Mark W

Assuming you can get a thread in edgeways inamongst the seas of Counter Strike/Counter Strike-related threads?

My last pair of Vans worked out super nicely, for a year or so. The only thing I ever do with them is when they're new, just bend them back so the toe touches the tip of the tongue. Just keep flexing them there so you make the area by where you stand on the pedal a bit softer. My new Animals are a bit stiff in that area, but just breaking them in like that works wonders. DC Pill-soled shoes work really well too...

The T-Pro framekit I bought came with the frame, the BB (which was so short I couldn't even use a Dicta (N)\), the bashguard and the headset; I don't think you'll get the forks with it? And that's £199.99 from SuperCycles (0115 941 11 33) or Aire Valley (details on the link earlier).

Not so sure on the overall looks of this frame. That seat-tube looks a little... spindly, maybe? I guess the sorta 'spine' design of that frame means that it doesn't need to take so much abuse, but a bit more weld area by having a larger tube joining the BB might've been a nice addition? Aside from the weird gusset, I think this frame looks to have a lot of potential. The double seat-tube idea would be pretty fly for the strengthening around the brake mounts, but the only problem might be if they're the sole means of putting the final side to the front and rear triangles, if they've got that excess lateral motion from the brakes then it might weaken it? 'cos you're going to be applying the back brake heavily when you're nailing an up, or landing a drop/gap, so it means that you're going to be putting maximum force through the frame so if the frame's flexing outwards as well it might get a bit prone to dying? That's purely hypothetical though... I think this one's just a bit needless, really. The 6-piece back end seems excessive. I know CNC'ing parts theoretically means you can reduce all excess material, but with this pic: Where is the need for the extra splayed drop-out region? It just seems a bit excessive, truth be told. I suppose they're playing out different aspects of the design (e.g. the carbon fibre top-tube), which is good, so maybe it'll be good to see how the extra CNC'ing could work. Seeing as the best technology seems to filter down the bike market eventually, it might be good if top-end frames are made like this so that the "every day" frames get the technological benefits? E.g. traction control/abs for commerical vehicles coming down from F1, and so on. This idea seems a bit... weird? On the Cannondale Scalpel they use the cf chainstays so they can get some flex from it which is monitored with a small shock at the top of the seat stays, which is a sorta interesting idea. But if the top-tube is cf, it's not really going to have much effect? It won't really allow much flex because the joining parts between that tube and the other 2 in the front triangle are fixed pretty well, so it's basically just for show? But with the way the carbon fibre element of the frame joins the metal parts, wouldn't that create a focal point for stress? I never really liked the T-Master frameset. It always seemed like a kinda big pissing-in-the-wind sorta project. Monocoque-style frame designs never really took off, and it just seems like they still haven't, really. If it's still as short as it used to be, and with that CNC'ing pushing the price up, I'd imagine people would just buy a Monty X-Lite 221? I think the idea of frame 2 would be cool, but all the frames seem to be a little over the top. Small, neat drop-outs will always look better than big CNC'ed behemoths. I'm willing to be that a huge, huge proportion of riders will be running 18:12 gearing, so if they kinda base the drop-out length on someone running that gearing, they could get a workable, small solution. If they just simply find however long the top line of the chain needs to be to get a nice tension running 18:12, then make it so that that point falls roughly in the middle of the dropouts (or nearer to the front, so it allows for chain stretching?) then it'd be far better. It's similar to what BMX companies are doing now - if you look at almost all new BMX's, the drop-outs will only just be big enough to get an axle in. It's a bugger if your gear ratio means that it's not in the right place and you need to resort to a half-link, but because - like I said - almost all mod riders run 18:12, they could just base the length around that? The thing I quite like about Leesons is that because of the 360 dropout, they know that that's where the wheel will be. This means they can design the rear triangle so the geometry is exactly as they want to be, 'cos the axle-BB distance is a constant. It'd be the same with the mods then. I mean, when you think of how much a, say, 10mm difference in wheelbase makes to the ride of a mod, if you've got 2cm long drop-outs there's a huge scope there. However, because of the fact that you'll only really have one effective area to put the back wheel due to chain tension (unless you use a half-link, but they seem pretty sketchy ime), it's meaningless as to how long the drop-outs are. So yeah, if the drop-outs could be made a bit neater that'd be a start. The BB/chainstay yoke is a nice idea. I know it's not their's, but it's a good idea for a frame, so why not try it? As long as it's not too strong relative to the rest of the frame so there's a big stress point between the CNC'd loveliness and the standard tubing, it should be good. Anyway, that's long enough... Mark. PS. Thanks for the pics Ad. Oh - and to the stock riders, you've all had the new Woodstock and T-Rex, so what are you all complaining about? The Onza mods have remained pretty constant until they did the '05 Mag, and to a lesser extent the T-Pro... PPS. And why does #3 have a seat-tube clamp and stuff? If you're buying that frame, chances are it's so that it's a decent comp bike, so you're not gonna want to put a needless seat on there? Seats on mods do nowt apart from scuff your legs, so I just don't see the need?

Sorted it now...

Bollocks. Look who managed to merge the Chav topic with the Rude Boi topic instead of the other way round :">

Tell your tutor guy: "Mark Westlake says your a tit." Universities are starting to place a huge emphasis on work placements now. Because more and more people are doing more and more A-levels, it's one of those things that seperates the wheat from the chaff in the uni's eyes. Equally, employers will look to what you've done. If you're going into a competitive market like journalism, any hands-on experience (Such as work experience at a newspaper, etc.) would be hugely advantageous. If you've got 2 candidates, one who worked at a local newspaper and one who worked at their Dad's garage or whatever, you'd go for the local newspaper guy.

Have a bit of an "experience" out there, did we? :( Hope it was good.

No creature that's so stupid it can't work out that it needs to/how to reproduce can be good in any way... :( Dan, that includes you.

I've ridden...well...about 3 times since October-time, in a purely trialsy way. The last two times have been in the last two days. Just got back in now. I get arm-pump super fast (in comparison to before), but I can sidehop to 2 wheels up some natural stuff better than I ever could, my backwheeling's not as high as it was but is a bit more effortless (if you get me - my technique's better, but I don't have the strength to do what I used to). It's all good. Both times, it's been windy and rainy and the worst part has been the ride home both times. It's so cool. When you haven't been able to ride for a few months 'cos of excessive amounts of work/bad weather/job stuff it gets a bit shitty, so it reminds you of how cool trials is. The last two days have been like half an hour each of just solid riding, and they've been way better (in some ways...) than the 4 hour long chilled sessions I used to have... Mark.

That's not Ad's. That polished one was probably just a 'show' one. The other looks more like a to-be-ridden prototype. No sense in wasting money, etc. on having it cleaned, polished 'n' laquered if it might snap in three days/has the wrong geometry? Mark.

How'd you mean? Is the BB not long enough so the 7mm extra clips the stays or something?

Theoretically, yes. 'cos cracks are generally formed where pressure's built up on a fault in the frame, and it expands from there to the next fault where pressure builds up, and so on. If you drill it, there's no obvious route for it to choose, so it tends to slow it down. That's a brutally, brutally simplified version of it, but you get the point?

For my first work experience I worked for two weeks in a recording studio and mixed an album. For my second work experience I was at SuperCycles, but I had to do a case study on Onza's business techniques, Onza themselves, and just everything about them. Was well good, they're a super cool company :( Mark.

You drill a small hole at each end of the crack, as it stops there being a focussed pressure point for the crack to extend down, just so you know...

How'd you work out they'd move less? They'd move more for the same amount of movement if the ratio was "better" (i.e. gave more power)?

It's all a matter of juggling the ratios, basically. Changing the size of the pistons and so on. However, you've got to take into acount the strength of the seals, 'cos if it's too powerful you're more likely to blow a seal (lol... just remembered a joke about a penguin blowing a seal... *sigh*).

I might be coming to Colchester Institute to do a jazz course, so you might have a new mod rider in September...

Yeah, I'm guessing that 'cos they're sealed bearing (if they are still sealed?) that there's not so much of an issue of the lockring coming loose and bearings liberating themselves all over the floor.

Sad thing is that our form tutor did a year assembly purely about the building a car one...

Yeah, when I was at YMSA I even had the decency to wait until the observer looked at me after I put a hand down. Well awkward moral dilemma - "She was talking to her friend, and looking the other way. I put my hand down, which should be a five, but if I carry on she'll never know..." As it was, I f**king bombed the rest of the comp and came last or some stuff like that. Go me :S

Me 'n' "Blackie" rule :P She needs to be retired though. Making a sound like a load of loose chain and a bag of spanners on a spin cycle in a washing machine*. Yeah, thanks for the tips. I'm thinking of going for the Eno just 'cos it should (theoretically) last longer than the Claw. Knowing my luck I'll shit it up in a few hours, but there we go :S *a.k.a. not good...

D'you mean "American Chopper" gay porn or "American Chopper" the Sky thing? :S Anyhoo, I know that in the big model shop where I used to live (no, I didn't live in the model shop...), they had some motocross bikes, but to be honest I can't remember if they're the "made" ones or the kit ones. I'd have thought you could've gotten something? Try looking for the Revell website, if you haven't? They seem to be the bomb shit, really. Mark.

Word.

lol yeah, that's all the title I could see :S Jeez, it's like one step up from "yo moma" jokes... Anyway, thanks for the review. It's cool we're getting more reviews on more "extreme" trials bikes as opposed to "My Levelboss rids gud" or whatever.