Martyn Ashton Rides Whistler - Video
Whistler is often hailed as the mecca of Mountain Biking. Home to the world's best trails, biggest jumps and craziest MTB competition of them all; Crankworx. But despite being a World Champion Mountain Biker, before his life-changing accident, Martyn never got the opportunity to visit Whistler. So with some help from his friends and a lot of planning Martyn's dream has been made a reality. He's off to Whistler.
Last time we made a video with Martyn we pretended that he took part in an international mountain bike race at Fort William. But this time we headed to Crankworx where Martyn raced in one of the biggest mountain bike races of all time for real, the Crankworx Air DH.
Martyn in down not out in 2016.
Getting Martyn to Canada, on a specially modified bike that he could race on was a huge accomplishment. It's an accomplishment that the whole GMBN team are super proud of and we hope you love this video as much as we loved filming it!
MENTIONS: @GMBN / @hopetech
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Most people are concerned with the effect that motorized bikes will have on land access for mountain bikes.
Instances like this should be when we see assisted bicycles being used. Not when some out of shape, novice rider gets stuck on the trails or bails hard. Conversely, skilled riders could be out there on modded rigs ripping up the trails, that is the conundrum I believe. I would never ride an ebike, pedal power 100%. I say this as I'm recovering from a severe lower leg break, still with a cane almost 2yrs...
Martyn, I know you comment on here from time to time, so I have a real question. Why don't you use a four wheel downhill adaptive bike? You obviously know the situation better than I do, but those seem to be the ride of choice for many other riders. It seems like something like that would negate the tipping problem in a big way.
If you like to keep it on two wheels, keep it up, I'm pulling for you, I would just love to know more about your thought process in building your bike.
Awesome job! Brilliant!!
I wonder how difficult it would be to add some sort of forward/backward weight control mechanism onto the seat. If somehow he could get his weight off the back it seems like he could have much better control of the bike. I don't know if it would be a sliding mechanism where he shifts his own weight completely, or if it would be motor assist and locked out on demand. They are getting into the robotics of prosthetics already with that custom bike, one step further could make 1,000% difference in performance and stability.
Let me know if you want more info on what the design might be like. I am imagining a system similar to fully mechanized legs, where the system senses your weight shifting forward and starts swinging the leg in a natural movement. It might sense him trying to shift weight, or simply a forward/backward leaning sensor. Then the whole seat (and legs?) would slide on a rail with servo motors. The trick would be to get the "dead-band" or sensitivity correct so that it holds in a stable position during rocky riding without sliding back and forth when he doesn't want it to (time delay on the sensor output might be helpful).
Any robotics engineers out there?
Now I'm even thinking of a more passive system like a suspension seat that allows the bike to move under his weight. Imagine him floating on a cloud while the bike bucks around underneath. An ambitious design either way. Maybe a combination of passive and active?