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Curious too, i've been following it for a fair few years now. I do feel that his builds don't progress at the rate they used to, but I still find them interesting and enjoyable.

What don't you like about it? It's in my to watch list at some point, my friend suggested it was a bit slower than others and more "maths / geek" than usual. If it's rubbish I won't bother, but so far I have two totally opposite opinions on it.

I used to enjoy stanceworks videos, but the f40 series has been a letdown. The latest issue is just plain dumb.

Too much firmness is bad I agree, TRP Slate is one of those brakes that hurt fingers. But a healthy level of feedback of the bite point is crucial in my opinion. Spongy lever on the other hand, doesn't let you know what happens there and when, it's just numb and then grabs all of sudden. Also same thing when letting go (modulating) the brake, with a spongy brake you have to guess where it starts to slip. Another thing is, many of us like to run the levers adjusted very close to bars which makes maintaining a secure grip easier and causing less arm pump. With a spongy brake you can't really do that. About my Hope brake.. I used hours to bleed this thing (which is awesome because of the ability to do it moto-style btw, actually no need for a bleed kit), there was some minor air coming out but it didn't improve much. Also shortened the hose and that made probably the biggest difference (obviously). Then I noticed that one of the pistons was slightly stuck or needed much more force to push back than the other one. So I used another hour to move them in and out to make them work better. Now it seems to actuate symmetrically enough so that's probably not the issue number one. The end result is that nothing significantly changed, the brake is still quite soft and numb although yes it brakes well now when bedded in. The contact area of the pads and rotor is huge. Just not a fan of how it feels like, cumbersome is the correct term I think, with the massive blocky lever blade together with lack of firm bite point. Also the clearance between pads and rotor seems almost non existent in this brake by design, I don't think it's a fault. So it's always rubbing a bit when pushing the bike, making that honk honk noise. I thought that Magura MT5 brakes were insanely difficult to get right in terms of clearance adjustment, but this is on another level. Imagine when the rotor is getting slightly bent.... The higher than normal leverage ratio probably being the reason, to all of these issues. Fun thing is that the fancy bite point adjuster is pretty much unusable, because the pads are already too close when it's rolled completely open. Switching to braided hoses might fix the lack of feel but I probably wouldn't bother to try.

100% agree with lever design and safety issues. Many riders I know wrapped them in bartape or used special jitsie pads to eliminate sharp parts. But I don't understand why people are so obsessed with firm lever feel. Usually, it hurts finger when brake is squeezed too much. If a spongy lever fully actuates brake and not hitting a grip or middle finger – it's fine + less arm pump.

Hi anyone ride near York on here?

Went to see Goldie Lookin Chain at Manchester Academy last night. Considering these boys are 49/50 f**k me could they rap, was surprised at how clean and precise they still were! Great laugh, definitely glad I went!

After many different brakes over the years I finally decided to spend extra on the Tech 4 Trial zone (for a front brake) to see if they're worth it. Must say I'm not very impressed.. These seem to be plagued with issues, wrapped in a pretty CNC form (that isn't so pretty in terms of ergonomics and safety). The lever blade is so sharp and uncomfortable it's difficult to use these without gloves and even with gloves on it's painful. Crashing on that thing will 100% cause open cuts, it's a pretty dangerous design really. Now they're re-designed the blade for the new EVO range which obviously isn't backwards compatible to the old Tech4 lever, what a surprise. For 235€ I was expecting to get a sharp and precise bite point considering all that sturdy CNC goodness, yet this brake is softer and spongier than anything I've tried before. To me it looks like there must be some air, which is more like a norm these days when purchasing a new disc brake. So let's spend some more to order another ridiculously priced bleed kit straight away. Good thing is these work with the regular brake fluid at least. Another reason could be the leverage ratio being so high, making it inevitably spongy. Whatever it is, the brake doesn't feel great at all. Another main issue is that the pistons aren't fully retracting and hence pads are rubbing slightly, even when the adjuster is rolled completely out. There's barely any pad clearance. So here we already have one strange issue that I never encountered with any other brake, yet these are like double as expensive. I've tried to push the pistons inside a few times (they do retract well and stay there so I don't think there's fluid overload) but after one press they start rubbing again. The good thing to say is that even when not properly bedded in (new Hope rotor too), the brake seems to have some incredibly strong bite and hold even at this point. This is very promising, compared to other brakes I've bedded in they typically had like zero hold at this point. So the lever is very light and seems to have a lot of power (which indicates an enormously strong leverage ratio, which typically leads to spongy feel). How is your experience with the Hope Trial Zone? So far I have mixed feelings (due to the price). Formula Cura 2 has been the best feeling brake for trials and MTB so far, they just weren't there with their reliability and I wanted a brake that has a proper bleed nipple instead of the stupid screw that makes a mess every time (Formula, Magura).

Yeah the 24” frames were like £30! But I think I’ve done ok. The 24” version of Griffs current bike was £550 and that is a bit pants. I think I’ll be able to sell it for the same or more than I’ve paid when he is done with it.

I really wish I'd bought the 26" full build of this for my daughter when CRC were going through the ringer. Think they got down to about £300 for a full build or £70ish for the frame only! 🙈

So after an age of looking at kids bikes and not liking any, or the prices... I found a nukeproof cub scout frame for £100. its a cool thing. Total spend got a little out of hand but had some fun building it and the wheels. Had a random bonus at work so... Rockshox 130mm Recon RL (waay overkill but meh they were cheap, run a good amount of sag) Dartmoor raptor 30mm rims on DT clones 142*12. Maxxis minions tubeless. 9 speed 11-42 proper clutch rear mech. 28t up front on 150mm cranks (24mm shimano type steel splined axle). Gives an equivalent of my 32/50T 29er. Clarks 4pot brake clones (really really nice and dirt cheap) Its completely daft and Griff can't ride it the way it should be, but he needs all the help he can get at the moment, so I went for it. It needs some finishing off - pedals and some lower bars for sure, some crank/chainline adjustment but its pretty mega.

Yeah couldn't realistically turn it down, was only 40mins drive to pick it up as well!

That £140 is a steal 🤯

Just got back from picking this bargain up, £140 off eBay 😃 Hope Tryall edition front brake, Avid SD5 rear vee with some red pads on cnc backings, Hope stem, seat clamp and some Trialtech high risers. First bike I've been on in years that just feels amazingly comfy, pretty sure these are the same geo as the original mk1 Fourplay (correct me if I'm wrong) which I always wanted but they seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Very happy boy!

Another new bike tomorrow, blagged a mint 2012 Inspired Element off ebay for £136 cause the seller was concerned the winner was a scammer so gave me a 2nd chance offer at what I bid for it 😅

What a wonderful idea!

Quotes, aging like a fine wine.

Have I missed the ferry? Just woke up

BB will be too low, would be good for basics like track stands and stuff but I assume you can manage them already

I have thought about possibly picking up some ridged forks, bar riser and change the gear ratio on my DJ but don't know if the geometry will work out

I'm 6'2" and currently ride a 20" (or mod) and I know of other tall riders that do but personally I'd suggest a 26. If your lad is riding at the skatepark might be worth trying to get hold of a more streety 26" bike like an Inspired to give you a few more options of what to ride

Hello all, Recently I've been toying with the idea of give trials a go mostly to give me something to do when I take my lad down the skatepark but unsure what bike to go for. I have been looking at a few onza pro's online but being 6'4 and with 20" wheels I don't know if it would be like trying to ride a kids bike. Are there any taller riders out there that have experience on a 20' wheel? if so how do you find it?

Nice! 🐐

I have them on my jump bike, I'm pretty sure it was from riding home as I don't remember pinching them at the skate park. I'm looking at options to run them on my trials bike, which will be more street than pure trials. I don't want to put max PSI in and was looking at a thicker tube, inserts or trying to run them tubeless. I can just about get the 2.25 in there as I have an inner tube wrapped round the chainstay. I've test fitted the wheel from the jump bike.