iron_panda

Yeah I had a go on @Dift's bike with the shorter wheel base and although it is definitely technique as I still couldn't really get the front wheel up more than a few inches i felt like it was more achievable on his bike... even though it wasn't haha. Going to have a look at shorter stems and see if that makes a difference Having said this, I can somewhat do it if I do a little endo and then get up on the backwheel (thanks Dift for the little tip!). Trackstands are also getting better! @CC12345678910 Heard the term from various videos on YouTube. I know what you mean by figuring it out for myself and I do agree with you. But at my level, I feel like I had to watch some videos to get a general idea of what tricks you can do and get an idea on how to do them. But thanks for pointing it out, I'll know not to take how'to videos too seriously now

@Daviesdt Yeah I'm pretty sure it's lack of technique at this point. In regards with chain tension.. think I'd need a tensioner as you mentioned that my wheel distance is probably ok? Ahh I wasn't really trying to achieve anything at this point. American bunny hops and manuals would be good to know (saw a video where some one says that if you learn 2, the other is a bit easier?) @Dift Ok cool yeah I'll be down there early, got a few things I want to try with the trackstand stuff

Thanks guys! Will try moving the wheel back However, if I can't get the front wheel up due to the longer wheelbase and still want tension on my chain, I'm assuming that it's just a case of moving the rear wheel forward and taking a link out the chain? Again, it's more than likely due to poor technique at this point but thought I'd save time and ask now @hewlejr So if I'm not mistaken the incline essentially replaces the brakes? Whereas if there's no incline you use the brakes to couteract the pedals. If that's the case, I'm pretty sure that's another thing I'm doing wrong, I've been using my brakes with the incline.

@Daviesdt Ah, I'm just turning my front wheel and pushing the bike away to the side without turning my body. I will give that a go when I get the chance! Thanks @DiftCool will do! Yeah it'll all come together at some point. Just wish I had loads more time! Definitely going to get a lot of riding in when it's summer again! Another quick question. I'm finding that when pedaling, the freewheel doesn't engage straight away. There's kind of a 'dead area' where pedaling doesn't do anything and noticed that my chain is a tiny bit slack. Does the slack on the chain cause this? Should it be like that? Thanks!

Thanks for the tips guys! Just got back from the skate park and I'm pretty sure it's because I'm more weighted over the handle bars. so when I'm next out I'll (try) and shift my body backwards In regards to the trackstand... I come to a stop and instantly push my bike left, away from my front foot to try and balance Which subsequently, unbalances me. Is there a way to combat this? I've tried doing it on a slight incline which ( I don't know if it's the speed or angle I'm at) seems to make it worse. I find it somewhat easier on flat ground oddly enough. Although I did balance for around 4 seconds today, which sadly is my personnel best so far haha.

Hey guys! I might need my rear wheel moving forward as I'm finding it a bit difficult to get the front wheel up. Could be because I'm an inexperienced rider and my brain is saying "you don't want to fall back and hurt yourself do you?" but I thought I'd ask anyway So regardless of if I have to take a link out of my chain I may need to use a chain tensioner but I'm not 100% on which type(?) I've had a look around on tartybikes and amazon and there seem's to be quite a few different tensioners so I'm just wondering what one I should get? Are the difference in design for different bikes? I've got a 2010 Onza Zoot. If you need pictures of the freewheel, chain and sprockets, I'll have to post them later. At work at the moment Cheers!

@Dift Pm'ed you

Yeah I live in Aigburth so been meaning to go down to the area where the skate park is. Just want somewhere secluded, no one around and quiet to get some good practice in

Thanks for the suggestions guys! @Scott Gibbs Where abouts are these spots? Or was it more of a generalization? Haha @CC12345678910 Around by Waterloo Dock and the Titanic Hotel? The Aquatics center is in Wavertree (unless there's another one?) Yeah I keep thinking that it's a quick thing to learn, watched countless trials videos and how-to's and have kind of worked out the how to do the tricks in my head but when it comes into practice it feels like my brain is not communicating with my body for riding positions etc I guess that's the learning part! Thanks for the trashzen site too. Bought the book last week @Daviesdt Yeah think industrial estates could be the best option! Though I work near Manchester and by the time I get back to Liverpool it gets to be quite late. Though weekends are always good

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone knows of any secluded places to ride in or around Liverpool? Started learning about a month ago and not really made any progress. Not having any sort of biking background, I have (as you can imagine) a little bit of fear falling my arse or going over the handlebars and the embarrassment that folliws so I'm thinking it could be better for me to go somewhere completely out of the way to practice. I know this might seem a bit stupid but do feel that I can learn quicker and better on my own with absolutely no one around And before the suggestions kick in. I have no garden haha Thanks in advance for any tips!

@Daviesdt Thanks for the treasure trove of info there! Will be getting the Trashzen book on payday! If I'm honest I don't really know the difference between traditional and street. I thought it was all street based? Yeah I every time I try the track stand and ride off I tend to try other little bits like a mini front wheel pivot, english bunny hops etc. Feel myself already getting my balance, took it round the local park yesterday and on tight paths with a lot of people I managed to get through at a very slow pace @niconj Awesome! Thanks for the blog, I'll have good look through it

Ahh thanks for that! Only just discovered Martyn Ashton with his road bike stuff, pretty crazy!

Ahh no way I was down there visiting family that weekend (13th) but went back to Liverpool on that Monday, only just started though so wouldn't be able to do much lol

How come squeaky brakes are a good thing? Is it a case of less squeaky means more lubrication, less friction which i guess is bad if you need very responsive brake? I keep finding myself slowly pedaling and then using my brakes, I can't seem to get my head round to feather the brakes and let gravity roll you back. Got any tips? cool cheers for the link, will keep an eye out

Hey guys so I picked up my onza zoot a few weeks back and just started to take it out to learn the track stand now (been quite busy so haven't really had the time ) but I'm just wondering a few things. I'm just starting to get a good idea of how to accomplish the track stand but what comes next? I saw some videos from think bike on YouTube and it's very much do this, then this and then that. Just wondered how you guys learnt, what you learnt and in what order Also, I'm ashamed to say but I don't really have any cycling background so it's all VERY new to me, I mean I had a bike for getting from A to B but rarely used it and one thing that's quite apparent on my zoot are the squeaky breaks. Seen on videos that this is quite common but is it a good idea to get them fixed? Thanks in advance for any info and help!

Thanks for the tips can a track stand be accomplished on flat ground? Is it harder?

All looks good, almost brand new. Apart from a few small scratches and worn grips , it's hard to believe that it's 6 years old now I just need to learn, finding the track stand a bit frustrating... Feels like I'm a kid again learning to ride a bike (....I'm 28) haha

Awesome it was originally £200 and did try £150 but he said the lowest he can go was £180 which isn't too bad. Almost in the middle

Hey guys! I'm due to pick up a used (2010) onza zoot tomorrow for £180 and I just wondered if these specs are good for the price and year? Although quite vague the seller has said most of the parts are onza branded, DD-11 onza V brakes, Maxxis holy roller tyres (24x2.4 rear, 24x1.85 front). He said the the spec looks like it's almost unchanged from the new one. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi sorry for the late reply but I've found a different one but has no specs. I went off the first one as it didn't come with brakes. I've sent you a pm with a link to the bike

Hey guys, I've been wanting to start trials for a little while now and I've been shopping around for bikes and have found an Onza Zoot 24" selling for £225. Is this worth it? I've heard good things about the zoots but not sure how much they're worth. Thanks in advance for any help!

Thanks for the suggestions! The only issue I have is that a lot of the really cheap (zoots mainly) are 3 or 4 hours drive away and most of the time collection only Think I'll need to keep looking around and see what's better - a near by, more expensive bike or far away cheaper bike plus petrol!

Think I'll go with a street bike Although Zoot's and Inspired seems to be the 'go to' bikes. Just for starting out and to save money are there any other makes or models that I could look out for? Obviously if I see a zoot or inspired for £100 (like the one mentioned previously!) I should check it out

Thanks for the replies! Now I'm not sure which one to go with. Street or non-street bike! What are the main differences between them? http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/ looks good but bit out of my price range Thanks for the link though. Worth knowing if I get into riding

Hey guys, I watched Danny Macaskill's Imaginate a week or two back and it's made me really want to try trials biking. I've owned a mountain bike for a few years but only used it a handful of times and that was just commuting to and from somewhere so I'm not looking to spend tons in case I don't get on with it so I'd be happy with a run down, really cheap, second hand bike just to start with. Are there particular manufacturers that are suited for beginners or better than others or does it not really matter too much at this stage / what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance for any info!