Will There Be Another

[psycholist]

Rev'rend!!! Fantastic post .

[Simpson]

Pah your just jelous you can't sidehop 50" hahaha im only messing man

Some really good points raised init and i think your right!

[lewis.jackson]

I think we can all agree that we need /want another Ashton but not just yet as he is still doing his thing on the bike and still rocks.

Keep your views coming.

[tartan pixie]

I think that there are many people working very hard to keep trials alive, people who run comps and clubs and those riders who offer training and support to younger riders.

+1

I'm intrigued to know what kind of video or comp event would inspire people? The combination of having fun and pushing the bounds is much harder to achieve now because the bounds of cycling have been pushed so far that only the serious can reach them, that and the media folk that filmed chainspotting and wrote MBUK have also grown up so that the 'serious' guys with the distribution links are doing the vids and the staff at MBUK can be to some extent be summed up by the difference in Rob Warners column to what he was writing 10 years ago.

I could dig up a thread like this from a number of disciplines, like folk in the mtb scene reminiscing about the original malverns events where i remember more people knowing about team shopper in the fun event than who won the mens xc but hey sports grow up and that's a good thing. The fun is still there and seeing the man Ashton in magazines is a major factor in me getting back into bikes after nearly a decade away from it.

So if the masters of silly are now thinking about having grandkids what are we expecting from the new kids to keep us entertained? Things i'd like to see:

One of the bicycle police doing trials

Pedalo trials

Unexpected things, eg someone's lining up to do a trick then suddenly jumps off their bike, grabs a tree branch and does a monkey impression. (It may not be trials but doing this in a way that makes people laugh takes balls and talent)

Cream egg competition - 5 cream eggs are placed in a row and you've got to back hop onto each of them then scrape the goo off your wheel into some scales with a tyre lever. Person with the most goo wins.

Just some silly ideas - what would make you laugh / inspire you?

[jambo]

OH wow cheers ian

i think me and porter as snappel has said, we would be entertaining and we dont take things serious. (maybe this is just how we take most things?) but as the topic says i dont see anyone who will fill martyn's role. dont get me wrong, i would love to do something like that and i bet someone like porter would too.

but if you name the big people who could, just ask yourself "could they really" as in are they the following:

1) Level headed enough

2) take to people enough

3) willing to have a laugh

4) dont take things too seious

5) do things because it pleases THEM and not others

6) comes up with creative ideas to make something work or happen

and most people dont really get past number 1? some big riders are big headed OK this is a good thing for "their" morale, but is it the idea that other riders should take??? take the UK trials scene now? "PERSONALLY" it has alot of good riders, BUT also alot of big headed riders who are stuck up their own arse and it doesnt help themselves or the sport, as the "younger" generation starting think they can get away with that sort of thing.

i remember someone saying to me a long time ago "never get too big for your boots" and "always keep both feet on the ground" and i live to this day (hopefully) thinking i have done this, if someone needs a hand, you give them a hand, if someone asks a question you give them a nice/polite answer. the person that said the 1st phrase unfortunatly is no longer living and it is this point i stick to as when i was young this "old guy" was an idol to me. he was a friend of my mother and to this day i will 100% apprecaite the advice he had to offer me when i was younger.

ON the other hand there are riders who are totally mis understood and totally under rated and deserve alot more recognition for what they do for "OUR" sport. the other KEY to trials is bikes have no seats (therefore are TRIALS specific (not a bad thing obv)) there is no money to throw in the pot for a rider (well there is but it is VERY hard to obtain)

Wayne.

PS sorry for the rant and the essay

This boys one of the true ambassadors of the sport listen to him folks, I believe i met him up at fort bill in the Morrisons or whatever it is car park and true to his word he is a nice dude to chat to.

Another thing to think about when your out next. When some old dear or someone gives you some aggro, don't start swearing giving them s..t back just bite your pride let them walk away and carry on riding after makes the rest of our lives easier cause the public have better image of us not just seeing us as some stereotype teenagers on bikes giving folk cheek.

[lewis.jackson]

Man that is sooooooo true.

+1

[Tony Harrison]

i think me and porter as snappel has said, we would be entertaining and we dont take things serious.

I'll just never forget you finding that dead rabbit at Shipley Glen...

Seriously though, Chris R's points above are good. It's true - people outside trials will find the more specialised (long, high BB, singlespeed) trials bikes harder to relate to. I'm sure some of you will remember when Ashton wrote about that woman in Germany (or wherever) who watched a demo and asked to have a go, thinking the bike did all the work.

I really do thing it's about the individual, or in this case team (as I think Hawyes' contributions were just as impotant), rather than just the ability to ride. Enough times I've seen comments like 'Why is he sponsored, I'm well better than him' on here, where people don't understand that a company will support a rider because of everything they can give back, not just the videos, etc.

[Tomm]

I'm sure some of you will remember when Ashton wrote about that woman in Germany (or wherever) who watched a demo and asked to have a go, thinking the bike did all the work.

Yeah, I was going to say that. He convinced her that the TPA was the 'jump button'. She thought it was broken

So maybe the public perception always was and is that the special bike does all the work? Especially as standards are pushed and things become more unbelievable. I mean in the early days when people were riding their XC bikes over a log 12" off the ground, that stuff just looks like someone who has spent too much time practising how to ride a push bike. But as soon as people start doing huge sidehops, riding on rails etc then it goes out of the realm of what most people think is possible on a normal bike.

Which to be fair, it is a bit. Most bikes are very well-adapted these days. Put <insert TF superstar here> on a rigid XC bike from the 90s and I'd be very surprised if they could gap/sidehop/climb half as far/high.

[Tony Harrison]

Yeah, look back at what some of us used to ride. The Tongue brothers (and Ashton I think) started off on converted Raleigh Burners. By the time I got into trials (or 'freeriding' as I thought it was called then!!) a hedge had grown around my poor old Burner and I had a Raleigh Ascender with a home-made (crap as f'ck) DCD. When I had some money, my first 'proper' (inverted commas definitely needed there) trials bike was a 12.5" GT Arrowhead, which I tried to make look like Hans Rey's old bikes!!

Thinking about it, some of the stuff the pro riders did back then on what were pretty much XC bikes is amazing. People like Ashton, Lenosky and Libor for a start...

[Jamie_Neal]

Yer your rite there but the main thing that it seems everyone forgets is that its ment to be fun.

Iv seen vids were the riders will get stressed out and sulk or even through the bike in a paddy.

iv got a friend that gets really pissed off if he cant do a line and i just keep saying to him "calm down and have fun"

Why do riders feel the need to get stresst over something fun?

I totally agree, I ride for enjoyment and to try and challenge myself. I do get frustrated if something doesn't go right but riding should be about enjoyment.

but if you name the big people who could, just ask yourself "could they really" as in are they the following:

1) Level headed enough

2) take to people enough

3) willing to have a laugh

4) dont take things too seious

5) do things because it pleases THEM and not others

6) comes up with creative ideas to make something work or happen

and most people dont really get past number 1? some big riders are big headed OK this is a good thing for "their" morale, but is it the idea that other riders should take??? take the UK trials scene now? "PERSONALLY" it has alot of good riders, BUT also alot of big headed riders who are stuck up their own arse and it doesnt help themselves or the sport, as the "younger" generation starting think they can get away with that sort of thing.

I agree, you need people who are good at what they do and has the right balance of being big headed enough to know they are good but not to then tell the people who are trying that they are rubbish. You need someone who you can approach and who will approach you to have a chat/offer assistance.

Hmmm i don't know its a hard one really. The other question people should maybe ask is do we NEED another Ashton? Ashton has done great things for the sport with chainspotting and all the inspriation he has shown to younger riders and taking trials into a whole different class of riding, we are no longer a offspring from mountain biking, we are in our own right our own disipline.

Personally, I think it would be hard to find one as he was there at the start of trials and helped shape it into what we know today. You may get somone who is exceptionally good and may take the sport to new levels but the Marti/yns helped make the sport accessable/moved it into the spot light (MBUK etc).

As Nick Larson once accurately observed, Trials-Forum is one of the best things to happen to trials, and one of the worst. Any new superstar is compared to The Forum Favourite, and denigrated if they don't match up. Also a lot of demo stuff - for the public anyway - isn't technically amazing, but it looks good and it works. Ryan Leech riding along a 4x4s winch cable worked on so many levels, even though it was maybe 10" off the ground. Show that on here and someone would say "Yeah, but I bet he can't sidehop 50"..."

I agree. In terms of making trials accessable and getting people together it is great - in terms of deciding on who is the best, there are too many opinions.

In general, I don't think there will be another Ashton/Hawes as they were the first well known ambassadors of the sport in this country and they still are at it which is the most impressive bit.

I met Ashton and his kid the other day in Porthcawl and he came over to us not us going to chat to him. Talk about approachable we hadn't even spotted him.

He is one of the most down to earth people I've met especially when he starts talking about how he still struggles with a side hop in Swansea.

Awesome to meet him and good luck to anyone who tries to follow in his footsteps.

Also, I doubt anyone will have the backing from sponsers they did in the past.

Jamie

[Waynio]

i was thinking the other day! (ano im getting old and shouldnt be doing too much thinking its bad for your brain!) i wondered IF i could jump back on say an onza woodstock and ride it the same as my current Zenith or Limey2? might be something to do. get a seat going and use it as more of an "old school memory" bike.

i think there could be a bike designed and come out and take the market by storm if it used similar characteristics of "old skool" bikes, but similar Geo to the new school stuff people like??? (maybe not 1100 like but something around 1060/1070 with a seat? maybe quite kool)

OH and you get somewhere to sit

Just going back to the point that Jambo made NEVER EVER (well i try not to until it is a LASt resort) turn around and cheek elders, this is what usually brushes us in with the "chav" type stereo type person. i have so many times had someone walk upto me and you think OH here goes another bollocking? and there kool and interested in what your doing (thats the positive scenario) BUT there is the other where someone totally disagree's with what you do, dont bite back and have a go, always as jambo said, bite the bullet, walk away and if it is someone considerably older than you, apologise, i mean god saying "sorry" is hardly going to ruin your street cred and it makes you look to the old dear a really respectable person who has manners and has taken into consideration that you didnt really think you were doing anything wrong.

Wayne

Ps sprry for another "long one"

[MadManMike]

I doubt there will be, I mean Martyn is a rare name.

There might be a Martin Ashton, probably not a Martyn though.

On a serious note, no, there won't be. It's like there will never be a James Brown of Music - there may be someone as talented but he's the original.

[Davetrials]

OH wow cheers ian

i think me and porter as snappel has said, we would be entertaining and we dont take things serious. (maybe this is just how we take most things?) but as the topic says i dont see anyone who will fill martyn's role. dont get me wrong, i would love to do something like that and i bet someone like porter would too.

but if you name the big people who could, just ask yourself "could they really" as in are they the following:

1) Level headed enough

2) take to people enough

3) willing to have a laugh

4) dont take things too seious

5) do things because it pleases THEM and not others

6) comes up with creative ideas to make something work or happen

and most people dont really get past number 1? some big riders are big headed OK this is a good thing for "their" morale, but is it the idea that other riders should take??? take the UK trials scene now? "PERSONALLY" it has alot of good riders, BUT also alot of big headed riders who are stuck up their own arse and it doesnt help themselves or the sport, as the "younger" generation starting think they can get away with that sort of thing.

i remember someone saying to me a long time ago "never get too big for your boots" and "always keep both feet on the ground" and i live to this day (hopefully) thinking i have done this, if someone needs a hand, you give them a hand, if someone asks a question you give them a nice/polite answer. the person that said the 1st phrase unfortunatly is no longer living and it is this point i stick to as when i was young this "old guy" was an idol to me. he was a friend of my mother and to this day i will 100% apprecaite the advice he had to offer me when i was younger.

ON the other hand there are riders who are totally mis understood and totally under rated and deserve alot more recognition for what they do for "OUR" sport. the other KEY to trials is bikes have no seats (therefore are TRIALS specific (not a bad thing obv)) there is no money to throw in the pot for a rider (well there is but it is VERY hard to obtain)

Wayne.

PS sorry for the rant and the essay

your one of the more serious people in the uk,

youre possible the most serious...

porter on the other hand, is also quite useless as he doesnt give a shit really he rides cos he likes it.