Most the time when you tell someone you've got to test some bikes they think you're just going to spend the day riding and messing about on them. And they'd be right; that's pretty much all you have to do, aside from maybe get a few photos and video footage.
Ok, so it isn't all fun and games. It is pretty tough getting the right shot, and there's nothing worse than hearing the words: "That was great, but any chance you can do it again..."
When I started putting videos together it used to take me weeks and weeks. Thankfully now it doesn't. One of my house mates taught me to be more brutal when choosing what clips to use and the best ways to link them. Now the hardest part is trying to find music to go with the riding.
I'm still using iMovie. One day I'll be able to afford a macbook pro with final cut. Until then iMovie works fine. Apart from it wouldn't load up the 'MTS' files that Pete's camera saves videos as.
If anyone knows how to convert files to '.Mov' for free without getting a massive watermark in the corner of the clip give me a shout. Here's a sneak look at the video for Winterberg. The real version will be in the next issue of IMB.
I put this video together weeks ago but the internet out in the sticks is rubbish so I didn't try uploading it till last night. And it worked! Hope you enjoy it, and a big thanks to Max from Collisions and Consequences for the music.
Apparently yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far and it definitely felt like it in the small patch of woodland that makes up Woburn Sands.
Myself, Peter, Mark and Colver made it to Woburn bright and early and after a warm up on the hip line we headed over to a kicker near the dirt jump area.
The good weather meant the trails were as dusty as ever which made it great for filming. It made it less good for riding without goggles. All the photo's from the day can be found here.
Me and Mark managed it this week. Chicksands and Woburn Sands in one day. We called in at Chicksands first and rode their for a few hours. Nothing seemed to really click though until we rode the bull run, my favourite trail at Chicky that I couldn't ride previously because I was whining about a bad back.
With a drop and two pretty big jumps the bull run is really fun to ride. And to make it even better the trail ends with some short, sharp berms.
After midday we packed up and headed over to Woburn. Straight away we saw more evidence of building there. The landing to the second hip had been built up slightly and the berm at the top of the hip trail had been re-enforced.
We had a great time up there playing cat and mouse chasing each other down the trails into the final ski jump. Before we left we found a way of making the mini-road gap link to the final jump, making the gap more worthwhile.
Here's a video I put together of the bull run. I've edited to have a black and white effect. Let me know what you think.
There was a bit of a theme with yesterday's ride. I forgot to pack any allen keys and Michael forgot to pack spare batteries. I was able to borrow a multi-tool off some riders but no spare batteries means a very short video. Enjoy.
Last night the MET Office released a sever weather warning for South Wales. To be honest if I hadn't prepaid my £24 for the uplift service at Cwmcarn then I probably would have just stayed in bed.
Looking back most of the bad weather and drama happened in England. Whilst driving down the motorway in the foulest of foul weather a bird flew into my windscreen wipers and completely mangled them.
I floored it onto the hard shoulder and bent them back into place before they broke my windscreen. My temporary fix didn't last long and after another three mends I gave up and called the RAC. Whilst waiting for them to arrive my two favourite blonde brothers the Smedley's arrived to poke fun and keep me company.
Once it was fixed we set off again and convoyed it the rest of the way. As we pulled into the trail centre car park the rain eased up and we began building our bikes up and getting changed.
This was the first time myself and Mark had ridden at Cwmcarn but Alex had raced here at last years student champs race. The black run is the best downhill track I have ever ridden in the UK.
Even in the wet the ground still had plenty of grip and you could really fly down the course. The speeds you get in some of the corners are unbelievable. It was almost impossible not to ride the track without a constant grin.
Unfortunately I was the first one to crash. Riding through the wooded black section I caught a pedal on a tree stump and was sent flying shin first into my handlebars before hitting the ground.
At the time Mark was riding the quicker and truth be told, more fun red route and caught up just as I was rolling on the floor in pain. I moved my bike onto the red route, watched mark fall over and pick himself up then followed him down the rest of the course.
We didn't get any riding shots or film but for anyone who's never been to Cwmcarn here's a video of the track's builder Rowan Sorrell, who I met whilst working for Singletrack, pinning it down his creation. Enjoy.
This weekend my older brother, Pete joined me and some riding friends for a trip to Woburn Sands. The original plan was to wake up early so that we could spend the morning riding at Woburn and the afternoon at Chicksands.
Unfortunately Pete's bike had other plans and he spent the morning getting it fixed at our local bike shop who have always done a great job of looking after both our bikes. They managed to get his cranks secure and spinning and we were able to spend the afternoon riding.
Pete is an annoyingly naturally talented rider. He often goes months without spending any time on a bike, only to be riding at his usual high standard within minutes.
One of the fun things about riding at Woburn is that it's constantly changing, and today was no exception. The trail gap has had a bit of a revamp with the take-off being raised and moved further away from the landing.
The trail gap is now bigger than ever but still has the super smooth landing it's always had. For me though, the best part of Woburn is the hip jump trail which we spent a lot of the day sessioning.
We all put in a couple of runs on the smaller road gap, which we managed to get a video of before the camera ran out.
The good weather's come back up here but for a number of reasons I haven't got a bike with me at the moment. So here's a very short clip of me doing a timed lap of Lyme Valley BMX track from when it was last sunny.
I've finally got round to editing some helmet cam footage from my trip to the Alps last year. The video quality isn't great and the editing is a little bit basic. I've also posted a video from the same trip of riding in the Chatel Bike Park. Hope you like them.
Most the time when you tell someone you've got to test some bikes they think you're just going to spend the day riding and messing about on them. And they'd be right; that's pretty much all you have to do, aside from maybe get a few photos and video footage.
When I started putting videos together it used to take me weeks and weeks. Thankfully now it doesn't. One of my house mates taught me to be more brutal when choosing what clips to use and the best ways to link them. Now the hardest part is trying to find music to go with the riding. 
Apparently yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far and it definitely felt like it in the small patch of woodland that makes up Woburn Sands. 
Me and Mark managed it this week. Chicksands and Woburn Sands in one day. We called in at Chicksands first and rode their for a few hours. Nothing seemed to really click though until we rode the bull run, my favourite trail at Chicky that I couldn't ride previously because I was whining about a bad back. 
Last night the MET Office released a sever weather warning for South Wales. To be honest if I hadn't prepaid my £24 for the uplift service at Cwmcarn then I probably would have just stayed in bed.
This weekend my older brother, Pete joined me and some riding friends for a trip to Woburn Sands. The original plan was to wake up early so that we could spend the morning riding at Woburn and the afternoon at Chicksands. 