Always find it amazing how he rides up things with so much skill when the rest of the MTB world focuses on riding down...
Particularly enjoy the steep hillside bit (just a steep, dirt hill). Some serious fitness and commitment there.
I think the steep hillside bit is just on the outskirts of Skipton at the end of the Roman Road. The first climb at about 50s onwards is up Rocky Valley on Ilkley Moor.
skillful as ever
It looked to be filmed behind the back of big Tesco in Swindon.
I think the steep hillside bit is just on the outskirts of Skipton at the end of the Roman Road. The first climb at about 50s onwards is up Rocky Valley on Ilkley Moor.
Yeh, that's Jenny Gill Woods. He seems to like it up there, it's featured on two or three of his videos.
The ease with which he flies up that Rocky Valley climb is depressing!
Sweeeet! 🙂
Do like his videos, always different to the mainstream stuff. Also like the way he leaves in the odd error like a rock strike or a rear wheel missing a rut, makes it much more believable. When is a big bike company gong to pick him up, seems strange he's that good, well followed but on Mongoose.
Another great vid from him, always looks it make SO easy. And 'they' say big wheels aren't as nimble...
Love his videos - that bit at 1:40 with the manual off the rock at the end.
Noticed on this, some of his other videos that he seems to run his forks mega stiff. Taking big hits and not using anywhere near the full travel. I wonder if this is a trials thing - more pop ?
He's pretty ****ing incredible at riding down things too
Great video and fantastic strength, fitness and ability. Even better when you consider that he looks like he got his bike from Argos too.
Doesn't he have a metal rod running the length of his femur from when he fell off that cliff?
Bloody amazing rider and a really nice bloke too!
I really enjoy his videos - they seem to flow as part of a ride rather than being a series of stunts like Danny Macaskill - not better, just different.
And every time I watch one I think "oh, a Mongoose" and go off for a Google...
Really is about time he got himself a decent bike.
You can throw as much fox and XTR at it as you like, it still looks like cheap rubbish.
Cracking rider though.
I was riding home from work two weeks ago and bumped into him filming the last shots for that video. He said he's been working on a bigger project that should be ready soon.
Great video, nice to hear the bike as well rather than music.
+1 to a lot of the comments here, his videos are terrific. I'm also baffled by the Mongoose affiliation, has anyone actually seen one in a shop in the last 10years? I remember they were cool BMX's that I lusted after, with mag wheels...they look like shite mountain bikes though.
Think this is proof that it's the rider not the bike. Who cares if he's on a mongoose. Could you do that on a santa cruz?
out of curiosity I looked online to see where I could buy the bike that he's riding / advertising... and I can't. At least not in the UK. Odd.
Great riding though
Always enjoy a new clip from Akrigg. Even the 'tame' XC ones like this. They always look like the kind of riding you could do, except you probably couldn't...
Always love his style.
I can appreciate all the skills, but for me it’s not a very exciting video. Don’t like the ‘music’ in the background, although I do like you can hear the bike noises.
The bike isn’t great to look at I agree with all the posters above.
He's one of the best riders around, but that 29er looks awkward compared to his other stuff.
Mongooses are sold in Halfords, probably by the millions.
Awesome skills, much rather see him riding amazingly on a mongoose than a santa cruz or other stw approved bike!
Always appears as a much stronger rider than Dannymac as he looks like hes really wrestling tge bike...
Awesome vid though
Love that! Feels like a great ride in the woods but with the skill turned up to 11.
much rather see him riding amazingly on a mongoose than a santa cruz or other stw approved bike!
Why ?
TBH I don't really care what he's riding it just surprises me that he continues to ride bikes that generally look crap and you can't seem to buy in the uk. I'd have thought he could get himself s much nicer bike.
Fair play to him though, he must like them and as said above, it shows that a 5k carbon wonder bike really doesn't matter...
His videos don’t do anything for me. I like watching people do things I can’t or wouldn’t do. All this looks completely doable, uninspiring and like the director wanted it to look like it was filmed in one go but obviously wasn’t.
Poor lad obviously can’t afford the petrol to travel that far out in his car.
Ilkley, Shipley Glen, Howarth, Skipton ish. (Not in that order)
Ahh Bigwatts. Swoon.
Be honest. Have you ever seen anyone riding like that in real life. Just looks daft and inefficient. Lots of bobbing up and down in short burst that no one would maintain for long. Just looks like over exaggerating a a normal ride.
That's sort of the point, isn't it? His style is riding the sort of stuff most people do, but with far more grace and style (and with a bit of trials thrown in).
It's not as spectacular as some videos, but I'm a big fan of it.
The video is not the most technical riding Chris has ever put in a video for sure but it's progressive ind orignal later on making a lot of what he;s riding look easy. The 90 degree endo to pedal stall to kickflip hop onto the rock at 2min 55ish is genius and he makes it look like nothing. watch it again and actually get your head round what he does then think about even just remembering the pedal position and timing required. He then rides up a rocky chute that may not look anywhere near as steep on film but you just know if you saw it in real life you'd have no chance cleaning it in a oner given all day to try. Infact I doubt many could nail the power wheelie turn into it he does before even tackling the chute
I love every video Akrigg does because you can see from simple stuff like little the leaf kick outs he does rolling down a simple bit of trail near the beginning that the guy just loves riding.
Lots of bobbing up and down in short burst that no one would maintain for long.
It's how he rides, pure power but with finesse and accuracy. The guy's been doing it so long he's built to sustain exactly those repeated efforts. It's fairly obvious from your comment you don't. So probably wouldn't maintain it for very long. No.
Take some advice from this guy on your stamina 😉
We must be among gods here in STW.
I think that's ace. The rocky climb was rather smart , I'll be showing little J later.
The music was good too , rather that than a green day soundalike for me. 🙂
@uphillcursing - kneel in the presence of greatness. 😉
I remember they were cool BMX’s that I lusted after, with mag wheels
They weren't even good BMXs. Even the Supergoose was a heavy old thing compared to decent BMX's like Hutch, Robinson, Race Inc etc,.
However, I can't see the problem with him riding for Mongoose, swap the bike for a Santa Cruz Chameleon and would he be doing anything different, no he wouldn't.
The ‘problem’ with Akrigg is that he has a knack for making very difficult riding look easy because he’s so smooth over gnarly awkward terrain. Even from his pure trials days he’d be finding the most awkward natural lines which were technically very hard but never looked especially hard unless you really knew what you were watching. As a result he’d never have the mass appeal of someone like Danny Mac, for example.
I enjoyed that video. Very smooth riding and as above there are some very tech lines that no one on here could clean. But it wasn’t jaw-dropping in the way some videos are.
As for why Mongoose - I’ve seen a video where he says he’s very grateful for them for sticking with him after his accident when it was far from clear he would ever ride (well) again. So there’s that. And probably a decent enough paycheck for him? I wonder if Mongoose just use him to play to their US market? Paint the illusion of a global brand? I’ve always thought it was a weird association but it seems to have worked for both parties for a number of years. And the videos keep coming so who are we to complain?
Right I'm not having this. He parked in the space outside my house, man's a prick I tell thee.
I've heard there's video footage of him, in his back yard, next to his coal shed burning an effigy of Steve Peat on his Santa Cruz.
Something is not right. On the cover frame to that video (scroll up to the first post) I can clearly see he's got Shimano XT wheelset. I've got the same. And my wheels don't ride even close like his!
I’ve got the same. And my wheels don’t ride even close like his!
Nonsense man. Round these parts Mr Akrigg is plainly only a fair to middling rider. Thought about taking up knitting instead?
All this looks completely doable
Err, except by you. If I am wrong however, please feel free to post your own rad video for comparison.
Thought about taking up knitting instead?
I'm seriously considering this...
Thought about taking up knitting instead?
You can't get away from all those show-offs making you feel bad about your skillz. 🙂
fantastic video
fantastic that he is riding what folk on here presume to be a shit bike
fantastic rider
Yorkshire lad, nuff said
Be honest. Have you ever seen anyone riding like that in real life. Just looks daft and inefficient. Lots of bobbing up and down in short burst that no one would maintain for long. Just looks like over exaggerating a a normal ride.
I'm guessing troll, but I'm not busy.
Nope, I've never seen anyone ride that well in real life. I bet it's the most efficient way of riding those sections. If you're going to be making explosive efforts, you need to be in a high gear. Can't sit and spin and do what he's doing.
no one would maintain for long
course not! it's a blimmin' video! for entertainment! There's a guy stood filming, he can't go far! Want to watch a film of someone on a 20 mile xc ride? Not me. Probably loads on youtube, though. Or watch live road racing.
And he can maintain it longer than most (missus) he's won road hill climb events.
Doesn’t he have a metal rod running the length of his femur
I also have a metal rod running the length of my femur. It doesn't allow me to ride like this tho. Maybe I should complain to the NHS?
Another epic video.
Love his riding. The natural lines he finds and then tackles is amazing. He's such a smooth rider. Can't get my head around the way he picks some of those lines through the uphill boulder footpath.
I put him on another level to Danny Mac. He does all this on some BSO mongoose frame too.
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Reasonable build that most of us would use year round as our hardtail, no special stuff there. That frame too, straight from early 2000s; high stand over, QR, front mech mount, long HT, steep HT & high BB. Most of us probably couldn't manual that.
If you think it's all doable I'm happy to take you to the hill he rides up for you to have a go. It's hairy enough going down it!
long HT, steep HT & high BB. Most of us probably couldn’t manual that.
eh?
If you can manual decently, as long as you can get the saddle low enough the rest of the geometry on that frame won't really give you any trouble. Higher bars (from the long headtube) and high BBs are EASIER to initiate manuals on than low bars and low BBs.
Reasonable build that most of us would use year round as our hardtail, no special stuff there.
A half decent alu hardtail frame is much of a muchness. He didn't skimp on the fork though did he which is arguably the key component that makes a difference.
The interesting thing is the geometry, how can he possibly ride a bike that isn't low and slack...
The salient points for me:
Chris Akrigg is an amazing rider. The rocky valley climb is something that wouldn't even register with me as worth having a go at.
Budget bike brands can make bikes that look decent, with decent standover, that don't looks like BSOs. Mongoose cannot, it seems.
Go on then bigwatts. It's a small country and that riding was pretty close to the middle of the UK - so you should be able to get there at some point - hopefully even this year. Locate the bits he rode, pop a Go Pro up on a tripod and post your vid up here. If you can do all that stuff, I will buy you a pint.
His style is riding the sort of stuff most people do, but with far more grace and style (and with a bit of trials thrown in).
The vid reminded me of exactly the sort of ride I used to do with a few mates (minus the skills, of course) - pedal somewhere, see a feature, stop, have some cake, try and ride up/down/on/off said feature, optionally laugh as someone fell off, and then repeat further along.
The advent of trail centres and full suss have sort of meant a move away from that sort of 'dicking about' ride, at least in my case.
Why ?
Because it shows the biking experience is the rider and the trail, not the brand/price of the bike, which is the opposite of the stw paradigm and as this thread shows it clearly riles people that a non stw-approved bike is being ridden in such a video, which amuses me greatly.
Cracking vid
Always enjoy his videos and kinda like the fact that he rides an unfashionable brand/geometry/ whatever.
My favourite rider, such a talented bloke and makes it all look effortless. I couldn’t care less about the bike he’s riding. Doesn’t seem to have any negative effect on his riding:
Hope he doesn't get the mardy arse cow telling him not to ride on harden moor like I get a lot of the time... It's being ruined don't you know.
I love every video Akrigg does because you can see from simple stuff like little the leaf kick outs he does rolling down a simple bit of trail near the beginning that the guy just loves riding.
Definitely!
That bikesnot that outta date, plus it must be stronger than his old pace
Enjoyed that video, makes it look easy
Hope he doesn’t get the mardy arse cow telling him not to ride on harden moor like I get a lot of the time… It’s being ruined don’t you know.
I can sort of understand people getting upset on footpaths in St Ives park, but Harden Moor is an open access old disused quarry ffs. I've only been challenged once and it was an amicable "I don't like to be thought of as a NIMBY whiner, but........."
She said she'd phoned the council and the council person had sympathised with her complaint, I said I personally knew the council woodland and parks manager and he didn't have an issue with MTBers using public access land (ie Harden Moor) as long as the usual common sense rules are applied around litter, courtesy, leave it as you find it etc. End of IMO
I do wonder what it is that's so precious up there when there's a big quarry next door that will no doubt sooner or later be a housing estate or chicken factory, and the MX riders on a fairly regular basis doing what they do around the place. Good to know the council aren't really bothered, thanks for the info.
Never seen an Akrigg film crew up there though.
Good to know the council aren’t really bothered, thanks for the info.
Ah, but It's still all a bit spurious, depends who you speak to in the council, there are no specific agreements that I'm aware of for Harden Moor (unlike Ilkley Moor where an MTB protocol has been historically drawn up and agreed, so has some substance). One person in the council saying they are ok about it (despite their position) doesn't necessarily mean you won't be challenged by a Ranger on a motorbike, altho the worst they'll probably do is tell you to leave, especially if you do the courtesy stuff.
2 pages and no one has asked “what tyres for?”....
Akrigg videos are the best riding videos imo. Everything about them is so good, the music, the location, audio and obviously the riding.
There's so many little bits you miss, so they stand up to repeat viewings. Plus lots of the locations and features aren't massive crazy things, the kind of places many of us would just ride by without even seeing that anything was possible on them, but Chris does crazy things on seemingly simple features.That's the genius.
Always instantly want to go out and ride after watching one.
he must have signed a long contract with Mongoose at some point? id imagine bigger brands will be queuing up to have their bikes featured in vids like this? hope he doesnt go Santer Cruise tho. would be an awesome partnership with Orange!
Saunter Cruise, shurely?
I always watch Akriggs videos in awe, the guy is brilliant, couldn't really give a flying **** what brand of bike he's on.
Enjoyed that!
I'd like to see a vid of the thread's riding god, pulling that move at 3:01 and up the subsequent climb, or even slightly similar.. somehow, I bet we won't.
Where are all the people? Must have been difficult to make it look like no one is there, these places must usually be busy with people especially when its as nice and sunny as it is in the video?
I liked the video and really appreciate the technical skills involved. the reason it looks easy is because CA is very very talented.
Filmed mid-week maybe? Baildon Bank - the dog walkers tend to stick up by the road rather than drop into the woods, maybe a few boulderers there of an evening. The stuff on the top of Ilkley Moor is generally quiet, I've been over there on a weekend and it's not unusual to be alone for fifteen to twenty minutes. Rocky Valley might be trickier as it's close to town. I've never seen anyone on the steep climb on the edge of Skipton despite it being less than 200m from a housing estate.
Wouldn't be too hard to get shots with only CA in them.
Where are all the people? Must have been difficult to make it look like no one is there, these places must usually be busy with people especially when its as nice and sunny as it is in the video?
Would've been done on weekday mornings, most moorland areas near towns will have no one on them at this time of day tbh.
I've seen the pair of them in Walkers bakery a couple of times over the years, mid filming I presumed, always during day, mid week and strawberry tarts. you're only going to encounter the occasional dog walker in those locations mid week outside school hols.
Maybe a stupid question, but anyone know how that's filmed? Is it a drone following him up that rocky climb at 0:50?
Maybe a stupid question, but anyone know how that’s filmed? Is it a drone following him up that rocky climb at 0:50?
From the way the camera moves I think they just use a handheld gimbal mounted camera?
Another Akrigg classic!
Skipton track at the top of Short Bank Road is the very first place I rode a MTB - back in 1987.
I was instantly hooked and bought my own 3 months later and went back there for the rooty, rocky goodness.
I tried to get up that climb time and again. There was one line that I cleared, but can't honestly remember if I cleared the one in this vid. Definitely failed millions of times though.
Many many evenings spent there and the woods/quarry above Embsay. I remember Chris turning up one night and hopping all the big rocks surrounding the quarry. I also worked with him for a litte while in Aire Valley Cycles.
Ahhh - happy memories. Don't think I'd trade it for the Peak District where I live now though.
It's a great little descent - and a very frustrating climb. I've never cleaned it, and that's talking about the 'easy' way on the right, certainly not on the steep bit he's on.