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Everything posted by Ali C
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Same as sidehops, there's a general feeling that sidehopping towards your back foot is the natural direction...there'll still be people that find it natural to go the other way but it'll be a smaller percentage. Same with skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding etc, they all have a natural stance and direction to spin. I've no bad feelings for people who spin goofy, Tom Dugan is one of my favourite BMX riders and he does (spins with a bitch crank is another matter), I just know from my own experience and from seeing others that it's helpful to have riding techniques compliment each other. I used to spin opposite but it meant some moves didn't link or felt really awkward to do so I un-learned my spins and re-learned the other way, it was a pain in the arse and my riding sucked for a while, I'm just advising newer riders to consider what they want to do so that in the future they don't have compromise their riding or re-learn like I did. If you do EVERYTHING goofy then that's another matter and you shouldn't have any issues with moves not complimenting each other. I'm also aware that not everyone will be perfect, I sometimes use my back brake in a manual (even though I try not to) so I'm not trying to be a technique natzi but I do think there are things that learning at the start will really help down the road.
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but it's true? It's not a dig at a riding preference but the majority of riders would agree that spinning towards your back foot is the natural way to do it.
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if you're right footed the natural spinning direction is to the left so you're all good
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I mean spinning opposite (often with a bitch crank). It comes down to which side of the bike you tuck on, if you sidehop towards your good foot then you tuck to your bad foot side, tucking to this side makes it more natural to spin regular but if you sidehop to your bad foot side then you tuck the other way which goes against the natural spinning direction. Now it is possible to spin goofy and still look good (many BMXers do) but it's s till a bit of a handicap that you may as well try to iron out at the beginning.
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That's cool to hear And yeah, I'd say carry on as you are, it won't give you any bad spinning habits like going the other way does.
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It depends where you want to take your riding. If you see yourself doing comps/natural/TGS then it might be worth learning the other direction as you're less likely to hit your pedal in tight spots. If you see yourself riding more streety then I wouldn't change anything, sidehopping to your back foot usually makes street riders ride goofy and unable to spin properly...I've seen it a million times and it happened to me (mostly managed to un-learn bad habits and re-learn good ones although some bad ones still exist).
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One thing to remember is that any movement in the pads gets magnified the smaller the rotor gets. What I mean is there is less noticeable "flex" with larger rotors and rear wheel moves feel more accurate. I'm probably explaining this badly but small rotors = more wheel movement when brakes are locked....large rotors = less movement.
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judging by where the brake mounts are that's a 26 inch frame
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They'll be learning footjam whips next
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time for a second opinion?
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looks like it has a Monty 25" rear wheel? random! To add balance, I like the way the seatstays join higher
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Yeah that's why I really wanted a hard top, my bike would fit sideways on the back though, that could be an option. I've just booked mine in for it's first MOT since having it, I'm also getting an alloy radiator fitted that I've had sitting around since finding a crack in the original one, also asked them to check the underside and under seal/treat it if needed. gonna be a bit expensive but like I said, I want this car to last.
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The Seasucker range is so expensive! This is a Rock Bros from Ebay, looks to be a copy of the Seasucker...I've been pleased so far but I must admit the first few drives were a bit scary
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Thought I finally add to this topic. I must admit I've never been much of a car guy, I've driven vans for the last 10 years just so I can take bikes easier...the downside was that vans are expensive (both to buy, tax and insure) and they're pretty boring. Last year my van broke and I couldn't afford to fix it or insure it. Mark had been up in his MX5 and they seem really cool...I decided that I'd like to try one despite not being the most practical choice ever, the deciding factor was the low cost of fixing and insuring it (quoted £150 a year). I wanted a MK1 as they're easier to tell if they have rust issues plus pop up headlights are cool, I also get the classic car status for the cheap insurance. I looked around for a while trying to find a half decent one that would last and I eventually found this one. It's a 1990 Jap import 1.6, it was imported in 2000 and has been owned by the same older guy since. He didn't drive it in winter and always kept it inside when not in use, it had tonnes of paperwork and good previous MOT details and he regularly rust treated the under side. He said he loved the car but at his age was finding it hard to get in and out of it now. He wanted £2000 for it, that included the original wheels in good condition (just old tyres) and the hardtop, considering the condition I didn't haggle much. I can understand why people enjoy driving now, this is the first "fun" car I've had and it's an absolute blast! I'm not keen on the wheels so I'll probably put some new tyres on the originals. I'd like to keep this car for a while so I need to take good care of it, I'd hate to be the person that killed it after all this time!
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I can't imagine how that feels to drive!
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You're mad! He looks so good on 26", definitely my fave comp rider now he's swapped.
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Hey everyone...I recently vlogged in Edinburgh with Adam McGuire and I managed to get enough good looking clips to want to add music and make a little edit. This was filmed in an afternoon and some of the riding is rough around the edges but the response I've had has been good so I plan on using Adam again to film something a bit more polished.
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The Bikes you have the biggest feelings for- but aren’t yours.
Ali C replied to Herbertlemon102's topic in Bike Pictures
These were the three bikes I always wanted but never had. The Crescent always looked like it rode super light, I think it had some of the shortest chainstays at the time and it looked very "Euro" with the mini seat and flat bars they often were built with, never saw one in person. The Orange Zero was a dream bike of mine, made just up the road and I saw plenty of them at comps but I never actually rode one myself, I think it was the first frame I saw that was a straight line front the headtube to the rear axle and I thought that was pretty nuts! I think the Pace was my ultimate dream bike though, firstly because Chris Akrigg rode one like a beast and secondly when the Trialskings rode them (the Trialskings builds still look so awesome today!). Another frame I saw in person but have never ridden, they were famous for cracking which is a shame. -
Scottish Rnd1 Kinlochleven 13/14th April
Ali C replied to Ross McArthur's topic in Clubs and Competitions
tempted! -
I think the 101 model would probably be of more interest to us, fewer engagement points but should be pretty reliable if the Torch is anything to go by and it has the bonus of being cheaper too! They don't show it as a single speed option but I'd like to think the cassette body would swap over or they'd at least be able to put something together if asked as they're still a small company.
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it's more how muddy it looks that puts me off
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I do need to go ride there sometime but I must admit I've not really seen anything there that gets my juices flowing...I'm sure it's better in person though.
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If they could make a permanent trials zone at Cathkin that'd be smashing thanks (I highly doubt they will)
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I've found my Torch hubs to be perfect! Probably on par reliability wise as my Hopes and a good chunk lighter! I did send I9 a proposal to ride their hubs, I would rather they kept the current engagement as an option but if these hubs prove to be anywhere near as reliable as my current ones then I'm ok with it...IF!