70 Feature
Daniel Donges boosting higher than you. Photo RAINE TURNBULL
DIRT PIPE 3
AROUND EIGHT YEARS AGO, AN IDEA WAS SPARKED THAT WOULD CHANGE THE FACE OF BMX DIRT JUMPING EVENTS FOREVER. THE CREATIVE MINDS AT RED BULL AND A SELECT GROUP OF RIDERS CONCEIVED AN EVENT THAT WOULD BRING TOGETHER THE WORLDS OF SNOWBOARD HALF PIPE AND BMX DIRT JUMPING. THE CONCEPT WAS SIMPLE, CREATE A HUGE DIRT HALF PIPE TO SHOWCASE A NEW GENERATION OF ALL-ROUND 20 INCH RIDERS NOT CONTENT WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF LINEAR DIRT JUMP COMPETITION SET UPS. While the initial sketches called for a pure vert half pipe upwards of 100 metres in length, it soon became apparent that the majority of dirt riders would simply dismiss such a creation and all the vert dogs would find it way too bumpy and inconsistent. So a small crew flew to Perth to build a trial pipe, utilizing 4 shipping containers with dirt shaped between their walls. The results proved the concept could work, although a slight downhill grade would be necessary along with the addition of multiple lines and obstacles throughout the pipe. Fast forward to 2011 and the Dirt Pipe evolution is complete thanks to a lot of thinking outside the square along with some serious earth moving! The sheer size of the project brought with it a truckload of challenges to overcome. Pulling together a crew able to tackle the task at hand was the first step. From the beginning, they had to rethink all trains of thought in terms of digging. This wasn’t three doubles in a row with a berm, we’re talking 120 metres of packed and sculpted transitions, lips and landings. All smooth enough to keep a riders speed, plus manicured to perfection to allow consistent airs. And all of this without ridiculous amounts of maintenance which would destroy any event vibe. What resulted was nothing less than inspiring. Utilizing highway building technology and some completely new ways in applying it coming about in order to create the dirt master piece. Not that this happened in a few days! Try three months of excavating, compacting and building up the walls into a rough shape before the final vert and lip shaping began. Its intimidating two metre high walls bristling with
wall rides, hips, step ups, drops and street inspired extensions, at times up to four metres high. Add to this a huge roll in tower, massive curved wall ride and you have yourself one hell of a creation that really has to be seen to be believed. In a nutshell, Dirt Pipe is by far the most ambitious dirt project to ever be undertaken, let alone ridden. While this event wasn’t the first time some of the riders had visited the red soil of Mt Beauty, the Dirt Pipe now in its third incarnation had lost none of its jaw dropping impact. All riders sighting the pipe for the first time had very similar reactions. Pretty much insert your choice of expletive next to any rider on looking into the pipe and you’re pretty much on the money. The 40 or so invited riders set to drop in, represented a cross section of BMX riding from these shores and beyond. Not just BMX dirt specialists, but ramp and street riders alike. In a mix that was aimed at bringing vastly different riding styles and ways of attacking the massive walls of Dirt Pipe. From the big time event players like Corey Bohan and Anthony Napolitan, to pure dirt technicians Kye Forte from the UK and Californian Mike ‘Hucker’ Clarke, the level of riding talent was off the scale. Along with the superstars, New Zealanders Paul Langlands and Jed Mildon were there to represent their style of riding alongside an invited crew of known and unknown Australian shredders keen to make their mark on the event with that big run aimed at blowing away the judging panel. A run which would consist of up to 11 walls or hits, hipping, stepping up, stepping way down, wall riding and carving your way to the bottom.
Photo RAINE TURNBULL
82 Interview MITCHELL MACDONALD everyone just knows To be honest there are few people that know him as Mitchell, Macca’s in this thousand hundred one about be to has there While Macca. as him this messed up did ‘Macca with tion conversa start a you if are, chances country, a lot of crew would thing on his BMX the other day’ in Brisbane or even Australia was when he Macca who out found first I guess I about. talking you’re who know at the time was which flip, crank double a did he sure pretty am I and 16 only was just started riding. considered pretty awesome especially from a young grom who by the stuff he does away blown be to continued have I years the over there From street style with the on his bike and the loose times off it. He always had a unique take it to the streets, riders park of lot a s nowaday know I ability. park big random I guess that’s the parks. the to it take rider street a see you often that not it’s but Off the bike, to bike. his on does Macca what g explainin to come can I closest he is kinda enough funnily persona, his of ss uniquene the of idea an you give excitable and on like his dog Dallas, a fun loving chiller, but once off the chain who doesn’t mind a the boarder of out of control. All in all, a top bloke and friend you..... introduce I’ll delay further without So laugh.
Stairwell smith to nose manual. Photo SM
104 Feature FINDING TIME
photos by ra i ne tu r nbu l l i nt ro a nd i nter v iews by tyson jones pen i
w it h
DA MO CONNOLLY
Malcolm Hanslow
You’re young, life is long and there is time to kill today, then one day you’ll find ten years has got behind you. It’s exactly as Pink Floyd told it. From as soon as the sun rises to when it falls into night, time escapes us all. For a BMX rider it’s no different, except that most of the day (and night) is occupied with doing as much riding as we can. For a portion of your life you can ride for as long as you want, whenever you want. It’s freedom at its very best. The only thing that ever really slows you down is the call you get from your parents to let you know dinner is ready and when the school bell rings. School holidays takes care of that though, no big deal. Responsibilities sneak up though and naturally start to make the leap from the ‘should do’ to the ‘have to do’ pile. That time we found to have in surplus starts ticking faster, leaving us with less time to enjoy the amazing feeling you get from riding a BMX. Although riding time is cut down, once you start to gain a routine of need-to-takecare-of events, the will to ride doesn’t go away, instead it gets stronger. You start to
TOM BOOR MAN
R hys Williams
realise that the free time you find anywhere in your day becomes precious riding time. As soon as that session is squeezed in, riding takes on a whole new meaning and is taken to a higher level of appreciation that you couldn’t imagine when life was simpler. Here are four perfect examples of individuals whose lives are truly a floor-to-ceiling time line of events. Crammed with responsibilities as well as other activities they are passionate about, these guys still find time for BMX. Best of all is that while the time they find may sometimes be few and far between, they cherish and love riding more than ever. These guys make you truly realise that while you may not be able to enjoy BMX for as many minutes of the day, it becomes some of the best minutes. Not to be taken for granted and to be made the most of. It’s comforting to think that no matter where you go in life, if you want to, you can find time for something you love.
116 Interview jaywilson
:
J AY
WILSON
I N T E R V I E W By Alex Liiv. Photos and intro By Jamie Mauri
:
Hop over double peg down a kinker
JJ Wilson, well known pimp. When I first met Wilson he was the smallest BMXer I’d ever seen, riding an 18 inch Hoffman Rhythm, skinny as spaghetti. When I think back now, I can’t believe that this Wilson is the same tiny kid as all those years ago but hey hey, he jumps off cool shit and he ain’t never scared bla bla bla. He will hate this sick brag, he’s a salty bastard but I guess he’s just a perfectionist. I live in the most isolated city in the world, Perth and Jay Wilson lives in a small town an hour south of me. Bleak times man, but the last couple of years have seemed to work out real good. A train line got put in between Perth and Mandurah, making it easier for Wilson to come up to the city to ride. I’ve luckily been able to spend pretty much everyday with Wilson for the last two years just riding, filming and bullshit and it’s been a real good time traveling the world with this kid. Hope it don’t end anytime soon! Jamie Mauri
124 Comp HILLSIDE jAM 2011
SO IT’S THE 9TH OF MARCH AND I’VE BEEN ASKED TO WRITE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT CAMS JAM 2011. IT’S BEEN A BIT OVER A MONTH SINCE THE JAM HAPPENED, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO RECALL AN ACCURATE SUMMARY OF THE EVENT. IN MY MIND, HOWEVER, I DO KNOW THAT THIS PAST CAMS JAM WAS THE BIGGEST AND THE BEST SO FAR. THE FUNNY THING IS PEOPLE SEEM TO SAY THAT EVERY YEAR, BUT THE JAM REALLY DOES HAVE THE PERFECT RECIPE TO MAKE IT GET BIGGER AND BETTER THE MORE ESTABLISHED IT BECOMES. FOR THE RIDERS INVOLVED, NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE, YOU ARE NG TO BE CHALLENGING YOUR RIDING ABILITY TO
95 Road Trip UNIT STREwTH TOUR
STORY BY RYAN GUETTLER PHOTOS BY RYAN GUETTLER AND CAM PIANTA
142 New Products
New NewProducts Photo’s by TONy NOLAN
Forgotten Threat frame www.FORGOTTENBMX.com
The Threat is Forgotten’s aftermarket frame and is made of heat treated Japanese 4130 crmo with a 21” top tube and custom dropouts. You will also find a built in seat clamp and nice black finish.
Scavenger Bridge frame www.SKAVENGER.com
The Bridge is Edwin Delarosa’s signature frame and is made from something called Mugen tubing? According to the Scavenger website this is supposed to be 20% stronger than 4130 crmo... You will also find a external down tube gussett, chain stays designed for wider tyres and no seat clamp so you’ll need to use a wedge type post, which is included with the frame. The Bridge weighs in at 4.46lbs and you can get one in 20.5” or 21.25” top tubes in purple or black.
Cult OS frame www.CULTCREW.com
Cult are mixing it up a bit by making products both in the USA and Taiwan. This is the OS frame which you can guess was made OS and features a 75 degree head angle, built in seat clamp, MID BB and 8” standover height. Weight is 4.75lbs and they are available in black or chrome in 20.75” or 21” top tube.
Deluxe TSC Ravager pedals www.THESHADOWCONSPIRACY.com
Shadows new Ravager has a low profile 6061 alloy body and are available in either sealed or unsealed versions. The pins are removable and they are available in black, white, raw, red, purple, blue or yellow.
F-Lite pedals
www.DELUXEBMX.com
These new sealed CNC pedals from Deluxe kinda look like the DX’s of old, but hey why change a good design! Made from billet T6 alloy they are light at 480g and super grippy with a bunch of removable pins to keep your feet where they are supposed to be..
Affix PyCTA stem www.AFFIX-SYSTEM.com
ABD K-bar
Affix have a nice range of parts including this wedge type stem which has a 48mm reach and weighs in at 280g. You can grab one of these in black or polished.
www.AVANTIBIKES.com
K-Bar’s are 100% crmo with a 7.7” rise and are 26.4” wide, they run a 3 degree up sweep and 10 degree back sweep. If you looking for a smaller bar these could be the ones for you.
Amity RD bars www.AMITYBIKECO.com
Amity is a new brand from the UK and the RD is their 8.8” high x 30” wide bar for those who like their bars high and seat low... Available in black or silver they are made of good-ol 4130 with 11 butts and are post weld heat treated.
Deluxe F-Lite hub www.DELUXEBMX.com
Deluxe are all about the trails so this hub is designed to go fast with 4 sealed bearings, a female bolt type axle and 4 pawl driver. Weight is only 360g and they are available in black, silver, blue or red.
Profile Elite cassette hub BSD Street hub www.BSDFOREVER.com
The BSD street hub has a heat treated crmo axle with female bolts and a 6061 alloy shell. The whole hub pulls apart so no need for tools and no stripped threads. Nice. It weighs in at 245g and comes in black, silver, grey, purple, blue, red and gold, plus you can get a matching hubguard too.
Strictly Bitch crank www.STRICTLYBMX.com
Strictly BMX have made some sweet translucent colours in their Bitch cranks, these new versions have reinforced wrap around pedal bosses and run the regular 19mm, 48 spline axle. Weight is 930g and they come with a 2 year warranty.
Duo Resilite pedals www.DUOBRAND.com
Duos Resilite pedal is made of Nylon instead of Polycarbonate so it’s a little gripper than most other plastic pedals, they also have built in pins and are available in black, blue, purple, red or white.
www.PROFILERACING.com
Profile revolutionised BMX hubs when they brought out their original cassettes and the Elite takes it to a new level once again. This thing has a new aluminium driver design with 6 pawls and 204 engagement points, so there is zero slip. This hub doesn’t click when you freewheel it hums... Available in black, blue or red with optional Titanium bolts they weigh in at 362g... Get one now!
GARRETT REYNOLDS
IN THE
DRI-FIT
SLUGGER TEE DRI-FIT TECH DELIVERS WICKING, BREATHABLE COMFORT
ALMONDFOOTWEAR.COM
AVA I L A B L E N O W
W E LC O M E TO T H E FA M I LY
New Zealand Triplesix | 09 815 6605 | nzmike@triplesix.com.au | www.triplesix.com.nz
Australia Triplesix | 02 4353 9606 | info@triplesix.com.au | www.triplesix.com.au