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Giant Trials Frame - Curved one - any good?


Brettoll

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Asking the hive mind.

Spotted one of the later Giant Trials frames with forks and stem on a popular internet auction site.

Considering a retro 26" build - what were these like? I never rode one...

Anyone had one and able to give me some insight if worthwhile going for and building up a streety / old school build?

Thanks,

Brett

Edited by Brettoll
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I'm pretty certain you don't, but I'd love you to mean this one:

668c0616b1e130cef280aa1b56ae0477.jpg

 

The head-angle alone...

 

I don't know the geo of them, but from pictures they look a good deal longer than the Hawyes, even with what looks like shorter chainstays, so I'd say maybe they weren't all that streety?
More aimed at competition riding of the era?

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2 minutes ago, aener said:

I'm pretty certain you don't, but I'd love you to mean this one:

668c0616b1e130cef280aa1b56ae0477.jpg

 

The head-angle alone...

 

I don't know the geo of them, but from pictures they look a good deal longer than the Hawyes, even with what looks like shorter chainstays, so I'd say maybe they weren't all that streety?
More aimed at competition riding of the era?

:lol: That thing was a monstrosity! I mean imagine the body shape needed to tap

Yeah it does look a little longer compared to the Hawzee model, so curious if anyone owned one and how it rode.. possibly the comp frame, it was their last gasp in the market (even though everyone else was using 4 bolt then).

Cheers!

Edited by Brettoll
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5 minutes ago, LEON said:

I'd expect it to ride like a slightly longer Onza T Raptor. Back end looks long ish, I wouldn't get too excited about it.

Enquiring as to the CS and the WB to the seller - it does look super long, think I might wait for something a little shorter to pop up. I mean it's mint, I reckon I can get him down to £75 for the lot posted.. but it's a waste if it's not right..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-Giant-Trials-Frame-Fork-With-Trialtech-Stem-Not-Onza-Echo-Bargain/323623026090?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Edited by Brettoll
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The back end? I think you'd wanna go as short as poss as the limit is about 380 anyway and that feels noticeably different to 385. It's not gonna feel streety at all, especially if you're used to 24" wheels, it's gonna feel like a 15 year old trials bike. The Brisa seat tube makes it look shorter than it really is. Imagine it with thin steel tubes and a straight seat tube, you probably wouldn't be so up for it. 

I'm not getting streety flicky fun vibes.

p5pb8621992.jpg

Edited by LEON
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20 minutes ago, LEON said:

The back end? I think you'd wanna go as short as poss as the limit is about 380 anyway and that feels noticeably different to 385. It's not gonna feel streety at all, especially if you're used to 24" wheels, it's gonna feel like a 15 year old trials bike. The Brisa seat tube makes it look shorter than it really is. Imagine it with thin steel tubes and a straight seat tube, you probably wouldn't be so up for it. 

I'm not getting streety flicky fun vibes.

p5pb8621992.jpg

I'm not getting streety flicky fun vibes = weird middle build that is neither fun nor hoppy

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It's not gonna tgs and it's not gonna spin. I built a Zebdi mk5 last year with nothing but the best parts, it still felt pretty crap compared to my Marino which is not exactly cutting edge geo itself, and at the same time not that different, 5mm here and there makes a big difference.

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Yeah agreed, I remember speccing out my old Marino frame with longer CS (385) and it wasn't half bad..

@Ross - pretty sure that has 425 chainstays haha! So not dissimilar?

EDIT: Jack Flash Geo:

Top Tube 569mm 
Head Angle 72o 
Seat Angle 73.5o 
BB Drop 10mm 
Chain Stay 425mm 
Seat Tube 320mm 

 

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I have the same frame and forks (mine is one of two made in blue for Martin Hawyes but the geometry is presumably the same) which I built up years ago to try out. The rear end was probably around 390mm, I remember it feeling noticeably less fun and stable on the back wheel than the early Ashton Justice frames. Wheelbase I think was probably around 1030mm. I found it ok to ride, but nothing special.

Also it was interesting that Giant didn't build it with 4-bolt mounts, something that Martin lamented when I asked him at a British championship round how he liked the new bike (I surmised his opinion to be "not very much").

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