Did you watch the rugby at the weekend? They helpfully wear numbered shirts so you can more easily count them. How many people in a scrum?

And they are tested regularly just like footballers. I don’t believe the video is justified either.

Spraying a bike is not part of his job, that’s the job of people who spray bikes for a living.

Creating content for YouTube is though.

No one wearing face coverings? You obvs watched a different video to me.

How do you know this top level international bike rider isn’t being tested regularly?

I’ve not been a STW member for very long but what I have learnt in that short amount of time, that there are plenty of pathetic old men on this forum.

It isn’t just STW, the last 12 months have shown the majority of the UK to be sanctimonious snitches, whining about every one else’s slight indiscretions while carrying doing whatever they consider their personal righteous actions.

• Performing arts professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes

says the govt site with advice for people creating content. So no, not breaking the law

I actually really liked the video – I love a bit of spray work and watching a pro teach an enthusiastic beginner was cool.

No one wearing face coverings? You obvs watched a different video to me.

Sorry they weren’t – not even a little bit. PPF3 Spray masks are valved for exhale. So anything in your lungs is straight into the atmosphere. Zero covid effect – like the nobbers walking around with valved face coverings – just don’t work. Indoors & non face coverings. There were a few shots where multiple members of the fatcreations staff were indoors in and out of shot in the same space without masks. That is plain not how a business is meant to be operating at the moment. I’m sure plenty are and millions of little slip ups must be happened nationwide every day – but I’m sure as hell wouldn’t want to be recorded and broadcast doing so if it was my business.

I get that for a you tuber it’s their job. But most you tubers I’ve seen have sufficiently adjusted what they are doing to make it covid safe and more importantly in reality make it look responsible. As entertaining and likable as he is, he is not doing that.

Brendog the rule breaker ?

Curtain twitching at it’s best…

His job – Living life to the full.

OK, this past year of being locked down is a bit like an open prison, with a bit of freedom but you must follow the rules and stay in. Which looks to have turned some folk into professional asses(Not suggesting the OP is an ass, but appears some are).

to make it covid safe and more importantly in reality make it look responsible. As entertaining and likable as he is, he is not doing that.

sure, but this is a “performance” in the same way that you wouldn’t expect the actors in a period drama to be wearing masks, or the presenters on every TV show (bbc morning news for instance have 2 people sitting side by side…no masks). This is the same thing, it’s a TV show, not real life

Heres something to ruffle the feathers of all the curtain twitchers.

You have no idea about any workplace risk assessments that have been carried out there. I imagine they have done this.

Furthermore there are no mandatory rules for wearing face coverings in that setting.

So should news TV crews also stay at home? What about other professional sports people? Football? Rugby? Cricket? etc.

I’ve not been a STW member for very long but what I have learnt in that short amount of time, that there are plenty of pathetic old men on this forum.

That’s going to look dope.

I think you will find STW is a hotbed of cool young chaps who use words like “dope” and those who “pull the trigger” when making online purchases.

The level of bell endery on this thread is spectacular. He’s doing his job, for right or wrong he’s allowed to. Some of you remind me of the lovely women last April, who told me “I hope your family get cancer” when I was delivering to one of her neighbours. Seriously, **** off you self righteous boomer ****. People have to earn a living, not all of us can work from home or claim furlough.

And if this annoys you, you’ll blow a **** gasket if you see him riding an ebike 😁

The level of bell endery on this thread is spectacular. He’s doing his job, for right or wrong he’s allowed to.

You are right of course. He is allowed to try to make a living. But I see very little evidence in that video that either the firm he visited or the you tubers made much of a covid adaption effort. It would have been very easy to tweak. Most others are – by making different sort of material or using masks, keeping at 2m, shooting outside etc. I’ve just reminded myself the guy in the video that owns/runs FC is doing so as a come back from illness – used to be a bit of a hitter himself but has a major heart issue. Probably on the severely at risk group. I guess he could have been vaccinated already and pretty relaxed about everything.

Are you volunteering to pay his bills then? He’s got a young baby to pay for. Or, you could mind your own business and get on with life

Are you volunteering to pay his bills then? He’s got a young baby to pay for.

Can you actually read?

Read my lips text…….go for your life with the video content. Knock yourself out – it’s entertaining for the rest of us stuck in lockdown. Almost a public service. But just try a little harder to look like you are trying to comply. It’s really easy – most other content creators are doing it.

Or, you could mind your own business and get on with life

Why should I (we, the great unwashed) not comment? It’s not exactly like he’s filmed this for friends and family to watch. It’s in the public domain – that’s how he pays for that baby. He wants comment and interaction – that’s how it works. Just use a bit more good judgement and little more imagination and all the comments would be positive. Because he’s very good at making watchable material.

And you say I’m the angry one?

All I said was is he breaking the rules.
As far as I’m concerned he is. Painting a bike frame isn’t essential any more than Instagrammers trips to Dubai are. I understand he’s got bills to pay but there are plenty of people who can’t work who also have bills to pay.

I haven’t been furloughed and have been at work all the way through as I’m an essential worker and have bills to pay and a toddler to take care off.
I’m having a massive party tomorrow round my house anyway and you’re all invited. I’m going to put it on YouTube and claim it’s my job so should be alright eh?

Painting a bike frame isn’t essential any more than Instagrammers trips to Dubai are

Sure, lots of jobs aren’t essential.  The current rules say; work from home if you can, if you can’t; then go to work normally. The rules are flabby, and the govt are invested in you becoming angry and upset with people like Brendog because it diverts attention away from the people who wrote the flabby rules in the first place, hence you get al the nonsense about breaking the “spirit” of the rules. This govt have leaned heavily on the word “essential” during the pandemic without actually troubling themselves to accurately define it

The Johnson govt are like cowboy builders who’ve built a shoddy extension and then declaim that it’s horrid that the rain comes in through the gap in the window and wall…You can get angry about Brendog “showing off” if you want, but it’s precisely the “showing off” bit about what he’s doing that makes it legal.

Interesting to see so many of those clamouring for tighter/longer lockdowns on the Covid thread now piling into this one to defend someone who is clearly not doing essential work. Is everyone just so bored they want a fight?

He might not be breaking any laws but if we all bent the rules like that a lot more people would be dying. If I have to work from home as far as I can, so should he.

If I have to work from home as far as I can, so should he.

What about these two? Should they be working from home? Because the same rules that allow these two to work at a studio in Manchester (without troubling themselves to take extra precautions, like wearing a mask), is precisely the same rule that Brendog is exploiting to make YouTube content

I do find it interesting that this is the video that’s been singled out……
There are sooo many online of pro MTB’rs going for a ride (with their pro YouTube camera buddy), and then ‘happen’ to come across all their mates (also with pro camera buddy’s), all making a vlog together.

Personally I couldn’t give a damn anymore…. I see so many people every day braking the current restrictions that for Brendon / Oli to go paint their bikes for my enjoyment really is small on my list of ‘oh isn’t that anoying’ things.

The rules are silly, the gov has done a terrible job. Stop pointing at others and concentrate on your own accountability.

Not sure why it’s so hard for some people to understand, aside from being a professional rider he also has a Youtube channel. He can still create content (as his job) for the channel regardless of what that content is, just so happens he wanted to spray his bike and document it for said channel (allowed) and he collaborated with another business that is still allowed to trade during lock down.

So Bren and Fat Creations engaged in a ‘business transaction’, no rules broken.

As for if/why/what masks they were wearing, why do you care? Concentrate on what you’re doing.

Scummy cause if everyone was a little bit more sensible maybe we wouldn’t have such a high death rate.
They are holding hands at 5min point in the video so obviously not that fussed about common sense

What about these two? Should they be working from home? Because the same rules that allow these two to work at a studio in Manchester, is precisely the same rule that Brendog is exploiting to make YouTube content

They could be I guess – a lot of radio broadcasters are.

But your video still is a perfect example – I was thinking about trying to find a screen grab but cnba so thank you. See the distance between where they are sitting? That’s not normal – that’s a covid response. An easy tweak. I’m no scientist and appreciate the 2m ‘rule’ is arguably a bit arbitrary but they look like they are trying. Do you remember Tom Cruise loosing the plot a couple of months ago – same deal. People making content and socially distancing (or not in the Tom Cruise rant’s case) so they have the right to continue making content/films whilst the rest of us live bolloxed lives.

It’s just simple tweaks like that BD needs to make, and is not. Probably because whilst he is monetizing the work in every other respect he is an non-professional broadcaster/content creator and doesn’t really know what he’s doing. Because he is actually a mountain biker who has chanced upon this extra line of work.

Tell Bozza then. Think you should direct your frustration elsewhere tbh

They could be I guess – a lot of radio broadcasters are.

But the Govts own rules say they don’t need to, as I posted up there a few hours ago. You can make TV normally, here’s that line again…

• Performing arts professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes

There’s nothing in that that says you have to sit apart of wear masks or anything…So why single Brendog out?

There’s nothing in that that says you have to sit apart of wear masks or anything

Yet weirdly the pros on mainstream media do. Odd isn’t it. Almost like there are industry guidelines they are following. All very confusing.

Performing arts professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes

I think my monitor must be broken. You said it they can make them ‘normally’. I keep reading that line and the stupid computer keeps on deleting the ‘normally’ from it. Could you please help by showing me where it’s deleting it from. Stupid thing.

He is allowed, no doubt.

But his channel is sort of gonzo-style journalism. “I get my bike painted because I’m an ordinary MTBer” with the subtext that all us ordinary folk should all go out and spend actual money with FAT creations. To achieve that style, the video is kept jokey – it’s supposed to look like bants between mates. And while doing that he trivialises the lockdown. People watching may well think “he’s doing that so I can too”.

Now, I don’t take my cues from Brendog, or whatever athlete/celeb/professional footballer is supposed to be ‘setting an example’ to me. But it seems a lot of people do. Do we expect MTB YouTubers to be setting an example? I dunno, but it does seem kind of irresponsible to me.

TLDR; is it illegal? No.
Unfair? Yeah.
Irresponsible? Maybe.

I dont have a problem with what Brendog is doing in that video, but Bernard Kerrs latest video is a blatant p*ss take of the rules

The Atherton’s do appear to keen to have fellow pro mtb’ers turn up and ride without out taking precautions.

Theres a Matt Jones video where he gets in the same vehicle as one of the Athertons without wearing a mask.

In that vid Bernard walks in to a fuel station close to where I live without wearing a mask. Maybe he has a medical condition that means he does not need to wear a mask, or maybe he is just an idiot?

Our local hospital is full of COVID patients and over run. The local specialist orthopaedic hospital is currently closed because the acute hospital is too busy. Some of these very same world class mtbers have had treatment at that hospital in the past. The these same people are potentially spreading the virus in to this area.

if everyone was a little bit more sensible maybe we wouldn’t have such a high death rate.

No. If we had a government that weren’t such a self serving useless pack of shits. And an electorate that weren’t so stupid as to have voted for Brexit, which then mandated that s stupid cabinet was essential to push it through and hence that same cabinet would by design be totally incapable of making any sensible decisions.

Then we wouldn’t have such a high death rate.

I personally don’t have an issue with the vid, but I also don’t have an issue with the OP calling it out if he thinks the guy is taking the piss.

As an aside, I don’t get why people seem to think that it’s bad that people call out rule breaking. It’s folk that break the rules that contribute to a continuing lock down.

my issue with the video is that he went to a rural location, where NHS services are limited under a guise of work. He didnt have to be in mid Wales and could have created youtube content in Surrey where he lives – there was absolutely no reason to go to Dyfi.

id love to see my parents in wales, but i cant , and haven’t done so in order to obey the rules. If i decide to start up a youtube channel to supplement my work and film myself visiting my parents would that be acceptable – no it wouldnt.

Its a youtube loophole that is being exploited to allow a certain few to carry on as normal.

I love how all these comments and opinions are based on personal opinion rather than fact.

Read the rules, digest them and then you will see that there is no loophole and that elite athletes etc are only abiding by guidance that has been given.

What Brexit / opinions of the government have to do with any of it I have no idea.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/elite-sport-return-to-training-guidance-step-one–2

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20200512-about-bc-news-British-Cycling-Updated-Coronavirus-Guidance-0

oh and @thegeneralist aparently Im stupid……..nice fella you are…

Eek. What happened to the swear filter.

Oops.

nice fella you are…

Yeah ok. I’m being a knob. Stressed and bored. No excuse. Sorry.

No. If we had a government that weren’t such a self serving useless pack of shits

No, it’s simply not good enough to blame the government. We all have an individual and collective responsibility to follow the spirit of the rules and do what is right.

Anyway, your government doesn’t set the rules here in Wales…

It’s really not Boris Johnson’s fault Bernard Kerr travelled all that way to have fun on his bike. With his mates. And maybe inspire the more impressionable to ignore the rules too. It’s irresponsible and it’s wrong.

As a professional mtb guide I need to keep up my skills and fitness. Does that mean I too can go ride wherever the hell I want?

As a professional mtb guide I need to keep up my skills and fitness. Does that mean I too can go ride wherever the hell I want?

It does, so long as you video it and set a bad example.

@thegeneralist apology accepted. No worries mate.

Having watched it, it’s not the non-essential v essential journey argument that really stands out, I just can’t understand why they can’t take a few seconds to put on a paper masks before get in such close contact with each other. Is it that important we can see the mouth of someone expecting that they print stickers or how wave about a spray gun. We’ve managed it in work for months

Loving the colour of the frame and it would look great with the stays in blue with the gold/yellow highlights.

None of us know what risk assessments were carried out on site or what other precautions were taken before filming. The guy creates content as part of his job and I’m not sure how it can be compared to the muppets hanging out in Dubai posting pictures of themselves. At least what he’s doing is related to the sport he partakes in.

Sorry, burn him or cancel him or something.

He’s employed/sponsored/paid to promote the brand. That goes way beyond just the riding.

very true. I’m not sure how him blatantly being stupid in a pandemic helps his sponsors? I would have thought he would be embarrassing them