INCHES 058 28 Bryn Atkinson world wide in 08!
Around the world Okay so I’m sitting here tapping this out just minutes before I have to jump in the car and head off to Canberra for the first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to hit our Aussie shores since the Cairns World Champs, back in ‘96. How exciting, we have a World Cup in Australia. I know Stromlo isn’t the most ideal mountain bike destination, but we just gotta run with it. It means a lot to me, as a pro racing outside Australia, to get to come home and show everyone what we do every weekend all over the World. I think this weekend is gonna be great, every Aussie racer will have their family there watching, so it should be fun. I am actually recovering from a rib injury back in Bromont, Canada. I hit a tree, after swapping out in a mud section, and tore the cartilage between my ribs. It was super painful when I did it, and it is still pretty bad, nearly 4 weeks after. Just going to wrap up tight and see what happens. I was in Beijing three days ago for the Olympics, watching Jill compete in the BMX. What a wild experience. Beijing in itself is quite a sight, so many people. It’s really over whelming and with the Olympics being there I think it made it all the better. I have never been to an Olympics before, I’ve just never had a reason to go, but with Jill there, I wasn’t going to miss it. We had all the sweet hookups. There were all these different ‘safe’ houses around the city, Nike, USA, Budweiser, Bank of America, Oakley, to name a few, where athletes and their families could go to chill, eat some nice food, use the internet, and just kinda catch their breath in a relaxed ‘western’ style setting. The Oakley House was rad. On the last day of the games they had a BBQ on the roof of this building. It was called the Beach Bar and it was really cool, there was even sand on the ground. The racing was crazy. It’s really hard to be in the stands watching each heat, time trial, semi, and final, I was on edge for the whole time. Jill came away with a Bronze medal at the ‘Freekin’ Olympic Games. So not only is my girl an Olympian, she’s a medalist, yeah Jilly Baby!!
I got a little stalled out on writing this diary. I’m now running super late and really do have to get on the road to Canberra to meet up with my team and mechanic. So I’m going to write the rest of this next week after the race. Back again... Damn what a weekend! The crowds that showed up in Canberra would rival the Scotland World Cup crowd for their enthusiasm towards Mountain biking. I have honestly never experienced anything like the crowd during Saturday practice. They were so freakin rad, so loud! It felt like a race run with everyone cheering, and we weren’t even racing yet! Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! The World Champs here next year are going to be off the hook! Surprise surprise, it rained on race day. It’s so funny, no matter where we go on planet Earth, whenever there is a World Cup, there is rain. It had not rained in Canberra in like 5 months, so weird. The rain didn’t really have any negative effects on the track because it was so dry and dusty before hand, but the grueling 30 second flat sprint to the finish, was pretty sloppy and boggy, so it made it all the more brutal. I put in a pretty chilled run for qualifying, coming 10th, but had trouble breathing at the end with my chest all wrapped up, so decided to unwrap for the final. I had a pinned run going, but kinda just ran out of puff on the last straight. I finished 9th. I’m really happy, ‘cause it has been a long old while plus, I was only 1 second off podium. This year has been crazy and it was nice to be able to put on a show in front of a home crowd. Cool well I’ll catch you all again next issue... later! [Bryn Atkinson]
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Rollin' with the Rhythm
Words by JT and Ben Benny All photo
s Chris Benny In a side of this sport of ours often viewed strictly as an individual pursuit, this group of riders is changing that perception and paving the way for more companies to build teams, by proving that the kill is much greater if hunted by a pack. So when Ben Benny , the man behind Rhythm Imports and who heads up the team, recently flew all the boys into town for a week of riding, hanging out, boozing and general shenanigans, we knew we had to tag along...
Chris Benny
Resident [R]evo camera guru Chris spent most of this shoot behind the lens and swearing at faulty remote flashes, but as usual he comes up with the bomb shots! What a lot of people don’t know is that this guy can seriously ride! Every now and then Chris gets out from behind the lenses and jumps on his bright yellow sub and put simply, shreds! Whether it’s park, street or dirt Chris can perform. Smooth style and massive strength is clear to see when on his bike. I would be happy to bet a pineapple that this kid can bunny hop higher than any other street rider out there! Name Chris Benny Age 21 Years Riding 7 Bike 24” Suburban Hometown Sydney Local shred spot Manly 24 or 26” wheels Either... I run 24s at the moment Favourite trick Flatty Blondes or Brunettes Blonds Worst stack Had a big crash when a shitty old frame snapped in two. Ruptured speen. Not too much fun. Funniest story Watching Ben fall into a big puddl e at redhill. Heh.. Have you ever been arrested Nope.
Last time you spewed About a month ago in Thailand. Legs, bum or boobs Legs with a bum and boobs ! Awesome!!! Hah. So what is your local riding scene like Pretty awesome. 10 minutes away from the local trails and about 15 from Manly Skate Park. Loads of people to ride with. How often do you get out on your bike Not enough... only about once every 2 weeks due to work. How do you think the photo shoot went Once we finally got shooting it was awesome. Weather was crap! We all blame Jason for bringing it with him from Melbourne. 3 things you love Riding, snowboarding and photography! 3 things you hate Pocket wizards!!! (Photograph y radio slave) They’re not all that they are cracked up to be! Bad weather and not being able to ride enough. What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment Tailwhip... I still can’t stick them. Just need to man up. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good I wouldn’t say I’m ‘good’... not compared to the rest of the team! Just ride as much as you can and enjoy yourself.
What got you into riding to begin with My brother... He started and I followed. Describe your (on bike) style in 3 words Sloppy, funny and slow! Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Sloppy, funny and slow! Haha Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Austra lia going within the next few years It has definitely become more popular. So hopefully the trend will continue and we will see more skate parks and trails being built. How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored What’s your general response Hah, every now and then. My response is usuall y ‘By my parents’. What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date Ever in the whole wide World? A Guinness World record attempt for TV... and I chocked! Any custom mods to your bike Hand painted nipples! Everyone loves hand painted nipples. Oh, and some bling Ti bolts. If you could have one signature part what would it be A damn comfy seat! And so what would you call that part ’Chris Benny Supa Extra Comfy Saddle’ What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Chris consis t of Senseless mumbling and ranting, daydreaming and a bit of photography.
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Alex Quirk
Always a fun guy to ride with, Alex is so laid back and easy going, and that goes for his riding style too. Alex brings his own unique style to the table and it’s so enjoyable to watch. He’s not one of those guys that goes massive, but he is probably one of the most technically skilled riders out there and you have to be when riding brakeless. With his butter smooth style Alex shreds over any transition and throws in reverse manual 360’s, cab fives and all sorts or wack free-coaster brakeless madness! Half the time it just doesn’t even look real! Name Alex Quirk Age 21 Years Riding 5ish Bike NS Capital. No brakes and a freecoaster Hometown Manly Local shred spot Manly Bowl 24 or 26” wheels Twenty Foe’s Favorite trick At the moment it would have to be reverse manuals Blondes or Brunettes Brunettes Worst stack Nose case to shoulder snap at these jumps in Sea forth. It wasn’t the grove though. Funniest story When I was like 12, I was down at the snow and one day I decided I was way too cool to wear suspenders so I just let them hang down. Later on that day I was dismounting a lift but my suspenders were still connected. It was quite funny. I was dragged for about 10 feet so I was just off the ground. The lifty helped me down but everyone was looking at me. Have you ever been arrested Nope. Last time you spewed Last weekend. Legs bum or boobs Nice big ghetto booty and some D’s. So what is your local riding scene like
It’s pretty good. There is always somewhere to ride and someone to ride with. How often do you get out on your bike At least 3 times a week. I ride to work most days too. How was the weather It was shit the first day. We got rained out and drove half way around Sydne y then played X Box for a couple ‘a hours. Then Saturday was a bit suss weather wise around here. But we drove so far west it didn’t matter. 3 things you love Space food sticks, Bronte, Avocado. 3 things you hate Haters, jazz funk, Ravens. What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment Cab five’s. Footjam whips. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good Practice and know your limits, that’s really all you need. Everything else is up to you. What got you into riding to begin with Well I started when I was about 3 and where most people get over it, I just kept going. It went from jumping gutters to where it is now. Describe your (bike) style in 3 words So so def! Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Lazy, loose and ballin’ Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Austra lia going within the next few years Going crazy. More street and park! How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored Not that much because I always ride the same spots. But when it does I just say no because my sponsors don’t support me enoug h for that shit. Haha. What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date Probably the times we go filming or shooting because everyone turns the heat up and gets all G’d up. When we were shooting this sculpture in Melbourne, me and Dave were hitting it non-stop for about 10
minutes waiting for security to come and give us a beat down. That was pretty fun. Any custom mods to your bike Nothing too custom. I cut my bars down a bit. I took all the brake mounts and tabs off. If you could have one signature part what would it be Some crazy colored rims!! In Crack White, Gloch Gun Metal Grey, Purple Drink, maybe Chicken Wing Brown. And so what would you call that part The Quark is taken with the NS stem so Quirk is out, and there is already Alex rims. So probably Q Rings, Big Boss Dogs or Ballers. What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Alex consist of 8 00 My alarm will go off. Usually snooze till 8 15 8 15 Get in the shower. 8 30 Breakfast Time. 8 55 Ride to Manly Cycles by 9, or about 5 past. 9 05 Start work. Play with some bikes. Not usuall y the good type though. 11 00 Look at the clock for a bit. 1 00 Lunch time 1 30 Back to work 4 00 Snack time!! Wooo 5 30 Sweep for a bit. 6 00 AKA beer-o-clock 6 30 If I’m lucky ill go for a ride at the park. Get the generators going when it’s dark. 10 00 Go home. Watch TV or play on the computer till I fall asleep. 12 00 Wake up on the couch. 12 30 Bed time
Jason Ferron Jason is one of those riders who just kills a skate park and makes everyone just want to stop riding and watch. He is just smooth with loads of style! One of those guys that just arrives at a new and unknown park and is busting perfect flips and whips over half the transitions and linking it all up together like a seasoned pro. The last time I rode with Jason was over a year ago, and at the time this guy was just shredding everything at his local park with a huge bag of tricks. Riding with him now is even more impressive, he has refined his style and improved with pretty insane moves. Name Jason Ferron Age 18 Years Riding 3-4 Bike Malvern Star... Who would ride a heavy NS Suburban Hometown Melbourne Local shred spot Camberwell skate park 24 or 26” wheels 22’s on my car bro and 3 inches on the scooter and 24” on my ‘mountainy. Favorite trick probably tail whips. But spinnin’ and backies are always good. Blondes or Brunettes Ranga’s. Worst stack I tried a crappy condition dirt jump when I was tired and broke my wrist Funniest story Once I decided to hit a can of black spray paint with a screwdriver and it exploded all over my face and my mates Lincol n and Ricky’s bikes, shoes and garage walls. Haha, But then I cleaned my face with turps which wasn’t the smartest thing either... it started burning our faces!!
Have you ever been arrested Is it ‘cos I is black Last time you spewed 2 months ago from some kind of liquid intoxication! Legs, bum or boobs Um, all of the above please . So what is your local riding scene like Pretty chilled out. You can talk to anyone. BMXers get along with us. How often do you get out on your bike Weekends ‘cos not enough time to ride after work How do you think the photo shoot went It sucked that it rained on Friday but we made the most of the day by riding some undercover areas (carpark) and that was good fun... I landed my first hop whip out of a bank. Pretty stoked on that. 3 things you love Riding, girls, cars. 3 things you hate Broken bikes, annoying girls, problems with cars. What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment Front flips into foam, 360 whips , 720 and double whips fly out. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good Only do things you know you have a good chance of landing! stacking will cause you to lose confidence and it is a lot harde r to gain it than lose it. Think a lot about the tricks
and jumps you are trying, think about what u have to do with your body to control your bike.. Ask what got you into riding to begin with Friends and just watching people do it Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Smoo th, stylish, big... Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Australia going within the next few years Hopefully there will be more comps... But yeah probably will keep growing and more people will be getting into the sport. How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored, what’s your general response Don’t get asked too often, but when they do I just tell ’em yes and I can ‘backie! What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date Coming 2nd in a BMX park comp, first time landed whip and first time landed backflip Any custom mods to your bike Just a few custom bolts to keep my seat on, and I got my forks lowered and an air pressure valve thingo attached. If you could have one signature part what would it be 4 inch rise bars And so what would you call that part Super high district… I dunno… haha What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Jason consist of Work, Xbox, meeting people/girls, txting, youtube...
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Unfortunately Dave was too sick to m make the street/park sessions on the weekend we shot (some say he is allergic to concrete) but we were lucky enough to hit up Red Hill anothe anoth r day. Dave jumped on his bike (still all sniffles) a and busted out some of the smoothest jumping I have ever seen! Huge stylized taybos and tuck no hande rs. Dave is one of those riders you can learn le a lot off just by watching. He just makes ev everything look way too easy. His smooth style a and ability to judge every jump perfectly just ma makes DJ look way too easy‌. Until you hit the same sam trails and eat shit because it’s so much harder tthan he makes it look!
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Name Dave Musgrove Age 24 Years Riding 21 Bike Violet NS Suburban 26” with NS componentry and 100mm Fox 36’s Hometown Seaforth, NSW Local shred spot The Grove R.I.P. 24 or 26” wheels I used to ride xc trails on my 80’s BMX but graduated from kid’s bikes and got a 26” wheel Gemini Echo Beach when I was about 13. Since then it’s been TwoSix for life baby! Favorite trick Taybos and kick-outs Blondes or brunettes What about rangas If I had to choose I’d say brunettes. Worst stack Nose case to head plant to overnight hospitalization with lots of memory loss and a weeklong headache. Funniest story Well I still don’t remember this so it’s all alleged. After my ‘worst stack’, my mate Alex pretty much carried me out of The Grove and back home where we waited for the Ambulance. Now this was 2003 when lots of people where dying their hair emo-black and Alex, being hip with the times, had followed suit. The Ambo’s arrived and gave me one of those pen things, like sucking on a permanent marke r, then neck braced and stabilized me. The next thing was to get me into the ambo and as the medics were taking me out the front door I said, “Wait!”. They realized something was wrong and stopped as I gave my family and friends yet another thing to worry about... I looked back inside to Alex and exposed the awful truth, “I only just realized how gay you looked with your black hair.” What a great way to show my appreciation. Have you ever been arrested Not yet. Last time you spewed I’d eaten some suboptimal food and I wasn’t only spewing. Legs, bum or boobs My legs and bum are going alright but I’m definitely lacking on the boob front. Raddest thing you ever did Rode the 2007 Red Bull Elevation trails in Whistler. So what is your local riding scene like I mainly ride dirt. Since The Grove was dozed I’ve been riding at the ‘hill lots. They have a really solid crew now that keeps growing, BMX and MTB. There is a pretty strict trails code, which is cool if you want to ride, have a dig as well. It results in some of the smoothest, neatest, most progressive trails in Australia. Props to Dale for all his work on the trails. How often do you get out on your bike In summer every day, but when you finish work and it’s dark it sucks, so only a few times a week in Winter. I ride a bunch of XC as well and a bit of DH when I can. How do you think the photo shoot went I was just ill’in in my bed. It’s average when your mates from Interstate are shredding and you’re sick as a dog. I did get better for a quick late arvo shred with Shorty and my mates Neal and Phil. That was a rad ride, the trails were wet but after a quick dig and psyche up, we were able to ride a few lines until Chris’ flashes were blinding us in the dark. Shorty is nuts, he scrubs, boosts and tricks at another level. 3 things you love Everyone, riding bikes, Jesus ‘cos he loves you too. 3 things you hate Finding out your trails just got dozed, wind while jumping, being sick or injured .
What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment I don’t do many tricks, mainly because they scare me I guess! When I do tricks I try to do them smoothly and make them look good and at the moment I’m not satisfied with my 1-foot tables, they need work. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good My fear holds me back more than my skill level. When I can conquer my fear I progress rapidly but it’s hard for me. Lots of time on the bike and having fun riding, getting in that ‘zone’ where things just flow and work and you don’t need to think too much, that’s when my style and smoothness improves and that is progression for me. What got you into riding to begin with I did anything my brother did. He rode bikes so I did. He started getting into XC so I followed on my hand-me-down BMX. We both went through the trials scene (where Benny was the king!) and then got into jumping and the more ‘extreme’ side of mountain biking. Describe your (on bike) style in 3 words Smooth, gnarr, shredding Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Dave Rad Musgrove Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Australia going within the next few years I hope to see Slopestyle comps starting up which cater for hardtails and duallies. We are lagging behind North America and Europe with Slopestyle. Mountain bikes are capable of going bigger and over rougher terrain than BMX bikes and I think that well designed Slopestyle courses are a great way to progress and display that potential. How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored Quite often. A kid in Whistler “sponsored” me a US$1 to do a 360, good hustle hey! When I’m asked, I normally just say, “yeah a bit”, then over the next jump drop a legitimate bar-hump and show them where it’s at. What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date After a season in BC Canada it’s hard to pick just one experience. It’s either riding the Red Bull Elevation trails or tight trains with my close mates down Dirt Merchant in Whistler Bike Park. Any custom mods to your bike I like wide bars, but I also love the NS District bar because it’s steel and has a great shape. So I run bar extensions, which make them 730mm wide. If you could have one signature part what would it be Forks like Fox 36’s ‘cos they’re damn expensive. And so what would you call that part The Legitzicon Rad Fork, maybe that’s why I’m still paying for forks. What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Dave consist of Summer Saturdays are rad Wake up whenever. no alarm. Check emails, facebook, BOM to see if it’s going to rain. Find a bike vid on youtube (check Martin Soderstrom) or a rad DVD and watch it while I eat my 8 Weet-Bix with fruit, honey and yoghurt. Try to find a job in the Herald, feel bad because no one wants a graduate materials engineer. Grab my bike, head to the trails. Feel good. Have a dig (yeah write that down kids), ride trails with mates till I crash from hunger and get a late lunch. Meet up with my lovely girlfriend and head to the beach for a swim. Have some tasty dinner and maybe drop some DFDTTM (dance floor domination to the max) with friends till the early hours.
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Louis is one of those riders who sits quietly watching the others ride. Then he just steps up to the plate and shreds! Whether riding street or park, Louis has got the skills. Definitely a technically proficient rider, he has a huge bag of tech moves up his sleeve. This was very apparent on our first rained out day of riding. All we had was an undercover carpark with a few curbs and concrete gutters. Out of nowhere Louis is busting clean 360’s 180 bar spins that most would struggle with on proper transitions let alone 10cm speed humps. Once we got him at a skate park things got hectic. He was just linking up so many tricks you’d think someone hit the ‘fast forward’ and ‘play all’ on their DVD remote.
Name Louis Maddiford Age 21 Years Riding 6 years Bike NS Suburban 24” Hometown Adelaide Local shred spot City Skate and some local street spots 24 or 26” wheels 24” of course Favorite trick Bar spin! Blondes or Brunettes I’m not picky. Worst stack Over the bars at the skate park, broke my shoulder and collarbone. Funniest story Wish I had one Have you ever been arrested I’m a good boy. Last time you spewed My mates 21st a couple ‘a weeks back. Legs, bum or boobs Defiantly bum, but boobs aren’t too bad either. How often do you get out on your bike Whenever I’m free I’ll go for a pedal. So as much as possible, easy.
How do you think the photo shoot went It was a lot of fun and got to see some nice moves. It was as a pity about the rain on the first day, but we had da sweet car park ‘sesh. 3 things you love Bikes, Xbox and Chocolate 3 things you hate Flat tyres, team sports and work What trick are you working on but struggling with h at the moment Tail whip to manual. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do o you get so good Have a mate or some mates to ride ide with. It always helps you push that bit harder on a trick if your mate lands it first. What got you into riding to begin with I can’t do proper team sports! Describe your (on bike) style in 3 words Smooth,, I hope... Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Austra ralia lia going within the next few years I think I’ll be seeing ng a lot more MTB hardtails hitting the parks and streets in the coming years.
Louis Maddiford
Name e Shayn Sh e Gilyeat aka ‘SHORTY’ Age e 23 Years Ridin Riding MTB for 1 year and 9 months now. Bike e NS ssuburban 26” frame with fox float 36 shocks and an double track rims, laced onto NS hubs, profile cranks , NS district bars and an NS Quark stem to top it off. Hometown Campbelltown NSW Local shred spot C’town park, and it aint exactly local but I’m I’ at Red Hill more than anywhere else. 24 or 26” wheels 26”all the way, love big wheels . Favorite trick tric It’s hard to describe, but it’s like a backflip bu but more a flat 360. So I think it would be a flat spin, but I haven’t got them to dirt yet. Still trying to pe perfect it in the foam pit. Blondes or Brunettes Well my beautiful girlfriend Tiffany, “wh “whom I love dearly” is still blonde, so ill have to go with blonde. Worst stackk Late last year I came up short trying to transfer a d dirt set, but came up short, snapped my crank arm o off and twisted my ankle to the point of dislocation. Yep, my foot fell off. Funniest sto story I had a dog named Zak and I was pitching the ball out to him to go fetch it and bring it back, so I quickly ran inside and closed the glass door. I got d down on my knees waiting for him so he came belting towards me then “CRASH” he bounces off doing the best 360 flip I’ve ever seen and fu full on lands back on his feet. That ain’t animal cruel cruelty, just a funny idea... Have you eve ever been arrested Yeah once. My mate got pinned ffor urinating in public and I didn’t realize that so I got a little agro and just annoyed the crap out of the co cops till they threatened me with arrest if I didn’t wal walk away. So I did. But after a stumble
Shorty is definitely the biggest character on the team. Once we got him out at some of his local parks it was definitely ‘show-time’. There were some good BMXers there already that were boosting pretty big and knew their shit. Then Shorty steps up and gets at least 4 foot higher on every transition. I swear it looks like he approaches each transition slower than anyone and someh ow gets so much pop it looks like one of those Chinese Kung Fu movies with wires! When he hit up Red Hill for a bit of dirt, it was just ridiculous – same story, massive boost and insane moves!
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around the block and without noticing that I had walked in a circle and ‘cos I was so drunk all I saw was flashing lights so I headed over to go check it out... Kids don’t mess up or get too drunk! Last time you spewed At my mate ‘Fats’ house all over his wall and toilet floor. The funny thing is I was aiming straight at the bowl. Sorry Mrs MAC! Legs, bum or boobs Can’t I just have all Definitely the bum. There is so much more to play with! So what is your local riding scene like I’m pretty much the only MTB rider that gets down to the park on a regular basis. But riding with the BMX guys is cool because they’re all learning pretty fast and I get to feed off them. How often do you get out on your bike I try to ride as often as I can, so I’m usually at the park most nights of the week. I’m pretty lucky to have a local park which has lights till 11pm every night. How do you think the photo shoot went I was super stoked to get to ride with the other riders and see where they’re at. They’re all such damn good riders who push the level up all the time. 3 things you love My bike, riding and messy nights with my good friends. 3 things you hate Flat tyres, broken bike parts and when the beer runs out at messy parties with my good friends. What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment Super Cans. I just can’t do it right. What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good Think about what it is you want to do and try to picture it in your head, how to pull it, then go for it. Never give up on your dreams. What got you into riding to begin with I bought myself a hardtail in January ‘07 after going up to Thredb o
with a friend (Terry Scarr) to watch him race. After having a bit of a roll on his 4X bike I just got a little bug in my head. Describe your (on bike) style in 3 words Boost, fast, awesomeness! haha Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Chilled, lazy, messy Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Austra lia going within the next few years I would love to see some comps or demos with a crowd so the scene here can become more recognized. How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored Nearly every time I ride park. I just tell them they should buy an NSbike from the Pushbike Factory in Campbelltown! What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date Newton’s playground comp in Bathurst earlier in the year. Definitely memorable because I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life. Those jumps were so big. Any custom mods to your bike Not really, just a longer brake cable and shorter spindle spacer in my cranks to get them tighter and stop them spinning when off the bike in flight. If you could have one signature part what would it be Probably a stem. So what would you call that part ‘The Shorty’s’ What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Shorty consis t of Wake up, have a 1/2 shower, drive to work. Fabricate whatever needs making, eat lunch, work a little more till 3 30pm then jet home. I usually watch some Simpson’s. Then jet to the skate park 5 minutes down the road when the sun goes down and stay there till 9pm before back home to have a beer, go to bed to sleep before I do it all over again.
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The one man Rhythm show, Ben spends most of his time slaving away trying to build his business importing the best quality bikes, frames and components for Aussie riders. Every now and then he gets on his bike and rides too! Spending more time organizing this event rather than riding it, Ben can still pull a trick or two out of the bag, throwing down some clean 360 tail taps and taybos over the hips and other trannies.
Ben B Name Ronald Benny (but I go by Ben Benny) Age Twenty sumfin Years Riding 10 years Bike NS Suburban 24” blinged out, Koxx XTP trials bike, Trek Remedy 9 Hometown Sydney Local shred spot Manly Bowl 24 or 26” wheels 24 – so much more pop! Favorite trick Whatever I can land on the day! Blondes or Brunettes Brunettes Worst stack On my trials bike, was hoping across some hand rails in the wet, lost traction and landed on my ribs. When I woke up it turned out I fractur ed a couple of ribs! Funniest story I was out in Broken Hill shooting an ad for Nissan. They were doing ‘tracking’ shots from a helicopter. They asked if I wanted to come for the chopper ride and I was mad keen, but I had another scene to do. So I watched from the ground as the chopper chased the car and got caught in power lines! It was hectic! We all thought these guys were dead. As we ran to the scene, the Japanese producer climbs out of the carnage, pulls his sunnies out of his leather pants, puts them on his head and lights up a cigarette! Have you ever been arrested Nope, but my mate did the other day for urinating in public! Last time you spewed 2 weeks ago at a fancy dress party. I must have been allergic to my Afro!
Legs bum or boobs Legs and bums, but I’m converting to boobs! So what is your local riding scene like It’s a pretty cool scene down here, there is always someone to ride with and so much different riding in the area. How often do you get out on your bike I’ve been really bad this year. I had about 3-4 months of no riding. Lately I’ve been getting out twice a week. How do you think the photo shoot went Shoot was fun, but a little stressful trying to organi ze everything. I was shitting myself that it wouldn’t happen after flying the boys up and having the heaviest rain all day Friday. The next day was awesome. We hit some of the best parks in Sydne y and it was so good to see all the guys shred. 3 things you love Bikes, girls and have just fallen for snowboarding. 3 things you hate Holden, Ford, football What trick are you working on but struggling with at the moment I really wanna do 360 brakeless nosew heel pivots, but I keep landing on my face… What’s your advice on rider progression, how do you get so good Don’t be a chump… you won’t be able to pull 360 whips straight up. Start small and perfec t your style. What got you into riding to begin with I started out doing XC in school. Figured out it was pretty boring and couldn’t bring myself to wearing spandex. Started riding trials – I know its not considered much
more fashionable than spandex, but I love it! Then started riding street to gain a little cred! Describe your (on bike) style in 3 words Trials – Smooth, Street Bouncy, MTB hustling! Describe your (off bike) style in 3 words Straight up ‘wack! Where do you see the hardtail scene here in Austra lia going within the next few years I see a hybrid between BMX and MTBing. Both scenes have so much to offer and think that some of the 24” setups we are seeing today really represent the best technology and riding styles from both worlds. How often do you get groms asking if you are sponsored? What’s your general response Sometimes, I just tell them “I sponsor myself because no one else would!” What’s been your most memorable MTB experience to date Competing in the World Trial Championships in Japan would have to be the highlight. The riding was awesome, the atmosphere was incredible and Japan is an awesome place. Any custom mods to your bike My cranks are a prototype 3pc cromoly set that could be the lightes t on the market, I’ve also got a few titanium bolts to bling things up! If you could have one signature part what would it be Some descent quality street tyres. Ones that are super light, but with some descent casing And so what would you call that part Tyres. Keep it simple for the punters What does a ‘normal day’ in the life of Ben consist of Well today I got up pretty early, went for a ride with a mate at Oxford Falls, did a bit of XC and a few DH runs. Came back to the home office,worked on the new website. Lunch then pack and send orders and try to get out for a sneaky ride at around 4 30 - 5pm. Do my shopping, cook up some gourmet meal for dinner. Then either head over to some friends place or do more website...
Benny