new trials bike

[marin downhill]

hey, i just got the new giant stp 2, and i pretty much stripped it down.

ive been riding trials for about 2 days, coming off my single speed 243, i could always bunny hop, and i can pedal kick around and down stuff pretty well, it makes me feel good anyway.

so far ive changed the fork to my 04 exr pro air (85mm) that i had, bars to 28" fsa, sram drivetrain, xt v brakes, maxxis high roller rear and minion front

i was thinking of changing the following:

hubs to old (but almost new cond) parralax XT, eventually king hubs
fork to fox 85mm, i was going to go w/ the planet x, but its just way to low, drops the front of my bike by about 3" and my hta to like 75 deg
brakes to XTR v set (plaxpads) or magura rim brakes, which ive owned, and they have seem to lost alot of theyre power, my friend owns them now, and the xts stop much better.
seat, something smaller and less painful???
e-13 22t bash, are they strong?

right now my longest pedal kick was about, hop up 1 foot, across 4, then down 1, so i dont know how the xt hubs will hold up, but better than these MAYBE joytech or tectro hubs

[lumps]

just my experience... i run xt hubs with sun rhyno lite rims... never had a problem with either (even when i was tipping the scales at 230). as far as brakes, i run avid sd levers and v-brakes on my trials bike, and xtr v-brakes and levers on my XC bike... maybe the xtr pads are worn, but the avids lock up a thousand times easier, i can crank-hop on my rear wheel or whatever else using 1 finger. my friend has maguras, and i'd take my avids over them any day because of the lighter weight, better modulation, and 1 finger use. hope this helps some
-justin

[marin downhill]

what about air pressure, im runnin like 30 psi, and since i changed to the high roller rear i havent pinched, but i still clank rim a few times a ride.

[max]

I've used XT hubs for trials for about a year. Really had no problems except the limited engagement makes trials moves more difficult and frustrating. Definitely get a King ASAP. It helps ALOT!

Personally, I think that XT and XTR v-brakes are terrible for trials because of the linkages. Believe it or not, cheaper brakes work best, like a Shimano DX. I use an Avid SD-7 with Kool Stop MTB Salmon pads and get superior lock up.

I hear Plaz pads are great but squeal like a stuck pig and have no modulation whatsoever. So if you want to use your bike for any other use other than straight out trials, you might want to think twice.


Hope this helps.

[marin downhill]

yea i HATE my slow enguaging hub, im going to put my ringle on, its over twice the enguagement as the xt. ive heard they strip out easy, but i dont care, i think the slow enguagement throws my balance off on pedal kicks, as for brakes, im going to eventually get an avid sd ultimate rear, avid mech disc front

[lumps]

i usually run like 35-40psi in front and rear, seems to be low enough to allow some flex and grip, yet high enough to prevent pinch flats/rim dings/sidewall folding.

[marin downhill]

do wide bars have anything to do w/ sore wrists, because on all my bikes i noticed chopping the bars seemed to help, ever since i got these fsas my wrists are killing me, is there any bar angling/brake lever angling that can help?

[PRYDE]

lever position will have big affect on your wrists, and especially power of your brakes. Since you are either standing, or on your rear wheel, your levers will be almost straight down on your bars. When your on your rear tire...the hands will be able to grab the brake alot easier since the levers will be almost in line with your front tire....so no cramped wrists. My cousin does the same thing when he rides flatland BMX. The nose of his seat is like raping your ass....but when he goes to do a nose manual / "hang 10 or 5" the seat is level so his ass can grab it and kep the rear end of the bike up.....

Hope i make sense...

[marin downhill]

ive been finding that levers for trials are good at about 30-45 deg from horizontal, because when ur on ur rear you have to keep your weight back

[PRYDE]

ive been finding that levers for trials are good at about 30-45 deg from horizontal, because when ur on ur rear you have to keep your weight back

thats what i tried to say...lol....but yours makes sense

[brisaECtrials]

ya dont get an e-13 bashring cuz your gonna want something metal with teeth in it....cuz the lexan is gonna be wicked slippery...could be a plus for urban trials so you dont mess up people's ledges...