MTB TRIBE - Your Trail Map to the World of Mountain Biking

On todays episode and number Seventy Eight we are chatting with Chris Dower about how to become a bike mechanic, what that comprises of, why bike mechanics will never be out of work and how you can build it into a great career.

So for anybody looking to fix bikes for a living, or get their foot in the door of a bike store then this is the episode for you. We chat about being a bike mechanic from the grassroots up, what to expect and why you will never be out of a job! Plus much much more. Enjoy!

On episode number 077 we are chatting to the owner and founder of MTB apparel company Pinned Attire. I firstly want to say that Ryan has a crazy inspiring story behind why he started Pinned Attire and donates 100% of profits to the Air Ambulance. YES 100%. Ryan is a true philanthropist; a truly committed, generous and selfless individual. It is a pleasure to have him on the show.

Ryan has been running his Pinned Attire company for around two years and through hard work, sleepless nights and load of hours spent behind the computer, plus a number of other things, the brand is going from strength to strength. I was once told by a person who runs a number of successful brands that it is now easier to buy a brand than build one. So what Ryan has achieved with Pinned Attire is fantastic, all the hard work has paid off and that is what it takes, hard work. There are no short cuts, no magic pills and there is no luck involved. Its hard work, late nights and grind that makes anything a success. We chat with Ryan about how he has build the brand, what the brand means to him and what keeps him pushing forward, for lets face it, no income. He has not made a penny from Pinned Attire. Yes he has made a profit but to him it is more important to support his local Air Ambulance service (see below for links). So if you need some new riding gear this season check out Pinned Attire, its for an awesome cause which any of us could need at any time on the trails.

Tune in, check it out and let Ryan tell you the story behind Pinned Attire.

On todays episode and number Seventy Six we are chatting to Thomas, the founder and owner of a very cool Uk distribution company called Cyclorise. Cyclorise distribute bike accessories and components from the USA and South Africa. They also distribute brands from the UK including their own self-started accessory brand called Lourí. The birth of Cyclorise was a very fast one, it came from a pretty simple idea for a product to a full blown distribution company within a number of days. Thomas will say he runs a small distribution company which is growing a little everyday, but I think he has positioned himself in just the right place. We all know how fast the mountain biking industry is moving these days and how things change on a daily bases, something which Thomas is well aware of.

Thomas has worked most of his life in the mountain bike industry and for some of the biggest players. He has done everything from working on the shop floor to buying the merchandise that you see on the racks. Thomas loves working in the mountain bike industry, loves the products, loves the communities and has a real passion for what he does. His background and passion for riding has really helped him source accessories and components that riders want, are practical and help you enjoy your ride better. Cyclorise distribute brands such as; Revgrips, SMOOVE Lube, GÜP Industries, Sahmurai Sword, Lourí, Fork Cork, Timber, Nox Sox and his range is growing. We chat about how this all started, how he finds the brands he believes in, how the business to business model works, how you can best get the products and future accessories and components he is working on. Plus much much more.

Today on episode Seventy Five we catch up with the guys after a tough enduro race in Uganda. Its the second Elgon Enduro which has been a great success. The race has grown from a few competitors last year to international participants this year. Tom Shopland is from the UK and runs his own guiding company in the UK called Trail Unknown. We had Tom on the podcast a few weeks ago on episode 071 (listen here). At the time of recording the podcast Tom had no idea in 3 weeks he would be racing in Uganda, but after searching through the back catalogue of the podcast he came across the episodes we had done from East Africa (see below) and it just happened that Tom’s sister was in East Africa at this time, he was intrigued.

One thing lead to another and Tom ended up in Uganda. Awesome! Adrian Rass is from Switzerland and just happened to get in contact with Will about helping with race and course preparation for the enduro. Adrian ended up staying for a number of weeks, racing and having a blast before heading on the rest of his African adventure the whole way down to South Africa (he also showed how fast the Swiss are on a bike!).   We had a laid back, fun chat about how the race went, what the conditions were like, how the course has changed from last year, funding, competitor numbers, how MTB is advancing in East Africa, how Tom came to be there and how curly Adrian's hair is. Plus much more.

On todays episode number Seventy Four we are chatting with MTB Freelance Journalist Lauran Jenkins. Lauren has been a Journalist for a number of years and has always had an interest in writing from an early age. When friends would be at a party Lauren would excuse herself, go home and write a blog. But when Lauren found her passion for mountain biking in 2012 she quickly combined that with her passion for writing and her career was born. Lauren quickly got involved in the industry and even though she was still at university finishing her journalism degree she found herself spending more time at the Dirt Magazine offices. We chat about her early days trying to get her foot in the door, what kind of articles and jobs she was doing, how she got involved with Pinkbike and the great people she has had the pleasure to work with.

Lauren started her mountain biking experience on a downhill bike and a downhill track! Now if that isn't being thrown in at the deep end I don’t know what is. However, after many tears and frightening moments Lauren build her skill level so she could cope with whatever the trail had to offer, she was even on a DH team. Lauren now rides a more friendly enduro bike and keeps the downhill stuff for special occasions. We chat with Lauren about what gear she uses and delve into ladies specific bikes, gear, clothing and how the industry is changing to cater for these things. We chat about a number of great interviews Lauren done in St. Moritz with ladies that work or play in the mountain bike industry and how they feel the ladies scene has changed over a number of years, mostly for the better.

So if you want to know more about how to get involved with journalism in the mountain bike industry or simply want to know what kind of schedule a MTB journalist keeps, plug in and let Lauren tell you all about it.

On episode number Seventy Three we are chatting with Jasper Da Seymour, founder of jdaseymourphotography.com.au. I was first put in contact with Jasper after he had done a photo shoot with Tom Redfern, founder and owner of Broken Riders who was on the podcast back on episode 038 (listen here). It has taken a while to get Jasper on the show but he is a super busy man, has lots of projects on the go and is always pushing and promoting his photography and filmography business. Jasper is from Tasmania just of the coast of Australia and I have to say, after watching Jaspers films of the local area the trail networks look amazing. Jasper seems to have really caught the passion that the Tasmania scene flows with, its young, exciting and full of energy.  

We chat about how the scene has grown over the last few years, how the local councils are getting involved in helping produce and build trails with the purpose of bringing more people into the area and helping local communities and business. And it seems to be working. We also chat about how Jasper got started in photography and filmography and how he found his true passion in the mountain bike scene. We chat about some of the projects he has worked on, how these came about, what the brands are like to work with and some of the characters in the industry.  

I really enjoyed my chat with Jasper. He is a super fun guy, has a really good sense of humour and is super passionate about his work. So put your feet up, find out what the Tasmania mountain bike scene is like and have a laugh with Jasper.

Back on episode number 025 I had a chat with James Wilson, founder and owner of Pedalling Innovations and inventor of the Catalyst Pedal. This was one of the best episodes of 2018 and I know you guys really got involved and enjoyed the episode. Many of you have asked what the best episodes have been over the last 18 months, so here is one of the top episodes for you to get caught up on and have a listen.

Todays Guest

James Wilson - Owner and Founder of Pedalling Innovations and the Catalyst Pedal

In todays episode number Seventy Two we are revisiting episode Twenty Five, where we chatted with James Wilson, owner and founder of Pedalling Innovations. We will be talking with James about why he strongly believes you should be using flat pedals over clipless. James has done lots of his own research into the pedalling stroke and has come to the conclusion that clipless is not the way to go. 

James provides us with his evidence on the podcast of what he has found during his research and what his conclusions are regarding the use of flat vs. clipless pedals. But James also believes that the flat pedals available on the market at this time are also not great at helping the pedal stroke, so James made the decision to create, design and produce his own pedal, the 'Catalyst Pedal'. So why is this better? You will find out all on the podcast.

On episode Seventy One we are chatting with Tom and Hugo, founders, owners and guides of their exciting bike adventure company Trail Unknown. Tom and Hugo are super cool guys who are following their passions by doing something they enjoy, getting people on bikes, experiencing great scenery and having a great time while doing it. Trail Unknown has been running for just over a year but the guys know what they are doing, have already build up a strong customer base, have returning clients and have a number of things planned for the future growth of their business.

I reached out to Tom and Hugo after having Jacob Martin the owner of Mid Nowhere Productions on episode 068 of the podcast (listen here). The guy's had worked together on a Aussie Grit Apparel photo shoot and after chatting to Jacob I thought the guys would make a great episode. Their guiding business sounds great and their packages look awesome. What I really like about their business is that it suits all levels of rider. Tom and Hugo often have 3 guides on each ride so they can split the group into different levels, making sure you are safe and enjoying your experience. We chat to Tom and Hugo about how their guided rides work, what you need to bring, different packages available, pricing and what you can expect to experience on one of their rides. Plus much more. 

Also the guys have kindly offered MTB TRIBE LISTENERS 10% OFF on your first ride with TRAIL UNKNOWN. Listen to the show or click here to find out more.

On episode Seventy I revisit Kieran and Louis from Mech Monkey to answer my questions on ‘Why Should You Buy A New Bike?’. I often get asked what my best episode has been. This is a very difficult question to answer because of time lines etc. So I thought I would revisit one of the best for this weeks episode and I also think it is a very relevant episode for the start of the year, as we are all looking forward to the spring and possibly purchasing a new bike. I originally recorded this episode with Louis and Kieran back in March 2018 (episode 029) but it is still very relevant for today. Enjoy!

Happy New Year! and welcome to episode Sixty Nine. On this episode we are chatting with Jack Devlin about his exciting mountain bike journey to date, how his music talents have helped and everything in between. I first ran into Jack (truth be told he almost ran into me, you will need to listen to the podcast to find out more!) when he was competing in the 24 hour race at Castlewellan. That was over a year ago and a lot has happened since then, so it was well overdue that I got Jack on the show to fill us in on what has been going on. If you know Jack you will know he is a great character, always smiling having fun and on top of the world so it was great to get him on the show for a chat.

Jack has had a great year, he was crowned 2018 Ulster Elite Enduro Champion, he has raced in a number of EWS events including Whistler, he stars in his own movie called 'Busk To Ride - The Whistler Edition' (see below) and he has landed with the Vitus First Tracks Team again for 2019. However, he has had his bumps and brakes a long the way.

We chat to Jack about all this plus, how he got started in mountain biking, how he hooked up Glyn O'Brien and the Vitus crew, how his season has went, how he is recovering from a broken wrist and what his goals are for the 2019 race season.

Take a load off and tune in to hear one of the fastest dude's in Ireland on two wheels tell us his story and also, how to have a few laughs along the way.

ALSO GET 50% OFF THE NEW STRENGTH FACTORY UK ONLINE PROGRAMME FOR JANUARY FOR MTB TRIBE PODCAST LISTENERS. LISTEN TO FIND OUT HOW!