Street VS Competition Trials Bikes

What’s the difference between Street and Competition Trials Bikes? There may be some obvious differences, like the brakes, lack of seat, or geometry - but how does that affect YOU? How should you decide which bike is best for you?
In this video, I’ll give you some background on how each style of riding came to be, as well as why each bike might be the perfect fit for your goals as an aspiring trials rider!
Another common question is around which wheel size is best - and I made a video for that, too: • Which Size Trials Bike...
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Hayes Dominion Brakes: bit.ly/3Q8lGsa
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Chapters:
0:00 - A Real Trials Bike!
0:32 - Street Trials History
1:48 - Competition Trials History
3:50 - Why Comp Bikes Are Good For You
5:47 - What's Great About Street Trials
6:39 - A Few Considerations
8:15 - I WANT BOTH BIKES!!
10:12 - Half and Half
11:02 - The Final Decision
#bike #competition #trials #streettrials #versus #mountainbike #mtblife #bikelife #cycling #cyclist #biker

[@jackherbert3780]

Best content ever man! Your a talented rider and a great youtuber

[@orestisvas7277]

You're Sorry

[@SuperRiderTV]

That means a lot - thanks so much!

[@dannytrainer8621]

Always enjoy your vids, Aaron. Great stuff.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks so much!!

[@AlexandrosSiasos]

Great tips gathered into one video and I bet they will be so helpful for anyone who wants to start a journey in trials riding! keep it up my friend!

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks! Been wanting to make this one for a while, hopefully it’s helpful!

[@dunatic1313]

Awesome video! Always nice to get comprehensive information!

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks! Come over and ride! :)

[@andrewsouthern3517]

Another amazing video as always, keep it up 👍🏻

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks so much!

[@todd_on_bikes]

Nice discussion here, Aaron! I like the point about thinking who you follow. I have an Arcade 24” and GU 26” and I enjoy both, but deep down in my soul I’m a street rider and I naturally gravitate to the Arcade first. I do definitely enjoy taking the GU back to my street spots to see how I can fair on it.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Such a good feeling to take your comp bike back to tough spots!

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

Love my Hex. Everything you’ve said is spot on and it doesn’t look too weird when trying stuff out in public. Time on my stock always does my Hex riding some good but you have to be ready for some comments “your saddle’s fallen off” etc. Best advice when learning is to stick to one and stay low-altitude. Get the fundamentals nailed without the risk of injury from a bad fall. If you have a second bike don’t start flip flopping between the two bikes every other day as that just gets your head in a mess. Patience & perseverance are trials skills, be kind to yourself.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Spot on!! 🎯

[@fazryismail8960]

Always big fans of this channel. All the best Aaron !

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks Fazry!

[@jobinsarts1791]

I just got a meta vtt 2 trials bike , just started learning , I follow your channel , thanks got your tutorial videos and a happy new year

[@SuperRiderTV]

Awesome! Thanks for watching - have fun and remember that practice makes progress!

[@jobinsarts1791]

@@SuperRiderTV Find it bit weird with that geometry, getting used to it.

[@SuperRiderTV]

It takes a bit of getting used to - but once you get it, you’ll be good to go!

[@maxpainxl125]

You are the only person who validates the key purposes of these bikes.... You Rock on!

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks so much!!

[@IMikePlays]

Hello Super Rider, I'm very entertained and knowledged after watching your videos, by any chance did you create a "how to wheelie" video? I think you have something to say about wheelies that can finally make me "click" to it, will be looking forward for it in the future though! 😁😁

[@zerodog]

I have a 26” Street (Czar Neuron) and a 26” comp (Echo Mark 6) and have to say the comp bike is so difficult to get my head around. I decided that I need to give the comp bike more of a chance so New Year resolution is to make it my go to for at least January. I’m really hoping I can learn some stuff a little easier like pedal up to rear and static moves - but dang it’s so hard to get comfortable/confident on the comp plus the noise and maintenance is more of a pain.

[@at5504]

I've got a Hex and a Varial and I appreciate both. For me, if I'm doing natural stuff, I take the Varial. The gearing on the Hex is hard for me if I'm not on concrete or similar smooth ground. Just riding around town, I'd take the Hex. Much easier to just hop on and roll around. Quiet brakes, easier on the wrists, and you can ride decent distances.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Spot on! I feel like the rim brakes in downtown zones is like waving a giant red flag…haha

[@Team-Fraser]

Well explained thanks but I could've done with it about 2 months ago when I couldn't decide what direction to go. I'm planning to return to return after about 15 years away from it, my favorite bike was a Monty X-Hydra 219 which I only rode street on, this grew my love for steel frames. I was planning to build an Alias 20.2 to mostly ride street on but also try my first comp. I couldn't get hold of a Alias 20.2 frame and ended up chatting with Shaun from FXN and ordered a TMS Silex 24", which thinking about it, is the right choice with me mainly going to be riding street and I can't really afford to have two bikes. I would still like to try my first comp on the TMS when I can, looking forward to it. Thanks

[@SuperRiderTV]

Have fun with it! TMS will be a fun one for street, for sure!

[@norihiro01]

Great stuff !

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks! Hope it’s helpful!

[@ThisIsBikeTrials]

Great overview Aaron! You provide a lot of good points to consider. You covered more than just the typical aspects. I think this is often one of the choices new trials riders struggle with. I remember really struggling with which type trials bike to buy when I got started, and which wheel size to get. While I preferred watching street trials, I live in the woods without much urban stuff to ride, so I started with a comp bike. I got a 24 inch since I thought it would be a good compromise between comp style and street. Then I decided I also wanted a pure street bike and bought a 24 inch street bike. Like you said, I matched wheel sizes (I was really considering the Hex, but went with the Arcade). While I love my bikes, now I sometimes wish I started with the 26 inch wheels... 😄

[@SuperRiderTV]

There's always time to jump to 26! You'll have no problem adjusting to the wheel size, and you might find a few advantages in doing so. The jump between 24 and 26 is a lot easier than 20 and 26, as you'd imagine. I absolutely love riding 20" but it really messes me up when I try to get back on my 26 (or MTB)! haha

[@ThisIsBikeTrials]

@@SuperRiderTV Perfect timing for your response! I just bought a used 26-inch Crewkerz Jealousy yesterday! It will (hopefully) arrive next week!

[@SuperRiderTV]

@@ThisIsBikeTrials YES!! I love my Crewkerz, great call! Next up...Inspired Hex :)

[@talldarkrandom3170]

Quick point. The reason street trials' bikes took that form was due to the style of bikes people were using when it first got popular. We were running cross country hardtail frames and also slalom frames because they were smaller frames with decent length.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Yup! I rode a Schwinn Homegrown XC bike in that era...crazy to think how much we were able to do on those bikes at the time! I remember scouring geometry of XC bikes trying to find the shortest chainstays. Even then, you could hop bashring to back wheel, which is all but impossible now on any bike.

[@talldarkrandom3170]

We mostly ran GT trek and giant here in the UK, I was from the same village as the trials Kings, so we just copied them.

[@mattpanebianco6121]

Nice work Aaron.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks!

[@PatrickMcHugh1964]

This was very helpful to me

[@SuperRiderTV]

So stoked to hear it!

[@feldani]

I found your channel recently and I am straightly love it. I have a dirtjump bike, do you think I can replace it with rigid fork like a street bike and change the stem with the longer one? Pls advice. Thanks mate!

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks for watching! Yes, you could definitely make that swap and you’d be in a good place for trials. Dirt jump frames are great for learning trials technique.

[@marc9709]

Sold my 24" Leeson trials bike nearly 20yrs ago 😮... About to order another trials bike, can't wait

[@SuperRiderTV]

Welcome back!! I took a lengthy break as well, just came back a few years ago. You’ll be surprised how quick the skills return!

[@robertog3875]

What would you suggest as the minimum rise for a handlebar on an xc/trail bike to help pull off some trails style moves on the trails?

[@SuperRiderTV]

I run an 80mm on my bike, which is probably the maximum you'd want to try. But even a smaller rise (30-50mm) would help give you a bit more control.

[@ObviousAlias]

Question - thoughts on the Hayes brakes? If I’m not mistaken, the Hex Team and Pro both come with Magura and the option to upgrade to Hope. I haven’t seen Hayes in the trials space before (I’m fairly new to the discipline, and have not done exhaustive research on the topic).

[@SuperRiderTV]

I love these brakes, they feel the strongest and most consistent of any disc I've ever used. They don't come spec'd on the bike, though - I swapped them out shortly after building up the bike. Probably the best upgrade I've made to date...highly recommended!

[@ObviousAlias]

@@SuperRiderTV thanks for the info. I know Hayes has a loooooooooong history in MTB disc brakes. You just don’t see them often.

[@SuperRiderTV]

@@ObviousAlias True! And to be honest, I was surprised by these brakes...but I've been using them for the past year and they've been great!

[@fergusstockman542]

really interesting vid !!!!!

[@SuperRiderTV]

Thanks!!

[@rinky_dinky]

i had a chat with my coach who have a strong background in trials , he said that the mod bikes are super hard to ride , to bunny hop , to manual. he tells me to get a street trials bike

[@SuperRiderTV]

Yeah - mod bike skills are a lot harder to translate to "regular" bikes. Street trials is a great option if you want to bunnyhop and manual!

[@sapinva]

What I'm most curious about is the handlebar height, specifically in relation to your height. Is your street trials bike belly button height at the handlebars? Also distance between the bb and bars, I guess effective reach.

[@SuperRiderTV]

I’ll measure this and let you know for sure!

[@michaelhomann1559]

Checking in every day, still waiting for the answer. 😂

[@changzhanyang4975]

Hi I'm been doing trials on my mountain bike and I would like to get a trials bike. There is a JItsie varial 24inch hybrid for sale in my area. I was wondering if you have any experience with this bike, if no do you think it will be a good bike to start on? Thank you.

[@SuperRiderTV]

That bike is super popular and a lot of people choose that as their starter trials bike. Definitely give it a shot!

[@matthewallison6823]

I was looking at the inspired fourplay 24 but now the hex is on my list. Already have a 20" echo but it feels a little cramped! I'm 5'10" what's your thoughts on the size between the two inspired ones? Thanks

[@SuperRiderTV]

I'm about the same size as you, and I prefer the Hex. However, my riding background was on 26" - so you might be totally fine on a 24" if you've been riding 20" this whole time. I don't think you'd feel cramped or anything on the Fourplay by any means. The Hex has a little bit more "trials" style to the geometry, whereas the Fourplay is a little more "street". Hex is the more capable all-around bike in my opinion. I dig it!

[@matthewallison6823]

@Super Rider half my problem that I didn't explain is I'm sharing the 20" with my 12 Yr old daughter. She loves it as is but I don't want to keep moving the bars so I'm not squished on it. I keep looking at other 20" bikes as I really enjoy the techy riding and don't mind the workout travelling on it 😅. I see the jitsie varial has a longer wheelbase but the two models seem to jave different frames/dropouts. It's never simple is it it?

[@SuperRiderTV]

@@matthewallison6823 It's never simple - but I'm excited for you! Nothing better than having someone to ride with! :)

[@matthewallison6823]

I grabbed a jitsie 1045 24" from ebay looks like a more trials biased street bike which suits me! Then daughter can have the 20" set up for her and I don't feel like I'm riding a micro bike.

[@MTBJaySwitzerland]

Would you recommand a 26'' street trial bike over a dirt jumper to be used as a jack of all trades for trial, pumptrack etc... Is the geometry of a street trial OK for pumptrack and a bit of park? Would a dirt jumper with a front brake be OK to learn trial basics? Thank you for your great contents!

[@jackherbert3780]

I would reccomend a dirt jumper for a jack of all trades. With a front brake and geared slightly lighter, a dirt jumper can make a great trials bike as well as being far more versatile. Watch ali clarksons video on building a dirt jumper for trials as it will answer your exact question in depth👍

[@MTBJaySwitzerland]

@@jackherbert3780 Thank you!

[@SuperRiderTV]

What Jack said 🎯

[@sapinva]

My latest trials bike has a 100mm suspension fork. It's very similar to the hex in geo only longer. It's been 3-4 months and I can't think of anything that it really changes from the rigid fork I used to ride. Unless you are comparing to a comp bike with a carbon fork, the weight is not an issue.

[@jackherbert3780]

@@SuperRiderTV 👍👍

[@iswordigo]

Look u can sit on street one. But u cant sit on the eh classic one? (Not sure but i think there seats in old ones)

[@SuperRiderTV]

Also a good point. I sit on my comp bike all the time, but you sort of have to balance on the rear tire and top tube. Where there's a will, there's a way! :)

[@peglor]

I love competition geometry (Or mostly feel really hunched over on street geometry bikes) but also love the complete lack of maintenance with disk brakes (And really hate the noise of rim brakes - I suspect if anyone checked, they'd find that regular trials riders who run rim brakes are damaging their hearing) and I have no problem with the wind-up between the hub and rim that a lot of riders seem to hate on 26" wheels with disks - I find it makes it easier to land on a spot as the peak landing force reduced because it's spread out over more time by the rim windup relative to the hub. There is only one bike on the market that fits my needs, and that's the 24" GU frame. Sadly the disk mount broke after a little under a year and a half (Which is the same failure as I had with the 26" GU I had a few years before that, but I got about 4 years out of that), so I ended up having no choice but to put a Magura rim brake on. It's been out of stock for probably the past year too, so no replacement yet 😞. Also, I can't be the only person who rides in urban areas and hates the unwanted attention their noisy brakes attract.

[@SuperRiderTV]

Have you seen that Jitsie bike? It’s another one of those bikes that sort of does the half and half style like that. I hear you (literally!) on the brakes…I always feel super self conscious when I ride those squeaky brakes..

[@at5504]

@@SuperRiderTV It's the Jitsie Varial Hybrid 24". I also prefer disc brakes. I've been wondering about the Varial Hybrid. Any chance you'll review it?

[@peglor]

@@SuperRiderTV I bought the Jitsie Varial frame to tide me over, as there was literally nothing else even slightly suitable on the market. The Jitsie frame takes a mod bike length (128 mm) axle, so I had to build a new back wheel for it, and it takes a threaded BB and a different style headset, so it wasn't a straight parts swap either (I had to do some messing around to make the ISIS threaded BB compatible with the splined Echo freewheel too). The Jitsie Varial geometry is still way too street biased for my tastes. It's certainly not as hunched and BMX like as the Inspired frames, which I find completely unusable, but it's still cramped on the back wheel and the BB is noticeably low. I ended up going back to a probably 8 year old Echo 24" frame I retired because I figured it was aged to the point a fatigue failure was inevitable and found that it feels way better than the Jitsie, including for bunnyhops, which surprised me a lot as they're supposed to be a street bike thing. The sad thing is I originally replaced that Echo frame with another Echo 24", but the replacement near identical frame had a slightly different, presumably lighter, downtube gusset and the newer frame broke there after around 2.5 years. Interestingly compared to the Echo frames, the GU is slightly too competition oriented, so things like rolling 180 hops and bunnyhops were very difficult on it compared to the Echo frame. The slightly longer wheelbase on the GU does increase reach for gaps and wheel swaps though, so the are a small number of lines I could ride more consistently on the GU than on the Echo, but the Echo feels better everywhere else. Since Echo and GU are made by the same company, the rear disk mount is almost identical between them, but the plate the rear disk mount is cut from looks slightly thinner in the GU frame, which probably lead to the early disk mount failure I never got on the Echo frames even though both of them got twice as much use. The big attraction of 24" frames is that they are effectively mod bike geometry in terms of chainstay length, BB height off the ground and wheelbase, so they can bunnyhop, spin and pop to the back wheel like mod bikes, while rolling and reaching across gaps almost as well as 26" bikes, making them easy to ride if you're not riding isn't on the limit competition style all the time.

[@cendaracing]

​@@at5504 I have a Jitsie Varial 24" Hybrid. I've been riding it since May 2022 and it's my ticket to the world of bike trials. I'm 43 years old and I bought the bike as an all-rounder for fun riding and mainly to be able to ride with my son who rides a 20" trial bike. It's my first trials bike so despite my age I'm a beginner. I have to say this bike is phenomenal and it fits me incredibly well. I removed the seat and adjusted the cockpit more to a competition style. This bike really brings the best of both worlds and I can highly recommend it. I will add one more thing that I would change. It is a chain tensioning system. This is really bad for all Jitsie bikes. Another component that I will now change in the coming weeks are the brakes. The Shimano MT401 are brakes with a satisfactory effect, but over time, as the rider increases his riding skills, the demands on the brakes also increase, and then the mt401 ceases to be enough.

[@at5504]

@@cendaracing Thanks for the review! I have the same complaint about the chain tensioner/ snail cams on the Varial. The axle has slipped in the past. I flipped the snail cams around and so far so they haven't slipped. If I got a Hybrid, I'd also upgrade the brakes. It really seems like a great all around bike that could potentially replace my Hex and my Varial. My only reservation is the 24" wheels. I'm not sure how I'd get along with them, so I'd need to try it out before I could commit to buying one. I wish Jitsie had a demo program! I'm also your age and relatively new to trials (2 yrs). It's great to see older riders getting into trials. It's an awesome sport!

[@maxpainxl125]

honestly, i followed most on your channel than others...

[@SuperRiderTV]

🙏

[@ralphtelic9876]

Hi

[@SuperRiderTV]

Hi! 👋

[@CONSCIOUS_TALK_ENT.]

Rolling resistant? So you cant even ride it? Lol.

[@SuperRiderTV]

haha :)