Hi all,
After unicycle trials and stuff, I’m thinking about getting a trials bike to play around on. I don’t really know much about them but I know many of you guys (and gals!) do.
Does anyone have any good UK sites to get good (entry level or so) trials bikes from?
How much should I expect to pay for one and what should I be looking for??
Thanks a lot,
James
P.S If there are any other Qs I should be asking, please tell me! 
check out the message boards at www.mtbr.com
i know monty is in the uk but they dont sell stuff off the internet, and i know there is a couple uk trials shops on the internet
try www.thetrialsinshop.com and www.trialsin.com
they are both really good places to shop from. i dont know what the exchange rate is, but in USD mod bikes (20" wheels) run from around 400 to 2000.
Stock bikes have a huge range of price, depending on how trials specific you want it to be. Stock bikes are generally more expensive because there are more parts and such. Expect to pay at least 1000 for a stock bike. more maintenance also comes with stock bikes. I have a Planet X New Jack Flash stock bike, and a Monty 221 X-Lite mod bike. also try the forums at www.biketrials.com www.trials-online.com and www.observedtrials.net
IM me at geekymcnerdygeek
or PM me
or email me at johnglazer -at- comcast -dot- net
but be careful, some of the people on the bike forums aren’t too accepting of unicycle trials, especially observedtrials.net
john
yeah, they are a bunch of a-holes.
Cool, thanks a lot guys. Are there any particular brands/styles/parts I should beware of? Or similarly any that are worth looking into? I don’t wanna go nuts on a bike, just a standard 20" to mess around on and try some stuff. I take it a 20" is easier to learn on than a 26"??
Found a UK site that has trials bikes and I like the look of the Onza T-Bird for £299: is this a wise choice, or would my money be better spent elsewhere?
You know they say that bike trials riders can pick up uni much quicker than normal. I wonder if it works both ways?
I was wondering the same thing. I suppose the general balance thing translates well, but then I guess it does to most sports. I’ll find out at somepoint I’m sure!
Well I rode biketrials before I could uni, and I was able to hop pretty well within the first hour or two of learning.(i could hop a bunch, and do 180s) The balance goes both ways; If I don’t ride my bike for a while, but ride my uni a lot, it certainly helps my biking, and if I don’t ride my uni, but ride my bike, it helps my uni skills also.
I’d say try to find a used mod on the for sale section of those sites i listed before (biketrials.com, trials-online.com, observedtrials.net) You might be able to find a nice bike for the price of an entry level bike. I have heard bad things about the Onza bikes, so you might want to avoid those. The montys are excellent. The 219 x-alp is a good beginner bike, but once you get into rear wheel moves, you will start breaking parts fast. I’d say look for a used 221 X-lite, an Echo, Zoo, or even a Koxx if you can find a good deal(they are expensive)
Learning on a 20" is so much easier than a 26"
once again, my email, screenname, and PMs are open to you 
john
Cool, thanks John! Is £299/$550 a reasonable price range for entry level trials bikes then?
Yes, that is reasonable for a new entry level bike. I would suggest looking around for a good deal on a used, more advanced bike. You would be surprised by some of the deals you might find. I got my 221 X-lite (1500 retail new) for 600, and it was only ridden about 6 times, and all for photo shoots(not hard-core riding)
john
oh yeah they arnt, and i know this from experience. there is alot of language on the forums (and some porn sometimes) so its best not to go there.
i dont think they like us that much because we are better then they are.
I’m also getting a little interested in Bike Trials. If I do start how long will it take before I can hop around on my back wheel or manual for a decent amount of time? Basically before Im half even a quarter good. I understand that it’ll take practise. how quickly does one progress? I’d hate to get a bike and then quit because of frustration. I can sidehop a hockey stick on a full suspension bike, and thats the extent of my uber bike trials skills.
David
That’s interesting. At all of the bike trials competitions I’ve ridden in (on the uni) and demos I’ve done with bike trials riders, I haven’t had one negative comment…quite the opposite actually. They all love unicycling.
Maybe it’s to do with which country you’re in?
Andrew
What did the riders think of unicycle trials before they saw you ride? Or had they not really been aware of it? In the UK groups such as inline skaters don’t get on with skateboarders and BMXers. Sometimes they get on just fine. I have no idea what causes the aggrovation. I know a friend of my girlfriends who has recently started inline skating (he used to BMX) nd now his BMX friends are funny with him… Weird. Just kids wanting to be mobsters I think, but want to skateboard at the same time. So I guess a happy medium is Teenage Ninja Skate Punks.
I just signed up to trials-forum.co.uk and everyone I’ve had contact with seems very friendly. All my Qs have been answered super quick and with detailed opinions etc etc. Not mentioned uni trials yet, so it’ll be interesting to see if people change. The forum also has a 10 point warning system, 5 points and you get a months ban and 10 and you’re banned full stop I think. I’m not sure how common this is on most forums. The warnings bar is under my avatar, so this suggests that it may not be as friendly as our dear unicycle forum! We shall find out!
Well I think I’m gonna go for the Onza T-Pro when I have the money. It’s the only make I’ve really had first hand experience with and they seem to be quite common on most UK trials sites. I have looked into 2nd hand bikes and stuff, but I don’t really know enough about the trials scene to modify anything, which seems to be what the guys on the forum were saying. I’d rather just have a brand new bike that is OK without mods, at least until I get to a stage where need to and know how to!
Does anyone know what the high jump/hop records for bike trials are? I saw a vid of a guy hopping onto a (UK) post box, which I just couldn’t believe!