Sponge

I'm a self-confessed fuss-pot hard-to-please when it comes to choosing bits for my bike. Out of all the Euro ISIS BBs, the Echo TR one (made by First) is the best for various reasons. I wouldn't think of running or ever spending my money on a generic ISIS BB rebrand like Viz or the current T-Tech one. There's a picture on Echobike.com when you click 'Urban' on the left menu, that shows you cut-aways of various ISIS BBs..

'Crikey', a 2.4" Rubber Queen up front, Ruse? It even fits?! Would've thought any good old 2.1 or 2.2 tyre'd do, nevermind that RQ which seems more like a traditional 2.7! General thread-jack esque question: Since when did Continentals start becoming such a big hit on stocks? I seem to remember just back in 06/07 when I did most of my trials, it was all about Minions on the rear? At some random point during my non-trials years suddenly the German tyres blew up on the scene. I seem to recall RQs being quite a popular hit when Contis first became mega popular?

On paper, I believe the Echo TR ISIS BB is one of if not the overall best internal Euro bb. I'd definitely take it over stuff like the Trialtech/Neon/Viz/ generic rebrand models because of the larger bearings in the Echo unit and the nice crankbolts. I've one sitting in my apartment at the moment, and it's a pretty neat piece of kit.... (for a BB...)

Be patient and wait. The Echo SL is worth it. The Tensile is a broken shadow in comparison. June is only a week away. I'm sure you can hold out on riding for that time.

That's not really a fair statement. Normally a lot of your tech knowledge is fairly spot-on about parts and things, but really, the original Zoo! pads weren't tar-dependent. From my personal experience they never needed tar. They didn't wear out for me either. I bought mine from Select in 2006 and used them until early 2009, when I stopped riding trials and sold everything... including the Zoo! Pads which still had 3.5mm or more of pad material left. I'm not exagerrating. Mind you, I'm not a brake-dragger or blade-sharp harsh grind user either. However I used them on mods and a stock, smooth anodized Echo Urban rim to Koxx worn-grind, to light sharp grind on another Echo rim. Worked incredibly on ALL setups. Including the smooth surface (only in the dry obviously). On a grind, they were pretty horrendously loud... a little irritating but reassuring... the result was a brake that held no matter what. The bite was spot on, the hold was unbreakable. I never used tar with these pads. Some of the people I rode with even asked me if I used tar, and wouldn't believe me when I said I didn't.. even after inspecting the rim surface themselves. These pads were that good for me. Maybe I got lucky. But yes... there have been bad batches, but overall they served well. I know places you can still get old Deng parts in China, including the original ZOO pads. If anyone wants any I'll sell them reasonably cheap.

I don't live in Camberwell, but I'm nearby. Surrey. I go into central London almost all the time, sometimes dropping by Edwardes as I ride flatland BMX as well. I'm slowly rebuilding a trials bike and will be returning to the UK in July. Would be great to meet new riders!

Indeeed. . However, I've got to use blunt haggard English to get my point across to a Chinese local. He's a really good friend of one of my good friends in China. Mist are a nice upcoming company and I'm glad to have the privilige (sp?) of being able to speak with the designer on a fairly daily basis online. Cool guy and open minded enough. Their first frame is nice but has flaws. However from first sight I loved it, and that's damn hard to achieve by most stock frames. I'm a fussy customer. Just a tweak here and there and things are good to go. I've made suggestions clear to them, so hopefully the next batch should have these kinks ironed out. Any other suggestions , post up and I'll have a look to see if it's worth a mention to them.

Girls, let's all just chill out. I understand that it's annoying as hell when people txt-talk and don't even take an extra 5 seconds to go voer what they said and correct their spelling and grammar... and they are to blame. But, .. This is after all, an internet forum. To keep things reasonably on-topic, I'd like to interject and ask Mark, or anyone else for that matter: Is having that rather short (by today's standards) 113mm ISIS BB on your Lynx giving you a totally straight chainline, even with a wide freewheel taking up space? Also, is a 113mm BB placing your cranks dangerously close to your chainstays, per chance? I ask as I'm planning to run a MTB-type ISIS BB on my Flatland bike. I'm trying to figure out the right BB length I need to get a straight chain.

Want one? There's one left in a shop in China, around 90 pounds. I have to say, when I first saw this frame in mid '05, I liked the new concept headtube .. despite the Deng-haters bashing on it being a total copy of the XTP headtube (when I bet if a more forum-friendly brand like Inspired or TTech did this, people wouldn't fuss... like the TTech vs Viz forks). The Kobike frame kinda 'stole the thunder' of the 20" Team from the same year as the Hifi. But I do like that this frame stands as the sole 26" with this type of headtube and exclusive-to-itself booster design. Some hate its looks, but personally, it's grown on me. If anyone seriously wants it, then I can nab one and bring it back with me. What's all the hatin' on the geo?... The 08 Typhoon has the EXACT same geo, yet Damon had nothing to fuss about? Nor do any others? I have a feeling it's that the bar/stem combo is very sensitive. I normally like high BB bikes, but some I've ridden ... I can't even hop on the back wheel without feeling twitchy and spastic because the owner was a bit of a twit and bunged on a bar/stem combo that looks like it was meant for a Cresecent Illions.

It's probably somewhere out there in the forum, but approximately how much does cutting alternative sideknobs off a 26" rear tyre save approximately? (Any tyre.. e.g. Minion, original Try-All, Rubber Queen) And also, there's probably a decentish reason for this, but how come the 19" tyre didn't get the same kevlar sidewall upgrade?

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The Japanese students I teach English to seem to have a better understanding of spelling and the English language in general. Not embarrassing.

I remember that little description from years back. Only one place had the Aorta bash. Selectbikes

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There's a shop I know of in China that sells perhaps the last Hifi new, it's around 90 pounds if anyone desires it? Worth the price for a new HIFI?

Mech hangers have a little stubby bolt and 'nut' they screw into. These two bits effectively squeeze the mech hanger against the frame's dropout, so no threads or anything to worry about on the dropouts themselves. Just one thing to bear in mind: Be careful with buying mech hangers. There are various different types and shapes and a random one picked out of the mechanic's box at your LBS likely won't fit. So try checking around online to see what your frame needs. Or better yet, if you have a picture of its current hanger (even if it';s broken, ) just post it up and I'm sure someone'll be able to eagle-eye out which model it is you need.

At this moment I'm currently speaking with the designer behind MIST's products. He's a good friend of one of my good friends in China. I've asked to change 116mm spacing to 135mm spacing and to add screw-in bolts on the dropouts for snail cam use instead of this current flawed dropout tensioning design which is just a blob of 6061 alu welded in the dropout to 'act' as the bolt head which equals= toothed snail cams ripping and eating through in the long run since 6061 is soft as hell compared to a steel bolt. Is there any thing else UK riders'd like me to pass onto the Mist designer? (yes, I've also asked about the possibility of a 20" too) The Mist tensioning system is a direct influence from the Koxx Black Sky's (pictures on everyone's favourite online trials store ). I still think bolts are better. Furthermore, he has confirmed the following, referring to any kind of toothed snail cams Sponge: do you think that a MIST frame can survive these snails? Mist Trials: NO,i think MIST can't use this But the only reason 116mm was adopted for this frame is because it seems in China there are apparently not many 135mm rear hubs that have snail cams designed around them? Well, Because for one has a 135 hub with snails, so it's now less of a reason to use 116. The designer himself said he prefers and wanted 135mm.

People keep mentioning how the stays were too short for the BB height. But, looking at some other frames: -GU Typhoon 2008 -GU LE 2009/2010 ^These both can come in +60mm BB rise (10 more than a HiFi) yet they still have 375mm stays... and people praised the heavens? Damon and some others rode the 08 Typhoon pretty darned well too?

Ahh I want to watch this pretty bad. Censored internet sucks... No youtube, no Vimeo, no Mediafire. Could someone upload this to Pinkbike or the TF Video gallery? (ooh, or re-upload the downloadable version to Eengoedidee would be even better!) Cheers!

Which are welded-on chunks of 6061 alu? Toothed snail cams are going to wear through it a shit load faster than steel bolt heads. Dealbreaker

It's just a CF imitation sticker.... on an alu steerer. So the headtube junction looks fancy when the fork goes in.

For some reason, that's the first stock frame I've properly loved the look of ever. Except maybe the '06 Pitbull. Will Tarty be carrying this brand? One of my old friends in China is good friends with the owner of Mist. I'll try and get in touch with him... since 135mm would be a bit better. And a mod frame wouldn't be bad either!

Take the forks/disc/front wheel off the Lynx and put them on the Skull. Then get rid of the Lynx

Tyre-wise, you could bung any BMX tyre up front on. As for rear, get a Try-All and shave it down Better than nothing?

My experience at the Monty factory was a good one, but I can tell they don't listen to 'outsiders'.