Mattio Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Hi there guys! As posted in the new members thread, my name's Matt and to be honest I've never really done any riding apart from a little mountain biking however trials riding is something that has really captured me and would love to have a go! I'd be looking to build or possibly just buy a complete bike to start on, I've got a GT aggressor at the minute and not really used it since being bought and already wanting another - well and truly bitten by the biking bug! I'm on limited funds at the moment to be honest and was wondering if £200 or so would be enough to buy something half decent? Bearing in mind I'll probably be spending more time falling off than peddling. I know it's not something where I will be getting on the bike and hopping around on the back wheel and jump 6ft gaps but it's something that I would love to make sure I progress in and can imagine it being very rewarding. Was offered a lovely Giant Boulder frame but obviously I know this wouldn't be ideal due to the discipline - so was just wondering if there's any frames parts or even complete bikes that you guys would recommend on a budget to make a decent bike? Thanks for any & all replies! Regards, Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 for that price, a slightly oldschool second hand bike would give you a better bike than a "300 new bike. Unless the bike has been totally ragged, you should spend less time fixing things than you would with such a cheap new bike. something like this Sure it's not a modern bike with fancy new futuristc geometry or frame design, but those frames do ride well, especially coming from a mtb background. I am also a firm believer on riding a short bike if you are new to the sport, it will actually teach you to "ride" rather than hop about all over the place which most modern bikes are best at. Some people with say get a 20", but I would only agree if you were from a bmx background or really small/young. Otherwise stick with big wheels and get learing to ride over stuff and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onza1 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 May I suggest winstanleys cycles and mad 1.2 it's £250 but well worth it ou could go for the 1.3 for £200 but if I were you go for the 1.2 they really are good learner bikes Good luck fella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Cheers for the replies guys! Funny how you should recommend that Ali, I've actually got it on watch and my brother wants to buy it! So going to try and have a chat with him and see how much he really wants it haha, to be honest I'd rather have a second hand bike with decent parts than something nice and shiny which is pretty disappointing after a while! Had a quick look at the MAD PHASE's both 1.2 & 1.3 and does look quite nice however as I say above I think I'll be moving more towards building or buying something made out of used parts. Still been looking at a nice 17" Giant frame but just doesn't seem all that 'trialsy' to me haha. Would be nice to have something to that I can put the seat on and be comfortable riding it a sensible distance. I think I'll just keep having a look around and see if anything pops up for a nice price and of course if anyone on here has anything then that would be two birds with one stone. Thanks again for the help guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Just thought I'd say, the bike that Ali C kindly posted up (Giant Trials) is the one that's ruined my day! Completely forgot about it and my girlfriend rang me just before it finished saying "It's still on £73" by the time she'd logged etc it had gone! So just in case anyone comes across this thread, and sees anything on that you think might be ideal it would be greatly appreciated if you could pop a link up. Hope you're all well! Cheers, Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 A 17" frame is gonna be far too big to ride trials on, years ago when you could only really adapt a mountain bike I was riding a 13" Specialized Rockhopper and when I look back at pics of that now it looks huge! I definately agree with the comment about the MAD Phase 1.2, for £250 it's a great bike to start with, decent enough geo (the team riders use the same frame, look for some vids on their website) and is a good enough bike to look at upgrading. If you end up buying a £200 2nd hander off ebay and decide you really wanna give trials a go and progress your most likely gonna have to go out and buy everything all over again to build a "proper" rig whereas with the 1.2 it's not much over your budget, perfect for learning on and suits high level riders with a few choice upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuie Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Look on eBay etc. Till you are a full member on here you can't buy from here. You will find a better spec bike that you will not need to upgrade from the word go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Cheers for the replies and nice that someone else has given the 1.2 the nod - I think that's going to be the purchase to make! Cheers, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Good to hear, might be worth a look at the MAD teams homepage here http://s295835280.initial-website.co.uk/ as they all ride the Phase just with different components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Good to hear, might be worth a look at the MAD teams homepage here http://s295835280.initial-website.co.uk/ as they all ride the Phase just with different components. Thanks for the link mate, I'll have a look into that! Is there any good websites that anyone recommends to look at for beginner hints / tips on starting out, beginner tricks etc as if I'm honest I'm really quite clueless! Cheers for the help guys, much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Shortage Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) I've got a 1.2 as well, not a bad bike, just after a new hub and tensioner so I can actually ride. And in regards to learning take a look at www.trashzen.com Edited February 6, 2011 by Ninja Manatee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I've got a 1.2 as well, not a bad bike, just after a new hub and tensioner so I can actually ride. And in regards to learning take a look at www.trashzen.com Cheers for that, they seem to be well recommended so I think that's the one I'll be looking for! Thanks for the link too mate, bookmarked and now probably spending a lot of my night looking through! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 the phases are fine, you will probably need to replaces the rear wheel and maybe convert it to single speed depending on your preference, but the frame is fine (even if it doesnt have a seat ha!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) the phases are fine, you will probably need to replaces the rear wheel and maybe convert it to single speed depending on your preference, but the frame is fine (even if it doesnt have a seat ha!) As long as it's ok to start on and it's not needing immediate parts changes I'd be happy! I know upgrading will play a big part but I'd be nice to have something I can ride for a month or two picking up the basics and not have to spend another £200 before I ride it. Oh and I don't think I'll be going far due to the lack of a seat haha. Edited February 7, 2011 by Mattio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettoll Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 There's a phase going for £225 on ebay... Though you've probably already seen it My linkhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAD-PHASE-1-2-TRIALS-MOUNTAIN-STUNT-BIKE-M-A-D-/320650710775?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4aa8458ef7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caranx Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hi All Sorry to butt in to your thread Matt, I hope you don't mind, but I also need some help deciding on a trials bike to buy. I am also a total newbie to trials, although an old newbie at forty seven years old! I was really interested in reading about the Phase 1.3 as that looks reallly nice. I also saw an Onza Cleaner. They are similar prices and it seems both could be a good option to learn trials. Which is the better one? Is there a better option, for about the same money? I might also like to use it for a bit of recreational riding so I like the ideas of the gears. Would it make sense to look for something with a saddle or are the saddles so low that it is really a waste of time? I guess you are all sick of these sort of questions but for us starting out they will hopefully save a lot of wasted money buying the wrong thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isitafox Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 I'd stick with a phase personally, the one on ebay thats linked above is a perfect starter and a great price. As for doing some recreational riding your better off sticking with a proper trail bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Hi All Sorry to butt in to your thread Matt, I hope you don't mind, but I also need some help deciding on a trials bike to buy. I am also a total newbie to trials, although an old newbie at forty seven years old! I was really interested in reading about the Phase 1.3 as that looks reallly nice. I also saw an Onza Cleaner. They are similar prices and it seems both could be a good option to learn trials. Which is the better one? Is there a better option, for about the same money? I might also like to use it for a bit of recreational riding so I like the ideas of the gears. Would it make sense to look for something with a saddle or are the saddles so low that it is really a waste of time? I guess you are all sick of these sort of questions but for us starting out they will hopefully save a lot of wasted money buying the wrong thing. Hi there Caranx, please don't feel you've butted in at all! I've still not gotten a bike yet but the general feeling I get is that if you can stretch to the Phase 1.2 then it would be a brilliant beginner bike and has a good frame to then update other parts on it when you feel the need. On saying that I'm currently considering a Phase 1.3 just to get me into it as it's local and a pretty ideal price! Either way, do let us know what you end up with! As for the recreational riding, definitely invest in a cheap mountain bike of some sort as they're cheap and what you want for this sort of riding. PS : Don't hesitate to ask questions, the short time I've already been on here people have been brilliant and friendly. Edited February 8, 2011 by Mattio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie87 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 mattio i must apologise if you were planning on getting the one linked above on ebay, i have just brought it an hour ago, i didnt read your thread till 5 mins ago and clicked the link to see if it was like mine id brought and realised it was the one lol, getting alot of help just reading the posts on here already and a few ideas, i can recommend Ryans Leechs instructional video as i was trying to learn on a 20 but coming from big mountain riding i realised i might be wasting my time so decided to go for the 26" if you can find the dvd cheap i would definatly recommend it, stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 mattio i must apologise if you were planning on getting the one linked above on ebay, i have just brought it an hour ago, i didnt read your thread till 5 mins ago and clicked the link to see if it was like mine id brought and realised it was the one lol, getting alot of help just reading the posts on here already and a few ideas, i can recommend Ryans Leechs instructional video as i was trying to learn on a 20 but coming from big mountain riding i realised i might be wasting my time so decided to go for the 26" if you can find the dvd cheap i would definatly recommend it, stew Haha good on you mate, if I'd of had the cash laying around at the time I'd of snapped it up! However found a couple locally so going to look at those, glad it went to someone on here, it was a real bargain! Thanks for the DVD recommendation as well, I'll keep a look out for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwarf Shortage Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Ryan Leech DVD Vimeo Video -> Original Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Ryan Leech DVD Vimeo Video -> Original Video Well, I know what I'm spending the rest of my night watching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie87 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Haha good on you mate, if I'd of had the cash laying around at the time I'd of snapped it up! However found a couple locally so going to look at those, glad it went to someone on here, it was a real bargain! Thanks for the DVD recommendation as well, I'll keep a look out for that! No problems at all mate hopefully you get the one your after mate, it was a bargin i simply couldnt refuse myself the buy it now button lol, and someone who knows alot more about computers has put up a clip of the DVD for you, stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caranx Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 I'd stick with a phase personally, the one on ebay thats linked above is a perfect starter and a great price. As for doing some recreational riding your better off sticking with a proper trail bike. Thanks isitafox, Does it make a difference that the Onza has a front disk and the Phase has rim brakes? I see there seems to be a move towards disks up front? I suppose the trail bike thing is one of those things about trying to get a bike to do everything and ending up with something that does nothing well. So I will probably end up with two bikes.Thanks for the reply Matt. It seems we are both headed in the same sort of direction. I will let you know how it all turns out. It sure does loook like everyone is really helpfull even with the same old questions from all of us newbies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattio Posted February 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) You're definitely best off with two bikes mate and I think a front disc is worth having if you can afford a decent one, don't worry about having rim brakes especially if you've got some of the Magura's. They're great breaks and it's something that I'll definitely look into investing in if I get a bike with out them - as everyone's said the Phase seems to be a peoples favourite! People on here really are a great help and I think as long as you're not asking a question that was answered on a thread above and your polite, they're unbelievably helpful! I think you'll do well on here mate. Edited February 9, 2011 by Mattio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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