brenin Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi All, Im new to the forum, although I have been lurking in the background reading and learning. As part of my ongoing midlife crisis I have bought myself an '08 Beta Rev 3 250. I have only ridden it for a few minutes so far.... If i apply the front brake and try and rock the bike backwards and forwards, there is noticable movement. At first i thought it was headset bearings, but the movement is at the front disc - hub interface. The disc is solid with no carrier, and sits bolted to the hub with some star type washers to mae it semi-floating i assume. Is this movement normal? Im brand new to trials, but none of my road or track bikes have exhibited this play. Nor do my disc equipped MTBs. Also the clutch and front brake lever seem to have quite a lot of play in them. If i grab the ball-tip, then i can waggle the lever up and down about 15mm, yet the action when i pull the lever in its correct plane to actuate the master cyl is play free. Are the levers bushed so they dont wear on the pivot pin? Am i worrying about nothing? It just seems to represent a lack of precision, as if the M/C casting is too wide, or the lever too narrow (or worn). This may well be the first of a long stream of questions, as i openly admit I know very little about trials.... thanks Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duffers Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Ian, Yes as far as the front brake goes it sounds like your worrying about nothing. The discs on most trials bikes are mounted with free play this is normal although I don't know why! I have just fitted a brand new AJP caliper and lever to my montesa and that has a similar amount of play to yours. The short answer is stop looking and worrying and get out and ride you'll love it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenin Posted March 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Ok, thats great, thank you! I have searched the forum for info on 'static sag' but it doesnt seem to figure very much. My MTBs and road bikes seem rather keen on that as the cornerstone of set-up. Does anyone have any idea what sort of static sag i should be looking for? thanks Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0007 Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Hi, welcome The brake caliper is NOT floating but the disk is, it should not really have fore and aft (rotational) slop but it does, my Evo does as well, don't worry about it You can buy replacement bushings for your levers, would help the slop issue, use a light grease on the pivot but clean a couple times a year as dust will make sandpaper out of the grease Also, I think you can change the clutch lever out for a longer one, ask around about that It will give you a great deal more clutch feel Maybe do the clutch mod that is posted on here in the Beta thread, really works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindie Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Getting the suspension right is key to it riding nice. Keep searching on here for rev 3 shock settings etc and you'll find useful stuff. It's easy to do following the guide. If I find it ill post a link.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Sag is not so much the issue. The suspension has to work together. Quick way to check is just pusing down on the seat. The front and rear need to move at the same rate. On a trials bike it is better to be too soft than too hard. The original owners manual had help with this. If you are heavy, you will need to change the springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0007 Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I hear that Ryan young teaches that both ends do not have to react when pushing the centre He says you set each end up by feel independently of each other And as for sag, that's for high speed over holes to keep the tire hooked up, doesn't really apply to trials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenin Posted March 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 Guys, thank you for your help. Trials is a really specific discipline that seems to have my normal ideas of bike set-up a little confused. I will abandon sag, and search for suspension and shock set up. Im about 87kg in my riding kit, so i will search springs too... thanks Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindie Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 I second that trials does not follow normal suspension principles compared to enduro, mx or road racing. It's similar but the actual spring type force is used as a help in trials. Set up is the way ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted March 2, 2013 Report Share Posted March 2, 2013 POGO STICK!!!! make that puppy bounce!! ok maybe not that extreme but some rebound is good for unweighting etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted March 3, 2013 Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Ok, thats great, thank you! I have searched the forum for info on 'static sag' but it doesnt seem to figure very much. My MTBs and road bikes seem rather keen on that as the cornerstone of set-up. Does anyone have any idea what sort of static sag i should be looking for? thanks Ian I believe some static sag is still important for the rear to float a bit and maintain grip. No specific info here, but I would shoot for 10-20mm range with your weight. With a heavier spring you might go 25 mm range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brenin Posted March 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2013 Guys, thanks very much for your patience and great advice. Im having my first proper ride out tomorrow, so i will let you know how i get on. Oh, and my obvservations on whether the current stars of the sport need to lose any sleep :-) many thanks Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.