Vid/Story/Pics - Danger Dan Returns to The Flying Circus

when I first started riding Dan was the man, the stuff he rode gave him super hero status. Then he seemed to drift off into obscurity while riding and trails evolved in a different direction. It was good to read he's still doing stuff most everyone would crap their pants just watching.

nice history lesson and great article!! Keep them coming.

Another four minutes of WTF here:

http://vimeo.com/19552788

Cool edit.In an era of his own.Similar to a solo rock climber, maybe the Dan Osman era.Doing things that hadn't been done
before and may not be repeated.Out there on the edge.What a character.

As a side note. I really really really hope this turns into more short doc's like this. I think there's so much potential for it, and personally, Id rather watch 7 minutes of someone like Dan (or Digger, etc) talk about trails and the history of mountainbiking then a short video of riders jumping to ear-bleed inducing music.

+1, this was one of the most enjoyable videos/articles I've seen for a while :) I love seeing this north shore technical stuff but am terrible at riding it. I only ride noob friendly flowy trails :lol:

Also proving that those (sorry but ugly as sin) Tag Wheels are bombproof, that is the exact same setup since the last time I rode with him, on Bowen, in 2007!

Oh, they are.
I had them for a bit. 11 lbs a set :eek2:
And because of the composite material, the rear tire would slip and shear off the valve stem. Used hairspray to glue them in…

Anyways, Dan is definitely the man. I have the NSX series and always enjoyed watching his segments. Same thing with Kranked. The Circus always amazed me.

Nice job Cam and crew. That was very cool.

Rich

Another four minutes of WTF here:

http://vimeo.com/19552788

We had a friend come over from England that we showed those stunts to, and he ended up riding all of it, blind, clipped in, XC lid on an old SC Bullit. All it proved to us is that the crazy seems to be spreading.

That was well done boys. Nicely filmed. Not the stuff I ever wished to do because I am the opposite of the people who seem to have a death wish. I would love to see the real pioneers get this treatment though. The Cove riders like Shroom, Chaz Dewey. Ross Kirkwood, Dane M, etc. Guys that were building when most you guys were still shittin' your drawers.

fer sure. In my highschool yearbooks at Seycove in the mid '80's DCBS always had a picture of one of the BFJCC boys shredding. I'll never forget in my 1985 (grade 8 ) there was a pic of Dew airing out on one of the first MTBs. I thought it was so cool, and thus started my love affair with MTB boys forever. Old school Cove boys, Clicker, Chizzer, Chaz, Turtle, Lumpy, Rich Cox (I still can't bring myself to call him Dick haha) Patty Von Blumen, Marco, Killer Thorpe, Ramen and the list goes on. How about Ranchdog, Holly and Linden Feniak's dad, who I used to ride the shore with in the '80's! Too bad everyone was usually too stoned to bother to take pictures to capture the moment haha. Smoke (one of the original pioneers also) is probably one of the best people to find archived pics from waaaay back then.

Another four minutes of WTF here:

http://vimeo.com/19552788

This clip is amazing. Really sureal:

http://vimeo.com/20590041

…

Really nice work on the article/video Cam et. al.

-D

No idea what year this was exactly.

http://www.5min.com/Video/Profile-of-Pro-Biker-Dangerous-Dan-Cowan-465085226

Really, really great article and vid! Great to see Danger keeping it real. I'd love to see more of these little North Shore history docs.

Definitely makes me nostalgic…bitd we'd hit the Circus for some flailing and carnage and then head up past the 7th for a real sketch fest. The shore was a different vibe back then, I do miss that old school mystique from time to time. I don't miss cheating death and breaking bikes though.

How about doing another one of these North Shore history videos with Jerry Willows on Jerry Rig?

That was great! More please! Many thanks to all involved.

I actually met Dan as a substitute teacher in grade 8 and 9 science, this would have been just before he went to Sweden I guess. As a BMX kid I thought it was way cool that one of my teachers was a famous mountain biker. Since his specialty was in physics, I really looked up to him. Of course, like a good little groupie, I told Dan this when we met him to do the walk on the Circus.

It's funny how it's all those little things that are lost over time.

I recall I think it was in the spring of 98 up at the yellow gate on Mtn Hwy waiting for my brother. Dan was grinding away on whatever his beast was at that time. Came upon some rider walking his bike up the hill. Said hi to the guy and said something along the lines of it being a great day to be out.

Another moment. winter of 99 with a shop ride from Vertical Mtn. Cold, wet, and cold. Came upon Dan filming with Digger at the old log shack seen in NSX 2. Dan's smiling under that great white Shoei lid going on about how great it is to be in the woods riding bikes.

Dan always seemed happy riding bikes and watching others ride.

Wonder how Dan feels about "flowy" trails being the in thing rather than the tech. stuff he built? Dude's definitely a legend [HTML_REMOVED] pioneer.

I recall talking about that once with him. He viewed it as every trail has flow, that each rider will experience how the trail flows differentely, and that you can't force it. I wasn't quite in the right mindset then to understand that back then.