Scoville

I've got a set of Nukeproof Neutrons on the bike currently and, on sight at least, they don't look a bad shape for trials. That said I have a pair of V8s on my old commuter so might swap them over as now you've mentioned it, they are one of the most comfortable pedals I've ridden.

Cheers for the replies all. I did another session today and I suspect this is a form/technique issue. I'm really clenching all my muscles (including my feet) on the bike whilst I'm learning to balance and I think all that tension is, at least in part, contributing to the pain. When I focus on loosening up a bit it's much better. I underestimated just how exhausting even the basics of trials are. A few 10 min sessions barely moving have me sweating. I went for a run afterwards just to relax into something easier!

Not sure if this is technique/fitness or shoe/pedal combination. Having just started out on trials I'm having to adapt to standing on the pedals all the time rather than sitting in the saddle most of the time. When I'm practicing track stands the hotspots on pressure on my feet really start to ache. Is this just a adaptation that needs to build up over time? I'm currently riding in some well worn (pretty much end of life in fact) Rebook Gortex trail shoes so I'm not averse to spending out on some new footwear. Fiveten Trailcross seem to be well liked as a do-it-all shoe, worth a look?

Cheers for the advice all. Picked this up today. Despite looking radically different to anything I’ve previously ridden it feels just like a well sorted hardtail.

Cheers Ross. I've never ridden BMX, only ever MTB. Assume the trend towards BMX means the later bikes are shorter/steeper/snappier? Perhaps the older ones will suit me if that is the case, I suspect even a 'lazy' trials bike is going to feel pretty lively compared to my 29er.

Cheers both. A Fourplay has come up semi-local to me so I'm hopefully going to take a look at that this week. Not sure what model year it is (it's disc only, pastel blue, standard drop-outs). Any particular quirks throughout their production? I know there have been a few versions of the frame over the years.

Ah that is what I feared, sounds like the Flea is just going to frustrate and annoy more than provide a platform to learn on then. The one I've seen isn't even all that cheap (it's Flea 4 so comes with the higher spec) but I suspect the seller will take an offer. I'd say I want either 26" or 24". Many moons ago I had a go on a friends 20" mod bike (IIRC it was an Onza T-Bird) and I didn't like it at all, I think years of MTB mean I want something that feels like a "normal" bike. I had a Giant STP a long time ago which I now really regret selling, despite not being a trials bike it did well at a bit of everything. And Jeff Lenosky never had any trouble making them look capable. Inspired Flow XP seems like the best value new bike, but we're already into silly money at that point. A Hex popped up very local to me for a reasonable price, but the listing vanished a day later so expect it got snapped up. I remember the Onza Zoot used to be a good mid priced option? Looks like they're aren't many of them around these days either.

I know they're old, but this one is local and cheap. Any major pitfalls of this bike as an absolute beginner? There isn't a great deal of information anywhere about them, though from the handful of postings I've found they were never considered the most desirable trials bikes. Do they have any major handling shortcomings or were they just not up to the level of their price point back when they were 'current'? Assuming Saracen didn't just build something with horrible geometry that is intrinsically unpleasant to ride then I'm assuming it will be a long time before I reach the limit of any weakness in the build. I didn't realise how few bikes they are avaiable. I've seen a handful of fairly tired looking budget bikes on eBay, then you leap up to big money for Fourplays and Hexes at which point I think I'd just go an buy something new from Tarty.