Ross forwarded this thread on to me. I'm reading with interest...
I am the 'businessman' (cheers Ross!) behind The Clan. And i do ride, a lot, but not trials.
Anyway, just wanted to say the guys in our team and others do far more than do tricks for cash, they help inspire a new generation on to trials bikes (and BMXes and MTBs in our case) in various ways. The shows wow people and our guys always chat to folk and help them get into riding on our have-a-go track. We have two Onzas and an Inspired that folk can try for free and we send them away with details of where to get one. I'd also like to think they get more out of it than cash, like Ross says with the people and places and legendary nights out.
We made a commitment at the start to charge a decent buck and get as many of our riders making enough of a living out of riding demos to fund their riding and living the rest of the year. After a couple of years, we're starting to get enough demos to do this. All of our clients agree our shows are value for money, but they definitely aren't cheap. No point devaluing the skills of top riders.
As for Ali, his riding is perfect for demos and has added a lot to our shows when Danny is away being a big deal. And he doesn't accept 50p tips from kids anymore either
Danny has done about four or five shows with us this year and will probably continue to when he is fit and free.
As for Ross, he'll always be special to us since his 'performance' on the Children in Need night xxoxx