Cult of Shred Magazine | XXI9 | #01 by Cult Of Shred Magazine

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MAGAZINE #01 06 10 14 19 2

Leatt DBX 3.0 Enduro V2 REVIEW Trek Fuel EX Jr. REVIEW Brett Tippie THE USELESS TWENTYONE Red Bull Unchained 2 REVIEW

20 42 52 56

Arthur Chambre BEHIND THE LENS Kyle Jameson 20 QUESTIONS WITH... Nukeproof Scout Comp REVIEW Chian Mai, Thailand CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT

NICO VINK 3

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JP V/D AKKER 4

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Well now... where to begin... COVER Do you remember when you were stuck between being a kid and an adult and your biggest problem was that enormous pimple on your nose? Why was this a problem? Because a couple of weeks ago you finally found the courage to ask that crush of yours on a date! And now that that is coming closer and closer you were excited en scared at the same time. Try to remember the feeling..... That is kind of how this first issue felt for us! After a long period of thinking, talking, meetings, getting the right crew together, more meetings, planning, stressing, another meeting and nail biting that big first date was getting closer... And now that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s here we absolutely love it! This very first issue of Cult Of Shred is a big thing for us because of a lot of reasons. But mostly because this magazine will not be just our baby, but also yours. Your contribution to the magazine will be one of great value since only YOU know what YOU want to read. We will not only have reviews, tests and eye candy, but the magazine will also take a closer look at local crews, riding spots and events. And we would love to hear from you. We wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bite (except our chief editor if you touch his food).

Photo: Trevor Lyden Rider: Kyle Jameson

PROEM Photo: Ilja van Bommel Text: Ilja van Bommel Rider: Jean-Pierre van den Akker

COLOFON General manager Maarten Essers Editors Ilja van Bommel Dennis Leidelmeijer Maarten Essers Tim Liquorbrand Jelle Harnisfeger Graphic designer Dennis Leidelmeijer Photography coordinator Ilja van Bommel Contributors

So now that you have this issue in front of you we can start biting nails for the next one! Oh....and have another meeting.

Richard de Bas Rick Kappetein Loose Riders Chiang Mai General contact

If you have events, stories or anything we need to know be sure to let us know through info@cultofshred.com and if you have a kickass photo send it to photo@cultofshred.com

info@cultofshred.com Editor contact maarten@cultofshred.com Advertising

ROCK ON!!

sales@cultofshred.com Digital LS Mag www.cultofshred.com Thanks for everything -

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RevIEW

Leatt DBX 3.0 Enduro V2 In this day and age where we see more and more versatile do-it-all bikes for want-it-all people there is market for a helmet to rule-them-all. Leatt has stepped in this segment with their convertible helmet range.

With the DBX 3.0 Enduro V2 Leatt has created a helmet with a detachable chin bar. So on the way to your favourite trails and certainly on the way up (some say you got to earn the descent) you can enjoy a nice open design with the wind in your face and breathing in all the air you need to get you and your bike uphill to the start of those gnarly descents we all love so much. But when it comes down to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;going downâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and you want to shred the shit out of it, you need that extra protection of a full face helmet. So in this case it is as easy as taking the chin bar out of your backpack and attaching it to your helmet and thus creating a sturdy full face helmet. But this helmet has way better ventilation than a standard full face helmet. Keeps your head cool when flying down the trails, but also on low speed going up it does the job perfectly. And speaking of backpacks; if you ride with a hydration bladder this helmet has guides for your drinking hose inside of the chin bar. Hands free drinking while riding those long descents.

As we are used to from Leatt this helmet comes with some great safety features. The 360 Turbine Technology reduces the chance of a concussion quite a bit (see tech list below) and the breakaway visor reduces the rotational forces on your head and neck in case of a crash.

So who do we recommend this helmet for? For one: the enduro and all day trail riders of course. You have a backpack with you anyway and can transform your helmet into a full face anytime you need that extra downhill security. And further in my opinion

Specs: •

Polycarbonate shell in three sizes

•

360° Turbine Technology

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Reduces up to 30% of head impact at concussion level

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Reduces up to 40% of rotational acceleration to head and brain

•

3 D in-molded impact foam for great energy absorption

•

Maximized ventilation with 23 vents

•

ptimized for riding and effective even O at low speeds

•

ew Dri-Lex® moisture wicking, breathable, N anti-odor and washable inner liner

•

isor with breakaway function for rotational V reduction in a crash

•

Removable chin bar

•

Hydration ready (with optional hands-free kit)

•

Fidlock magnetic closure system

•

Certified and tested to EN1078; CPSC 1203

•

Weight - From 750g (1.65 lbs). - Without chin bar: from 375g (0.83 lbs)

•

Sizing: - #S (51-55cm – 20-21 5⁄8") - #M (55-59cm – 21 5⁄8- 23 1⁄4") - #L (59-63cm – 23 1⁄4- 24 3⁄4")

Our verdict:

the DBX 3.0 Enduro V2 is also a super solution for those all mountain and trail riders who occasionally take a day trip to a bike park but are not full on free riders or downhill racers. With this helmet they have a perfect solution of needing only one helmet for multiple purposes. Although Leatt said that this helmet is not officially certified for downhill use, I did use it for that during our North Star bike park visit in Northern Cali at Lake Tahoe. Awesome bike park by the way! The downside of using this helmet as a substitute for a regular downhill full face is the closure system and the straps. Each time you’re at the bottom and want to take it off, you are fiddling quite a bit with the turning disc on the back and the longer straps on the inside of the helmet compared to just the single strap with double D locking from the standard DH helmets. But hey, can I state this as a negative? Certainly not, since this helmet is not meant for this use.

a great convertible helmet for a wide range of use. ON THE PLUS SIDE: Nice and light with lots of ventilation. Super adjustable for a perfect fit and top safety features. Drinking hose guides in the chin bar. For a wide variety of riders an ideal one-for-all solution. ON THE DOWN SIDE: Chin bar is a bit long in my opinion. Taking off and putting on ‘in full face mode’ requires a bit of fiddling with straps and disc.

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Trek Fuel EX Jr.

Is there anything cooler than sharing your passion for mountainbiking with your kid(s)? I think not! But of course you want the little one to enjoy the same material as you do. We will test some kids full suspension bikes with the focus on the ‘do it all bikes’ for the little dudes. So nimble enough for your everyday local trail and tough enough for the occasional bike park visit.

We will kick of the series with the Trek Fuel EX Jr. I think most (if not all) of you know the adult version: The Trek Fuel EX series. That one has been building up a good reputation for one and a half decade now since the first one hit the trails back in 2005. First thing we noticed when unboxing this bike is something that sadly happens too often and gets on my nerves a bit more than it should. The bike comes with ‘full length brake levers’ but somehow the person that assembled the bike chose to mount the brake immediately after

Trek Fuel EX Jr. TIJS ESSERS

and also more in line with the next step: a 1x11 or 1x12 adult bike. Who still rides front derailleurs these days anyway? (On new bikes that is.) The bike comes well equipped with Shimano Deore drive train and X-Fusion suspension custom tuned for kids weight. Also the geometry of the bike is custom for kids; low BB and stand over height and shorter reach. All for more stability and better control. the grip and before the shifter. Result: you have to brake with your pinky and ring finger the way this is set up now. Dear TrekAssembly-People: if you use long brake levers, please put the shifter first and then the brakes. Brakes should be operated with your index fingers! And the worst part is: there are no lock-on grips, so it’s a hell of job getting the grips off in one piece to switch the brakes and shifters. For the rest this bike looks great. Our 10 year old test pilot absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait taking it out for a first spin. With the 26” wheels and smaller frame it really doesn’t look like a kids bike, but more as a smaller size adult bike. Just like it should. One thing I would change if I was Trek product manager for this bike: make it a 1x11 instead of a 2x10. Easier for the young ones to shift

Our verdict: our junior test rider loved the ‘cool factor’, in other words he liked it very much that the bike really looks like a ‘grown up bike’ and not like a kids bike. Okay, from my point of view that is something I expect from a €1799 bike. This is quite the price for a kids bike, but then again, it isn’t a kids bike. Just a smaller adult bike. And truth be told, it does ride like that as well! So if the price is no object and you want something good for your kid so you can shred together from XC trails to bike parks, this bike will not disappoint you!

The best trails of the alps .................. TO THE VIDEOS: signature-trails.com

a product from:

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S IA N CO LL IN

1. 2. 3.

7. 8.

Name?

Brett Tippie Date of Bir th?

A cold winter day in 196 9!! Profession?

Professional freeride mt n biker, announcer, vid eo product tester, produc er, Director of Good Tim host, guide, coach, es

Sponsors?

YT Industries, Maloja Clothing, SRSuntour sus pen packs, Magura brakes , Spank bars/stem/pedal sion, Ergon grips/gloves/ s/seat, Rotor cranks/ chainrings, Enve Comp osites wheels, Maxxis tires, Bluegrass helme FiveTen shoes, Ryders ts, Eyewear, BicycleHub MT B Service Shop, and the Aava Whistler Hotel. What makes you happy?

Seeing my kids and wif e happy, riding tacky dir t, (especially on a trail never ridden before wit I’ve h brand new goggle len s and tires), stomping lines the first try, snowb gnarly oarding deep powder, playing darts and/or friz and making/reuniting bee, with new or old friends .

What makes you not so

Favorite food?

Lasagna

What result are you mo

st pro

ud of? I’m a freerider and don ’t hav conquering ‘big mtn line e many ‘official results’. We were more foc used on s’ or ‘stunts’. I’m proud of the first big drops I pioneer on mtn bikes and the steep descents helped I rode in Kamloops, Far Canyon in Williams Lak well e, the North Shore, Yak Peak on the Coquihalla and various mountain Hwy, ranges around the wo rld. I also raced snowb Burton on the Canadian oards for Na 10 racing pro on the Wo tional Team for most of the 90’s. Cracking the rld top time was a big one, win Cup Giant Slalom tour in Snowboarding for my first ning the Canadian Bo ardercross Grand Nation 2000 was cool, and rec als in ently in Masters at the Mt. Bak winning some Bronze Duct Tape getting 3rd Place er Banked Slalom was so much fun!!

Do you believe in the pow

Yes, it’s the shit! With

er of moist toilet paper?

friends like that, who nee

10. What’s your fav orite tire

11.

happy?

Injuries, littering, skippi ng addiction, bike theft, any drivetrains, seeing people lose themselves to one messing with my close ones.

pressure?

ds an enema!! ha ha

25 psi front and 28 psi back for fast, dry conditi ons shore conditions will go down to 23 psi front and but in slow, techy, wet north 26 psi back.

What kind of music do

Led Zeppelin, AC/DC,

you like?

Metallica.

12. When I heard the story When was the last tim about the guy with 5 pen e you laughed your pan ises...his pants fit like ts off ? text...”My wife told me a glove! ha ha (Actually to take this spider out instead of killing it. So my wife just sent me this guy...wants to be a we we went out, had a few b developer!”) I laughe drinks...turns out he’s d my ass off!! a really nice

13. Best road trip eve r and wh

o we

re you with? In Canada, my best roa d trips are with Margu s Riga and internation eating good food. ally the

14. Any regrets while on the

road?

I miss my family like cra

15. Do aliens exist?

y are with Ale di Lullo.

zy when I’m on extend

Lots of laughs, riding

and

ed trips.

Of course they do!! I’m living proof!! ha ha Wit h an infinite number of conditions like ours of planets out there the odd water, carbon, oxygen and a little sun are end s of life existing with sim need the essentials we less. Who knows how ilar need? I think it’s arroga much life exists that don nt to believe we’re the ’t even only life in the universe. 16. Do you take the ..err...universes!!! shampoos and conditi oner bottles from a hot No, I just use them in el? the current hotel I’m in and they’re near empty New ones in the next hot by the time I leave. el!

17.

Would you rather be att

I’m allergic to big bea

18. Where would you bur y

acked by a big bear or a swa

rs so definitely the bee

rm of bees?

hidden

treasure if you had som Sounds like ‘hidden tre e? asure’ is already buried ...or at least hidden. ha bury it under my basem ha If I was to bury som ent with the guard bla e ‘unhidden treasure’ ck widow spiders dow I would n there!!

19. DJ or band, at a weddi

Live band for sure!!

20. Any thing you wa nt to

ng?

share with us?

My wife is furious that

21. And last but not least..

our neighbor keeps sun

.. Do you eat your own

bathing topless! I mysel

f...am on the fence!!

boogers? No, that’s disgusting. I do however, sometim es chew my fingernails have bitten off riding cal and louses and chewed tho se on long drives!

THE USELESS TWENTYONE

Brett Tippie

Director of Good Times

ALE DI LULLO

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Z > /< ^ &KZ Z > Z/ Z^

ǁǁǁ͘ďĂŶƐŚĞĞďŝŬĞƐ͘ĐŽŵ

ǁǁǁ͘ĨĂĐĞďŽŽŬ͘ĐŽŵͬďĂŶƐŚĞĞďŝŬĞƐ

RevIEW

RED BULL UNCHAINED 2 “Those games are for kids” she said as she looked at my phone while snuggled up against my shoulder. “And shouldn’t you be asleep at this hour?” she asked while closing her eyes again. Shit.... she’s right but this game is so friggin’ addictive!

I was a big fan of the original Red Bull Unchained from the very first days of it’s release. There aren’t very much good bike games for iPhone and Android, but this was a different story. I was hooked. But a couple of months back Red Bull released Unchained 2....... and I now know that my addiction has gone to 11. It’s actually a very simple game to play, but if you want to be fast hard to master. The game has 2 basic controls: pedal and pump. That’s it!! But to be fast you will have to devellop perfect timing and get yourself the perfect bike. A lot of big brands are available like Commencal, Specialized, Trek, SRAM and many more. Everything you need to save up your hard earned game cash for. Clothing, helmets, goggles, shoes, everything is your own choise.

Venues like Rampage, urban DH in South-America, Canadian woods and alpine settings make for a good mix of racing and slopestyle, for which you can chose seperate DH and Freestyle bikes. But what we absolutely love....it’s a free game!! A kickass game which is addictive and actually free!! We love it and the regular update of the game, gear and track we probably will be for a long time.

AVAILABLE IN THE APPSTORE AND GOOGLE PLAY STORE [Actual in game screenshots] 19

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Arthur

Chambre photographer/filmer

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Arthur

Chambre photographer/filmer

AGE: I'm 29 LOCATION: In a small town in the North of France where everything is flat as the horizon.. WHEN DID YOU START TAKING YOUR FIRST PICTURES? I think, my first pictures were during a vacation in the Baltic states when I was 16. I just bought a Canon compact with 6 MegaPixel. On the road I shot everything through the viewfinder and I really loved it! But the last days on the way back, I had some problems with my SD card and lost all my pictures on it.. So, sometime after that I decided to buy some better stuff, and I bought my first Nikon reflex. WHEN DID YOU BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER? I started to become a professional photographer in 2010 when I was still a student in mechanical and production engineering (yep, nothing similar to photography). I was mainly shooting MX, quad and car races on the weekend. I wanted to shoot everyone so it was a lot of work editing all those photos. Those were my first jobs as professional photographer but I soon realised that I didn’t want to do 5000 identical photos each weekend. This was a bit to much like factory work you know.... So I quit that and I began to focus on quality pictures instead of quantity and that changed everything. So for me, even though I earned some money before, this was the point I became a professional photographer. HOW DID YOU GET INTO MTB PHOTOGRAPHY?I do a lot of MTB myself, bike is for sure a hobby for me, so I began to shoot MTB with some friends at our local spot. Each time we tried to make some better pictures than the previous ones, but coming to the same spot with the same guys over and over again won’t get you better images. But it was still a way to learn a lot and become better and better. I owe a lot to this little spot in Raismes and all the cool guys always willing and motivated to be in front of my camera. WHICH CAMERAS/FLASHES DO YOU USE FOR YOUR PHOTO-GRAPHY? I’ve been using a Nikon D850 for a year now. It’s without a doubt one of the best cameras actually and two Profot B1 flashes. Not always as easy to transport like cobra flashes, but they give me thousands of possibilities with awesome results. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE RIDER TO SHOOT WITH? Without hesitation, Boulard! We know each other and have been shooting togeteher for a few years now. He has an awesome style and is always motivated to make new content. We started to shoot together about 10 years ago. He lives in the Alps now so I go there regularly to shoot with him. Last year I joined him in New-Zealand, that was awesome! It’s incredible to see where his MTB and my photo/video has taken us. We are like a team and we can say that we have evolved together by trying to make better content.

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"Boulard always telling me I needed to start filming, the idea didn't take much time to take shape in my head." WHAT'S THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING A MTB PHOTO-GRAPHER?I don't really know if there is one specific thing... I really love taking pictures of MTB. Two passions brought together, but maybe if I need to say one thing, it would be the waiting. You know.... when the guys are going up for their next run.But I'm a really patient guy, so that's not so bad and I know that MTB is an extreme sport. I never push to go faster, I prefer taking the time and prevent crashes. WHEN DID YOU START MAKING VIDEOS AND WHAT GAVE YOU THE IDEA? I really liked to see some nice MTB movies/videos. "Where the trail ends" is certainly one of the best. The rides and landscapes are awesome... Next to that Boulard was always saying to me:"you have to film!". But I wasn't sure, because video is really much more gear and this gear is much more expensive and the work before, during and after a shoot is huge if you want to make something good. That's really something different to photography... And there was a lot to learn to make something good.. Usually I don't like to do something I’m not confident about, or something of which I’m not sure the results will be good or correct. I know that if I do something, I want to do it well. I took a lot of time to learn about photography and I’m still learning every single day so to begin video was like a big challenge for me..

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But I liked the idea of movement in my images and bring something new to "Arthur Chambre Photography". And with Boulard always telling me I needed to start filming, the idea didn't take much time to take shape in my head. So I started approximately 3 years ago. I had the chance to start slowly with some stuff that wasn't hard to create. And when I began, I realized that you have to think completely differently than when you're shooting for photography and that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much more work than I thought. But I kept going. I like to progress myself and see my content becoming better each time. WHICH CAMERA EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE FOR FILMING? For filming I use a Sony A7SII and a Metabones adaptor to fit all my Nikon 34

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lenses. I use a DJI Mavic Pro as drone. I'm dreaming of the image quality of the DJI Inspire, but the Mavic is so easy to transport. And sometimes I use my Nikon as second camera and a GoPro 6. I had one DJI Ronin-M as gimbal and of course a tripod with a good ball head. DO YOU SHOOT ANY OTHER SPORTS? Yes, I try to vary my subjects. I really like to shoot and see different things. For me that's one way to learn to be more versatile and better. MTB is my favorite subject, but I really like any sport like running, paragliding, Mx, cars, etcetera. WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED WHILE SHOOTING? I have nothing really crunchy to answer, sorry... Or maybe when I was filming a yacht in Colombia with the drone and when I tried to land, the drone found nothing better to do than visit the depts of the Caribbean Sea. Or when I tried to make some surf

pictures for the first time. I was swimming in the water with my new waterproof housing for the camera to be closer to the surfer. But 50m into the water I saw water inside of the house... no need to tell you that the camera was dead after that. There is nothing worst than salt combined with electronics parts. Last year in New-Zealand with Boulard we found a spot to shoot some freeride lines, but the only way to go there was to cross a river by foot. We were bitten by dozens of sandfleas, an insect smaller and wors than mosquitoes. You can scratch hours with one bite. The water of the stream was icy... Crossing it with a big backpack weighing 20 Kg and costing approximately 20 000$, I was really scared to fall in. Luckily everything went right that day!

ANY BIG PROJECTS PLANNED? At the moment nothing really big in the MTB industry, but I'm working on a really big running project. One crazy guy is planning and organizing the biggest relay run along the entire coast of Europe called "Run the Mare Nostrum". From the first of July everyday at 07:00 am one team will start to run their 100km in 24h. The project is so big that it will take some years to complete and I will help with photos and video. But Boulard whispered about Thailand and Loose Riders for the end of the year. So maybe that would be the big project of MTB this year? We will see! ANY TIPS FOR ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS? Shoot, shoot, shoot again and learn by yourself. That's the best school!

I have a lot of small adventures like this and that's part of the job! 35

THE AXIS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MODULAR WAIST PACK M I S S I O N W O R K S H O P . C O M

THE HAUSER â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WEATHERPROOF HYDRATION PACK M I S S I O N W O R K S H O P . C O M

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Blood Youth "Starve"

BY RICK KAPPETEIN

[ m u s i c ]

The United Kingdom delivered a lot of good heavy releases in the past few years. Black Peaks and Heck are two bands that come to mind. They all try to create their own sound and try to conquer a spot in the world of heavy music. Blood Youth has also joined this game, for a couple of years now. This year they released their second album: ‘Starve’.

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Blood Youth is a kind of a misleading band. When you hear the name, you would almost think they are a black metalband and the coverart of their debut album looks like the coverart of a sludgy stonerband. But when you hear the sound, you hear a melodic hardcoreband with some punk influences. In 2014 the band was started by ex-Climates member and singer Kaya Tarsus. After 2 EP’s, ‘Inside My Head’ and ‘Closure’, they released their debut album ‘Beyond Repair’ in 2017. But, we’re in 2019 now and it’s the year the band released ‘Starve’. After a weird introtrack with drumcomputers and synths, we get a kick in the face with the title track. Tight riffs and a good roar in the vocals. The melodies, with which the band tries to stand out from other bands, is mostly heard in the choruses. ‘Cut me open’ has some sing-along content in the chorus. Even if the title doesn’t sound as a cozy sing-along. On earlier records the clean vocals sounded a little thin. But on ‘Starve’, Blood Youth added a smart trick. As you can hear in the chorus of the track ‘Nerve’, screams are dubbed over the clean vocals to give the vocals more body. By the way, ‘Nerve’ has a killer main guitarriff. We also have some words of mild criticism. The track ‘Waste away’ has some more prominent synthesizers. It seems like the band wants to experiment a little more with that kind of sounds on this record. This particular track sounds a little cheesy, especially the melody in the chorus. After this short experiment, there is a skit which lasts more than a minute to catch our breath. And that’s a breath we need for the next track ’Visitant’, which starts with a sort of machinegunsounding drums and guitar. In interviews the group said they are influenced by different musical sources. Guitarist Chris Pritchard is inspired by Korn and Slipknot. The singer was into hardcore: The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge. Drummer Sam Hallett’s favorite band is The 1975, also something completely different. The band knows how to use all this different sources in a good way and if you ask us, Blood Youth definitely has planted a big bright flag in the current landscape of heavy music.

RIDER: Nikki Rohan / PHOTO: COLIN MEAGHER

It doesn’t matter if you’re dropping into a steep root infested trail or out for a dawn patrol cruise with your four- legged friend, the ultra-versatile Switchblade is always the right tool for the job. With a new 160mm travel, 44mm offset, Fox 36 fork and DPX2 shocks on Pro and Team builds, the Switchblade is the undisputed leader of the pack. >> PIVOTCYCLES.COM

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KYLE q u e s t i o n s - w i t h -

J A M E S O N

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K Y L E | J A M E S o n 44

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WHEN DID YOU START RIDING BIKES? 1998, I was in fifth grade. I went on a mountainbike ride with my buddy and his dad. First time in Lake Tahoe, California, we rented mountainbikes and I had no idea what I was doing, but I’ll never forget it. We rode a trail called ‘black canyon’ or ‘black forest’ and I was instantly hooked. I even played with the fork so much that I completely turned the adjuster knob of off the fork and the spring came out and hit me in the chest.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MOUNTAINBIKE? My first mountainbike was a Gary Fisher Tassajara. It was red and black and had a RockShox Jet fork on the front. That bike was dope. I sent that thing of off loading docks, we did NorthStar at Tahoe laps. I soon realised that I would need something bigger.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SCARED YOURSELF? I scare myself every day. I wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and scare myself.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE TRIP SO FAR? That’s a tough one. I’ve done a lot of sweet trips in my short career of mountainbiking. I would probably have to say my first trip to Africa with Team In Focus. We went to Namibia and did a Freeride trip and camped pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We rode sand dunes, rock faces and this on place called ‘the moon scape’. I went in completely blind, friends called me up and asked if I wanted to go and do this RedBull thing. I just said: “let’s do it” and that trip was insane. At first my bags and bike didn’t show up, but somehow I got reunited with my gear literally in the middle of nowhere on some highway and we got to filming. It really was a great time.

WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? Ehm, when I was young I just wanted to be sponsored, but I didn’t know what I was doing. A mentor of mine, Andrew Shandro, he could tell I wanted to pursue mountainbiking and get like pro, or something when I was 16 or something. He sat me down and told me “dude, don’t worry about being this pro figure that you think you want to be. Just focus on riding your bike and having a good time and everything will fall into place if it’s true and if it’s what you love and want to do. If you keep your head down and continue riding you will achieve your goals.” I took that to heart and put that little demon on my shoulder telling me to go look for sponsors away and concentrated on riding bikes. And here I am today. I was probably 15 when he said that to me and I’m 30 now. So fifteen years ago. Best advise ever, thanks Shandro!

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? This is a hard one to answer since I have a lot of good friends. Basically: I don’t know.

NAME ON THING THAT IS GOOD OR BAD ABOUT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MOUNTAINBIKE INDUSTRY. There is ‘Plus-size’, ow… and ‘Boost’. Can someone tell me what is ‘Boost’? There’s boost chainrings, there’s boost spindles, there’s boost hubs and forks and I don’t get it. I do get it… but I don’t. I’ve put a boost chainring on my set-up and it doesn’t even make sense. Can’t we just have Mountainbikes with no weird standards?

“"dude, don’t worry about being this pro figure that you think you want to be. Just focus on riding your bike and having a good time and everything will fall into place if it’s true and if it’s what you love and want to do. If you keep your head down and continue riding you will achieve your goals."

Best advise ever, thanks Shandro!

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WHAT’S A WEIRD THING PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU? Well I love dogs, but that is not that weird. My wife and I collect these ‘things’. But maybe the fact that I have flat feet. That weird? No, that’s not weird. I don’t know, I think I am pretty normal. I laugh at farts. I’m a family oriented person, I love my routines, my wife, my dogs, having a roof over our heads and I like to work. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m always working. I like to be busy, guess that’s kinda weird. But I’m pretty normal. (Camera man says: “yeah right, crazy ass.”) Ow, there is weird thing people don’t know about me: when I’m riding my eyes get really big, super big. I got full focus and try to take as much in as I can. That’s the weirdest thing about me, you can pick it out in videos.

CHOOSE ONE TRACK TO LISTEN TO BEFORE DROPPING INTO A SUPER GNARLY SECTION. That’s a tough one. I listen to a lot of music. It really depends on what I’m in to, but a generally like to keep it chill. So hip hop and beat related music is kind of what I gravitate towards. Something with a high-hat maybe, you know, that’s kinda chill stuff. I do phase in and out of rock and metal and a lot of punk. Stuff like that, but I guess lately it is a lot of outlaw-country, a lot of Johnny Cash. You know, I what probably listen to ‘False Imprison’ at this time or ‘walk the line’. That would chill me down and keep me focussed when I’m doing something gnarly and think about “what would Johnny do? Probably say ‘fuck it‘ and go for it.”

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THAT YOU LAUGHED YOUR ASS OFF? I tend to laugh a lot, but laugh my ass off… I guess it’s bad that I can’t think of it. But not long ago my wife and I had a laugh attack over something super dumb. It’s so dumb I can’t even explain it to you. It would have been 3 months ago, around Christmas time. Epically dumb shit happened between my wife and we laughed like I culdn’t even breath. That’s kinda lame, I wish it was bike related. But we do laugh together all the time and that was a really good laugh I had together with my wife. WHAT IS THE SCARIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE? I generally stay kind of calculated, but the scariest ting that I have ever done is probably go to Loose Fest, which is Nico Vink’s Fest Series event, not a 100%. First time I’ve been to Loose Fest I was coming of a pretty hard crash at Hillbilly Huckfest. I went to Belgium as I was still pretty broke-off coming from Norway. So I was like: “damn, I’m hitting the biggest jump I ever hit already hurt.” That was kind of scary. And the year after that I got hurt at Loose Fest because I was a 100% and… over confident. And when hitting big jumps you don’t want to be over confident, you want to respect them. So Loose Fest is probably the scariest thing ever. HOW IMPORTANT IS HEALTHY FOOD TO YOU? I believe it is really good, you need to eat healthy. I don’t always do it, depending on what I’m doing and where I’m at. But when I’m home and have access to it I generally eat pretty healthy and I love cooking. That can be back in the ‘weirdest thing category’, I’m a little but of a chef. I get behind the counter in the kitchen and start whipping shit out, cutting up all the veggies and throwing them all together. Coconut oils and chickens and steaks and bbq-ing with my trainer. So yes, I like to eat healthy, experiment with things. Yes, it is important.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT SO FAR? I would say in mountainbiking I got a number of things that are huge accomplishments. But in mountainbiking and life being invited to Rampage qualifying and putting down what I thought was the best run I could do. I’ve got some pictures of it that I look at all the time. I love Rampage and I went there not wanting to win or anything like that (I’m not that competitive), but I went there happy and wanting to do my best and I did the best I could, which is a huge accomplishment for me. And I would also say executing Cruise Fest five years ago now with my best friends Geoff Herb and Ryan Howard. The first year of Cruise Fest was the second year of the Fest Series I believe, and we were lucky to be a part of it. We did Cruise Fest without knowing anything about events and zero money behind it. We put in our own money and somehow won ‘best freeriding event’ in mountainbiking that year by Pinkbike and Viewer’s Choice. That’s a pretty cool one, I will never forget that. We pulled that out of our butts and had a really good time.

‘...fuck it‘ and go for it...

DO YOU FIX YOUR OWN BIKES? Yes I do, I try to fix my own bikes unless I’m busy or I have to set up something funky. I’m am not good at building wheels but I have a couple of buddies that are really good at that and they do my wheels for me. But for the most part I have all the tools. I can build bikes, fix things. I’ve got enough bolts from the last 14 years of biking that I can put things together.

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IF YOU WERE NOT A PRO RIDER, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING? I’m not sure. I love digging dirt and I would probably be running some equipment. You know, just being happy and financial stable and not being homeless. But who knows. This career and life choice have been great to me and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love snowboarding and skateboarding, so maybe something like that. I’m just gonna go wit digging in the dirt.

DO ALIENS EXIST? I think they do, but at the same time; why haven’t we seen them yet? I don’t know, there is just so much space out there that I could not think of them not existing. On the side of caution I’m just gonna say yes. Maybe they just don’t want to be seen and think humans are weirdos and don’t want to be around us.

WHICH PRO RIDER IS MOST LIKELY AN ALIEN? I’m gonna say Brandon Semenuk. He is a good friend of mine, but that dude is a freak. He just does shit like “how are you good at this, how can you pull that off?”. Cab 540 of off drops. Dude, you’re 26 years old and still doing shit no one has ever done before. You’re an alien, you’re a freak of nature.

HOW HAS RIDING AFFECTED YOUR BODY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS? I’m definitely sore. It’s mainly just my knees and my back. Ehm… I guess my neck, my wrists, my elbows. Basically my body, yeah. Your body takes a toll and I think that’s why it is important to stretch and eat well. I use a lot of different kind of things, like fish oils, cannabis products like CBD creams and a lot of CBD stuff. Soaking salts for baths. Just try to take care of your body as much as you can. MSM, stuff for nerves because I’ve had some nerve damage before. I wake up in the morning stiff as a board, especially when it is wintertime and snowy. It’s a real thing, never thought that it would be, but you get hurt and sometimes these injuries become… I call them ‘lifers’. So you live with them for the rest of your life and you must make sure you take care of them. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF? Well, I think it is more like an inner thing where it is like some people feel content and I need to go and do something cool. Maybe it is influenced by my friends, maybe by what I’m watching or how maybe sometimes I’ve been building trails so much so I’m not on my bike for about a month. Feeling like I need to send it. It’s just that inner thing that says “come on, it’s time to go!” And I think that is probably what it is. It’s probably a little bit of fomo, like I’m working hard, building trails and I see on Instagram my friends are sending it somewhere and I wanna go send it too. So mostly the friends that are influencing me combined with that inner thing.

BIG PLANS THIS YEAR? This yeas is a huge year. My wife and I are buying a house, and that is really a big deal for us. So hopefully a lot of sweet trailbuilding jobs and a lot of sweet filming opportunities. I’ve got a Reverse film trip coming up in February with Nico Vink, Damon Iwanaga and Christian Regal. I’m building a trail at Mount Bachelor called ‘Red Line’. It’s kinda like a little bit of design slash finished grade roll. I’m doing that with Dirt Mechanics, so that’s gonna open this year hopefully. And I’d like to go back to Châtel and I’d like to do more ‘sweet have fun’ edits. Like having fun on the bike, not trying to get to wild so I get to stay sustainable. The big plans this year include trying to stay on the bike as much as possible, but also in the machine kinda making the dough so I can pimp out this house. I’d like to build a pump track with a sweet jib section and maybe a little moto track on this property.

ANYONE YOU LIKE TO THANK? Yeah, I would love to thank Scott Bikes for sticking with me. They have pursued my career with me and the bikes are great too. It’s like one thing that they are willing to stick with me, but it is another thing that actually have sick bikes, I am extremely happy on them. Hope Tech for believing in me. Oregrown, it is a lifestyle brand here in Bend, they supply me with products to keep my body in line which as awesome. Reverse Components. Schwalbe Tires. My wife. My dogs. And whoever else, thank you for sticking with me. My mom, everybody out there, family. And of course the newest addition to my sponsor line-up: Loose Riders. Really happy to be repping the company, I am a huge believer in it. Thank you, everything is great. And Troy Lee Designs for the helmets.

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RevIEW

NUKEP SCOUT COMP

ILJA VAN BOMMEL

MY2019

PROOF T

Recently there has been a trend of multi purpose hardtails with agressive geometry. It’s a trend that, for me, hasn’t had the attention it should have had. Over the years there have been a lot of brands out there looking for that one do-it-all bike, but the geometry has always been an issue. But now a couple of brands seem to have found that holy-grail-geometry and all the big brands are following in their footsteps. One of the brands that have their do-it-all hardtail dialed is Nukeproof. Without wanting to be disrespectfull the Nukeproof Scout Comp is basically an evolution of their old Snap 4X-bike. A bit of a side note there.... WHY THE H@LL would you give a bike a name like Snap?? But that’s another story.... Back to the Scout!!

The Scout’s 4X-pedigree is obvious once you throw your leg over it. It looks and feels like a 4X-bike on steroids. It’s lower than Snoop Dog’s lowrider, slacker than an Orange County Chopper and longer than the wall on Trumps wishlist. This has actually become my personal bike (liked it that much) and I’m between a Large and an Extra Large. I went for the XL and swapped the stem for a really short one. This makes it extremely stable at speed, while still having that snappy hardtail feel. According to Nukeproof you can do anything on it. But as you can imagin that comes with compromises....

The mix of components make sense but is definitly worth looking at if you’re picky (like me....). If you have an eye for detail yoy will have noticed that this is the 2018 version. But the 2019 version is basicaly the same with the exact same geometry. We have put this 2018 version through it’s paces and found the nukeproof parts are awesome. And that is including the Horizon wheels. We have yet to break one spoke or bend a rim. The Brand-X dropper post does what it has to do wothout any problems. The original saddle however was switched after half a ride because of it’s concrete like feel!! What we also did not like were the Shimano SLX brakes. There was a bit of fading on the 180mm discs, which is a problem on a bike that’s allready a bit of a handfull keeping grip while braking. Also on the personal side, I just never liked the feel of Shimano brake levers. Some old Sram X0 brakes worked beter. The SLX 2x11 drivetrain however works like a charm.

On downhill tracks the incredibly stiff aluminum frame throws you around and keeping grip in corners and braking is a struggle. Although this is the top model the 140mm Rock Shox Revelation forks are pretty basic and hard to set up for rough riding. But if you lie the challenge of no rear suspension and a short-ish fork the geometry will make up for it! Climbing is very nice actually, although tight switchbacks could become a problem because of the length and headangle. On pumptracks it works pretty well as long as the bumps have enough room for the 27,5 inch wheels and if your willing to put in the effort.

So where is this bike at home? Recently a lot of bikeparks have opened flow tracks. You know, freeride tracks with a combination of flowy berms, pumps, bumps and jumps. That’s where it absolutely hauls ass!! Lean it into a berm and it will blow it up. Scrub the jumps and pump through the track and you it wuill be hard to find the bike’s limit.

Our verdict:

If you’re looking for a bike that can do it all on a budget.. this is it! But be aware of the compromises you should be willing to take. Als think about the sizing before you buy one or take a testride. I am 1.90m and went for the XL. But I like long frames so if that’s your thing or mostly ride bikeparks go for the longer option. If you’re planning on riding more pumptrack go for a shorter one. But this a bike you will love!

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10/25/2018 2:16:35 PM

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Did you know that the Loose Riders story actually started right here in Chiangmai? As the original chapter we feel very proud to still be one of the chapters where a lot happens. We might be a bit different to the chapters that organize uplifts etcetera, but that’s mainly due to the fact that the mountain we are riding on, Doi Suthep, is a national park and therefore has some limits as to what we can do as expats living here. The guys running Loose Riders Chiangmai are Neil Avery, Dan Wallace and Henrik “grandpa” Møller aka Miller Photo as some of you may have noticed.

Neil is what you might call an adult playmachine. Downhill bikes, enduro bikes, hardtail bikes, dirt bikes, 4WD trucks. You name it, he plays with it. Neil is permanently based in Chiangmai and is above from his awesome riding skills also the driving force behind the Chiangmai Trail Busters. The group of expats that maintains the trails around here. Now this has not been easy to do in a country that very strictly upholds the laws for foreigners working. But through a positive communication with the local authorities and the villagers it has been possible to move foreward. This means that at the end of the raining season we head to the trails and cut them back, trim them and make them rideble. We are not allowed to build stuff, we only trim and smooth out the trails. Neil is not a person to walk away from work half done!! Its either you do it or you dont. I think a lot of returning riders this season have experienced some of the trails to be in a state they have never been tried before. And although many people pick up a shovel, it is basically Neil we have to thank for this project.

Neil is not a person to walk away from work

Dan the man is also from Wales. Now living here in beautiful Chiangmai with his lovely wife Golf. Yes that’s her name, and no they dont play. Apart from being a blistering fast rider he is also a skilled photographer and drone pilot. Both he and Neil do a lot of exploring on their Santa Cruz Nomad and YT Capra. Apart from the trails on Doi Suthep, Chiangmai has tons of great nature trails to explore. Day long rides on which you will never see the same spot twice and come home with 40-50 km on the pocket. These “of the beaten track trails” do require a guide i would say.

half done!! Its either you do it or you dont.

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Last man is me, Henrik. I’m danish and live here in Chiang Mai around 7 months of the year. I’m semi working as a photographer for one of the biking companies here. Its not a paid job, but just someting I like doing. So basically I wake up every morning, pack my bag with cameras and go shred the mountain untill sunset. Hard life, but someone has got to do it......

Apart from riding our bikes and building trails we also stock the Loose Riders good. Gravity specific supplies can be limited in Chiang Mai, so if you are in need of goggles, gloves, jerseys or maybe a special edition of Loose Riders Chiangmai chapter jersey then give us a shout.

Now as mentioned before Chiangmai is a bit different. Sometimes we go riding on our own, but fmost of the time riding is done through the tour operators in the area. There are a few, but if you want the solid ones its X-Biking, Mad Monkey or Trailhead. I usually ride with X-Biking, so that’s where you normally find me and the camera. But all the 3 operators are good.

Of course you can start with the well known apps showing you the trails, but do keep in mind that our trials are NOT accessible from roads. If you have a mechanical or injury you will need to get yourself out of there on your own. So always go out with at least 2 when riding and tell someone you have gone out riding. All riders have to stop at the office of the national park before heading up. There is a fee of 100 bath per person (editors note: 100bath is around EUR2,80/GBP2,40/USD3,15). You will be given a ticket. Keep this on you in case you get stopped by the rangers on a trail. We have gotten lost in the jungle before. And walking around with a DH bike for 3 hours in thick jungle because you thought you could make a short cut is NOT fun. So if it’s your first time here in biking paradise our recommendation is to use one of the tour operators. You do also get the benefit of meeting people from around the world, and riding with others is a lot more fun than riding alone!

So what is the riding like? Well, its hot, its long, its gnarly and its everything you could ever wish for. 61

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....ohhh, the length of the trails is what mostly surprises newcomers.

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To put a label on the trails likeblue, red, purple or double diamond is kind of pointless. One trail could have a few super gnarly sections, but you can always walk if you dont feel the flow. There is no possibility to work on the trails as said, but we have been smoothening out places here and there to make a jump or drop. So a bit of airtime is possible.

The length!!!.. ohhh the length of the trails is what mostly surprises newcomers. From 6 to 15 km gravity assisted trail is what awaits you as we drop around 1000-1400 meters from the top.

Chiangmai is often being referred to as Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whistler. So why not come see us here and enjoy a stay with both riding, good weather and awesome food to round it all up.

SAWADEE KAPOM

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THE BIGGER ROWDY ENDURO FREERIDE

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