Swoofty

I had no idea the original 4play was that high. How long ago was that? (I've only been here 12 years) What was the biggest factor in changing it lower? I guess there really isn't a hard and fast definition for a street trials bike anyway. I'd say the Alias is a street trials bike, but it's way high BB and no seat so kind of a category unto itself. I'm happiest with +25 right now, but the wheelbase and head angle play a big part too.

Say it ain't so! Are street trials bikes going the way of pure now? +30 BB on a street bike sounds crazy, but I haven't ridden one yet. The rest of the geo is fairly standard, 985 wheelbase, 74 deg headangle. It's got that same 'between the stays' rear brake mount as the TMS Champgn too. It also comes in white apparently. If anybody rides one, let me know what it's like.

I used an XT lever in my experiment. It worked perfectly and they're easy to bleed, but I eventually went back to MT5 levers.

Could have been a glaze on the pads from long, slow braking. The water trick will sort that or you can run the pads lightly over sandpaper (or flat cement in a pinch) to break the glaze. Usually the glaze will go away on its own with trials use unless you do more long brake drags that re-glaze the pads. Or it could have been something completely different. Glad you got it sorted.

There really isn't anything in price competition with Hope's Pro4 oddly. I9, Profile and Chris King are all about the same price so dealers choice there. Echo makes a SS 72 point rear freehub, but I've never seen one in the wild.

Update: So I finally broke down and got the WAW cranks that are made for this bike. The Bonz were working ok, but the 46mm press fit BB to 24mm axle just introduced too much flex in the system even though I was using Rotor's BB that is 46 to 24 without adapters. The WAW cranks are admittedly pretty sweet. Oh well, lesson learned. Also finally got carbon rims for this baby. The front is a 30mm BMX 24 and the rear is 38mm. They're both from Light Bicycle. I've only gotten 2 rides on them so far, but great so far. The wider rear seems to help the Holy Rollers fold less on sketchy landings, but I haven't gone bellow 35 psi yet. I'll keep you posted on these hoops. The bike is down to 20.2 lbs/ 9.16kg ;-)

I didn't start riding trials until I was 34, but your early 30s are a difficult time. I think subconsciously it's your brain adapting to a 'middle aged' body as opposed to your previous, constantly improving, younger body. You still improve, but not nearly at the rate you could from 15 to 26 years. The real advantage of your mid 30s on is your ability to acquire wisdom more easily. You said it yourself in your initial post, not eating right, not exercising and not enough free time. Focusing on that list will improve your whole life. What it takes is planning. Plan good meals; schedule time to exercise/ride; make some 'me' time. I'm pretty sure I'm addicted to endorphins and my wife has come to the realization that I NEED bike rides to be healthy mentally and physically. My kids are 9 and 12 now so that definitely gives me more free time than when they were younger. I was lucky enough to find a local kid who really wanted to learn trials and now after 2 years riding with him, he really motivates me to keep trying new stuff (he's almost 16 now). Riding with other people is a great motivator, but if you're in the US, you're probably riding alone sadly. I can't compare my current trials self with a mid 20s trials self as I wasn't doing it back then, but I do have the heart rate monitor graphs and boy are those two people different! I raced XC mtb from 1991 through the early 2000s and I know that I will never see 210 bpm again! I had the great pleasure of riding trials with Hans Rey when he was 48 (I was 41 at the time) and I was very keen to see what should be possible for lowly old me even at my age. Now having seen Ot Pi's lockdown backyard riding video I realize I have a hopeless amount of stuff left to learn even by his age. The point is you've still got cycling on your side and you've held onto it. You'll have to temper your expectations with age, but riding a bike will remain an immense amount of fun. You'll have ups and downs; just keep moving forward.

I think you've tried hard enough to make this work that you've earned those stickers.

Wider rims. A wider rim offers fewer points to cause pinches. The available 24" rims don't really give you that option and for street trials would make the tyre profile more 'square'.

Completely off topic, but how's the trials scene in Argentina? I bet you guys have some epic MTB trails.

For trials use it is mostly personal preference. 170 is stiffer and lighter just by way of lever length and your legs travel a shorter distance per revolution. 175 offers greater torque, but might not fit some trials frames or rub under hard kicks. Whenever you find yourself debating 170 vs 175, just remember Charlie Rolls uses 165s.

Chains are a hot topic of late. You said it yourself, you should change the chain at least every 6 months if you actually ride. Every 3 months isn't out of the ordinary. Chains are very reasonably priced for what trials riders need so there's no reason to skimp on this. I cannot stress enough that breaking a chain while riding trials can be a LIFE CHANGING experience. As for chain stretch, I have one of those things too, but I change my chain before it tells me I need to. They're nice for multi geared bikes and people who only ride occasionally because a stretched chain will ruin your drivetrain; multi gear or single speed. If your drivetrain includes one of those expensive Inspired 22t with integrated bash, you'd much rather replace a chain twice a year than one of those every year (plus the chain!)

Joe's No Flats schrader valves have worked for me. https://www.bike24.com/p2272511.html

I heard that the 610 was going away, but there are still plenty of them available here in the States. I tried one of the newer Z1eHX and it's definitely beefier than the 610, but the 610 looks better. I'll stick with the 610 as long as i can find them.

I had them on my Alias 20.1, but ultimately they're just one of many many ways to skin a cat. I'm all vertical drops and through axles now; not by choice, but the way of the market it seems.

How about trendcycles.ch? They're not EU at least. Mostly echo, jitsie and rockman for bare frames.

I've only had to replace one that was bad from the factory. It's probably just slipping in the pinch bolt. Make sure the steel rod that connects the tensioner to the bike is clean and un-greased so the pinch bolt can hold it properly. Check the Inspired link Ben suggested earlier as they explain the whole setup procedure. https://www.inspiredbicycles.com/images/custom/downloads/Inspired Fourplay Tensioner Instructions.pdf

Curious to know how that trip to the chemist would play out... ;-) No put down intended on the pumice. I use one quite often and I also forget to use it quite often.

+1 for the pumice stone, of course, you have to actually use it though! Get one of the ones that's round-ish, not the rectangular ones. Use it at the end of your shower/bath when your hands are nice and warm and use it with the hot/warm water running over your hands and the stone. Keep the whole process warm and wet. Get in the habit of using it and you'll be much happier. I use foam grips and gloves, but there's no real magic bullet there. With summer approaching, you'll be doing more hot and humid rides and that's how your skin will react regardless. It's more important to have good bar feel than minimize calluses.

Same as above. .4 or less, round down, .5 and up, round up. Using the spoke calc programs, you can pretty reliably round up and be fine.

That's pretty much how it's supposed to be.

You're a true fan for sticking with Hope after all this. Hope is still the cheapest choice of the hubs that are worth buying and the next step up is $$$. I rode Chris King for nearly 20 years until they pissed me off and I never went back. My Profile hub is still going strong since 2015, but I don't think I'll get another, however it won't die. Industry 9 has been outstanding to deal with, but they are pricey. Good luck!

I was appalled to find a quick link on my Hex too. I got rid of it pronto! The pinch bolt is highlighted in the photo below. It's underneath the bike, but not one of the 2 bolts that hold the plastic tensioner part to the chainstay. If you want the absolute best chain tool available, get yourself a Rohloff Revolver 3 tool. It has the ability to re-rivet the chain pins for the best security possible, but it's pricey. Another trick for the tensioner is to put 10t jockey wheels on instead of the 11t that come on it so you can drop a link and/or straighten the chain a little bit more.

You can use a gold sharpie marker on the 'Spoon' logos. It'll come off with alcohol if you don't like it.

Drop the chain off the second jockey wheel (the one farther from the rear axle). Loosen the pinch bolt that holds the tensioner. Rotate the tensioner farther back (clockwise in the photo above) to increase tension. Re-tighten the pinch bolt. Put the chain back on the jockey wheel. Done.