F-Stop Junkie

Wasn't that rebranded as the MBUK 1 star rated Be Trial stack of uselessness?

Yes he should! I always preferred the Brisa B26, or even the Orange Zero! Nothing long and low there...

Evolve was awesome! I've kept my VHS copy as it was signed by Reed at Bike 2001... Speaking of Evolve, Chilli Video sold out at Bike 2001 on the Saturday, and had to get more from the warehouse for Sunday. The final totting up showed that more copies had been sold in 3 days at the Bike Show, than had been sold in 8 months in the US/Canada...

Mark had to get a rib removed to become an SM...

You have to be a Chosen One, voted in by a council of elders, stretched to the limits of your physical and mental limits to prove yourself worthy, then perform Neo style trials by making the perceived world around you bend to meet your tyres. Only then Grasshopper, can you truely be a senior member.

And I remember when Adam Read had a go on it, nearly going over the bars the first time he tried to bunny hop, then manualling the damn thing for miles, despite the mahoosive wheel base! I remember when 50% of photos on trials websites were magazine scans, and each site had it's own 'team'... Oh, for Under Pressure, I recorded them off Challenge when they repeated the series. I've got them on DVD somewhere... That was also one of the few times I got my mug into MBUK! If you're really gansta, remember Radical Highs? Or the MBUK Urban Tour?

It was good! Current articles/news/interviews, a forum full of good people talking sense, shame some web mong has nicked the domain now...

I think Tim Stedman has!

I'm sure the tax office would be interested in why a UK tax payer has an address in the US... Ah, you think, I'll register myself at my parents house and they'll think I'm just on a long holiday. If it was that easy, wouldn't more people do it?

So what happens if Tarty went out of business? No big deal, right? Their money helps support trials-forum, so that could close. Other retailers would sell the stuff they do, but with as much care, information or such high service levels? Maybe not, so trials riders would lose out. If all you care about is price, then buy frames cheap from some dude storing them in his garage who won't be there if your frame breaks in a month, and isn't operating a business properly. If you want a good experience, and proper support as a rider, then buy reputable brands from reputable dealers. For a few quid more, everyone benefits.

No, go to the cinema. See it as it should be seen, not some crappy rip-off. Irrespective of the size of your computer screen, it just ain't the same!

Here's a pic of my mate's freshly resprayed Mk1. I would have got more, but it promptly tipped it down just as I'd taken my second frame!

I drove a Mk1 MX-5 to the Nurburgring last year, and they are cracking little cars! It made my Focus feel like a van. Sitting low, high (and short throw) gear lever, feels awesome bombing down country lanes especially with the top down. There's a good network of MX-5 specialists, and if you're looking for a Mk1 (with pop up headlights) then they're the lightest and most fun. The Mk2s are a little more comfortable and a little less driver focussed, but only a little. A new roof is £300 but specialists will often tweak them to fix leaks, they can be serviced anywhere, and you will not have as much fun in any other car for the money. If you have Ok, so they're not as practical as some cars, but it's about driving fun. Believe me, even round the Nurburgring, I can't recommend them highly enough. Oh, and you don't need a turbo. The MX-5 is about light weight and handling. You don't need a turbo (and hence you don't need big brakes and fat tyres) and you can take the car to the limit at normal (and legal!) speeds.

Are you sure? There were two distinct prototypes, one to Petr Kraus's geometry, and one to Kris Leesons, but I thought only one production frame was ever available.

Don't get me wrong, the current scene is awesome. You can get a great bike at a low price and it's easy to get information and vidoes to help you progress. The riding standard now is just light years ahead what people were doing then.

I think there's a clear internet hieracy to being oldschool. See how far down this list you joined... MTB-Trials mailing list or photocopied Essex Club Newsletters (No points for both, I'm looking at you Paul Thomson and Tim Ellingham!) Yahoo! Modandstocktrialsriders Bashguard Trials Kings Section7 Trials-Forum

Again, see my Specialized in the old bikes thread

Dave's Chain Device or DCDs... There's one on my old Specialized in the 'Toast to Old Friends' topic in Bike Pics Originally shiney, then painted, Union Jack ones for sponsored riders and never fit properly on square chainstays! Also Kore did one which was rubbish, and Ging did a copy too which pivoted with a jockey wheel instead of a roller. In case you haven't seen it, old school bikes here: http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....howtopic=121538

Nah, red Michelins arn't old school, they came in with the introduction of Koxx in about 2002 I think. Real old school is Tioga DHs, IRC El Gato/Missiles and Monty/Echo tyres. Maybe I shoud do a wrist band for the old school trials riders with WWMAD?

It's one thing that makes me genuinely sad about the current trials scene, is that a lot of new riders don't know just how good they've got it. We used to order parts from all over the world because we had to. People would come back from the Worlds with new gloves, sprays or shoes you just couldn't get in the UK. People would trawl through shops trying some really naff components because they could see they might work well. You had to understand what you needed, and how you needed it to work in order to find something that would work well. Now you just buy a Zoo! whatever and you're set. We used to scour magazines for a few words or a photo about trials. If there was a whole article, you practically framed it! I think I still have an article in MBi about Libor Karas, this funny Czech bloke who could just do the most amazing things. Now if something happens, users come on here demanding photos and videos as though it's expected. If someone posted a video before, it was a real treat.

Old school, for me anyway, is Giant Team Trials, Raleigh special Ti frames, Pace RC-250Ts, Pashleys in blue with union jack sticker sets, profiles and matching white and green team kit. It's blue pashley top tube pads. It's adapted normal bikes with Maguras, bashrings, and really quite shocking freehubs. It's getting a blue bike with yellow stickers because 'it's a bit like Martyn Ashton's bike'. It's lusting after a purple Zaskar. It's orginal Magura discs and people using odd components because there's nothing proper for trials out there. It's Robin Coope bashrings and Threshold boosters. It's shipping stuff from Goatwheels, and making stuff yourself because you can't buy what you want. It's Saracen X-Torts with USE forks, or Taboos. It's having a seat - either normal or weird, expensive Megamo thing. It's Mavic 121 rims, or Sun Rhyno Lites with S U N R I M S spelt out between the spoke holes because 'it's a bit like Martyn Ashton's bike.' It's about finding the best parts for the job, and ending up with a bike looking a bit weird. It's about MBUK being a third trials content, and Akrigg, the Martins and Eddie Tongue being treated like rock stars by fans who have queued for an hour or more and have filled the seating round the trials arena at The Bike Show. It's about trials riders being stars, and people getting their autographs. It's about finding stuff out the hard way, making the best of what you've got, and having a whole lot of fun while waiting for the latest Trials King video to download at 5Kb a second...

It was definately a real Zero. I got it from Orange as I helped with design issues they were having as well as writing some advertising copy for them. I loved the frame, I just wished they'd kept doing them and evolving the geometry with the changing times. Seems almost odd now having proper looking MTB frames on trials bikes.

Later than that I think, maybe '04 or even '05... And yeah, the superhero 1100, or The Limo as I knew it.

Oh, and a semi-old school one..

Old friends eh? Well I can't any photos of my 19" Kona Lava Dome in full trials spec, so I'll start with my first proper trials bike Turned this Into this Then I started sticking me oar in like this... Having the occasional fling... Built this Did stupid stuff like this Then I went long and low... And finally, to prove I've actually wobbled around on a bike in my time (With custom Section7 carbon fibre Whitehurst booster)