bikeperson45 Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Heard this being said quite a bit recently, and wondering how many of you think it's the case. Some people say that through trials they can express themselves, but how? How does sidehopping up a wall and spinning of it express yourself. I've always thought this was complicating a simple thing and liked it in Concrete Circus where Danny Mac just said "I ride because it's fun' because that's all it's ever been for me. Anyway, discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamR28 Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 'Expressing yourself' sounds like artfag bullshit to me. I ride cos it's fun and I need an adrenaline fix to keep me going! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Well if you think what it really means to express yourself, then everything you do is a form of expression. The need to have fun is shown when riding trials, therefore it can be seen as a form of expression. It fulfills a need within you (why else would you do it) and by actively taking part in it you are expressing that need....it doesn’t have to be deeply profound. Every movement and action is a form of expression, so by that score i would say that, yes it is a way to/of express/ing yourself. Just if you think of 'self expression' with the unfortunate negative connotations it conjures then i can see why you wouldn't want to associate with that terminology, or deem trials to be that. Trials (biking in general) is a lot like music to me. The over-intellectualization of it often ruins it's effect or purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie East Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 'Expressing yourself' sounds like artfag bullshit to me. I ride cos it's fun and I need an adrenaline fix to keep me going! Hit the nail on the head! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrlynch Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Got to admit, I just ride for fun, and sometimes to vent aggression so to speak. But I can fully understand how maybe a riding style Could be seen as expressing yourself. For example big aggressive riding compared with more smooth technical riding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 General, everyday riding: Not really. Video editing/video riding: Yes, even though I hate that phrase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettoll Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Yeah think its a lot of artspeak, its not like creating an original painting really... And I ride for fun, seeing mates and I find it good for stress relief Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurence--Trials Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 'Expressing yourself' sounds like artfag bullshit to me. I ride cos it's fun and I need an adrenaline fix to keep me going! This is the exact reason i ride. No one rides if they find it boring.. and adrenaline bit is optional i guess, i like it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali C Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 I ride because it's fun, always have done. I used to enjoy comps, now I enjoy street, I have never thought of it as expressing myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 A comparison to painting can actually be made but in a less literal sense. For me when i watch videos of riding i really like (let's use the example of Way Back Home) it epitomizes a certain lifestyle and it displays a form of riding which for whatever reason very much appeals to me. It's not an ideal wording to use (but it get's the point across) but that video for example 'speaks to me' in so many ways that many other's don't and it hit's the right buttons for me to find enjoyment in it. It's just the same process when i view art that i enjoy compared to artist's and pieces of art i'm not so enamored with. For me quite honestly i get the same feeling inside when i view a Dali painting, as i do when i watch a Danny Mac video. It’s just simply a sense of enjoyment that means something to me for my reasons. In much the same way watching a traditionally B&W TGS video is lacking and leaves no impression on me in a similar way to art i don't like. The process is very different, but the effect is the same. So that's why i'd go as far to say that whilst i do ride for 'fun' - that sense of fun is expressed when i ride, so literally it is self-expression. But again, i know why people will say “i only ride for fun” - because that is what motivates you, but by proxy it is expression. Bummer really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeperson45 Posted September 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 I agree with what you're saying. When I watched Concrete Circus it seemed like there was an emphasis that these extreme sports are more then just doing something for the sake of doing it. In video form though when riding is put to a song it's completely different since it's all edited in a certain way to make it look as good as possible. I remember one of Phil Feeney's videos called it 'the art of motion' which I think is true to a degree. So no one gets their bike and goes 'I'm going to go out and express myself'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIGAN ?? Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 i dont even find it that fun anymore because my shit bike restricts my 'expression' mainly just ride for the social factor and to get out of the house and see mates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonsieurMonkey Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 I think we are missing the point of how you express yourself through trials. Our bike is the paint brush and the terrain the canvas. TGS is hard to see as an expression because it's so static, it's more like training. Whereas competition, streety trials and most certainly natural, is clearly a way of expressing yourself. If you could pick a single line through an area, it probably wouldn't be exactly the same as someone else's line, and if it was, what's the chances you'll move through that line in the same way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann2707 Posted September 19, 2011 Report Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hmm yeah but I think the way people have their own TGS style certainly has some kind of effect on the "expressing" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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