Sponge

It would make an interesting experiment. If a custom frame manufacturer like Triton or Marino made one for fun (and suitably geo'd forks to match) it could be surprisingly good. We won't know for sure until it's actually tried and tested. I think the main holdback would be the lack of suitable rims/tyres for trials use. Suitable geometry can just be dialled over time though (much like 24" TGS). At a guess something like 395/400mm stays (or whatever the possible shortest a 29" wheel would allow) along with a high BB would be a reasonable place to start from... If anyone does decide to run with that ball!

Once you've established that the hub/axle is dead even in the dropouts on both sides, just double check the rim itself is centred either with a ruler or tape measure against the seatstays. If you're 100% sure that it's all straight and can only come to the conclusion that it's the tyre giving you grief then you could just get a new tyre. At least for me I'd have more peace of mind knowing the hub/rim is all nice and even and it's just an uncooperative tyre throwing things off centre. If it bothers you, just get a new tyre.

New tyres are no problem but with second hand or any used tyres they can be a major reason for what appears to be 'wobble' in the wheel spinning. When the tyre is removed look out for things like ripped bead or a sharp point of bead sticking out that make the sidewalls protrude outwards. I've had some second hand tyres that had a warped like hell shape when standing alone- either from aggressive screwdriver removal or being folded up too much during shipping. Comfortable plastic tyre levers are an amazing investment. Screwdrivers just damage the tyre and rim and in my experience they're actually more effort to get tyres off. During wheel alignment in horizontal dropouts, one of the main mistakes I made was trying to align the rear wheel by using the tyre space between the seatstays/chainstays as a guide. Sooner rather than later I'd find the wheel for some reason has slipped. Then Chai told me a better way was to align it by using the axle ends in the dropouts as guides. Basically it was a transition from using the tyre itself as a centring guide to using the axle/hub as the centring guide. That way the central point of the wheel is even and lets everything bolt together evenly and flushly. With the hub itself completely centred in the dropouts and at even tensions on both sides you can judge whether or not rim needs aligning with the frame- as frames aren't 100% straight. But that's pretty straightforward with just a spoke key Using the tyre/rim as the first thing to align within the frame usually ended up in constant wheel shifting for me- since the hub would usually be at an angle with the dropouts- the fit just wasn't as straight and flush even if the tyre/rim seemed dead straight with the seatstays/chainstays. Focus on even and straight hub alignment in the dropouts first, and then true the rim as necessary.

I had an '06 Pitbull very briefly, those frames have a lot of room for cutting/shaving: -Big hole in the headtube -Cut the wings off (the forward slanted seattube alone contributes to BB rigidity) -Hollow out bottom of and rear of BB shell yoke -Slice off the awkward triangular tip towards the top end of the dropouts -Raw it all down!

Ryan Leech, Yao Zhi.

Take that crippled bashplate off :wink2:, they tend to be the catalyst that cracks a lot of mod frames around the mounts in the long run. Seems you've already got a bashring so all the more reason!

Brings back great memories! I remember that being one of my last London rides but what an awesome one it was. Martin was an absolute beast but a super down to earth guy!

So the fork broke early because a non-45 degree headset was used on it, and didn't have an integrated race to begin with? Any fork would die prematurely if it was used under those kinds of conditions.

GET1 is one of the best trials DVDs you'll find! If a friend's got a copy make sure to borrow it at some point- well worth the watch.

Looks really nice, glad to see you're happy with it! How do you find the 28h radial front wheel performing? Is it noticeably more prone to buckling on say a weekly basis compared to a 32h? I'm genuinely curious if they're reliable enough or not, I mean so long as the wheel isn't going out of true every few rides.

HS33s can perform horribly or incredibly like night and day depending on how you prepare and set them up. Fresh grind, some good brake pads (Heatsink Yellow, Coust, Trialtech are relatively cheap good plastic backed pads), a 4-bolt booster and an air-free hose all in combination can totally transform your brake overnight (or in just 5 minutes!)

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but my computer has a similar problem where its general audio (and also youtube video stream) lag, so everything sounds and streams really choppy. Any advice would be very appreciated!

Looks nice! How does the high BB feel with the considerably longer chainstays? Seems the new Akali has 375mm.

If I'm not mistaken that's the exact Zhi ZM1 that I brought back with me on a holiday from China in 2006 before Zhi came to the west. I had that then-new model of Echo headset pressed in at Halfords by a friend. I remember by the time Zhi hit the UK officially all the frames had the 2nd gen stickers already. Looks very aged now but glad to see it's still alive!

170mm is the very shortest I'd go. I've tried 158s, 160s, and 165s but all felt too cramped- even on a mod. For the life of me I could not get along with anything sub-170 on either stock or mod, it just feels like a limitation that doesn't have to be there. 175s felt lovely on a stock and would run that length on a mod without fuss. Aside from the leverage/power advantage, longer cranks definitely made me feel more stable on two wheels and on the rear. Feet are wider apart so it has a larger base to balance on. In short, I'd say 170s are the safest/happiest medium without regret, they are the only length I really use apart from 175. Bear in mind, the norm for BMXs is 175 even though they are typically really short bikes- the added stability and extra leverage even in that style of riding pays off.

In a loose-ish way it's similar to how some long-jumpers taken off right at the edge and throw themselves forward but with a noticable upward force- that little bit extra air just gives more time to travel horizontally- often down with a slightly angled takeoff. Gapping really begins to feel fluent when you get the hang of taking off at a slight angle (rear foot facing the gap). It just feels like you have extra room to lunge- forwards but upwards at the same time. You'll see a lot of good riders slightly tweaking in midair 'cos it allows you to exert more power into the gap.

Those wheels are awesome! Did you build them yourself? By far the highlight of the build! There's a decently sized FR, XC and Jump scene in my area, I've also seen a few Crank Brothers headsets fail. When it comes to headsets something so simple yet effective like the Echo SL seems the first go to option surely?

Give the guy a break, he's just excited about his new build?

Both Tarty and Rock'n'Roll sit at the top of the ladder in terms of reliability and awesome customer service. Two of the few shops that'll go the extra mile to help a customer out even if in the short term they lose out a little on time/money. Both have parts that the other doesn't usually keep in stock, just go for the one that has exactly what you're looking for. Tarty has the widest and most up to date range, Rock'n'Roll usually have some pretty killer deals on previous seasons' gear if you look for them.

They are Onza and are reliable, used to be called Supercycles years back! I remember ringing them up most of the time to buy parts when I was first starting out... that was back in late '04/early '05. Good times!

I've never been to a Radfest or Tarty Days, closest kind of event was the DJ Memorial ride in Abingdon back in '06 and that was awesome. Looks like you guys had a lot of fun and not counting just the trials hope it's on next year- I'm going for sure!

Tarty's own Mystery Machine? Nice! But was the rest of the crew not onboard for first voyage?

Good to see the '05 T-Rex style dowtube/headtube gusset on both frames! Curious though, why the switch back to internal headtube? The regular style headtube with steel rings looked a lot cleaner 'n just generally nicer, and seemed more than worthy of taking bumps?

Looks awesome mate, glad it went to a good home! Enjoy

It's possible: You'd need a Euro BB compatible with the 48 spline floating spindle, Profile not so long ago released an updated outboard bearing Euro BB for durability. Then it's just a case of playing around with those silver washers to get the chainline right. The smallest sprocket you can get on a regular mounted BMX crank is 23t IIRC. You could run a freehub on the rear like a Hope Pro II and have a suitable sized rear sprocket to get the ratio you want. The only way you can get something like 18t sprockets on BMX cranks is if they have a second mounting hole closer to the splined interface of the crankarm. Most of these are flatland cranks which use micro-gearing. If your Profile cranks are the regular version with just one mounting hole you're limited to 23t and up! ^That's if you really want to stick with your Profiles, but I think if buying a new BB to fit the Zoot you might as well go for an ISIS drivetrain. They're comparatively a lot more affordable than most BMX cranksets!