whats a good trials bike?

[white-knight]

hey im looking for a good trials bike nothing to good just somethng to get me started?

also whats best 20" or 24"? i have seen that most of the pro's use 24" bikes but is that harder to control? 20" bikes seem to be a bit easier to contoll but jjust wondering your veiws about this?

 

[harmonix1234]

Montys start around $650 (ish). There are a few world champs that use them so they can't be that bad.
Free shipping too if you mention that you heard about them in AMB.

As for the sizing, I have no idea, you'd have to talk to someone with some experience there. Good luck!
I've always secretly had the hankering to get into this. Looks like bags o' fun.

 

[rockcrawler]

i think you'll find there are more pro riders on 20", than 24". 24s only just recently got explicitly allowed in international UCI competition. unless you're just talking about 24" riders on the street in vimeo clips like danny mac.

your best bet is to find some locals and try to ride their bikes for a good feel. get in touch with tim @ expressive bikes as he knows his stuff and can probably demo and 20", 24" and 26" for you.

i started on a 26" and switched to 20". i have ridden the 24" inspired fourplay. they're all remarkably different and you can't tell until you have a good ride on them all.

jump over to observedtrials.net into the aussie section. there are plenty of good and helpful riders on there.

 

[Lilley]

The 2 main factors in choosing the right trials bike are riding style and height.

With the recent changes to UCI rules wheel size no longer restricts what events you can compete in. Anything from 18" to 26" is legal. (luckily not 29ers though).

There are some advantages with certain moves on certain wheel sizes but overall these are negligible and down to personal preference. However many people do find a 20" the best bike to learn the basic moves on.

In regards to riding style you have your competition riders (google Vincent Hermance, Benito Ross, Kenny Belaey) and your street riders (google Danny MacAskill, Ali C). Of course you can cross over between disciplines but your first decision should be what type of trials you wish to emulate. The geometry between the bike that Ali C rides and the bike Vincent Hermance rides is radically different but they both run 26" wheels.

In regards to height it is not set in stone but basically if you are smaller you are more likely to suit a smaller bike and a taller rider a bigger bike. This often means smaller wheel sizes for smaller rider but it can also just be a bike with a shorter reach (bb to headtube).

For the record I am 5'10" and riding a 24" competition bike and a 26" street bike and both are set up very well to suit my height.

 

[Jayden29]

I would go the 20" I think, there about the same to control and a little bit lighter and easier to do bunny hops. Although you're right there are alot of pros who do use 24 inch so I am not sure. I know danny mackaskill has a thread post on redbull and answers questions so maybe it's in there or maybe you could post it.
hope this helps