Jere_h

Trialtech Carthy, the newest one.

Switched to Coust pads and they feel much softer/more elastic to touch, it's a very different material. I knew they were good on hs33 when I had those, just never tried them on a rear V-brake. Locking power increased massively compared to the old black TNNs, bite significantly better too but still a bit "unreliable" at times, but that might be due to some flex in the system as I still don't own a booster for V. They are loud and very high pitched, but a booster might help with that too. But now it's definitely a good brake again and I can trust the hold even in sloped surfaces. Might give a go for a pair of Heatsinks if I can find them anywhere in the future. Also I washed the rim with IPA (not the beer) but that didn't make much if any difference.

As said in my original post, the setup is 100% dialed and not to blame. I know these brakes inside out, have designed and built my own adapters and ridden them many years now. Rim brake contamination I have a hard time believing, but I guess that can be a real thing? With disc brakes I get it, the surfaces are very smooth and critical there. But with grinded trials rims I find it weird that any significant contamination would be left after grinding, and the pads will pretty effectively "sand" themselves after some hard braking. At least the surface looks like it now. But yeah I'm going to wash the braking surface with a brake cleaner just to see if it helps. Just ordered some Jitsie and Coust pads to see if those would help too. I'm keeping my bikes inside mostly but at some point they have been on a sunny balcony so it's totally possible that the pads have seen too much UV radiation in their life. Still not 100% buying this theory but will see when the new pads arrive. Another one would be, that the pads character has just changed because they are a bit thinner now than brand new. Less material, less squish would mean stiffer pad = less initial bite. At least this could be one of many reasons.

I'm currently struggling with my V-brake setup. I'm using a pair of approx. 3 year old TNN black pads with CNC v-brake packings and those were absolutely mental when they were new. Silent, tacky, locking up effortlessly. They were better than Cousts in my opinion that I loved too. The up to rears on a steep rock surface that I didn't quite make, I was still able to stick to the rock with ease and not sliding backwards. I was blown away how well the V-brake works compared to HS33 at that time. Currently I can't get the brake to stick anymore, until squeezing very hard, but then it's also hard to release quickly when needed. There's barely any initial bite and it takes way too many cm for the rear wheel to stop completely when rolling to a ledge before drop, so I can't trust the brake in these situations. Just did a fresh grind and it helped only marginally, and I remember the grind quality never being an issue when the pads were new. It just worked no matter how bad the grind was. I've completely replaced my entire V-brake system and there's no issues, no loose that would affect etc. It's just not gripping anymore like it used to. Could it be, that the solvents of the pad material have been slowly escaped, so that the rubber has hardened a bit and lost it's elasticity over time? The pads are barely halfway from new, they don't seem to wear much although I ride a lot.. But the time and temperature changes must have something to do with it. I sometimes ride in a freezing temperatures too before the season is officially over. Have you guys noticed this being an issue with old pads? With tires it is very noticeable, when you swap to a new rubber it's so smooth and tacky compared to the old one that has seen some UV rays etc. Also what pads would you recommend for cold weather, meaning I'd like something softer to compensate when they turn wooden in almost freezing temps. Jitsie blue? I also prefer a subtle grind so the brake is not too grabby when it's time to release it quickly. Probably going to give another go for a new set of Cousts because those I remember being very good even with a worn grind. But is there something now that is even better?

Yeah considering all the randomness and loose tolerances in HS33 (pads wiggle a bit, a bit sticky pistons sometimes etc.), it might feel like they're too close and sometimes grabbing when you don't want to. Rim brake is generally not very precise, it's better to be used with a large lever throw like on-off. This is one of the reasons I like Vees, they just feel more precise and I like to run my levers close to bars to minimize arm pump. With a good V setup there is 0 play in any direction so it's quite well predictable too when it touches the rim.

I decided to go with the I9 because as per forum feedback I've seen, that seemed to be the only high engagement solution for trials that doesn't skip. Well, yes it skips too.. But it's very minor and happens most likely only when I'm turning, so when there is going to be some flex. I've never experienced any skipping when preloading a gap, that usually happened with the 135 freewheels (and ruined the move). So far, it's incredible and the light weight makes it feel almost like a front freewheel setup, or not significantly far away from that. Some say double spring mod would get rid of skipping but add some drag. I might try that at some point if the issue gets worse. With the Clean 135 freewheel I already did the mod and it added hell a lot of drag/noise but nothing improved...

The Trialtech Carthys are unfortunately discontinued and when I realized that I decided to order the last one I could find, just for a spare. Those are so good that the old one I've ridden 4-5 years now is still perfect... With natural riding only (and avoiding sharp rocks), I might never need to buy more rims than these.. From weight weenie perspective though, the Hashtagg is tempting but I really appreciate lateral stiffness too, so.... I think no single wall can match the double wall design. When it comes to grind, I'm super lazy. I do a very light grind using a Bosch mini angle grinder (can't grind at home so need a battery powered tool) with diamond cutting disc, once or twice in a year and ride until it starts to feel "wooden" and slippery. With V-brakes that is mostly a non issue, with the TNN black pads it seems to work well even with a worn grind and I kinda like the idea of not generally using too much brakes. That's something I've been trying to learn actually, to rely more on the balance and chain tension (watch Charlie Rolls). What I don't like about a very harsh and effective grind, is the difficulty to release the brakes quickly. It feels like it always grabs a little bit too much. I've generally managed to do the biggest gaps when the grind is starting to loose its sharpness.

I've had the Formulas now in my mtb for a while and will probably keep them there, because they are actually really good for that. These are just very smooth and easy to modulate, contrary to most of the reviews that say the Cura 2 is a bit on-off?! They feel completely different to Maguras, which tend to be very bitey. I don't think the Cura works well for trials with the stock pads because of that slippery smooth initial bite or better say lack of it. I bought a set of Trickstuff pads that are supposed to be more powerful, will see how they feel. Someone, maybe AliC in another thread complained about sluggish lever feel. Some say the levers feel heavy. To me they feel very light, maybe a bit slower/not as snappy as others but not much. The pad knock is horrible, just tons of loose and it doesn't seem to go away after bedding in. This is possibly the deal breaker for me but it doesn't bother in MTB so... The MT5 is still my favourite brake for trials, why change something that works. It bites and holds like animal and there is zero pad knock. The feel is just perfect now when I've used them again, and the only issue is those master cylinder leaks at some point. Shigura might be a real thing to consider.

Actually I was quite interested to try Shigura with XTR race, but checked prices for a set of levers only and laughed.. Currently I could get a complete set of Cura 2 with two magura rotors for the price of XTR levers. Giving the Formulas a go, will report back how they feel in a comp trials setup after I've got the thing built some day. Cura 2-pot because of weight and reliability. Read some feedback about the 4-pots having typical 4-pot issues.

No because with Shimano levers comes the wandering bite point. Also hate the snappy feel of those "servo wave" levers, it's not very natural feeling and I don't see its purpose other than trying to achieve something that isn't needed. Just makes modulation more difficult. The bite point feels good when it's there but other than that I don't like Shimanos. Cable disc brakes? Not for me. 😃Besides the hideous looks/style thing, doesn't matter how good they might be, I don't think (personally) that they can beat the precision of modern hydraulics. I've already seen it with V-brakes, there's a lot of flex and inaccuracy in the system even with the most high end cables and stuff. I haven't touched a mechanical disc brake since I was a kid, but I can imagine how their "personality" is.

Looking for the current best disc brake for trials, with minimal pad knock if there's any. I already have a lot of experience with MT5/4. Those are good when it comes to pads rocking issue, there's not too much of that and even less with the jitsie pads. And they bite well. But I don't know, they just feel spongy and a bit unpredictable at times, lacks that raw consistent bite feel of aluminum master cylinder and starts to leak from the lever pretty soon. I've used my MT trail sport brakes on MTB now for 7 years and they've leaked most of the time but still somehow work, but not very consistently (no wonder). So getting another set of Maguras for my new dual disc trials bike would be an option but it just feels a bit meh.. I'd like a bit of change after all these years. Formula Cura 2 or 4, Anyone tried? I've been really interested in those lately, because they look like a good brakes and aren't that expensive. I bet they work well and feel good but how is the pad knock? The thing I hate most about disc brakes in trials is that banging sound. Shimanos are not an option, they bang a lot and also the bite point issue was too much for me after flipping to my back once. It was brand new set of Zees, they were just crap although felt nice WHEN they worked. Also the pads contaminated every day if not ridden. Hayes dominions, I don't like how the levers look because of those massive Sram style reservoirs. I like my cockpit nice and minimalistic. Also judging from videos they knock pretty bad too. The current Hope brakes, are they worth their price other than the bling aspect? I have a feeling that I'm just going to order the Formulas and see how they perform. Will swap them on the MTB if they suck for trials.

With Magura it's a bit complicated though. There's at least that one 180mm IS/PM design that can't take the stress, it's too thin at certain point. Not sure what it was exactly, but I cracked one pretty quick and some others have as well.

It's all about experience and riding both bikes frequently. Eventually you'll get a muscle memory to both geometries and learn to remember their differences right away, until it's not a problem anymore. I ride full sus 29er and a 26 trials bike, which is a massive difference. But they're like different modes in my brain, programmed to switch on and off depending on which bike I ride. Yes I think you can improve your riding on both bikes together. It's pretty evident that many former comp riders can ride street trials often technically much better than pure street riders. There can be drawbacks too, usually trials riders tend to look very static on an MTB for example. But I think it's mostly about deeply understanding every bike and its purpose. I personally feel like riding different bikes has made me a better rider overall.

No I absolutely hated the HS33 and had to finally do something to get permanently rid of it. Kind of forgot to post here but here we go: I made another pair for the front last summer and now the bike is complete. The result is super stiff and works well. This time put a lot more effort to shape the blocks with a better set of new files. Still very unfinished in my opinion but honestly I don't care that much, they're kind of hiding there behind the brakes anyway. These are now much lighter/smaller too and close to what I originally planned with this material. The WAW fork is definitely a difficult one, there is a lump of carbon in a place where I couldn't make the adapter any slimmer, close to where the brake boss is attached (would have to shorten the thread even more which is not a good idea). I had to use my old HS33 clamps as an adapter for the adapters, just filed them down a bit to keep the thing as low profile as possible (I could still get a few mm off of them but was too eager to get riding at the moment). I was a bit worried but the result is not bad at all, the brakes are not protruding too much from the forks. With some careful CAD design, CNC machining and a pair of deeper sitting V-brake arms than Shimano, it would be possible to make the whole thing a lot sleeker though. But this is enough for me. I made the pads using cheap Shimano v-brake backings shortened. These are a bit spongy though, could work better with a set of TNN v-brake pads for sure. But it's good enough and so far I like it. Time to throw the Maguras out of window.

Yeah although the logic to that long wheelbase and short stems in MTB is geared towards gravity riding/downhill sections which doesn't apply to trials at all. So to get fast in trials we'd proably have to look towards XC bikes which already has kind of happened. I think this new slightly shorter wheelbase of the -24 Jealousy favours very well that modern quick and flowy riding style. Also riders getting stronger and stronger, most of them seems to hit gym as much as riding their bike, so maybe they don't need that added leverage of a long bike anymore. Just thoughts/guesses anyway, it's always a compromise and depends on rider body etc. Personally I've tried long and short trials bikes too and noticed the same thing, if the setup gets too short it will be exhausting or not so precise to keep on the backwheel which affects pretty much all the other moves then. MTB geometry is actually one pretty interesting topic right now. As we know those bikes have been consistently getting longer and slacker to a ridiculous level, but now it seems like they're making sort of an U turn finally. The reach getting shorter, stack higher and chainstays longer (the last one is making me a bit uncomfortable though but I get the idea of better cornering). Commencal actually shortened the reach of the new Meta v5 as much as 20mm compared to previous gen, so the bike rides higher and more relaxed. But yeah we're talking about MTB industry so it might be 50% of what really is necessary to develop a better bike, and 50% of marketing and getting people to constantly update their rig. Bikes are so good already, it's getting impossible to make them any better without sacrificing things.

So my body wasn't wrong with the sensation of how annoying those +1090mm bikes feel to ride.. Love the direction where this is going if shorter is the new trend really. Now we just need to see less hooks and more riding in the UCI please. Just bought the 2023 Jealousy in size M, even though my height suggested for the L. I think it says 1085mm in the chainstay but measured around 1080mm which is the same as 2024 size L. But knowing Crewkerz, the real measurements are probably going to be way off a good few millimetres in every frame. What size is that and how long is it actually? Not sure what they updated looks wise though, since the 2023 already had black components and the same graphics as this one.

Yeah and that too. Using a booster would help but that's again another DIY issue for many. I already bought some thick carbon for that purpose but somehow it still hasn't transformed to a booster by itself.

If going DIY, it's good to remember that the most critical part is going to be around the rear mount screw, which needs way more material than it looks. The forces are trying to rotate the boss and bend the adapter. Monty and many others failed it there, making it very thin and fragile right in the most critical point. It will always fail at the weakest link of the chain, so it doesn't help if you put tons of material around the V-brake boss and completely weight weeny the spot where it joins the frame. It's the overall volume and quality of the material together with the bolts tightened up that matters. So around the M8 or M10 V-brake boss it doesn't need to be that thick actually, but the rear mount screw is just M5 so it needs a lot more material around there to be equally as strong. The front screw is further away so there will be significant leverage that takes stress away, so we don't need that much material there. Also it's good to avoid any sharp corners as always, round shapes are stronger. My adapters are definitely very overbuilt (considering the quality of the material), but that's mostly because they are work in progress.

Here's some DIY: I actually drilled and tapped the lower hs33 mounts of my Echo mk5 and later the mk6+ frames (and forks) to accept M8 stainless V-brake studs (ordered from brake-stuff.de) and that was the best idea ever. After the initial tests I was completely sold to V-brakes, just better and easier than hs33 in so many ways. Echos are nice and easy frames for that modification, especially the mk6+ due to its beefier construction. The studs were a bit too tall for the mounts so I ended up making an "adapter" that acts as a spring preload plate but also (in theory) taking some stress away from the rear mount. Last summer I switched to a Crewkerz Jealousy frame and things got a lot more difficult. The frame is a real pain in the ass to setup V-brakes. The CNC machined construction of the lower mount seemed a bit too thin for a M8 stud (the CNC piece is most likely hollow so I couldn't just take a drill and hope that there is going to be enough material). Also the placement of the mounts didn't quite match the rim for V-brake use as they were placed way too high on the seatstays. So I had no choice but to make my own adapters (Monty, Neon etc. I didn't even consider because they are just too flimsy and I highly value my spine). Actually the hardest part of the whole project for me was to find a consumer friendly workshop that is willing to sell me a small chunk of 7075-T6 aluminum for a reasonable price. I didn't want to make any compromises with reliability so these adapters are probably tougher than the frame itself. Now working with 7075 is definitely not too easy, so it took a fair bit of dedication to make this happen with shitty tools and lack of proper workspace. At least we got a column drill, would have been a nightmare without one. At that point winter was coming soon, so I ended up just roughly shaping the blocks to somewhat tolerable looking just to get back to riding as soon as possible. I had plans to actually finish them to look pretty and "professional", but knowing myself it will probably never happen. Works well, looks ok, weights a ton, but at least I got a V-brake on my Crewkerz! At the front I'm still using the old hs33, just because I'm lazy to "finish" another pair of adapters, but also because the mount design there is going to be a bit more challenging. For the V-brakes I've been successfully using plain cheap Deores for 3 years now with TNN pads and backings. They're pretty good although there is some slight play between the stud, but it's barely noticeable when riding and absolutely nothing compared to that of Maguras. Avids or Lykketrials would be nice but impossible to find. This setup has been a proper set and forget, just works fine and feels consistent everytime.

I just did a radial build on my Crewkerz Waw 32h hub. The hub design looks a bit beefier though compared to many lightweight trials hubs out there. Also it should be made of 7075 aluminum, will see. I used to have a stock Echo front wheel and it started eating the disc side spokes at some point. I reckon that was partly due to the other side being radial and the disc side 3x. The radial side is twisting easily, letting most of the rotational stress to the 3x side, at least this is how I would imagine it happening. Laced the same hub 3x on both sides, and never had an issue again (the original was pre-built though, and the spokes that snapped probably weren't Sapim either).

Mine is the Trialtech Carthy, anodizing removed. Tires have been fitting pretty tight at least.

Thanks for mentioning, didn't even realize to check this out on my frame because I'm fully committed to using V-brake setup with my custom adapters. But decided to take a look and guess what.. (The gap between the bolts is 46mm) Here the clamps are pushed all the way back towards the weld. Looks like the brake pads would touch the tire even with max setting, with these particular clamps at least. Honestly the whole thing looks pretty unacceptable to me, but it is what it is and pretty sure that every 2022 frame has this flaw, more or less. Have to say I'm glad that I will never ever use Maguras anyway! Any chance Onzatpro09 if you could measure the wheelbase of your 2022 medium? I decided to send my large frame back and get the medium, because if the WB is consistently approx. 10mm off through the whole lineup of sizes, the M should be exactly what I prefer around 1080-1085mm. However, I'm starting to suspect that they might just have some really loose tolerances and labeling the frames based on what size option fits closest to the final measurements of each frame. This is why they are the only trials brand with multiple sizes to offer

For a reference, I remember a guy nicknamed Lemon (coincidentally) telling me something like his copy was 1100mm with 395mm or something chainstays, and annoying to ride to the point he decided to sell it. This is why I was a bit worried, although his bike was one of those really old ones I think. Just can't get my mind wrapped around how such 10mm+ errors can be achieved on the production line without messing things up, and does it happen in the factory end or not. I always felt like these bikes look very long, was not mistaken then. I thought it would be just the frame design.

So my L size Jealousy frame just arrived. There is 1085 printed on the chainstay but the actual WB measures roughly 1095 with the WAW forks..... It looks super long too, not just the numbers. This is exactly what I didn't want, because 1085 was already on the long side for my preferences. Ultimately went for the L size instead of M as I thought that the smaller one would probably feel too short on reach (according to the given numbers). Seriously, how is such an error even possible, makes me wonder. Even Tartybikes says 1088 on their site, which I thought would be somewhat correct assuming they actually measure the frames? So is it likely that my frame is just a "lemon"? Edit: Got a response from the shop where I bought the frame (not Tarty), and according to them the WB depends on the fork used (yeah everyone knows that), hence it's 1095mm with the WAW forks they say. At least to me it seems pretty obvious that as long as there are some precise geo numbers listed, they should match the parts specced with the complete bike or it doesn't make much sense. Apparently Crewkerz is using their own weird offset values to get that 1085mm out, something that doesn't even exist as all of their forks are 405mm long with 35mm offset. Getting truly interesting, as the shop doesn't seem to understand the fact that there are misleading information on their site.

I was almost reconsidering the Trailcross LT as they are only 70€ everywhere now. But can't get over the fact that they are super narrow at the tip so it will never fit my square feet perfectly. Also still not really the ideal riding shoe in my opinion, due to their thin mesh constructed upper and tough plasticky feel. This made me feel a bit insecure, in the same way as riding on lightweight running shoes. I personally like that the shoe has some supportive material on top as well so it's going to hold well in every angle on the pedals, when landing sideways etc. Plus it's getting cold and wet here soon, doesn't work for that. I hope Adidas would make something that sits between this and the Sleuth or Freeride models. I just gave up and ordered the Grip shoes for whopping 170€ shipping included.. They just technically seem like the best for the job and hopefully no need to look further. Supportive ankle with plenty of height and cushion, flat low profile sole with a good predictable pattern. Possibility to tighten the toe area to fit different shapes of feet seems like a really valuable design feature, will see how the overall fit is going to be though. So many riders using them regardless of the price so can't be without a reason, I'm really curious to be honest. I've now tried a plenty of approach shoes (not ridden though) and most of them have the same issue: The soles are quite high and clumsy and feel like walking on high heels after the Five Ten Sleuth (or my previous Macaskill). Doesn't exactly feel like an upgrade. Another issue might be, that even though there are few very good (and a bit lower profile) feeling shoes out there like La Sportiva Tx2, the Vibram rubber part in these is super thin between the knobs and I reckon there will be deep holes very quickly. These soles are replaceable, but pedals usually digging so deep through the midsole that I don't know..