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Tagged with 'Jason Auld'

Voodoo World Record

Team Voodoo Unicycles managed to set a new Guinness World Record for 4x50m hurdles on Unicycles for CBBC show "Officially Amazing".
Shot in the prestigious English Institute of Sport, the home training ground of Olympic Gold Medalist Jessica Ennis, the team hopped over hurdles at an impressive time of 1 minute 44 seconds.

Team Voodoo performing on CBBC's Blue Peter

Did you know that last Thursday (28th Jan) The Voodoo boys made an appearance on Blue Peter?

What you were still at work!  Well here is a chance to see it.

https://youtu.be/m6SI8NL2FjE

Team Voodoo In Bahrain - by Jason Auld

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For those of you unfamiliar with Team Voodoo Unicycles, we are the UK's only Extreme Unicycling display team and our mission statement has always been to promote alternative, urban styles of Unicycling to mainstream audiences, globally. So it was a pleasure and a huge step for the team, the sport and each of us on a personal level, to be invited to provide entertainment for the World Endurance Championships in Bahrain.

What can you say about Bahrain off the top?

"Lads, we've been invited to demo in Bahrain"
"Is it safe?"
"Will we be rich?"
"Do I need to cover up? "
"Will they be offended by our name's suggestion of Christian theology shaped by African tribal traditions?"
"Should I pack shorts?"

Unfortunately, Simon never asked the final question and where all of us assumed the desert heat would be suffocating, he elected to pack exclusively black jeans.
The questions raised a good point though. Even to those who claim to be well read and up to date with current affairs, Bahrain is a mysterious floating palace in the Persian Gulf. It has a yearly Formula One Grand Prix so we expected the glamour associated with Lewis Hamilton, recklessly brandishing champagne and soaking his Pussy Cat Doll mistress but we'd also heard about attempted revolution, the lack of a free press and an unelected, hereditary ruler. Don't worry, this isn't going to get too heavy or controversial, how much political enlightenment can an Extreme Unicycling team bestow upon you? I merely mention it for one reason. Unicycling has helped us all grow as people, overcome challenges and spread joy. Despite a conflicting set of cliches, we were ultimately excited about the opportunity to take our sport, and our volatile, quirky yet lovable personalities, to a nation who may have never experienced anything like it.

After covering up my tattoos in order to avoid any awkward, Pious questions at Immigration. We jumped on the bus to Hotel Diva, the place we were staying for 4 days, where else?
"You're staying in Hotel Diva?!"
Locals would snigger with a worrying grin, like they knew something we didn't. It turned out, they did. The hotel had 4 bars/clubs spread across it's 20 floors which left Rob wondering, in the early hours of the morning, whether he was having a bizarre, retro, urban dream or whether he really could hear Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio on repeat.

There were other entertainers there and it was a pleasure to work with them. All incredibly talented performers but above all, interesting, dynamic and kind natured people. Along with stilt walkers and bike riders, we shared a dressing room with some lovely theatre types, performing a Disney Show for the kids in attendance. Let me tell you, when you've seen the Genie from Aladdin, battle roaring engines in an attempt to sing "Let it Go" from Frozen in a Blackpool accent, you've seen it all.

In our down time, we managed to take a trip to the market, every bit as mystical and magical as the pages of Arabian Nights; Pop Up stalls with Arabic scribings dancing across fine materials, dusty alley ways littered with moustaches and mangy cats. Dream shatteringly, turns out it's more like Wembley Market, with a host of Arab Del Boys flirtatiously trying to flock their "genuine fakes" to any mug who'll buy them. One boy must have put his kids through college when he hustled Simon Berry for some sunglasses.

"6 quid!" spat the Blackpool Genie, like we'd bullied him into giving us a fourth wish and asked for something childish and dirty.

"I paid 1, must have seen you coming son".

That's the problem when you're white, blonde and 7ft tall in Bahrain. They always see you coming.

We embraced the "Selfie Culture" while we were there. Golf club like aids, swung around in an effort to tee up a face in the foreground of a hilarious, unusual or breath taking background. I like to think we obliged and many Bahraini teens will have been baffled to find 4 white guys with only 4 wheels between them, in a picture with their friend, with a mere 4 seconds to appreciate the spectacle. It was mad. We've signed autographs, taken pictures, left hilarious answer phone messages featuring our popular catchphrases and kissed babies before (the latter two have never happened) but I've always hated it. I've never understood why anyone coveted a signature, if not to use it for the practical yet highly illegal practice of fraudulently signing over money to yourself. We all have signatures and most of us can't even read our signatures cause they're big squiggles. That being said, we lapped it up. It's nice to be appreciated, made to feel special for what you do, even if it is in a totally vapid and impersonal manner from strangers who'll no doubt forget who that picture is of in a year's time, at best, possibly mistake us for One Direction before make up and airbrushing.

We headed home after 4 days with a clear aim, to drink the plane dry, having made the nieve yet respectful mistake that the Islamic airline might be a dry airline.

It was an amazing experience and a real honour for of us to take this sport, that we all love and cherish, to a place it had never been before, to people who maybe couldn't even conceptualise the common stereotypes that we have in the UK of Unicyclists. The Middle East, since the damn of humanity, has been a cradle for wisdom, creativity and cultural development. Perhaps it can do it again and be the part of the world to embrace and promote our esoteric sport. If not, it'll be back to Sunday mornings in a car par in Coventry for Team Voodoo. Here's to many more visits!

All in Bahrain Streets - Voodoo Vlog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP22fqlEixI

 

Sponsored Riders 2012

We are please to announce this years Sponsored Riders.

Jason Auld
Cameron Peacock
Adam Valman
Julian Page
Matthew Morris
Robert Day

 

Nimbus 'Flat' Saddle Review by Jason Auld



Nimbus are releasing the new Nimbus Flat saddle in April which is designed for Trials and Street rides.  Naturally every new product is tested extensively so who better to give this product a good testing and review, Jason Auld. If you don't know who Jason is, former UK Street Champion and the team manager of the UK's only Extreme Unicycle Display Team Voodoo Unicycles. Their head man was sent the first production version and here is what he said:



  After around 3 years of riding the sturdy, reliable, war horse that is the chunky KH street saddle, I decided it was time to go our separate ways and find a younger, slimmer model. After breaking the slim line KH Street saddle within 10 minutes of using it, it seemed that my old girl really was the only thing that could keep it together under the pressure, until Roger from Unicycle.com gave me a call and told me about the new Nimbus saddle and how he thought we'd be a match made in Heaven.

 When it arrived, I was immediately impressed by how light it was yet it still seemed incredibly firm. I also picked up on the handle, without the sinister hole that has claimed many a finger of many a rider. Once out riding, I found myself having to raise my seat height slightly as the saddle was so thin, it had taken about half an inch off my normal seat height. When performing tricks or hops pulling up on the handle, it's the perfect thickness to fit ones hand, allowing a comfortable yet uncompromising grip.



 One of the biggest points for me when using a new saddle is gripping it seat out when doing unispins. I must admit, my first impressions were not overwhelming but after a couple of weeks of getting to know each other better, the puzzle began to fit together. It seems to hit that middle ground, thin enough to get a good grip but thick enough to cushion your hands without slicing off a finger or two like a helicopter rotator blade when spinning. The material covering the seat is comparable to that on the standard KH seats, so it does allow for ideal purchase, even when your hands are clammy. Although I'm no expert, the seat feels comfortable for seat out side hops, providing plenty grip and easy hand positioning.

 The saddle feels more like a gel than foam inside and consequently it feels like one piece rather than multiple parts of a whole, which means it also lacks that horrific draw string cover that resembles someone's shoelaces. In my previous foam saddles, I have had trouble with gripping too hard and relieving the foam from the base. That feels extremely unlikely with this saddle, it couldn't be stiffer. The rigidity also gives me piece of mind that I'm not going to snap it in half like a soggy chocolate biscuit, the fate that most of my saddles meet.



 The shape is perfect and could probably give your girlfriend a run for her money. Often have I had to get used to a seat with an exaggerated incline, which feels more like sliding down a poorly lubricated lamppost, not here. The contours allow comfort when rolling up to an object, clearing a stair set, tricking or just plain riding. That being said, I'm sure like the majority of Street/Trials saddles out there, prolonged riding will eventually bring about discomfort.

 Convenience wise, the saddle is attached and detached with the use of an Allen key, a system I fine far superior to nuts and bolts, if not for the laziness of having to carry fewer tools, for the simplicity, which no doubt saves some weight for those obsessives who try to shave off every gram.



 If you're looking for a Street/Trials saddle, look no further than the new Nimbus. It's practical in almost every way and definitely rivals it's closest competitor in the Impact saddle. With a paint splattered design on the front, which is started to rub slightly but then again I have some powerful thighs, it looks far better than the previous mentioned, it's also cheaper, so why waste your money? Go Nimbus and it'll be a long loving relationship between you and your saddle.

Jason Auld | Voodoo Unicycles



 

More from our Sponsored Riders

One of our local riders (Cameron Peacock) took a trip to Edinburgh, to ride with another of our riders Jason Auld. We have a full story from Cameron coming soon, but for now here is a quick photo of them both.


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