 | | | | | | | | | | | How do you feel about bike products?
As long as they do their job and don't break too easy I'm not too fussed. Obviously I want good bike parts because I want my bike to run well but I don't get excited by them or anything if that's what you mean.
Has there ever been a bike product that genuinely changed/helped your riding?
Not really. I think the lighter bike thing makes some tricks easier and helps you flow a lot better but I can't think of one product that stands out as having an impact on its own. Apart from BSD chainrings, of course!
If you could buy a turndown, how much would you be willing to pay?
Whatever they cost, unless I could get it cheaper on Ebay!
How many years are there between you and your brother?
Two and a half.
You're both pretty big lads - did you always win when you had fights?
Of course, I'm the big brother!
Did you fight often?
No, not really.
What were you like as a kid?
Younger! Shy, I suppose.
At what point did you become a member of Team Sano?
I didn't realise I was!
Was there any strange initiation ceremony?
If you can cope with five-day road trips with those guys then I think that that is initiation enough.
What are the perks of being on such an illustrious team?
The female adulation. It's weird actually travelling with those guys. People expect loads of drinking and things to get crazy.
Who's the shadiest member?
Before I knew Sid I was kind of scared of him because he was just quiet and sat alone smoking a fag at the park. He looked sinister! I think that's what outsiders must think of him but he's actually one of the soundest guys once you get to know him. Still, seeing him clock this Ned that was pitching golf balls from over the river into the park at Livi, bursting his nose then snap the golf club over his knee was pretty scary. He won't put up with any shit.
Who's the most dangerous when drunk?
Definitely Si!Chaos! Hotel destroyer extraordinaire.
How did you get into trails?
We built our own. I'd never ridden trails before we built our own ones after seeing them in videos. Other than street and Livi there was not a lot else to ride so we got the shovels out.
How many sets of trails have you built?
Two: The Field and Melville.
How long do you spend digging per year (when you have trails)?
Normally from December to about March solid. Then whatever it takes to keep them running through the summer. I used to spend a lot more time digging when we had the Field 'cause I was at Uni and had the time. I'd spend whole weeks digging back then putting in eight-hour days! That will keep you fit. I don't have that kind of spare time any more.
Do you have any special tools/techniques?
I prepare the night before by drinking as much Stella as possible just so I feel terrible when I get to the trails at 8am on a Saturday morning and spend the rest of the day sweating beer. I swear by B&Q plastic shafted shovels. £8. Also, I use the heal of my foot to pack jumps, not the shovel. That's how you snap them. Finding a good spot in the first place is the most important thing though.
Digging is fun, why don't more people do it?
Because I'm the sucker and do it for them! Digging is satisfying, I enjoy the end result, I don't know about fun.
What are the best trails you've ever ridden?
Melville, because you can build exactly what you want to ride at your own spot. Simple. I've not been to many trail spots anyway.
Have you had any luck finding a new spot, now that Melville's been ploughed?
That would be a secret.
How do you feel about the new trails that are being built in Gracemount?
They are not trails really. It's more for the kids in the area to mess around on. There is going to be one set that's an OK size. I'll reserve judgement until they are rideable but I'd always rather have my own spot and build exactly what I want to ride.
Just how messy an affair was your last birthday?
My birthday's in December. So are two of my mates' and Jesus' and New Year's Eve so there was lots of excuses to go to the pub. Plus the central heating in my flat was screwed so it was too cold to stay in anyway. (that's a lame excuse for drinking really) I can't remember December far less remember how messy my Birthday was.
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