Skill Almost Beyond Belief

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

Check out the skill of this trials rider!

Amazing. Had to look some more too. Here's his site:
http://www.ryanleech.com/flash.html

Anybody, but me remember this:

en.wikipedia.orgPacific Blue (TV series)Open ↗

Bill C

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Bill C said:

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

Check out the skill of this trials rider!

Amazing. Had to look some more too. Here's his site:
http://www.ryanleech.com/flash.html

Leech is brilliant (and I have to support him as a fellow Port Moodian).

He basically makes his living doing demos, and in his videos he's been
trying to demonstrate smooth, continuous trials lines, basically because
they look prettier than the modern locked-brakes hop-hop that
competitive trials generally consists of.

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:rcousine-54EB85.20095005022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

Quoted message said:

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

Quoted message said:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

yeah, he didn't ride 612 miles last month.

If you don't see that as "skill," then why did you give your post the
subject line "SKILL Almost Beyond Belief"??? Please don't bother answering
this question. Please hold it in. Your subject line should have been:
SPECIALTY Almost Beyond Belief. Again, please do not bother responding.
Thank you.

"Tom Kunich" <cyclintom@yahoo. com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-54EB85.20095005022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like this
stop and go stuff.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-54EB85.20095005022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

You'll end up tossing out trials, artistic cycling, 3/4 of the Match
Sprint, and maybe BMX with that attitude.

And as the cliche goes, any appeal to the concept of "real" bicycle
riding must acknowledge that most of the world's cyclists are Chinese,
and ride Flying Pigeons, neither far nor fast.

Other than that, I can see no reason why you should dismiss the skills
of these riders. You may think they would be lunch meat in your
favourite local crit, but even at that you might be wrong, since I think
these guys pack some pretty serious cardio.

Quoted message said:

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like this
stop and go stuff.

Even motorcycle trials look like this stop and go stuff.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

In article <[email hidden]>, "Tom Kunich" <cyclintom@yahoo. com>

Quoted message said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-54EB85.20095005022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like this
stop and go stuff.

I guess you haven't seen much in the way of trials (motorcycle or otherwise)
lately, then. Much of it *is* about balancing while at a stop or close to it.

--
tanx,
Howard

Whatever happened to
Leon Trotsky?
He got an icepick
That made his ears burn.
But I've already got a pitchfork...

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

Ryan Cousineau said:

... You may think they would be lunch meat in your
favourite local crit, but even at that you might be wrong, since I think
these guys pack some pretty serious cardio.

I think there are a lot of us who could get good at trials if we
practiced hard enough. But there are some for whom this stuff comes
very easy by comparison. For instance, there was one fellow I knew who
got onto a unicycle and rode it around, first time, never having tried
one before. Another guy can ride a walking pace wheelie on a 53x12
fixed gear and rides stoppies up curbs and around corners. IME those
with great talent for trials riding, technical trail riding, bmx
tricks, etc. also tend to possess the natural ability to ride very
fast if they want to. Some people were just born to ride bikes.

Robert

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-5CA53E.20525405022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-54EB85.20095005022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

On the other hand, the locked-brakes hop-hop set have developed
technical skills of a rather extreme variety.

This kid just took 4th place in the Junior 26" trials at Ft. William:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

You'll end up tossing out trials, artistic cycling, 3/4 of the Match
Sprint, and maybe BMX with that attitude.

Don't forget Radball

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-5CA53E.20525405022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

Other than that, I can see no reason why you should dismiss the skills
of these riders. You may think they would be lunch meat in your
favourite local crit, but even at that you might be wrong, since I think
these guys pack some pretty serious cardio.

I'm not "dismissing the skills" but instead actually looking at them. Tell
me Ryan, how long would it take you to learn how to jump from one railroad
track to another without slipping off of either one?

My point is that you cannot make a sport out of something that requires a
one in a million sense of balance. Trials shouldn't be hop and skip but
should be like motorcycle trials (and remember that there are three types of
motorcycle trials - "Trials", Scottish Trials and ISDT). A sport should be
something that the vaste majority of people can accomplish.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like
this
stop and go stuff.

Even motorcycle trials look like this stop and go stuff.

Quoted message said:

My point is that you cannot make a sport out of something that requires a
one in a million sense of balance.

There's a lot more to this than a "one in a million sense of balance." We're
talking extraordinary confidence in ones' ability to do something as well. I
don't see this as that much different from the guy who constantly manages to
come from nowhere and win the sprint. It's not just raw physical talent that
does that. It's a control of your mind & body that's even more important
than some freakish sense of balance.

It's someone saying "I do this because it's who I am. It's what I do. Why
should it surprise someone that I'm the best at it?"

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Tom Kunich" <cyclintom@yahoo. com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:rcousine-5CA53E.20525405022008@[74.223.185.199.nw.nuvox.net]...

Quoted message said:

Other than that, I can see no reason why you should dismiss the skills
of these riders. You may think they would be lunch meat in your
favourite local crit, but even at that you might be wrong, since I think
these guys pack some pretty serious cardio.

I'm not "dismissing the skills" but instead actually looking at them. Tell
me Ryan, how long would it take you to learn how to jump from one railroad
track to another without slipping off of either one?

My point is that you cannot make a sport out of something that requires a
one in a million sense of balance. Trials shouldn't be hop and skip but
should be like motorcycle trials (and remember that there are three types
of motorcycle trials - "Trials", Scottish Trials and ISDT). A sport should
be something that the vaste majority of people can accomplish.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like
this
stop and go stuff.

Even motorcycle trials look like this stop and go stuff.

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

My point is that you cannot make a sport out of something that requires a
one in a million sense of balance. Trials shouldn't be hop and skip but
should be like motorcycle trials (and remember that there are three types of
motorcycle trials - "Trials", Scottish Trials and ISDT). A sport should be
something that the vaste majority of people can accomplish.

Bike trials is not motorcycle trials. You can do things on either one
that can't be done on the other. There's no reason to expect the
sports to evolve towards the same techniques.
You're stuck in old school. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_trials_riding#Old_School.2C_New_School

BTW, check out ROAM by The Collective to see a nice Ryan Leech
segment.

R

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

I don't see that as "skill" so much as a specialty that doesn't relate to
real bicycle riding.

Obviously, the kids have long since covered "riding" and got bored
with it...

Quoted message said:

Bicycle trials should be more like the Scottish Six Days and not like this
stop and go stuff.

Whippersnapper Factor increase noted.

You were doing better when you admired, TK. But, as usual, then it was
back to chewing on your spleen again.

But thanks for posting, I loved the rail-jumping stunts. Reminds me of
a guy I worked with who trod catwalks with total aplomb, while I
quivered and hung on to anything I could. He told me he used to ride
his bike (would have been a 40's or 50's fat tire single speed) "for
miles" down railroad tracks. I never doubted, after seeing him "walk
the plank". But, like I said, the kids have gone on from just
"riding". --D-y