1a2bcio8

Hmmm, I think the processing has f**ked up. It's taken ages and seems to be displaying strange characters where the remaining time and percentage information is contained... I may sell my soul and youtube it.

These are clips I was intending to use for Ben Travis' Competition if he hadn't of extended the deadline. These were a last minute grab at getting something done in poor weather conditions this afternoon. I'm hoping to get out this week with better conditions and get something else done somewhere else with better lighting, etc. Anyway, thought I would share these seeing as they are not needed. Ben (it's still processing but I thought I would dump it here now and get it out of the way) https://vimeo.com/59362631

Kind of glad to hear that. I managed to go out today and film about 5 lines under cover but light was a problem and it wasn't exactly the place, in terms of what I was riding, that I would have liked to film either. I'd told myself that I had to get involved so would have accepted the above but this gives me an opportunity to go out in the week elsewhere and hopefully produce something better. I may chuck these other clips into a separate video this evening. Nice one, Ben.

My setup is an XTR lever (I'd use Avid Ultimate if I didn't find them less durable), Avid Ultimate callipers, XTR carbon booster, Odyssey Linear Slic outer cable (lined with Finish Line wet lube), and Odyssey clear pads. This is pretty much a setup I've stayed with for the last couple of years although I've used most of the setup for many more years because I find it so awesome. The Odyssey pads only cost £6 but make almost no noise yet have significant bite; at least, they do, on my Spank rim. I can't emphasis more the value of using lube, particularly wet Finish Line, in creating a smooth running brake as well. It's a shame the Avid Ultimate levers use such a soft metal in comparison to the XTR because the latter are extremely durable. I used to bend Ultimate levers a fair bit and, ultimately (jokes), something would happen around the bearing area and the lever would develop a lot of play. They do feel better than XTR though so if you tend to break parts and have the money then they are an excellent option.

Cheers bro

Here's to an evening's window of relative normality where things have a sense of being alright, despite lots to resolve, for the first time in over four months.

It's a shame when 'retail' politics makes its way into the community and becomes another reason, beyond riding style, for needless argument and division. Is it a necessity to side with one shop over another? As if the merits and shortcomings of each can't be recognised without some attachment happening that requires a defence and attack upon the other? Waste of time.

I've been unwell in addition to the weather so haven't managed to get anything done. I have definite plans to create something though. It's unfortunate just how bad the weather has been during the competition dates

Whoah, writing skills up there. "I'm been giving". Nice

I'm been giving some thought to how I'm going to produce my video and I'm quite excited about the various production and riding elements I'm going to try and achieve. It should be fun, init. That is, providing the weather allows for a window of riding

I'm really starting to lose my patience, today at least, with all the problems that have followed and which haven't left me yet regarding my accident. Aside from the financial and cognitive issues, the tapering and withdrawal from the medicinal drugs I was on have left me chronically fatigued and achy. in varying degrees, for over a month now. Today the doctor told me to expect various problems, particularly emotional and sleep related, to continue for several months yet. I guess at least I should be good for the summer...

Lush

Rowan is sometimes absent for what seems like a month or two then he's sometimes out a few times. I get the impression that once his house is how he wants it we'll begin to see him more again. He never seems to lose any skills in between periods of and, in fact, he even seems to improve somehow. I expect that once he gets going again he should quickly provide us with some awesome watching.

So, in a friendly way, I'm completely jealous of Andre's barspins and tailwhips. Awesome riding and editing. The latter in a style that I really appreciate but you don't really see that much unfortunately.

Music was a bit too cheesy emotional for me but the riding was fantastic. I really enjoyed that.

Fashionably late here but that was obviously awesome. Really enjoyed each approach to riding nicely tied together with tight editing. It will blatantly be re-watched multiple times

Sounds like you're similar to me. It took me over 2 years to finally get to a position of not romanticising a certain ex-girlfriend despite her treating me extremely badly at the break up. Fundamentally it's a case of being patient. That being said, continually allowing yourself to give validity to romantic thoughts about her (by virtue of repeatedly visiting them), checking up on her on facebook, etc. will blatantly slow the process because you're feeding the part of you that is still attached to the idea of her. Every time a desire to do those sort of things arises just remind yourself you would prefer to move on and distract yourself with something else. This takes a bit of exertion but only initially. There's nothing wrong with taking time to get over someone you loved. This can relate to the depth of feeling and commitment you had for and toward them. In other words, it may just be the unfortunate consequences of qualities that, within a relationship, are very virtuous.

Standard school yard trials-forum bullying in action within this thread. It expresses the perennial theme of group "love to hate" directed toward certain members. Aside from that there seems to be short sightedness about the possible pressures in somebody else's situation that makes practising some ideal forms of ethics more difficult. Life is a bit more complex than simply saying you should behave in 'x' way irrespective of circumstances. This suggests a lack of understanding and imagination regarding some basic facts of life. None of you can say for certain that you would choose the the 'right' behaviour if life was very difficult. Judging others in less favourable circumstances from a position of better circumstances is rather meaningless beyond being an ethical fault that is probably easier to address than the ethical problems that someone would find as a consequence from living in Russia. In other words, that constitutes some fairly heavy hypocrisy. There's also some blatant xenophobia on the go here as well. No doubt those same people would have an issue with racism but fundamentally, in their most important sense, they are the same.

Such an awesome style with interesting creativity

You go sideways because you're letting go of the brake too late. It's a standard mistake. Just force yourself to let go of the brake at just over 90 degrees. Furthermore, you need to go steeper over the front end of the bike. You're pulling it under you because your body is weighted to the back of the bike when it needs to be weighted further over the front end. It might feel more uncomfortable but you're unlikely to fall on your face.

Need to vent somewhat. Despite trying really hard to study and catch up with missed university work it's become apparent that I am not able to do so. Remotely complicated ideas I'm unable to process. Consequently I've had to begin proceedings to suspend my studies for the academic year. That's another several thousand pounds wasted. I'm still feeling pretty sketchy from my accident. Forgetting what's going on and where I am at some points; getting really tired with socialising that's just about conversation. I'm starting to get concerned that my behaviour and problems are going to mess up the relationship I have with this awesome new female in my life. This is all especially frustrating because I made such significant steps in sorting my life out over the summer only to have everything reversed by an arbitrary accident. Such is life though, I guess.

The thing about meanings, that nobody seems to recognise, is that we make them up. Therefore words mean what we want them to mean - they do not describe reality as it is but rather they indicate what parts of reality we want to consider (as a meaning/word). The history of language is a history of changing meanings for any given word such that it incorporates a world that constantly changes. Most sports develop and change in some sense yet they usually retain the same word because there is a general sameness that connects an earlier form with a later one. Some sports are less open ended and therefore recognising similarities and continuity is easier but other sports are much more open ended meaning it's more difficult r to identify an older form with a newer one. But none of that really matters anyway. I just enjoy being part of a community that includes a TGS form and a 'free' form. The only thing I imagine really coming from excluding the latter from a definition of trials is a possible division in the community. I can't see what the purpose of constantly trying emphasise their differences is other than that? And yes there are differences but there are also significant similarities. Anyone trying to deny them is just deluding themselves.

I've got to admit that I struggle to write in any other style because when I've been spending time studying that just seems to happen. Not that I've written in a way that's inaccessible though so I can't see that it matters. I've also got to say that my reaction was a bit needless. I've tended to avoid these types of 'debate' over the last few years, because nobody really listens to the other side, but the last couple of months I've found my frustration is easily brought about. In other words, posting about these types of things doesn't really achieve anything. I'll also admit that I've somewhat hijacked this thread by discussing stuff that is beyond it. That being said, I have continually seen you making provocative statements including a baseless one about a conspiracy in the GETcreative competition. The extent of my assumptions may be wrong but I definitely think, to some extent, that your intentions aren't good on here. That doesn't mean I'm saying that the way you are on here is the way you are in 'real' life. I'm sure you're a decent enough chap away from the internet and I'd happily try having a conversation with you on a ride. I don't really carry frustrations on the internet away from the internet. However, on here, you shit stir (are those better terms?) and it doesn't serve anyone including yourself. I'd also happily tell you this in real life. So, in other words, I'm not judging your whole character regarding the whole of your life but your behaviour on here is quite obviously negative. You're interested in causing strife. I try to imagine what other intention you might have but I can't. Perhaps you want to enlighten me about what you think your intentions actually are when you say things you almost certainly know will cause arguments? I struggle to imagine it's banter because that's something you do with people who will appreciate it as such; that isn't the case in the instance of repeatedly saying that a certain style of riding is excluded from the meaning of 'trials'. I wish I hadn't got involved in this to be honest. As I said, I've avoided this sort of thing for a while now.

There's some definite irony on the go there. You say you don't wish to argue but, as is evidenced in Joel Bennet's thread, you deliberately made an inflammatory comment. Your opinion was established and communicated long ago yet you repeat it over and over without offering anything new. Your interest is obviously about causing strife. You certainly don't behave in a way that constitutes 'fun'. Honesty about what you think is one thing but constantly throwing it in the face of people as a means of excluding them from some narrow notion of what you believe trials should mean is another. There's clearly nothing good about your intentions which, at best, are a waste of your own time and, at worst, promote needless division in a community of people who are mostly fine with different forms of expression within it. And if somebody was trying to stick a wedge in your community wouldn't you get upset? Probably not, I suppose, because it appears that you lack a sense of such things. That's your loss but that doesn't mean you should f**k with other people's sense of community because you don't get it.