Alex Dark

The don’t have alloy pistons in.

Muc off wet lube ( chain oil ) is what I’ve always used.

I’ve had loads of 26 rims over the past 10 years or so …. Tryall , echo , onza , trialtech, atomz etc. Trialtech are probably the strongest , and stiffest. Only slight downfall is that the sidewalls dent easier than most , however I think This has been sorted with the material of the newest iteration. I’ve done the biggest drop gaps I’ve ever done on these rims and they don’t really flat spot like others do.

Bought a second hand Clean K1 carbon 20” the other day for a bit of a change up… repaired a cracked chainstay , gave it a spray and a new steering setup.

This thing is rad, loads of fun to ride, nowhere near as heavy as you'd expect and feels really dialled. Great to see someone doing something different ! Massive props for building this from scratch.

I used to use radial for rim brake , but now 2x. 3x if disc application.

Fairly sure you’ll need a 128mm ISIS bb. Trialtech is a pretty decent option. As for freewheels , echo SL are probably the best screw on option. Around 4x more engagement than an ACS claw , stronger , less likely to skip and no falling off lockring issues ☺️

I’m sure Euan can tell you a fair amount about them , as can Shaun Goddard as he stocked a lot of their kit. Decent bikes by all accounts , I can’t ride sofa bikes so I’m not one to judge but they’ve been around long to have a fairly good reputation.

I would personally only be replacing chains and brake pads on a periodical basis. Rotors should not be cracking , especially with the force a BB5 and a new rider can exert on them. Anything aluminium can and will fatigue, the most likely culprits in my experience being very old magura slaves , forks ( normally magura mount ) handlebars and crank arms. This is usually fairly rare though. Nearly all riders change most of their bike if not their whole bike every 2 / 3 years or so , so most of this risk is negated. That being said intelligent ( higher end and not too worn out ) component choice can mean a bike can reliable beyond this while just replacing consumables ( like chains , pads etc )

I've meant to make a bleed hose, but seem to have got away with just bleeding bottom up and letting the water run out of the lever for the past 3 years.

I think I’d almost rather a fork than a hub failure…. id be willing to run budget Chinese stuff on a mountain bike , but I don’t think I could bring myself to on a trials bike. I can’t think of anything that’s non-critical in trials.

Even more impressive seeing this stuff in person. Great seeing you producing videos of this length and calibre again Rich

Laced the Spank to a spare chris king singlespeed HD I picked up a few months back. I had my old chris king / Onza series front wheel kicking around for the last decade since I dropped front disc, so that went straight on. Blagged a spare set of trialtech disc forks to replace the inspired… much prefer the shape of these. Also bought a 110x35mm stem from Adrian too to make it a little more trialsy. Fitted my old middleburn rs7 super pro TI cranks , with a reset TI BB. Spent an hour making a 74kingz tensioner to suit the new ratio.

Hated the skinny 21mm rims , so nabbed a brand new Spank Al40 rim from Adrian Jordan. I sold the hope Pro2 wheel set to a local DJ guy for £50 over asking (£150) if I delivered them that day Sold the m810 saints as well.

So, I picked up this Hex back in May after losing a bit of love for pure trials. Managed to get hold of it for a pretty decent price from Rob Lawrenson with a worthwhile spec: Hope Pro2 evo hubs on ex721s and maxxis Holyrollers shimano Saint m810 crankset hope tech m4 W. 203 icetech rotor. magura 2005 HS33, phat pads , braided hoses, trialtech 4 bolt booster inspired Hex mk1 frame, powder coated black. inspired hex mk1 disc forks 90x35 trialtech stem trialtech high rise bars plastic “insane” pedals some bmx seat chris king Rasta headset

Really impressive, powerful riding. Enjoyed that

Is this the Limey 4 24 frame ? The black and white one ?

Really enjoy your trials / street trials mix in there as opposed to some of the solely street edits. Was the drop down to the thin wall the same one from “the robots are coming “ ?

Reminds me of Pisanka crossed with Bersha . Nice style and big kicks

Theyre both fairly similar specc'd. Strength wise I'd probably choose the Zoo myself. The Zoo, i think, is a 2012 pitbull. https://www.webcyclery.com/product/zoo-26-frame-1772.htm Geometry is pretty good for a beginner up to expert although not the most up to date. Would be suitable for an average to tall guy.

Right, can you provide some pictures? there's no such thing as an Echo Zoo! although they are both the same company. Rockman are inherently weak, although I have seen some frames still going now and taking a battering. Echo and Zoo strength varies massively by year ( pre and post 2009/10 ).

Thanks mate, you definitely need to come down our way again...little plymouth roll around is long overdue!

Really happy with this edit , all the best bits from 2020 riding aboard my Crewkerz. edit from the legend Ryan McColm

To be honest I never really notice much difference, whatever you lose in weight centralization I feel you make back in less friction and a freer drivetrain. The engagement is mad, just makes everything else even a 135 freewheel just feel sloppy. Nothing at all, the pneumatic tees are just push fit.