Ali C

I don't really know of many people who'd run steel over alloy bars, The Arcade bars fill me with more than enough confidence to run worry free plus the weight saving is nice. Same with 36h wheels, it's just not really needed, to use myself as an example again.....I've not broken a set of wheels or even a significant buckle in the last 4 years, I personally don't see the need for the extra spokes. I think the vast majority of 24" riders feel the same about the bars, there'll be people after 36 hole stuff but it's not enough to warrant changing products.

I didn't register to vote so I've missed out this time, not that I would know who to vote for. I also avoid the news, don't read newspapers or keep up to date on any politics, I had to ask who was prime minister and which party he was with twice today.

On the price front I think people have become used to cheap prices from random people picking catalogue parts and putting their horrible brand name on as well as the people making frames in their sheds. I mentioned this in another chat but if you're gonna do stuff as professional as possible then it does cost more....especially if your product is high end. Inspired chose the best factory they could find (ending up with one which is regarded as the best in the world for steel frames), the best comes at a slightly higher price, Travelling to factories often to keep an eye on quality isnt'y cheap, renting a massive warehouse isn't cheap, employing people isn't cheap, having a team and paying for trips isn't cheap but all this means you get the best quality of bikes, a distribution centre, customer care and they get a decent exposure from having a good team. Plus they give back to events by supplying prizes. There are cheaper options out there but they don't have the same level of detail and care both in their bikes and as a business. As far as Inspired bringing out cheaper bikes goes it's true that they'd like to keep the brand known for being the best bikes and would rather not cheapen it when people are willing to pay for the best bikes. The other thing is there's always been expensive frames available, Pashleys were £500, Leesons were £400? it's no secret that the cost of pretty much everything has gone up since (look at the mtb world!). I definitely think the Arcade has it's place, the geo is different enough to justify it alone. I've had a go on a Fourplay and I can instantly tell the difference in the ride, the head angle and chainstay length being the important factors, my Arcade feels way more nimble to me and much more balanced. (Jason Phelan had a go on my bike and noted how balanced he thought it was). The BMX world seem to have about a million frames available that all look pretty identical yet differ just enough for people to warrant one over the other. I think the Inspired range has enough geo changed to justify them....anything more extreme on either end of the spectrum would just ride badly.

would be pretty good if there's enough room

Find what the business means to you and see what connections you can find. The Clan stunt team I'm with wanted a name that tied in with them being a family friendly show, friendship, scottish etc and the word Clan tied in with all these things. There's a Gym I sometimes go to called "Kaizen" which means "change for better" which again ties in with their aims. Don't think you need a name that describes what you do, that's what advertising/media/word of mouth does for you, also I think going for a name other than a location and description can be better branded in general. Even if you're never wanting to actually make products, think about how your business name would look on a t-shirt, a mug or even your own designed camera part if you went mega big time. Would you buy a "Jolly Good Photography" branded lense? Maybe you would haha but something shorter and to the point would work better.....even just turning that into "JGP" could work.

I think a service where you can make parts that someone might think of but doesn't exist might be cool. For example making one-offs (or a small batch) of bashrings to fit Hope cranks is something I'd be after.......something that uses the Hope spline that a chainring can be bolted to (or one piece) with a small 22t bash guard (think old school middleburn bashguards). I often have ideas on parts that I'd like but don't exist that I usually have to end up bodging (my bashguard now is a ground down bmx sprocket), having the option to explain an idea and have it made would be pretty awesome, I can't be the only one I'm sure!

I just point the lever vertically and don't knock the hose, I don't usually have to bleed, I think I've topped it up once in about 20 procedures.

cool, I'm really really bad when it comes to computers so that's really helpful to know there's alternatives

Hey, just got a new laptop and I seem to be a bit behind the times when it comes to softwear. I remember when computers came with Office as standard but now I need to spend either an extra £100 for a one-off instalment that's only accepted on one computer and non transferable if it broke or I changed it or rent Office yearly for ~£50. I really don't like paying yearly for things, I'd rather just buy something and have it. Does anyone know where to get Office these days? I only really want Word too which is why I'm reluctant to spend loads on it. Cheers

Mark Feather

they're pretty much as good as they get. back to the topic, I've been running a home made bb mounted bash for a while, it's a solid alloy BMX chainring I cut down and shaped, it's been used a fair bit lately as I've been trying a new back wheeling technique largely unsuccessfully and come down hard on it, both bash and bb seem totally fine I think a full outer is still best for strength but I am not keen on the overly big 4 bolt crank bash sizes available as I often hit them in hooks where I'd get away with it if it was smaller.

yeah I know what you mean, felt like three stories in one rather than one big one but I still liked it more than the current batman films. That final scene with the Joker was pretty dark! I bet that's even better in the novel version!

"The ram inn" is one I've seen

that's lovely

I really like this! The riding is good, the music is good and the editing is good! Holding that manual off the rail is impressive and the sidehop onto the rail is ridiculous!

plus prices for everything has gone up, £500 for a steel frame (UK made doesn't mean better either, plus there's fewer shipping costs) back in the 90s was a considerable amount of money! Taiwan frames doesn't mean bad quality, a lot of steel frames from out there may be bad and they'll be cheap, or they'll be cheap because they've ordered 500 of them. The Arcade is high quality and small batches, not a cheap combo

I think people have been spoilt by home made frame prices, It's not cheap to start a fairly large bike company (large compared with most trials brands anyway), have stock, a warehouse, a team to support, employees etc. I think if you went to one of the most renowned steel frame companies in the east and got prototypes made, tested (this is on going btw, not just a one off) and then asked for a small batch made to the highest standard, you'd find it's not cheap. Then there's the customer support to consider, a warranty department etc. I'm not bashing Marino or other people but getting a frame made in a shed in Peru is not the same package you get with a bigger brand. Even if Marino went though a shop the price would instantly go up, if he needed a warehouse and more employees the price would go up even if his products didn't change. It's unfortunate that trials is so small and specialised, I'm sure if Inspired could order a thousand frames they'd be cheaper.

I'm quite into graphic novel adaptations (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, 300 etc) and I recently watched Batman the Dark Knight Returns and I thought it was ace. It's animated but don't let that put you off. The story is as good or better than the Batman films that have been made and it's no children's cartoon as it's violent and the Joker is actually stone cold murdering people in it (he's great in it). I've got to read the novel now, it looks pretty epic.

I've no idea which I had but they were nothing special and had pretty flimsy sidewalls. I'd say the Conti are definitely the best 24" tyre on the market, but the best comes at a price unfortunately

I've had comp threes before, I'd never consider using them again I'd say it feels not much like a park bike, MTBs seem to think slacker head angles are the best and as a result I've never ridden one that felt good. I'd say the Arcade is very trialsy due to the short back end but more aggressive and better on the front wheel because of the steeper head angle.

I'm not sure to be honest, roughly 11-12kg at a guess. I'm not getting rid of these tyres, they're too good

It's mainly a weight thing. I used to run bmx cranks but as my riding developed I've found I've had to make my bike heavier and heavier to cope (heavier brakes with bigger rotors, Hope rear hubs, heavier tyres etc ) and having steel cranks just felt a bit OTT and I wanted to claim some of the weight back that I'd gained and swapping cranks was an easy way to do it.

There's a couple of differences, different yolks and a slightly longer headtube, more details are in the link I posted

Inspired just released info on the new updated Arcade frame ( seen here http://www.inspiredbicycles.com/inspired_arcade_bike_p76.php ) So I thought I'd pop out and get some pics of my bike in the sun. I'm super happy with how the paints come out, I really like black bikes but I have a soft spot for red bikes too, this is a cool "best of both" colour which really stands out in the sun. I'm using a selection of parts from sponsors so the spec is slightly different from standard. I'm super happy with how it rides and these MT7 brakes are the most powerful I've used! Should have some nice Hope cranks to replace my tatty ones soon

I run just over 40psi, I think Danny is at over 50