Rich Pearson

The cheap bike challenge is now live! I’ve been meaning to sort this intro out for a while and Bea said to me this morning “daddy when are we gonna launch this cheap bike challenge thing you keep talking about?” So we got on with it and filmed it 😂 In a nutshell, the cheap bike challenge is a video competition which anyone can enter on a bike that they have bought for under £100 and made a 90 second edit of. There is a full bike category and a frame only category. Here are the full rules. Bikes must be second hand and under £100. You can buy and ride any bike that you want, but it cannot be a trials bike or anything that was ever traditionally used as a trials bike. No DMR Trailstars, no Azonic DS1’s. Mountain bikes, roadbikes, gravel bikes, even BMX‘s are permissible. Things like Specialized S works or old Cannondale’s are okay. If you are entering the full bike category, then for safety purposes you are permitted to change two of the components which is the brake pads (only for new black pads, not trial specific pads) and a chain. Otherwise you can modify the bike in any way that you wish using only basic tools, but not replacing any other components. An angle grinder, or anything that a battery plugs into is not a basic tool. If you are entering the frame only category, then you can change anything you want apart from the frame, using which ever trial specific or non-trials components you like. If you are entering the frame only category and just buying a frame your spending limit is £30. You can enter both categories if you want to, but you cannot win both categories. Whilst this is a competition, it is also just about getting the word out there that people can have fun and ride trials and challenge themselves on whatever bikes they can afford to purchase. The more content created the better. Your video should be between 90 seconds and 3 minutes long and filmed in landscape format. If your video is a bit longer that’s ok, but we do have to draw the line somewhere. Videos will be judged on three criteria, which will be riding ability, quality of the edit, and how much fun you are having. You must wear a helmet. Your video must be uploaded to YouTube between the 25th of November and the 1st of December. The competition officially closes at midnight on December 1st. A Facebook group will be created where you can post your completed video for the judges to view. Winners will be announced on the 10th of December. You must be subscribed to the RPM YouTube channel. I’m sure there are more rules that I might think of and I’ll update this post as we go, but that’s basically it. £100 bike, 90 second edit, possibly win something great. First prize in both categories is a ticket to Radfest 2024, with Heatsink Bikes and Shindig Media providing second and third place prizes. This competition is open to all. Whether you’re a world champion or a complete novice. We want to see everyone having a go at this, professionals and talented amateurs alike. Personally, I can’t wait to see what Charlie Rolls can do with a Halfords Carrera, so with that in mind, let the games begin! You have ten weeks, your time starts now. Be safe and have fun!

This week’s video is my first proper retro-ish build, putting together and having a little ride on the Martin Hawyes Giant Team Trials frame from around 2002. This is a proper piece of history and I’ve had so much fun with it, full riding edit coming soon! As always please do subscribe if you haven’t already 🙂

Really fun raw footage video from a Redruth ride a couple of weeks ago. Actually did some quite scary lines that I didn’t think I would do. And between me and Callum spent quite a lot of time falling over 💥🤦‍♂️😂 As always, if you haven’t already please do subscribe, there are lots more videos coming soon. Happy Easter and enjoy!

I know I say this a lot, but this really is one of my favourite places. Rinsey is a really unknown little beach just near Helston that is regardless an amazing place for trials riding, climbing, coasteering and so much more. Genuinely makes me so happy just being there. Again, as I’ve said before, if anyone is planning a trip down Cornwall or wants to get into trials and is already in Cornwall or both, do feel free to give me or one of the other Cornish guys a shout as we’re always happy to show people around the spots and stuff. Enjoy!

I didn’t get a chance to post this yesterday but here’s a really fun little video from the most westerly town in Britain, St Just. Thank you for all the views, likes, comments and subscribers. If you haven’t already please do go and subscribe. It means a lot 🙂 Enjoy.

So I think this is one of my favourite videos I’ve made of recent times. Considering it was filmed in early January and edited a few weeks ago I think it really nicely contrasts some of the personal situations we’ve been going through recently. For those who don’t know my wife has been in hospital the last couple of days and while she’s not very well, she’s expected to make a full recovery. To be honest I scheduled this video to upload and completely forgot about it, but when I got back from the hospital it was a really nice thing to realise it had already gone up and people had watched it and liked it, and I think it really reflects what I love about this wonderful county that we get to live in. I really hope you’re all enjoying the videos and there’s a lot more to come. I hope you’re all safe and well, and thanks again for watching. Enjoy.

Eeek, that didn’t look fun! At least it didn’t happen in the summer. Rest up.

The first proper camera test video with my new Canon 2000D. Since shooting this l’ve managed to get the hang of some of the settings better, but still relatively happy with how this came out. If anyone hasn’t yet subscribed please feel free to, and I hope you enjoy the video 🙂

Hi all, Not posted in a while but recently started a new YouTube channel for trials riding based in Cornwall. First three episodes are already up and there’s many more ready and waiting to go. If you feel like hitting the subscribe button that would be lovely, it means I can keep making more videos. Enjoy!

Haven’t updated this in a little while but the vlogs have still been coming out. Here’s last weeks one, riding at probably one of the best but least visited trials spots in the UK, Cligga Head Mine. Enjoy!

Tech lines at Helman Tor part one now online.

New episode up, here’s me and Braggy trying not to buy each other beer and living up to our Cornish stereotype just a little too much. Enjoy!

New video out today of me and Alex finding an amazing riding spot hidden in deepest darkest Cornwall. Am having a lot of fun making these episodes and there’s currently ten more already edited and scheduled, so if you can please go and hit subscribe, give us any comments or feedback you feel like and share this video with someone who might feel like watching it. Enjoy!

I think you’re right, I’ve got a 135 at the moment and been looking at going for a 145 or maybe even bigger. Glad you enjoyed it either way and yup, age is literally just a number dude!

Glad you liked it! And…

I’ve reposted the text from Facebook, but essentially after a 14 year gap I figured some more moody trials thrashing was in order. Enjoy :) So recently I announced that I was going to make another street training video, and to probably about 87% of my friends this meant absolutely nothing, and to be fair to the other 13% it probably wasn’t life changing use either. But to me it’s important I’ll explain why. Two things have happened this year of relative significance, one was that I bought myself a new trials bike, and the other was that I found out I was going to be a father. It might sound strange to try and even compare these two occurrences to one another, but bikes to me for the last 25 years have pretty much been as important as oxygen. I honestly don’t know if I would still even be here if I hadn’t had bikes and the friends that came with them as a constant for the last 2 and a half decades. 15 years ago I released the first of six videos under the street training title, which were generally well received by the trials community. The last video was released in 2008, when I was 21. To me they represent a time in my life going from absolutely chronic unbearable depression, anxiety and uncertainty, when literally filming and making these edits were about the only things I could feel relatively proud of. Despite the darkness of those weeks and months, I look back on those videos fondly and think about what I would tell my younger self if I had a chance. I found out at the start of February that me and Lucy were expecting a kid, and it was one of the most transformative feelings of my life. I genuinely think of my life at the moment as being separated into things that happened before then and things that happened after then. Looking back nostalgically at my youth and early 20s I decided I wanted to try and make another video like the first street training ones, and I’m happy to report that the last six weeks of going out on the bike and filming and absolutely smashing myself up and having a laugh with my friends and pushing myself is still just as fun now as it was 15 years ago. I genuinely feel sad for people that don’t have something that they are as passionate about as I am about riding these weird stupid looking bikes. I don’t do it because I want people to like me, I don’t do it for views on Instagram or YouTube, or to be better than anyone else. I only really do it as a form of making a living because it’s what I’m good at. I do it because I love it. I called the videos training because I take bikes more seriously than anything else, and to me it is like training as an athlete. It doesn’t matter to me that this sport will probably never be in the Olympics, and will probably never be recognised the way other sports are. It matters to me because it genuinely sets my soul on fire with joy, and makes me feel like a superhero to no one but me. A king in my own mind. Some of the clips in this video are repeats of lines that I did when I was 20 years old, and some of the biggest moves here are only a handful of inches bigger than what I could do back then. But when someone asked me the other day how far I had come in 15 years and I told them that it was down to a matter of inches in terms of progression, they asked me if it was worth it. I told them it was worth the world for those few inches. If I’m only better than I was yesterday, not better than anyone else, that’s all that matters. And better might just mean that I enjoy it more. Most people will probably not enjoy watching a 35-year-old man who still dresses like a teenager messing around on his bike to a soundtrack of Swedish melodic death metal, but if you do, feel free to click and watch and enjoy. Even if you don’t, as I said before I hope you have something out there that you are as passionate about as I’m fortunate enough to be passionate about this. I sincerely hope my kids get to have this much fun with their lives. Enjoy.

After the last few blogs people said they didn’t like the sound of my voice which is fair enough, so from now on I’ll actually try and get some more traditional “just riding” videos out, starting with this one. Found a really nice little spot that I hadn’t ridden before in Redruth, and in a surprising break in the weather I managed to get some quite cool stuff filmed. I know there’s a lot of different people jumping on the video blog bandwagon at the moment, and I know a lot of people have their own opinions on that. All I’ll say is I’m enjoying making videos and if you are enjoying them as well I’d love it if you could click the old subscribe button on YouTube. I’ve put all the trials videos in a playlist now so it’s easier for people who just want to see that rather than me ranting about various different things or building strange stuff. Any comments feel free, fingers crossed the Sun comes out soon and we can all get out to ride again. Enjoy.

Click below for a link to our full video episode of playing a Game Of Bike at The Blocks last week. https://youtu.be/_fmmdjhl2q4 Enjoy!

Quick video of us warming up before last weeks shows in Downham Market. Enjoy!

Little edit from last weeks riding up north in Bridlington, Hornsea and The Roaches. Enjoy!

Thanks for the comments and replies. Totally understand where people are coming from with the vlog thing, it’s not quite everyone’s cup of tea, but so long as people are liking at least some of the videos that’s all good. New ones up now with some riding up north, check it out if you fancy.

New video trying some tricky stuff at The Blocks up on the blog today. Been making a few little videos on the vlog recently, if you like what you see feel free to hit subscribe, hopefully gonna get some more regular content like this out soon. Enjoy!

Really wanted to make something old school with loads of fisheye and front disc, so yeah, here it is! After the last video of The Blocks we put out there’s been a lot of building of additional stuff going on at Mount Hawke, so here’s a little film of me from a few rides in December. Any queries about The Blocks feel free to get in touch with the skatepark. Looking forward to the summer already!

Hi Archie, yep there’s nothing against disc brakes in the park, a couple of the guys who ride here run double disc as it is. Out of curiosity why did you think there might not have been an allowance? Just wondering!

Brand new video of the brand new trials park at Mount Hawke! For more info go to www.mounthawkeskatepark.com