JamesB Vids

[jamesb]

Watching the footage, it looks like I was finally riding well on the new-school bike. It had to be returned to the owner, but hopefully I'll have a new bike of my own soon (stuck at customs)... Also, I need to move to BC permanently. It's too good out there.

[PeterH]

That wedge to wheelswitch at ~1:55 made me really happy. Not fancy spanish lads doing static hooks, but good old getting over rocks trials. I like it.

And those taps on the Simtra were nice too! I just built up an Atomz Premier and the low bb bike makes taps fun.

[jamesb]

I'm part of the trials club again? Maybe? Short shorts and leggings are coming...

[La Bourde]

The bike seems to suit you well.

What an amazing ride!

 

Why did you chose a Clean over a Crewkerz?

[jamesb]

@La BourdeThanks! I chose the Clean based on availability. If both were available I probably would have chosen the small crewkerz. It's has a proven reputation.

[jamesb]

Silly and beautiful and pointless.

[La Bourde]

It looks like someone had fun on his new bike.

Nice video, that motivates me to ride the comp bike again!

By the way, did you think about riding competitions again?

[jamesb]

@La Bourde Yes! I'm doing the C1 in Bentonville to start. 

[jamesb]

 

[La Bourde]

Damn good edit again!  Reminds me the old school edits ... I really like that. Your style is coming back on this kind of bikes, it looks huge and smooth at the same time. 😍

 

Hope you are well again. Concussions are really no fun at all.

 

PS: I never heard of this band, but it makes directly to my playing list.

[jamesb]

On 5/9/2023 at 4:53 PM, La Bourde said:

PS: I never heard of this band, but it makes directly to my playing list.

I found them from Joacim Lundgrens Instagram. Heavy as a prehistoric lizard. Skraeckoedlan is a wicked name too.

I got out to Calabogie for a day. This place is the best, minus the 2 hour drive and the bugs...

 

[PeterH]

Those upper walls look very Koxx Days/Buthiers type terrain, good stuff (and that would be a bit more than a 2 hr drive)

[jamesb]

 

[jamesb]

 

[La Bourde]

Hey James,

 

I saw your video and I am really sorry for your gears.😞

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the effort you put in your videos! I think I am not the only one that get really motivated from your videos and I guess it will be fair if you get something back from the community too.

Is there a way to help you somehow? A PayPal account or so?

Let me know (PM if you prefer)

 

PS: with each video your riding improves on this bike. Did you consider to compete at the national level?

 

[jamesb]

 

[jamesb]

On 9/6/2023 at 6:34 PM, La Bourde said:

Hey James,

 

I saw your video and I am really sorry for your gears.😞

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the effort you put in your videos! I think I am not the only one that get really motivated from your videos and I guess it will be fair if you get something back from the community too.

Is there a way to help you somehow? A PayPal account or so?

Let me know (PM if you prefer)

 

PS: with each video your riding improves on this bike. Did you consider to compete at the national level?

 

Hey La Bourde! Thanks for the kind comments, and I have everything sorted now, but thanks for the offered support!

I used to compete at world cups, and I would like to start competing again! Next year maybe. The issue is that the closest competition is still a plane ride away. I might be moving though...

[jamesb]

 

[La Bourde]

Amazing edit, nice vibes.

The location and shots are really nice.

Combined with the smooth riding, it makes me want to ride. Thanks!

 

[jamesb]

 

[jamesb]

 

[Canardweb]

As @La Bourde said, all your vids are a breath of fresh air and they really motivate me to ride. Thanks so much for the time you put into making them!

[La Bourde]

👍

Just want  to comment on that one.

I am 178cm tall (5 feet 10 inch)

I own a Crewkerz cleep in large and I rode a  medium for more than 10 days, with the 145x25 WaW stem and a bar with a medium rise.

I noticed that the large was too long!

I had several stems on the large one: the old WaW in 145x25 and 150x35 with a bar with less offset (rise but in the horizontal plan, according to Crewkerz 82mm) and the new WaW ultimate in 145x20 and 135x20 (bar with 102mm rise)

I still struggle with front moves, I am still learning them, so maybe my opinion is biaised.

First of all, the 145x20 with the new bar tilted forward felt amazing when I put my weight on the front to lift the rear wheel. I was much more confident. I found that I was more stable on the rear wheel, it was less tiring, but the bike was less responsive - quite easy to notice when I tried to spin on the rear wheel.

It felt like the rear wheel was stuck to the ground.

Rolling down big steps was horrible, big lack of confidence.

But the main issue was, that I injured one of my arm/shoulder... I guess I had to over extent my arm/shoulder... I could not push the bike as forward as I wanted to.

For example, when I failed on a big pedal hop to rear wheel, I could not hold the bike while landing backwards on my feet, the bar was just too far.

I also found the pedal hop more difficult, it was somehow more difficult to control the lateral balance during the pedaling part.

So I bought the 135x20 and tilted the bar less forward. It was a new bike, much more dynamic, much closer to the medium one I rode (with the 145x25 and 102 rise bar).

I really enjoy to ride with again. I was able to manual again (still a pain in the a$$ though)

It feels almost like with the 145x25 WaW stem and the 82mm bar.

 

Overall I guess the medium fits me better, cause I have a bike easier to move and I am able to put more weight on the front axle that with the large one with the 135x20 stem.

I prefer shorter wheelbase somehow too, I think it easier to tap for my riding level.

The small advantage on the rear wheel does not make sense to me. I guess on a long section or a day of competition, you may feel less tired, which can be a game changer then.

 

I also rode a Jealousy 2017 or so in small with a 135 stem for several days. This one was like a 20", really manoeuvrable, but so much that I prefer a medium one (but it was quite fun to ride though)

I have also a Crewkerz Freed, much shorter (1070mm wheelbase instead of 1090 for the large cleep), a lower bb (45 instead of 65) with a less aggressive position.

It is quite more difficult or more exhausting to stay on the rear wheel, but it ride well. I have the impression I can move faster on the bike. The front moves are much difficult though.

 

Recently I also put on my cleep a trialtech 90x35mm stem and tilt a street bar with 100mm rise like on a street trial. I put almost 30 mm spacers, so that my position relative to the bottom bracket is similar to the one on my street/trial (the bar is still not high enough).

I was easier in manual but the bunny were still feeling bad. I did not trust myself much, like I will with a street/trial. I was OK on the rear wheel, much easier to spin.

I did not make a great street trials 😄

 

 

I assume a lot of trial riders rode with a long stem and tilted bar because of Jack Carthy.

But he is bigger and agiler than most and he ended up riding a medium frame!

The new Jealousy seems also a little shorter.

Oliver Widmann rides a medium one too and he is also taller than me.

To me, it seems trials is going a step back, the bikes were too long.

And I guess it makes more sense to lower the the bar height than moving it forward and higher.

 

Edited February 7 by La Bourde

[Canardweb]

On 2/7/2024 at 1:51 AM, La Bourde said:

👍

Just want  to comment on that one.

I am 178cm tall (5 feet 10 inch)

I own a Crewkerz cleep in large and I rode a  medium for more than 10 days, with the 145x25 WaW stem and a bar with a medium rise.

I noticed that the large was too long!

I had several stems on the large one: the old WaW in 145x25 and 150x35 with a bar with less offset (rise but in the horizontal plan, according to Crewkerz 82mm) and the new WaW ultimate in 145x20 and 135x20 (bar with 102mm rise)

I still struggle with front moves, I am still learning them, so maybe my opinion is biaised.

First of all, the 145x20 with the new bar tilted forward felt amazing when I put my weight on the front to lift the rear wheel. I was much more confident. I found that I was more stable on the rear wheel, it was less tiring, but the bike was less responsive - quite easy to notice when I tried to spin on the rear wheel.

It felt like the rear wheel was stuck to the ground.

Rolling down big steps was horrible, big lack of confidence.

But the main issue was, that I injured one of my arm/shoulder... I guess I had to over extent my arm/shoulder... I could not push the bike as forward as I wanted to.

For example, when I failed on a big pedal hop to rear wheel, I could not hold the bike while landing backwards on my feet, the bar was just too far.

I also found the pedal hop more difficult, it was somehow more difficult to control the lateral balance during the pedaling part.

So I bought the 135x20 and tilted the bar less forward. It was a new bike, much more dynamic, much closer to the medium one I rode (with the 145x25 and 102 rise bar).

I really enjoy to ride with again. I was able to manual again (still a pain in the a$$ though)

It feels almost like with the 145x25 WaW stem and the 82mm bar.

 

Overall I guess the medium fits me better, cause I have a bike easier to move and I am able to put more weight on the front axle that with the large one with the 135x20 stem.

I prefer shorter wheelbase somehow too, I think it easier to tap for my riding level.

The small advantage on the rear wheel does not make sense to me. I guess on a long section or a day of competition, you may feel less tired, which can be a game changer then.

 

I also rode a Jealousy 2017 or so in small with a 135 stem for several days. This one was like a 20", really manoeuvrable, but so much that I prefer a medium one (but it was quite fun to ride though)

I have also a Crewkerz Freed, much shorter (1070mm wheelbase instead of 1090 for the large cleep), a lower bb (45 instead of 65) with a less aggressive position.

It is quite more difficult or more exhausting to stay on the rear wheel, but it ride well. I have the impression I can move faster on the bike. The front moves are much difficult though.

 

Recently I also put on my cleep a trialtech 90x35mm stem and tilt a street bar with 100mm rise like on a street trial. I put almost 30 mm spacers, so that my position relative to the bottom bracket is similar to the one on my street/trial (the bar is still not high enough).

I was easier in manual but the bunny were still feeling bad. I did not trust myself much, like I will with a street/trial. I was OK on the rear wheel, much easier to spin.

I did not make a great street trials 😄

 

 

I assume a lot of trial riders rode with a long stem and tilted bar because of Jack Carthy.

But he is bigger and agiler than most and he ended up riding a medium frame!

The new Jealousy seems also a little shorter.

Oliver Widmann rides a medium one too and he is also taller than me.

To me, it seems trials is going a step back, the bikes were too long.

And I guess it makes more sense to lower the the bar height than moving it forward and higher.

 

I  share all the feelings you describe.

On my 20 inch (which is for sale) I first used the WAW Ultimate stem. It was horrible, it killed everything a mod is nice for. I swapped for a 145 25 stem and it made the bike great again.

Everyone in my local club say they ride it because it makes everything to front easier, but at the same time hate it because it destroys their back... I don't really see th epoint in hurting yourself for so few advantages that are also not really proven.

On my size M 26", I run an uncut forks steerer so my WAW stem is pretty high but it is a 145 mm stem and I ride 102 rise bars that are rolled a tad backwards. I certainly had to get used to it but I don't really see the point for it. Gilles shared the same feeling about it and rides a 135 mm long one on a size L frame. It's great for being on the rear wheel, but it's worse for everything else... I also don't feel any MAJOR difference for front wheel moves.

 

Take all this with a pinch of salt, I am an average 33 years old expert rider
...

[jamesb]

I agree! My dream set-up would be something that can be bunny-hopped if needed, but still do vertical hanging hooks and not be fatiguing on rear. Not sure it exists, unless I train like mad.