knave

I remember when wearing a bike helmet meant you were some sort of geek and looked like a plank - I think it's while since that attitude has prevailed. It's unusual to see someone riding without a lid these days and these days the ones not wearing a lid are regarded as the ones who look stupid. Modern lids aren't uncomfortable and don't look stupid. I can only see a very narrow market for this, I wouldn't expect this kind of thing to catch on at all.

You’ve probably had all the contribution you need to make a decision and, as has been said, the real best advice is that everyone is different so test ride as many bikes as possible. Having said that, some quick thoughts from my point of view: A lot depends on what you want to actually do with the bike – I live in south Wales and am blessed with some of the best natural trails in the UK so, my bike is really a “trail bike” because I want to be able to actually get up the mountains before I come back down them – 140 back and front and weighs 12.5kg so it’s quick and easy for the climbing we do but it’s enough for the descents in terms of travel, robust build, head angle – obviously, it certainly wouldn’t be enough for a proper DH course but it’ll go anywhere within the constraints of my riding ability/fitness and has never let me down. For my riding, it’s perfect. If you have a lot of money to spend you could get a more “all mountain” type spec at the same weight which would be more descent orientated in terms of geometry and travel however, unless you are really attacking very gnarly descents (the term “downhill” is often misused in my opinion – it refers to something very specific) then you don’t really need massive travel and super slack angles which will inhibit every other aspect of your riding. If you intend to van the bike to a trail centre and use uplifts to ride competition type DH courses, etc then a full DH spec would be awesome but if you intend to ride to the top of your descents then for me, weight is an issue because it does make a difference when you are pulling a 40 miler with 3 imposing welsh mountains in your path. One last comment/observation I would make – you mention the adjustable travel in the spec of the Genius: Don’t dwell or spend too much money on something like this because you probably won’t use it too much: I have a Fox TALAS fork which has 4 settings (140, 120, 110 & locked out) and the Fox shock on the rear has 3 settings (full open, pro-pedal and locked out) so I have loads of suspension setting combinations I could explore when out riding – the reality is that I did cock about with them initially (reducing the travel for fast, tech ascents, opening everything for descents, etc) but now, of all the options I have, I only ever regularly use the pro-pedal which I use as a default setting, I just throw the shock open when I’m about to descend and then put it back in pro-pedal when the terrain evens out so I can get the power down. Nobody’s mentioned Giant either – awesome frames to build around because even the lower spec bikes have the same frame (only the top carbon models have different): the missus bought a 12 plate Trance for this seasons and I can say the maestro linkage is awesome, lives up to the hype and does actually do what it says on the tin. If I was going for a new MTB now, Giant would be right up there for me because the spec is amazing for the price too.

Tell me about it! So am I! Trials is incredibly hard to get into as a beginner because even the really REALLY basic stuff like a trackstand is really not easy to learn. Also, I don’t know about other people but I often feel like a bellend because anyone who sees me wobbling about – stop, wobble, lurch forward, stop, wobble, lurch, etc - people must think “That bloke’s an idiot, he can’t even ride that kid’s bike he’s on”… lol

Some are guilty of overusing and/or misusing the word "literally" but I'm not - he will not speak about the time that he caught his finger in the rotor nor will he speak about the possibility of anyone else doing so. He actually clamps has hand over his mouth and shakes his head, it turns his stomach immediately. The thought of it is like nails on a blackboard to him, makes his skin crawl. It really is hilarious.

My best friend literally can't talk about this this issue. He *almost* did the tip of his finger once and literally can't talk about the subject of fingers/disc rotors. It's hilarious. When I was giving the rotors a quick clean with some kitchen roll and a bit of brake cleaner by just spinning them through a fold of kitchen roll, he literally had to walk away, he couldn't watch. lol

I don't know the answer to that but my gut feeling is no, the inner ear thing just happens with the onset of age and I'm not sure if "everything else get better to compensate for it" as such, I think the older you are, the worse your balance will be generally. There's probably varying degrees between individuals like there is in almost everything. I think visual cues probably play a huge part in fine balance (like track standing) on a bike though - can you track stand with your eyes closed for as long as with them open?

I'm a mega-noob so I can't help you with advice I'm afraid but I'd like to ask you a question if I may: You've been riding for a year but only now have you started to "use the back wheel" as it were - what have you been doing prior to this for a year? I'm not being facetious or confrontational here, I just imagined, as someone just starting out, that I'd have to be able to get the back wheel hop down to be able to actual ride anything. Is this not the case?

Balance, I suppose, is an instinct because we naturally balance all the time but my understanding is that the basis of our "sense of balance" is a function of the inner ear - this function does deteriorate over time. Balance on a bike, lets say trackstanding for instance, will improve with practice as your body gets used to the process and your brain reacts better to the visual and physcial cues you are receiving, however, the basis of your balance (the function of the inner ear) will not be as effective when you are older, therefore, older people are relying more heavily on the visual and physical cues they are receiving to maintain balance. This has to mean that the same person learning to trackstand at 20 years old would learn quicker than they would if they decided to learn at 30 years old. I'm 34 and have about 2 hours total practice on a trials bike, I'm currently solely working on trackstanding but I know my progress is slower than if I decided to learn this 14 years ago. It's depressing really - lol

I’ve just started at 34. Apart from the obvious issues of maybe healing slower (which I haven’t noticed in my other riding) I’ve wondered about the fact that there’s a deterioration in balance after your mid 20s - you can test it by trying to balance on one leg with your eyes closed and timing how long you can hold it, if you compare the results of someone in their mid 30’s compared to someone in their early 20s, it’s amusing for the young person and depressing for the 30 something!! I wouldn’t have thought it makes a huge difference other than maybe certain things may need more practice for us oldies. I was shocked how physical practising really basic trials stuff is – I ride cross country/trail MTB a lot and ride motorbikes all the time so I was cocky and thought “yeah, physically, this trials riding is going to be a piece of piss” but it’s not, I’m knackered after half an hour of basic bimbling and I consider myself quite fit. You also need to be really strong, again, I thought “yeah, my Fazer is 200kg, this trials riding is going to be a piece of piss” but it really works your core to balance the trials bike, it takes a lot of strength. On that note, and the “starting older” note, I’m fitter now than I have ever been and most of my mates are the same – I think that you are conscious of your body turning to shit when you hit 30 so make more of an effort to keep in shape. I couldn’t be arsed in my 20’s because I never put any weight on, etc so I was never as fit as I am these days. Also, I had a slow puncture in the back wheel over the weekend so I thought “Yeah, I can change a tube in a couple of minutes on the trail with no tools, this is going to be a piece of piss” oh no way – no QR, no derailleur to automatically loosen and then tension the chain properly, no automatic wheel alignment – snail cam? SNAIL CAM? What? That sounds like Brian from the Magic Roundabout with a GoPro fitted!!

Quick question - I have a disc on the front and HS33 on the back - will the back turn to piss if they get wet? I've never used modern rim brakes, last time I had them was on MTB back in the early 90s and they were useless in the wet. I'm looking to spend a few hours on the bike on Sunday but it's going to be raining so I've been wondering.

Thanks, I need to try to get regular time in on the trials now because I'm really starting from rock bottom here - I can probably track stand my FZ6 at lights longer than I can the trials bike at the moment so I think it's time spent on my drive for the foreseeable just trying to get the basic foundations in place. The missus still thinks it's hilarious that I've bought a bike with no seat so at least someone's enjoying it! lol

Thanks for these responses (Ogre: I was monitoring that thread as it was unfolding), mega helpful. I really appreciate it. What a cracking forum. I've picked up all this info and now have a trials bike (also via this forum!) in the garage waiting for it to stop raining. I've strapped the L-plates on it and now have to start the at the bottom and see what happens but thank you for getting me on my way.

...until the missus finds it, then it gets complicated

How badly are the rotors messed up? With the utmost respect, I find some of the suggestions to be overkill if they aren't in really bad condition. I can understand worrying about contamination because I'm a worrier about that kind of thing but if you use any decent brake cleaner/white spirit and a tooth brush you'll be ok with the exception of only the worst cases. I've never gone farther than this and have never had a problem in years of use and abuse including one incident where chain lube gushed all over a rotor.

Thanks for taking the time to post some pointers, much appreciated. Whilst a 26” would probably seem more “usual” to me, I actually want a 20” BECAUSE it will be different (as well as the other advantages). I know this is a bit weird but I like diversity in my riding – the mod will feel very different from my 26” full susser which also feels quite different from my Yamaha Fazer - I love the diversity of riding bikes, what can I say. It excites me to think about riding a bike which is totally alien. It’s a sickness, I know. Anyway, with your help I’m on the hunt now but being a little frustrated by all the ebay listings being “collection only” – I’ve been watching a few options and waiting to see if they sell, if they don’t, I intend messaging the seller and asking if, given they haven’t had success with collection only, if they would sell to me shipped. Can someone a bit more savvy than me about ebay answer this question please: If they say “yes I can” – If I ask them to relist it as a “buy it now” is there any way to set it up to ensure that only I can buy it? I don’t think there is so I’m slightly concerned about arranging this and someone jumps in and bags it before me. Thanks again for all the advice.