Ollie RDV Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Hello there everybody My names Ollie,i've just started getting into bike riding after over 10 years. I've always been fasinated with street trials riding,so I bought a mongoose fireball as a base to start with,although now after doing some research i drastically regret it! I should of saved some more and gone for the Onza Zoot. Any way im kinda stuck with the mongoose now so is there anything i can do to improve it ? I.E single speed conversion ? I've bought a Planet X 100mm 25 deg stem,and put some onza pedals on, the rear brakes are awful though, and im thinking of swaping to rigid forks? is this do-able? Any commets or suggestions are welcome,I look forward to your advice. Ollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIGAN ?? Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 best thing you can probably do is sell it get something else and save yourself a lot of money and time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.KYDD Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 -Rigid forks -Rim brake with trial specific pads -Singlespeed -You will benefit majorly from upgrading you're rear hub to something with more engagements. Look out for a 2'nd hand Pro 2 trials or similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelamont Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 You will need a good set of disc brakes for the fireball as there is no v-brake mounts. Rigid forks will work, single speed conversion, just add lighter bits as you go along. I have a 2011 fireball and I have a MOD as well. I am also looking at converting my fireball to more of a street bike as well, I'm thinking inspired forks, echo wheel set, light seat/post, single speed conversion, hope stem and eventually new brakes. I'm already running avid elixors but they aren't great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 I reckon for the cost of replacing parts you might be better off saving and looking for a good deal on a second hand zoot, or new one if you can push to it, then you can keep your Fireball as it's intended and have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie RDV Posted September 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 What's MOD ? also how do you actually do the single speed conversion? And what benefits does it bring. can i just put some ridid forks on, nothing has to be adapted etc? Im new to this stuff so bare with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 That's my point. As you're not overly clued up on things just yet you could potentially spend a lot of money buying the wrong stuff and not knowing how to piece it all together. A mod is a trials bike with 20" wheels. Have a look through tartybikes.co.uk to get an idea of the sorts of bikes that are available, or are considered traditional trials bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie RDV Posted September 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 I totally see your point dude,believe me i would prefer a Zoot,but then i know the fireball will sit not used in my shed and I will have wasted money. If it looks like I genuinely have no other option,and an Onza would progress my riding quicker then I'll probably get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelamont Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 I will stress that the comments about spending money compared to buying a trials bike are valid points. I have only just bought my mod and god is it a big change. I find myself practicing in the living room at night while watching the tv just to get used to the bike! Anyway my reason for converting my fireball is mainly because I really like the bike, I love the geometry and since my move to northern Ireland there is no trails or jumps here but there is slot of urban stuff I could ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Why wouldn't you use both? Zoot for trials and street-trials. Fireball for hacking round the woods, and (non-trials) street. Use the fireball for jumps, getting about and having a laugh going at speed. I don't see why you wouldn't use it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie RDV Posted September 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 (edited) I Have a Specialized for that kind of use. Edited September 26, 2011 by Ollie RDV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelamont Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Above is a good answer as getting about on a pure trials bike is like driving your car everywhere in first gear (a lot of effort)! You can learn the basics on the fireball and if pure street is your goal then just go out and see what you can do with it. I manage with it and intend to slowly convert it to a street bike over time. I put my fireball up for sale when my mod arrived and then quickly decided that it was not a good idea as I forgot how much I use it for day to day stuff which is just jot possible on a mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy 04 pitbull Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 the answer to this question is simple sell it and get a propper trials bike haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettoll Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) Have a look at Chris Akrigg's bike, he rides a converted Mongoose as his trials bike. That should give you some inspiration. http://www.chrisakrigg.com/ Edited September 27, 2011 by Brettoll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevelamont Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Would you have any idea what type of bash guard he is using on his bike? I can see the chain guide but what is the bash guard and where can I get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revolver Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Chris probably has a custom geometry. I know from experience that putting trials forks on a jump bike ruins the geometry. If you buy rigid forks make sure to get some that are a sensible length, think idenditi rebate or DMR trailstar forks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettoll Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Chris probably has a custom geometry. I know from experience that putting trials forks on a jump bike ruins the geometry. If you buy rigid forks make sure to get some that are a sensible length, think idenditi rebate or DMR trailstar forks. This is more than likely, being a team rider. But yeah good ploy, get some old school long forks (have a look on eBay), look at your cranks and see how many arms it has that the rings are bolted too, get a 22th ring and find a 4 arm or 5 arm bash guard. For the rear brake, get either a Magura and a set of evo mounts if the frame is v brake. If not get a decent hydraulic rear disc. It will be a little more difficult to do proper trials on due to the geometry, however set it up right and you will have a street beast for big bunny hops, 180's and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwizera Simon Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 (edited) I totally see your point dude,believe me i would prefer a Zoot,but then i know the fireball will sit not used in my shed and I will have wasted money. If it looks like I genuinely have no other option,and an Onza would progress my riding quicker then I'll probably get one. Go for it with street riding, that would make use of the bike you have. I keep thinking of swapping my stock frame and forks for more of a street setup. Edited September 27, 2011 by Kwizera Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie RDV Posted September 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Im gonna stick it out with the mongoose,i was riding earlier and actually it's quite a nice bike to ride. I'll wait till something brakes and then think about upgrading to a zoot Thanks for the suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettoll Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Good stuff. Where in Berkshire are you?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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