TrashZen

I don't ride for the friends and the people, but true that my best mates are trials riders and the majority of trials riders I have met are really sound people which is a bonus for a sport. I ride for the rush and the thrills, the discovery, its a lil bit different and it's an addictive and non-boring way to stay fit.

On some occasions, forum members come up with some really cool trials-related designs, and I thought, hey, why not give them more visibility by hosting a sort of Trials Art Gallery. It's not a competition thing, but just a centralised place to show off your best designs to the trials community, and for those of you who intend to make a living from graphic design, maybe get some good contacts within the trials or mountain biking community. It's all free, only subject to me finding the time to select the best inputs and update the gallery . The format may change to include one-off designs etc... What do you think of that? Julien

Hey Adam, Love the night pics! The G turn is def the coolest one, you can feel the move just looking at the light streaks... Well done...

Alright, so I think the lessons are about 15 euros (10 pounds per person per session), but the track access is free, so you can go and ride freely. There is some info and maps there to get there, but in catalan... Once you are in town (Barcelona), you can get in touch with Ramiro and see if he is up for some street over the WE (ramiroaramburu@hotmail.com) . He is a really sound guy, and he speaks good English. But I know he 's leaving for Finland beginning of February, so maybe he'll be busy packing and preparing the move. Enjoy

After nearly 3 years, the frame was pretty battered, and the drop outs were carved out (I fixed it with metal epoxy, but that was probably not gonna last very long) And it's good to change geometries to renew the riding sensation. This place is truly amazing. I stay at friends, but you can find cheap pensions. Now, Cesar teach trials there nearly every saturday morning. Best is to fly to Barcelona directly, because Girona is quite far, you need to catch a bus, and it ends up being a really long trip, even if marginally cheaper.

Well done! You should be at ease on this incredibly light and slick bike. French products = the best (along cheese, wine etc... )

Paid a visit to some Spanish and Argentinian friends last WE in Barcelona, and did have a go in the huge trials zone set up by Cesar. Incidentally, Dany, Ot and Cesar turned up later for some local promotional event of the school. Dany's kamel is like ultralight, came up with a proto stem they asked me not to post pics about (so I didn't bother take pics, though he sidehopped like 50 inches straight to back wheel without making a fuss). Cesar was just there to coach some of the beginners, but then we spent about two hours talking trials and lifestyle in general. He did answer some questions about mental preparation and move visualisation. Super cool dude as always. Was very interesting, will write up some section on that later. Anyway, I did play around with my new bike (was near perfect, though I need a longer stem and the Atomz fork but they are in the post) Tongue extension (for momentum optimisation of course , everybit helps) Virtually a flying sensation... that frame is so litht!!! Huber long gap... The Spanish trials legend craking jokes...

Does anyone who rides trials read MORE than just the trials section? I buy it occasionnally, peep in the trials section first, but I like the comparative tests on equipment and the dirt sections too. What do you expect to see in the mag? A bit of everything, it's a diversion really, but I know I don't buy it for trials specifically, though, I think they could actually cover more trials (it looks like the other sections are really taking all their time and logistics (hence the very few professional pics and on trials or of regular riders or group ride coverage etc... but be honest, that'd be selfish to try convert a mountain biking mag into a trials mag) I think its serves DH and XC and Dirt very well, and I reckon that the 1 page dedicated to trials out of a 100 is probably more, pro-rata than the ratio of readers who ride trials versus the other types of riders. So I still think it's doing better than nothing. But they should have covered the World Championship fully, it could have taken a double page spread or something... with proper pics. Who do you expect to see in the mag? and WHY? The regular UK scene (not only the top brit who score at comp, but some of the mental riders we see on the forum, Neil, D Watson, CLS, and maybe some of the other top European pros) Like they spend half a day with them and get a chance to know them more and take pics etc for a real article like they do often for the XC or the Dirt sections. Because the trials community is so active in this forum, why not ask people to contribute? For example, there could be a thread on the forum where a mag could ask: do you have good pics of this or that event and riders could post their best pics of the event for possible use in the publication. (and if need be of an incentive, maybe win a subscription to the mag for their contribution if the pic is used, or something like that) They would suddenly have access to a huge amount of decent pics, even if they didn't despatch a photographer.

Hey Rusevelt, Well, I did answer a few questions about the site, and then sent out a few pics I had for a complement. I guess they shouldn't have used this one as the main one because of the low res (it would have been ok at half the size). But I didn't get to see a proof before of the editing before it was printed Still some good coverage, any publicity is good. By pure coincidence, I saw Ot this WE at Cesar' trials School...

Wow! Just saw the other pics on your site... Didn't realise they were laces below the velcro cover. That must make the shoes really snug fit up to the ankle. And nice modern design too! That will be my next pair when my hebbos are killed.

Hi Ben, Sorry, these were the first to go (ironically I had assumed there would not be much demand for them so I only had a few in XL) But if I do another batch, I'll let you know, but I don't know when that would be.

Sizes... Small (34/36") Medium (38/40") Large (42/44") Xlarge (46/48"). gone Order Info on TrashZen...

That funny crank flip on the barrier is a chain-snappage going live... luckily though, always avoid the direct ball hit. But did break my left foot last summer, and sprang the right ankle the summer before... (on stupidly easy stuff) Glad you enjoyed the show , and NO I don't like to crash, but I ain't too afraid either.

Ha ha.. not that way thanks , ... just got inspired by your crash vids ... You all know that if you gave up everything on your first failed attempt, then, you'd stop on the first pedal shin-dig on a kerb...

Well, actually, it is!!! That's what makes them ultra high viz and huber splash!!!

Tadaaa… to celebrate nearly 10 years on the web and promote loud our sport, I have designed some super cool T-shirts for the occasion (all forms of modesty being crushed down and laminated into an agonising concept ). Same front logo design as last summer, but with an extra print on the back, all with a high visibility retro-reflective ink. A big traffic sign on the back clearly states that’s its trials we are on about! Hopefully, this will make our sport more visible! This time they only come in black, in long-sleeve high-quality heavy-weight cotton, 14GBP (+2GBP posted). Most sizes but stock is rather limited. Check it out on my website. That's the logo on the back...

Yep, here is a video my girlfriend refused to watch (well, nearly got told off when she realised I could get hurt riding my bike... ) Compiled some of the scary crashes. I must admit some of them make me laugh out loud... but it's more scary than physical...

Actually, does it matter if we reach a flat? Would everyone stop riding if we knew what is going to be the ultimate limit? Answer is no. For example in running athletics, it takes an awful lot of training and dedication to beat the few extra hundredths of second and reach the current top ranking... so what? There is still room for competition. If that's not against a benchmark (for example an unbroken record that no-one ever manages to reach again), then that's competing with other riders of your generation (yes the best riders out there will eventually be dragging behind, you can't beat age, but that's what keeps things going and interesting for new riders). And anyway it is difficult to compare past and present performances for athletes from different generations since the equipment improves so much. Then maybe there will be new breeds of Trials bikes, with all sorts of add-on allowed (how about an air-pressurised swinging chainstay, you could press a button during your extension and be catapulted to sidehop over 8 feet?) You'd still need all the control and balance, it would be a different toy and sections would be bigger. The same you have a different competition circuit for moto trials, they don't have less merit because of the motor, its just another sport. Maybe there'll be more dirt-type riding with trialsy moves (or the reverse)..., something like Chris Akkrig does sometimes. Then there's the sport at the individual level, where you can enjoy a ride without necessarily competing, just trying to improve your own riding or enjoy the feel of the bike on your fav move.

ha ha... that manual on rail... you know I am so jealous , your BMXing is transpiring all over the place. As soon as my bike is in order, I'll session that rail. Will give you a call.

Love these guys... it shows there is so much more than big drop gaps... (and they do go big as well ) Ryan Leech is clearly a Zen guy You can tell, from what he says, that he wants to push trials into a form of mental art (Mastering the art of trials etc... sound very martial art to me)

Apparently, all cordura material, very strong and much more hard-wearing than regular nylon or other textile shoes. And Northwave normally build fairly rugged shoes. Velcro straps only.

The shoe was presented in an Italian mag, designed by Italian rider Vittorio Brumotti. Apparently 100 euros...

Hey The Bail will be in a bail/crash video, just putting pieces together, 've got an idea... will be more fun. That was an interesting one but I didn't make that move in the end, so... Chickpea was ok, no problem with your culinary talents

Did have a Street Cred assessor for all these funny combos though When are you back? Ha ha, actually, I really surprised myself there, I normally hopped onto the posts and balanced upright before the kick, but here, I was so much on a near-miss that I couldn't kick straight away without risking to slip, so I waited and tried to regroup over. I didn't think I would make it and it felt like I was hanging there for ever (the slow motion is only twice the time) , then I managed to regroup over to kick well aligned... no cheating. It' s funny 'cause I had seen them small bollards a long time ago, but had never thought anything of them until actually trying. But more combos when I have fixed the bike. Front wheel is hardly down so it doesn't make a difference.

ha ha ... well, I guess it's a change from heavy metal I think drum and bass goes well with hops and trials stuff in general. Out of curiousity, what would you recommend? Else, surprisingly, I didn't have too many slipperage on these bollards (and they are not ball-threatening high anyway ), so I found it easier than it looked. You gotta try to make up your mind. A lot of that stuff is just getting well focused, not so much physical. Getting rid of the mental barricades and seeing the reality for what it is. That's what makes trials so mentally challenging.