Maintenance Justice

I have @AdamR28's hard drive sitting on my desk full of videos from pretty much the beginning. It'll be a future project to get these uploaded / linked to the TB site in some manner if possible, it'd be great to have an archive a bit like @aener has going on.

Well that was ridiculous. Best street vid I’ve seen this year and probably up there for all time. The up onto the shutter sill looked like it might have been a lot trickier than you make it look!

'Had' - we've sold out at the moment but more are on the way including some silver but it's still a 10-week wait sadly. Lever feel is vastly improved, the new roller bearing and pivot / nut makes things much smoother. It's noticeably lighter in the action too. Haven't tried one on a bike yet, but all indications are good.

Cue Flight of the Valkyries music.... So I have chopped down cassettes and it does work well with a few caveats. 1 - You're going to struggle here with the range you are proposing. The jumps between sprockets will be enormous removing every other sprocket, so shifting won't be ideal. It'll probably work, but be a bit lumpy. As a rule for bikes with derailleurs up front a 16t gap is generally the maximum between chain rings, however chain rings are ramped, pinned and shaped specifically to allow shifting across this range. Cassette sprockets are not, they're suited to shifting with about a 5 tooth difference at best going into the lowest gear (the biggest sprocket) and about 2-3 tooth difference between the mid to high range (smaller sprockets). Also, the lockring of the cassette is a limiting factor, it doesn't get a great purchase on sprockets any bigger than 13t. I've had the best results by ditching the bottom two sprockets and or top cluster, so there are even jumps in the mid-range and the high gear sprocket is small enough for the lockring to get purchase. On my example, it's a Deore 10 CS-HG50 speed 11-36 cassette with the top two low and bottom 11t high sprockets removed (7spd!!). You'll notice that the bottom two high gear sprockets on most of these type of cassettes have their own in built spacer - not using these means trying to space the cassette out with only the plastic spacers they are supplied with, and in my experience it never quite works to get the overlap of the free hub body required to tighten the cassette. As Adam says you can split a cassette that is pinned, but my preference is a higher end cassette such as XT, SLX or any of the better SRAM cassettes as they contain more individual sprockets / clusters but it's getting hold them that's the issue! 2 - I used a Shimano Zee M640 10 Spd Clutch rear mech with the 'DH' hanger meaning it's rated up to 28T (they are available with a 'Freeride hanger rated up to 36t, but there are like hens teeth to find) which is ideal as that is the size of the lowest gear. These mechs work really well for this as they're designed for DH style cassette spacing, which is essentially what this conversion / bodge is in relation to chain line when using a single speed hub. An VERY important note here: Because the cassette is sitting closer to the mech, there is less clearance between the chain and derailleur. I found trying to fit the cassette with the two big sprockets meant that as the derailleur swung across, it actually trapped the chain. I therefore opted for a smaller climbing gear and tighter ratio, which worked without issue. I suspect you'll come across the same problem using a wide range cassette. Derailleur hanger extensions are available from companies like Wolftooth which will give more clearance, but your mech will sit lower to the ground and be more susceptible to misalignment 3 - 10 Speed is the way to go in my opinion, the cassettes give enough range and are about right in terms of sprocket spacing to butcher. I've not tried this with 11 or 12 speed. 4 - Lastly, running a single chain ring on the front with an already limited range on the rear means a sacrifice in terms of gearing. 32t is a nice middle ground on a 26" MTB at least. On mine the 28t rear gives a 'good' enough climbing gear and the 13t high gear is enough for trail riding if you don't mind cruising a bit when speed takes over. This ratio of 13-28 / 32 gives some useable trials gears too. I do run a front mech because I want the range and I prefer the ratios that a 22t sprocket gives you for general MTB use but I also have lots of leg bruises from shifters whilst trialing the thing! .

Some interesting insights here. I remember trials being popular when I was in my early teens and even watched Danny’s video when it was first released whilst at uni in my 20’s but spending the majority of my ‘riding life’ in MTB the trajectory has kind of been the opposite to trials. I think MTB now is popular in the same way trials was in the mid 2000’s because it looks and feels cool to send big stuff! The 50 to 1 and Caldwell visuals lot made their names doing the same kind of jam sessions and properly on edge riding seen in the TGS era. In the same way, Danny showed the world the potential of his style of trials riding and I think it really helped to give context to the size and scope of what trials could be with a more creative approach. Much the same way we’re seeing with BMX riders taking to MTB and applying that creativity which is driving its popularity. Coming into trials later there is certainly a feeling that the ‘glory days’ are in the past but I feel the sport is simmering with potential if that same creative approach is used to broaden the appeal of the style of riding rather than the hardcore fundamentals of the sport itself. It’s always going to be a big ask to get the current younger generation to put the time into learning back wheel hops and gaps when it’s so much easier to just hoof it off a massive gap jump in the woods and get instant kudos from mates and the internet (Pinkbike Saturday Sends…). I think Danny deserves full credit for trying to engage a wide audience coming at it from something achievable and popular like wheelies to promote just messing about on a bike which will hopefully lead a few down the rabbit hole.

I think like most things in sport it’s knowing when to apply power and when to relax. To balance you need to remain fluid to correct quickly but to drive through a section you need power and for that power to be applied smoothly and in a controlled way. With that little skinny you need to focus on where you want to go not where you are. If your minds eye is constantly looking around and down it will be really hard to maintain balance. Try focussing on the end of the skinny and keeping that focus as you tackle the obstacle and commit. Stay relaxed on the run up but once your on focus and power. You’ll notice riders don’t hang about on skinny stuff and keep moving at reasonable pace. Keep going and just do what you enjoy riding!

This. It would’ve been really cool to see a £1000 to £1500 alloy bike with the Fabio name as a draw to a wider audience into Trials but alas no. I was thinking this might be able to engage some new riders (and it probably will to a certain extent) however riders used to dropping this sort of cash expect a bike to perform especially as it’s ‘Rigid’ so it should be mint right? For that money? Surely? Problem is as Mark says there are some really half arsed / totally wide of the mark parts choices that anyone who buys into this will quickly realise are inappropriate or just plain dangerous for actual Trials riding (cheap star ratchet hubs notoriously sluggish engagement and when they skip….). Trials riders will immediately pick out the faults, MTB riders will quickly realise its flawed and be a bit miffed at spending that cash. All the while the grassroots of the market are wondering when their entry budget will buy more than a snickers.

I was running an old Louise but decided on swapping the calliper out for an MT7 for a bit more power and just decided to chance it by keeping the Louise lever. Tell you what, impressed so far, lever feel is spot on on, light, and the TPA is handy for dialling in the feel - the power is nuts. I really like the direct feel of the in line master piston and longer lever blade. As a bit of an ad hoc experiment it’s working remarkably well. Looking forward to getting in the TECH 4 in at Tarty to see what the differences in feel are as we’re fortunate to have TECH 3 on the shelf to compare with.

Dunno how I feel about this sort of thing. It’s great Marin are acknowledging Duncan’s Trials background and hopefully we’ll see more high profile content from him. Just seems a shame to do it using bikes you can’t buy but I suppose other street Trials brands many benefit from more awareness of Trials.

The narrow Z1EHX 3/32nd will work with up to 8spd cassettes but it’s not ideal, they’re not really designed to shift and depending on the cassette there may be clearance issues between the chain and sprockets. The KMC X8 will be better on that set up. They’re strong enough (supplied OE on some Jitsie bikes) just make sure to join WITHOUT the quick link!

@CurtisRider those handlebars are brilliant, slight whiff of repack about them with the super wide swept back profile. Proper cool!

Having ridden a few they can feel ‘muted’ on the trail. All that weight, frame protection, beefy tyres and suspension. You sometimes don’t realise how hard you’re hammering down stuff until something pops. Gear changes are the killer though like @Davetrailsand @AdamR28says, clumsy shifting is rewarded with transmission death hence e MTB specific drivetrains to try and curb the animals out there going for a gear on a 20% at full boost.

Yea I get you, riding is a lot more fun if you just focus on what you want to do rather than what you think you ‘should’ be doing. I’ve not been in Trials for very long but looking back through the years some of the best riders did their own thing and didn’t seem phased by not practicing the ‘big 3 moves’. Trials riders taking the creative BMX style approach to riding can only be a good thing so I look forward to seeing what you get up to on this!

Lovely job this, the attention to detail with decals, paint and finish is really something!

More front brake-less riding! I'm really getting on well without a front brake, I don't find it a hindrance for most things. Some moves are definitely more difficult but not impossible, and it has its benefits in other areas (rolling up onto ledges for example or gapping across to two wheels). Generally, the new set-up seems to suit me - certain bike set-ups seem to 'click' mentally, sometimes for no logical reason, and it's the case this time too, so I'll run with it. I'm getting a bit more confident at larger gaps. Rather than being a one off 'lets give it a go' during a ride, I find I'm starting to do them on a regular basis. I still need to stop that annoying habit of hopping backwards slightly before take off, but hopefully I'll stop that in time as I get more confident. It's more of an over compensation I think in preloading before take off, I need to get comfortable in just compressing down and forward before going for the jump. Still battling with side hops - it's really frustrating as I've analysed the technique so much! I know exactly what I need to do, but teaching my body to do it is proving a mountain to climb. I'm improving slowly, but I think it's the tuck and roll forward of the bars that's not quite right. I feel like I'm not tucking enough to draw up the rear wheel and that I need to push the bars forward to keep centred on the bike when I land. When I do make it onto a ledge I've found I'm quite far foward compared to better riders which sometimes means slipping a pedal and being quite cramped on landing. I have found that hopping into a preload helps a little, I guess because it forces me to preload more than I am doing when I'm static. It also feels a bit better mentally taking some momentum into something, it feels like you stand more of a chance of getting up it! I'll practice this technique a bit more and hopefully it will translate to better static side hops. Lastly I've made the upgrade to a Hope Pro 4 converted to 116mm and it's ace! Really enjoying how it feels - definitely a noticeable improvement on rolling resistance and the engagement is great. It's really apparent when 'kick rolling' the bike forward, especially up to ledges, the bike carries momentum better which, with practice, I hope to take advantage of to ride a bit smoother. A terrible picture of a lovely product....

I'm jealous - some great looking spots there

Some serious tuck at 1:10, excellent stuff

It's been a while! I've been riding quite a bit since the last video and making some progress. I'm looking to develop a 'style' - I'm at the point now where I feel I've got the basics down enough to start riding in a certain way rather than just doing the usual moves over and over. Of course I'll never stop practicing but there are a handful of riders I really admire and they all have one thing in common, one or no brakes! I really like the smooth style and the way these riders tackle obstacles. Rather than the normal 'comp' style of to front everything there is a lot of rolling and fluid movement rather than jerky power moves which I really like in natural Trials. To that end I've taken the front brake off the mod. No way am I going to attempt riding with no brakes at all but I thought this could be fun experiement. I switched the bars to a street style bar with much more rise in a more upright position, without the front brake to pivot around with I need to swivel on the back much more and I can't put as much weight on the front wheel whilst being unable to lock it on tricky terrain. I've also found I needed to let the tyre pressure down a good few PSI, without the both brakes to 'sandwhich' the bike into a grippy position you're relying much more on the tyres hanging on with friction. First impressions are...good? It's kind of like when I learned to juggle. Maddeningly frustrating then when you do get some success it's weirdly compelling and makes you want do more and be more ambitious. It's also helped tackle the 'faff' with less opportunities to correction hop. If you're going to get up something it's better to just get up there quickly which often means rolling up where possible or doing a quick wheel swap. It's surprising how much you rely on the front brake for balance, it almost makes it too tempting to correction hop all the time with the wheels locked and without it you just balance - this is a major plus in saving energy. In fact I did a full session the other day and finished with much less fatigue in my arms so an interesting point to note. I'll continue with this on the MOD for now (still full stoppers on the stock) and see how it progresses

Or goes to that length and expense so they can run two terrible cheap callipers instead of one…

Err already off to a bad start with a roast chicken stretched over the first couple of days! Could do with some suggestions for online food boxes to snack healthier, struggle to keep on top supplying enough food for regular veggie or vegan meals but I think a good start would be swapping junk snacks for vegan alternatives.

Yea they're not a good idea! I've had a chain fail on a split link before so best avoided. The little shard is a tiny 'shoulder' on the chain pin. In the factory for many brands of chain the pins are 'peened' over at the end creating a lip to revent the pin working loose. When you remove that pin you sheer off that lip which is the shard you end up with. Geared chains use special pins to rejoin or split links, the chains are twisted side to side by chainging gear so it's important not to remove and refit pins in this way for geared bikes as this shifting motion up and down sprockets flexes the chain and can cause the outer plates to splay open if the lip of the pin is broken. It's not really an issue for single speed bikes, the chain runs in a straight (ish) line so there is no side to side flex. The pins dont rotate and are fixed so rejoining with the same pin you broke the chain with is fine. Like @DYAKOVsays just don't push the pin too far out when you break the chain. When you rejoin push the pin all the way home and make sure it goes cleanly through the outer plate, if that deforms it's game over for that link. Once joined give the chain a flex side to side on that link to loosen it off and it should be good to go!

All the snapped mounts (apart from the Hope one which looks as though it's a fault with the mount rather than just ride induced damage) look like they've suffered from landing to rear. Fortunately the Formula mount looks properly beefy so I doubt you'll have any issues with that breaking but bear in mind that the stress of landing backwards onto the rear brake has to go somewhere and if the mount doesn't fail something else might so it's best to avoid this move if you can or become very smooth / accept that you're going to break stuff occasionally! Might be best to take a leaf out of @aener's book if you're a serial Fakie lander and learn to land to backwards using the drive to take some of the strain.

The key thing is making sure the caliper is 'correctly' positioned over the rotor. By this I mean that the pads fully contact the rotor and do not 'overlap' it wherever possible. Any over lap means less pad on the rotor and therefore less hold / bite. Using the incorrect mount can also angle the calliper so the pads are not in line with the curvature of the rotor which will also lead to poor braking (trying to use a front specific mount on the rear for example or using loads of spacers to up the compatible rotor size you can use). The mounts you have look fine, forged mounts are generally stronger than CNC ones so the Shimano will be good, I don't know anything about the Formula so can't comment. Landing backwards heavily on the rear brake puts a lot of stress through calipers, frames, mounts and rotors so it's something to be avoided if possible to prolong the life of everything.