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Whopper

Don't try and work when you feel like you can't. For me, trying to work in the mornings is useless - I just get nothing done, and put myself in a bad frame of mind because I know I should be doing work but can't. Do something else for a bit, and when you feel like work can happen, blast it. Also try and find your peak hours, and tailor your working hours around them. I work about 100% more effectively between 2am and 4am, so tend to not really bother as much during the day and get into working at around 10-11pm. Starting a bit before your prime hours means you've got everything straight in your mind and can smash it when you get into gear. As for music, I find upbeat-ness helps drive work. The past few weeks, the Lamb of God and American Head Charge on loop have worked wonders. I'm not sure I like what that says about be, but it works. That's for getting work done though. Maybe energy isn't so good for revision. If you want background noise, try ambient music? Not necessarily drone, but something like Biosphere or Hecq maybe. Or Monolake for something still atmospheric but with a bit more drive. Something you can easily zone in-and-out of so you hear it when you're not in "the zone", but isn't distracting when you are. For this reason it shouldn't be your favourite music, as it will command your attention. And it's all based on you, in the end. If music distracts you then listening to it whilst trying to focus is probably a bad idea Edit: Also, having snacks/drinks to hand helps. When I get going, I forget to eat, so having something you can just nibble on throughout helps. It's also good as you have something to do in those very momentary lapses, and you can pretend they're not happening and you just fancied a swig

I'm acutely aware my riding is massively tanking.I thought I should put these out as another mini-video before I lose what little I have left.Maybe it'll come back when circumstances improve, but right now it really doesn't feel like it. https://vimeo.com/150557650

<3

Got so much love for Jack's riding. One of only a very few people that actually looks like he suits that type of bike, rather than taking the benefits of front wheel moves and having to wrestle with it for everything else!

Clips of Jack from various points over the last year or so. He doesn't get to ride much, so collecting clips of him is an absolute nightmare https://vimeo.com/148856779 How does embedding work on the new forum software? I have to edit about six times to try and make them work so I assume I'm just missing something... (This one seems particularly stubborn. I give up.)

I know - I had a feeling that would come up Thought I'd stick with the better known ones for ease. I know it belongs in the same category, but it doesn't feel like it. It felt much more like it was about going riding and making a video of it, rather than making a video and choosing riding as the topic. JD - I fear I was right in saying I didn't properly put my thoughts across. I didn't mean to diminish the riding in any of these videos - just the vibe of them. Danny's riding is flat-out awesome - but I think it felt better portrayed in earlier videos. I think I just prefer small, intimate things to big, flashy, in-your-face things. I think I find it frustrating because most everyone else seems to be the opposite. Haha.

Obviously that was ridiculous, but I can't help but take issue with these "bigtime" videos. They're just not the same. I wish he could just make another video in the vein of April '09 or Way Back Home, where the focus was just the riding. You go somewhere and ride bikes, and film the cool stuff that happens. Each of the clips in the video is there on the riding's merit. More recent videos of him - and indeed some other trials riders with big sponsors/comp riders trying too hard to get their name out there - seem to feel more like they go to a place or have an idea/theme, and morph what riding they can manage around that. A lot of the clips feel like they're there because of the setting, or visual impression. That gives it a much less sincere feeling, for me. I watch videos of riding because I want to watch riding, after all, and watching someone riding at their limit is when riding is at it's best. (Imaginate is something of an exception here, since he/they could fulfil both criteria.) I guess the former feels more like a rider's video of riding for other riders, where the latter feels more like a video of a rider for people that don't ride. The same is very true (and much more in effect) of MTB videos where there's not a single real-speed clip and around 50% of clips are of bits of dirt being flicked up. Small scale videos where it's just some riders with a camera or two feel like the raw, genuine love of riding, and having probably made the video themselves lets them put their own feeling on it's portrayal - almost art, if you go with Google's definition. Big scale videos are more of a product, made with the seeming expectation of a return. In the case of comp riders getting "professional" videos made, it feels like they've forgotten why they ride, or are willing to sacrifice that integrity in the name of five minutes of fame, which doesn't work because none of those videographers have ever seen a trials bike before and don't have a shit clue what's going on. I understand there's lots of money involved when there are parties such as Red Bull included, so making something non-commercially viable isn't really an option - I just think that's a shame. I'm not saying things can't be filmed well - a lot of bigger BMX videos (typically the street ones) seem to avoid this feeling even when they're made by professionals. I'm not sure I've articulated my thoughts very well here, but I'm not sure how to. To clarify: not hating on anyone - just expressing my own personal perspective, which is regret that this is the way it is.

Yaaaay! Pisanka's back I'm jealous of you for having that to ride all winter.

Just another shortie, I'm afraid. Several aspects of life ranging from the wondrous to the mundane have meant I haven't been able to ride very much recently, and I'm rather afraid it shows. To remove the weather as one of the issues, I went to TartyBikes to ride indoors for the afternoon, and this video is of that. Big thanks to: tartybikes.co.uk - trialtech.co.uk - industryclothing.co.uk Footage courtesy of Mr Westlake. (Apologies for some of the iffy clip quality. My computer's seemingly hating life at the minute.)

That was cool Personally not a fan of the black-and-white, but that's the only hole I could pick at!

Had a bunch of clips on my desktop from various projects that didn't happen/didn't include the clips. It's been long enough - a large percentage of these are between 12 and 18 months old. Matt Arkwright, Kyle Livesey, and briefly Ben Slinger and me. Very little effort put into editing so don't expect a masterpiece - just slapped clips on a timeline and found a song about the right length.

Managed to miss this when it was first put up because of having outrageous amounts of work to do... So, so good. Didn't want it to end! I've always thought Poland looks really good for riding since Pisanka's videos from waaay back, and it STILL looks ace! I love seeing people riding the same spots that were being ridden in videos 8-9 years ago :D Also can't tell you how fuzzy and warm I felt to see you guys watching a video of me :3

Take the hint, damnit!

I've been there a couple of times recently(ish), but doubt it was me as my bike hardly resembles a Pitbull

Thanks all! Glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully I'll get time to make another proper video in the not-too-distant future I do. All the time. Every video I make fills me with regret because I assume I can only go downhill from this point on. It's a source of great insecurity for me, and it's the best feeling in the world when people I trust say the newest one still came out on top of the previous one. I know there's a great amount more that people can bring to brakeless, but I'm never confident as to just how much more I personally have to offer. Thankfully, it's seemingly not happened yet. I did, but if it's any consolation it was exclusively that spot before my hubshell bearing collapsed - hence all the noise under drivetrain load! Special thanks for this. It was really nice to read that some people think of me in such a positive light I think you are a little off the mark about the progression thing though. If I start getting worse at riding but still enjoy it, I'm not going to stop. I will stop if I don't enjoy it any more though. If that made sense. Another, extra special thanks. I'm so glad to so continually have your support.

Masters workload suddenly exploded - not getting to ride too much. Blasting these few clips out so they don't expire after sitting on them for ages. No Industry Clothing Co. clothing featured in here because it was all filmed before that happened, but it's seriously nice stuff! Also a continued thanks to TartyBikes and Trialtech Components for helping me through!

If I ever develop an inclination to become a man, I will let you know well in advance of it occurring. He's down in my local-ish area next weekend so I'll get to ride with him. That's all I meant. Apologies.

To throw a spanner in the works, I really like the simplistic style of self-filming. So very enjoyed watching this - can't wait for next weekend!

It's my personal (and has proven to be somewhat controversial) opinion that slow videos work really well for trials. Trials is quite a slow sport, for the most part. If you try and make the video too fast-paced it just doesn't gel as well. (See all "pro-videographer makes a trials video" type videos - usually of comp riders.) I thought a lot of things whilst watching that video, but none of them were "Come on... get on with it." Make it however it feels right, 'cause that was ace.

Superb!

That was everything I'd hoped it would be. Loved it! Hope you're enjoying your new life!

Nah. He shared the crap out of it on Facebook amongst all his BMX/motocross/other-style-motorbike/having-all-the-hobbies-in-the-world-because-he-never-seems-to-have-to-go-into-work type friends, so he's responsible for the majority of it's exposure.

Bongo.

Not to detract from your self-worth, but I was made aware of it in advance of it happening.