guineasmithpig

sponsorship would be good, because it would help me get better, but i don't specifically aim to be sponsored trials is a never ending journey of challenges. when u think you've exhausted a riding spot, you move on. butwhen u come back, u can see it in a different way and do somethin different again. i don't think u can ever run out of aims in trials. always somthin to do my dad keeps tryin to convince me i should quit. says i shud grow up (20 :lol: ) could everyone give him a big BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cheers! smithy

errrrrrrrrrrrrrr......... no need

random (Y) although, i suspect (from ur post) that the air u see through the 'vent' tube is just from the oil draining out of the tube as it leaves the kinda vacuum caused by the bleed. 1. is ur bike stood upright (ie, not lying on its side) 2. i sometimes find that spinning the lever around so that its at the top of the handlebar helps niggling air bubbles from staying in the lever aside from these, i can only deduce that ur not quite carrying out the process correctly 1. bleed from the calipers to the lever 2. once bled through, make sure the outlet at the lever is sealed before removing the syringe at the bottom (at any point during the process, like topping up the syringe) 3. once the syringe tube is removed from the caliper, make sure the threaded hole is topped up before placing the bolt back in 4. try bleeding through about 3 syringe fulls of oil, just to be sure if ur doing all of the above, then hell knows. u sure u connected ur brake lines to the lever? smithy

go on steve!!! post ur pic, u big sexy bear :S and here's me. aren't i the coolest? (Y) this is how the clive booth halls W-Block massive be holdin it down, BOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIII!!!! smithy

having just posted above, i went to check out the current hutchinson prices and...... i never remember payin about £35 for my tyre?! :S have they increased in price the last couple o years or somthin? plus i was quoted much lower prices by a lbs who rang extra uk to get the prices. what the.... still ace tyres all the same :S smithy

i'm gonna say hutchinson octopus. i know some people run em on the rear, but mine on the front has been amazing! 2.35 wide and pretty tall, giving great bounce on touch hops, and awesome wrap-around grip on rails and other thin stuff, though its really stable on my <-W-I-D-E-> front rim. oh, and as they are a soft-conditions DH tyre, they have big sticky out side knobs, which hook onto stuff really nice. some people on a reading ride a while back might have seen me rear wheel a bin, and about one side knobble saved me from face planting the wall in front! not the cheapest (bout £27 i think) but i've had mine for bout 2 years now. was on the rear of my giant for at least 12 months, and replaced the hot s on my koxx front wheel once it stopped working and i switched to a wide front rim. only 900g, which is pretty decent, considering its also well up to rear wheel duties too! i'm looking to go for a new 2.35 on the front, and get a 2.5 on the back as well. octopus by name, octopus by nature......... smithy

still my fave. thanks ben (Y) (photographer) i like ali c's pics too. whats goin on with ur back foot on the last one!? smithy

yeah, as tomm sed, when u land pre-180, ur directional momentum opposes the spin, so u'll lose ur spinning momentum. mite still be possible to pull it off with a bit of brute force. but just give it loads on ur first 180, and if u land over 180 degrees, ur directional momentum will naturally carry on pulling the bike round. hold urself steady over the bike and it'll just spin around on its own!!! another tip for spins.... nearing the end, if ur losing momentum, get the front wheel pointing where it needs to be at the end of the move (if u have another 90 deg to go, u'll look like ur doin a half-ass turn down:p). now, still on the rear wheel (hopefully still spinning a bit) if u push down on the outside end of the bar, and pull on the inside end, the leverage created straightens the bike out, pulling it round to the desired finishing position. found this very useful maself. hope the description makes sense to at least a few people! (Y)" smithy

haha, yeah, jaime's are some prototype global ones. maybe ali's old ones (think they're are the same style, with kinda dual crown plates?), maybe another pair they made. had an aluminium bar banged in through the bottom of the steerer though, to keep em a little stiffer. look nice, not really tried em meself. but u'd be lucky to get any, unless global have started makin em. still reckon u should go for the smart guys. they look uber tough. though we have heard that at least one pair broke, i can't see how we can be expectin every other pair to go (like the older onza forks :)). the welding and gussets look wicked, and the smart steerer is an awesome innovation (if they are the first to do it o course (Y)" ). i would be gettin em if i hadn't sorted a deal on some more fatties (new style ones at that). just hope these don't break again. may have to down-size my front rotor......... smithy

am just finishin off my gear set up have an 18t sprocket for normal trials 17t for larger rolling stuff/more power 15t (i think) for gettin around on 2 9speed spacers between each sprocket, Tiagra rear mech with spaced out lower cage to take ma KMC ss chain. all run by a friction clutch (?) thumb shifter, though i found my LH esp carbon shifter at home, which may go on one day. after a few weeks ridin with the shifter on, it doesn't get in the way, and looks bitchin with ma pink cable outers!!! hopin this setup shud make my ridin a bit easier and progressive. runnin just the 18t, i struggled on large rolling gaps, and uphill touch hops. just gotta wait 10 weeks to try it out now (Y) really, u know whether u'd b best gears or not. if u smack ur mech all the time, and only use one gear most the time, then ss wud be best. if u don't and feel ur riding may benefit from use of different gears (like me) then give em ago. i feel that only a couple o gears will give me the ratios i need, savin weight over usin a whole cassette, and still allowin me to use a dependable chain. smithy

not advised unless ur really desperate. if ur just really lazy, then shame on u. proper tools all the way people. btw, ur lbs sound like right tossers. smithy

:lol: i really wanted to have a go o this comp! got some cool little curb tricks o me own!! us shud all be thankful me ankles knackered! lovin trials punk's effort. quality. had to watch it a couple o times though because kept gettin distracted by the song!!! for ridin skills, 'CurbCrawler' is the best ive seen so far. the editting and song make it a very 'watchable' video, so tis my winner to date. ah well, once i got me ankle sorted (bout 6 weeks yet ;) ) might just make a curb video anyway. looks like fun! good effort lads! keep up the good work! smithy

yes, but u will need something to space out the gap left. washers will be of the M10 variety, though most popular with trials riders is an old magura Evo (2 bolt) mount washer; the on that sits behind the the removable side of the brake. errrrrrrrr........ have u completely ignored the rest of the thread? ;) read people, READ! thats the whole point of others posting answers! anyways, my little addition to this is, if ur running singlespeed, rather than having to fit a piece of cable to keep the mech positioned over the sprocket when locked out, i simply: 1) push the mech across until its positioned over/in line with the sprocket 2) swing the upper cage of the mech forward until its touching the chainstay 3) lock it up jobs a good un. chainstay stops the mech from returning to its resting position (not over the sprocket).

oh yeah, this years SWs and DWs are exactly the same shape and width my new singlewalls have WF (World Force) logo on for some reason. random and before some smart arse says 'its because they're world force bars' even hotlines assured me they were new style SWs. anyone shed any further light on the current situation? smithy

snapped 2 sets of DWs. love the shape, but both sets have snapped pulling up on the bars, last time resulting in a dislocated thumb. so, hotlines recommended trying the SWs, as they have far fewer returned for warranty replacement (which they have done both times) than DWs the theory is, the doublewall construction is good for dissipating trail vibrations (as in downhill and freeride) as the loads are shared between the two walls as and when required. can't really see the benefits over singlewalls, but hey (Y)" as a young nipper, i always thought the doublewalls meant doule strength. but NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! infact, (apparently) under large (trials) loading and bending, the walls touch at the point of maximum bending, stopping the materials from flexing anymore, and causing a stress point. it effectively forms a solid point at which the material 'pivots' about, instead of being allowed to flex sorry if that made no sense. correct me if i'm wrong (if u understood it). basically, if u like the feel of ur DWs, i'd recommend SWs. i personally hated the feel of eastons, so stayed with Azonic all the way! plus, hotlines warranty service is equal to that of hope. snap ur bars, ring em and tell em u broke em, send em back, await replacement set (usually very soon) smithy

do ur research on kenda tyres first. i have a 2.35 Nevegal (Stick-E) and the carcass is quite stiff. so, i started lowerin the pressure to where it feels nice and a bit bouncy. next thing u know, 'BONG'. its rimmin out like a b@st@rd on certain hits. btw, i had a 2.5 minion (Super Tacky) which was everythin u could want from a tyre, and lasted over 8 months!!! super grippy, i used to run sub-20psi, never pinched the thing (in 8 months!) and i only ride street, and used to ride at least 4 miles to all the riding spots 'local'. that'll be my next tyre again. i would recommend tryin kendas also, but their are a few dogs around from what i gather, so find out EXACTLY which tyres use which carcasses. my cousin bought some kinetics a while back, and the sidewalls were literally like paper! try rob poyzer (onzabob?) because he runs em now. smithy

nicky g is ridin his control in usually silky smooth style. seems to like it a lot. can't wait to see more from him. and best o luck in the comps mr g! smithy

sorry folks, i'm out of action (see post in trials chat) (Y) if i am on ma feet by then, will try ride down on ma xc bike to see wots goin down have fun everyone!! smithy

hmmmmm, doubting it jaime can't put any weight on it and it'll take at least 4 to 5 days for the swellin to go anyway. gimme a ring when u can m8y n sorry to hear bout ur leg mr mumford. was it ur crash vid that was posted up here a while back? get well soon! smithy

cheers for the support guys! its the same ankle i have sprained twice already! but that was kinda rollin it over, this was just slammed straight into the floor flat footed. didn't even collapse when i landed, just hit the floor standing up!! ah well... anyone no a guy called simon lord? he added me on msn sayin he's a physio. anyone got any experience o this guys help? (got my addy of this post) smithy

hey all. another story of woe (Y) thought it were about time to change ma bb. so got a new one today. planned on changin it in the mornin. went out ridin this evenin. snapped bb off a drop (bout 6.5ft) resulted in knackered ankle (not broken) puttin me off the bike for at least a week. oh yeah, and new fattys r ready for collection and fitting oh yeah, and was sposed to be doin the big oxford ride on monday ah well, just as ma ridin was gettin better, i'm off the bike, AGAIN!!! is there a trials god? and if so, why does he hate me? smithy p.s. mr porter, if i can't get outta ma room on monday, u n sam should definately come by and storm the flat!!! p.p.s. oh yeah, and just realised the twisting snap of the bb axle has taken a big gash outta the square tapered socket in ma drive side middleburn crank. a successful night overall, i reckon!!

i drove bout 10 miles to a ride once, and forgot my helmet. drove al the way back agen to get it!! i never ride without a helmet!!! ive had to pretty serious knocks to the head, and in both cases, i reckon without the helmet, i'd at least be brain damaged. to those who think people reckon u look silly, dya reckon they'd think u were cool sat in a wheelchair being fed through a straw because u didn't wear a helmet? think we have a point to prove to society in general! i work in a bike shop in oxford, and considerin theres more bikes than cars on the road, it p****s me off the number of customers who say 'i can't wear a helmet because i look silly'. i know its everyones own decision, but i'm waitin for the day when a post appears on here about one of our fellow riders bein killed from not wearin a helmet. maybe thats the only wake up call some people will take notice of. i've already seen a guy paralysed from the age of 16 because he fell off without any protective gear. and a kid near where i live fell off his bike playin in the street with his friends, and cracked his head on a curb, killing him instantly. sorry peeps, but i can't understand, under any circumstances, how people can do what we do without wearing a helmet lecture over smithy

jeeeeeeeeeeeeez!!!! not watched it yet, but just downloaded it in 15seconds (Y) mint vid!!! some beastily ridin goin down! don't wanna ride monday now :( might end up sellin the trials bike! watch it people!!! smithy

don't think X13 goes past the station u'll have to get off on t'other side o town (if ur comin from headington/marston direction) will see y'all at station smithy