Getting Into Flatland Biking

"ukflatland" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hey,
>
> Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
> youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
>
> It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on
> the sport.

Had a look. The website is definitely "form over function." There is essentially no content. Kinda
useless in its current state.

Does the world need yet another micro-subdivision of bicycle eventing?

-Barry

"B. Sanders" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:sTUna.510984

> Had a look. The website is definitely "form over function." There is essentially no content. Kinda
> useless in its current state.

It would also help if you put a "what the heck is flatland biking?" section on the site. You assume
that all visitors know what you are talking about before they stop by. Big mistake. If you want
traffic, you better tell them what it is you are talking about in the first place (and a post on a
newsgroup isn't good enough).

Using a few pictures of "flatlanders" in action instead of the goofy "art" would get the point of
the website across more quickly.

-Buck

Buck <j u n k m a i l @ g a l a x y c o r p . c o m> wrote:
: "B. Sanders" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:sTUna.510984

:> Had a look. The website is definitely "form over function." There is essentially no content.
:> Kinda useless in its current state.

: It would also help if you put a "what the heck is flatland biking?" section

Flatland biking is a place on the tour that you had better have plenty of patches handy.

--------------------------------
Bob Masse' [email protected]
--------------------------------

This is all understatement. There is NOTHING at this site that says anything about what this
is. Kooky!

--

Jeff Potter [email protected] http://OutYourBackdoor.com -- a friendly ezine of modern
folkways and culture revival...offering a line of alternative books and a world of bikes, boats,
skis...plus shops for great sleeper books, videos and music ...plus nationwide "Off the Beaten Path"
travel forums for local fun, bumperstickers and a new social magnet stickers! ...Holy Smokes!!!

"Jeff Potter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> This is all understatement. There is NOTHING at this site that says
anything
> about what this is. Kooky!

You got it. I was just trying to be nice

As a web designer with a deep streak of practicality and a focus on useability and clarity of
content, I would have to rate the Flatland website as "not pretty, but useless." Basically, a
waste of time.

This is illustrative of my head-on collision with graphic designers. I have no problem with making
things pretty (or at least highly decorative), as long as they're also useful. Of course, sometimes
web design crosses over into the art realm - it's just for looks, with or without meaningful visual
metaphor and/or textual poetry, video artistry. This is where it gets tricky. Perhaps the designers
of the Flatland website see wasting my time as an artistic statement. Is that valid? Who is to say?

It isn't my worry about offending that makes me go easy on web designers, it's my attempt at keeping
an open mind to new forms of expression. That's not always easy, especially for old guys.

-Barry

>
> --
>
> Jeff Potter [email protected] http://OutYourBackdoor.com -- a friendly ezine of modern
> folkways and culture revival...offering a line of alternative books and a world of bikes, boats,
> skis...plus shops for great sleeper books, videos and music ...plus nationwide "Off the Beaten
> Path" travel forums for local fun, bumperstickers and a new social magnet stickers! ...Holy
> Smokes!!!

In article <sTUna.510984$L1.145842@sccrnsc02>, "B. Sanders" <[email protected]> writes:

> Does the world need yet another micro-subdivision of bicycle eventing?

Yes! At least, the kids need it, especially in these times when youth interest in cycling seems to
be flagging.

Flatland is a BMX style that young people can truly call their own, and nestle it in their
[sub]culture without danger of cultural/generational/corporate appropriation. If it gets them onto
bikes, it's fine by me.

The style is uncluttered by specially-constructed ramps, halfpipes and walls, so just about
/anybody/ with the right bike (and young enough body) can work at it, regardless of income or
environment. I say "work at it", because acquiring and honing the essential skills is very
demanding; the tricks are very impressive.

As a sometime spectator, I've sensed a sort of Zen-like interrelationship between bike, rider and
terrain that is quite distinct from what might be noticed in other types of riding. I guess it's
because there's a certain degree of minimalism involved -- just a bike, a rider, and an empty
parking lot or some other little bit of empty space to ride in.

Watching them makes me rue my own many wasted years; if I were 30 or so (okay, 40) years younger,
I'd join 'em. But my hat's off to the young people who are into it. Besides, it gives them something
to do other than spray-painting graffiti on buildings, or knocking over portable toilets at
construction sites.

Yes, Flatland is needed. It belongs to the younger folks though, and that's how it should be. The
kids are alright.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Flatland is a BMX style that young people can truly call their own, and nestle it in their
> [sub]culture without danger of cultural/generational/corporate appropriation. If it gets them onto
> bikes, it's fine by me.

Back at home, there are a bunch of flatland kiddies who hang out on a streetcorner near the center
of our town, doing tricks on the sidewalk and being cool.

One day, I did something on my bike that had them staring at me in utter disbelief, something that
they could never, ever, in a million years even think of doing on a bicycle. It was so amazing,
their eyes followed me as I did it.

I rode with traffic.

-Luigi

[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Flatland is a BMX style that young people can truly call their own, and nestle it in their
> [sub]culture without danger of cultural/generational/corporate appropriation. If it gets them onto
> bikes, it's fine by me.

Back at home, there are a bunch of flatland kiddies who hang out on a streetcorner near the center
of our town, doing tricks on the sidewalk and being cool.

One day, I did something on my bike that had them staring at me in utter disbelief, something that
they could never, ever, in a million years even think of doing on a bicycle. It was so amazing,
their eyes followed me as I did it.

I rode with traffic.

-Luigi

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Luigi de Guzman) writes:
> [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> One day, I did something on my bike that had them staring at me in utter disbelief, something that
> they could never, ever, in a million years even think of doing on a bicycle.

Oh, I think they could, if they put their mind to it. Or wanted to.

Get the young ppl on bikes, somehow...anyhow, in the first place.

The rest follows.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

ukflatland wrote:
>
> Hey,
>
> Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
> youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
>
> It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on
> the sport.

I thought flatland biking was riding in East Central Illinois.

In fact, when I lived in Champaign-Urbana, one of our cycle club routes went through Flatville, IL.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> ukflatland wrote:
> >
> > Hey,
> >
> > Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is.

Yes, I know very well what flatland is. I live in Illinois, USA.

> I thought flatland biking was riding in East Central Illinois.
>
> when I lived in Champaign-Urbana, one of our cycle club routes went through Flatville, IL.

"Sure is *flat* around here, ain't it?" "Yep. Sure is." "What you reckon we oughta call this little
muddy spot with the livery stable and the church on it?" "Hmm. I don't rightly know." "How about
'Flatville'." "That'll do fine."

"Tom Keats" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Flatland is a BMX style ...
>
> The style is uncluttered by specially-constructed ramps, halfpipes and walls, so just about
> /anybody/ with the right bike (and young enough body) can work at it, regardless of income or
> environment. I say "work at it", because acquiring and honing the essential skills is very
> demanding; the tricks are very impressive.

Thanks. That's much more informative that either the web site or the other messages in this thread.

And, you're right. Riding like an adult isn't what you want to do when you are in the BMX
target group.

On 18 Apr 2003 02:43:57 -0700, [email protected] (ukflatland) wrote:

>Hey,
>
>Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
>youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
>
>It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on
>the sport.

what? is this the same thing that was around like 15 years ago when every kid wanted to buy a haro
with pegs and a rotor so you could spin the handlebars 360 and not catch the cables...

we never called it 'flatland' when i was a kid. it was just trick riding for days when you couldnt
ride the skateboard.

-- Dark Fiber <[email protected]> -- [FAQ] Write Your Own Operating System
http://www.mega-tokyo.com/os Sarien Sierra AGI Emulator http://www.mega-tokyo.com/sarien 3x3 Eyes
Fanfiction Archive http://www.mega-tokyo.com/pai

In article <[email protected]>, Dark Fiber <[email protected]> wrote:

> On 18 Apr 2003 02:43:57 -0700, [email protected] (ukflatland) wrote:
>
> >Hey,
> >
> >Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
> >youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
> >
> >It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on
> >the sport.
>
> what? is this the same thing that was around like 15 years ago when every kid wanted to buy a haro
> with pegs and a rotor so you could spin the handlebars 360 and not catch the cables...
>
> we never called it 'flatland' when i was a kid. it was just trick riding for days when you couldnt
> ride the skateboard.

It's the same thing, but I think it's "flatland" to differentiate it from skate park and bowl
riding, "street" (riding urban terrain, usually with an emphasis on wall-rides, grinds, etc.), and
dirt-jumping.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Ok all info you gave me has been taken into account, thanks for taking the time to reply

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Dark Fiber
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On 18 Apr 2003 02:43:57 -0700, [email protected] (ukflatland) wrote:
> >
> > >Hey,
> > >
> > >Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
> > >youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
> > >
> > >It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on the
> > >sport.
> >
> > what? is this the same thing that was around like 15 years ago when every kid wanted to buy a
> > haro with pegs and a rotor so you could spin the handlebars 360 and not catch the cables...
> >
> > we never called it 'flatland' when i was a kid. it was just trick riding for days when you
> > couldnt ride the skateboard.
>
> It's the same thing, but I think it's "flatland" to differentiate it from skate park and bowl
> riding, "street" (riding urban terrain, usually with an emphasis on wall-rides, grinds, etc.), and
> dirt-jumping.

And this is important because.....?

B

In article <DiFoa.544656$3D1.299397@sccrnsc01>, "B. Sanders" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Ryan Cousineau" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In article <[email protected]>, Dark Fiber <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On 18 Apr 2003 02:43:57 -0700, [email protected] (ukflatland) wrote:
> > >
> > > >Hey,
> > > >
> > > >Im sure many of you will not know what flatland is. Well, it is a sport where you can express
> > > >youself through tricks based on the ground which require a lot of balance and skill.
> > > >
> > > >It is an amazing sport to get into, check http://www.ukflatland.com for more information on
> > > >the sport.
> > >
> > > what? is this the same thing that was around like 15 years ago when every kid wanted to buy a
> > > haro with pegs and a rotor so you could spin the handlebars 360 and not catch the cables...
> > >
> > > we never called it 'flatland' when i was a kid. it was just trick riding for days when you
> > > couldnt ride the skateboard.
> >
> > It's the same thing, but I think it's "flatland" to differentiate it from skate park and bowl
> > riding, "street" (riding urban terrain, usually with an emphasis on wall-rides, grinds, etc.),
> > and dirt-jumping.
>
> And this is important because.....?

Did I say it was? But it's certainly on topic, being about miscellaneous bike-riding stuff. Just
because a BMX has wheels smaller than 24" doesn't disqualify it from being a bicycle.

To the kids that do or follow these sports, though, the difference is significant. The street and
dirt-jump scenes are both undergoing big changes as mountain bikes are starting to move in and even
take over. It behooves those of us interested in cycling to keep an eye on these sports, especially
since the riders in BMX-based sports frequently end up trickling into MTB-based sports, like Darren
Berrecloth, the latest BMXer-turned-freeride video star.

I actually think flatland itself pretty dull, since it's mostly bike ballet, a kind of bike trials
where you make your own obstacles. Bike trials, on the other hand, is wacky good fun, and the kids
at my local trials park are scary-good.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>
> Did I say it was? But it's certainly on topic, being about miscellaneous bike-riding stuff. Just
> because a BMX has wheels smaller than 24" doesn't disqualify it from being a bicycle....

I doubt Barry Sanders has anything against bicycles with small wheels since one of his has dual ISO
406-mm [1] wheels.

[1] 20" "BMX" size

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

In article <[email protected]>,
Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> >
> > Did I say it was? But it's certainly on topic, being about miscellaneous bike-riding stuff. Just
> > because a BMX has wheels smaller than 24" doesn't disqualify it from being a bicycle....
>
> I doubt Barry Sanders has anything against bicycles with small wheels since one of his has dual
> ISO 406-mm [1] wheels.
>
> [1] 20" "BMX" size
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Get back to me when he does a 1' drop on it .

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club