A Trialers Paradise.

[middleageman]

Hello, this is my first post on the members forum, so, wish me luck!

I'm about to pose a question that is probably as old as the forum. It maybe older than trials itself. Christ, it maybe even older than me!

Let me explain...

I live in a sleepy North Wales town, opposite my house is park. After getting hooked by the trials bug, all i can see whilst walking my dogs, are challenges. I could call them obstacles, but that would be defeatist. A kerb here, a park bench over there, some steps, a sawn off tree stump in the distance! Everything i pass, i'm wondering if i could trials it.

Stranger still, i havn't even bought a dedicated bike yet.

My question is inevitable, but please, let me colour my picture once more.

I live a mile away from the coast. The promenade/beach has miles of steps, walls, slopes, rocks and boulders. (you get the picture!)

To get to the crunch, i've been practising trials in my back garden, on first, my old mountain bike, stripped of front mech, seat and post etc. but have honestly found my sons BMX to be easier to learn the basics. Basically less smashing my body into the decking!

So here is my dilemma, buy a smaller bike to hone my craft ( or would i look like a dad doing his sons paper round?), a larger bike to get me that mile to the beach, or a medium wheel size which maybe, or not, the best of both.

So, dare i ask, a 20" mod, a 24" or a 26" stock

[Christophe']

you aint going to get to the beach quickly on a trials bike regardless of wheel size , unless you run a 26 with gears.

(wich is pretty rare nowadays)

If you are fit and strong? go for a 26.

[grant_hundley]

Stock

[J Trials 31]

Mod. Definitely mod, stocks are always harder to learn on. And me myself can't ride one anyway. Maybe I just haven't ridden the right one, but I couldn't get along with one very well.

[grant_hundley]

Mod. Definitely mod, stocks are always harder to learn on. And me myself can't ride one anyway. Maybe I just haven't ridden the right one, but I couldn't get along with one very well.

So you're saying Bigman should've started on a mod???

[davey1991]

So you're saying Bigman should've started on a mod???

So your saying because he doesn't agree with you his opinion is wrong?

It's best to try before you buy see what you get on with better.

If you know people that ride or know of people that ride ask them if you can have a ride.

Its all personal preferance.

i started on Mod and loved it, stock never has felt right for me.

Now get out and get trying bike .

I doubt i've helped but Ta Da.

Davey.

[grant_hundley]

stocks are always harder to learn on

So your saying because he doesn't agree with you his opinion is wrong?

He said it as if it was a fact, not opinion.

[psycholist]

I'd go with stock purely because if you currently have a mountain bike you'll have a stock of spares already. Trials bikes these days are sharing less and less components with normal mountain bikes though, so it's less of a decision maker. Mod bikes look a bit weirder to the average person than 26" trials bikes, which might matter to you if you're out on your own. Mod bikes are a little easier to learn trials on, but not that much easier...

[ogre]

you aint going to get to the beach quickly on a trials bike regardless of wheel size , unless you run a 26 with gears.

pussy, i did 6 miles in 35 minutes on my trials rig last weekend. a miles not too far on mod or stock.

being truthful + honest, you wont pick trials up as quickly as all the teens wen they start, so give yourself every advantage and start on a mod, they are easier to ride and learn things on, don't be concerned about what other people might think like you've said, even if your on a stock chances are you'll still have wide bars and no seat + loud brakes so everyone will stare at you anywat . go for a mod, then move to stock if you feel the need/have the money.

[Fish-Finger-er]

Get a stock, theres loads of bits around for them cheap, they still do ride at a reasonable speed(bear in mind going downhill, you freewheel, and up hill, your climbing, so youd be in a low gear anyway, its only on the flat they become a real chore) and compared to mods their easier to get round on, most adults will eventually end up on a stock(as do a lot of younger riders these days, look at the number of people whove gone mod to stock, compared to those that have gone stock to mod) as somebody already said, the parts are shared, not many, but stuff like headsets and hubs are the same, disc brakes are often usable on regular mountain bikes, tyres, tubes, etc.

Just get a stock, everyone seems to think your going to end up on one, might as well start on one, sure you might(and its only might) progress a bit slower to begin with on a stock, but surely progress is still progress, as its not like your racing to be the next world champ, in addition to this, no one seems to be realising that the time he may save in progressing quick on a mod to start with, will probably cancel out, when you take in the time hell need to adjust when he changes to stock.

Unless your lads very short, a shorter stock will do for the 2 of you(and if you dont want him to ride it, just get a nice long reach stock)

[middleageman]

Thank you all, for your insightful, varied and informative views, but to coin a Welsh phrase - " I'm none the bloody wiser!" What about the 24"?

Hey, sorry, thanks for your help guys! I can sort of see there are two schools of thought out there. I was just trying to articulate my particular situation. Maybe this is a choice i have to resolve myself.

middleageman

[I-LikeMatchesDerFun]

I reckon stock would be the best way to go. I had to make this decision myself last year and decided for stock. Takes a bit longer to learn stuff on the stock but has many advantages as others listed above, such as some parts being interchangeable with other mountain bikes etc. On he 24" scene, you can pick up a reasonable spec stock cheap enough but it's pretty hard to find a cheapish 24". Would love an Inspired or 24UK myself though! Hope I've helped a little!

Steve

[Fish-Finger-er]

Thank you all, for your insightful, varied and informative views, but to coin a Welsh phrase - " I'm none the bloody wiser!" What about the 24"?

Hey, sorry, thanks for your help guys! I can sort of see there are two schools of thought out there. I was just trying to articulate my particular situation. Maybe this is a choice i have to resolve myself.

middleageman

Erm, the 24", although being ideal for more flowy streety stuff, its not that brilliant for natural supposedly. but the main factor is cost, and the availabilty of bits.

To get a 24" bike your looking a fair bit, as theres not much second hand floating round, and what there is comes at a premium due to this, on the buying a bike front, youve a much narrower choice of frames, spokes in the desired length are also harder to come by, although you can get rims and tyres easier enough, theres not much trials specific out there. Also when you break stuff(welcome to the world of trials by the way, you break stuff, quite often, and its not always the bike) say a front wheel or the like, to ride, you can just nick the wheel out of your mountain bike if you get a stock, with a 24" you cant do this the same. Its quite often the little stuff as well, like any bike shop will stock 20" and 26" tubes, but you need a 24" tube, and you may be out of luck.

[J Trials 31]

So you're saying Bigman should've started on a mod???

Maybe not, I was just going by myself. Depends on how tall this guy is. As far as the riding, I was going by how I ride. I can't say it for everyone.

[eskimo]

pussy, i did 6 miles in 35 minutes on my trials rig last weekend. a miles not too far on mod or stock.

That's like full out pedalling all the way.

I say go with 20", you've already said you felt for comfortable on one. Plus mods are longer than bmxs anyway, so it'll feel even better. Like a Monty feels like a long bmx to me. And just grab a paper round bag to stick on your back to to be safe.

Mods are stronger and break less, the brakes hold better because of the smaller wheels & short mods are also an all round machine. Oh, they're also lighter.

[Dan81]

I vote stock...a grown man on a mod just looks silly, especially if you have to pedal it for a mile to get to a riding spot! (sorry, just my opinion)

Also, It'll be easier to get used to from riding a mountain bike.

[Muel]

I'd go for stock, I've found mine much easier to learn on since I went stock, I'm getting better every single ride, then when I go back on my Mod I find I can do new stuff every time I go on that aswell.

Riding a mile is a piece of piss on anything, it only takes 15 mins to walk a mile. Stocks are much easier to ride anywhere though I've found, whenever I go back on my Mod it seems to take forever to get anywhere!

What you really need to do is go along to a group ride and have a go on as many different bikes as possible, then you can decide what to get. Although to be honest, you'll end up changing parts all the time anyway, I've been riding 2 years and I've had a T-Pro, a Zona Zip, an 06 Echo Lite short, an 07 Echo Lite long, an 08 Echo Lite Disc long and now I've just got a Kot MS2 aswell as well as the 08 Echo.

[Greetings]

I'd say stock with slightly more bb rise, around 40mm. That'll give you a mod feel with the possibility of running gears.

[Alex Dark]

id have to say stock as well.....look for something along the lines of a t-rex...and if needs be run gears on it...i used to and it was perfectly fine

pm me if youve got any problems, im sure ill be able to shed some light for you

Edited December 15, 2008 by Alex Dark

[TJ.]

I would have to say stock. The phase 1.1, phase 1.2 or phase 1.3 are very nice bikes and all run gears. I ride a 1.2 so if you have any questions just pm me and i will try and help.

[ogre]

That's like full out pedalling all the way.

tank-legs

[Krisboats]

Just get whichever fits you better naturally.

If your not comfortable on the bike then its going to hinder your progression regardless of how much better it was for everyone else. A little person on a big bike would struggle to move it and a big person on a small bike would feel overly cumbersome. Neither is helpful.

As an adult, i'd say you'd find a stock bike less restrictive in this respect.

[middleageman]

Thanks again for some interesting replies guys.

If it's a physical size issue, (i'm 39 years old, 5' 11", 12 1/2 stone and out of condition!) would a stock be the best? You see, i'll be starting from scratch ( and probably bump, graze and break!) How would a long frame mod suit? Are these for larger people or a different style of trials?

As you can probably gather, i've a lot to learn. I've tried searching previous threads/posts, but my search technique is not yet the best.

By the time i've found out what i need, i'll be the UK's first trialling grandad! Therefore i'm sorry if covering old forum ground.

Also, an interesting point was made earlier that hadn't crossed my mind. I'd considered the inevitability of damaging myself whilst learning,

but not that of breaking components on the bike. Maybe i should lower my ambition of a shiney, new, trialers dream bike and consider something a bit lower down in price, with cash left over to replace parts, pay doctors bills etc.!

Thanks for your time. Any further help would be very welcome.

middeageman

Oh, i forgot to mention i can't really try out different bikes in my neck of the woods as i've never even seen one round here!

Edited December 15, 2008 by middleageman

[weirdoku]

So your saying because he doesn't agree with you his opinion is wrong?

It's best to try before you buy see what you get on with better.

If you know people that ride or know of people that ride ask them if you can have a ride.

Its all personal preferance.

i started on Mod and loved it, stock never has felt right for me.

Now get out and get trying bike .

I doubt i've helped but Ta Da.

Davey.

Yes, try before you buy!

I knew from the start I wanted to ride a mod, and a mod I got. Plus I look odd with a stock!

From your height and weight, I would say stock, but then again there a people shorter than you that rides stocks. But it comes down to preference. So again, try before you buy, if possible. But if not, and you are desperate, stock is for you in my opinion!

And yes you should buy a second hand mod/stock, really no point buying a new one if you are just starting, no doubt you will 'bump, graze and break' and you will want to cry when you scratch your new and shiny bike. You might need to replace a few parts here and there such as brake pads or tyres or grips.

I like your story in your profile!

Get ready to hear "Where's the seat?" from passers by!

[Clawz114]

The phase 1.1, phase 1.2 or phase 1.3 are very nice bikes

What?

Id say stock personally but theres not really a right or wrong answer