Flexi bugs and Rock n Roll

[DIEM]

Superb film fellas, one of the best i,ve seen, quality...

[dantayler]

Loved it!Watched it, then watched again!

[Siimon]

In my opinion the best landkite video ever. Awesome awesome awesome

[yorkierob]

had it all -thrills, spills and fooking mahooosive air!!!
good work guys -give us more

[tsp13]

I cant stop whatching it

[Krazy Kiter]

brilliant video, great loop on those tiny lines, that was so funny to watch!

[Luke S.]

Top work Sy, big fan of your vids!

[Frakke]

Well...
Another "deffo" quality vid
Awesome air and it takes a big balls to go that high and that far

BUT...

it's "same old same old" - OK top quality same old same old none the less but there is nothing new going on here...

for me "gravity renegades" and "second law" are still WAY OUT THERE as the top freestyle buggy vids and this is the same stuff all these years later different riders and locations granted but still the same moves (except for backwards on two wheels at silly speed which was impressive)

I was expecting a few buggy off attempts or something....

Sy I'm not trying to trash your ability the quality of fiming and editing is the usual impeccable standard - its just a shame you weren't supplied with "newer moves"

Ah well I can wait a little longer

Well done on putting another vid out when all is quiet and I thought that buggying was a dying sport

F

[bash]

Sy was good stuff and enjoyed watching it(perhaps you can get some more up at Lode in april?)

[Sylenz]

Thanks again for the feedback. I feel i must respond to Frakkes comments.

Although i think i know what you're saying regarding new school tricks, i think you've got it wrong regarding this film. Firstly, (and its quite a big firstly), if you read what i said about the film originally you'd know that it was filmed over 18months ago, so the moves you're seeing are nearly 2 years old. Does that mean Craig is now doing buggy offs? No, but ive still yet to see anyone doing them other than our crazy Australian friend Luke(and a couple of tries from Hank too). But Craig is doing plenty of other stuff that ive yet to see on film anywhere else.
I wouldn't say it was the same old same old as you say. If it is, could you post the links to the films you've seen with 900's with a kite catch, the huge river jumps Craig was pulling off, cliff runs and seawall rides,hedge jumping and towriding, as well as all the improvised stuff Lewis pulls off that i dont even think have names yet!!!

The amazing feedback ive had to this film generally has had the same message. FUN. People are saying that the film conveys the fun element of the sport and that it looks like we enjoyed making it. I can assure you we did! The best compliment ive had so far is that Flexi bugs and Rock n Roll reminds them of Thrill & Spills. A film made for no other reason than that i had a camcorder and i wanted to make a short film with me and my mates dicking around with kites! Fast forward 6or7 years and all i wanted to do was make a short film of me and my mates dicking around with kites. So in that sense its very much same old same old!

I would agree that the buggy scene has seemed to have gone a little stale but you're a rider the same as us, what new stuff are you doing? I would also suggest the weather hasnt helped particularly. Personally, ive had my new family to concentrate on, but since making the film have rediscovered the fire burning inside me to get back out there and get riding and filming again. I know talking to others that they feel the same!

So heres to 2010. Lets hope it brings warm sunny days with onshore winds. And if anyone is doing buggy offs, get in touch and you'll be in the next film....Frakke im looking at you!

[beboii]

To be honest that isn't really fair criticism i think its a cracking film, there are some real wow moments in there. Its well shot well cut and it has a vibe that makes you want to be there. It made me go back and look at the other stuff on the site and look wistfully out the window.

Job done

[zimmer]

it has a vibe that makes you want to be there

That's exactly what I got from the vid.

The video title didn't even hint at anything extreme or new.

[Harters!]

Thanks again for the feedback. I feel i must respond to Frakkes comments.

Although i think i know what you're saying regarding new school tricks, i think you've got it wrong regarding this film. Firstly, (and its quite a big firstly), if you read what i said about the film originally you'd know that it was filmed over 18months ago, so the moves you're seeing are nearly 2 years old. Does that mean Craig is now doing buggy offs? No, but ive still yet to see anyone doing them other than our crazy Australian friend Luke(and a couple of tries from Hank too). But Craig is doing plenty of other stuff that ive yet to see on film anywhere else.
I wouldn't say it was the same old same old as you say. If it is, could you post the links to the films you've seen with 900's with a kite catch, the huge river jumps Craig was pulling off, cliff runs and seawall rides,hedge jumping and towriding, as well as all the improvised stuff Lewis pulls off that i dont even think have names yet!!!

The amazing feedback ive had to this film generally has had the same message. FUN. People are saying that the film conveys the fun element of the sport and that it looks like we enjoyed making it. I can assure you we did! The best compliment ive had so far is that Flexi bugs and Rock n Roll reminds them of Thrill & Spills. A film made for no other reason than that i had a camcorder and i wanted to make a short film with me and my mates dicking around with kites! Fast forward 6or7 years and all i wanted to do was make a short film of me and my mates dicking around with kites. So in that sense its very much same old same old!

I would agree that the buggy scene has seemed to have gone a little stale but you're a rider the same as us, what new stuff are you doing? I would also suggest the weather hasnt helped particularly. Personally, ive had my new family to concentrate on, but since making the film have rediscovered the fire burning inside me to get back out there and get riding and filming again. I know talking to others that they feel the same!

So heres to 2010. Lets hope it brings warm sunny days with onshore winds. And if anyone is doing buggy offs, get in touch and you'll be in the next film....Frakke im looking at you!

Sy, I'm a massive fan. I've still got that DVD you sent to me when I asked a couple of years back for some mind blowing buggy vids and you sent me all yours, in HD on DVD a great representative gesture of our community I reckon.
I'm also mates with frakke having got in the bug for the first time when flying with him. So I reckon I'm going to be pretty mutual in my reply.
I completely understand where Frakke's coming from with regards to progression and Sy you're right it was filmed 18 months ago. The stuff Lewis is doing is bat shit mental in all the right ways.
But mahoosive airs isn't exactly new, I've seen you and Craig go ten times as high as everyone else in videos for the past few years, we've all become complacent about what to expect because you guys constantly deliver a hugely high standard.

With regards to other people doing the buggy off. I don't care if you call it cheating or not but last time I was at the Ho! with Blader (S)he got out the 19m silver arrow in piss all wind and pulled them out the bag a number of times. Ok some may say it wasn't a full buggy off because his feet were still in the straps but it's still progression.

I feel some people haven't quite got the concept of what's involved in pushing things forward. I know Blader broke his collar bone last summer and that shook him up, he talked about how he hasn't been able to go as big since, he's got a family like yourself, all these things start to fall into a balance of priorities. For true progressive riding to happen it needs to be a group of riders constantly pushing each other and having an absolute blast on a very regular basis. It's a simple equation but to get all those factors together is tricky. People have jobs, people have families, few people can ride every day with their close mates and innovate. It's something I have no doubt we all want but to actually partake in it is another matter.
I've got the next 9 months of my life to myself, a perfect formula for something like this but I know it won't happen because not everyone is in the position I am.

Anway, sorry to drag on. The video I thought was fantastic, it made me squirm thinking about how sweaty your palms must have got pulling a fat sidewinder seeing the ground rush away from you and that familiar chafe of the harness on your thighs and the howling of the lines as you load up the bug for a boost.

Dan

[Sylenz]

Nice to hear from you again Dan.

Thanks for a great response, it'll be nice to hear back from Frakke too.

I take on board your point about pushing the limits but my films have always been about me and my mates flying. I am in the fortunate position that some of my mates happen to be the among the best kiters on the planet but that has never really changed my philosophy on my riding or my filming. Ask Craig about our many discussions about some of his technical tricks. They often do not look particularly amazing on film, but as a buggier i know how damn tricky they are to do.That doesnt mean i particularly want to learn them! Lets not forget Craig has come up with a few pretty impressive tricks of his own but because they aren't neccessarily eyecatching to some, they often go unnoticed. It doesnt mean hes not progressing the sport. It will always come back to the same arguement i guess. I can watch some old skool kitesurfing movies where the guys are getting huuuge airs and just doing a selection of board off varials yet i can watch them again and again. Its always gonna come down to choice. As a film-maker i make a film as i want to see it. They wont win awards for production or use fancy fx but what i always want to do is make someone think 'Wow i wanna give that a go, it looks a lot of fun'. And from the feedback ive had in the past, thats pretty much what happens. I am as guilty as others of maybe not trying out newer stuff but at 36 years old my enthusiasm for trying a buggy off is talked down by the tiny sensible part of my brain telling me i will probably break various bones attempting it! To be fair i would say even at this stage its more of a picture trick than a video trick PLUS the majority of the guys i film in bugs use Blades and ive yet to see a buggy off with a Blade (intentionally, anyway!) If you have guys pulling these amazing tricks at your local spot, film it and get it on here! I wanna see it! I love watching all the films and my pc has pretty much every kite video ever made in the past 10 years (when i used to leave the pc downloading 24hours to get a 50meg film!) I, as Frakke says, do the same old same old thing of just filming my local spots with friends ive known for many years. If there are people doing tricks as amazing as it sounds, get them in the comps, they will win. And then the likes of Craig and Will and Dave will have no choice but to learn them just to keep up but in the mean time im looking forward to another hedge jumping session. It might not be the future of buggying but it puts a ruddy great smile on my face and thats why i started flying in the first place!

[Harters!]

Nice to hear from you again Dan.

Thanks for a great response, it'll be nice to hear back from Frakke too.

I take on board your point about pushing the limits but my films have always been about me and my mates flying. I am in the fortunate position that some of my mates happen to be the among the best kiters on the planet but that has never really changed my philosophy on my riding or my filming. Ask Craig about our many discussions about some of his technical tricks. They often do not look particularly amazing on film, but as a buggier i know how damn tricky they are to do.That doesnt mean i particularly want to learn them! Lets not forget Craig has come up with a few pretty impressive tricks of his own but because they aren't neccessarily eyecatching to some, they often go unnoticed. It doesnt mean hes not progressing the sport. It will always come back to the same arguement i guess. I can watch some old skool kitesurfing movies where the guys are getting huuuge airs and just doing a selection of board off varials yet i can watch them again and again. Its always gonna come down to choice. As a film-maker i make a film as i want to see it. They wont win awards for production or use fancy fx but what i always want to do is make someone think 'Wow i wanna give that a go, it looks a lot of fun'. And from the feedback ive had in the past, thats pretty much what happens. I am as guilty as others of maybe not trying out newer stuff but at 36 years old my enthusiasm for trying a buggy off is talked down by the tiny sensible part of my brain telling me i will probably break various bones attempting it! To be fair i would say even at this stage its more of a picture trick than a video trick PLUS the majority of the guys i film in bugs use Blades and ive yet to see a buggy off with a Blade (intentionally, anyway!) If you have guys pulling these amazing tricks at your local spot, film it and get it on here! I wanna see it! I love watching all the films and my pc has pretty much every kite video ever made in the past 10 years (when i used to leave the pc downloading 24hours to get a 50meg film!) I, as Frakke says, do the same old same old thing of just filming my local spots with friends ive known for many years. If there are people doing tricks as amazing as it sounds, get them in the comps, they will win. And then the likes of Craig and Will and Dave will have no choice but to learn them just to keep up but in the mean time im looking forward to another hedge jumping session. It might not be the future of buggying but it puts a ruddy great smile on my face and thats why i started flying in the first place!

Sy,
as you said your vids are about giving people that tingly feeling, that thought process of "Shit, he's actually really quite high...oh and that's also a wheelchair strapped to his arse, maybe I could try it?" What better way to be an ambassador for the sport than to inspire?

I think the buggying scene in the UK is stagnant though, freestyle that is. You've got riders like Craig and Will and Dave and don't get me wrong this is in no way a dig at them what so ever, they're the best talent we've got in the UK. But there's nothing like competition to push them and so far we've had Frayz...and? There aren't enough freestylers in the UK pushing these top three and we all know who they are because they win everything and break themselves doing it and star in all the vids. Part of the problem with the Freestyling side of buggying is some of the horror stories, however I feel they only get more press because there's fewer of us therefore there seems like a more personal connection.

For me the glam of Kitesurfing will always win people over, I'm almost certainly that way headed (but sod off if you think I'm shifting my blades and buggy to fund it.) Personally I'm not one for pushing things forward through means of competition though and I think this is very much a personal thing, no doubt others will disagree. I think it's all about smashing it with a good bunch of guys, not always people you ride with all the time but getting a fresh perspective on the way people ride. I'd love to travel around and see how people like Ped and Icarus fly, come and nail it with you and Craig for a few weeks I mean immersive stuff. But from an outside perspective it's not very accessible.

Anyway this is a vid thread, I'll just write this in a facebook status it's so much more fashionable.

[Luke S.]

Progression in the sport IMO has to happen slowly and has to be very calculated.

Unlike kite boarding and land boarding (ditch, bail, legs for suspension, less chance of injury) strapping yourself into a 3 wheeled metal frame with no suspension tops the list on seriously F&)*(*_& yourself up if you get it wrong, I still have issues with my hip from this time last year separating my SIJ from my hip bone and others on here have had worse injuries and a fatality.

Everybody wants progression, personally I find it frustrating sometimes with stuff I am trying to do and the progress I wish to make never happens fast enough. But common sense has to prevail, like many others on here, yep we have family, jobs and try and pull rabbits out of a hat when the conditions are right and we can get out and fly.

Like you guys we have had a shit season down here as you have up there, hence the lack of anything I have posted lately myself in regards to video, I have one half finished and need another session to complete it.... thats been going on for 5 weeks now.

Agreed nothing looks as good on flim as it does in person, I look at some moves I do personally that a mate captures and am stoked on the field when he says he got it on video, but when you look at it on film pffffft.

Agree with Frakke on progression of sport but that is separate to this video, eg my next vid, I doubt there will be anything that you guys have not seen me do before either, but hey, who knows on the day.

The theory of doing a new move once it should be easier the next time is not always the case, I still for the life of me cannot get my feet near my bloody footpegs to land a buggy off with style points, must be getting old.

Cheers
Luke

[hank]

Sy keep doing what you do, keep doing the same ol' stuff, keep having fun with mates while flying kites simply because this is what I and most other love to see.

What I like about the push kiting vids is the pure fun that seems to be going on, in one of them Dave & AJ are running together with the cam facing them, I thought this was funny as, ok its not kiting but its people having a laugh and I think this film really brings quality kiting and funny sh!t together, this is what makes a film good for me.

O and I have never seen anyone do a random board off to water ski before like lewis did, I haven't seen anyone jump that much water on video before, I haven't seen anyone riding down a cliff before especially at the amount of speed sy caned down it at 4:54 in the video

I think 2009 was a year a lot of people took it slightly easy (apart from a few) but I think alot more people this year are hyped up and are ready to go. I for one have been resting over the winter (due to back injury) so I can push myself much more over the summer and compete at the events. The next year is going to be a busy one for the kiting calendar but I think its going to be one of the best years of kiting so far

[Luke S.]

Progression = much lighter buggy, the wheels are the problem.

All of these guys could flip a buggy like a burger at Mikky D's, weight is the issue.

Less weight, more likely to see new moves down.

[Harters!]

Progression = much lighter buggy, the wheels are the problem.

All of these guys could flip a buggy like a burger at Mikky D's, weight is the issue.

Less weight, more likely to see new moves down.

Well then stop moping about it and bloody do it you lazy git
When you're done I'll have one free of charge purely for being your motivation.

[Luke S.]

Well then stop moping about it and bloody do it you lazy git
When you're done I'll have one free of charge purely for being your motivation.

ha ha

[Sylenz]

Nice one Hank. 2010. The rebirth of buggy freestyle.

[frayz]

Awesome vid Sy...

Progression is how hard you push the boundaries.. be it in competition or freeriding. Like it or not. Competition will ultimately always push people harder than they would normally push themselves.

looking forward to more vids Sy

[Frakke]

OK... First off I guess a bit of an apology in the form of a big sorry to Sylenz - it seems my comments were possibly tad harsh -especially after reading the responses after my last post (at least there was comment critical or not)... therefore I doff my cap and fall on my sword at your feet awaiting acceptance and I accept that there are tricks and achievements in the film that have impressed a lot of people - so you have done a good job of course - big air is big air, Lewis and Craig are always Lewis and Craig - both whom ride smoother than I do (well even you as well)

It seems also that a combination of shyte weather globally, folks taking it easy, having other commitments like a family and a job (which are important)have taken priority over the buggying progression which is understandable.

Sy I know where you're coming from with the filming "me and my mates having fun" Marman used to do that for us - me, blader himself and anyone else that happened to be at the Ho! when we were there... and that was easily Ginge, Richy, Kev and Craig almost every time so apologies again - since I left Swindon beach trips and movies seem to have become non existant and many "swindonians" I have heard are moving to the water permanently as well

My life aint a bed of roses either having lost a job, a home and just about everything I owned, then left the country to find another job and another life and ended up alone in a field in a country where no one buggys at all (except for Vindman who started last year after we met) I had to start over again... so yes I'm also guilty of being stagnant and out of touch.. but believe me the passion still burns with me the same as with everyone...

Weather wise high pressure systems dominate here so there is very little wind most of the time then it all turns up at once. There are no beaches as the sea is not tidal at all - inland is covered with fekkin pine trees.... BUT I found an airfield for now that has given me permission to fly which I do at every windy opportunity...

At the end of last year I spoke on skype and email with Luke S. and we were looking at a buggy off... This is as far as I got 4.9m Biv, handles, axlegrab, footout, unbelted with a kiteloop... (there was a thread somewhere on here too)



a short and shitty vid here (without the kiteloop) - And at 48 years old I still intend to do it properly



It was this vid that I thought would start a run in the northern hemisphere but it didn't.... Hank made an effort and I know Blader was successful at the Ho! as well as Dan has pointed out...

I now have snow for the best part of 6 months of the year and have "had to" take up snow kiting and Ice buggy... The flexi bug isn't heavy enough to cut the snow on frozen lakes so I have to wait till the snow melts and re freezes as ice before I can get out with spiked tyres and have a real go - they work on ice with a bit of snow - more than a couple of inches and it's liike riding soft sand...



so you see I'm not standing still but not progressing either due to lack of wind as well - unfortunately for me I picked a country where the wind doesn't blow that hard or that often to allow me to progress - there inlies my problem... but I will be out in the spring giving it as large as I can...

this short article, courtesy of the local kiteakademi and kitesurf/snowkite crew...

>>>>>Kite buggy på framfart i Sverige?<<<<<

...is the first public post on a blog site of ANYONE in Sweden that is freestyle buggying - it doesn't exist apart from me...

hope that you understand a bit where I was coming from now

It was the progression that I was looking for - something to feed off whilst isolated over here

apologetically

F

[Frakke]

..... (there was a thread somewhere on here too) ......

27th September last year - so already 4 months old itself
NU KÖR VI.... courtesy Luke S.

but there was some interest shown at the time - I thought that it might have materialised thats all

F

[Blader]

Sy, i'm not sure how much footage we have but there is some knocking around of me doing some low level buggy offs on the Blade5.....Marman and Gregga might have some somewhere, i'm not making a big thing of it at the mo as i haven't done any with big air. only up to around 6 foot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c3ASqRVUTE

was using the silver arrow for that...can't find the blade ones at the mo!


Not a fantstic shot but.....