2020v38 preview

72 Interview VINCE BYRON

by COLIN MACKAY AT THE DEW TOUR FINALS IN VEGAS A MONTH AGO, THE 5 MAN SUPER FINAL CONSISTED OF CHAD KAGY, JAMIE BESTWICK, DENNIS MCCOY, SIMON TABRON AND AUSTRALIAN VINCE BYRON. TO SEE VINCE IN THIS POSITION MADE IT CLEAR TO ME THAT HE HAD PROGRESSED SO MUCH IN THE FEW SHORT YEARS HE HAD BEEN IN AMERICA AND I WAS PROUD TO SEE HIM IN THE MIX WITH BMX LEGENDS. PRO VERT IS NO JOKE, PULL OUT A FOOT AND YOU’RE GOING TO FLAT IN A NOSE DIVE, CASE AND YOU’RE IN SCORPION POSITION TO FLAT. ONLY THE BRAVE TAKE IT ON. VINCE HAS HAD A COUPLE OF BIG CRASHES THIS YEAR HIMSELF, BUT HE GOT HIS CONFIDENCE BACK QUICKLY AND WAS KILLING IT AT THE NEXT EVENT. VINCE ISN’T LABELLED AS JUST A VERT RIDER EITHER, HE GREW UP RIDING SKATE PARKS AND HE COULD WIN A DIRT CONTEST NEXT WEEKEND NO PROBLEM. VINCE HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN BMX, HE’S A GENUINE GUY WITH A LOT OF PASSION. How old are you Vince and where are you from? I’m 20 and from Brisbane, Australia.

When did you get into riding? When I was about 12 or 13.

Where did you mostly ride when you were coming up? I rode in a small local park in NSW where I’m originally from until I moved to Brisbane then I rode wherever I could catch a train or a lift to.

What were you into before BMX? I played footy (Rugby League) since I was about 6, up until I was 16, and I was also into competitive gymnastics from the age of 10 till about 14.

Did you ever race BMX? Nah bruh.

When did you decide you wanted to come to America? I think I wanted to come over after I had finished high school in 2007. I’d been thinking about coming over for a while but I know I needed to finish school and then get a job so I could get over there.

What did it take for you to make the first trip? Motivation. Na I did need a bit of help to start things off from my parents and my bosses at the time but now mates, Dan and Stu. They helped me get my ass into gear and get everything sorted out to get on a plane overseas. As for money, the first time I went I worked and saved my money as well as having help financially from my grandparents and parents. I can’t thank them enough for that.

What was the plan for your first trip over to the USA? Well it was planned out to be a pretty short trip. I had registered for Vert and Park in Dew Tour but I was only accepted into Vert. So I went to Cleveland, OH and got a cheap hotel by myself. I did good enough in Vert to get the wildcard for the next stop which I was surprised and totally stoked on. My plan was to stay in the hotel and then catch a bus to Woodward, PA to stay at Woodward camp for a week before coming home to AUS again. Instead I stayed at Woodward for 3 weeks after pleading with the director to let me stay. Thanks Darren! I became mates with another rider who lived in Greenville NC and was working at Woodward at the time. He said I could come stay with him and so after the next stop at the Dew Tour I did. I ended up staying so long that I went over my 90 Day Wavier Visa. So I made a quick trip to the UK to stay with some family friends for a couple of days before coming back to the US so I could compete in the last stop of the Dew Tour.

What visa do you come to the USA with? Do you need a visa? You don’t have to get a Visa. Australians get given a 90 day Wavier Visa upon entry but I applied for a longer staying tourist Visa that allows me to stay for 6 months at a time. I’d really like to get an Athlete Visa though so I can come and go as much as I like.

Vince has always had the tricks, and now in 2010 he has the height to match. Photo COLIN MACKAY

80

Feature

THE RIDERS EYE

When I was a young kid I remember looking out the window on long drives and picturing the horizon line of mountains as jumps and rollers and I’d picture different lines you could make jumping them. It sounds funny thinking about it now, but I still do it to an extent. I still find myself scoping out good hand rails, but I’ve never run pegs in my life. When I drive around I still look at things on the side of the road and think, “you could probably wall ride that, or hop that barrier, or use that thing as a bank”. Even though half the stuff I look at is barely possible to ride, I still can’t help but picture riding it. As BMXer’s, the perception we have on the world is quite different from most “normal” people. That urge to ride new things causes us to analyse everything we see and ask that question “can you ride that?” This photo series is inspired by the riders eye that makes us see things differently and look at the world as a playground of obstacles for our kids bikes.

92 Tight bank air. Photo GORAK

Interview ADAM HOUGH

I’VE KNOWN ADAM FOR A GREAT NUMBER OF YEARS NOW. WE’VE TRAVELLED TOGETHER, DRANK BEERS TOGETHER AND SHREDDED TOGETHER. IT’D BE HARD NOT TO HAVE HEARD OF HIM IF YOU LIVE IN MELBOURNE, HE’S AT PRETTY MUCH EVERY BMX EVENT AND MORE OFTEN THAN NOT HE’D BE HELPING OUT WITH IT IN SOME WAY. HE’S ALWAYS STOOD OUT WITH HIS RIDING STYLE AND TRICK LIST, CREATING DIFFERENT LINES OR TRYING FRESH IDEAS ON HOW TO LINK TRICKS TOGETHER AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLEASURE TO WATCH. I HADN’T REALLY SEEN HIM FOR A WHILE SO I DECIDED TO CATCH UP AND FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENED IN THE LIFE OF ADAM HOUGH. WORDS + PHOTOS GORAK ILLUSTRATION BY LEWIS

Hey mate, first up, give me the standards; name, age etc. Hey my name’s Adam Hough (pronounced Huff), I’m 28.

How long have you been riding? Ah… I think this is my 10th year, from like, 99/2000!

Sweet, so a long time! Ummmm, I see you at events everywhere, judging or just helping out, what’s the deal there? What motivates you to help out wherever you can? Well, it’s just bike riding, helping out fellow bike riders. That’s just what I like doing. So as long as anything’s bike riding, I’ll do it. I guess BMX is my life, so any aspect I can get into I will.

What are the biggest events you’ve judged or been a part of? Probably BMX Games, organizing and judging that, umm, been to a couple of big ones overseas and just helped out.

What big one’s overseas? Backyard Jam, Brighton England, Metro Jam in Toronto, that was like 2005. That was pretty rad.

And what about the promotions side of things, for example selling tickets to events and promoting clubs /bars, what things do you do and why do you do that?

Well one thing is money, I also get to help my friends out with free drinks and get them in for free. I know a lot of people out in the city now because I’ve been doing it for so long, so it’s good, no matter where I go, there’s always someone to talk to and hang out with.

So we’re currently at 338, it’s a fairly well known BMX house, how long have you been living here? I reckon I’ve been in and around its mouth for about 6 or 7 years but I’ve only been living here for just on 2.

What do you like most about it? {Laughter} The Carpet.

It’s seedy.

100 Feature SIMPLICITY S

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have risen from slumber for BMX before sunrise once. It was to ride a pool with Nick Edwards in Forster many years ago.

The reason we chose such an ungodly hour is that a man who lived next to this pool was all too much of a do-gooder and felt it was his duty to make sure his neighbourhood pool wasn’t defaced by youths. On the freezing cold ride to the pool, I remember seeing other people around. They were jogging, running around in funny looking uniforms made out of what seemed to be parachute material, a little shiny, and constantly emitting some sound not dissimilar to radio static. I knew what they were doing, they were training, for what, I wasn’t sure, but they were certainly out there training for something. A race?

Social demand to be the epitomy of physical beauty? I wasn’t positive of their reason. I was positive, however, that I was not training and I knew that these joggers had no idea what I was doing, or even cared at all. I was slightly outside their realm, perhaps even just outside the law. Outside the rules that everyone follows and I was smiling, not grunting and swishing away down the street, with tiny reflectors stuck to my elbows.

BMX to me, and I’m sure many others, is just outside the rules of mainstream society and I love to think that we are. I love knowing that people don’t have a clue. That our bikes are illegal. That we get snarled at. That we get asked to leave. That we get told to walk our bikes when we don’t have a helmet. I love it! Perhaps it’s my feeble mind’s attempt at criminalism, but I love it nonetheless. I identify with every other rider out there because they know these feelings too.

116 Roadtrip COLONY USA 2010 Brock hop on possibly the most overrated street spot in America. Photo COOPER BROWNLEE

STORY by Cooper Brownlee

...SO CLINT MILLAR, MICK BAYZAND, TOM STRETTON, ZAC MINER, STU MUNRO AND I SET OFF FOR THE USA. ALONG THE WAY WE MET UP WITH BROC RAIFORD (COLONY RIDER IN THE U.S) AND RYAN NAVAZIO, BOTH OF WHO CAME ON THE RIDING PART OF THE TRIP. THE MISSION BEGAN WITH A VISIT TO THIS YEAR’S INTERBIKE IN LAS VEGAS; TO BE FOLLOWED BY A WEEKLONG TRIP AROUND L.A TO HIT A BUNCH OF SPOTS AND TAKE IN SOME MUCH NEEDED SUNSHINE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE GLOOMY, MELBOURNE WINTER WE HAD JUST ENDURED. INSTEAD OF A LONG PIECE RECOUNTING THE DAY-BY-DAY EVENTS, I THOUGHT I WOULD MIX IT UP AND PUT IN SOME STORIES OF THE ADVENTURES THAT HAPPENED ON THE TRIP.

Zac Miner got married!

I’m sure the internet has informed a lot of people about Zac Miner getting married while we were in Vegas. I know that there had been talks about it prior to the night, but I really didn’t think he was going to do it. Then he met a 21-year-old girl from LA the night of Nora Cup and not even 24 hours later he was married! It’s now almost two weeks later and I still can’t believe it. Everyone we told about it were stunned that he went through with it. Someone was bang on when their reply was, “It’s something everyone jokes about but never goes through with.” But Zac did. Ryan Navazio was by far the most interested in the whole story. From the moment he got wind of what was happening, he wanted to capture every moment of Zac’s marriage and create somewhat of a documentary about it. It was a bit full on how almost obsessive he was about it all. Days later, we were in Hollywood rolling around and a random rider from the area came up to us and hung out. Almost straight away he mentioned the marriage incident, not knowing it was actually the guy next to him that was the groom in question. Honestly, I’m still confused by it all. Clint had it right though when he said, “They could still be together 50 years from now, loving life. And at least they would have a good story to tell if it does continue.” So I wish good luck to Zac and Danielle.

Hitemwithit Ryan Navazio films for a bunch of BMX brands, as well as doing his own video projects like the Standpoint series. He was in Vegas for Nora Cup as well. Stu had known Ryan for a couple of years via the World Wide Web, but had never met him in person.

The night of Nora Cup, we all met up and within five minutes, Ryan had been invited to come along on the rest of the trip to help out with filming and to play tour guide since he had lived in LA previously. With the constant shit talking between he and Stu, it didn’t take long for Ryan to get settled in with us. He had an infatuation with Australian slang and his over the top and over used swearing kept us entertained for days. By the end of the trip, we had him talking just like the rest of us.

126 Interview BEVAN COWEN

Pedal slide. Photo RYAN McRAE

Single wall rims and 8 year old stock Mosh hubs. To be honest, my bike still doesn’t ride as dialled as I wish it did. But since hanging and helping out at T.Whites bikes, I’m running a sick set up, just need new bearings and tires at the moment. And a new rear hub…

I’d offer you some but my dad decided to clear out his basement and chuck all my spear tires without asking me. Could you seriously not afford brakes for your bike? Nope. Well even when I could I would have something else to replace that’s more important. I like riding brakeless because it gives me a more free feel. I’m not going to bitch out at the last second if I don’t have brakes but it does limit me sometimes.

What was the last bike part you bought? My new chrome profiles. Is there anything else?

What was the last bike part you scabbed off someone? A new rear tire? Mate wanted to swap stems so I get the tire in the deal. Cheers Seth.

Who has influenced the way you ride the most?

The people around me. The people from the original crew like Logan and Piggy. We all sort of learnt things together. When I was staying in Napier though, it was mainly me and my imagination and the occasional web vid; I don’t like being too influenced by web vids though. I must say, Paul Beadle has always been my favourite rider to watch and ride with.

His part in the local DVD shake your snake is awesome.

Any reason you say that? Don’t wanna be too trendy? Kinda but not really. I don’t enjoy trying every footjam variation under the sun.

I like riders like Matt Roe and Hanson Little, who look like they are just flowing and having fun. I’d rather that than watching some comp junkie ride like a robot.

What was the first big/burly/scary trick you tried? 3’s over dirt jumps? Flips? I dunno. I do simple tricks over bigger jumps preferably.

What’s better than a decent turndown or table?

What was the last big/bury/scary trick you tried? Ask me again after we have done all the photos hahaha.

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

In BMX, “you talk too much.” In life: “who cares?” and, “manners cost you nothing but can get you a lot” What’s the oldest part on your bike? No idea.

Most of it has finally been updated in the last 12 months. I tend to break or wear out shit way too fast.

Have you ever broken any bones or been badly injured? Did my ACL last year and did some decent damage to the lateral ligaments in my left ankle. No broken bones as of yet. (Touch wood).. Can’t complain about injuries though, comes with the territory. I did once break some Asian kids arm with my back wheel...

What’s the last good deed you did? Gave Hugo a ride home.

What are your plans for the future? Don’t plan too far ahead! I get my Diploma in like a couple of weeks so I need a job!

How do you get motivated when you’re the only person who rides weird stuff? I don’t think I ride that creative. To be honest, you see a lot of the sort of things I ride in those street web vids.

I think it’s more I don’t ride like all the other people around here. I just get stoked on riding everything and anything. If the surroundings are cool, then I like it more.

Does your bad ass, street bandana thing, what do you call it? Give you any extra skills? Fuck yea! No actually it just keeps my hair out of my face when I’m riding without a helmet.

What the hell is up with you being able to hop so dam high? Not that high dude. Is it?

Any tips for me on how to? Just pull up hard.

I dunno. Fill your bike with water, it really helps.

What does your average day consist of? At the moment waking up and having a trivial argument with my girlfriend for the hell of it.

Eat breakfast and check my emails. Go to Uni. Go do a couple of hours work at T.Whites Bikes then go for a ride till dark.

Oh do you work there now? Or when you say work do you mean loiter, and ask Tim a million pointless questions like grommets do? Hahaha, I don’t think I’d ever stop being a grom. I do actually work there now, well in summer and shit. I’m kinda that call on guy. There are only 4 of us so it’s tight. And it’s rad to just hang there and talk shit. The guys are awesome.

T.Whites bikes is where it’s at, definitely check it out.

Other important aspects are showing where the rider came from and where he Caption. Photo RYAN McRAE is going. It is one of the most complicated forms of photography, PERIOD! Riders are a vital part of the photo shoot because they need to understand it takes time to set up and get the lights perfect and sometimes it does take three go’s to get the best angle.

One of the things that drew Bevan and me together was our shared vision of what we could produce, along with a shared passion for seeking out odd street spots to ride and shoot. There is something very gratifying about using everyday objects for BMX and photography, rather than their intended purpose. It’s something I don’t see as much as I used to, people generally want to ride what has been built for them to ride, getting too hung up on the perfect transition or complaining about the slight bumps in a ramp.

People need to get back to their roots and start enjoying BMX. It’s not about who can do the most foot jam variations or the most tricks in a combo, BMX is about having fun with your friends, trying something different. It is set apart from other sports, training for a comp; what training? BMX’s version of training is hanging out with your friends drinking a brew and having FUN. You’re not expected to be out at 6am running and eating 12 raw eggs for extra protein.

During the process of shooting with Bevan I learnt a lot about his riding style and what makes him tick as a creative rider.

Bevan has a very unique outlook on riding, he seems to seek out the oddest spots you would never notice or even think about riding. This is one of my favourite things about him, yes there are times when a crazy spot just wouldn’t work, like a large rock with a 45degree angle on it. Bevan, had planned to tuck no hander off it, but when it came to the crunch time it proved too bumpy to pop out of, I had spent 20 minutes getting all my flashes set up and we had even begged the owner of the hotels to let us shoot for just 10 minutes. That’s a good example of a failed photo shoot, but shit happens and Bevan definitely redeemed himself with other shoots we went on to do. The photo of the wall hop to drop is a good example of blowing me away with commitment; he pulled it after about two runs. What you can’t see in the photograph is that there is a small garden that sticks out from the wall on the other side and then about a meter wall to get over.

This wasn’t the easiest interview to set up and shoot because we live in different cities hours apart. So inevitably one of us had to do some travelling up and down the country to meet up and shoot, unfortunately the fact I live in a Hamilton (massively lacking in street or anything creative) meant I pulled the short straw and had to do most of the travelling up to Auckland. But it’s all about compromise, which is the other key word that goes along side collaboration.

But without collaboration you wouldn’t have a glossy magazine filled with pictures to look at right now, so next time you’re out shooting with a photographer or around people shooting, give the photographer a bit of slack he’s only Photo RYANgood McRAE of BMX. greater to help the trying Caption.

142 New Products

Colony Transformer U-brake www.COLONYBMX.com.au

Colony’s new u-brake is CNC machined from forged 6061 T6 alloy to make it super stiff, it comes with soft clear pads and will work on the front or rear. Weight is 193 grams and you can have one in black, red, purple, blue, wasabi or gold.

Demolition F1 Sprocket www.DEMOLITIONPARTS.com

Demolitions new F1 sprocket is CNC machined from 6mm thick 7075 alloy with a splined insert that locks straight onto 19mm, 48 spline crank spindles (like Profile or Demolition). This means no more loose sprocket bolts and 48 possible positions so you can rotate your sprocket for longer life.

She’s available in black or white and weighs in at a feather weight 60 grams.

Federal Ty High bars www.FEDERALBIKES.com

Ty Morrow’s signature bars from Federal have an 8.5” rise and are 28” wide with a 12 degree back and 1 degree up sweep. They are made of 13 butted 20/20 (cool!) heat treated crmo and weight 680 grams.

Subrosa Pandora fork www.SUBROSABRAND.com

WeThePeople MadMax bars www.WETHEPEOPLEBMX.de

Next time you’re travelling the post apocalyptic wasteland in your interceptor you better make sure you have these bars on your bike. Made from post weld, liquid heat treated cromo with an 8.7” rise and 28.74” width, they have an 11 degree back and 1 degree up sweep. Weight is 724 grams and there are a stack of colours available. Overall they’re the ducks guts...

Ryan Sher’s signature fork is made of post weld heat treated Sanko crmo with butted and tapered legs and 4mm dropouts. The steerer tube has a built in internal headset race and they are available in a bunch of colours including this grey with green paint flick option, not seen that before...

NewProducts Photo’s by TONY NOLAN

Standard Top load www.STANDARDBYKE.com

Colony Rebirth Frame

This is the latest version of standards classic stem which has been around for years. She’s CNC machined in the good ol’ USA, with weight saving cut outs, a pre load bolt recess and a 48mm reach. If only they would learn what the metric system is so you don’t have to buy a wacky imperial allen key.

www.COLONYBMX.com.au

Colony has a stack of new products hitting stores right about now. The Rebirth features tapered down tube, rear stays and seat tube, removable brakes, heat treated headtube, BB and 5mm dropouts and is available in 20.75”, 21” or 21.25” top tube lengths. Colours are matt grey, red storm, wasabi, matt black and white and weight wise you’re looking at 4.98lbs for the 21”.

Flatline BMX Stem Cell www.FLATLINEBMX.com

Flatline is an Aussie rider owned company out of Queensland and have a fast growing range of products coming out. This stem is CNC machined from 7075 alloy with a classic front load 6 bolt design and a 50mm reach. The top has a recess for your fork pre load bolt and the inside is machined out to save weight.

Proper Microlite rim www.PROPERBIKECO.com

Propers new Microlite rim has a slightly lower profile sidewall to save a few grams and thicker material where the tyre sits so it’s less likely to ding when you hang up. They are made out of 6061 alloy with a welded joint, weight under 500 grams and come in every colour you can think of.

Verde Cartel www.VERDEBMX.com

The Cartel stem is first forged and then machined from a chunk of alloy so you get the best properties from both manufacturing processes. It has a wedge clamp system so there’s no bolts at the back and it’s recessed at the top so your fork pre load bolt sits in nice and smooth. The reach is 50mm and weight is 263 grams.

Superstar F9 www.SUPERSTARBMX.com

The F9 is the front load cousin of Superstars Edge 9 top load stem. It’s made from 6061 T6 alloy with a 49mm offset and dissymetrical bar clamps, this means you can tighten the top bolts right up first for a smooth look and then use the lower bolts to tighten your bars. It also has a recess for your fork pre load bolt, is available in black, blue or red and weighs 266 grams.

FBM Crown Royal top load www.FBMBMX.com

FBM have been making stems for a while now, so you know they are good. This Crown Royal stem is CNC machined from 6061-T6 alloy and has a reach of 52mm, weight is 283 grams and it comes in black, blue or red. There’s also a front load version too if your that way inclined

152 Wallpaper

Andy Buckworth, fronty... WTF! Photo COLIN MACKAY

GARRETT REYNOLDS

Australia: Triplesix | 02 4353 9606 | info@triplesix.com.au | www.triplesix.com.au New Zealand: Triplesix | 09 815 6605 | nzmike@triplesix.com.au | www.triplesix.com.au