don't aim straight, [so all your force goes in line with the front wheel] you wanna be aiming away from your handlebars, watch how the huge riders gap, it's a similar thing, b*****d to explain in words?
not for your age group, 'cause you can't get any on the books work and the job things online are for more professional jobs + stuff. just get asking round.
you can't take the plate holders off, there welded on put some tape over the threads to protect them from paint + go nuts. why would you want to make the seat triangle bit bigger? use an angle grinder or a hacksaw or dremel etc. as for painting you'll need to:
strip the whole thing down to frame with bb+headset + tape over threads.
nitromorse off any existing paint.
lightly sand the frame to make pain stick better.
prime it [base coat of paint in black or white, depending on how bright you want the finish to be]
spray it your colour
laquer if you feel the need.
if your hardcore you can look up making a heater for your frame to really set the paint.
this saddens me.
in ogres bag:
alen keys
bb tool for skf + normal
spare chain
chain tool
15mm spanner
patches
tyre levers
water [camelbak]
pump
cable cutters
spare cable [mechanical]
i've had [imo] the best freehub+wheel. [eno+pro2] i prefer the pro2 by miles. can use a shorter [therefore stronger bb] the chain moves less when your riding normally + freehubs sounds ace.
wurd, i asked my chemisty teacher last year she said it affected the stiffness of the metal, kinda like the different amounts of carbon in steel affect it's characteristics. i'm sure a clever tfer will explain for realsies this evening.
t-pros are f**king awesome you'll improve really fast with the geometry. anyway, 20" versus 26" you'll pick things up faster on a mod there lighter and easier to chuck around. stocks are more stable and tend to be a bit more forgiving bigger wheel gives you a bigger sweet spot to land on.