ThePopmonkey Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Hi everyone, After a couple of nights browsing the Internet I'm hoping you can give me some advice on buying a new bike. I'm a former BMX'er who's getting on a bit now and feels he's outgrown the bike and the demands it puts on the body. I've just sold my BMX having not ridden it regularly for a couple of years, instead I've been riding a Kona Shred I bought back in 2006. I've enjoyed the Shred, it was a good compromise between a normal mountain bike and a jump bike, I could hit our local BMX track and some skate parks as well as pop the seat right up for a casual ride down the lanes with the missus. Now I've just purchased a full suss mtb for regular biking duties and trails so I'm going to sell the Kona but the council have built a nice new concrete skate park 10 minutes from us and it's just too tempting! I'm after a bike to play about on when wife and child let me leave the house alone. I like to potter about the neighbourhood jumping on and off things, riding banks, trying flatland style tricks but in a much calmer more technical style. I guess as I'm getting older I'm more drawn towards what you guys call street trials rather than hardcore BMX. Basically I want to get a "play" bike to live alongside the full susser that I can still potter about on but now also take to the new skatepark and occasionally our local gravel BMX track for a bit of jumping in the air action (my mates still not outgrown his skateboard!). I'm not particularly good, I'm not much passed the ThinkBikes tutorials in terms of trials moves and I'm never going to achieve more than foot jams and tail whips on the BMX side, it's something I do for fun not a lifestyle. Because it's a "Play Bike" and I have a very small person to look after I can't justify spending a lot of money so I'd think twice about going much over £400. Having found the ThinkBikes video clips on the Tube I was initially thinking of the Voodoo Shango but having seen one it looks longer than my Kona and I can't imagine it being an easy ride on a small council skate park. My Kona is too heavy and the front suspension fork is not natural on quarter pipes so I've been investigating street trials bikes but there's not much to choose from. I can't believe the price of Inspired bikes (Element budget anyone?!), quite a few of you say the Diamondback Effect sucks the fat one, and I've never seen one in the flesh but I'm not sure the Zoot would suit the ramps, jump box and BMX track side of things? Is there a jump bike that's a reasonable geometry for my limited trials playing, Specialized P1 maybe? I'd like to get something new, and I know it's not worth checking eBay, there's nothing cheap on there since Danny Mac hit the interweb. That's me in a nutshell, what do you guys think would suit my situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD™ Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Welcome If you want to buy new, get the Zoot - it'll be fine for what you what and where you're at. Upgrades can come at a later date if you get so inclined. Buying used will open up a whole lot of other avenues, just keep your eyes peeled on the For Sale section here and you'll get a good deal - it's very much a buyers market here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooo Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I would say avoid cromo bikes (like P1 or DMR) if you just want to do street trials and won't be doing huge jumps drops or slopestyle, they are more for dirt jumping. Cromos are great but if you don't need the bike strength get alu, plus being lighter you will be less sore the next day. So it looks like the zoot is a good bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePopmonkey Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Just found this video of the Zoot in action at a skate park That's pretty much all I'd be doing (without the back flips) so that's quite promising, going to have a look and see who's got one I can have a look at. Thanks for the advice so far. I think I needed to get the scale of the tricks into perspective, I've heard a lot about trials bikes breaking components where obviously with the BMX and Shred it's never been a worry. I think I'd got this impression that a trials bike would buckle at the first sight of a jump box Edited October 26, 2011 by ThePopmonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Trials bikes are pretty strong if you think about it, because a lot of trials revolves around static moves. So the force is channeled back into the bike rather than being redirected into a rolling motion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skoze Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 That's pretty much all I'd be doing (without the back flips) so that's quite promising, going to have a look and see who's got one I can have a look at. Thanks for the advice so far. I think I needed to get the scale of the tricks into perspective, I've heard a lot about trials bikes breaking components where obviously with the BMX and Shred it's never been a worry. I think I'd got this impression that a trials bike would buckle at the first sight of a jump box Build the bike right and it'll be just fine! The ones that tend to break are the lightweight competition-orientated bikes. People like us (the street guys) who run bikes built for the kinda riding you're looking at don't run into breakages quite so often as we build our bikes up to take it. Comp bikes are getting down to like, 8-9kg and getting ridden hard on the streets at that weiht, which is why frames crack, forks snap, wheels get wrecked, it's just natural. But then take my steel framed Leeson 24" for example, it weighs little under 12kgs and is pretty bombproof. Yeah I have to straighten a wheel out occasionally or change something that i've lkilled, but all in all it's built to last a lot longer and take far more than others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Not much more that needs to be said really, so I'll just leave this here: With the right tools for the job, trials bikes can pretty much handle their shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeperson45 Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 In the video you put that's not actually the Zoot you'd be getting. It was a prototype 26", not the 24" available at Tartybikes and all other good retailers. That sounds pretty official. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePopmonkey Posted October 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 In the video you put that's not actually the Zoot you'd be getting. It was a prototype 26", not the 24" available at Tartybikes and all other good retailers. That sounds pretty official. If I was to go with the Zoot then I'd be looking at the orange and black or green and black 24" right? Can anyone recommend a good (and preferably cheap) dealer somewhere in the Derby, Nottingham area? Do they have a shop at the HQ in Nottingham? I wouldn't say I'm fully decided but thanks to you guys I starting to get a fuzzy feeling about the Zoot! Now question about brakes, the V's on my BMX were a pain and needed constant new pads and the rims cleaning. The Disc's on the Kona are old style ones but have a nice feel especially for front wheel tricks. I don't follow the hardware side of cycling but doing this research I've become aware of hydraulic disc's and also V's? Can someone give me a quick heads up on whats new, good/bad with brakes at the moment please? I'm assuming the Zoot has a good set of V brakes out the box? Thanks again, 1st post and you guys have been awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashbanggg Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I'm assuming the Zoot has a good set of V brakes out the box? They're good, but not brilliant. I stuck some new pads and a booster on mine (On the rear)and they were bang on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Do they have a shop at the HQ in Nottingham? Yes. It's here. They'll probably let you try one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePopmonkey Posted October 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Yes. It's here. They'll probably let you try one out. Cool! Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll have to do some sums (see what I can flog on eBay) then I'll go and have a look at a Zoot! I'll let you know when I'm riding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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