Speaker A
This is a video that I never imagined I was going to make on this channel, but today is actually going to be my last ever ride here at my mountain bike compound. And there's something that I've always intended to build right
Matt Jones reflects on his mountain bike compound's legacy, builds a handrail, and rides the airbag for the last time.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- The compound was instrumental in Matt Jones' development as a professional mountain biker.
- Building and maintaining safe infrastructure, like the handrail, is important even in informal setups.
- Personal relationships and support, such as from Nick, play a critical role in athletic success.
- The compound holds deep sentimental value beyond just training, impacting family and life milestones.
- Adapting and moving forward after loss is part of the journey, as Matt plans new projects.
What the video covers
- Matt Jones shares the significance of his mountain bike compound in his career and personal life.
- He recounts the history of the compound, starting from building his first mulch jump at age 16.
- The compound was crucial for learning advanced tricks and progressing in slopestyle competitions.
- Matt credits Nick, the landowner, for enabling his opportunities and growth in mountain biking.
- After Nick's passing, Matt must dismantle the compound, marking an emotional farewell.
- He builds a sturdy handrail using reclaimed wood to improve safety on the roll-in stairs.
- Matt tests the handrail and performs a series of tricks on the airbag, revisiting his progression.
- The video includes a nostalgic look back at his trick development and training sessions.
- Matt highlights the compound's role in his sponsorships and YouTube career.
- The video ends with Matt planning to find a new home for the airbag and enjoying time with family.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and significance of the compound
- 00:42Early riding and challenges with facilities
- 01:28Building the first mulch jump and learning tricks
- 02:05Expanding the compound with new features
- 02:55The compound's role in career and sponsorships
- 03:40Personal memories and emotional farewell
- 04:21Building the handrail for safety
- 04:54Handrail construction details and safety check
- 05:27Testing the handrail and reflecting on its importance
- 07:22Riding session: performing tricks and legacy
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
here. I'm sure a lot of you know exactly what it is. But before we do that, let's just throw back to what this compound means to me and how important it's been in my mountain bike career. Right, let's
Speaker A
wind back the clock 15 years. So I'm 16, I'm still at school. I love riding dirt jumps. I spend every waking moment at Woburn Bike Park when I can trying to learn tricks. And I had this dream of
Speaker A
going to a slopestyle competition one day and hopefully winning it. And at that time, what stood between me and that goal and that vision was learning bigger tricks on bigger jumps and doing them well. And Woburn wasn't really the
Speaker A
facility to do it. It was like a trail spot. I loved it. But at that time, airbags didn't really exist. Neither did those like slopestyle centers of excellence, those indoor parks and arenas. What the top riders seemed to
Speaker A
have to learn tricks was a mulch jump, a wood chip jump. And it was actually my dad that drove around all the local area, all the villages, speaking to people. And he met a guy called Nick who owns this land and he agreed to let me
Speaker A
build a mulch jump on his land. So really, Nick has been a massive part in my career. At that age, at 16, I had no idea how my life was going to end up, but it was this compound that was
Speaker A
probably the springboard to me getting to those slopestyle competitions. But down there in the corner, where it's all overgrown and there's like the remnants of an old wall ride, I built my first ever mulch jump off of a wooden roll-in.
Speaker A
I built a kicker that was so steep, it was like horrendous shape. I had no idea. But from that, I started to learn tricks like backflip tailwhips. I started trying 720s. And from then, I was able to just session over and over
Speaker A
again and learn tricks. Now, then it all went crazy, okay? I took the mulch jump and thought, "That's not enough.
Speaker A
Slopestyle now has drops, boner logs, step downs, so many features." So then, I built a massive scaffolding drop up there.
Speaker A
And some of that scaffolding still remains. I had a drop into two kickers onto a landing much smaller than that one, then into another mulch jump. And I sessioned that practice, learned 360 drops, went to more slope style
Speaker A
competitions. It wasn't enough. And then I made a bigger setup. I started playing around with a wooden drop over there in the corner. I built a boner log, an up box. Then I just knocked it all down 5
Speaker A
years ago, made a roll-in into two kickers. And around that time I also got an airbag. I mean, I literally built my compound as an environment to learn world's first trick. I used it to learn the gainer trick in a Red Bull video.
Speaker A
The backflip to frontflip on the logs I trained here. It's been so crucial. So, on this channel you'll probably recognize the airbag most as a thing I keep coming back to. And as the slope style comp things tailed off, this place
Speaker A
has definitely fallen into disrepair cuz I've gone off and built a playground, pump track at Brink, my trails at my house, a bike park. But the compound, the airbag, has always been central to my progression. I always come back here
Speaker A
to sharpen my tools, okay? I'll be totally honest, without this place I don't I don't probably think I'd have made it this far. And you need like credibility and to do well at something to even do the whole YouTube thing
Speaker A
around it, I think. So, it was slope style competitions that allowed me to get credentials. And that's why Red Bull sponsored me, and that's why other bike brands sponsored me. And it's only thanks to Nick, I'd say, that I had a a
Speaker A
chance and an opportunity to do that. Now, unfortunately, at the end of last year, Nick passed away. So, my sort of like relationship with this land has come to an end. And that's why today is going to be the last session here cuz
Speaker A
I have to take all of this down, which is like heart-wrenching, really. I'll work out something else, but yeah, I really have like Nick to thank a lot for. This is where I met Gemma, my wife.
Speaker A
She kept horses down there. Like, Cove, my son, actually wouldn't even exist without this place. So, it's so special to me and will always have a place in my heart. And today, I want to come back, have a big airbag session, but first,
Speaker A
after all the promises for 6, 7, 8 years, I'm actually going to build a handrail. Okay, the mega roll-in is no more. I'm not too sad about that cuz I never used it as much as I'd intended.
Speaker A
But this airbag setup, to actually ride the airbag, you have to walk up these stairs. And to do that without a handrail is insanely dangerous, okay?
Speaker A
So, I would never build something like this and not add a handrail. So, what I'm going to do today, cuz I'm not a complete lunatic, is use all of these offcuts and all the wood that's come off of that and build a really solid, sturdy
Speaker A
handrail to prove to the world that I'm not a total lunatic. Then I'm going to lock in and try and do some bangers on the airbag. Let's build it.
Speaker A
Feels like a bit of a Sam Pilgrim build. No offense, Sam. You look like Do you need a hand?
Speaker A
This might be the most anticipated screw that's ever gone in at the compound, honestly.
Speaker A
Split it. [laughter] This is so sketchy. It's not sketchy. This is the base. My My stairwell banisters are going to come off each step.
Speaker A
That's already good. It's going to be proper safe. This is a real upcycling project.
Speaker A
All the wood come from the ramps. These are out of the kicker that it was into that landing. Believe it or not, there was actually quite a sick jump there. And now they're going to be the uprights. These are going to take all of
Speaker A
my weight as I climb up the roll-in safely for the first time in 6 years.
Speaker A
building regs say on handrail heights? I don't know. Yeah. I'll get a phone level on it. Watch this.
Speaker A
Mate, I have got a level eye. What [laughter] the That is a level eye, isn't it?
Speaker A
That's actually really good. Unbelievable. Sums up my qualifications. Zero degrees. Yeah, yeah, looks solid.
Speaker A
All right, I'm going to run it through lower cuz I feel like this area is still quite exposed. I've fallen off the top of here before. Fell through the wood up there. Jamie's fallen through a piece of ply here. Not all the way through. He
Speaker A
put his arms out like that and caught himself. Did you press on that bit and it worked?
Speaker A
Very secure in it. Oh, don't worry about that. It's a masterpiece. [laughter] It's actually kind of sturdy.
Speaker A
It's just You know what it is? And I know why they invented handrails. It's just purely a psychological thing.
Speaker A
I don't think anyone actually relies on them. It being there provides safety and comfort. I don't think it's ever been a physical safety.
Speaker A
Socks look pretty good from down here. Yeah. They're good, aren't they? They're available right now at hellfire.com. And if you're looking to build a handrail, no you don't.
Speaker A
Is that it? No, it's just not quite full marks, is it? Don't mind the bottom. It's quite quite artsy almost. Like it's a It It plays tricks on the mind, doesn't it?
Speaker A
I always said I'd build a handrail. Didn't I? I didn't I though. I'm good for my word and I'm not a complete lunatic.
Speaker A
I'm actually bloody chuffed with that. [music] Right, I haven't really been able to decide how to go about this session cuz I'm not training for anything in particular. So, what I'm going to do is I'm going to try and do every trick I
Speaker A
can actually do and I've ever done in the order I learned them. We're going right back to when I was a kid basically on this airbag back to back and Finley, our young Hellfire team rider, is going to be throwing down too. So, I'm going
Speaker A
to go up there and test the handrail and the first trick I ever learned on a bike was a no footer. They're going to get harder so don't worry.
Speaker A
[laughter] Oh mate, this is a big moment. It feels amazing. Wow, I am not a complete lunatic.
Speaker A
The security. That was a mate How good is that? Unreal. You race up there. Do you want to just try and back me up? And do the same trick.
Speaker A
Yeah, I'll give it a go. You probably didn't learn them in the same order, but I guarantee you'll be able to do the first 10. It'll be the first time in years I've not dropped in and just done a front flip.
Speaker A
Yeah. Have to build up to that. Right, no footer. Go on, Finn. You got that.
Speaker A
Right, I then learned a no foot one hander. In a while. Go on, Finn.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Next on the list. Believe it or not, I then learned backflips. Seriously?
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Finn. Then I learned tuck no handers. Oh, how did I [laughter] Here we go.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Then I learned backflip no handers. Yeah. Yeah. Then after that, I think I learned all at once, ETs, toboggans, no foot cans, and superman seat grabs. The rubbish ones. Can't do them now.
Speaker A
Yeah. Yeah. Little bit of steezing there. Can now. Oh, lovely. Oh. Yeah. It's just bliss. Superman seat grabs next Finley.
Speaker A
I was practicing on the handrail on the way up. It'll be first go, but I can't guarantee it'll be any good.
Speaker A
Yeah. Oh, it's It's all right. It looked pretty good from here. [snorts] Yeah. 360.
Speaker A
Oh lovely. Yeah, Finn. Then barspins. Nice. Yeah. [laughter] Tailwhip. I might try it out of a seat bounce. Going to be gruesome.
Speaker A
Just a bit out of my depth. Have it, bro. Did it. Nice one, bro.
Speaker A
[screaming] [laughter] I might just do a normal one. Yo. Yeah. Still kind of want to see the seat bounce though.
Speaker A
Technically, that was a trick I learned, the seat bounce. Right, you ready for three same but different? 360 bar spin, backflip bar spin, barrel roll bar spin. And then probably 360 double bar spin. I was There was a bit of a bar spin phase.
Speaker A
Then I realized they're really uncool and went back to doing green hammers and stuff. They're not uncool. I just never really good at them.
Speaker A
I think they're cool as long as you don't do 500 of them in one jump.
Speaker A
Yeah, lovely. Yeah, boy. Flip bar spin now. Yep. Yo. Wow. I don't really know what the next batch was. If I had to guess, the still one I had the malt's jump, I think I was doing flip whips. I did flip whips way before
Speaker A
three whips. So, flip whip, 360 double bar spin, flip superman. Do a flip no footer, it'll probably be half of a superman.
Speaker A
it a go. Do the fourth. Then we'll do tuck to bar and bar to tuck. And then three tuck and then three tuck bar. Big sesh. Here we go.
Speaker A
Yeah. Wow, that was under rotated. Yeah, Finn. Saucy. Jesus. Wow. What? Wow, that was massive.
Speaker A
[laughter] That was proper, wasn't it? I don't think I've done a proper one of them since dark fest. You like a loop the bike out on the lip and the only thing you have to stop it is your brake
Speaker A
lever. Take all that force with your finger. Finn's never done a flip superman, so I think he just needs to do like a flip no footer in it. The spin of the flip might almost make it go into a
Speaker A
superman. Yeah, let's see what he's got. I'm proud of that one. That was all right, wasn't it?
Speaker A
That was wicked. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah, boy. Yeah. Nice. Tuck to bar or bar to tuck?
Speaker A
Tuck to bar. Tuck to bar. Yeah, that'd be easier for sure, I would say.
Speaker A
Me too. Glad you agree, sir. Watch this fakie. Oh, first try. You can flare that from here. I might try it out of my um tuck to bar.
Speaker A
Yeah, there we go. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. COME NO. IT'S JUST THERE'S SO MUCH DRAG IN THIS STUFF.
Speaker A
YEAH. PEDAL. PEDAL. PEDAL. PEDAL. PEDAL. [laughter] WHAT'S THAT, FINN? YEAH. YEAH. COME ON. Come on. Come on. Come on.
Speaker A
OH. OH. WAIT. WAIT. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PULLED THAT. THE WHOLE thing moved. That was That was well sick.
Speaker A
Yeah, that was wicked. XC to the max that one. Rivers back on the session now. One of the other best things about the compound over the years has been using it to kind of get people into tricks or teach people tricks. I've
Speaker A
taught loads of people to backflip on this. I taught River to do his first backflip here, his first 360, his first no hander. So, that's been pretty special. Cove likes to come in here, don't you?
Speaker A
Yeah. Like the compound? Yeah. Good lad. Right, the next I think River's trying to land 360s. The next batch of tricks are 360 no hander, 360 no hander to barspin, 360 tailwhip, 360 downside tailwhip or a decade, and
Speaker A
then frontflip, a 720. That's like Get it. Yeah. Oh, that was massive. He just did a banging three tucks. Now I'm falling behind, I'm getting in.
Speaker A
Wow. So good at that. Yes. Yeah. I see. You okay? Yeah. If you didn't jump off then it would have been perfect. Just keep the rotation going the whole way around. so like don't unwind.
Speaker A
You've got to get River around this 360. Cuz a candle loses nothing from lighting another.
Speaker A
360 no handed barspin. You ready? 3 top bar. Yes. Mine's a bit scrappy and loose.
Speaker A
Ah, you got it. Yeah? Yeah. 360 tailwhip now. I think I've got it a bit out of order, but that is what we need to do.
Speaker A
Ah, clinical. Yeah. Ah. What? Yes. Oh my god. He lands it with bent cranks.
Speaker A
That's insane. I've got to do a decade and a front flip. Ah, ah. Yeah. Such a cool looking trick.
Speaker A
Yes, River. We're exhausted. Yeah, massive session. I only did that sequence of tricks to just to kind of like represent a bit of a timeline, but it's such a good way of riding, isn't it?
Speaker A
It's unreal. You end up doing way more stuff cuz otherwise you just shortcut to the stuff you want to learn. A bit like how River like River turned up went straight into crashing threes and he's almost broken now. But we've ended up sharpening tools
Speaker A
in a way better way. So, I haven't done a front flip, 720 no hander, Oppo cork 720 and a double flip. And then maybe some double tailwhip things. But actually I've already broken 90% of the back of it. I
Speaker A
am going to I'm not going to do those tricks. I think I my whole family's here now. We're having a picnic. We're going to enjoy that a bit and I am going to find a new home for the airbag.
Speaker A
So, the quest to land those those tricks and new tricks is going to continue. I'd usually start every session with a front flip, so I'm going to end this with a front flip. And I'm going to dedicate all of this and actually
Speaker A
a damn healthy amount of my success to Nick Barker and the life of Nick Barker who yeah, allowed me to come in here and make the most of this space and fulfill my dreams. So, thank you, Nick, for everything.
Speaker A
Hope I land this one. Right, here we go. Fronty to Nick. Yep. Oh, that was massive.
Topics:Matt Jonesmountain bikingslopestylemulch jumpairbaghandrail buildbike trickscompound farewellRed Bullbike park
