Bike Advice For A Big Bloke?

[Alps Pacino]

Hello All

I'm trying to get into trials after a long stint off from biking, basically stopped when i was 17 and am now 27.

I have been doing a bit of reasearch on the forum about what bike i should be looking at and have came to

the conclusion that onza are regarded as a good starter bike and that a 20" is easier to learn on for a beginer.

Now my problem is that i'm 6.5" and about 16 stone so not small and not light and was wondering if there

was a certain bike or bikes that the bigger lads out there find more comfortable and easier to ride?

Any advice would be mucho appreciated as i dont want to waste my money on something that is just to small

or fragile for my size and weight

Thanks in advance

Mark

[Jan Tore]

sneeep.

I'd easily go off with a 26" bike. I started on one, and it's all fine. I personally, felt cramped on a 20" bike. And I'm 6"2 or something.

I'm running a Echo Control long with TryAll 3d stem and Tryall carbon riser bars now. Feels long and good. That's probably one of the longest bikes out there taking the "bb shell to head tube" measure into concideration.

[Alps Pacino]

Thanks for the quick reply, so in your opinion a 26" would be a better bike for me to start off on.

The reason i thought a 20" would be better after doing a bit of searching on here is because people

were saying they were easier to throw about and control, id would be ideal if i had the luxury to try

both out but i dont so i need to be sure before i waste my money.

Thank Mark

[ogre]

get a 26" there much better in the long run, you will feel cramped up on one, theres a better range of heavy duty tyres to suite the heavier duty riders amongst us i'm 6,2 and i doubt i'll go back to mods 26" is the way to go!

[Alps Pacino]

Spot on, looks like i need to find myself a good 26" then. I have been looking on ebay and on here but

most bikes that are for sale seem to be mods especialy on ebay. All the 26" bikes on here seem to be

a little more than i was wanting to spend and probably to good for what i need but i might just bite the

bullet and spend some cash on a decent bike.

Thanks Mark

[ogre]

don't be afraid to commit to spending, if you buy 2nd hand you'll loose less money if you sell up, the depreciation on trials gear is horrendous, take advantage of this + buy 2nd hand for £400 you'll get a bike worth 4 figures new, take it to the fanciest bike shop you live near + to strip, clean and all that jazz, throw on a new chain and you'll be happy as larry if that goes tits up, ebay the f**ker

[Alps Pacino]

haha ye good advice, i would be looking for a second hand bike as like you say i wont loose a massive amount that way

if i do decide its not for me and sell up. I have got my eye on a few bikes on here but being totally honnest i dont have a

clue if there any good or worth the asking price as like i say i have been out of the bike scene for 10 years and never in

the trails scene. Plus i wouldnt know which one would be best suited or better suited for me being larger than average.

These are the ones i was looking at

No price on this one and dont want to offend with a silly offer or get robbed lol

http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....howtopic=147582

I really like this and reading things on here people seem to rate them highly

http://www.trials-forum.co.uk/forum/index....howtopic=147410

Edited February 1, 2010 by Alps Pacino

[ogre]

i'd buy that A1 in a f**king heartbeat! the A1 frame is nothing shy of bombproof (look up neil tunniclife on youtube, i beleive he did unforgivable things to them) the rest of the spec is brilliant too, notably the pro2 hub in the rear (by far the best free hub going for the money), i could go on bumming that bike in this post, but if you search it enough you'll realise it's a solid bike to buy, and it'll take an absolute mullering which you will throw at it the other bike you linked, is a bit lighter + shit, but screw that, longevity any day hope that helps

[Alps Pacino]

lol cheers, i did notice after i posted the link up that the a1 is pick up only which is a bit

of a pain for me as i'm in sweden at the min and live in middlesbrough so a bit of a hike

when i'm home. I dont think i have the luxury to cntact him yet so by the time 5 people

like me and give me that right it will probably have sold anyway lol. Thanks for the advice

by the way its much appreciated as you can probably tell.

Cheers Mark

[ogre]

if only you left an email address in your tf profile... or looked on his profile to find one....

[Alps Pacino]

[eskimo]

Wheelsize doesn't make a difference when it comes to room. You can get long mods which can suit, especially when accompanied with a large stem. Also a short stock could feel horrible with a short/low stem.

Obviously there are other factors to be aware of too. BB rise, HA angle etc.

Another note would be 20" is smaller and therefore lighter and stronger in theory.

It's wise you aim for the heaviest parts you can get considering they're all aluminium. An 2005/06 Long (1035mm+) Echo/Zoo/GU with big 175mm stem would suit you i'd say. You may look an idiot riding such a bike, buy we all look idiots without seats anyhow.

As for stock, anything 2kg in weight and 1075mm+ wheelbase until you get smooth again.

Is what i'd recommend.

Oh, i also have a friend who is about your size and rides bmx. He rode a 20" tt on a bmx for a while which is pretty insane to say the least for ramp riding (until i convinced him to go 20.75" or bigger). Bmxs are way smaller than the small mods of today too. But the bike will feel less roomy on the back wheel, which is why you need the length.

[Franksx2005]

Hello mate, i wouldnt rule a mod out with out riding one. i just bought a 26 because i thought my mod was too small and now im selling it and sticking with the mod. im 6ft 4!

I suggest youhave a go on both before you decide.

[sean1993]

I know a Big man on a 20" long and hes bloody lush!!!!! you should really have a think of it have you got any mates with 1 near by to try the 26" or a 20"? hope you find what you're looking for.

[Alps Pacino]

Thanks for all the input gents, unfortunatly i dont have any mates that have trails bikes so i'm going to

have to make an educated decision and a bit of a gamble and just buy a bike and see how it goes. I

suppose that if i get a good base i can always play about with different stems and see how they feel

if i dont get on with the bike i buy. I have found a onza t-comp on ebay which looks a good bike and

after doing a bit of searching on here they seem to be regarded highly so i might have a punt on it

and take it from there.

This is the bike i have my eye on so any input on what its like and worth would be much appreciated

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Cheers Mark

[Alps Pacino]

Just got my email through saying i'm now a grown up on here, that means i can start with the

bike shopping properly, didnt take anywhere near as long as i thought it would

Cheers Mark

Edited February 1, 2010 by Alps Pacino

[eskimo]

It doesn't take long if you're easy about the validation thing. Just kids get upset easy which holds them back.

Onza did have a reputation for complete bikes at sensible prices, and the T-Pro is no exception.

Also, as you probably have accepted now, you'll buy a bike and decide it's wrong for you. So just spend an extra bit of time on research.

[occy]

I got a 26" Adamant A1 pretty much identical to the one you listed, I paid 1000$ australian for it, I love it except im in the same boat as you except im only little about 168cm and 56kg but I can still get it to do most what i want, i just dont have the weight for explosive transfers, Im worried i should of got a 20" instead eeeek , i just posted a new thread so if anyone has any advice about adjusting the bike to suit a riders size and things to take into account so you dont look all stretched or awquard on the bike , would be awsoem if anyone has some advice

Thanks guys

Grant , Australia