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Video: Road Bike Party 2 - amazing skinny-tyre stunt riding

Martyn Ashton (and friends) take road bike stunt riding to the next level… and then some

The eagerly-awaited sequel to Martyn Ashton's 'Road Bike Party' video is here.

Trials ace and bicycle stuntman Martyn Ashton amazed everyone last year when he took Sir Bradley Wiggins’ bike for a spin - or at least a Pinarello Dogma very like Sir Brad’s bike - and demonstrated that in the right hands a skinny-tyred bike was every bit as capable of being jumped, hopped and backflipped as a trials bike or mountain bike.

For this sequel, Martyn’s enlisted a couple of good friends - Chris Akrigg and Danny MacAskill - to help with stunt duties as he is still recovering from a spinal injury sustained when a stunt went wrong earlier this year.

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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30 comments

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Matt eaton | 10 years ago
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These vids are a gentle reminder of what bike riding is all about - having fun.

Out for a road ride and spot a tempting bit of singletrack weaving down though the woods? No, you don't need to go home and get your MTB, just gun it! Running to the shops and pass the skatepark on the way back, why not have a go at jumping the box on your roadie?

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caaad10 replied to Matt eaton | 10 years ago
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Matt eaton wrote:

These vids are a gentle reminder of what bike riding is all about - having fun.

Couldn't agree more, let's hope this helps riders of all disciplines unite in the joy of it ALL....

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Al__S | 10 years ago
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this blog post, as well as telling the full story, details the bike

In short, the wheels are road racing ones, with GP4000 clinchers.

Time to be less worried about what punishment super lightweight road bikes can take?

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GerardR | 10 years ago
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I am in awe of his skill, which I suspect comes from hours of practice (& falling off more than once). regards from summer in the Antipodes  1

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tailwind10 | 10 years ago
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Just incredible - best wishes Martyn, you still keep us entertained!

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CJSTEVENS1955 | 10 years ago
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Brilliant

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Manchestercyclist | 10 years ago
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What wheel are those that don't snap! Makes me realise that 3x for the club runs is probably a bit overkill, since I'm only nine stone.

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Guyz2010 | 10 years ago
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Fab stuff, how they have the nerve to do that I do not know. What a way to treat an £11K bike.

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Guyz2010 | 10 years ago
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Fab stuff, how they have the nerve to do that I do not know. What a way to treat an £11K bike.

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J90 | 10 years ago
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As usual Danny killed it, made the other two look not quite so good. He looks strange in lycra, on a road bike!

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picko | 10 years ago
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Typo fairy - Chris Akrigg, not Askrigg

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37038 | 10 years ago
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Ruddy mental!  41

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Rouboy | 10 years ago
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Keep the vids coming this guy knows how to entertain..

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tourdelound | 10 years ago
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 13 ..... HOW?

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Sadly Biggins | 10 years ago
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Brilliant - amazing bike handling. Best wishes to Martyn for a speedy recovery too.

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IanW1968 | 10 years ago
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brilliant but radged, loved it.

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jarredscycling | 10 years ago
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The second video and I still have such a hard believing it is real the stunts are so impressive on a road bike

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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Once again it seems Martins Law* has been abided by.

*Martins Law dictates that if one produces a video that has cycling as its subject matter one must add truly truly awful music to it.

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kitkat | 10 years ago
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Amazing, well done guys  41 Hope Martyn's well on the singletrack to recovery.

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fancynancy | 10 years ago
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Puts a huge smile on my face!!!!  41

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TheFatAndTheFurious | 10 years ago
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Backwards, downhill, on wet hairpin roads. On the front wheel only  13

Take that, Eskil Ronningsbakken.

 41

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OldRidgeback | 10 years ago
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bluddy lycra louts

wouldn't lend him my bike

 1

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parksey | 10 years ago
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Incredible skill.  41

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Michael Healey | 10 years ago
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Absolutely Bonkers!  13

Loved it, get well soon Martyn.

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mrchrispy | 10 years ago
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actually the best one yet....totally awesome!

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mrchrispy | 10 years ago
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ho does know he's on a racer doesnt he!!!!!!shift+1=!

 13

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egb | 10 years ago
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Top stuff.  41

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farrell | 10 years ago
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Every morning I ride through the velodrome past that yellow full pipe and see the marks left by skaters and BMXers and wondered if it was possible to 360 it.

Now I know.

Still probably wont attempt it, although I am going to have a look to see if his approach line is still painted on.

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Hoester | 10 years ago
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Well that's just made my day. Sending good vibes to Martyn. Here's to inspiring me, and countless others to have fun riding bikes since the early 90s. Cheers.

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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Beat me to it John - I was just about to post this in the forum.

Great stuff  41

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