A!!

I used them on a worn rim grind. They work well in the dry (give a good squeak), they make good pads for big moves as they have a good amount of stopping power in dry weather, which makes them good for gaps etc. But i did find that if it got cold the brake pad was much less effective and didn't work very well, the same thing happens when it is wet, so you end up loosing trust in them when it is raining, as the brakes tend to slip and roll alot. This wouldn't of been helped by the fact that my rim was pretty smooth, as the grind had worn down. In the end i got some new koxx bloxx browns, and found they worked better in all weather with a smooth rim and no tar.

Ye it also stops you getting skewered on them which is pretty handy. It's one of them things that i get worried about so i always use bar ends. I think next months Mbuk are giving some for free with their magazine.

Sounds like the fork star nut has gone meaning you can't tighten the top cap as it is spinning. You can buy spare ones easily, but the hard part is getting the old it out. You should be able to see the splines on the star nut that grip the inside of the fork, i'm not sure of the best way of doing it, but i would say just get a screwdriver and hammer and tap it out of the fork.

I really like that frame, looks lovely. I think it's just the fact that after using seat-lesss, high bb rise frames that a bike like that is more of a reality check, showing just how nice the less extreme designs look. Although i have liked bikes styled like that for a long time, they just seem to look more classy and less in your face then many of the recent trials bikes.

To learn how to flick the backwheel up high, i found the easiest way to learn is to ride along and try to pull an endo without using the front brake (it may sound silly but it works). This gets you used to moving your body weight and using your feet to get the backwheel in the air, when you trying this effectively what you are doing is unweighting the bike, so it makes it easy to get the rear wheel in the air. Once you have learned how to get you backwheel up and you know how to get you front wheel up it is all a matter of timing. You pull the front wheel up first, then flick the back wheel up after.

The main reason i started was through trials motorbike riding. I can remember being at a competition when i was younger and seeing some trials push bike riders and was stunned by what they could do on a bike, and from then on i was hooked. Our local trials motorbike dealer occasionally got a few montys in, so we ended up buying a 219 alp, and the interest grew from there. There also use to be a programme on Tv that showed trials motorbike and push bike riding alot, i think it was called kickstart or something.

No i don't use tar i haven't in a long time, as i can find any to use , although i've never really thought about tar melting and the brake pad compound becoming softer, i did notice my koxx browns seemed to squeak alot more in hot temperatures, i guess that is why I was just really wondering in general the affect that density and temperature of a fluid has on magura's.

Whilst i was out on my bike in the heat wave we seem to be having at the moment i was wondering. What affect does the density of liquids used in maguras have on HS33's? I always thought that it was better to use a less dense fluid for maguras, thats why people bleed their HS33's with water as it's not very dense, so the pressure can be applied to the brake pad much quicker. Or is it better to use a dense fluid so the force can travel through the particles easier, as there are more particles in a specific area then there are in a less dense fluid. So what is the reason water is used in HS33's, and is it better to use a less dense liquid? Also does the temperature of the fluid affect braking performance? Like i say in really hot temperatures is there a fade in brake performance, or doesn't it really affect them?

You have to loosen the two axel bolts off, you then turn the snail cam and due to the shape (they get wider further around, hence the name snail cams) you turn it so it pushes your back wheel backwards causing the chain to become tighter.

I've just been out to have a look on my old T-pro for you, and i don't think the holes are for snail cam bolts. I also compared it to my GU, and i think to run snail cams the actual hole you are looking at needs to be threaded so an allen bolt can be screwed into the frame and on my T-pro there is no thread. So to answer your question no i don't think they are for snail cams (but i maybe wrong)

What i tend to do is just arrange them for any moves i'm learning or just want to practice. But one simple way of arranging them is just making one fairly big stack (not too big so that you cant get up it), and then put some other pallets off the edges that you can gap onto them, it works for me Also the blue pallets are the best ones to use if you can find them, as they are alot stronger and less likely to snap when you hop onto them, the only problem with the blue ones is they are tracked so many builders merchants aren't meant to scrap them or give them away.

I agree, watching videos and comparing them to your self is one of the best ways to learn. Say if you watch alot of videos with smoother trials riders in, without realising you will tend to mimic how they ride and you will notice that you get smoother. It is also a good way of finding new techniques, as there isn't just one way of getting up and down things. I always find watching videos gives me alot of inspiration aswell, through seeing what others can achieve. It also helps to watch videos before you go out to ride, as like i say it will get you inspired and thinking about how to ride stuff instead of just throwing yourself at it.

Theres a local dealer nearby us that sell them for £850 brand new, the shop is called quad point and i think they have a website. To be honest it's more to do with who you ask for opinions, but like i say both are very similar but thumps just have more trick parts on them. I have raced a few xsports at the go kart tracks and managed to pass quite a few fairly easy, this was when my bike was standard apart from some sava supermoto tyres. The only thing that was and i believe still is a problem with the thumpstars is the chain where it passes over the swingarm, it tends to slide along and hit it especially when the rear suspension is under load as the swingarm angle decreases causing the chain to become slightly tighter, but you can now buy extra thick chain sliders for the thumpstars so the chain doesn't mark or scratch the swingarm. Xsport did use to have a different styled swingarm so they never had this problem, but i think now on the newer models they have used a thicker swingarm like the thumps so the same thing happens, so like i say both are pretty similar.

Ye i have two thumpstars, well one is my dads and the other is mine. They are awesome bikes just to have fun on. We modded my bike because we used it a few times at the go kart tracks for supermoto, it's alot faster now. The parts we put on were: CDI unit to remove the standard rev limiter, Five-0 rear shock to make it harder on the rear for the tracks, Higherd the gearing to give it more acceleration, I also dremmeld and sanded out the manifold coming from the carb (i believe it's called a manifold), as this gives a better fuel and air vapour flow as the standard ones have a ridge reducing the amount of fuel vapour that can travel though it. We also increased the main jet size in the carb aswell. Xsport did used to make bikes with thumpstar but they later split into two rival companies (or so i was told). So engine wise they are very similar, it's just i prefer thumpstars as they have the anodized parts on which makes them look pretty cool. Right now i'm not to sure on how to post pics so i will put a pic up in a bit or later

Realy if you are starting you don't need to do anything to a T-pro it is a great learners bike as standard, you just have to be persistent in learning as it will pay off in the end, but trials is a sport that will take alot of practice. If anything you would need to do is just change the rear magura pads for some sticky ones for more bite, but as you are only learning there is realy no need in changing them until you feel that the standard ones aren't good enough and don't give as much bite as you want.

Ye i can remember watching this video a long time ago, one of the videos got me interested in trials. Differs a bit from the newer street videos using heavy metal style music, i actually prefer more mellow songs for trials videos, it just seems to fit the riding better, or maybe that is just me . Does anyone know who the song in the video is by? I wouldn't mind downloading it, cheers

What koxx bikes are u referring to, the new concept 26", or just the new bikes in general? I personally like the monsterboy, and it looks to have a nice geometry, but then there isn't alot to go from until it's been ridden. Even though trials as you say is about how you ride not the look of your bike, it is still nice to have a good looking bike aswell as it having a nice geometry. I think now alot of the frame makes are looking at more different and special designs in order to improve over older ones in which case alot of the newer frames may not appeal to everyone but its all in order of finding the better designs from the others, well that is my view anyway.

As it has been said definitely the brake pads, i ran zoo green pads on my old T-pro and i found they had quite alot of bite. The standard forks i would change as they weigh alot, and getting lighter forks make it easier and nicer when the bikes on the rear wheel. I bought some lite guy onza forks for my old T-pro, and thought they worked well with the frame. I would also advise a brake booster, the one i bought was an RB design one which stopped the small amount of frame flex that the T-pro had under hard braking. This would also help the bite from the rear magura, giving it more stopping power.

From what i have heard and seen the T-comp frames are quite light, hence they claim they are for competition riding as it puts less strain on the frame so it is less likely to cause them to snap or crack, where as in street riding it tends to be alot bigger moves this causes more strain and stress on the frame. In some ways it's more of a warning that the frame might not hold up to all the abuse and strain that riding street can cause.

Yup v brakes can be just as good as a magura aslong as you take the time to set them up properly, and get some good pads like heatsinks, and get a rim grind. There was a picture of Felix Mucke a while back and it showed him rite on the edge of a wall where most brakes would slip but his V kept him on the rear wheel, showing the power that v brakes can have. In my opinion i prefer using maguras though as i find they have more modulation and once they are set up the only thing you do have to do to them is bleed them every so often.

Looks like i might be buying some new monty ones then . Seems like one of the few pieces of the bike that weren't thought out that well. On my old T-pro it used the bolt tensioner style ones but i do prefer the snail cam style, awell i guess it's easily sorted though. Thanks for all the help, much appreciated

I have tried tightening them up tight but they still seem to slip. The GU snail cams do look realy polished an smooth which wouldnt help i guess. When im next out though i will re-set it and tighten them extra tight and see if they move then. Are the snail cams that tarty bikes stock better than the GU ones? Thanks for the help

I would say mod just because for me they are easier to ride and learn on, but thats mainly because i feel like i'm too streched out on a stock. Although i do think on the whole stock bikes look alot more classy and stylish with the frame designs, and in some ways stocks are more pratical, but when have trials bikes ever been practical

My is fairly long but i just tend to tuck the front into the side of my helmet so it doesnt block my vision. Or you could just put some smaller pads in the helmet, that way there is more room

A few weeks ago i bought a GU 20" and love it but the one thing i cant seem to get rite is the chain tension. I have to keep re-adjusting the snail cams to get the chain tension rite, as after a few hops it tends to move forward causing the chain to become slack. I thought it may have been the chain stretching but ive realised that its just down to the snail cams not holding the rear wheel in place. Is there anyway of stopping this? I have tried to file the edges on the snail cams to rough the surface up so its less likely to move, but it doesnt seemed to of worked?