Site News
03/11/09
The HD cam has arrived!! Ah what a lovely piece of kit :) After a week of rain and dark evenings I finally managed to get out on Saturday and try out the new hardware. Despite the really poor light, wet, foggy conditions the quality was insane even on the full auto mode on the camera - it has a huge amount of manual settings much like a SLR camera which can dramatically improve image quality. We watched the footage back in full 1080 HD and was blown away by the incredible detail and colours which made it look better than it did in real life!!
Then I set about working how to start editing in AVCHD - a simple task you would imagine but not so, it seems as if the video camera technology has advanced at a faster rate than vid editing software!! Getting Premiere to work with the AVCHD files was a proper IT mission just like the good old days where you really had to work to get footage edited :D Also without a real powerful PC it is a complete no go, thankfully recently I've built up a new Quad Core Q8400 setup which deals with the massive files no problem. After many hours of brain ache I finally cracked it with a combo of Premiere CS4 and the Main Concept codec pack. Despite having the software on a trial period I decided to get editing and chuck together the few clips of riding up at the quarry.
Click this link to check out the vid - www.trials-uk.com/Videos/Vids/quarryhdtest10.wmv
This is a WMV version of the video for the site, very pleased with the overall quality of the vid although I'nm sure which some more experimenting it can be even better. I have also exported a Blu-ray 1080 HD version and this looks absoutely insane!! Now I'm getting really excited about what could be done next yearwith the new cam - bring on some good weather at the weekend.
Above: still capture from test video :D
18/10/2009
Crazy summer this year, somethings definately up the creek when in the middle of August your hammering down the trails still sliding all over the place, still covered in mud, still wondering how fast you could go if you had just one day of dry weather! It really did suck big time. Finally October has brought some awesome weather and we have taken full advantage getting in some truly epic trials rides up on unexplored tors not far from where we live - check out the snaps in 2009 photos section.
We also have a new edition to trials-uk, I managed to get my sister's boyfriend Rob to come out on my brand x xc bike to just come and have a go down the woods and see what he thought of it. After 1 ride he ordered a Kona Shred lol. Since then Rob's throwh himself balls out at everything we point him at. Highlights include face planting the bank off the huge 8ft takeoff (called the Hobnob - once you start on it that's it your hooked), a 25mph wipeout into a 12ft ravine ripping his arm to shreds, big flip out into a raging river - fully submerged at one point lol and finally a massive crash into a tree resulting in a very broken set of forks. I was sat about 8ft past the tree and Rob came past me without the bike, upside down and about 5ft off the ground, truly awesome crash. After that the order went in for some awesome DJ1's - see pic (right) and loads of other mint parts, now the bike is looking so good and really is the bargain of the year. Deciding that stiching him up with the freeride bug wasnt enough we decided to get the boy out trials riding on Ross's jungle book Planet X, sure enough Rob has since bought the bike and is now out every ride giving it the beans on the trials. The progression is crazy, already pulling off some decent roll ups, drops and just general impressive bike control.For me and Ross its so good to ride with someone who's starting out and seeing the progress every ride.
DVD Project
I decided the other day that it's time to really put my money where my mouth is and invest in a proper vid camera for the riding. Currently we film everything on my Fuji S9600 photo camera - this records at 640 x 480 which is ok for the website but not great especially when filming in the woods. So the weapon of choice is the Panasonic SD200 - a full 1080 HD vid camera which retails at over 800 quid. The plan is to use this to make a DVD which will be a mix of trials, freeride and downhill - I also plan to put some of the vids on the website. I'm pretty excited about getting the cam and what we can do with it, hopefully we can produce some decent stuff which shows how much we have improved in the last 12 months.
Ross's new ride
Unlike almost any other bike (in my opinion) the Leeson's have held out for 5 years +, the glorious 660 steel frame is something else. However you can never have too many lol so RT has bought himself another 660. Don't worry were all absolutely minted so none of these purchases are in anyway irresponsible lol Anyway this frame is actually older than his original - one of the real early 660's but its been treated to an easy life and a recent Ivory paint job so it looks the business. He's combined the best components of both bike to make the ultimate 660 and it rides like a dream, like all 660's its a rolling machine and flows like no other bike over the natural but its also super tight and feels 5 weeks old rather than 5 years old. When I get a chance I'll get a decent photo and full spec for the Bikes section. The original is back off to Clive for some TLC.
Apparently Clive is back on the case with the Leeson's and has been building some new bikes. This could mean that my dream of a new 660 with XTR crankset could yet still be a reality :D
HD Vids coming soon!! Cheers
13/02/2009
Sat at my desk today thinking about hitting the trails at the weekend when my dad sent through these insane shots from one of our favourite riding areas up near cheesewring quarry.
Pretty much everywhere we ride up on the moors are right next to massive 1000ft + mine shafts left behind from the heavy mining industry that was huge in our area and we think nothing of it. Then every so often shit like this happens! We have ridden this track so many times, I used to blast the MX bike across there and me mother rode the horse across there a few days before these pictures were taken. We had filmed in that spot before on that exact patch of ground unaware that there is no much between you and a monster hole in the ground. Just makes you realise if its your time to go then your going simple as that!!
No pics and vids on the website for a while I know although the riding is back on track big time after long time out for injury. Were getting really into DH / Freeride so our next vid (hopefully next month) will be a mix of both freeride and trials which should be pretty cool I hope.
These pictures again remind me of the bigger picture - yeah the economy is pretty messed up, big pressure at work and the usual money issues but were all still riding and haven't dissapeared down a massive hole in the ground to a certain and probably pretty horrendus death!
Happy days - new vids / pics coming soon.
23/08/2008
Bit of a mixed bag over the summer! On the one hand the riding has been going really well for all three of us - check out the clips section for a few tasters for the new video were making. All the bikes are looking real nice, I've got a whole new front end on the Leeson with Thompson stem, 31/8 Easton bars which is such a sweet setup. On the other the weather has been absolutely shocking so we havent been out half as much as hoped. Also in the last week me and Ross have both done the backs in again which totally sucks. It was me first, last Thursday evening the back wasnt feeling right from a very heavy session few days ago - went for a nice gap down Looe and the muscle let go on landing. I knew it was bad straight away and soon after I could hardly walk. Thankfully because I stopped riding straight away and the fact that I am getting pretty good at repairing the back I am recovering really fast, aiming to be back out trials riding mid September. Ross was next just a week later again on Thursday evening found himself bouncing down 3 slabs on his ass, not somewhere you wanna be. He flipped it out on my gurn gap :D So for the moment were both out, its back to asking the misses to put your socks on etc ect nightmare.
So just like before almost as soon the injuries hit hard we go spend big time on the Kona's, last time we both bought bikes, this time wasn't so bad with a tasty investment in some awesome Marzochi 55 forks. Ordered from the states on Sunday, arrived in Duloe on Wednesday (WTF!) half price due to the withering dollar and they look absolutely awesome. Just over 6 inches of travel, loads of adjustment and smooth as hell. Should be a real step up from the dodgy OEM forks were riding with at the mo. Pics to follow as soon as there all built up.
Hopefully new video will be sorted by end of September depending on injuries / weather etc. Were trying to take it quite a big step on from Duality and make it a good one.
24/05/2008
Absolutely loads of news over the last few months, I dont really know where to start! New bikes, new shiney parts, new vid its all looking good :D Glynn's got his new Monty 221PR frame after the old one cracked, all built up the bike looks and rides really nice, seems to be a lot quieter than the old shopping trolley :D Check out the pic, here's one of the back end of the frame as well.
We now have a new video online, it features all three of us, the idea was to make it real fast and flowing and I reckon it has turned out pretty well. Check out the full vid section to download the vid, its called Duality. Send us your comments to Ritch@trials-uk.com or leave a message in the guest book. The next vids will be 3 individual efforts from me, Ross and Glynn, we thought it could be quite cool mixing it up a bit, also I've carried Ross for far too long it's about time he starts getting some of his own
Next up is my absolute bargain purchase, a full build Leeson Fluid 609 for under £400!!! Specs and pics up soon..
Me and Ross have both got our 660's back all built up which is absolutely awesome. Ross's bike is looking absolutely mint, Clive welded up the nasty crack up at the headtube and it's got some pretty nice new parts for it as well. The bike is riding absolutely perfect, it really is the perfect 660, super smooth and tight. My forks came back all welded up pretty nice with the new V bosses but unfortunately within a few weeks the immense power of the XTR V on the front had cracked again. :( So I went on a mission to find some alternative forks, thing is with the Leesons is that they are steel so you really need a steel fork with the correct geometry to match the frame which are pretty much impossible to find. So I stuck a post up on trials-forum.co.uk describing what I needed, unbelievably some guy posted back saying he had heard a rumour that a bikeshop in Wales had a few pairs of brand new Pashley 26mhz forks!! These forks arent even made anymore but were the fork of choice for Leeson riders before Clive made the 660 Leeson fork. Gave the shop a ring and low and behold they had 1 pair left in black for £55, absolute RESULT! So big thanks to the trials-forum bloke and Aire Valley Cycles for solving a major headache and effectively letting me keep my beloved 660 as the main bike :D Along with the new forks the 660 will have new rear HS33, new front XTR V, new tyres, new V12 pedals and loads more so it should be pretty mint, just waiting on a front clamp for the Hope CNC stemp that cracked then the its all finished and good to go.
Summer's approaching fast, everythings coming together in terms of bikes and injuries so hopefully we can get some good riding and get these individual vids sorted out :D Oh and finally to the absolute pricks who broke into my van and stole the front of my head unit (but not the actual CD player wtf?!) THANKS SO MUCH for leaving my £350 sat nav in the glove compartment you absolute bunch of f£$% retards! Go get a job, a life, a brain or something, if I catch ya next time it's game on :D
If you've been riding trials for getting on for 8 years like me and Ross you think you've done it all. But thanks to a moment of pure genious from myself, we had the chance to try something new, something that could potentially revolutionise the suck-ass Winter. I was at work the other day when some bloke came in trying to sell some LED headlamps he bought off Ebay, at first I said no simply due to the fact I had promised the misses that I would waste my money on crap this this year! Then it clicked, an LED light appeared above my head :D night trials! So to cut a long story short I managed to buy two of these things off matey for 4 quid, seriously bright, 3 piece headstrap, 4 different modes, the lot. Absolute bargain.
See in Cornwall they don't do street lighting, the whole Looe Seafront is pitch black after 5pm in the winter and obviously the moors are out the question. So I hammered it down Looe after work for the usual quick blast before the light fails but this time armed with the LED headlamp. I ended up riding in the pitch black, the light was absolutely awesome, once I got used to it I was riding some of the bigger lines, doing some nice drops etc. It is really spinny, when your sidehopping you cant see the floor or your bike just the wall your trying to make it up but once you get into the swing of it you can pretty much ride as normal. Unreal. So check out the photos of our first proper ride using the headgear in February's photos. The next thing is to ride the moors, which will be absolutely sick, cannot wait!
Not much riding of late, weathers awful, cameras broken, the Leesons are broken, I binned it real bad the other day and now have whiplash and bust my elbow, Ross's shoulder is pretty screwed, its been a poor few weeks.... However we got an awesome day on Sat so we have managed to bodge my bike with some old school Fatty forks, a 1998 XT Vbrake and some cable ties! Also Ross has somehow built up his Planet X Zebdi so were out again :D I took out my g/f's camera so got a few shots of Ross on the Planet X, the bike really is a beauty, we always loved the Zebdi and it was great to ride one again - check out the pics in February's photos. The bikes are off too Clive for some tlc and the cameras off to Fuji so we should be back on with making the new vid soon.
On the website front I have setup the Trials-UK guestbook so get yourself on there and leave us a message. I am also workin on a pretty cool How-to section with loads of pics / vids.
Slightly later than planned the new site is up and running! I have decided to really gone back to basics, no more forums, no more PHP or any other fancy crap, just good old fashioned simple HTML and more importantly loads of trials! Over the last few years although we were riding much more and improving all the time the website and videos really died on its ass. Well now I'm back on the case. Hope you like the new site, have a good look round, we got a new video clip section, some cracking photos, a trialskings tribute and loads more. Expect loads of regular updates, vids, pics, I'm also going to get local motocross, enduro, bmx and downhill riding on the site whenever possible. Any feedback, comments or ideas welcome: Ritch@trials-uk.com
Happy New Year people!
