Jump to content

Returning To Trials After 8 Years...what's New?


Recommended Posts

Hi all,

I gave up riding and sold my bike in about 2002/3 (the age of the Trialskings, Brisa and Ashton) when I went to uni and I've just decided to get back into it and to try and pick up where I left off. It seems like so much has changed; 24" bikes appear to be trials bikes too, drilled rims are available off the shelf without requiring your own pillar drill and front free wheels are being used on stock bikes!

So, i thought id set up this topic to discuss/reminisce about what has changed in the world of trials in the last decade, and also to answer a few questions I have about my new bike set up:

I have just bought an Echo hifi frame (mixed reviews here, but a bargain at £40) and wondered what components, wheels, cranks, bars etc would be recommended. I'm keen to have a front free wheel but wonder what the benefits are...if any?

any comments would be great to read!

mark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Mark

i have just returned to the sport after about the same lay off as yourself i was bemused by the new style bikes i used to ride a giant hawzee team trials circa 2001 and the loss of seats etc was a cue for begining the search for help ! i signed up here and got alot of help buut the biggest help was from tartybikes they were only to happy to help out with advise on frames and components problem solved now back up and riding an atomz premiere and love it the new style geometry has taken a little getting used to but it does help with the new front wheel moves .

welcome back to trials !!

stu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the new style geometry has taken a little getting used to but it does help with the new front wheel moves .

Yeah i noticed that riders are using their front wheel much more than I used to, particularly when rolling onto surfaces and across/up gaps. (Danny Macascall for eg). Is this why front disc brakes are more popular now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

not totally sure why discs are so popular now they do offer consistent power and reliability but the rotors do damage easily ! front rim brakes are still around though, although all the forks i have seen broken have broken around the rim brake mounts as these provide a stress point in the middle of the fork blade. could be a reason why discs are so popular now as forks get lighter in a never ending bid to save weight !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to yet another rider of the (nearly) oldskool!!

I've just jumped back in after 10 years out and I'm loving it. Took me a good few weeks reading different posts and websites before I could get my head round all the new brands available and the ones which seem to have all but disappeared.

Not really the best person to advise on bars, stems, etc as I'm still using my old Azonic world force risers and Specialized stem at the mo but I will highly recommend a step to running single speed and a FFW, easily the best choice I made when it came to rebuilding my bike with a front disc as a close 2nd!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, i thought id set up this topic to discuss/reminisce about what has changed in the world of trials in the last decade, and also to answer a few questions I have about my new bike set up:

well....

- not many 26" bikes have seats any more

- bb's became roughly ~10mm higher per year, 03/04 would have been +10 if lucky... now about +45-60 is common

- bikes have become longer, from about 1040mm in the old days, to around 1080-1095 nowadays

- people are trying to get their bikes lighter and lighter, some 26" as light as 8kg (and under!)

- tyres went Michelin, Maxxis, now the trend is Continental tyres

- people used front V/magura until front disc brakes became popular around 03-04+, front & rear HS33 became a trend in about 08 onwards

- Benito Ros has become 20" UCI world champion many many times (only a 2nd place in 06!)

- 26" wise, world champs have been Giacomo Coustellier, Vincent Hermance, Kenny Belaey and Gilles Coustellier

- grinding rims is the standard these days, although you can buy tar on ebay

- there are 1385669x HS33 pads out there these days

- bashrings have become half rings (covering only under the front foot) in order to save weight and I guess it makes sense

- the use of titanium in bolts and other products (eg bb's) has increased

- tartybikes is now the world's largest online trials shop

- wide, drilled rims are widely manufactured, some single wall.. including the rear

- Danny macaskill released a video in April 2009 which took the world by storm.. had about 14289515 views on youtube. Increased the worlds knowledge of trials.

- as a result, 24" bikes became much more popular also - many different models of 24" bikes (both street and pure trials) now available

- dual disc on 20" bikes more common now. Not so much on 26"

- trend went from Try-all yourself replica low rise bars, to flat bars, now to riser bars. Some are even made of carbon

- koxx bikes are still expensive.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

well....

- not many 26" bikes have seats any more

- bb's became roughly ~10mm higher per year, 03/04 would have been +10 if lucky... now about +45-60 is common

- bikes have become longer, from about 1040mm in the old days, to around 1080-1095 nowadays

- people are trying to get their bikes lighter and lighter, some 26" as light as 8kg (and under!)

- tyres went Michelin, Maxxis, now the trend is Continental tyres

- people used front V/magura until front disc brakes became popular around 03-04+, front & rear HS33 became a trend in about 08 onwards

- Benito Ros has become 20" UCI world champion many many times (only a 2nd place in 06!)

- 26" wise, world champs have been Giacomo Coustellier, Vincent Hermance, Kenny Belaey and Gilles Coustellier

- grinding rims is the standard these days, although you can buy tar on ebay

- there are 1385669x HS33 pads out there these days

- bashrings have become half rings (covering only under the front foot) in order to save weight and I guess it makes sense

- the use of titanium in bolts and other products (eg bb's) has increased

- tartybikes is now the world's largest online trials shop

- wide, drilled rims are widely manufactured, some single wall.. including the rear

- Danny macaskill released a video in April 2009 which took the world by storm.. had about 14289515 views on youtube. Increased the worlds knowledge of trials.

- as a result, 24" bikes became much more popular also - many different models of 24" bikes (both street and pure trials) now available

- dual disc on 20" bikes more common now. Not so much on 26"

- trend went from Try-all yourself replica low rise bars, to flat bars, now to riser bars. Some are even made of carbon

- koxx bikes are still expensive.

Nice, i even learned a wee bit from reading that!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is this why front disc brakes are more popular now?

Easier to use day to day;

- Will slow you down with good modulation for stopping at traffic lights etc.

- They don't make horrible noise and vibrations

- You don't have to bother having a dead true rim all the time

- You never hit the disk ever

- BB7's are very popular but offer more on / off power compared to Hope which are hydraulic not mechanic, and offer a lot more modulation and feel, but in my experience not as much lock and hold.

- Pretty cheap to pick up 2nd hand.

- You can change the rotor size for your needs.

- Less likley to snap forks...

pretty much all the reasons I use a disk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well....

- not many 26" bikes have seats any more

- bb's became roughly ~10mm higher per year, 03/04 would have been +10 if lucky... now about +45-60 is common

- bikes have become longer, from about 1040mm in the old days, to around 1080-1095 nowadays

- people are trying to get their bikes lighter and lighter, some 26" as light as 8kg (and under!)

- tyres went Michelin, Maxxis, now the trend is Continental tyres

- people used front V/magura until front disc brakes became popular around 03-04+, front & rear HS33 became a trend in about 08 onwards

- Benito Ros has become 20" UCI world champion many many times (only a 2nd place in 06!)

- 26" wise, world champs have been Giacomo Coustellier, Vincent Hermance, Kenny Belaey and Gilles Coustellier

- grinding rims is the standard these days, although you can buy tar on ebay

- there are 1385669x HS33 pads out there these days

- bashrings have become half rings (covering only under the front foot) in order to save weight and I guess it makes sense

- the use of titanium in bolts and other products (eg bb's) has increased

- tartybikes is now the world's largest online trials shop

- wide, drilled rims are widely manufactured, some single wall.. including the rear

- Danny macaskill released a video in April 2009 which took the world by storm.. had about 14289515 views on youtube. Increased the worlds knowledge of trials.

- as a result, 24" bikes became much more popular also - many different models of 24" bikes (both street and pure trials) now available

- dual disc on 20" bikes more common now. Not so much on 26"

- trend went from Try-all yourself replica low rise bars, to flat bars, now to riser bars. Some are even made of carbon

- koxx bikes are still expensive.

Cheers hulud! Seems like EVERYthing i need to know about trials over the last 8 years is right here.

i cant wait to get stuck back in as soon as i finish my new bike...

m

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...