New Toys!

 After almost a year off I finally found a good deal on a muni (mountain unicycle) from www.unicycle.uk.com so picked this up the other day. It's a 29" Nimbus which, once I've got back into it, will hopefully be used for some trails and the odd commute. If you've never ridden a unicycle I'd recommend trying one out, they're great fun and highly addictive!

Next, seen as this probably won't be checked by many people I'll allow a sneak preview of my new Marino 24" comp bike. The frame will be getting replaced by one which is slightly different though that's another story so for now here is the current progress.

I've got the wheels and pedals to go on, just awaiting cranks and bash, tyres kindly donated by a friend and a bottom bracket on loan (the frame was supposed to be built with a Spanish style press fit BB hence the replacement) and I can get it tested and some riding pics up along with the full spec and geo.

It's Been A While...

...since I last posted so I thought I'd best get an update in of what's been going on in life. GETcreative was judged and sadly I didn't win anything, on a good note though I did make what I thought was a pretty good video and easily the best edit I've put together so I'm all inspired for the next one. Congrats however to Jonathan Tollerud, Rob Harris and Sam Nichols who took 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively and all those who got spot prizes.


British Trials Championship is my next bit of news, sadly due to some unavoidable circumstances I didn't manage to make Hook Woods meaning I only rode 4 of the 7 rounds and missed out on the chance at taking the Championship. The last round took place at Shipley Glen on 23rd October and for this I decided to build a new bike up a bit more suited to comps, I don't know if this made the difference but I had a good ride and took a very close 2nd out of 7 which bumped me into 2nd overall which I was very happy with.

Preperation for next year is already underway with a custom frame currently under construction in Peru, more on that later.





Finally, the year is almost at an end and we are into the month of Movember. For those who've never heard of it Movember is a worldwide campaign to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer by the growing a moustache or "mo".
3 weeks in and mine is coming along well though today I've made a bid to pull in a few more pounds towards this awesome cause. I hope it works!

GETcreative

Well here is the finished product, hope you enjoy!

Dave Barratt - GETcreative from Dave Barratt on Vimeo.

Summertime

Not made any updates for quite a while, mainly cause the weather has been so bad I've barely rode all summer! Now with Summer coming to a close all eyes are on Ben Rowlands new video competition GETcreative, http://glasseyetrialscreative.blogspot.co.uk.
I personally have found it a struggle to not only get out riding but once I'm out to find lines I think would look good and be different to what I've already done. I've temporarily solved this problem by going soft and fitting some brakes which has opened up a lot of potential, just a few weeks now until deadline day so the task is at hand to get out and get creative.

Why Brakeless?

I set to on my bike yesterday and removed the brakes again, why? Because I actually feel it makes me a better rider. I went back to where I filmed my brakeless vid on the Zoot the other day and tried some of the same lines and found myself relying on the brakes to get up rocks and stay up, which also meant a lot of the time I didn't make it as I was putting in less effort. When you've got no brakes you've got to put in that bit more, just to make sure cause there's no contingency plan, no lifeline there to hold you on the edge whilst you give it another little hop.
I'll be the first to admit that although partly because I was skint and couldn't afford to finish my build the main reason I went brakeless is cause I thought it would make me look cool. I've seen other riders doing it who I admired and wanted to be like them and gain there respect but now after having a go I can see the reason behind it. I think everyone should have a go at riding brakeless, but not just for a day you have to give it a couple of weeks, and you don't have to be riding a 24 or a street bike just look at Flipp. He can do more on a mod without brakes than most of us can do on any bike with!

Origins

Here's a brief history of me and trials so you know where I'm coming from.

I started riding in the 90's, not sure how old I was at the time (I'm 29 now) but the pic below should give some indication!

The bike had a few more mods like stronger wheels and a custom bash made up when I decided trials was the road I wanted to go down, I've still got the front wheel in my shed and the rear on my old mans bike!

This made way for something a bit more trials friendly which I went on to compete on around 98ish

After snapping the frame I picked up a Heavy Tools Trials frame but shortly after discovered cars, beer and women and kind of put the bike away.

Fast forward about 8 years and I decided to get back into it before I was too old so the Heavy Tools got a makeover

Since then the frames became more modern and after dabbling with various bikes I started competing again in the British Cup on a compy specced stock. With 24's getting more popular, my thirst for buying bikes and a deal I couldn't refuse I landed upon an Onza Zoot. A few comments from another rider and a brakeless vid later it had to make way as did my stock for my current bike and a whole new direction in my riding.

The Idea

Well here it is, I decided to write a blog as a sort of diary of my life and how my thoughts revolve around trials. I'll get a brief history posted soon so people know where I'm coming from and some pics of my riding past then once we're all on the same wavelength the work shall commence!