The beautiful Explosiv! 2002 prototype, as reviewed by TrialInside – www.trialinside.com

• Wheelbase: 1060 mm

• Chainstay: 395 mm

• BB height: -10 mm

• Weight: 10,5 kg

My latest bike, very neat and light, less than 9Kg.

Frame: Rockman Slate 3
Fork: Rockman.
Bars: Rockman (Carbon oversized)
Stem: Rockman 150mm,30° rise
Crank: 175mm Rockman, 18t freewheel
Bottom bracket: Rockman carbon ISIS.
Pedals: Echo TR.
Brakes: Magura HS33 hydraulic, 2011 version.
Seat??? what for?
Rims: Rockman single wall
Hubs: Rockman fixed 15t single speed (rear)
Tyres: TryAll.
Wheelbase in this current setting: 1085mm.
Chainstays: 380mm.
Bottom bracket height: +60mm.

Frank Chastel (alias Franky, right) and Sergio the speaker (left)

With a strong regional accent (from Marseille), sporting fuzzy hair and a bulky camera lens, Frank Chastel, alias Franky is one of the unmissable characters of pretty much any UCI trials riding event. He is the man behind Trial Inside – www.trial-inside.com – and was the publisher of what was the first magazine entirely dedicated to bike trials riding (6 issues a year from September 2009 to September 2011). Jumping on the other side of the fence, he kindly accepted to take the interviewee seat and share his views on the trials riding scene. Excerpts…

Hi Franky, starting from scratch, what drove you into the bike trials scene?

It is in 1999 that I came across trials riders for the first time. I was just strolling in Marseille, when I saw two guys riding their bikes in a funny but impressive way in the Prado area. These guys, around 13 and 14 years old, happened to be the young Coustellier brothers. At the time I was only acquainted to motor trials, as a regular spectator of the indoor events in Marseille, but the ability and balance of these guys just blew my mind. I congratulated them as would do many passers-by. My other hobbies included football, always supporting the OM, and car racing video games. In fact, I was so much into video games that I used to run a small racing journal for a group of friends, commenting on the races and detailing our rankings in the video games. Among that group of friends, someone asked me if I could report on actual Formula 1 races, following in particular the ascending French pilot Stéphane Sarrazin for whom I would act as press officer while providing content for his website – www.stephane-sarrazin.com .

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Fidan Figueras Especial Trial (Photo by Mireia Martin – www.mireiamartin.com)

From Ramiro Aramburu

• Wheelbase: 1095mm
• Chainstay: 380mm
• BB height: +70mm

Fidan Figueras Especial Trial (Photo by Mireia Martin – www.mireiamartin.com)

The Ozonys Curve V3 as seen on www.ozonys.com

• Wheelbase: 1085mm
• Chainstay: 380mm
• BB height: +60mm

Jérémy Wiik’s Koxx Grey Sky:

Wheelbase : 1090mm
Chainstay length : 380mm
BB height : +63mm
Weight : 8,4 kg

Frame : Koxx Grey Sky 2010
Fork : Try All Grey Sky HS33
Headset : Try All Nowar – black
Stem : Try All 3D forged 127mmx27° – black
Bar : Try All Carbon Nowar
Brakes : Full Magura HS33 long levers – black
Brakes mounts : Magura – grey
Brake pads : Coust pads
Bottom bracket : Try All ISIS 127,5mm
Cranks : Try All ISIS 175mm forged – grey
Freewheel : Echo 108.9 SL titanium – gold finition
Bash ring : Trialtech titanium
Pedals : Welgo Titanium & Magnesium
Sprocket : Echo TR 15T 2011 – black
Chain : Bonz Light
Chain tensioner : Try All Snail Cams – black
Front hub : Rock hs33 v2.0 – black
Rear hub : Rock 26” singlespeed 2011 – black
Rims : Rock 3.2 26”/ 4.7 26”
Spokes : double butted – black
Nipples : aluminium – gold finition
Front tyre : Try All Shift 26”x2.00
Rear tyre : Try All Stiky light 26”x2.50
Inner Tube : Maxxis ultralight 26″
Bolts : Try All & Bonz Titanium – Gold Finition
Crank bolts : Try All Alluminium – grey

Koxx Kompozit: full carbon prototype, as seen on TribalZine

Source: Koxx

Monty M5 carbon: full carbon frame and forks, and handlebars

Source: Monty

From Maksym Ivakhnenko

From e-One

Univega T-Rammler:

• Wheelbase 975 mm
• Chainstay 375 mm
• BB rise +50 mm

From Millhouse on www.observedtrials.net

From Heatsink on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From Heatsink on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From Ash-Kennard on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From Jake Hickey

• Tryall rims, profile/hope hubs, echo cranks and bashring
• ZOO! Bars and stem
• Chrisking headset
• rear magura and front BB7.

From Jake Hickey

• with Atomz rims laced to Rockman hubs with Ti nipples, Ti echo rear Sprocket
• Onza stem, Rockman bars, Echo sl forks, Monty 158mm cranks, Echo TR freewheel
• Kenda small block eight front tyre, tryall stiky rear
• Echo pedals, Chrisking headset
• 7.8kg brake-less

From Jake Hickey

• Atomz/Rockman front wheel, onza back wheel
• Echo forks, Tensile cranks and freewheel
• Onza stem, Rockman bars, Chrisking headset
• Front mono trial brake/ rear Magura rim brake

From Jake Hickey

• Trialtech bars/stem/forks/Cranks
• Onza front hub and rims, Chrisking rear hub, Echo pedals
• Dual Magura rim brakes

As seen on www.ozonys.com

Weight: 9,5kg
Geometry: 1055 / 350 / +65BB / 71°

Christian Gugliotta is Atomz’ products manager at Sunn Bicycle and is one of the few trials bike manufacturers to be largely distributed through real bike shops, thanks to Sunn’s large network of bicycle resellers.

What is your background and what drove you into the bike trials scene?

Christian Gugliotta: For as long as I can remember, I have always been riding bikes. But I really got into mountain biking at 12 when the sport was becoming popular. I had my first mountain bike in 1991 and did my first XC-race the same year in 1993, I had a co-factory sponsorship from Sunn. I discovered bike trials around that time at a demo organized by Stéphane Ceccarelli in Aix-en-Provence (who sometimes contributes to Trials Inside as a photographer). He was a true inspiration for me and also the organizer of the first regional bike trials championships in Provence (South of France) from 1994 to 1997.  This is also when I started competing in bike trials, on modified mountain bikes from Sunn. From 1998 to 1999, I rode on custom bikes built by Vincent Lafaye, based on my specifications. Then I was sponsored by a local bike manufacturer, Explosiv, before I decided again to build my own bikes. Between 2000 and 2003, I was among the top 10 UCI riders, I came to finish 7th at a World Cup event.

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From the riddlers on wwww.observedtrials.net

From JJ Gregorowicz on www.biketrials.com

From Wally on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From Ryan-Trott on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From TrialsMonkey on www.trials-forum.co.uk

From Morice Yannick

From Thibault

From Thibault