bike weight

[rfh]

My bike is not designed for trials and weighs in at approximately 36lbs. It seems kind of heavy. Apart from being able to trackstand, i can't do anything else. I'm thinking of getting a new bike, even if it's just a cheap one. What weight range should i be looking for?

[ridesoul]

to be honest, weight doesnt play as much of a role in being able to do stuff as geometry. having a really heavy bike might prevent you from getting quite the same height or distance as someone with a lighter bike, but it wont stop you from learning stuff. as for geometry, there are things like more clearance, shorter chainstays, slightly higher bottom bracket etc that will help you out when doing moves. that said, with practice, any bike, regardless of geometry and weight can be used to do most moves that are used. my bike is not heavy, but it is rediculously large and has xc racing geometry so it is a good example of a bad bike for trials, but that doesnt mean i cant do trials on it. just practice. when your bike breaks, then get a new one.

again, back to the geometry thing. if you are planning to get a new bike regardless, you should look into one with a more trialsy geometry spec. im pretty new to this trials thing myself so im probably not the best person to give you good examples of bikes to look at, but im sure someone else in here could.

-RS

[Matt]

What weight you're shooting for really depends on how much you're spending. The more you spend, the lighter you can go while still having strong parts. It sounds like you're not planning on spending much, so I would say 28 or so pounds wouldn't be a bad weight range for an inexpensive stock bike and 24 for an inexpensive mod. That being said though, I agree with RideSoul... even with a 36lb bike you should be able to get the basics down, hopping around, trackstanding, backhopping, etc.

[rfh]

Hey, thanks for the replies. I'm going to look into some more trials specific frames, but for now i'm going to keep practicing on mine. There's no point in rushing to buy a bike becuase the temperature is dropping and i won't be able to ride much longer anyway.

Oh, does live in Toronto and know any stores that carry trials bikes or frames? I've been to a couple of stores and none of them carry them. I don't really like the idea of buying online either.

[Yurich]

some Norco dealers have Moment frames and Evolve bikes. I know Bike Zone down on lakeshore has a Planet X Tibo frame. I think they also have cheap Monty mods. Spokes N' Slopes in Milton have a Devinci mod frame and fork

buying online is really not bad. trials online shops have very good service. thetrialsinshop.com is good

[ridesoul]

while i live in TO, i dont buy my stuff here. i am only here for school so i get my stuff either online or from my LBS back home in guelph. another good online shop is hbtrials.com. hugo is great and reliable. another person to talk to about shops in TO would be genital apparatus. he checks these forums now and then. you could try to track him down. not sure if his email addy is in his profile or not though.

-RS

[rfh]

some Norco dealers have Moment frames and Evolve bikes. I know Bike Zone down on lakeshore has a Planet X Tibo frame. I think they also have cheap Monty mods. Spokes N' Slopes in Milton have a Devinci mod frame and fork

buying online is really not bad. trials online shops have very good service. thetrialsinshop.com is good
I'll check Bike Zone. Milton is waay to far away, especially when you can't drive yet.

[Genital Apparatus]

There are two shops that I know of that carry Planet-X, and they are Duke's Cycle (on Queen and Bathurst) and Cycle Solutions (one of them is near Beaches area, the other one is at Bloor and Parliament). I've contacted both of them before, as I was looking for a frame, and they could both order in Ghost or Tibo frames for me. Duke's also had two white Mk. V Zebdis the last time I was in there, and they were going for a whopping price of $675. They also had a 2004 Norco Evolve for $1000, but I'm not sure if they've still got those as it's been a while since I've been there.

As someone else mentioned, ordering online isn't all that bad. Hugo at HBTrials is a great guy to deal with, and so is Ken at The Trialsin' Shop. If they don't have what you're looking for, I'm sure they'll do what ever they can to get it for you. Happy shopping!

[hello?]

another point about weight and geo. when i first learned to do all my trials stuff i was riding around a 40 pound bike. it didnt work well but i learned everything i needed to know. now im riding a bike with xc geo too and it sucks for trials but i ve come along way with it. looking into getting the raven 5.0 soon though. really good setup and price.

[xxxfr]

my zebdi was down to like 24lbs, and i ride street/trials mix. I was breaking stuff, flatting alot, etc, finally i said screw it, ordered a pitbull after i owned the zebdi, put on some maxxis tires, built it up just a hair..... and its like 32 lbs now, but i havent flatted in months, and have definatly been going bigger because the longer stays suite my riding style better...so yea, its not all weight

[MontyBurns]

my zebdi was down to like 24lbs, and i ride street/trials mix. I was breaking stuff, flatting alot, etc, finally i said screw it, ordered a pitbull after i owned the zebdi, put on some maxxis tires, built it up just a hair..... and its like 32 lbs now, but i havent flatted in months, and have definatly been going bigger because the longer stays suite my riding style better...so yea, its not all weight
You said it. Geometry is the most important part I think. Weight REPARTITION is pretty important too.