QED - Question Everything Done

Fiamma Ultra Box for sale

2012-01-28T09:27:00.001Z

That new Chris Akrigg video that everyone's talking about

2010-04-10T08:36:00.002+01:00

Chris Akrigg TEOCALI.0 from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Some great northern scenery, fantastic riding style, line choice, attitude, it's all there.

If this doesn't make you want to get out and ride, nothing will!

Gisburn Forest

2009-11-23T13:09:00.003Z

Sorry for the total neglect of this site, I've been busy.

Here's a short film about Gisburn Forest Bike Trails, that have been made with the generous support of many companies, and over a 1000 hours of work from volunteers.

Gisburn Forest Bike Trails from Tim Royle on Vimeo.

Trial by video

2009-06-07T22:57:00.005+01:00

Whilst browsing in PC world on Saturday, I noticed this little camera mount from the makers of those little Flip Video USB camera thingies:

So I thought, hey, why not give it a go. I've got an Olympus 770SW which is a fairly rugged compact camera - you may recall an earlier post where I fell off - well, this is what did most of the damage to my hip!

I took a quick climb out of Skipton, up Shortbank Road, to try out a familiar piece of singletrack. Tree-lined singletrack is in short supply around these parts and I wanted to see how the camera would cope with light and shade, as well as dealing with a lot of information, combined with a rocky and rooty surface.

Here's the result:

Shortbank descent from Richard Peacock on Vimeo.

I'm going to continue with different mounting styles and the video would help by having another rider in front of me, watch this space!

Get your fill of Fort Bill Downhill

2009-06-04T11:06:00.002+01:00

For those that can't be there (and wish they were), myself included - you can watch live coverage of the UCI Downhill World Champs right here!

Exploring is never boring

2009-05-27T08:26:00.003+01:00

Okay, so it's Wednesday and I'm still aching from Bank Holiday Monday's ride. It's not down to the mile count or the gradient, lack of fitness (maybe?) or poor bike choice...

I fell off. There... I said it, I feel better already.

It was a simple corner, a slight step down into a puddle which concealed a rock. A rock which impeded my front wheel's progress sending me over the bars. Still clipped-in I fell sideways like a sack of potatoes onto my dodgy shoulder, delicate right wrist, ribcage and right ankle. All of which are sending me signals telling me I'm too old!

The point of this blog isn't the fall, it's where it happened. I rarely fall on my local trails. I hardly ever fall at trail-centres, both of which are understandably predictable riding.

This ride was one of those hidden gems, my riding-buddy and I didn't see another cyclist on the whole loop! And what a loop, starting out from Ripley near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, taking in ancient bridleways, tiny forgotten villages, churches used and unused, Fountains Abbey (including a ride around the perimeter Monk's Wall), woodland, farmland, Manor houses and a fantastic single-track bridleway, gently downhill and flanked on either side by wild garlic - absolutely magical.

Our average speed was no more than six miles per hour, a case of ride-a-bit, map out, ride-a-bit-more, map out. Occasionally looking for well concealed signposts and bridleway arrows.

This was definitely one of those rides that will stay logged in the memory banks for quite a while and has given me a taste to explore more. So, get out your OS Explorer maps and ride where you don't ride, exploring is never boring.

Update: Here's the route for you to explore:

Fountains Abbey Loop

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Now really get out and ride...

2009-05-19T21:03:00.002+01:00

After that last post of tailwhips and backflips, I started hunting for a mountainbike video that was more on my level. Who would've thought I would find it right under my nose, courtesy of the lovely people at Howies!

Definitely my kind of riding.

Bike - Life is Complicated. Sport is Simple from howies on Vimeo.

That's it, I'm outta here, I've got a bike to ride.

Just get out and ride

2009-05-15T16:00:00.003+01:00

So it's May, the trails should be dry and dusty, but they're not.

It's rained most of the day today and tomorrow I'm riding up at Gisburn Forest.

So what's my motivation?

This:

Kranked 8 Trailer from Ally Video on Vimeo.

Now I've never done a backflip, frontflip, tailwhip or superman-seat-grab, but I'm still inspired by the level of riding shown here.

I'll pootle around the forest, checking the new trail building progress, ride some of the old singletrack and some of the 'local knowledge' stuff.

My wheels will barely leave the ground.

But who cares!

Enjoy the trailer, turn up the volume and enjoy your riding.

An evening out with the birds...

2009-04-05T19:44:00.004+01:00

Just back from a great ride. You know the kind; your bike works so perfectly you almost forget it's there, trails are empty and dry, the sun is shining just enough, there's a little welcoming breeze, and there's wildlife everywhere.

Now I'm no Bill Oddie but my appreciation for wildlife grows whenever I have one of these near-magical rides. The Grouse with their 'hellohellohello' call, the Pheasants with their crazy run-up-the-trail-instead-of-fly routine, the lone Kestrel doing his thing with mathematical precision, the 'kileep, kileep' of strangely out-of-place Oyster-Catchers, the glorious call of the Curlew that signifies Summer's on it's way.

And I've only ridden a 10-mile loop!

The bike is covered in magical dry-trail wonder-dust that would be sacrilegious if I cleaned it off. If this is an omen for the rides of Summer to come, then bring it on!

More of the same please.

Local trails...

2009-03-29T20:08:00.002+01:00

It's always nice to see someone else riding your local trails faster and harder than yourself. Here's Howies and Mongoose rider Chris Akrigg giving it plenty on some of West Yorkshire's finest lumps of rock.

Chris Akrigg's Golden Nugget from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

The obligatory 'bike-next-to-woodpile' shot

2009-03-10T20:50:00.010Z

Gisburn forest trail building - an update
I went for a look at the trail development taking place up at Gisburn forest, my 'local' trail-centre, last Saturday morning. At first glance, and first ride, I have to say I'm impressed. It's still very much a work-in-progress, one main section cannot yet be ridden - you're more than welcome to walk it and help the bedding-in process.

Geographically Gisburn will always suffer from a lack of variation in altitude, unlike trail-centres such as Dalby in North Yorkshire or Coed Llandegla which have greater high gain and loss, Gisburn forest is a much more gradual affair.

This is not always a bad thing as my legs were telling me by lunchtime, miles of steady climb can leave you pretty worn-out. Roll-on Spring when more and more sections of trail open up for use. What was that? Did someone mention Summer endurance events? Time to get some training miles in!

The Chip Shop Awards

2009-03-09T15:11:00.003Z

Probably the hardest brief to date, the one where you write the brief!

The Chip Shop Awards is about fostering and recognising creativity with no boundaries and no rules. It's an international creative awards, open to anyone with great ideas.

One of the best ways to establish creative reputation is to win awards. But for those starting out in the business, meeting the rules of the 'normal' awards schemes can be difficult - you need to meet criteria such as minimum media spend, dates that work ran, proof that your client approved it.

Sometimes creatives have broken or bent these rules in order to win major awards. But this can lead to embarrassment for the winner and for the award scheme, so the enforcement of rules has become much tighter.

The Chip Shop Awards is there to recognise that the best ideas don't always fall within the rules. This is a worldwide advertising and design competition that has no rules.

A quick update...

2009-03-02T13:02:00.002Z

Sorry, I've not been around for a week or two to blog. Since picking up the new van, weekends have been busy - so as not to dominate this blog with van stuff I'll be writing it all up over here on a separate blog.

The biking has been a bit neglected as of late. I'm hoping to get back to regular riding soon, the weather is starting to pick up, there shouldn't be too many freezing cold and miserable weekends left this winter. Hang on - what am I saying? This is England!?

Hello new van

2009-01-27T08:19:00.006Z

So it's out with the old and in with the new. I'm really excited about picking this up on Saturday, owning such a new van has been a little dream for a good few years now.

One of the first jobs on collection will be to put the extra row of windows in:

Not a cheap job by any means. I can understand why Volkswagen have done it - they've fixed the price of their aftermarket windows to stop people buying panel vans and converting them for less than the price of a Kombi. I'd have loved to buy a Kombi already converted but there just aren't any around at the moment, the ones that are for sale aren't of the specification of the van I've purchased.

In hindsight I'm not sure I could've picked a worse time financially to trade-in a car to purchase this one. I have to keep telling myself that if it wasn't for the credit-crunch there is no way I would've been able to afford the new van.

Should I really be this excited? I can hear you all now, 'Jeez, it's only a van'. But hey, it makes me happy. Right, how many more sleeps to go?

Regaining my motivation

2009-01-26T13:52:00.004Z

I finally seem to be breaking the cycle (no pun intended) of finding any possible excuse not to get out on the bike.

A quick blast around my local forest has left me invigorated and ready for more. I should remind myself more that I'm lucky to live where I do; in nearly every direction from my doorstep is a good trail of one description or another. Pretty soon I'll have something else, a trail-centre (of sorts) within 30 minutes drive.

Gisburn Forest

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

As I rode around Gisburn forest on Saturday morning I noticed evidence of trail-building; discarded wheelbarrows, piles of aggregate, that kind of thing. Then people, not riding, but building new trails!

The map above shows the existing 'Family' trails; not challenging or exciting, good only for a quick training loop. The new trails should be the real deal, comparable to those found in North Yorkshire, The Lakes or Wales, fingers-crossed.

To aid my motivation I'm contemplating volunteering my services to the trail builders - moving logs, barrowing, wielding a axe, or something more basic. I imagine it will be a satisfying way of 'giving something back' whilst always being able to say 'I did that bit'.

Will keep you posted on updates.

Thanks van

2009-01-25T18:47:00.007Z

That's what I've always said to our camper after a long journey; either the long haul down to Cornwall for a week of surfing, or returning home after a weekend in the Lake District with friends, I've always made a point of saying 'thanks van'.

To some this may seem a little odd, talking out loud to a pretty inanimate object such as a vehicle, but to me it's quite normal. We've become good friends over the last eight years. We've had our ups and downs like any relationship, on the whole we've had some great times together.

Karma says 'look after your vehicle and your vehicle will look after you' (or something) and that's something I will always stick to. Again, you might not understand until you're asking your van nicely to climb just one more hill!

But sadly (and quite brutally) we're parting company. A younger model is soon to be the van's replacement. Thankfully I'll still see the van regularly as it's being bought by some friends who plan to have similar adventures, good and bad, just like I have done.

If you don't do it, try talking to your car, van or bike sometime. You never know, it might pay off in the long run.

So for one last time, thanks van.

Suffering for your art

2009-01-19T15:08:00.003Z

HHX "Velociraptor" trailer from Platypus films on Vimeo.

Tired of X-Games and Dew Tours? Triple tailwhips and backflips are sooooo boring.

It's refreshing to see a DVD trailer that's showing life from the matt side, ie. not glossy!

Props to all involved. I am inspired.

Am I becoming a brand? Or just a geek?

2009-01-15T15:00:00.006Z

QED is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase quod erat demonstrandum which means literally, that which was to be demonstrated. The phrase is written in its abbreviated form at the end of a mathematical proof or philosophical argument, to signify that the last statement deduced was the one to be demonstrated, so the proof is complete.

I just took the phrase and turned it around; Question Everything Done. It's something my father; the engineer, illustrator and purveyor of common-sense, used to drill into me in everything I did as a youngster; question, question, question.

When I started this blog 'QED' just popped into my head whilst searching for a 'brand'. At the time I didn't even see it as a brand. But it seems to be developing into one...

I've suddenly realised that over the last month, as well as blogging, I've developed my online presence on Twitter, LastFM, Facebook, Picasaweb and a handful of forums. It has struck me that; the more I build my online presence, the more my 'brand' becomes established. All of this seems to be happening naturally.

I was a bit unsure when I first started to blog (as some of you will have read in my first post) about which of my many interests to cover. But I'm coming to the conclusion that it doesn't matter, after all - if you're reading this far, you're reading about me and not necessarily my interests.

Over time, biking will probably dominate the blog, being by far the biggest passion in my life. As for other topics; expect anything I suppose...

Where's my motivation?

2009-01-11T11:13:00.008Z

Can a man have too many hobbies? It was once said that a man without a hobby will be unfaithful, a funny saying I think, but on the whole it's probably true.

If I had to give up all my passions bar one then I would choose the Mountain-biking as the one that stays. It's the one that rewards the most, and it's the one that requires probably the greatest input.

And that's where the problem starts...

I read the magazines, I watch the DVDs, I keep my bike ready-to-ride at a moment's notice, I live in Skipton; the self-titled 'Gateway to the Dales', one of the best riding spots in the country. So where's my motivation gone?

Reasons for not riding today include; there's a gusty wind blowing, it's still freezing cold, the roads are covered in grit salt, the house is nice and warm and I can sit here typing away, and 'from-the-doorstep' routes have all been ridden to death and I crave a fresh challenge.

There's another great saying 'no-one ever regrets exercise', again I'm a firm believer in this one too. My last ride, Whinlatter, on New Years' Day was fantastic, inspiring, challenging and rewarding. So why can't I just get out and ride?

My love affair with biking certainly isn't diminishing. Every waking minute is filled with 'bike thoughts', every time I look across a fair-stretching vista I'm scoping for trails, every time I see a little footpath or gateway I want to explore. So where's my motivation gone?

Sunday night has come around again and it's another weekend without riding. Maybe it's just the winter? Maybe it's the stress of work? Whatever it is, I need to sort it. Surely it's just a phase? If you've found your motivation can you tell me where it was when you got it back, and how. Thanks.

A little sensitive with the censorship...

2008-12-30T10:55:00.005Z

Surely I can't be the first to create this little logo tweak? It seems too obvious!

It would make a nice t-shirt though, what do you think?

It seems odd in this world of web 2.0 that we're still subjected to some rather draconian censorship techniques. Surely in spaces such as SecondLife, PlayStation Home and Facebook there should be the ultimate freedom of speech? Racism and sexism should be non-existent and the equality of living life through an avatar should reign supreme.

But no. You're live on the internet, please do not say fuck or bugger.

This little rant comes about because Home is apparently filtering words such as gay, lesbian, and bisexual from text chats, club naming, and club forums. Whilst it's understandable for Sony to censor profanity, censoring the aforementioned words is taking things too far...

Whatever next? Disabled? Overweight? Middle-aged?

Once again Sony has disappointed. Home could have been a great form of escapism, unfortunately it isn't. There is a proliferation of kids running around, machine-gunning insults at other users; some of these insults would be described as homophobic - is this why Sony has censored them? To protect it's gay users?

Ultimately I feel Sony has missed out on their potential Home audience. Should there have been different levels of censorship for age of user? Should the gender of your avatar be locked from the start? - It's hard for a female gamer to walk around with a female avatar without being mobbed by idiots! And should they have invested the time to moderate Home more effectively rather than leaving it to what is little-more than a hyperactive bleep machine?

Home should have been huge. Now it will become the online equivalent of Beavis & Butthead hanging out in the mall.

Like MTV Cribs... but featuring interesting people.

2008-12-20T16:52:00.009Z

Here's a great little site by Todd Selby that features photographs, paintings and videos of interesting people in creative spaces.

There's a great combination here of lifestyle, architecture, interior design, fashion, personality and culture, all wrapped up in some really good photography.

Each photo session is also accompanied by a hand-written questionnaire to add some personality to the imagery which adds a nice touch.

Take a look, it's far more interesting than looking in some second-rate pop star's fridge or having an overpaid basketball player tell you where the magic happens.

Retarded artistically. Idiotic in other respects.

2008-12-17T11:48:00.012Z

Picture courtesy of Joe Sia

The famous line from Keith Moon's secondary school art teacher report.

I've recently started watching the Sky Arts channel. Over the past few weeks the content seems to be getting better and better. Once of a time it was endless three and a half hour operas which have their place - middle of the afternoon, but are desperately dull when you crave visual stimulus at 10pm.

The recent run of interesting programming has included live footage from Johnny Cash, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Hendrix, and most recently, The Who live from the Isle of Wight.

This classic footage from 1970, when the band weren't on stage until 2am, is an absolute classic. A precursor to the punk era, the band's onstage aggression clearly laid the foundations for the obnoxious acts that followed.

For me, the absolute stand-out talent isn't the stage antics of Townshend or the vocal shrill of Daltry, or the moodiness of Entwhistle, it's the sheer focus of Keith Moon.

The school report also noted that He has great ability, but must guard against a tendency to show off.

Not likely. This was Moon's trademark. Unfortunately it was also his greatest downfall; Moon struggled with a well documented drug and alcohol addiction which ironically brought forth the end of his life, overdosing on the very pills that were supposed to cure him.

It was Alice Cooper that said You never knew where he began and where the characters began, honestly I don't know if I ever met Keith Moon. I don't know if there was a real Keith Moon.

So keep your eyes peeled on the forthcoming schedule on the Sky Arts channel - they are finally showing footage that will really open your eyes.

Winter riding, why bother?

2008-12-15T21:25:00.009Z

It's already been a pretty tough summer. The trails never really dried out. Bikes were never coated in the golden dust of summer's singletrack. Instead, we've had the usual regime of ride, wash, ride, wash - where each time, the wash takes longer than the ride.

This does nothing for the soul. I didn't get into this for the bike-maintenance, I'm in it for the pleasure.

But like any sport, pastime or hobby, it never is plain sailing. Not even sailing is plain sailing! I suppose it's that whole karma thing; for every good ride, there's a bad one. The eternal rotation of spring and summer evolving into autumn and winter is a classic example of this. And I am truly grateful we live on an island with a gloriously diverse (enough) weather system - never too hot, too cold, too windy or snowy, we seem to have just the right sort of weather for mountain biking.

So, looking at this positively, what does winter have to offer:

For starters, nobody else is out riding, rambling or getting in the way, so you’ll have even the most congested summer trails to yourself.

You’ll realise that the weather is hardly ever as bad as you think, and that the rain always looks worse hitting a window than it does when you’re hitting the trails.

When it freezes properly, you’ll find the fastest trails, clearest skies and freshest air that you’ll get all year, and you can’t beat ending a ride with a strong coffee and a bacon butty/slice of cake by a roaring fire.

So get out there. Muster up the energy - you won't regret it.

Home sweet home?

2008-12-15T12:03:00.012Z

It's often a bitter disappointment when reality doesn't live up to hype and expectation. This is exactly how I'm feeling about PlayStation Home.

The PlayStation is one of my 'guilty pleasures', like the staunch fitness freaks that can occasionally be found in Burger King, I can sometimes be found slouched in the sofa, joypad in hand.

Yes, the release date was well overdue. Yes, the closed beta testing went on longer than expected. And yes, it was a day late when the European launch date was finally announced. Did Sony not realise that the moment the open beta went live, every expectant gamer was going to fire up their PS3s and hammer on the servers for entry?

But the best is yet to come.

After spending a good few hours (at selected intervals throughout the weekend) attempting to get online, I finally manage entry on Sunday evening. Things get off to a good start, I create my avatar (he's going bald just like me) and redecorate my apartment with the free furniture available.

Next I head out into Home Square. It's not a bad looking place, there's people playing chess over by the garden in the centre, there's people milling around and chatting, there's people dancing on the grass by the big musical advertising hoarding!

But then you attempt interaction...

The constant barrage of 'Where are you from?', 'How old are you?' and 'What's your name?' is almost too much to bare.

I'm hoping this is purely down to the novelty of something new. There are loads of great features to Home; the ability to play games (obviously), watch movie and game trailers, create clubs of like minded friends, even have a party of invited guests back at your own place!

By 11.30pm last night I did actually find someone to have an intelligent conversation with. We chatted about Home, the difficulties logging in, and the humour we both saw in immature users acting odd behind the mask of their avatar.

I still feel Sony has a lot of work to do to make this a useable space for social interaction. The potential is there, but I think I'll wait for things to settle down first.

Just get out and ride

2008-12-14T12:13:00.002Z

Whilst searching for inspiration to get out and ride, I found this lovely trailer:

ODYSSEY Electronical HD trailer from BMX Avenue on Vimeo.

Whilst I mainly ride mountain bike, I do have an ageing Ammaco Freestyler tucked away in the garage. It's always good to switch disciplines every now and then to keep the skillz* up to scratch.

*irony

The blank piece of paper

2008-12-14T11:54:00.001Z

I've been questioning myself for ages, do I start my own blog? I blog at work on the company website, I've recently started on Twitter, I Stumble, I Digg, I Facebook. Is one more outlet going be the final straw on the social networking camel?

I'm not going to start with the usual introduction to myself (even though this is beginning to sound like one of those opening blogs that you read from people with good intentions that never come to fruition) you'll find out about me as a I progress. And I will. My good friend Tasha has been an inspiration and the one who ultimately answered the question for me.

It's no surprise that the opening blog is written on a Sunday, midday, on the tail-end of a hangover. Like some evangelical outpouring or self-cleansing regime, the blog is focusing my mind like some purifying detox! The hangover is self-inflicted (is there any other form?) but was a necessary; another good friend was celebrating 25 years of marriage, quite an achievement, and an inspiration. Several hours later, and a few frantic text messages, he also became a granddad. No doubt his head has cleared way before mine.

So with the opening metaphor of new life and hangover cures done, here goes. Post number one: read it, forget it, with a bit of luck it will be the worst of the bunch!