jamesb

They aren't that low are they? I run them because my damaged wrists need more sweep than the arcade bar has, specifically with rigid forks. The trial-tech high riser is perfect when run tipped back.

This came out of my mind and is now in yours. Hope some of you connect with it!

I've been having a lot of trouble lately because of this. I've settled on a trialtech high riser tipped way back. I found that a lot of bars cause pain on the inside of my wrist in behind the thumb, and pain from too much pressure on the thumb side of my palm. This was caused by running a bar that had not enough sweep. My wrist is bent in to hold the straight bar, which crushed the joints on the inside, and leaves the outer hand unused. Switching to the trial-tech bar immediately removed this pain. I think the problem is that everyone is following trends made by "elite" riders that may be physically odd, or they may just have no idea what they are doing. Riding a bar tipped so far forwards that it's almost upside down is not the best position for a bar, unless the sweep is also inverted. Because of the wild bar positions people are riding, trials companies can't make a bar with a sweep that will fit most people. Look at MTB bars for example. All of them are within a few degrees of each other because most mtb riders ride the bar in the same position. Basically, there is no easy solution, especially for comp riders who prefer specific bar angles.

Haha thanks! Folk metal and going out for "trainings" instead of rides. I still dig folk metal. This was definitely my peak of competition trials riding. Shortly after this I quit for a few years and just rode bmx.

Unfortunately trials competitions, including street-trials comps, are nowhere near as thrilling as BMX comps. Watching Drew Bezanson in real life actually makes you question everything you think you know about how tough humans are and what they are capable of. It's crazy! It's almost hard to watch. I saw him shoulder/head butt the ground from 25ft, get up, and do it again properly (missed the bar out but he'd already won at that point and the crowd was going mental so he just left it as an ice-pick). It's a party. I think the fact that street trials looks so slow and controlled in comparison will always keep it underground compared to bmx. It's more of a thinkers sport, where BMX is more about the thrill and culture. Where street-trials shines, is the video part. Demos and video parts, in my opinion, are what will push the sport further. Not competitions. UCI trials is as small as ever, and they have a world cup circuit. Have you ever met a mountain biker that hasn't seen a Danny Mac vid? I got my start after seeing Leech at a demo. Trials comps could be more like flatland-bmx comps. A small crowd of spectators, but very knowledgable.

haha! Yeah, I'm not optimistic. This thread has enlightened me a little bit (thanks to Flipp). Weeding out external pressures and filming only what I like to ride seems like the way to go. http://nsmb.com/5240-ryan-leech-and-the-cons-of-being-pro/ - Leech on risk and expectations. Also read an interview with Brett Rheeder, can't find it now, but he talks about feeling pressure to do cork 7s and flip dub whips all the time, even though he'd prefer to just flow.

I wonder how many riders would do the more dangerous lines in their videos whether there was a camera there or not? I know when I'm not filming or with someone I usually ride pretty chill, just for the pure joy of rolling around. Same with most of the pro bmx riders I've ridden with. More riders/a camera leads to a more gnarly session. I don't think anyone makes a riding video without having an intention to share it with someone and see their reaction (maybe you're the exception Flipp, love your vids btw). They certainly wouldn't be posted online if they were private. Other types of art (painting or poetry for example) can be much more personal and may never be released. Boy I want to ride now. All this talk of art is giving me ideas.

Yeah, I understand where you are coming from completely. The reason I brought up views honestly is a bit of an ego thing. Yeah, I'm guilty. But it's not my main focus. You don't see me using click-bait titles - ever - or using pop music and editing. I never want to sell-out. I put out videos that I like, knowing that others won't like them. Ideally I'd be making a living riding my bike. For now it has just been art. I like to be creative and do things I haven't seen before and put them out there in a video. But, I'm at an age now where if I'm ever going to make any money from this, it's got to happen now. Why not try? If I didn't need to work 40 hour weeks as a mechanic and I could ride all the time, shit, that would be awesome! Doing this without selling out or becoming a view-hound is the tricky part. Damn near impossible.

Yeah, for my best of edit I just grabbed clips from the edited vids. Saves a ton of time! Good stuff in this thread! Ali, I totally get what you're saying about needing a purpose to ride and being more productive with your time. Since I've been on vacation I've needed that. When I'm working though, any time on my bike is pure fun. Camera or no. I'll be back on the trials bike less than a month from now, which is why I brought this thread up. I have a list of never-seen tricks I know I can do with some pain and suffering haha! It's hard for me to sit on footage long enough to put out a banger video, which is why vlogs came to mind, and my videos are never very popular anyways. There is something about going through all the crashes and 100 attempts, multiple times for different clips, that is satisfying though. When I filmed "you cool man?" I really got that since I'd been off the bike for some time and had all these tricks in my head. Part of the problem is that I need to keep outdoing my last video for personal and external reasons. It's HARD! Now I need to do better than "Danger is my Business" and "Playing the Arcade," both of which had things in them that scared and very nearly injured me, and took a lot of creativity. It's hard to get motivated to go through that when I might only get 2000 views and a high five. I'm sure my music/editing preference has something to do with it haha!

I watched this every morning before school when it first came out.

I just wipe it down with a rag, no water - unless the bearings are clearly coated in salt. Better to overhaul then. I knew a guy that cleaned his bike so much that parts were always squeeky and the brakes got contaminated with soap.

Vlogs have become the new trend. They are easy to make in an afternoon, the riders don't need to push themselves and risk injury (most blogs), and they are entertaining! You feel part of the gang when you watch them! But... With so much focus on vlogs, views, likes and social media, where does that leave the legit video part? Real videos can take weeks of punishment (at least) to produce. There is no time to vlog here, unless you release constant teasers of what you were going to try. I know some bmx and skate parts take years. You know the feeling when, after seeing nothing from a rider for 6 months, he releases a kick butt video with a ton of never before done riding? I definitely still get that from some riders. It seems like viewers want weekly, even daily doses of vlogs more than they want full parts. Views on this? Vloggers: would you be out there clip hunting if you weren't vlogging? I've thought about vlogging trials, and I am guilty of doing vlog style mtb trail reviews. I remember a similar debate over web-videos vs DVDs. Times are changing!

Yeah! I miss my hex right now, it rides off-road/natural so nice. The 24" bikes are much better for street.

This video was epic. Thanks for that! I want to join in!

Before the bb raise riding had a way different look. I think better. The tap at 1:40 !?!?!

You may have seen enough of these 2016 end of year edits already. If so, skip this. I know I've scrolled past a number. Nevertheless, I felt like putting together an edit with my favourite clips. A bit of everything in here. Now I can clear my hard-drive

wtf When people come up short trying to go viral, it's embarrassing. Coming up short while pushing your limits and being you? Respectable. Unless, of course, this is Aurels true passion and vision. Then I'm at a loss.

It's fine to need to spread the frame a touch. Make sure the tensioners are on the outside. I had to file off a thick bit of paint on the drop out to get my tensioners in. Check that. It's normal for this to happen every now and then. I see it on disk brake mounts of Trek and Specialized bikes I build at work. Yeah, adaptors for the front hub. I rode them for a bit, solid. No idea on cranks, give er a go!

Dude, this is what trials needs. More underground non-processed creativeness. I was smiling the whole time, going to try the x-up roll out right now.

Riding out here is a meditative experience.

I got one clip in here. (Beware the gangsta rap and drug references) Those were the good old days. Rode that park all day every day, had classes at night, then chilled

Dude, I used to hang with Crum when I rode BMX all the time. He was part of the BMXFU crew, who I tagged along with. Love his edits.

Thanks Guyths! haha, that one was a struggle Matt!

Yeah, BB7s are great because they are cheap and lock well. Hydros are, generally, better for modulation and predictable bite. I'm a bike wrecker who bails a lot, and the bike goes flying. That's why I have bb7s.

Looking very clean. Cog is a spacer, now replaced.