FUN DA MENTAL
NOT ALL PARKS ARE BIKE PARKS. TERRAIN ISN'T ALWAYS PERFECT. SOMETIMES THE BIKE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO HELP SMOOTH THINGS OUT. HERE, MATT DECIDED THAT THE TRANNY LOOKED SWEET ENOUGH WITHOUT SHOVELING IT FOR DAYS, AND TRUSTED HIS BIKE TO SEND IT IN THERE UNTRACKED. SEE HOW MATT GOT HERE AT FUNDAMENTAL.SPECIALIZED.COM
STERLING LORENCE PHOTO
016 BITS & PIECES Down on the Farm.
Big Mac Rumble
Story by Simon Makker
The 2011 Unit Farm Jam not only destroyed all previous records of epicness in the deep south of New Zealand, it also saw a battle royale unfold between the McGarry, Macfarlane and McCombie! Winton, New Zealand. Population: 2200, named after a stock-driver in the 1850s who used to camp in the area. There’s good trout fishing if you know where to look, wild deer in the hills, and in stereotypical fashion, the sheep outnumber the folk about 1000 to one. Until 2007 the Southland town was a fairly non-event place that serviced the rural community and occasionally snared the odd wayward tourist trying to get from Invercargill and Queenstown. But from 2007 things began to change. Excavators began pulling a rolling hillside in Otapiri Gorge to shreds and carving mounds, lips, berms and transitions from the soil and clay. The roar of motorcycles, hoots of laughter, quiet buzz of freewheeling bicycles and the clanging of spades and shovels resounded as two brothers and a group of mates set about turning a handful of paddocks from their 2500-acre drystock property into their version of riding Nirvana. As luck would have it, one of the brothers loved mountainbike and BMX, while the other had a passion for motocross and FMX. It was a recipe for success and by the end of 2007 the Frew brothers opened up their farm to a bunch of their mates for the first ever Farm Jam.
After that first windy event on December 28 2007 the Farm Jam has steadily grown in crowd numbers, rider entries and quality, media interest and exposure, and organisation. Gone are the days where a handful of local magazines and newspapers sent their cub reporters out to cover the day. Now helicopters pick up dust and loose hats as they follow the FMX riders around the natural terrain course, flying fox-type cable cameras buzz next to the two pushy lines at the perfect speed to capture the action, thousands of people elbow their way through the gates and International media is at an all-time high. But the cool thing isn’t just the Cinderella story of how fast this event is growing. The cool thing is how the Farm Jam has managed to retain its grassroots type feel and the camaraderie between the MTB, BMX and FMX riders, despite everything blowing up around them. “From the outset the Farm Jam has always been about promoting the relationship between all the riders from all the different disciplines,” Dan Frew says. “I think that is one of the unique and special aspects of this contest.
There aren’t many events in the World where you’ll see a BMXer, FMX rider and a mountainbiker all talking together and sharing a joke. It’s a culture we’ve definitely tried to maintain as the Farm Jam has grown. I guess you could say it’s one of our core values for the event.” Kiwi MTB freeride shredder Conor MacFarlane has been attending the Farm Jam since 2008 and says he wouldn’t miss it for the world. “I just like how its super chilled vibe and it’s less of a comp and more of a session with your mates just pushing each other,” he says. “It’s New Zealand’s premier congregation of dirt-jumpers and it brings everyone in the two-wheeled scene together for a couple of days. It’s definitely a special weekend.” Couldn’t have asked for better weather, great turnout. Everyone had a massive smile. I was only two rides into my broken collarbone. Timing was bang-on, but I still didn’t want to push it and crash and re-break it because it would’ve been a bit gooey. Now don’t go thinking that just because the atmosphere and good-natured bantering and jokes between all the riders is laid back, that the riding is.
Farm Jam has become the largest annual freeride event in the entire southern hemisphere. Attracting the cream of riding talent as well as thousands of spectators to watch them do battle over the weekend. Lewis Jones sends a monster superman seat whilst Conor MacFarlane twists CAMILLA STODDART his way off the wooden roller and onto the top step of the podium. //
Caption. //
Far from it. It’s a typical – some would argue natural – scenario among competitive, red-blooded males that when someone raises the bar with a banger new trick that the rest of the kids will do their best to not just step up to the plate, but to raise the stakes even more. This year’s MTB contest was a classic example of that, even though it didn’t boast the big International names that the BMX (Anthony Napolitan, Dane Searls, Dean Manson and Cam Pianta) and FMX (Levi Sherwood, Matt Schubring, Josh Sheehan and Rhys Hillier) did. Two South Island rippers, Luke McCombie and 2010 Farm Jam winner Conor MacFarlane had spent the two weeks prior to their hometown event riding as much as possible together and pushing each other to new heights, until both lads were throwing Front Flips. MacFarlane only learnt the forward rotation less than a week before the big day, but amidst the hype and buzzing crowd, Conor decided to bring them to the table and successfully stomped several of the things. With the packed hillside behind him Conor attempted to replicate BMXer Brian “The Bastard” Anzelotti’s feat from the year before by Front-flipping the drop-in. If he landed it he would’ve been the first rider on a MTB to nail the trick at the Farm Jam. “People had joked that I should try to Frontflip the drop beforehand and I thought ‘it can’t be that hard’, so I gave it a go,” the 20-year-old explains. “As it turned out it was a bit harder than I thought – I under-rotated and popped my shoulder out, pretty much wrecking the surgery I’d recently had on it.
“I’ve checked out the video pretty intensely and I know what I did wrong. If the drop was slightly bigger and if I took off correctly I definitely would’ve nailed it.” At the same time MacFarlane was the only rider to Backflip a tiny step-down that most riders would hesitate to do a Double Can on. Not wanting to be outdone, McCombie tried to step it up with his first-ever Fronty Tuck No-Hander, and came close to sticking it, but washed out on landing and had to settle for second behind his mate, MacFarlane “The funny thing is Luke hasn’t actually landed a Frontflip yet,” laughed Conor. “He didn’t land any while practising, and he crashed a couple at Farm Jam, but still tried to step up with the Tuck. It was pretty ballsy.” While the battle raged out the front, Kelly McGarry seemed content to settle for third place, especially as he was still nursing a collarbone he’d only broken four weeks beforehand. “This is only my second ride back after breaking my collarbone, but there’s no way I’d miss this,” grinned McGazz as he watched Farm Jam organiser Brett Frew throw 360 to opp 360 through the 10-pack. “I’m just taking it easy, trying to keep it on two wheels and having a shitload of fun at the same time. I don’t want to crash as the break is still a bit gooey.” If you can call massive No-Handed flips, lazy 3 Tables and McGarry’s balls-out charging style “taking it easy” that is.
CAMILLA STODDART
The Frew’s farm features two vastly different lines for the MTB riders. One starts with a 3m Northshore transition drop into a 10-pack of respectable dirt doubles ending in a full dirt quarterpipe carved from the hillside. The second line is a super-fun, flowing line with more hips than an ABC Learning Centre at hometime. The combination of these two lines means the riders (and crowd) never get bored. “The Frews is by far my favourite place to ride,” says MacFarlane. “The jumps at Gorge Rd in Queenstown are OK, but the Frews has so much flow it’s ridiculous. There are hips, step-downs, drops and I enjoy riding that sort of thing a lot more than just straight dirt hits.” Without a shadow of a doubt, the Farm Jam is one of the coolest, most fun events on the DJ MTB calendar. It’s one of those days where you have a permanent grin on your face and there’s a constant thought at the back of your mind that says “I freaking LOVE this!” There’s something special about this event in the middle of Nowheresville that continues to capture and enthrall the riders and action-sports industry, and with International riders now swearing they’ll return in 2012 and spreading the message to their peers about how good it was, the incredible, picturesque location, perfectly-sculpted jumps, laid-back vibe and the good old-fashioned Kiwi hospitality, you better brace yourselves - 2012 is already shaping up to be something quite extraordinary.
2011 Unit Farm Jam
FINAL RESULTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Conor MacFarlane Luke McCombie Kelly McGarry Elmo Cotter Lewis Jones
NZ NZ NZ NZ NZ
64 THE (2011) SAM HILL INTERVIEW
ASK MOST PEOPLE, AND SAM HILL IS LIVING THE DREAM. HE’S A WORLD CHAMP MANY TIMES OVER. HE PULLS MORE G’S IN SALARY THAN ANYONE ON THE CIRCUIT. HE HAS A SICK HOUSE, A HOT GIRL, A MASSIVE SHED FULL OF TOYS. NOT TO MENTION HE HAS THE WORLD OF DH AT HIS FEET. SAM’S SKILL AS A BIKE HANDLER IS MIND BLOWING AND AS A RESULT HE’S CONSTANTLY FLOCKED BY ADORING FANS ANYTIME HE STEPS NEAR A RACE. SAM’S EVERY MOVE BOTH ON AND OFF THE BIKE IS WATCHED AND STUDIED LIKE NO OTHER, BY RIDERS, THE MEDIA AND FANS ALIKE. TIRED OF THE SAME OLD CONSERVATIVE, CORPORATE IMAGE MOST TOP DH RACERS ADOPT THESE DAYS, SAM HAS BEEN WALKING TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUM OF LATE. HIS LIMBS NOW LINED WITH INK AND HIS WARDROBE DECKED WITH HIS FASHION. QUITE SIMPLY PUT, SAM DOESN’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS GETTING UP TO. INTERVIEW BY JT
t home during the off season, far away from all the glitz and glamour that is the race scene, Sam still holds that immense burning desire to win. You can hear it in his voice and you can see it in his eyes. //
SVEN MARTIN
72 THE UNIT ROADTRIP
SPANISH MOUNTAINBIKE FREERIDING PHENOMENON ANDREU LACONDEGUY TRADED THE HARSH EUROPEAN WINTER FOR THE SUN-SOAKED AUSTRALIAN SUMMER, WITH THE CLIMAX OF HIS “WORKING HOLIDAY” BEING AN INCREDIBLE FOUR-DAY SESSION AT 2008 DEW TOUR BMX CHAMPION CAM WHITE’S INFAMOUS HILLSIDE DIRT JUMPS WITH HIS NEW SPONSOR UNIT CLOTHING. NO-ONE HAD EVER ATTEMPTED TO JUMP THE HUGE JUMP LINE ON A MOUNTAINBIKE, BUT LACONDEGUY BROKE ALL THE RULES BY CRUSHING THE BMX HITS WITH HIS TRADEMARK NEVER-SAY-DIE ATTITUDE. THE UNIT GUYS FILL US IN ON WHAT WENT DOWN.
ANDREU’S DOING WHAT?! Since signing MTB freeriding/slopestyle freak Andreu Lacondeguy, we were more than a little keen to fly the larger-than-life flamboyant Spaniard halfway around the World to see him fulfill his dream of jumping through the ground-breaking Giants Of Dirt BMX line. The jumps, sculpted from a hillside behind the Gold Coast, are a project of fellow Unit rider Dane Searls. The jumps are monsters, ranging from 32ft out to a sphincter-tightening 60ft mammoth that most motocross riders would think twice before attempting. But Mother Nature had all but suffocated our plans; rain had fallen almost every day from September to January turning the jumps into a boggy mess and there wasn’t any sunny relief in sight. In November we received an excited email from Andreu “I’m coming out to Australia for Christmas to jump the Giants Of Dirt and party in the sun!” Uh... had he seen the weather report? The current weather pattern promised to wreck both those plans, but before we knew it The Little Mexican had booked his flights and was on his way. We had a predicament on our hands. Of course we wanted to maximise the opportunities of having one of our biggest-named athletes arriving on our doorstep, but the constant rain – and devastating Brisbane floods – battering South-East Queensland was dictating terms to us. But then it hit us. Sure, the Giants Of Dirt mightn’t be operational, but there was no reason why we couldn’t travel south to sunny Canberra and attempt a session on Cam White’s Hillside Jumps.
Major Andreu to ground control......
A quick phone call to Cam (who was recovering from a knee reconstruction) and the wheels of motion began to turn. No MTB rider had ever even attempted to boost through White’s line of tombstone doubles and even though they’re not as big as the Giants Of Dirt, they still rank as some of the biggest dirt hits in Australia. All was not lost. In fact we were about to witness history.
080 TONY NOLAN
//
//
TONY NOLAN
TBS
THE DEBATE OVER WHICH FRAME MATERIAL, ALLOY OR CARBON, IS BETTER SUITED TO AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS HAS BEEN RAGING LONGER THAN ANY OF US CARE TO REMEMBER. WE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO PUT AN END TO THE ARGUMENT ONCE AND FOR ALL. UNFORTUNATELY IT WASN’T GOING TO BE AS SIMPLE AS JUST ORDERING IN A STOCK CARBON BIKE AND A STOCK ALLOY BIKE AND COMPARING THE TWO. YOU SEE NO COMPANY PRODUCES AN IDENTICAL COMPLETE MODEL, GEOMETRY AND SPEC, IN BOTH CARBON AND ALLOY. THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO CUSTOM BUILD THESE BIKES OURSELVES FROM THE GROUND UP. SANTA CRUZ MAKE SOME OF THE FINEST FRAMES WE KNOW, THEY ALSO HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF FEW COMPANIES THAT OFFER A FRAME WITH IDENTICAL GEOMETRY IN BOTH CARBON AND ALLOY. WE GOT ON THE PHONE TO NEEZY, THE AUSTRALIAN SANTA CRUZ DISTRIBUTORS, AND SOMEHOW MANAGED TO LINE UP TWO BRAND NEW BLUR LT FRAMES. WE THEN HIT UP OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT SHIMANO AUSTRALIA AND SOLA SPORTS WHO BETWEEN THEM TOOK CARE OF THE REST OF THE BUILDS. NO MEAN FEAT I ASSURE YOU!
COMPARISON WORDS BY CHAD GROSSERT
//
CARBON v //
TONY NOLAN
//
TONY NOLAN
vs. ALLOY //
TBS
Custom building 2 complete bikes from the skeleton up sure isn’t a quick process. Twisting every nut and bolt did however provide us the opportunity to study each bikes incredible frame detail. In hindsight, the perfect way to embark on a long term comparison test... // TONY NOLAN
88
GUIDE TO A WEB CLIP
W I T H
T I M
P I E R C E
The art in progress. //
SVEN MARTIN
INTERNET VIDEO HAS BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST PHENOMENONS OF THE 21ST CENTURY. THE ABILITY TO SHARE MOVING PICTURES THROUGH THE INTERNET HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED THE WAY AND PACE IN WHICH NEWS AND MEDIA CAN BE DISTRIBUTED WITH THE ENTIRE WORLD. FOR THE FIRST TIME PEOPLE WERE GIVEN THE ABILITY TO BE NOT ONLY THE CREATOR OF THEIR CONTENT, BUT THE DISTRIBUTOR TOO. THE INTERNET IS ARGUABLY THE SINGLE BIGGEST PLATFORM IN WHICH VIDEO CAN BE SHARED, WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON, YOUR VIDEOS CAN REACH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FOR FREE. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE RIDING THIS CRAZY TIDAL WAVE OF BROADBAND PROGRESSION FROM NEAR THE VERY START, MAKING AN EFFORT TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE PRODUCING REGULAR ONLINE SPORTS VIDEO CONTENT ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO FOR A SNOWBOARD WEBSITE. I WAS PRODUCING SAME DAY TURN AROUND VIDEO COVERAGE OF EVENTS HAVING EDITS ONLINE THE SAME NIGHT, WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. I’VE WATCHED THE WAY THE WEB VIDEO CONTENT HAS CHANGED, OBSERVED BROADBAND CONNECTIONS GET FASTER, PURCHASED HI DEFINITION CAMERAS AS THEY WERE DEVELOPED AND TESTED, WATCHED COMPANIES COTTON ON TO THE IDEA, CHANGED MY CONTENT AS VIEWERS BECAME MORE DEMANDING, TAILORED MY PITCHES AS ADVERTISING DOLLARS CAME AND WENT, AND
FINE TUNED MY SKILLS AND PRODUCTS AS THE VIDEO PLAYING PLATFORMS WERE DEVELOPED AND TESTED. NO LONGER IS IT HARD TO CONVINCE A CLIENT TO SPEND THEIR MONEY ADVERTISING THROUGH WEB VIDEO, SOME OF THE LARGEST CORPORATE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD INVEST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO VIRAL WEB VIDEO PROMOTIONS, ALL WITH THE AIM OF GETTING THE MOST HITS, OR VIEWS. WITHOUT THE INTERNET I WOULD BE WITHOUT A JOB, IT’S HELPED ME BECOME A PRODUCER FOR A NEW AUDIENCE. NO LONGER ARE WE CONFORMED BY THE LAWS AND RULES OF TELEVISION BUT ONLY TO YOURSELF. YOUR CONTENT CAN BE ANY LENGTH, HAVE ANY ADVERTISING, HAVE SWEAR WORDS, NUDITY, AND WHAT EVER ELSE YOU PLEASE. WEB VIDEO HAS AFFECTED EVERY INDUSTRY THAT REQUIRES ADVERTISING, AND MOUNTAIN BIKING IS NO STRANGER TO THIS. YOU CAN ALL SEE YOUR FAVOURITE WEBISODES ONLINE, OR YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIES, OR BEHIND THE SCENES CLIPS, OR WHATEVER ELSE YOU NEED TO FILL YOUR EYE BALLS UP. WHEN I’M NOT CREATING CONTENT I’M HUNTING EVERY SINGLE CORNER OF THE WEB FOR INSPIRATION. YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM JUST WATCHING WHAT’S HAPPENING. HERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF A GUIDE ABOUT WHAT GOES INTO MAKING A WEB CLIP. TAKE ASPECTS OF THESE AND YOU CAN DO IT BY YOURSELF. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING STOPPING YOU AND YOU’VE GOT THE WHOLE WORLD AS YOUR AUDIENCE.
Previewing the goods. //
SVEN MARTIN
C O N C E P T
E Q U I P M E N T
Every video starts with an idea, a concept, something that will grab the attention of the viewer and keep them glued to your video for its duration. People generally have a short attention span when they are on their computers, so short web ‘episodes’ have become the most popular format for keeping the viewer coming back. Watching videos online is not like sitting down to watch the news on telly. The viewer wants an instant fix and there is a tonne of distractions to draw them away from your video online. The key is to have a great story, mixed with captivating images. So in the biking world, mix a bit of riding with a story line. The Atherton project is a great example of this. It will hold you in with silly antics and great riding, along with a great story of three kids from one family who all ride bikes. Similarly to this, one of my most successful projects has been the Winter of Wells, a skiing show on 4 brothers from one family, it’s the story that keeps you coming back. Of course on top of this maintaining the highest production standards and best content whenever you can.
Essentially, the only gear you need to produce a clip for the web is a bunch of motivation, a cheap HD video camera, a computer, some editing software and a connection to the Internet. There are tonnes of options! On the professional end for me, I usually travel with 2-3 different professional HD video cameras, several lenses, microphones, dollies, booms, jibs, batteries, filters, spares, my 17” macbook pro, hard drives etc. Combine this with travelling gear (I spend around half my year on planes and at hotels) and riding gear and you’ve got a lot of excess baggage when you get to the check in counter and wink at the girl behind the desk.
096 NEW PRODUCTS All the stuff you need!
Elka Stage 5 Shock Browse: wwwctnimports.com.au
Elka have been massive players in the moto and snowmobile markets for a long time so its little surprise that their Stage 5 MTB shock is so dialed. What makes buying a Elka rear shock special? Each shock is custom tuned to order. Basically you just send them across your bike model info, your weight, the types of trail you ride most and a week later a shock arrives at your door fully dialed and ready to go. For less that $500 you can’t ask for much more... Unless of course you ask for a ti Spring like the one pictured here. That will set you back an extra 3 hundy!
New Products All Photos //
TONY NOLAN
Profile Elite SS hub Browse: www.profileracing.com
Profile have been making exquisite aftermarket parts for donkeys years and their new Elite hubs are an example of the finish quality that has made them so popular. Featuring a unique 6 pawl driver for 204 points of engagement means instant forward motion at the first application of pedal pressure. And don’t be gawked by the gigantic 18tooth ring featured here, they’re available right down to an 8 tooth cog, so there’s a size to suit everyone’s needs.
THE G-4 Grips
Browse: www.the-industries.com These left and right hand specific grips are one of the better, none ODI, lock-on offerings we’ve seen. They feature an ultra-thin, multi-surface rubber grip that is designed to fit the hands perfectly. Anodized black full-end caps and clamps ensure long life and precise placement on the bars. They come in a bunch of colours, however everyone that’s anyone knows that white is the only colour to have in 2011!
Maxxis Minion XC Browse: www.kwt.net.au
These tyres have been in such demand that even we haven’t been able to get our hands on a set out of the first three shipments! Seriously, this is the tyre everyone has been talking about due largely to the fact that it’s so light and yet still maintains all the grippy features of the original (and much loved) Minion. It’s 2.5” wide and utilizes 60TPI casing and EXO sidewall protection. If you can find a set you should buy them immediately!
TSG // Kneeguard Slim Browse: www.ridetsg.com
Slim-fit, anatomically shaped kneeguard that fits under even the tightest of emo pants. This soft PU/EVA foam knee pad with thin internal hard cap absorbs impacts and can be removed if not needed. They’re lightweight, feature two sturdy Velcro straps to ensure the pad doesn’t spin or move and they’re available in 3 sizes.
MRP G2SL Guide Browse: www.mrpbike.com
MRP’s latest chain guide offering looks the absolute business and weighs only about as much as a wet tea bag! In real terms that equates to just 185gms which is nuts considering it’s got a chunky bash plate as well as a full roller guide to ensure your chain isn’t going to be slipping and sliding no where. Fitting the G2SL is a piece of cake as it utilizes ISCG-05 and comes with all the hardware you need right there in the box.
Fox Rampage Helmet Browse: www.foxracing.com
Have you heard about all the helmet drama’s that have been crippling the industry this past few months when the laws got changed overnight and as a result pretty much no distributor was allowed to sell a full face helmet? Yeah it was a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit. Anyways it’s getting rectified now and business is back on! Take full advantage by rushing out and buying yourself a new Fox Rampage. They’re comfy to wear, stylish and packed with neat features.
Renthal Jump bars Browse: www.renthal.com
If it wasn’t for Sam Hill raving on about how good these things are to ride we probably wouldn’t have given them a second look. I mean check out the rise on these puppies? Sure enough though, they feel awesome to ride and make it a heap easier lifting the front end and then tipping it in for landings. Another cool thing about these 3mm thick alloy bars is that they come in standard 22.2mm size, none of that crap oversized stuff that everyone’s gone to town on of late.
Crank Bros // pedals Browse: www.jetblackproducts.com
Have you seen the all new Crank Brothers pedal range yet? Sneak peaks have been floating around the web this past few weeks. Well we can assure you they look, and feel, amazing in the flesh. Crank Brothers have all but banished those metal outer cages, instead now featuring a special resin-like hardened plastic which does the job much better (in terms of durability) and is of course far lighter than metal. Hold onto your horses, the 2012 Crank Brothers pedal range is set to blow people away!