Really sad news – I knew him through work in the bike trade many years ago. Sadly the last time I saw him was last year at the funeral of an ex-colleague of ours who wasn’t much older either.
It’s pretty awful looking at his posting history and seeing just how out of the blue this sort of thing can be – he was talking about his new carbon rims being on the way about three days ago
I was looking at his recent posts a few mins ago too. Can’t believe he was on here last week and now he’s no longer with us 🙁
Emotional day for me so far, I have known Brian PIMP (Proper Internanation Maniac Publication, think it was) Messiah, since the the first Scottish race at Rhynie in erk, ’92? Been friends and riding pals ever since, so passionate about all things biking, the more obscure, and expensive, the better! Then spent a lot of my uni time in Alpine bikes where Brian worked as well in the early/mid 90’s. He went off to NZ for a year, i got married then we met again in ’99 when my sone was a few days old, and introduced me to the maniacs, from there i have a group of very close friends and some amazing memories in that time, many thanks to Brian. My last email from him is less than a day ago about new jerseys… get a bit emotional with it sitting there.
Yetiman has known him longer than me and i am sure many hundreds of others. Epeciallay anyone who has been up a hill over 2000ft in Grampian…
Some solice that Brian was doing what he loved dearly, makes me think about not making the trnas savoie with him last year, i never made the cut, he did. I bottled out of entering this year as i never thoiught it possible, but now i feeel the need to do something in his honour.
Will miss you enormously Brian, thank you for the memories.
Anyhoo, to cheery things, Messiah just can not ever be normal in a photo… guess which one…
Remember life is short, Brian lived, i would be happy if i did half what he did.
I knew brian very well back in the early/mid 90’s or so, but lost touch when i drifted away from biking for a few years. however, i’d bumped into him on the trails a couple times recently, and he was just as I renmembered him, and as the photos above illustrate…..always mucking around! the only thing missing is the dreadlocks…..i must have an old pic somewhere!
PS – suburban/yetiman……i suspect I may know you, from a similar era, if not now (David Ogden)??
Awful news. Met him once in 2003 when we were schooled in what all mountain really was (before it was anything) on Lochnagar. Totally out our depths but the e Mountain Maniacs hung around and encouraged is on the way up before they went down Loch Muick and we retreated tails between legs back to Deeside. Still a great ride and bigger bikes soon followed having been shown what was possible. Clearly it wasn’t really about the bike, but every little helps!
Happy memories of the man and thoughts with friends and family at an untimely loss.
I first met Brian when I took my bike into Alpine Bikes in Aberdeen to get fixed about 21 years ago or so. I had entered my first ever race (juvenile category) at Kirkhill Forest and he talked me into entering the youth category instead as it was “more riding for the money”. I got my ass kicked and retired from the race before the end…Thanks Brian
I then ended up working at Alpine off and on for over 10 years and Brian was a regular customer. Always really friendly, fun and enthusiastic about bikes.
I haven’t really seen him in years but it still saddens me to think that he is gone… A true old skool mountain biker!
Shit the bed! Never met him but shared a few chats on here, mainly about avalanche suspension upgrades. He really did enjoy a good geek out. Don’t think I ever noticed him butt heads with anyone on here, seemed like a genuinely good bloke.
I heard the tragic news earlier today. In keeping with a number of others on the forum, I have many great memories and always enjoyed Brian’s company and antics during the early days of Alpine Bikes in Aberdeen. Days spent in the shop would end up on the local trails and his enthusiasm for all things bike was infectious.
I recently met with Brian and friends from the old Alpine days at the funeral of an ex-colleague. Just like Brian, he also lived life to the full, but died too young. RIP
Its all very hard to take in. I would bump into him at Swanley, our local trail. The last was a last year when he was on his Mmmbop. Just after his French Trip. His loss is huge to our community
I met Messiah in jan on my way up to Gravity Sports to order my ion, i was picking up Dippers bike that he had been trying out , we had a good chinwag about the various merits of different wheel sizes and Nics in general.
He was a super friendly guy and i could tell he lived for mtbing!