New , Hoping For Some Advice

[merlin2011]

hi guys ( & girls ) ,

ive just started getting into street trials and need some advice

i currently ride a voodo bakka 26" wheel dirt jump bike , ive removed the front suspension forks and fitted some dmr trailblade rigid ones to save weight , it is a geared bike so ive ordered the dmr single sprocket kit my big concern is the frame , is it to heavy ? and should i change this aswell , if so what should i be looking at ? , im new to riding completly as havent ridden a bike since i was 15 , im now 30 lol ( am i to old for this lol ) the reason for the bakka is im a sales manager at halfords and it was the most suitable looking bike they sell , had to get it from them as its on a bike to work scheme and i pay for it monthly

with regards to techniqes , how do you bounce on the back wheel ? , i endo forward , rock back onto the rear wheel but try as i might cant get my bounce on ! , any tips , psi recomendations ? etc

finally , im based in lincolnshire are there any regular riders who meet up that i could perhaps tag along with ?

thanks

- Matt

[Luke Rainbird]

Hi Matt, welcome to the forum. You sound keen to give trials a try, so well done on finding (arguably) one of the best places on the web to get hold of info!

Off the top of my head, the Bakka is a CroMo frame (correct me if I'm wrong of course!) so will obviously come with a bit of a weight penalty over top end Alu kit, but don't let this put you off! By dropping the sus forks you'll have already lost a few pounds and by going singlespeed you'll be able to shed some more as you can get of the rear mech (though you could, of course, keep it on there as you'll need some way of keeping the chain nice and tight)

I'd stick with the Voodoo frame for now, at least until you've given things a try. Chances are you'll be able to pick up the fundamentals (trackstands, bunnyhops, endos etc) just fine with the bike in this state, so I wouldn't worry about changing anything major just yet. If you decide that trials is something you'd like to have a proper crack at then the For Sale section on here generally has a few gems in, so you'll be able to pick up either a used frame or full bike for not a lot of money - second hand trials parts lose a lot of value for obvious reasons, so it really is a buyers' market! In terms of which frames/bikes to look at, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

30's not too old, it's just a state of mind (and makes things a little sore in the mornings after a ride!) so don't let that hold you back. Several of the guys I ride with are at least as old as you and they still manage to throw a bike about a few times a week with no major issues!

With regards to finding riders locally to you, keep an eye on the Member Organised Rides section of the forum. If you spot something happening close to home simply pop a reply in the thread to see who's about and to find out where and when people are meeting, and get yourself over to the ride. The majority of riders are a friendly enough bunch and should be more than happy for a new rider to join them for the day - plus it's a great way to get into it. Riding with other people will help you learn quicker as you'll be able to watch how it's done, as well as picking up pointers from people who can see where you're going wrong and point you in the right direction.

For learning the backhop, that's one of many ways of getting there. Perhaps try and rock back onto the rear and balance there for a second, rather than trying to force hops. If you can get the front up and just sit on the back wheel you'll soon learn where the balance point is, as well as making keeping it there second nature. From there you may well be able to throw in the odd hop or two, before suddenly finding yourself doing 3 or 4, then more!

Alternatively, a few people have mentioned that they first learnt to backhop by finding a low ledge (12-18" high, perhaps) and resting the front wheel on it. From there, they would pull back onto the rear wheel, attempt the hops, and let the front wheel drop again when they lost balance. This stops the front flying down, or eliminates the need to pedal, endo, and rock back to get onto the rear wheel.

Once you've got the hang of where the balance point is, you can try using a short pedal stroke (maybe an 8th of a turn of the cranks) to almost wheelie the front up, before catching it on the rear brake before you loop out. From here, release the brake and put in another stroke before doing the same. This series of short start/stop wheelies is essentially the basis for stringing together rear wheel hops, so will come in handy later on whilst familiarising yourself with the technique.

Unfortunately, people learn this technique in different ways and at different speeds. Have a play with different techniques to find one which works for you and stick at it. As disheartening as it can be, it will come with time; Took me bloody ages!

Hope that's of some use to you and the very best of luck!

[merlin2011]

thanks for the advice mate , your right about the cromo frame , gonna keep it for now and see how i go . must admit the reason i got into riding was after watching a documentry called concrete circus and seeing danny macaskill doing his thing i was hooked !! , now im out most nights seeing what can be done with some friends from work ! its so addictive !! pleased that it doesnt sound like im the only 30 year old trials enthusiast lol

[ooo]

Hi,

I am a noob too, its good to hear other people getting started, and I ride a 16.7kg 26" cromo frame with sus and its fine, just makes you more sore, i guess.

theres great stuff on youtube if you havent already seen it,I have made two playlists with the tutorials series in it:

Think bikes/voodoo Trials Myhttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL70170F3DAC2E5DC0 link

Ryan Leech, Mastering the art of trials:

It matters what you try first, there are foundation moves to get before you try the more difficult ones, but I am a noob so one of the pro's on here would be better off saying.