Commute By Bike

There seems to be a new spark in trials mountain biking that we haven’t seen since the peak of Hans “No Way” Rey. A lot of this is thanks to the recent YouTube superstardom of Danny MacAskill. David Bonzon is the Junior World Champion…and he has some skills. Check out the video from Epic TV.

“David Bonzon rides a trials bike and only happens to be the best in Switzerland. And Europe. And in the world. Yep, he holds the world champ titles in all three junior categories. He lives only an hour away from the Epic headquarters, so we asked him to give us a tour of his hometown of Montreux, Switzerland. He took us to one of the most unlikely trial spots, the Chateau de Chillon, and this is what happened.

EpicTV would like to thank the staff at the Chateau de Chillon, for more info go to www.chillon.ch

To find out more about David Bonzon, go to www.davidbonzon.com”

It is great to see Danny MacAskill coming back from injury and getting back into making videos again. This series is going to be awesome and it will give us insight into the life of Danny MacAskill…arguably the best trials mountain biker currently spinning the cranks and clearing the impossible.

“‘In the Balance’ – As Danny embarks on his most ambitiously creative project to date, an old injury flairs up threatening not just the project but his career as a rider.”

A friend of mine posted this video on my Facebook timeline as a joke for a project for my son and I while my wife is out of town this week. While I thought it was hilarious given my need to go over the top with things…this video and GoPro setup is truly EPIC.

What do you get when you put 15 GoPros on a beam together? Awesome that’s what…

There is no denying that Chris Akrigg is a bad ass. Not only is he one of the best trials riders in the world, but he is working himself back from a terrible wreck where he broke his femur. On the 1-10 pain scale, that rates a 37.

Ha, I really called it that! So heres a fun chilled edit to get me back into the swing of things, shot at home in Yorkshire over a couple of random days. I know i’m not firing on all cylinders just yet but i’m getting there. Thanks again for all the support people. I will be back….

Rahim Bugo sent us over an interesting photo this week of a bike commuter with what looks like a propane tank strapped to his head. I have seen a lot of things in my life…but this is a first for sure.

We are unsure of the source but it makes for an interesting view.

With Strava and other GPS platforms, our phones have become a vital part of capturing our rides. After looking through some options, the guys at RockForm sent over one of their new v3 iPhone 5 mounts with case to review. I will be putting the mount and case through its paces on both our commuter bike, and also strapping it to the mountain bike to see how it performs off road on some rough singletrack. The RockForm mount attaches to your fork and replaces your top cap. Then the case covers your phone securely and snaps into the mount using a quarter turn system and a little magnet that’s integrated into the case. It’s a pretty ingenious solution and easy to install and setup for your preferred viewing angle.

Out of the box, the mount and case look great. Everything that you need is included, labeled well, and packaged nicely. It came with:

• - The top cap mount, including a new bolt.
• - A solid surface “remote” mount that you can mount to any surface (like a car dashboard)
• - A tether for the “just in case” moments on the bike
• - The iPhone case, including a rubber surround
• - Screen protector, wipe, and alcohol pad for install

Everything necessary to clean, install, and mount

To start with, I really like the case itself. It’s a nice hard plastic case so it protects the phone on all sides, but it’s not so bulky as to take away from the iPhone’s size. Also, the magnet portion on the back side of the case has a rubber coating, so the case sits nicely on a desk or solid surface. Other full plastic cases slide really easily and I really like how this one sits solidly. Lastly, the magnet is a really cool feature. Since it’s coated in rubber, it doesn’t hurt or mar any surfaces, but it has an strong enough attraction to attach itself to steel surfaces. I’ve used it to hang my phone temporarily on my toolbox in the garage and also place it on the roof of my car and have full confidence that it won’t slide off. It’s a very cool, unexpected feature of the case, and I really  like it.

I got the case installed on my shiny new iPhone 5 and the mount installed on the commuter bike to start with. I have a pretty short commute (3 miles each way, but I usually do some extra credit so it ends up being a 10 mile round trip) but it passes through our local city park and I do hop on/off a couple of curbs and sidewalks, so its a good test for the commuter application. The mount uses a quarter turn system, sort of similar (but MUCH more durable looking) to the Garmin mount, and then “snaps” into place using the small magnet on the back of the case. It’s a solid interface, easy to put into place, and feels very secure. You get a nice reassuring ”click” sort of sound when it goes into place.

Comes with everything needed to install. Impressive.

I haven’t yet used the full removable rubber bumper or the on the bike tether, as I feel just the plastic case is enough for my day to day use and on the commuter. I do plan on using both of those when I strap the iPhone to my Trek Remedy and hit the singletrack though.

The only drawback I found to the mount is that I now that I have such easy access to my technology, I caught myself texting and riding a couple of times, and also jumping on an email or facebook while sitting at a stoplight. It’s super easy to get distracted!

We will continue using the mount and case on the commuter and seeing how it holds up to more wear and tear, and shortly we’ll strap it to our big hit bike and test it out on the trails. Look for the full in depth review coming soon!

Every now and then I see a video that just blows my mind. This is one of those…

In this short clip basically promoting Gillette, Danny MacAskill opens up with a really cool thought.

“I’ve always feel like I’ve had a slightly different way to view a city.”

Followed up with one of my favorite lines in a mountain bike video to date.

“The style of riding that I do – comes about just from playing around…and I’ll just sort of think of something new…and try it”

While Danny MacAskill does an incredible job of creating stunts that are almost unimaginable…I do believe one of the driving forces behind his online success is the passion he has towards riding his bike. Not only is it incredible to watch his clips…but they make you want to get out and ride. Enjoy.

Chris Akrigg is an inspriation. Not only does he have some of the best fixie, trials and mountain biking skills in modern cycling, but his return back from breaking his femur is amazing. Check out his latest video, Through The Mill, to see his latest progress and riding. Keep at it Chris! This video is insane…

Through the mill from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

I received an email yesterday that is a pretty cool story. It involves two guys who are taking the bike ride of a lifetime in honor of Fremont, California-based HERS Breast Cancer Foundation (HBCF) and to bring awareness to breast cancer. One of the great things about cycling in all forms is the ability to bring people together for a cause. Over recent years, bringing awareness to different forms of cancers has been at the forefront of raising awareness and funding in cycling.

This latest pair is doing a really cool ride that will help bring that awareness even farther.

From Andria at Gutenberg PR:

It is my pleasure to tell you about two courageous young men who have decided to bike from Alaska to South America. After experiencing the challenges and triumph of breast cancer with his mother, Neil Walsky is leading this endeavor. After watching his mother struggle to get the essential products that insurance doesn’t cover, such as lymphedema and post-mastectomy garments, Walsky was immediately attracted to HBCF and its mission to help women with or without insurance receive these necessities. HBCF is an organization dedicated to supporting all women who are battling breast cancer or are breast cancer survivors, regardless of their financial or insurance situation.

Walsky, a recent Civil Engineer graduate and ex-pro Switzerland hockey player, will be joined by best friend Jesse Frechione. Between the two, they have racked up less than 1,000 miles on a bike in their lifetimes. However, both believe this challenging adventure only adds more inspiration to their mission and increases their determination and passion to raise money for HBCF.

Walsky and Frechione’s will ride through Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and will complete their journey in Colombia. From new bicycle equipment, camping gear and navigation equipment – these guys have planned for it all, using some of the most advanced gear available.

The two will be departing today, August 23^rd, for this extraordinary biking expedition.

If you can’t already tell…trials bikes are on the brain of Bike198 right now. We are actually on the hunt to find the perfect trials bike for the site so we can start gearing more content in that area of riding. When a friend of ours posted up a link to this video on Facebook, we knew right away it needed to be posted here. Moab is one of the best places to mountain bike in the world. When you add a sunset, trials maneuvers by Jeremy VanSchoonhoven and HD video…the outcome is breathtaking.

Sit back, relax and enjoy dreaming away with this clip. It is worth every second.

This video features my good friend Jeremy VanSchoonhoven. He was a finalist last year on America’s Got Talent! He is a professional Trial Bike rider.

He performs all over the world. And you can book him for an event through his manager. Here is her contact info.

[email protected]

Stephen Anderson wrote the score specifically for this video. You can download the song on iTunes in the link below.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/moab-single/id472783907

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-game-single/id467424860

You can also contact him here.

http://www.stephenjanderson.com

Film was made by Devin Graham

I’m on facebook now!! https://www.facebook.com/devinsupertrampyoutube
And don’t forget to add my Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/devinsupertramp

We filmed this in Moab. Over the course of 4 days.

Shot on a Canon 5D Mark II.

As far as making the camera look like it was “flying”, I used a glidecam 2000 HD for all those shots. You can check out the exact model on their official website below where you can also buy them, and I don’t get paid to say that

http://www.glidecam.com/

I also go over a lot of camera questions I get asked in my blog right below in case you have more questions

http://devingraham.blogspot.com/

For BUSINESS ENQUIRERS ONLY, you can contact me at this email.
[email protected]

Mike Steidley headed over to France and shot this trials mountain biking footage entirely with a GoPro Hero2. He really shows throughout the clip how crucial balance is to mountain bike control (even though he is on a purpose built trials bike). It really is amazing how much control he has over the bike, his body and where he wants the tires to end up as he navigates the boulders.

On a side note…it is really cool to see the trials side of mountain biking start to pick up steam again.

Shot 100% on the GoPro HD Hero2

Riding clip from my trip to France, shot in Grenoble.

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