Hog_

Not enough roofies in the world to get me to share a sleeper couch with one of you fckers.

If you're switching, I'll be in for the chalet for a week as well.

Especially when there's a long queue and they need to stop the lift because of you. At least lifts are easy. The best fails are on the T-bars.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/zip-ties.jpg

Pffffft! Who needs Avid when you have Saint?

I'm eyeing both that one and the 6.0 Speedzone. While the more expensive one would be worth it, I'm not exactly entering races.

Nah, YT has really messed up with the delivery of this years bikes, I wouldn't want to be stuck with a bike that has no support. Maybe I'll get one as a donor bike though...

Seems like I may have to get myself a proper downhill bike for this one as well. I've been threatening to sell the Morewood since I got it, but always enjoyed riding parks with it, until the other day at Bischofsmais - a very rocky local park. Having numb hands for two days after a park trip as not fun! Now I just need to decide on a bike...

I'm in Munich, actually. Thanks for the trail info. It'll be interesting to see if the place lives up to the hype.

Not the worst idea. A day on the park takes a lot more out of you than you'd think.

A little birdie told me about this thread... I need look at travel arrangements, but I should be able to make it down for a week. Either with a buddy or alone, either by train or car. I've heard good things about the area, so I'm very keen to check it out. A question for the people that have been there: Are the trails generally quite rocky, or fairly smooth? What about brake ruts, are they a problem?

Hahaha, a zombie thread! The Chumba did it's duties very well in the short time I had it, especially once I upgraded most of the components. If I see one of those over here in Kraut-land, I'll definitely consider buying it.

You use a grinder on the surface of the rim to roughen up the surface, which provides extra hold when you do back wheel moves. Not recommended for any other bikes, since it means there will be pretty much no modulation. If you want to do back wheel moves though, and you only have v-brakes, this will save you from ending up on your ass when the brake slips. http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c161/soviet911/grind.jpg More info

Hey, not really sure where to shop in SA, I've been living in Germany for over a year so I do most of my shopping at CRC or Tartybikes. You don't really need a box tensioner, just use a normal derailleur setup with the chain as short as possible - it should stay on fairly well then. Also, check thrashzen.com - lost of good stuff there.

Hey! Still alive, although I've been trying to fix that with lots of beer and silly riding. Sometimes both at the same time. Loving life in the chill, even though riding in winter becomes a bit difficult - fun to get the bike sideways in the snow though!

You want to do a singlespeed conversion - so chain tensioner and no derailleurs. Smaller frame is a definite - you want lots of clearance between you and the seat. The ideal is to get a dedicated trials bike - they really make it a lot easier once you start getting onto the back wheel. The basics, like trackstands, hopping and rocking are easy enough to learn on a normal hardtail.

I can't believe the entire video is on there!

Hey! I got your PM, thought I'd rather reply here to benefit everyone. The bike you have is fine for absolute beginner stuff. I wouldn't advise you on spending any money on that bike, since the geometry will start holding you back fairly quickly once you get into Trials properly. My recommendation: Get new brake outers and inners and good brake pads. Then grind the **** out of the back rim, maybe add some tar while your at it. Drop the seat as far as it can go. Rip off all the gears except for the 22 in front and the 18 in the back, shorten the chain as much as you can. Slap on a thick tyre on the back, preferably something you have lying around. Leave the reflector, it looks porno! That should set you up with a decent enough bike that you can destroy. You'll need to start out with the basics: Trackstand, rocking and hopping in place. Basically balancing on the bike while stationary. Once you have that mastered, then you can move on to more exciting things like hopping on the back wheel etc. If the bike lasts that long, then great! If not, get yourself an Inspired Try to get your hands on Ryan Leech's DVD, The Art of Trials. I saw it at Sportsmans Warehouse last year for cheap, don't know where you'll find it now. Good sites to visit are also:ObservedTrials and TrashZen

Dude that is AWESOME! Lemme know when you're doing the Alps, I may be able to join. You should also plan on visiting the Livigno Bike park in the Italian Alps - Hans Rey is developing it and it looks awesome!

Another vote for the Chumba, they're excellent!

I approve!

I'm not offended by foul language, but I do feel it should be kept under control for one reason: Lots of companies have filters that pick up on swearwords and will block access to visitors, or may even get them in trouble with their employers. While everyone should have the right to express themselves, if it affects other peoples working environment it's not cool.

Congrats on getting a bike! You'll be spending your entire paycheck on bike goodies in no time! My advice: 1. Get reasonably fit. This will mean lots of riding, so maybe join a group (trailriding.co.za is good) and ride. The fitter you are, the more fun riding will be. 2. Do some skills clinics. You'll be able to ride safer and fall less, which will make it more fun. Trust me on this - I've not only attended a bunch of these, but also hosted a couple. It really helps your riding. 3. Have fun. Oh, and if you haven't done so already, get a pair of padded shorts (please no lycra).

Uhm... no. I meant that the big puppy will look great next to our big kittykats.

CUTE LITTLE PUPPY! I'd love one of those, combined with the Maine Coons it'll look like we're feeding our animals steroids!