I CAN BUNNY HOP!!! sort of...

There is some air between the ground and my wheel. Honest! starting to get the hang of it, but need to work on getting more height.

i apologize for the bad language! on another note my trackstand is improving frustratingly slowly. Next post i will be replacing my brake cable.

Some Handy Trials Tutorials

I found these tutorials on Youtube, and i think they seem really good. Gunna go try them out.....when it stops raining!







theres plenty more from the same guy but will try and get these sorted first!

I Don't Bounce

My balance is improving all the time (a one-off 4-5 second trackstand is the new record), but bunny hopping is just not happening for me. For whatever reason i cant seem to get the back wheel off the ground consistently. So i moved my front wheel at a right angle to a wall, and used this to help me balance whilst i concentrated on moving the back tire up and down and from side to side.

If things go well i might have some skills to show off in video next week (maybe....)

Loose Nipples, Bent Spokes, Wonky Rim

Had intended to post a video but something went wrong with the recording will upload if i get the chance. I basically followed this tutorial and the other tutorials by the same guy. I didn't have all the tools so i just flipped the bike upside down on the kitchen table, took of the tire and inner tube(and rim tape) and used a flat headed screwdriver to first undo all the spokes and then re tension them so they would all be the same. However after going all the way round once i realized some of the spokes were warped around the elbow and just seemed longer. I also realized that the rim was badly worn (had been ground at some point but that was worn off). Also the hubs showed signs of wear.

All of this meant that i just wound in all of the nipples until i 'felt' the were tight enough and then went on to true the rim as best i could using the brake pads as a guide. i managed to get it within .5mm of wobble vertically and laterally. After 2 HOURS i felt this was true enough for me, so i took her out for a spin: much better!

How Good Am I!!!?

So I'm into day 2 of practicing trackstands both free and fixed as directed by trashzen. Its' surprisingly tiring and I've got sum aches in odd places as well as sum bruises(now wearing shinpads). Longest stand is probably only about 2 seconds, but progress is definitely being made. Also tried riding up a shallow slope veeerrrry slowly to improve balance. seems to work quite well and feels like your doing a bit more that wobbling and falling off; a lot. tried some bunny hops and think I'm starting to get booth wheels off the floor sometimes but stopped when i realized my front spokes are badly under-tensioned to the point some have bent slightly. will have a crack at that tomorrow. also my hydraulic rim brake needs bleeding but knew about that and have ordered a kit as well as a new brake cable as the one on there is broken and bent; which makes the brake feel sluggish.
Any hints,thoughts or questions welcome in the comments!

My Bike!

So this is my bike!

Its an Onza T-Vee. 20" 'mod' bike: quite old, but no dents(plenty of scuffs tho), and some parts seem to have been upgraded.
The Brakes have both been upgraded from the stock V's. front is a Magura HS33 and rear is an Avid Single Digit 5. this seems odd as from what i've read you want the hydraulic rim brakes(magurahs33's) on the on the back and a more progressive brake(more feel/control) on the front; so wrong way round. Also the Fork has been upgraded as i dont believe the stock t-vee had mounts for hydraulic rim or disc brakes. Maybee a new handlebar as well (BASE). And a sweeeeet front dust cap! Rest of the bike seems stock standard! so there she is in all her beauty. next post will deal with whats wrong with her and how i will fix it!
PLEASE COMMENT WITH ADVICE OR QUESTIONS!!!

First Post!!

About a year ago i watched a certain youtube video (inspired) which prompted me to scour ebay for a trial bike. i was amazed to find that you can get a reasonable bike pretty cheap! After hunting around and doing my research i finally bought a bike for about £70.
Up till now all my biking has been road bikes. No BMX, no mountain bike, can't even bunny hop. So when i jumped on my second hand bike for the first time yesterday, it felt pretty alien and i realised it was a long road ahead. but i am commited and i will document my progress here. if you have tips or questions please comment. My next post will have pics of my bike and whats wrong with it!