New to trials..old bike

[Scotty28]

Hello to all..

I've just joined the forum for some advice really. I have recently acquired a old onza t-rex 26inch the bike seems to be in good order apart from a few bits that I've ordered from tartybikes but I've noticed the half link chain which feels tired. "Side to side play in links"

So chain recommendations welcome.

The other thing was that stem it feels like I'm too far over the front wheel and I cant work out if it's just me being new to it or the stem thats on the bike which I believe to be standard. Coming from bmx bikes it's a weird one.

Also whilst I'm waffling on..

trials bike vs mtb street trials bike ?

Pro's n cons ? 

[PeanuckleJive]

The stem is about right, you’ll get used to it.

Nice bike, I always wanted a t-rex 

[Scotty28]

I was thinking its probably just me. It still feels weird but it's only been a few days It's smooth to ride the wheels are true but the paint work is horrendous if you ask me I might strip it back and polish it.

Thanks for the quick response aswell.

[Ross McArthur]

The stem looks fine but if I were you id look in the For Sale section of this forum and pick up some other bars. Those bars you have are reeeeally flat and wide looking.

For trials, a wee bit of upsweep on the bars will feel more comfortable. Something along the lines of Trial Tech or TryAll bars... There's plenty to choose from in the FS topics just now.

Chain wise, you'll want a KMC 610 - 3"32 width (buy new! should only be 10-15 quid) and pair that with a sprung tensioner, one jockey wheel or two. Either should be fine but a double wheeled tensioner will give you more chain wrap on the rear cog. If its a single cog tensioner, you're best trying to get the chain as tight as you can, almost to the point no tensioner is required.

When comparing trials bikes and street trials bikes, generally the rule of thumb is...

Trials bike, easier to keep on back wheel for back wheel hops, like gaps. Street bike, the bars and stem are usually set higher and closer to your hips, meaning it should be easier to do things like bunny hops and pulling up to manual.

[Wobbly]

I had the same issue recently after getting my first bike too, felt like I was 2 seconds away from face planting. Fast forward a month and now it feels natural to me but when I went out in my bmx the other day it felt so short in comparison. Looped it more than once, front comes up sooo quick! 

[hedstr0m]

On 2019-03-16 at 6:54 AM, Wobbly said:

I had the same issue recently after getting my first bike too, felt like I was 2 seconds away from face planting. Fast forward a month and now it feels natural to me but when I went out in my bmx the other day it felt so short in comparison. Looped it more than once, front comes up sooo quick! 

I can relate to that too, after I got my 29er MTB a few years back and rode only that bike for a month or so my BMX was really dangerous!

But after a while the swap between bikes goes much better.

[Matt24.]

You have a choice here - depends on the style of riding you are into. With the T- Rex would probably be more suited to pure trials and a street bike would feel more comfortable straight away with your Bmx roots. If you are looking for a future of hopping stick with what you have - if you are wanting to throw some of your Bmx heritage in a street frame would go down well. Either was no rush when you are learning - keep an eye out for a hex if you wanted to swap the bits over and stick with 26 or a cheap 24 inspired. Few in The for sale section at the moment that look good. I have had a mix of both in the past and currently use an 24 street trials frame just to give me access to both sides of the coin rather than one discipline. What’s most important is to get out and have fun :-)..