Ali C

makes sense, though it sounds like a mod may not be the best direction. I would avoid a high bb bike just now, start lower and build up is the best way I think.

well mods suck unless you are really small. and high bb bikes suck for anything other than backwheel moves. I would rather ride a Phase over something like the new Sky2 bike.

yep, good advice for manuals. I don't have much to add other than spins are well worth learning, but it's handy to know which way to spin as trials riding usually makes people goofy as hell. If you are right foot forward then is best to spin to the left and vice-versa. You could always take your brakes off for a while too, that will really help hone your bunnyhops and manuals as you can't rely on a brake to correct any mistakes.

error lol

when it comes to cranks for mtb, Shimano just can't be beaten! Shimano SLX

as far as pure trials 24" bikes go, they are pretty dam good! Bar angle though!!!

shame the camera men can't film trials for shit.

high bb was always a dis-advantage to me in comps, I just can't ride them. Every move seems harder especially sidehops, it's like you have to jump a good few inches higher to get the back wheel on the wall. As an example, I could do 50" sidehops on my Simtra with +15bb, then I had an Ozonys Cannibal (+45) and I couldn't even do bar height. I always looped off the back every time I did a gap or hook. I could have probably got used to it (other people seem able to) but frankley I didn't want to, it felt horrible to me, it didn't feel like I was riding a bike any more. I very much doubt this Rockman will give any more advantage over current mod frames.

Not great pinch protection and poor stability (mine were always mental on off-camber stuff, I hated them!) mean they're not really that nice. I was amazed when I switched to an Eagle Claw as to just how much better tyres can be after making do with a CC for so long

The overall geometry of the Levelboss compared to the Lite is quite a bit different though. Back end's around 15mm shorter, reach is going to be different, etc. Quite a lot of variables. I'm not saying a high BB is all bad, but it just seems like a massive knee-jerk reaction to the fact that Koxx are doing a +90mm mod frame now. This was not Ali EDIT: In terms of my style, I rode mod for 6-7 years before and although I found around +50-60 was quite nice, I just can't get used to the over 70mm BB heights at all 'cos it feels like you can't really put any power in for gaps or anything. Just seems to want to loop out the whole time...

I can see you know your stuff and are giving sound advice, but my point about weights doing more harm than good when he hasn't done comps before is because I have seen many people focus on getting power before they have got any control. At comps, the most important thing you can have is control. Technique is more important than being powerful in my view. Once you (he) have ridden comps for a bit, starting to get lots more control on natural and slippery conditions, then would be the time to start getting the weights done and getting the power. "power is nothing without control" and all that. If they find the gym enjoyable, then fair enough, as long as they don't think that is the answer to getting good on a bike.

the Evo just has different bearings, no more engagement points. The Spin Doctor is ok, but I wouldn't trust it for power moves.

He specifically asked for advice on how to get fit for comps.

A lot of people do seem to run really light gear on 24" bikes for some reason, Stan runs 22-18, Ben Rowlands used to run 18-16 (until he saw the light) and Sean Watson Runs something silly like 16-13. If you are riding a compy style bike, then a lighter gear should be fine, but for street a lighter gear can hold you back.

This topic also shows that people have their priorities wrong. First things first, riding.....it's the best thing you can do, ride as much as you can, ride on horrible wet rocks, ride street, ride because its fun ride because it's a challenge. Forget the weights, if you havn't actually entered a comp yet weights will do you no good. The people who say don't do any cardio are fools too. Honestly, if you are just starting to want to do comps, don't go down the whole training route, to me, that's just for the people who want to go far in the UCI international comps, training now will make riding seem like training rather than the fun that it should be. going to the gym and trying you get bigger muscles will make you worse at comps unless you know exactly what you need to do. Most of the people giving you advice have probably never entered a comp, I have and going to the gym is a waste of time unless you're ultimate goal is to be world champ.

that's way too light. 22-15 seems spot on to me.

worst riding bike hopping machine ever? somehow I think the answer is yes.

the best training for riding is actually riding. Riding natural is the best thing you can do if you want to ride comps, forget running and lifting weights for now, just get out and ride for as long as you can without putting your feet down.

It's always easier to get tyres on/off single wall rims, so that's not too surprising in many ways.

I heart you Ben! some class riding, looks like you were ready for the change to a streety bike, you look very natural on it

I don't drink so wouldn't have entered such a competition in the first place.

Inspired are pretty dece for 24" and 26", for 20".......probably Cult.

watched "Monters" the other day as I had heard good things about it. I was pretty disappointed, it was pretty boring, there wasn't enough action for my liking, it seemed to be more about the relationship of the two main characters rather than the fact there were big massive aliens wandering about. 6/10

put more washers on then.

looking good, although I have noticed that perhaps your bars could do with being tilted back a bit. When riding it looks like the bar position is forcing you to ride with an "elbows out" style. rolling the bars back would bring the upper body into a slightly more natural position and could perhaps improve your riding. I only mention this because you do seem quite keen on tips, so please don't take it as a negative comment. If you watch these vids you can see they look a bit more relaxed and natural in the upper body positioning, and because of this I think it translates into more relaxed riding.