete because you're unsure if you'll like trials, or you're thinking the geometry is too aggressive for a beginner. The higher spec bike gives you more room to grow, and all the skills are new, so it's not going to be that much (if any) harder, unless you've never been on a bike before. And like all bicycles, it's ALWAYS cheaper to buy a higher end complete, than it is to buy a lower end bike, and upgrade it to spec.

When I say streety riding, I'm talking about spins, manuals, etc. Ala, Danny Mac, Ryan Leech, Akrigg, etc. I was talking about how that kind of bike should be completely separate category as a "trials" bike. Let it be known you can ride street on a mod, pure trials on a street, bike, but lets not be pissing over details and be serious, you buy a streety bike like a Manifesto, Reset, or Fourplay etc. for streety riding, and then there's everything else. As far as this faq is concerned, we're talking about "everything else" i.e. the pure trials bikes. The points chris4stars brought up is right. The sooner you stop worrying about the aesthetics of the bike, and ride it like it was intended to be or like you stole it, you'll progress much faster. Leave the pretty looking bikes to those that don't ride, or those that are sponsored. Lets face it, you don't keep a monster truck out of the dirt. Also your brakes. Most aftermarket completes will come with decent "aftermarket pads". A grind is the most important thing. If you're unsure about it, get the people who are selling you your bike to do it. So that when it gets to you, you can see what a real grind looks like. Not some pictures, or how somebody says it should be on a forum. It's always easier to see what somebody is talking about if it's in front of you. And you can see that you really can press harder than you think to get a good grind. If it's dual disc, honestly, the stock pads are good enough. As to what JT! was pointing out, it's always going to be safer to buy lower end to start out. but most beginners will find that they always either quit, or have that lingering thought that "if the bike was a bit more aggressive, this would be a little easier". It's a fact that when starting out, the curiosity always gets to you of "how much does the bike help..." Heck, I have a couple years under my belt and am SHOCKED at how much the newer bikes help outwhen I throw a leg over them. So yeah, the bike does help, why not leave out those opportunities for excuses if you can avoid it. Again, this comes down to what you can afford. But chances are if you're coming into the sport and you were coming off a regular MTB, you're biting the bullet to buy a pure trials bike, why not get the best you can? You probably will stick with it for a year or so. Like he said, if you stick with it, you end up saving money. You saved yourself the cost of a whole new bike and/or the cost of upgrading parts on the existing bike, not just $280. In the end, it is infact cheaper. Much cheaper actually. Just a bigger bite to start with. i.e. you buy a crappy starter bike for $400. You stick with it a year, you end up buying a $1200 bike. So you in total spent $1600 to buy a $1200 bike on a something you knew you'd likely stick with anyways and will have to sell your old bike. It all comes back to what you can afford at the time. There's nothing wrong with buying a starter bike. Nothing at all, I just feel the line gets blurred more often that not, and this thread should really clear it up, as well as other questions the noobies have.

As far as explaining geometry goes, here's a pretty quick rundown for stocks: wheelbase: 1030mm-1100mm. shorter = easier to bunnyhop and spin longer = easier to tap, gap head tube angle: 71-74degrees. slacker (71) = better for taps, gaps to front, shortens overall reach steeper (74) = easier to pivot on front, lengthens overall reach, steers/handles better at low speeds compared to a slack HA generally a shorter wheelbase frame will have a steep HA, and a longer frame will have it more slack chainstay length: 377mm-390mm. shorter chainstays = easier to balance on the rear wheel in a static position, harder to keep balance point for manuals, harder to bunnyhop, less stable on two wheels, less power for gaps. longer chainstays = less stable when standing on rear wheel, more stable on two wheels, more power for gaps bottom bracket height: 0 or lower, all the way up to +60 higher = more stable when standing on back wheel, less stable on two wheels lower = more stable on two wheels but less stable standing on rear wheel But I think that when it comes to pure trials bikes, there really isn't a "genre" of trials that a beginner would know about. i.e. if they got an Aurem or an Alkali they should know, neither of those are meant at all for streety riding. So in the end, it goes right back to not knowing the differences in geometry. Unless of course that is, you WANT to get a frame that is streety like the Switch, Fourplay etc. At that point I think it warrants mentioning what the various geometry does for you in that regard, but as far as riding flat out pure trials, the differences are negligible for a 1st timer.

This question comes up fairly often. And I somewhat relate it to buying a car. Can a novice driver ONLY drive a shitty Civic, or can he drive a Ferrari? Answer is, he can drive the Ferrari. He is 10000% capable of learing how to drive in the Ferrari just as well as the Civic as it's all new and foreign. He may not "appreciate the differences", but that's not the topic at hand, and that wasn't what was asked. The questions you ask yourself after, well, they don't really relate to biking/trials, so we'll stop it there. People first starting out are always asking "Is this bike good? What about this one? What would you recommend?" More often than not, people will point you towards something a bit more burly and "abusable" (like the whole civic analogy). Fact is, along with burly, comes weight. Tossing around a 30lb bike is not going to be as fun, nor as easy as it is to toss around a 22lb bike. Now a days, a "run of the mill" stock complete comes in somewhere around 22-24lbs, and the mods come in somewhere around the 20-22lb range. Obviously, lighter = more expensive. But many of the completes available today, will not come with the uber lightweight stuff unless specifically noted or intended. i.e. Tarty has "lightweight builds". Be advised though, usually the lightweight stuff isn't necessarily more delicate per say, but it's not designed to be as durable under the same circumstances in the hand of an unsmooth rider. i.e. It can take 10ft drops to flat no problem. But not under somebody who just hucks off of it. That's where the lightweight stuff comes into play. They're durable enough, just not for somebody that's ALWAYS landing really heavy, or unsmoothly. They typical question: "Is this a good first bike?" And they link to something like: or for you prospective stock riders: OK, first off, the first thing most people will tell you is: 1. "That bike is too expensive for a beginner to learn on." 2. "Why don't you get something with more neutral geometry?" 3. "There are better bikes for you to learn on such as _____." #1 Who the hell are they to decide what's too expensive to learn on? If you have the cash to be able to afford a higher end bike, get it. Period. Don't let anybody tell you it's too $$$ for a beginner or whatever. If you can afford to start off on the best equipment, do it. #2 When starting out, it is ALL new and foreign. Higher BB (or whatever else) may be niche, or whatever reason they give you, but it being all new, it's all going to be the same to you learning curve wise. It won't hinder or help you one way or the other. In essence, the learning curve is the same. #3 Are those neutral or older bikes really better for a beginner? OK, so it's burlier and cheaper. On the flip side, you have a heavier bike that has geometry more designed around stability on two wheels and/or not necessarily what's best for anything else. And in the end, it becomes a bike much harder to toss around comparatively. Again, it goes back to #1, if you can afford the light and/or better stuff, why not? Most of todays completes are built around the compromise of durability and weight anyways as most people who buy completes are usually either A. First time riders or B. somebody who wants the compromise of light vs. strong guesswork done for them. So DON'T hesitate to get the higher end bike IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT. Rest assured all of the parts in those completes are more than adequate for a beginner or pro. Again, the guesswork is taken out. Most people start out on lower end stuff mainly because of cost. I would say that's 95% of the reasoning behind choosing a bike to start out on. The other 5% usually being scared to try the higher end stuff in fear of it collapsing under them. The bike is fine. As stated, most of the "uber lightweight" stuff is noted as such and I feel, for the most part, is pretty self explanatory. And a point most people overlook or not even consider is that along with more skill, smooth-ness, and technique, comes the demand for the part to hold up under them. No pro or experienced person would put something under them that jeopardizes their safety, regardless of the weight. In the end, there really ISN'T a "Is this a good first bike for a beginner?". It all usually comes down to price point of what you can afford. And if you've noticed when looking around, all the cheaper stuff usually has the neutral geometry anyways. The big misconception about high end/expensive completes is that they're "reserved for experienced riders". No, they're for ANYBODY. If you were experienced, more often than not chances are you'd build your bike from scratch or from parts of your last bike. It just happens that the more experienced riders are the ones who spend more money. Anybody feel free to expound on anything mentioned here. I think I covered most everything.

It squeeking could be a number of things, but tell us WHEN it squeaks and how it squeaks. Does it squeak when you turn the bars, or when you are rolling, or only under heavy braking, etc.

How so? I've ridden both, and my opinion is that the Monty was much easier to ride. The owner of the python even got on and mentioned he liked it more as well. I've never ridden any other Monty's but apparently they're all like that.

I don't care what anybody says, my buddy has a Zoo Python mod, and my other buddy has a 221PR, and the Monty was like cheating by comparison. Everything was much easier, and just felt much more solid.

The reason you cannot buy the blue ones, also known as "Chep pallets" is because those are technically never for sale. Chep owns the patent on that pallet design, so places like Walmart, Target, and your large companies only "rent" them from Chep. It's why you always see dept stores have cameras outside JUST FOR pallets (and other reasons), because technically, they don't even own them, and whatever they lose, they have to pay for whenever the pallet companies come to pick them back up to send them back to the distro center. Although I've found, most large chains don't really give a shit about pallets. Well, I take that back, the people working there don't give a shit. But there are a couple construction/distro companies that sell them, but honestly, you're better off just finding them as they're pretty pricey. There are companies that PAY $5 per blue palletto come pick up. If they're willing to pay $5, you know they're worth alot more.

Something a lot of people over look is their brakes. If you don't have 10002978345983274659876% confidence in your brake, you won't push it as hard. You'll be scared of it slipping or just not grabbing good enough. Also, try to stomp as hard as you can and put as much weight forward as possible when you leap. This pic is an example: If you ever notice, the 1st couple steps to gapping either to the front or to rear is the same. You leap forward exactly the same for both, it just that after the bars leave your hips like in the picture above, you either make the bike go to front, or kick the rear out like in this following picture: Whenever you goto pedal kick, don't try to just kick. When you jump forward, have faith in your leap and bring those bars to your hips/thighs and then release the break and scoop the bike underneath you and/or out for whichever move you're trying. In your case, don't be scared to push out the rear to land on whatever it is you're trying to land on. In any case, when you leap, bring the bars to your hips and COMMIT to the gap.

I've got one on my bike. I can't remember which one it is, but it has the red ring. All of them have different color rings. I think it's the SL. It's held up fine on my inspired the past year, is super light and it's sealed off REALLY well. The rubber o rings fit SUPER tight together. A good buddy of mine who DJs and and rides street has one on his BMX. Guy goes gnarly big like 10 stair 360s. He destroys parts, and it's one of the only things on his bike that still works.

I can put mud on my car and it's dirty. What I was referring to it wipes right off. It doesn't stain like if you fell in your jeans, your jeans are pretty much stained, even possibly after washed. Don't comment on a product if you have absolutely no first hand experience with it. That's my shoe with 3 months of getting used EVERYDAY/every other day in BMX, trials, and DJing. I've had a couple spills in the dirt, and the shoe comes right clean with a wet cloth. No scrubbing. All it has is that one scuff on the toe that's not coming out. Show me what your riding shoe looks like after 3 months of HARD riding.