Sure this has already been doing the rounds on here……. has anyone else watched this. Brilliant little film / documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6zbENQcwkk&fbclid=IwAR28PLqRp29ghlTrLw0i5H_zuk02Sq6UY3VTxAVH4wYjP4KDNXDUwHB9Lcg

It is tremendous no?

I’d love to have a go on one of those Geoff Apps designed  bikes, just to see what the craic is

that Geoff Apps dude is a bit of a character!!

It’s a great film, I remember the funding campaign (and the day at Singletrack Towers that went along with it)

First time I’ve seen it. Great.

Need a story on Geoff Apps and Graham Wallace before it’s too late. That’s a stream of off road cycling that’s never had the publicity it deserves.

Yep, I suggested on here about year back that they should interview Geoff.

His bikes are interesting to ride, very different from current on-trend long, low, slack bikes, but great in their own way. You can ride through, up and over pretty much anything at a calm, unruffled pace.

In many cases probably better suited to standard UK riding conditions and terrain (trail centres excluded) than what most of us ride.

Closest production bikes to his vision are probably things like the Surly Krampus, or maybe Stooge, but they’re still very different beasts.

Who’s that sexy beast in the green top and blue helmet at 35.47…??? Oh year… TIS ME!!!!

Was fun filming that!
Though… personally, thought the film was actually pretty naff!!

Oh wells…

DrP

His bikes are interesting to ride

Have you ridden one? I’d love to hear more. They’re such a huge step away in terms of design philosophy from what we’re (essentially) all riding now as to be such fascinating discussion.

Would love to see a conversation between Chris Porter and Geoff Apps!

thought the film was actually pretty naff!!

I seem to remember it was really good, until it got to the last decade, when they just pasted in some Danny Mac and Martyn Ashton videos that were the total opposite of “untold”.

Is that unfair?

Have you ridden one? I’d love to hear more.

Yep, been out for a few rides with Geoff, and tried his bike on each occasion. It was always slightly different, as he’s an inveterate tweaker and inventor.

In brief – it’s short, steep angles, zero length stem with high bars, 29er wheels, relatively narrow rims with DH 29er tyres and motorbike tubes, run at about 5/6 psi!
Also (very) elliptical chainrings, pedals with a cam axle, so your crank length effectively changes during each pedal stroke. Full chainguard and mudguards, drum brakes, and gearbox hub.

Geoff likened riding it to balancing a broom on your hand – it only works with a long broom, therefore the short, high build of the bike. Lots of small incremental movements, give you lots of slow speed control.

Watch the film, and you see it looks like he’s wobbling around, but in fact that’s how the bike handles so well on rough ground at slow speed.
It’s quite counter-intuitive, but by ‘eck it works!

As he’s says, it’s much more like observed motor bike trials – getting from A to B, over rough terrain and obstacles – than balls-to-the wall downhilling.

Yeah, I’ve not watched it recently but I was hugely underwhelmed by it.

I’ve been lucky enough to see Geoff’s bikes in the flesh since 1985. Back then we used to have a monthly ride either at Wendover or with Dave Wrath-Sharman around Surrey Hills. We all still go for a yearly ride at Wendover in the depths of the December mud, it’s customary to spend 50% of the day talking bike the rest riding.
Last year ther was only 3 of us.

I’ve had tea and biscuits at Geoff’s house.

He’d borrowed mugs for 20 of us.

Then we hear what sounds like a steam locomotive puffing away – in the middle of nowhere. Going inside and he’s playing recordings at full volume out of a top-end HiFi system.

We also talked bikes.

Thought I’d watch a few minutes of that sitting on the loo…. Ended up watching the whole film and now have a numb bum.

Great watch. I’ll watch that again on a larger screen next time.lol

I like the film and Geoff Apps bikes appeal – although I like quite a range of bikes and am fairly open-minded. If love a couple of those really early bikes – maybe one of his and an Overburys Pioneer!

I don’t know if Chris Porter and Geoff would get on, but they both have that ability to focus very strongly indeed on what makes a bike ride well for their riding. In that that have more in common than they don’t.

I recently watched it and thought it was great

I don’t know if Chris Porter and Geoff would get on

I think they’d get on just fine, they’re pretty similar characters, they’ve ploughed their own furrows to get the vehicles they want regardless of the mainstream.

I’ll make the same point I did last time it was mentioned on here – the film had an overwhelming focus on the sport, rather than the recreation, side of mountain biking. I appreciate that may have been influenced by the better availability of old footage. In any case, I found it pretty uninteresting, not what I’d expected at all.