Stephen Morris

Pretty good, keep it up (riding and making videos.)

I enjoyed the switch foot shenanigans.

"Earth angel Earth angel..."

I watch these regularly. I doubt anybody has seen Evolve/Contact more than I have! For me, nothing has surpassed Evolve in terms of riding quality, location, music and production quality. Tricks and Stunts and Bi-King were great fun too, but were obviously instructional videos so a little less entertaining.

Hmmmm... where to start. I'm a very old fashioned rider. When I show up at events like TartyDays my bike gets nods of appreciation usually reserved for old buses in transport museums or railway fanatics lusting over a steam locomotive from yesteryear. My riding style is just as dated - think Martin Hawyes circa 2001. I'm not particularly good at trials, my bike hasn't changed in 10 years and I certainly don't belong to a clique or group. I don't go in for TGS (Can't sidehop higher than a curb and don't know how to tap) and whilst my bike does sort of have a seat, I certainly don't belong to the '180 fakie out of everything' school of thought you mention. I do however have 15 years of trials experience so believe myself to be very impartial and knowledgable enough to get involved in this debate. I'd like to start by thanking you for producing a video, taking the time to get it edited and put on the Internet. It's a selfless process, a thankless task and the last thing I want to do is dissuade you or others from making videos. I've always believed that trials is the concept of riding your bike through a section of obstacles, emphasis on the word 'section.' It's obviously not always possible to film long and complicated lines, but I prefer watching longer lines to short snappy single moves one after the other, time and time again. That said, we've all been guilty of climbing up onto a wall so that we can drop off the other side, but personally I would only do that if I was incapable of getting to the starting point without cheating! I think establishing shots are important, they're used in film and television for a reason. If you've side-hopped onto a wall, done a little track stand and then finished with some sort of mega-drop-gap (I believe that's what the kids are calling them?!), I'd like to see the entire line, edited appropriately - the difficulty in editing is the balance between showing too much of the line and not showing enough. I've got this wrong myself and cringe when watching some of my videos back. This all comes down to viewer preference; do you like to watch the whole game or just watch the highlights? There's no right or wrong here. I can also understand people watching a trials video and expecting to see trials. Barspins, X-ups, crankflips, fakie 180s, backflips, frontflips for that matter and all the tailwhip style spins that people do (does the trick have a name?) - none of this is really trials. That said, it's not wrong, it's just trials with more of a BMX influence. I didn't know there was a 'TGS' vs 'BMX influenced trials' debate until I read this thread and it's a shame to see it spill onto the forum in this way. I've had public fallings out with other riders before but they've always been due to a clash of personalities and not due to a dislike of contrasting riding style. I've been riding with Tim Rodriguez for 15 years. He started on a 26" and now rides a 20". I can't stand his bike and I've always thought he's better on a larger bike, but he's my best mate and when we go out riding we can ride the same obstacles.... wait for it..... in different ways! It seems petty to bicker over riding style and it would be better for the sport if people could stop arguing, stop acting like f**king idiots for 5 minutes and just crack on with having fun, on bikes that we use to climb up and over stuff. I've met Mark Westlake, Ali Clarkson and Dave Marshall before and they're all really nice people. They've all done a lot for the sport and don't deserve to be targeted, abused or made fun of on an Internet forum. Mr Clayton, you've also had a lot of vitriol thrown in your direction on this thread which is unfair, but you do seem to be using provocative language to elicit an angry response from people. I don't think you deserve to be targeted, but you're also not doing yourself any favours. So to conclude, your video isn't a bad effort, I've explained a few reasons why it's not for me, but equally I'm blown away at just how big your drop gaps are! Edit: I regret getting involved already. I blame it on my girlfriend watching the Great British Sewing Bee leaving me with nothing else to do.

If the drop is quite high you probably have time to say a short prayer and hope the Lord guides you gently to the ground, perhaps styling it up slightly. Oh sorry, I thought you wanted us to take the piss. Try to jump in the opposite direction to where your bike is headed. Spot your landing as early as possibly so you don't impale yourself on a spike or twist your ankle by landing on an uneven surface. Bend your knees and don't be afraid for your hands to go down or even to roll over (think about how a free runner might land after a large drop.)

I'm a firm believer that 'Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge' is the greatest computer game of all time.

Allow me to elaborate and potentially make myself seem like more of an idiot. I learnt on a Kona Blast with a 19" frame (see left) and started riding in an era where most beginners seemed to be doing the same. There were a few trials specific bikes, but they were almost always stocks as well. Perhaps it was just who I was riding with. I don't care what was going on in Spain in 1995, for me normal bikes have 26" wheels and I quite like the fact that my bike isn't too far removed from something you can buy in Halfords.

I thought this was a joke - mods are silly looking bikes right? For me, trials is about riding a relatively normal bike through an obstacle course. But the more you modify the bike to suit the purpose, the less of a feat it becomes. I know I'm very old school, but I'm not a fan of the 20".

...and who are Kenny Rogers and Gino Ginelli?

I have no idea who any of these people are.

The Shell Centre has been closed for what feels like 5 or 6 years. It's heavily guarded but remains exactly the same inside. I suspect the recession or perhaps a lack of inspiration/motivation has got in the way of Shell redeveloping it like the rest of the Southbank. The playground from Tricks and Stunts was open plan when it was filmed, you could walk in from the pavement. When me and Tim first found it, and as you remember Nick, you had to climb over the fence to get in. Now the school next door has been extended and the playground is gone. Not many trials riders ever went there - certainly no more than say 20 or so, and that includes Ashton and Hawyes. Last of all, the Hexagons was my favourite location in London. It seemed out of the way at the time, but it was only over Westminster Bridge and a 5 minute pedal down the road towards Pimlico. That got modernised with a bit of grass and a few benches, but not improved from a trials point of view. I've got photos of all these places on a CD somewhere from when I was toying with the idea of a London Trials website that showed you every location we knew of. I was quite proud at the time that we had discovered half of the locations from Tricks and Stunts by pausing the video, studying the skyline and then getting on the train and going to find them all. Here's an interesting question: (Sorry to hijack the thread, but I think this is on topic still) If you were well paid, would you work as a designer for an architecture firm, designing buildings and street furniture that wasn't appealing to trials riders?

Very few of the original London spots are still rideable - Shell Centre, Belvedere Road Walls, Hexagons, Tricks & Stunts playground - it's just par for the course round here and we put up with it since there's new stuff being built all the time as well as more spots being discovered. If however you're not getting any new stuff built for you, then I feel your pain - nothing worse than them fencing off your favourite spot.

I'm 31 and probably the best rider on this forum, there's no real evidence for it but it is scientific fact. I ride about 11 times a year, typically about once a week between May and September, weather permitting.

Please re-read my post with your sarcasm filter switched on

Nice video, great fun to watch. Where's that stone circle bit, that looks like a cool place to ride? Only joking, like you say - fresh spots are drying out and everybody's seen Barcelona, London and Barrow Farm, but at the same I really enjoyed your take on it. It's refreshing to see a good (don't take offence) but not mind-blowingly good rider, especially at Barrow Farm where all the videos I watch involve 34ft gaps to front wheel.

You hopped up with your front wheel one step higher than your back wheel. Try hopping with your front wheel two steps higher. It's difficult to explain.

I used to climb stairs the same as you, but it's all too easy to lose your balance and fall onto the steps. Now I don't suppose you care, but if you were to hop with an extra step between your front and back wheels, the steeper angle has always helped me get up quickly, with no recovery hops and with less chance of falling over. For a forfeit you should have sent him down the steps on your bike

Remind me, does one need a licence for this sort of thing?

I just completed my Rubik's cube.

Wouldn't eBay be a more sensible alternative because of the protection it gives buyers and sellers? I don't doubt your ability to track 'him' down (disappointing that you wouldn't do business with a woman,) but what happens next? Do you inform the police, trading standards, take matters into your own hands? I could give you my real name, address and bank details then rip you off anyway. I'm not having a go, I'm just interested in what your USP is and what responsibility you would be taking as owner of the page. You might need to consider a disclaimer

Serious question - do people still use Facebook?

COMPLIMENT ALERT!!! I think you might be the rider I'm most jealous of. :bow: When we've ridden together you've always been doing the lines that I've been eyeing up, but don't really have the skill to pull off. I really enjoyed both edits - good work!

Yep, I liked that.

Loved it! More of the same please John.