Misconceptions

Project 1 - 2012

2012-02-11T12:33:00.000Z

It has been a while since I have even considered looking at the blog, and in all honesty I havent really had much bike related stuff to inform any body of.

I have a number of personal 'projects' that I hope to complete this year, so I will give you a little insight into project 1.

I have previously attempted project 1, a video of which can be seen here - http://vimeo.com/10891025, whilst I know this was very TGS, I guess you could say things have changed a little since then. In hindsight I guess my inspiration, aspirations and motivation for riding has changed a lot since I put this video out nearly 2 years ago.

What I am trying to say is that, I have been riding brakeless alot recently and I am currently working on the next video...talking of which...I'm aff riding...

Emergency Contraception Blues

2011-12-13T08:55:00.000Z

In the past month or so there has been little chances to ride with the weather, and the dark nights mean midweek filming will have to wait until next year.

A number of clips I had filmed remained left over, so I thought I would just head onto the Ipad and get these edited together for a wee video.

So this is my last for this year probably, and hoping to start fresh with some new things next year.

Long Bikes & Going Big

2011-11-14T12:21:00.000Z

Since Ross McArthur made this video it was only a matter of time before he got back onto the long bike and finished off what he started.

If you havent seen Ross' videos before, make sure you give them a watch, he has a smooth style that really shows in this video. He has been pushing his riding over the past couple of months and has really come up with the goods if you ask me. Have a gander below

The Gruesome Twosome

2011-10-18T08:29:00.000+01:00

2011 has been a mixed bag of riding for me, however towards the end of summer I managed to have the company of a few friends, first on a week long road trip around the UK and then secondly a visit to Barcelona for the first time with the Scotch Broth Team. I have been dreading making these videos as I still only have windows movie maker on the pc so please excuse the editing!

So first up...The Road Trip...

Its been a while since I have ridden anywhere outside of Scotland properly, other then for doing a demo. So it was really nice to get back out into the UK and meet up with all the guys who I have ridden with before and many new faces that I havent. Ross accompanied me on the trip, which was eventful, funny, and at times pretty grim (one specific blackpool hotel - so we stayed out until 6am in the town instead for some boozing). Sit back and prepare yourselves for 15 mins of video.

Want to say a massive thanks to all those who;

everyone who came out and rode with us,
those who helped show us round,
people who put us up & up with us,
those who helped jump start rosses car

Secondly...The Barca Trip...

I have always wanted to visit Barcelona, and thankfully managed to this year with the guys from around Scotland. We had 3 days of blistering heat and got loads of riding done, but not much filmed, however I have still managed to produce a wee edit which I hope you might like. I will definitely be heading back to Barcelona in 2012, with or without the bike I dont care. Beautiful city, brilliant times, and wouldn't have changed the trip for the world!

Snap - The Three Musketeers

2011-10-04T08:50:00.000+01:00

So whilst I was injured, I decided to get some footage of some other riders to test my camera a little bit, then I also wanted to test the editing capability of my Ipad. Its been far too long to get this video done and out, so I apologise to the guys for that, however here it is for your viewing pleasure.

Riders include Duncan Shaw, Ricky Towler and Ross McArthur. The majority of footage is from a Cumbernauld ride, however also includes Dumfries (a street riding Haven), and also Aberdeen.

Another Injury, Another Restart

2011-09-29T12:27:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately, 2011 has been injury prone, however I finally managed to recover from my most recent injury (enough anyway), to do a demo, and then a week long road trip with Ross McArthur. Prior to setting off around the UK we had a ride in Glasgow, and I had actually forgotten I'd had these clips filmed. Rather than include it as part of the Road Trip video (to be edited), I thought I would make a little video of the things I managed in Glasgow.

It's Been A While...

2011-08-29T10:30:00.000+01:00

Recently I have been a little off the ball with this thing, but that is mainly due to having a fractured knuckle over the past month. I had lost faith in riding after getting injured yet again. In hind sight the month off my bike has given me the love for trials again, and Ross McArthur and I are both heading off on a road trip around the UK in the next week. So feel free to join us if you would like, locations and dates below;

Blackpool - 29th August

Porthcawl - 30th August

Bristol - 31st August

London - 1st September

Hull - 2nd September

Shipley - 3rd September

A possible addition to the schedule is a stop off at carlilse on the 4th September

Anyway, prior to my injury the following happened;

Wickerman Festival

Demos and Hostels

Bike Update

Practice makes perfect-(ish)

2011-07-15T08:43:00.000+01:00

Some days you just have to go out and practice the ideas you have in your head. A couple of recent inspiring videos have led me to try new things (for me) hopefully doing things people are not really used to seeing me do. Finally there has been some summer weather up here in Aberdeen, I took out my camera, and my gorrilla-pod in order to try and figure out whether I was doing these things as well as I had hoped. This little video is the outcome of my 2-hour ride, practicing to make perfect (ish)...

My Education in Street Trials

2011-07-07T08:42:00.000+01:00

A couple of posts back I posted about the injury to my ankle, and whilst I wouldn't say that it is back to full health, I have also now finished college for the "summer". Finally regaining an ankle has allowed me to get out on the bike a little more and try and get back up to speed on how to actually ride a street bike.

Hopefully this will be an inspiration to some people that these street bikes can be used for plain ol' trials as well as all this spinny malarkey. Its all trials, so lets enjoy it.

I have plans for a number of videos over the next couple of months, so keep popping back to the blog to check things out and hopefully I will provide you with some entertainment.

In support of Nuclear Power

2011-07-06T08:30:00.000+01:00

Nuclear Power isn't so bad. Probably best to get that out of the way, straight off the bat. I am sure it has its disadvantages; radioactive, un-sustainable, expensive and explosive, however on the plus side; it glows green, sounds cool and in the UK it provides us with Torness Nuclear Power station.

This location had been mentioned to me, and it does feature in a certain Danny Macaskill's 'Way Back Home' video very briefly. So after a demo one gorgeous saturday, we decided to check it out. 'Epic' is a fad word, often banded about, but I reckon its the only word I can use to describle this spot...actually thats a lie...dangerous and scary are the others. Ill try and let the pictures explain this.

Finally, as a wee bonus picture for ross!

One Tribe Goes to War

2011-06-16T15:48:00.000+01:00

Everything but bikes has been my priority recently. Finding the time to even look at any sort of bike has been impossible, however the past two weekends I did manage to get time on both my stunt bike and the big bike. The Clan, Scotlands Cycle Stunt Team, have been kind enough to offer Ross and I some additional demos of late and they have allowed me to actually get some sort of break from revising and working.

While feeling guilty about not revising, I snapped at the chance to do some shows with the boys as they are always a good laugh, and for once (for at least the first weekend) it didn't mean a 200 mile round trip to do a show. In the second of three days of shows, Kenny Fulton (dirt jumper) joined us, and the size of the Clans dirt jump is just...., well hopefully a few of these pictures can explain better.

Riding with the Clan, who have set a standard of big and technical riding, ensures that you end up doing silly things just to please the crowd, is there really a reason for a 12ft drop?

The following weekend involved shows in Glasgow and Peebles. Now for those of you who do not realise that Scotland isn't just one big city, from Aberdeen this is a fairly big round trip, involving far too much of this:

Usually two shows on a weekend is not too tricky, however two on the same day in different places can be a challenge. Thankfully, the second show was more a favour to Iain at the Clan, so it meant a more relaxed vibe. The first show for the Bearsden and Milngavie Highland Games brought around much hilarity, and not much bikes;

We hit up Peebles to do show two, however, getting onto platforms when the grass reaches your hubs isnt easy. We got on with it anyway, partly due to the drink fuelled crowd being up for it and partly due to the promise of beer and BBQ.

A night in a tent with a snoring Glaswegian, who cannot disprove the theory that he wears ladies undies following the discovery of a pair of purple frillies in the bottom of his sleeping bag, we woke to sunshine and the mahooosive 7 Stanes Glentress Mountain Biking Centre, cue big bikes, and learning some new skills which might well transfer to my trials bikes in the coming weeks.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Derive a Forumula for dy/dx if y=(3x^2 + 2x + 5) / x

2011-06-14T16:18:00.000+01:00

Originally I had said that this blog would not contain much non-bike stuff, however I felt the need to explain the reason for the lack of updates. So I will try and explain a little bit for you:

1 x new job (incl. responsibility galore^3):

plus 3 x nights a week at college^3 exams

x 3 weeks of gorgeous british weather:

equals 0 bicycle riding opportunities:

I do have an update on the way as the past two weekends have been quite interesting, however my final exam of the year is due on Wednesday 15th June so a summer of fun, and plenty of updates are just around the corner. So stick with me and lets prey for sun, beers, bikes and blog updates.

Two Glaswegians in owning their bicycles shocker...

2011-05-30T11:53:00.000+01:00

Ross McArthur and Ricky Towler went street riding following some demos for the 7stanes display team. Glasgow is a brilliant city for riding, and just some of the riding available can be seen in this video.

Enjoy.

Think, Suggest, Bodge, Use

2011-05-30T11:11:00.001+01:00

I have been a little caught up with everything but bikes just recently, however a couple of weeks back I was looking into ways of improving my videos for when I got my SLR camera. One of my thoughts was to get a steadicam, so a little internet trolling led to a concept.

While I was reviewing a few concepts I was speaking to a friend about the concept. Now, I knew this guy likes to drill, lighten, tinker and everything inbetween with his bike, but little did I think he would be able to turn my suggestion into reality...little did I realise the guy would do it in under 24hrs...

James Wright....I tip my hat to you...

Bloody Southerners

2011-05-15T15:12:00.000+01:00

Injury over the past couple of weeks led to a lot of time spent watching my favourite videos over and over. One thing I was starting to notice was the influx of videos from a certain southerner...

Ben Rowlands has been making videos for a long, long time now. He is a top notch rider anyway, but his editing ability is simply brilliant. Mark Westlake is a rider who I have not really seen a lot of, however having seen his riding in a couple of recent videos, and hearing through the grapevine about an up and coming vid I was excited. So when this video arrives and it has been edited by Mr Rowlands, this can only be a good thing...

Bloody southerners didn't let us down either.

Click me...

Rest, Recuperation and Boredom

2011-05-03T22:03:00.000+01:00

During our visit to television land, I unfortunately managed to do this to myself;

When I am injured, I generally end up here, spending cash I don't have, on bits I tell myself I need;

More importantly though...I ended up purchasing myself this beauty for HD videos and hopefully some decent photos;

Raising the Bar

2011-04-27T10:02:00.000+01:00

When you regularly ride with a group of people or an individual, it is possible to become oblivious to the ability of a rider. While being aware they are a good rider, you subconciously develop a critical view of their riding albeit as a tool to develop their riding. To me, Ross McArthur is one of these people.

So when Ross releases a video and the months of riding, perfecting his local lines, trying hard to achieve lines in locations unlikely to be revisited, constantly raising his bar, it gives the perfect opportunity to sit back and enjoy just how good this friend is.

Fallacies of the Television

2011-04-25T23:15:00.000+01:00

In a recent post I had mentioned about a long journey Ross and I took south, since then the journey has been undertaken twice more, and hindsight informs me the M6 is not as comfortable, nor as pleasurable as a bed at 3am when you have to be in Aberdeen for work at 8.30am.

However, the reason we got to visit Pinewood studios was to film the ultimate cheesy television show, however it was for charity, so maybe it was slightly justified. One thing I think we all learnt pretty quickly was that television is not quite as glamourous as it all seems when you are sat on your couch.

If you have ever watched Ricky Gervais' Extras, then you will have a good idea. Sat with Leigh Francis, as his alter ego Keith lemon, purely surreal, followed by an afternoon sunbathing chatting to stacey solo man and Barry from eastenders. During the hours and hours of waiting to film our two minute slot, I managed to get a few photos. Yes, that is a rotating board where the knives are already part of the bored...television! All about the trickery!

Extra Terrestrial

2011-04-24T16:33:00.002+01:00

My post containing the recent video I have edited has seemingly disappeared as well. Cheers to Ross Mc for pointing it out. I had written a speil about needing to change my riding style because facing facts I had been TGS for too long. I needed to change and as such purchased myself an inspired...basically I want to be Danny Mac now.

What Colour Is Envy?

2011-04-02T23:20:00.001+01:00

Raw natural talent is epitomised by 1 man in trials. Danny Mac. I have ridden with some good, sorry brilliant riders, but Danny is something else. Envy doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about his ability, and for some reason you DO want to hate him, but his modesty knows no bounds, complimenting, encouraging, and offering tips on my inability to even ride in a straight line.

Sat in the car park of Tesco, dundee, Danny rocks up in a de-badged post van and once we retrace his tracks (to find the shoes that fell off the top after drove off with them still on the roof), nice as pie, filling us in on his globe trotting, he then proceeds to pull out some of the following;

Cheers to Ross for the pictures. In this case it seemed that envy was probably orange and green.

The Wonder Years

2011-03-25T15:44:00.002Z

In most cases on a long car journey I would recommend a CD of personal preference, and as recommended over at Clean a driver 'should exercise their right' and get some music selected that will provide aural satisfaction to driver and passengers alike. Importantly it helps whittle away the long, tiresome hours especially for those persons who become inexplicably sick perusing any form of reading material in a moving vehicle.

Working a 5 day week means most trips start at 1700 hours on a friday evening and due to these circumstances should only start in only one plausible, but excellent way. Now for those not in the know, I am not talking about the 80s television show, in which Kevin narrates through his strangely interesting childhood, but instead a random selection of music chosen by an annoying DJ who occasionally interrupts with his dulcet tones, unfortunately sharing the thoughts of his empty head.

However, in most cases an eclectic taste in music is required, cheesy pop through to classic rock and everything in between, no music snobs of any genre need apply. A single requirement is to sing along, loudly, and enjoy all those songs that you probably wouldn't admit too. Whether on your own, or with a friend, I recommend that you take 45 minutes at 5pm to turn on Radio 1 as it is the most likely way to cheer you up after work and get your weekend off to a flyer, whatever you have planned. This is the Wonder Years.

Thrill of the Chase

2011-03-21T12:29:00.001Z

Discovering a location that you know is unlikely to have been ridden brings a sense of excitement when the time to visit arrives. The Tarlair Lido brought that exact sensation to the forefront of my brain. I knew all about the pool and it's history due to a research project at university, ultimately though, primarily due to its location meant I had high hopes for Tarlair. The plan was set and I travelled early on a gorgeous Saturday morning.

On arrival, I was astonished at the setting. Tucked away in an alcove on the north east coast of Scotland, this open air swimming pool is surrounded by cliffs in all directions but North and the only way to describe Tarlair is 'eerie'. Back in the day, it was regularly visited by thousands of people every summer, however has been sat dormant for years. Dilapidated and neglected, covered with some god awful attempts at graffiti I thought I should walk around and examine Tarlair's potential.

My downfall on this occasion was being alone. Hunting for lines is difficult under these circumstances, due to the reality that should you fall and get hurt, well, you're screwed. Today was the day for hunting, and as such I took it easy hoping to scope out some possibilities. Thankfully, I found a couple of lines, and actually got one filmed which will hopefully look good enough for a future video.

All in all, Tarlair did not quite reach it's initial promise, however I think I will return in future with someone to push me, help me film, and ensure that I do justice to this epic setting. However, sometimes you have to go through these motions to find that pot of gold, for now though it is the thrill of the chase that keeps me going.

Formulate a Proposal

2011-03-18T16:35:00.001Z

Being a free spirit, without structure or boundaries, surely has to be impossible, at the very least the majority are bound by a budget that will constrain the ability to be a maverick? On a weekend when there is an opportunity to be a free spirit, the likelihood is that nothing would happen and I would sit frustrated because of my lack of plans. So instead a free weekend means one thing.....bikes!

The imaginary checklist comes out; weather, possible locations, availability of other riders, funds in the bank, type of riding to name but a few. This weekend in particular I am optimistic. First stop, Google. Weather looks promising, definitely perfect for the stunt bike, not sure on availability of friends but i'd rather not waste this one. The most important thing...location.

Riding your home town on a regular basis is demoralising, so wanting to broaden horizons I rattle my brain for ideas. I often visit a forum which specialises in urban exploration and as such my search leads me here. The location is found, its an hour north, so reaching for the maps and searching for Tarlair Lido. I have looked at this before and haven't done anything about it. Decision made.

A quick look around local towns with the exceptional street view and at least one day of the weekend is sorted and it would seem that the observations of Benjamin Franklin are justified. You win this time Franklin. This time.

Fishy Weekend

2011-03-15T18:41:00.002Z

Preparation for a trip away with the bikes takes a surprisingly small amount of time to organise. A couple of texts, emails, and phone calls and a destination is set. One quirky route covering the majority of the country sets the tone, posing some serious logistical challenges, but all in all creates a real sense of excitement. A nippy weekend in March, all genres of trials riding, toss in some hangovers, a funky hotel or two, and a long meandering tarmacadan straw and the cocktail is complete.

Friday, 5pm....and they're off. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Kinlochleven, Blackpool (via Glasgow), Uxbridge, back to Glasgow via Tartybikes, then home to Aberdeen. Crawling home at 3pm on an idle Tuesday feeling like death, dreaming of a hot shower, having spent over 25 hours driving and clocking up 1,300 miles in just four days, be assured that I was happy not to be the designated driver.

There is a single regret of not contributing to the mammoth drive. Cramming everything a group of friends need for a weekends riding and boozing into an Isuzu Denver is not as easy as you would think. A sardine has more room to manoeuvre around his tin than the Isuzu offers when filled with 5 plus their junk. It's an uncomfortable situation to be in but the reason for being on this trip makes it all worthwhile.

Time is of the Essence

2011-03-10T18:46:00.002Z

Fitting in all of those things that you'd like to do before you die can be tiring. Personally, my list is ever extending, it isn't written down but it is there. The list isn't unrealistic, I'm not interested in going on Virgins first manned space flight but I will, at some point, try a battered Mars Bar and the consequential heart attack. However when I think about it thoroughly, I haven't really managed to tick off a single item. The daily grind is liable for my lack of progress, and I will be seeking damages at some point, but for the time being I cannot 'stick it to the man'. I need him.

The 8.30 to 5.30, Dolly Parton didn't even work this long, is the part of life I am unlikely to write about, more because 1000 words to discuss how I should most certainly be reducing my caffeine intake just wouldn't be interesting but instead taking centre stage will be the love-hate relationship with bikes and the adventures they take me on. Generally speaking the magnitude of mischief and enjoyment from these escapades can often be summed up using a single photo, which means those interested can escape my ramblings.

Maybe at some point I'll even be able to cross off some of those things I want to do and I'll share them as and when but for now let us face facts, life can be cut short at any moment and thus Time is of the Essence...