Recently I came across a post on Instagram from someone who was gauging interest in buying a used 26-inch trials bike. I immediately began peppering the seller with questions on Facebook and Messenger. Within hours (after discussion with my wife), I’d told him I’ll take it. I’ve since received, built, and ridden the new (to me) bike that has joined my trials bike fleet.
Since before I even bought my first trials bike, I’ve been struggling with the decision of which size bike to buy: 24-inch or 26-inch (I’ve never been interested in 20-inch). And both of the previous times I’ve bought a trials bike – both 24-inch – I’ve immediately questioned whether I should have gone with the 26-inch option. Don’t get me wrong – I love my Echo Mark V and my Inspired Arcade. But I want to have my cake and eat it too!
So in late September of this year I received the new bike: a Crewkerz Jealousy. It’s not the latest version of the model – it’s a few years old – but that’s fine by me. This is the bike that I’ve been wanting to get for probably the past year. I thought I wanted one – I mean, if it’s good enough for Jack Carthy, it’s good enough for me (right?) – but when I spent a few short minutes trying out Aaron Lutze’s Jealousy in Bentonville this past May, I knew that this was truly the bike I wanted. It felt so nice! Unfortunately, these puppies are over $3,000 US brand new. And I’m going to be sending my son through four years of college next year, the house needs some serious remodeling, and, well you get the idea. At that cost, it wasn’t looking like a reality in the near future. Unless maybe I sold my other two trials bikes – not my first choice, but always an option. Fortunately, the price was right for this bike and I was able to buy it before someone else did. So stoked!
It seemed to take forever for the bike to arrive, though I Imagine that even if was here in an hour I’d probably feel the same way. Honestly, I didn’t really take that long, but It’s hard to be patient when you’re waiting for a new bike to make it’s way to your house.
Of course even after the bike arrived, it took several days for me to have the time to build it and give the rear wheel rims a fresh grind. After finally getting that accomplished, I was ready to run the bike through its paces to see how it felt. I was not disappointed – I love this bike!
What I hadn’t expected – as much as I love the 26-inch wheels and this bike in particular – was that it is taking longer than I thought to get accustomed to this bike versus my 24-inch Echo. Not only is the size different, but the gear ratio is different as well, which has caused a bit of struggle – not only on this first ride, but on my second ride in the woods this past week as well (definitely stay tuned for that video – started that ride off with a bang!). The good news is that I’m starting to retrain my body and brain to get the timing and body movement down. When I do, the bike moves so effortlessly it seems to just float. I can’t wait to get my brain and my bike fully attuned with each other!
There are a handful of minor mechanical refinements I need to make as well. First, the bashring is set for a rider with left foot forward; I ride right foot forward. Second, the handebars are carbon, which is fine, but apparently you need a special paste that helps the stem lock them into place. I’ve seen Mike Steidley’s carbon bars roll back suddenly during a group ride, and the same happened to me this week – it really does not instill confidence in the bike. Finally, I’m not enamored with the brake pads either. I might have to revert to some TNN pads like on the Echo.
All in all, despite some minor resolvable issues, I really enjoyed the first ride, and am really liking this bike. I’m excited to see where it takes me! And of course I’ll be sharing the journey with you as well.
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