F-Stop Junkie

I think you'll struggle. I know the smallest Eno is not recommended for trials as you can't get decent sized pawls/bearings/something in them. Wouldn't it be easier to run a bigger sprocket at the back if you want a lower gear?

Trials does put very specific demands on chains. A 'normal' cyclist will put a reasonably consistant load on a chain, then pedal for miles and miles and miles... Trials riders put high stress loads on a chain, but for a very short period of time. It's the difference between slowly pulling apart a piece of blu-tac, and yanking it apart with a snap. Sheldon Brown is an extraordinary man, but unfortunately not a well one. Here's his health blog, let's hope for the best!

I'm glad you've taken it on board, but you really need to not let things like this get to you, otherwise a *lot* of web forums will wind you up. And can you please cut down on the swearing? This is a family forum after all...

Baby oil is mineral oil, so it's ok to use in Maguras. I think it's a bit thinner than Magura blood, but not much. It won't make as much different as running water, but then water will do more damage to the Magura internals. DON'T use DoT brake fluid! It has various things in it like seal swelling agents which will destroy the seals on your Maguras. Plus it's just nasty, nasty stuff.

You can blow £500, give or take, but you can't spare £40 for a good lid? That just does not make sense. If you roll along on your bike and fall sideways keeping your hands on the bars, the speed at which your head hits the ground is enough to kill you. That's before you start mucking around in a park or doing moves. You said it yourself, neccesities. What trials riders do is intrinsically dangerous, and the more you can do to limit the risks, the better. On my XC bike, I once fell about 8ft and landed on my head. My helmet destroyed itself, but I'm convinced it helped limit my injuries to just a concussion that day. Without it I could have been a lot worse. We - the forum - don't say these things to wind you up, we say it because we're concerned.

Nice pics Andy, a couple of things though. When you borrowed the camera off Chris, he should have told you two things: 1) Put the 350D on the sports setting, not just leave it on the green square. The shutter speeds have dropped and as a result you've got some blur on a couple and 2) Put the flash up and use it. That would have helped illuminate the subject better against the bright sky. If you use it more in the future, you may want to try some of the other settings, but it's a good attempt!

Really? Someone told you that your bike didn't have a seat? Good thing you told everyone here as I'm sure no one has heard it before or seen it on a T-shirt. How's about telling people why your bike is setup like that, what the sport is, and so on? It's better that than just making fun of people who don't know or looking down at them, plus it helps the sport little by little.

I think here's your problem. You can get validated in a handful of posts, or you can linger for months in NMC. It all depends on how good your posts are. Once you're validated, you can post in the other areas of the forum, as well as buy and sell through the sub-forum.

You need to go to a bike shop and find a very, very cheap mech which comes fitted to £70 Halfords Specials. It'll be about a tenner.

I thought your first biketrials bike was a 21" mountain bike Baz? Ok, hands up, who's bike 'just happened' to end up looking like Ashton's or Hawziee's bike circa 97? I actually got asked a couple of times if I was Martyn Ashton because I had a light blue bike (Specialized Rockhopper, seemed like an appropriate name at the time), yellow manufacturers stickers on the stays, and tended to ride with a Volvo Cannondale jersey. Mind you, people have also asked if I'm Steve Behr in the past, and he's a balding, middle aged South African who takes far, far better pictures than me!

It's an interesting topic, as a lot of people arn't aware of the environmental impact of things like the production of aluminium and so on. I was reading a passage on the production of carbon fibre, and how some of the structural carbon (not bling trim pieces, but stuff used in frames and fork legs) is produced using highly toxic chemicals, won't decompose in any useful timeframe, and is pretty damaging. That said... Compared to a motorcycle trials rider, bikes are pretty good. We don't directly burn any fuels, we don't use engine oils and the worst degreasers which need special disposal methods, and use a lot less materials in bike construction and bits than a motorcycle. In turn that means less money spent in extra fuel when it's being transported. Also trials riders can indulge in street riding which means zero emissions on that ride... Generally when it comes to cycling, I'm pretty happy environmentally. The cycling industry as a whole is a small percentage of global metal production/finishing/shipping costs, trials a smaller even chunk of that.

Things from when I started trials... Team ORB The ongoing saga of Robin Coope's Trials How-To manual Scones! Goatwheels Sun Rhyno Lite rims Ti Norcos Ordering Revolution from Qranc in the US Qranc pads Threshold Bits Riders like Paul Thomson, Dave Holmes, Stevie Thompson, Barry Deeks (on a bike ), Kurt Brain... The EBTC newsletter - as in actual paper. The Martins riding Megamos and being sponsored by Coors Watching Level Vibes many, many times Queueing up to watch the trials show at Bike Getting a bashring shipped over from Canada because you just *couldn't* buy one here. It was either that or make your own. mtb-trials mailing list Dan "The Face" Scheinder Ben Savage and Scott Wilson when they were very young, but still insanely good. Everyone being on Yahoo! messenger The Bike Show at Olympia, and the trials demo being down the big sewer pipes from the gallery to the floor in 97 The trials demo rig in 96, and watching Ashton place a pallet to land on by eye, just knowing where he'll land without trying it. That blew my mind at the time! Videos being imported from all over the place, and copies of The Bouncing Czech or the Kraus one being like gold dust. When word got out that I had a spare copy of Revolution, I had many, many offers to buy it off me!

He certainly can Ali! The guy's name is Mitch Benn and he does a lot of different styles of musical parody. I'll have to lend you one of his CDs....

Read the link at the top of the page. Then once you've done that Try this guide to validation

I've certainly got one from Hookwoods last year I think... I'll dig it out and check with you Wayne

This is a publicly viewable forum, and I'd strong advise you to take your number off as anyone could read it...

Decent spelling and some punctuation would help too!

No for sale threads allowed in NMC. These 'testing the water' threads sale dangerously close, especially when you start adding contact details and expected prices. I'm going to not close this topic, but I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on this and any similar threads in the future. If too many come up then we may have to start treating them as For Sale threads and stop them in NMC.

When people quote comedy programmes out of context? "I'm a Laaaady!" No, you're an unoriginal halfwit.

Sheffield still, but only a stone's throw from lovely Leicestershire...

I forgot to mention, the expected price is likely to be £12 posted to the UK, though I'm trying to keep the price as low as possible. That said, if I can lower costs, then it means more money for BiketrialUK. What do people think?

Urm, the only thing I could teach you Pat is how to wobble about and fall off. Would be good to get riding again, except I don't live in Leicester any more... Not far off though...

Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with steel?

Right, a quick update. Thanks to Rugbyman, I've got a decent price to do it, but we need quantity. What I'm going to be doing is setting up a site somewhere (can anyone help here?) to allow previews of the images involved, and pre-order. I really need pre-orders as there is a fair amount of cash involved and I don't want to be stuck with loads of calenders and a big debt at the end... Once I get things sorted, I'll post up here and start taking orders!

I really wouldn't ride Bradgate Park, especially when it's busy! The wardens have the power to confiscate bikes, and they have in the past. The forest next door is ok though. There's a motorcycle trials club in Earl Shilton who's name escapes me at the moment, and they have a great practise ground for natural. It's not a lot to join for the facilities you get! I've spoken to them before about having biketrials riders as members, and they're quite happy to take us! Earl Shilton Trials Club Welcome to the forum John!