sharn

No problem. I've run thehorrible old school flats that have that awful upsweep. i tend to go with Risers. I actually run Ns District bars on both my Leeson and my Pashley and intend to run the on my Base when it's built up too. Inshaallah. I just get on with them very well and i like Steel bars cos i just go *so* big.. Ahem. Nah theyv'e got that bit more bounce in em so it's quite nice on a rigid street bike. They newer style flats that are like a shallow riser seem nice - always liked the monty style risers myself though never ran them. I agree, it the upsweep thats always the crucial bit for me. Generally been running Districts for years now. i do like them. Glad you appreciated that, thought i'd contribute. Seems you've understood it all already. Basically i agree with Yorkshire dale. long n low for spending time on the back wheel then set your favourite swept bar up in the sweet spot! If you get wrist ache- grip thickness is always something to consider!. Get that just right for the size of you hand grasp too! Lever reach etc. (again sorry to state the obvious!) Please understand though i'm sat here responding because i'm not out riding. Which says alot All the best man. PeAce!

To condense my last reply a little... ''+1''

I'd be tempted to run the bar forward just a *tad*. Once the bike is up on the rear wheel a 'rise' in a bar starts to come back at you, looks slightly like this is pushing your lower arms back into you when it's on it's r. wheel and might cause a (very) slight bit of a timing issue when 'lungeing' forward, especially on the bigger efforts. Almost like your causing the bike to move forward with your thigh/ middle weight before you've completed the pedal stroke. It's a small observation and it's not overly obvious here but looking at you gap the steps at the end i felt it could be a slight area of interest if youre trying to really dial the thing. It may not feel like this at all or you might understand what i mean? Personally if youre looking to get better rear wheel action i'd be tempted to drop the bar height up to 10mm aswell as tilt the bars ( A tad is a technical measurement beyond comprehension ). I'm talking just like a degree or so. Think the higher the bars when the bike is on two wheels, the closer the bars are to you when it's on the back wheel (Or should i say theyre 'trying' to be closer to you) - giving you less room and making it feel more of a rush to kind of avoid the uncomfortableness. Maybe try bringing the levers up a touch too, the further down they are the more thats pulling you round and over the front while youre up on back end, and when gaping you want to try get below and behind the bars so you can get back more to exhert more effort forward. (Hope that makes some sense!?) E.g if the tip of your finger is trying to stay wrapped on the lever, the further round the bar the less your'e able to get down and behind it when pre-loading. Hope some of that makes sense. This is all obviously theoretical but you wanted a long winded response did you not (A) It's like anything when you move away from one thing you move towards another. The direction of these changes might make bunnyhops and nose pivots get slightly harder the more extreme you go with it. so i'd say just go that way in smidges first (more technical lingo). Remember to adjust your levers with it too! (Sorry if any of this sounds patronising - it's really not intended to!) Sometimes people take this kind of advice and move everything 20mm here and 5 degrees there all at once. Don't do it like this I'm talking frACTIONS. Again sorry if i'm sounding like a 'know it all' (i really really don't!) I know you've been riding for years and years just thought i'd give you my observations/experiences by the way, Did you used to have a white BT Raven?? Anyway, all the best with it bro. Alhamdulillah. Salaaam.

Very nice, i enjoyed that. Thanks. You got some good gapping skills bro. Lovely gap and an oddly pleasing arrangement of stones at 1:40 Keep enjoyin it man. Ride on

I'd say; Steeper head angle. +10/12ish on w.b (axle to axle) Of that 10/11/12mm - +4mm on chainstays/+6/7/8mm on b.b - fr.axle. Run a shorter stem 60/70/80mm (presumin youv'e got something longer) with a nice lofty riser set at 0. Stackers to taste. Start low(ish) - lower the front end the 'better' once it's on the back wheel (imo) But you need to find a balance between this so that you can still get the right timing for pulling up into (and finding the sweet spot for) a manual or leveling out a bunnyhop. Nice wide rim to keep back wheel stability. +20Psi for bunnyhops . It's hard to find a 'trials' set-up good for nose manuals. You'll probably need a front disc cos you'll still really have to throw it in. That's my initial thinking for moving from the geo' youv'e got. With any set up you should find you can get a quick, on the go tweek by tilting the bars forward or back. A big riser adds a nice amount of adjustability in this way because when u tilt them fowrard you add alot more to the reach So if the short stem set up is buggin you just tilt em forward (a touch). No bar should really be going too far back (from 0*) though :'( . Hope some of that helps! Thats roughly how i would start myself but i'm a big lanky beanpole and don't actually ride anymore . All the best.

Bar and stem play as much in the geometry of a bike as the frame and fork. A bike should be considered in totality really. And it's not the same for everyone. when you mount a bike it's the geometry of you and the bike as an entire unit that matters. Example; the same bike with a tall and a short person aboard it will be two very different 'entities' moving through space (and time - which i suppose is (acutely) relevant to the discussion - with relevance to force and motion we are trying to create through the machine, with optimum efficiency. In the sense that your actual muscles operate better or worse at different 'angles' also). Imagine the bike has fixed points of interest relative to itself (the geometry youre asking about), then your 'fixed points of interest' i.e your elbows,knees, shoulders, length of spine, legs, arms (etc) also create a relationship to the fixed points of the bike and create relationships all over this (now) singular unit of interest (i.e you and the bike together) So you might understand it's a very complex and wonderful thing that occurs and is (imo) one of the beauties of the man/bicycle relationship. Alhamdulilah! I love bikes (and biscuits. Ahem. *crunch*) It's all very acute, but collectively this all makes one person 'fit' a bike better than another. Think about how you want the bike to feel and see what people can suggest. Give us your geometry (i.e your height and body type, i.e gangly arms or short arms etc) Example; imagine if you have short arms, that means no matter what bike your on your weight is further forward than someone with longer arms, which might make one bike feel better than another (to you) Same goes for every othe measurement of your body. Wheel-size is another thing, i.e you have 'wheelbase' and 'bike length' which are naturally different depending on the wheel size and this effects things like turning and spinning because of gravitational forces. It takes a long time to 'understand' bikes and the way they ride. I read a thread mentioning being able to look at a bike and know how it'll ride. i feel that to an extent i can do this. But only for myself obviously. Hope this helps you to understand it's simply not that simple. Bike fitting is a wonderful science And when it comes to trials it's even more complicated because we're moving around the thing in all directions.

Pic of the day in the bottom right corner That was when internet videos looked like tetris. Loved it. Nice thread.

I used to ride A LOT. I now have a couple of dream bikes that i mainly just lean up against walls and crouch down and admire them from a (*special*) distance.. until my mum calls me in for tea. I probably ride my road bike more than my trials these days (especially in winter) but i try to go out once in a while. I'm one of those 'bar height' kind of riders these days. Keeps me happy (A) Trials is in my blood. Riding since i was at least 13 or so with a few years out in my early twenties riding bmx, so i could (never quite) get barspins. I'm nearly 26. Who remembers 'trials - shack' ( i think it was called?!) Going back a bit..

Well said. I still thought it was fun/entertaining and quite nice to see visually in parts - (maybe it was just the nice camera). Though the editing was abit peculiar. Massive respect to Inspired and the crew (don't get me wrong), it's just a totally different thing. Can't compare the riders or the companys. Inspired is the young and snazzy kid. Monty is really the daddy of bike trials. And you can't expect grandpa to be totally down with the kids surely ? In terms of monopoly, i agree no-one else is doing it. It's not a dig, I just meant that naturally (because theres no competition) it might get abit strong! And it's a shame (that theres no others in the game) Because it used to be great to see all kinds of bikes out there. Either way the vid made me wana ride. Maybe he's just promoting his flash kicks... Anyway, hope your riding's going well rowan and your postie leg is good and strong

No, i mean it's not actuallly meant to be a trials bike! I was just amused and suprised to find such a geometry and got me thinking as to why it had not been pursued sooner by the nut nibblin small cog spinning mtbrs of the day! As in i would have expected someone to have felt at least a small advantage of the huge standover, enough to at least be curious towards it's potential progression sooner. I rekon this would be sweet for two wheel manouvers Old school natty. Reminds me of when the high b.b trials bikes first came out and i remember Adam from tarty bikes (Before tartybikes became anywhere close to what it is!) And he came over to Long eaton with this thing and we were all climbing up onto it thinking it was the weirdest thing ever! Didn't like it then personally, and still don't really like it now but it seems that many people do and it's obviously a massive advantage! Anyway, just a giggle. enjoy.

It wasn't Thaaaat bad! Just not an 'emptying the tool bag' kind of stitch. Still, I thought it was quite nice for a one dayer. In a strange way i just enjoyed watchin the simple moves of trials filmed with such a nice camera. The back wheel down the steps was a particularly nice shot i thought. Danny's riding is great (to say the least) but i don't think just because the inspired team are all thrifty young chaps throwin hammers left right and centre we should get snobby and reject anything less that a backflip to hook it just doesnt make for a respectful enviroment. I understand what youre saying about him being better than that but what a shame to have distaste for seeing a 'pro' doing anything less than his best. They'll end up like 'hollywood' stars that way, pushed away by the public that they must stay as 'stars' and idolized. He's a man on a silly little bike and thats all we all are! I felt this vid was indeed a quick little promo (probably at the recomendation of his sponsors) and was quite nice at that. It's ones own loss if they found nothing to enjoy. I don't know why but generally red-bull get's on my nerves these days. And inspired is getting abit of a monopoly for 'street' huh? Hope it doesn't get too sickly. I got respect for monty and there riders. In a different way. Anyway, its a nice day. Hope i can get out to do some naff little back hops! Maybe even a two wheel peck up a slant or something (A) Sorry for slight rant. Nothin but love Alhamdulillah. PeAce.

Just found this.. +100mm(and some!?) b.b rise, Long ass mod style stem.. Where were the trials riders?? Surely someone mustv'e had a go and felt the benefit of the clearance for trials! How come we still had -10 b.b up until 20..?! I think it's an 80's bike! Anyway, just thought i'd share it and maybe someone can trump this with an even older bike that shows signs of the geo to come! Little plaggy trials seat and I rekon some people could do some fair size moves on this thing!

I can't be the only one who found something enjoyable in this I thought it was quite nice to see some basic trials in a way and felt a sort of nostalgia for the days when those kind of little lines would have put a grin on my face for days! I'll agree i doubt this is his 'ultimate' riding but it's quite obvious due to sheer amount of 'having fun' clips that it's more of an expression about the simple excitement of riding trials and the adventure out on your bike than a reem of big lines that took 6 months to film. It looks like it was literally filmed in a single day out! There were some pretty nice swidhops in there! But i have to say.. that pivot3 off the rail at the end seemed a bit half arsed but that makes me think it really was just a 'day out' kind of job. I found something enjoyable in the riding itself. Maybe it was just a nostalgia kick from when the little lines were what we lived for! Maybe cos iv'e had a big break from trials i'm enjoying watching it more. And i started on a mod too only had one though.. Monty X-Alp! Oh yeeah. Anyway. Ride on. Sharn.

I feel that this type of attitude from riders of this sport is only going to contribute to the trials community turning to just what you describe this video as. And it's not because of the lack of Extra Extra centimetres on someones gaps or the (slightly strange) editing of a video! At least he hasn't sold his bikes and given up! Maybe your'e bored cos your losing the respect for the sport yourself? I thought there was quite abit of energy in the video and it was quite refreshing to see one of the best riders in the world do some of the most basic core moves of what makes up the trials discipline! Kind of took me back a little. This video is potentially for non pro's to watch too and people new to the sport so in that sense its encouraging too! Anyway, i'm not here to disagree with anyones opinion, just to contribute with mine as the forum is for. Cheer up Trials Forum!

I wonder how many back hops he can do! Enjoyd the riding, kind of old school style. Mashaallah. It's always good to see the older riders still riding. 3.26 - is that a smile? The size of that matters more than the size of his sidehops! All good. Alhamdulillah. PeAce and good grease

Masha'allah! That was just amazing Ali! Mate, never mind taking my hat off.. i've thrown it away and bought a 'piss' pot! What a joy to see this riding; I dont think i've ever seen any trials rider look so comfortable with the geometry of a bike than this. Not once do i see a sturggle to shift the wheel under your feet or any slight misjudgment of foot position on landing gaps/ 3's or anything! This is dialled. Your riding really exemplifies the evolution of our sport and is in my opinion one of the finest expressions to date of what the whole sport has been working towards. Alhamdulillah! Keep it up and all the best on your journey. I'm assuming you had a lot to do with the development of this frame! The bike looks great and it's good to see a (proper) steel 24 in production. 3Piece only aswell! Because it's the right thing to do Well done man. Peace and good grease.. (edit: And compliments to the editor of the video. Great composition, seemless and capturing. A truly great achievement in all respects )

Cool to ride with you Toby.. Wild sidehops! But where was everyone else?! Haha. Let down! I should be out for another session next/next sunday if anyone else is Got some payback for a sharp edged gap to front

Seeyou there

I've not rode notts for over 5 years! Haha this should be a blast. So what time do people thinking theyll be getting in town? Parked up and in the square? I can get in for anytime really.. Around half 10 by the fountains sound about right?

Thats the one! Haha good times, weird that clip was so vivid in my mind.. even the slightly warped nature of the footage. Nice work on that.. to Manual! Aalright. things are counted technically higher when your b.bs that low Nice to see that vid again. Jack barnes! Forgot about that sketchy little beast. He was wild. Anyway, Ryan leech.. I think it's cool hes promoting his outlook aswell as just his skills. I admire that and think even the smallest line can be really rewarding if you look at in this kind of way and thats what ive always loved about trials.. You can ride anything, anyways. And i'm getting to that age now where ive started to find stretching and breathing beneficial before and during rides.. So yeah, full power to the Leech.. Diggin the spirit.

I'm in for the 2nd

Cool, i'll send him a message when i sign up.. Thats good you still ride man, Iv'e got this vivid memory of a video where you clear hop a rail on that Norco, and im sure the video sizeings out.. It was really stretched or something? And Obviously really sh*t quality too.. I may be wrong though. My brain likes to make stuff up Those Norcos were stunning though, but i agree.. forks were too short and so b.b was too low. I rode Jolfas a few times and i much preferred looking at it i gotta say I bet it'd have felt alright with a suspension corrected fork and and a lower stem set up maybe ? Trials kings were just mind blowing at the time! Used to get me so fired up for a ride. Anyone still ride the zebdis? Anyways, cool things. Peace.

Haha i agree! Like you said.. why would they? Dont think thatd tie in with his philosophy.. I don't have a pinkbike account but i'll set one up and find out.. Leon, do you still ride mate? I remember your stuff from way back, didnt you have a white norco yourself for a time? Or am i getting confused? Anyway, What a legend. Hes given so much to the sport.. everyone who rode trials was inspired by manifesto i rekon. i certainly was. Seriously though.. that drop!

Ah, thatd make some sense.. What with it being a bridge and all.. :$ Still, Thats absolutely nuts. I make that out to be at least 30ft? Why would you not film the splash?!

Hi guys, Just wondering if anybody is mates with Tom Chilvers from back int' day? If so, could you kindly tell him to send me the brake i bought from him on Ebay. Haha the little shites took me cash n not sent the item! Unless it's a different guy.. but i doubt it. Its an xtr brake and booster (trials rider all day ) Yeah so if someones his mate and can help me get in touch, I'm hoping it's just a mistake but if someone could drop me his number or get him to call me or just tell him to respond on ebay or something!! Otherwise i gotta do the whole 'i want my money back' thing on ebay/paypal. My numbers 07904070911 if anyone can help i'd be very grateful. Otherwise tell him i'm coming after him with the boys. Ta