Flatland

Joined: A long time ago...

These usually aren't the type of posts I like to get wrapped up in because for me I find it impossible to label my riding in anyway.  I just enjoy every minute I'm given.

Being one of the "older" folk around here though, I have definitely seen both sides of this.  Starting back in 1983 with curb endos, we were dropping jaws already (yup, you heard that right).  When we moved up to trackstands, pogos, pickers, and the like...the local shoe store sponsored us.  "Grandstand" tricks were the thing back then, being able to do a trick and actually look and wave to the crowd while doing it?  You were a god.

Fast forward to today, 2006.  After watching countless contest videos I can definitely agree that most riding is fundamentally the same.  Fundamentally is the key word here.  Sure, they are all doing turbined steams, all doing lash-type links, most aren't scuffing anymore (save a few scuffs to get speed up)...but...there is still a lot of style involved.  The rider/spectator link is just about dead but could you see trying to wave to the crowd while turbining a hitchhiker?  Haha.

Certain tricks are always going to stand out to us as "played out" but these smaller tricks are the building blocks we all have to master and use everyday to get from one place on the bike to another.  There is no getting around the fact that turbining a bw steam to a fw steam is a necessary evil.  The science behind the trick too doesn't lend itself for a lot of personal style either.  If you don't get your body in the right position, the turbine just doesn't happen.

Personally, I just ride.  I never try to think of anything I'm doing as being basic or played out.  Perfect example...yesterday I hit up a small session in my usual spot.  There is a diner across the street so people are usually coming and going frequently.  I saw a group pull in with a couple of small kids so I wanted to give them a little show.


 - OLDSCHOOL WARNING
 -

I started off on the back pegs, 180 swivel to a bw peg wheelie.  I dropped that to a 1-spin infinity glide which I then reverse smoothied to a fork glide.  Swung the frame in hydrant fashion and decaded out of the whole thing.  I had people sticking their faces to the window while the group was clapping. 

And all of this came from basically linking up a few building block tricks.  For us, to witness that, would have been a luke-warm reception at best (knowing the person was probably just warming up a little).  My point?  Of course everything we see being done today looks the same.  We do it everyday, watch videos of people doing it everyday, and go to great lengths to copy other peoples riding because we know it works that way.  To the average person though it is ALL impossible, even the setup endo.

How many here own a copy of Ground Rules and actually pay attention to the little red lines?  We have no choice but to do these tricks in that way (when first learning) for them to work.  Adding personal style to it (not grabbing a grip or the seat for a certain pivot or glide...or using a totally different balance point) will come with experience.  Experience = style in my book.

I've said my peace, now I'm going to set my stand up out on my deck and get a tan while I clean my ride (then I'm going to get a tan riding it, ah the sweet rewards of an 80 degree day off).

Joined: A long time ago...

I basically started this thread because I knew it would get people talking and I was bummed about the apparent drop in creative riding. I'm not trying to belittle the riding of anyone who does those tricks, hell I do them and I actually think that they are great tricks but, when they start to be all that you see in a combo well,...it's just disappointing to me, and a line with ten turbined steam-rollers in it, to me, is like watching a single trick--it's just not really professional level riding. Obviously my views are subjective and anyone who relies heavily upon these tricks is gonna tell me to piss-off, that's fine. I guess ultimately I hoped my sarcasm would be understood (as some have) and maybe remind people that they can go their own way and avoid Pop-flatland.   

Joined: A long time ago...

Damn 10 years ago I thought the same thing about pinky squeks...............half of the pro contest runs included 20 pinky squeks...It was real annoying...........

Joined: A long time ago...

to  be blantenly honest;
im w/ brandon  on this 1 for shure!!!!!

i cant stand to spend  $20  on a vid anymore watching  viki- or marti go round , and round
or anyone else for that matter-
it just plain sucks- i would rather  just  spend the $$$ on a new  freq. g  1.75


it is plain b.s.

why  is it funny to any other rider ( and i m not talking flatlanders here) when you are doing a no-footed dork wheelie w/ your  chest on your seat - how is that funny?  i had someone laugh @ me  the other day saying it was stupid- but none the less a hell  of a hard trick to figure out

i guess thats why i should  really state this( even though it is off topic) but i dont care!- and  i know alot of people are like this on the board- but we (  we refering as to original flatlanders) relate  better to  skateboarders than we do  street ,dirt , and  park riders.


tim

Joined:

It seems to be more that people tend to follow others rather than go for their own links / style. Imagine if no-one could see what anyone else was doing, all the riders and links would be so much different for the most part simply because one trick wouldn't seem any more standard than anything else. Some would come up with spinning styles, others tech, others rolling etc. Its like watching someone like pedro melo, his riding seems totally his own and it stands out because of it.