Personally, I'm not that psyched on the artistic cycling direction that some track bike stuff is going. Don't get me wrong, tricks are fun to do, but indoor trick comps with audiences and disco lighting? Not feeling it. Nevertheless, this short vid has some pretty impressive stuff.
Just keep it in the streets, people.
11 comments:
Well, you seem to be into indoor track comps with audiences and disco lighting (and disco music).
True, but the differences between an indoor trick show and a roller race are pretty big.
Roller racing is good for when racing season is over, or when you don't have a velodrome near you, or when you don't have the gear to enter a road race, or when the weather is just too bad.
But mostly, the difference lies in the form. Tricks, to me, are more about cruising around the city, looking for spots and interacting with the urban landscape. Taking that freedom, exploration, and flexibility and needlessly moving it indoors, to a tiny stage, and having people standing around watching it isn't really my scene.
It's like the difference between skateboarding through the city at night with your friends, hitting up favorite spots and finding new ones, and skating at an indoor wooden park. Sure, they're both similar, but I prefer the streets.
On one hand, what the MashSF, Macaframa, and other dudes are doing is cool to an extent, but it's getting very close to crossing the ridiculous line.
Just like with skateboarding when it got huge again. Sure, it was good that a lot of pro skaters were making big bucks and whatnot, but it got to the point where it just got a bit silly and almost bastardized everything and took away what skateboarding is all about. Hanging with your friends, skating all over the city and hitting up spots, finding and/or making new ones.
Yeah, indoor parks are fine once winter hits, but it's just not the same. Even places like the 31st. or Wilson skatepark are fine to warm up or meet up at, but then it's time to hit the streets and not be confined to one area.
For me personally, I don't even really get into doing tricks and stuff. I have the best times just meeting up with friends and riding all over the city as fast as possible.
However, as someone who used to be heavily into skateboaring and has friends that still skate a lot but are also into bikes as well, it's interesting to see how the more "trickster" side of track bikes/fixed gear is sort of following a similar pattern that skateboarding did.
The rise in popularity, the videos, the teams and sponsorships, ect.
I'm curious to see where it will head.
Ok, I'm done.
Man, I love Macaframa and MASH, because they're not just about one thing. They're about about speed, control, bombing badass hills, and tricks. But a lot of the other stuff I'm seeing these days is about one type of trick only...
do you have a problem with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5lboJIylD0
just curious.
Do I have a problem with it? Of course not. Would I like to be able to do it? Sure. Would I pay to watch it? No.
I mean, look, I think it's technically amazing. But it's not exciting to me. It's bike ballet. I find it boring.
Like I said, just because I think it's boring doesn't mean I'm not impressed by the skill it takes. I just don't find it very interesting, or exciting.
But hey, to each their own. This isn't bikesnob; if you enjoy it, you enjoy it, and that's all that matters.
At least the Maca/Mash guys are making a point to be strong, well-rounded riders and making full use of their city and not just doing weird stuff in some remote parking lot. A number of those guys have a skateboarding background which I'm sure is a benefit too.
Biking and skateboarding in SF is no joke. Those hills are in-sane.
Besides, I highly doubt any of them will be putting on disco shows anytime soon.
Prolly had a post about this recently, where he talked about that same artistic cycling video that anon linked to. He said the difference between what he does, and the artistic stuff, is that the artistic bikes are geared so low that they're useless for anything else. His point was that the bike he does tricks on is also the bike that he does alleycats on, and he's not interested in creating a bike that's so focused on tricks that it wouldn't be good for a 30 mile ride.
I think that's cool, but I have to admit, I see a lot of other people out there constructing bikes that are only for tricks, and wheelie-based tricks at that. Is that where this whole tricks thing is going? Slow-ass, geared right down bikes with BMX risers that are only good for spins, pogos and wheelies? I'll be disappointed if the rawness and speed of the MASH/Maca stuff goes away.
but do you have a problem with this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp9Gm-aRe5A
just curious. fun isn't cool anymore.
best video evar lolz!!1!
Simon, excellent point about exploring your city and surroundings.
I think the trick business has a leg up on some of the scenes it developed out of. I remember when other people started making alleycat videos a la Lucas Brunelle. All of a sudden, in a really strange way, it seemed like alleycats became a spectator sport. In 07 they were getting a handful of fairly mainstream media coverage, too, when the races were at their peak here in NYC. It was strange. And all the while, some of the organizers of the biggest races, who were making and selling movies of their races, were complaining about the rookies infiltrating the scene. And the media coverage. Which struck me as extremely paradoxical, considering the deliberate steps that they took to publicize what they were doing.
Anyway, my point is that trick videos encourage people to ride their bikes, if only in the driveway of their parents house (for now). It's another entry point into cycling, repeating a mantra of if you practice, you can get good at it. All in all a pretty honorable message.
And for all the hype surrounding it, the ringleaders of the trick business really are just out there having fun. Prolly, for all his selfpromotion (and the shit he gets on bikeforums) is a real stand-up dude.
Post a Comment