jamesb

Here are some behind the scenes shots from a day full of shows. Be prepared for weird make-up, aliens, and heavy costumes...

So... I joined the circus. There are pros and cons to this gig. I ride for a living and hang with crazy interesting circus artists! On the other side, I have little free time or energy to ride outside of the shows (19 per week). This video was filmed during a warm up session on a rehearsal day. Now we are into the busy schedule of shows. I will get some clips of the show for a later video. My act is done with a BMX rider as well, so there is a box-jump...fun!

There are some lines I'm stoked on in this one. The weird tree exploration line is one I've ridden by every day on the way to work, and never noticed it. Some lines are repeats from old vids, but I hope it is interesting to get a closer view of them.

As the title says, stupidly small sketchy set-ups in this one. This is how I usually ride when there is no camera around. Maybe half street and half street-trials. Safety glasses were for the may flies that like to dive-bomb eye balls, but they were also fitting for where I was riding.

I am starting to get comfy on it. I've only crashed once so I'm not trying too hard yet, but here is the next vlog with quite a few lines in it. I felt like I was lacking a theme with this one, so it's just riding really.

Yep I'm joining the circus from June until the end of October possibly. I'll be using this bike. Here is the bike check:

Haha glad it was entertaining. The brakes were new so they were still bedding in. They are much quieter now.

You know, I watch lots of vlogs online, and I've finally gotten to the point where I don't feel like a complete dork trying a few out. They won't all be trials, and I don't have an upload schedule like most vloggers, but the trialsy ones I make will be posted here...unless I get trolled haha! On to the first trials vlog. I built up a trials bike modelled after Ryan Leech's Manifesto/Moment builds from the early 2000s. That was one of my favourite eras. This is my first trials ride in 6 months, so I'm a bit rusty.

I ignore all the trials traditions when I set up my MTB. I want it to ride like a DH bike, not a trials bike. Imagine trying to ride a trials bike on a DH track! Check out some pro bike-checks and see how they set it up. As for reach, most companies have sizing charts that are very accurate, unless you are a pro going mach 7... in that case you'd go for a longer reach than normal (usually). Stem length is usually 35-50mm, I don't think anyone rides longer than that. Switching between different bikes with opposite set-ups becomes easy with practice. You will feel the benefits of each bikes position. Have fun!

Any skipping yet? I'm thinking about ordering one for a new build...

I think he worked for a different company. Right now there are only a few cirque shows in N.A. that use a trials rider. I'm lucky to be where I'm at.

It's show season again! Currently 50 shows in to a 270 show contract. Here is a video I made by filming a clip or 2 during the morning warm-up. The set is super fun this year.

Another chill ride with the tripod.

Great vibes!

I started having trouble with the BB7s locking up under load and being slow to release. The Zees don't do that, and they modulate way better so I've been doing more noseys.

This video is not for fans of pushing limits and filming bangers. It was made for the art of it. I hope it shows the mood of the place.

Love it man. Your videos really are art. I see the thought you put into angles and lines. Your vids make me want to produce again. Thanks.

Yeah man, It was tough as can be on the body. I was on the edge of being injured all the time. I feel a little bad that I haven't pushed the limits lately. I've had some nbd tricks on my mind for a long time. Mr. Langlois will take em all if I wait too long haha! We still need to ride sometime eh???

I saw that my "Grey and Flat" video was posted. Thanks Davetrials! There is a good reason why I haven't been producing videos lately. All summer I was doing 19 shows per week, with only one day off. I had no energy to film. My knees became a little sore so I needed a break after the contract. Now, I am doing a show that is only 3 days per week, but as you saw in Grey and Flat, the town has very little riding. I was stoked to film! Here is my current act: AndyT: no girl, need to buy a bigger van with a double bed first haha ... Thinking Sprinter, with a small garage under the bed in the back for bikes The arcade is getting a lot of use! Putting smiles on many faces, and getting paid well for it! Hope you enjoy this video. Not the craziest riding, but I need to do it many times per day with no falls, so yeah!

Too much controversy. "yes, you did the move that everyone else was doing, but you were an inch to the left, therefore it is a five." Apparently it's ok to put both feet down at the same time as long as you stop and stare at the judge before you continue. Yes, it is meant to be hard, and it was the same for everyone. Jack did 5, and so did Kenny. So why was it so cringe worthy? To start, get rid of the super narrow gate placements and this would have been a much better competition with less reliance on judging and more freedom for the riders. The gates should be just narrow enough to make the riders do the move. Otherwise, you might as well just have a bunch of 1cm wide gates at odd angles and close placements in a parking lot and see if anyone can get through without 5ing. It would be just as hard as these sections.

The hex with a 90x10 stem and rolled forward highrisers does it well. Early 2000s era.

After a year on my enduro bike and now on my trials bike, only a couple pins gone.

thanks! yeah chesters. Ran into a rock on a dh track with those pedals. The pedal was only scratched, but the crank was bent! Strong pedals.

For those who prefer raw format/don't like my editing.

I get what you mean. I do have standards with my riding that I expect to live up to. Generally, if I've seen it done a bunch before or if it doesn't look cool/different in some way then I don't film it. I only film the lines I think will be interesting, the ones I'd like to watch in a video. That does limit what I film, but not in a bad way I think. Nobody wants to watch me doing the same gap or sidehop over and over, myself included. I even do jam whip variations for an hour straight sometimes. For this video, you can see that there are no dangerous lines. I've decided that my motivation for doing those wasn't right. I stuck to what was fun (even if some lines took 45min to land). By the end of the filming process I was just filming what I ran into, I wasn't hunting for locations to do specific tricks. This is probably what you sensed.