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Do it al trials bike?


matt slegg

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I think the Alias is the only do it all 20”. For me I went 20” as wanted it to roll faster and be able to scoot around a skate park if I fancied it. Tyres wise you can get some decent bmx tyres that’ll work ok for street trials and some of the dirt ones will even cope with a bit of natural. The one thing I’d say is the biggest difference between the alias and the hex is stability. If you want something that feels a bit more planted and less twitchy a hex would be better or if you want something that’s a bit more twitchy and techy the alias is better. 

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1 hour ago, Matt24. said:

I think the Alias is the only do it all 20”. For me I went 20” as wanted it to roll faster and be able to scoot around a skate park if I fancied it. Tyres wise you can get some decent bmx tyres that’ll work ok for street trials and some of the dirt ones will even cope with a bit of natural. The one thing I’d say is the biggest difference between the alias and the hex is stability. If you want something that feels a bit more planted and less twitchy a hex would be better or if you want something that’s a bit more twitchy and techy the alias is better. 

thank you

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3 hours ago, matt slegg said:

Do you know what the max rear tyre width is for a 20" on the Alias?

No.

I've had 2.5"s in there and there was loads of room. I know Tom Mitchell ran some ridiculous 20"x2.6"s too. I can't see that you'd ever want a tyre bigger than these! Edit: He said there was loads of room left over, too.

2_6s.thumb.jpg.d0fae2c5e1c3bdbffeef9840072f9dc2.jpg

Edited by aener
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12 minutes ago, aener said:

No.

I've had 2.5"s in there and there was loads of room. I know Tom Mitchell ran some ridiculous 20"x2.6"s too. I can't see that you'd ever want a tyre bigger than these! Edit: He said there was loads of room left over, too.

2_6s.thumb.jpg.d0fae2c5e1c3bdbffeef9840072f9dc2.jpg

That looks nice. Thank you

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The way you and Tom ride the Alias, and the way they look too, really makes me want one. I have been wanting to try a 20" for ages now but never have. I wouldn't do them justice. I don't know how I'd find them after coming from a 24" Inspired Console. Just want to try a different trials bike to see what they're like. Will be in the dog's house if I get one anytime soon though unless it's cheap as chips. My last bike MTB I did piece by piece.

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On 11/02/2021 at 10:02 AM, Matt24. said:

Second the Alias - although I’d say the Alias and the Hex are both really good choices. I’d say it depends on whether you like big or little wheels - I enjoyed my Zebdi as a do it all bike and my Leeson 660. 

Another vote for: Leeson Clear 660

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On 11/02/2021 at 10:29 PM, marg26 said:

I have been wanting to try a 20" for ages now but never have. I wouldn't do them justice. I don't know how I'd find them after coming from a 24" Inspired Console.

Having ridden Flipp's bike, I'd say it's definitely the most functional feeling bike I've ridden. It's almost like it's a tool, if that makes sense? Super direct and "positionable" for want of a better word. I think if I'd had one years ago I would have been more on board with it, but it doesn't quite have the same "bike" feel as a 24 for me. I know these are all vague terms, but it's hard to really quantify this kind of thing! Essentially, I like the characteristics of bigger wheels and I'm happy to have the trade-off that you have for a more conventional kind of bike, even if it means that it's not as easy to use as an Alias. 

If you're more open to the idea of them then they're well worth a look. It felt like you could do a hell of a lot on them, as Flipp and Tom show!

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1 hour ago, Mark W said:

Having ridden Flipp's bike, I'd say it's definitely the most functional feeling bike I've ridden. It's almost like it's a tool, if that makes sense? Super direct and "positionable" for want of a better word. I think if I'd had one years ago I would have been more on board with it, but it doesn't quite have the same "bike" feel as a 24 for me. I know these are all vague terms, but it's hard to really quantify this kind of thing! Essentially, I like the characteristics of bigger wheels and I'm happy to have the trade-off that you have for a more conventional kind of bike, even if it means that it's not as easy to use as an Alias. 

If you're more open to the idea of them then they're well worth a look. It felt like you could do a hell of a lot on them, as Flipp and Tom show!

Thanks Mark. I know exactly what you mean. I have an Alias frame ready to build up but there's something holding me back from commiting to build it up.

I know it sounds stupid but I think it maybe the lack of seat. I like my bikes to look like bikes plus it's nice not having to stand all the time.

 

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You guys are gluttons for punishment if you're suggesting a steel 20" bike with no seat as 'the one bike.' I loved my Alias while I had one, but as my only bike? Heck no! I'd vote Hex or Czar 26 just because they can double as 'normal' bikes perfectly. Pretty much every time I rode my Alias, I wished it had a seat. Never ridden a Lesson. 

Ali made the Crescent Ilions look pretty appealing too, but good luck finding one I guess.

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21 minutes ago, Swoofty said:

You guys are gluttons for punishment if you're suggesting a steel 20" bike with no seat as 'the one bike.' I loved my Alias while I had one, but as my only bike? Heck no! I'd vote Hex or Czar 26 just because they can double as 'normal' bikes perfectly. Pretty much every time I rode my Alias, I wished it had a seat. Never ridden a Lesson. 

Ali made the Crescent Ilions look pretty appealing too, but good luck finding one I guess.

My thoughts exactly

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1 hour ago, Adam@TartyBikes said:

That is the 'problem' with pro riders... :lol:

Yep. Akrigg's a good case in point. He made some absolute dogs look like they rode well, and that's presumably why he's so valuable to the big brands like Mongoose and GT.

Generally speaking, there's a reason that geo on bikes today isn't what it used to be 20 years ago...

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I understand the perspective of the seat being an issue for some and it was for me for a while and I’d love to have a seat but I don’t think it would suit the alias. I guess one persons do it all is different to another’s as for me a do it all I’d like to work in a skate park - tight transitions, techy stuff, bigger gaps etc etc I felt the alias could do all of this. A 26” I have never felt works particularly well in a skate park or on tighter stuff which sold it to me. I don’t like having multiplier bikes for one discipline so ride everything on it. I know that means it has some limitation everywhere but I like it!!

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Yeah - what your "do it all" bike is is very much influenced by what all the things you want to do on it are.


I wouldn't dream of riding my fun-bike to the shops, both for the practicality of the ride and the fear of locking it up. I also wouldn't habitually take it 'round a trail. I have done and it was really fun, but it's not what I want. If I did, I have no doubt my choice would be something more like James Barton's current bike.
I do want some TGS, some natural style, some BMX influence on street, to be able to enjoy-but-not-necessarily-excel-at skateparks and pump tracks, and to generally be able to ride any sort of terrain in what would largely be considered an "extreme sports" style (ie, not XC, Enduro, Road etc.). For these things my choice would immediately be an Alias, or as others have rightly pointed out, something like a Hex.
Being that I'm a little shorter than average, but more importantly just have a diminutive posture, I suck at moving big bikes around, so 20" all the way for me.


I understand the saddle concern of the for some people, but I've ridden without one for 15 years now. Putting it back on would be the weird thing for me :lol: It would also just be annoying, given the way I like to ride. I feel like it would feel much more in-the-way on a 20" bike than a 26", because it kind of tucks around the back wheel on a big bike anyway.
Also, bikes with a goose-neck stem and a saddle look like absolute dogshit, to my eyes. BMX/DJ style front end with saddle, or stereotypical "trials" looking front end without.

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