handiman Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 i am an american design student, and a few years ago though "it'd be awesome if there was a bike that had a very small, straight frame and no seat. i bet some awesome things could be done with that." and made a few sketches (that have since been lost). i just found this style of riding recently after seeing some youtube videos, and i am very interested in all this, and would love to get started. anyone have any tips of where i should be looking for info? or cool videos or pics? i'd like a bike like some of these. how much do they usually go for? is it cheaper to build one myself? any info is welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris4stars Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 Welcome First things first, you need a bike... Though this is a site based in the uk which isnt ideal for you...its probably where 90% of us get 95% of our stuff! (if buying new anyway). Theres plenty of good quality pics to actually see the bikes in detail, a pretty good video guides section taking you through alot of the components, aswell as videos of some pretty amazing riders. An idea place to start to get an idea of things... http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/index.html This site is a pretty handy. Theres a pretty comprehensive guide for a good amount of tricks. http://www.trashzen.com/index.php The next is a youtube link to ryan leeches short video guides to trials. if you click on the 'more from ***' section, you should see the huge amount available...from basic to pretty complex moves. For me, these are pretty much the best instructional videos available. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QChuqk57gWQ&feature=channel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handiman Posted February 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 Welcome First things first, you need a bike... Though this is a site based in the uk which isnt ideal for you...its probably where 90% of us get 95% of our stuff! (if buying new anyway). Theres plenty of good quality pics to actually see the bikes in detail, a pretty good video guides section taking you through alot of the components, aswell as videos of some pretty amazing riders. An idea place to start to get an idea of things... http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/index.html This site is a pretty handy. Theres a pretty comprehensive guide for a good amount of tricks. http://www.trashzen.com/index.php The next is a youtube link to ryan leeches short video guides to trials. if you click on the 'more from ***' section, you should see the huge amount available...from basic to pretty complex moves. For me, these are pretty much the best instructional videos available. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QChuqk57gWQ&feature=channel thanks! this helps a lot. how much $ do you think it'd cost to get a decent starter bike? i'd prefer something new over something used, but don't want to break the bank. i'd be ok with ordering something online, but it'd be nice to check something out. i think i like the 20" size, just by the little i've seen. i live in chicago, btw, so i'm guessing there might be some shops in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris4stars Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 with reguards to finding a shop over there, im not sure what the trials scene is like in the us...but you may be surprised! i could be wrong, but even in the big cities here, finding a bike shop that sells trials bikes/parts is extremely hard! in the event of you finding one though, unless the dealer regularly works with these bikes, its unlikely they will have close to the knowledge needed to help guide you to what you really want... (i could be wrong, maybe im just a cynic!) as for a good starter bike...check out the cheaper 20" bikes on the website i mentioned....i personally couldnt help you with pointing out particular model, but youre looking at around £400+ if you can be more open about getting second hand though, you can get lots more for your money...quite often you'll find people buy these bikes, ride them a little but dont really get into it that much...then after having them sit about the garage for months, sell them. they may have a few marks, but with the nature of the riding, thats just something you have to get used to! theres a huge wealth of knowledge on here...hopefully someone more in the know about starter 20" will see the topic too on a side note...check out the 'observed trials' bike forum. its more american based, and could possibly be your best bet to meet up with locaql riders, and actually have a shot at the bikes they are using! could save you plenty of time and money being able to have a shot first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey1991 Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 JT will probably turn up soon, he knows of many US shops, the scene over there is quite large. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jof Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 i am an american design student, and a few years ago though "it'd be awesome if there was a bike that had a very small, straight frame and no seat. i bet some awesome things could be done with that." and made a few sketches (that have since been lost). i just found this style of riding recently after seeing some youtube videos, and i am very interested in all this, and would love to get started. anyone have any tips of where i should be looking for info? or cool videos or pics? i'd like a bike like some of these. how much do they usually go for? is it cheaper to build one myself? any info is welcome. stick with this site some really good lads to talk to and to ride with JT helped me a lot at the start full of info but every body full of advice best of luck . Look on the pedal kick thread some cool videos on there may give you some inspiration (ha hope that's the right word) and as for your first bike I would not get out fancy or mega pricey my own experience is it will only get bent and scratched . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ticklebush Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 thanks! this helps a lot. how much $ do you think it'd cost to get a decent starter bike? i'd prefer something new over something used, but don't want to break the bank. i'd be ok with ordering something online, but it'd be nice to check something out. i think i like the 20" size, just by the little i've seen. i live in chicago, btw, so i'm guessing there might be some shops in my area. Hey, welcome to trials man. A decent starter bike will be around $1,200-$1,500ish new and $500-$1,000ish used. The best place to get a used bike would be from local riders in your area, or online from websites like Pinkbike.com and the for sale forum at OTN. Also, OTN is by far the largest trials community in North America, so as far as info and video's go that's the place to find it. They even have regional forums so you can introduce yourself to riders in your area and find people to ride with. Which I HIGHLY recommend. I'm not from Chicago so I don't know any local shops, but if you want to look at some new bikes here are some of the North American online trials vendors: Trials Pads Midwest Bike Trials Webcyclery Unique Trials As far as cool video's go, head over to vimeo or google and search for these names: Kenny Belaey Benito Ross Vincent Hermance Coustellier Ryan Leech Keita Neil Tunnicliffe Danny Mac That should keep you busy for a few lunch breaks for suuuuure enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handiman Posted February 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 (edited) thanks so much for the info! i've been looking at some of the posted links, and they're really helpful. i checked out OTN a little, but haven't joined yet. also, are there any 24" frames with no seat? i first thought a 20" would be good for me, but i think i'd like to be able to use it for going short distances to get to places to ride. i have a road bike for more normal riding, but i don't want it to be a huge pain to ride a mile. Edited February 15, 2010 by handiman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ticklebush Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 thanks so much for the info! i've been looking at some of the posted links, and they're really helpful. i checked out OTN a little, but haven't joined yet. also, are there any 24" frames with no seat? i first thought a 20" would be good for me, but i think i'd like to be able to use it for going short distances to get to places to ride. i have a road bike for more normal riding, but i don't want it to be a huge pain to ride a mile. Tarty Bikes is like the online encyclopedia of bike trials. If you're looking for specifics of any kind for a bike or part you should check there, and if you don't find it, it probably doesn't exist. However a 24" trials bike without a seat does in fact exist. They also have instructional video's that I heard are pretty good. That site is definitely worth a once over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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