News

Tyson has a real flair for podcasting.. haha. Will Kerr Photo.

This has been a long time coming for Zac Miner and myself and we are stoked. Many conversations and in-depth discussions were had between the two of us over the last year or so, that had us thinking it be great to share the conversations, as well as expand on them with other people, both like-minded and otherwise. 

The result is this, the Penny Mining Podcast. 

We are four episodes deep at the moment and our plan is to have interesting conversations with interesting people weekly, about BMX and everything in between. 

Hope you enjoy!

- Tyson

Zac Miner ripping an invert and taking over the podcast world with Tyson!

Jack Gruber, where to even begin with this dude!? We sold him his first BMX bike, now he's out there, riding for United and absolutely shreddddinngggg.

We really like that Jack is always out there on his bike, but he isn't too concerned with filling up his instagram with the latest and greatest move. He's more into saving his quality stuff and making it into a video that is an awesome watch, like this one.

Jack has been riding for United for almost a year now, stoked that this video is a reminder of why.

Rhysty stylin' at Castle Hill BMX track. Photo: Mitch Ramm

Back Bone co-owner Rhys Williams AKA Rhysty was full of moves at the BMXNSW BMXtreme carnival at Castle Hill BMX track a couple of weekends back!  

Rhys raced his 40-44 age group against a tough field on a fun track for the pre-NSW titles and well, you'll just have to watch the video to get a glimpse of what went down. Rhysty is in lane three. 

Rhysty has been on riding BMX since he was 6 years old, but used to race AA Pro back in his early 20s, but as is the story with many BMXers of the late 90s, Rhys' urge to ride trails and 'freestyle' overtook the need to race and Rhys gave BMX racing a break.

Fast forward to 2015. Even though Rhys has been riding trails and skateparks non-stop, he jumped back on the BMX track to make some moves once again.

We have been expanding our range of BMX racing bikes and parts over the years since, but the latest thing we're stoked on that is certainly more than welcome at the track is our 'Always Loose' long sleeve we released yesterday.. We're pretty certain that the video above is a testament to the slogan on the back.

Always Loose!

As you might be aware from previous posts on the gram and elsewhere, Back Bone co-owner and United team rider Tyson Jones-Peni worked on a recently released United frame called the Knightsbridge - which Tyson got to name after his local bar.

Poke your head into Knightsbridge (the bar) most weekends, you'll find a BMXer in there and Tyson will likely be one of them.

Tyson just tore his AC joint in his shoulder filming for a promo Knightsbridge vid, but he'll be back in no time. 

In the meantime though, here's his ride with a few questions with the low down on his setup, as well as what he's up to while he's laid up on the injury bench.

TYSON JONES-PENI UNITED KNIGHTSBRIDGE BIKE CHECK

• Frame: United Knightsbridge, 21.625" Merlot Red
• Forks: United Dinero V2
• Stem: Eclat Slattery
• Headset: Back Bone
• Bars: Back Bone Kicked Out sample bars
• Grips: ODI O
• Cranks: Eclat Spire, 175mm
• Sprocket: United Rotary, 30t
• Pedals: Eclat Surge, sealed
• Chain: Eclat Stroke Light
• Seat:Eclat Bios, Pivotal
• Seat Post: Eclat Torch, 15mm offset
• Seat Clamp: United Supreme
• Hub (front): Eclat Dynamic
• Hub (rear): Eclat Pulse, 9t
• Rims: Eclat Raven
• Tire (front): United Indirect, 2.35"
• Tire (rear): United Indirect, 2.1"
• Brakes: Eclat 
• Brake Lever: Eclat Sniper
• Brake Cable: Odyssey Linear

So Tyson, what's the story with your bike? Anything going on you care to share?

Everything is going on with it! But yeah, of course the frame is the thing I'm particularly frothing on. As far as my setup, I run my bars slightly in front of inline with my forks. A used to run four fingers of seat post, but I felt like I needed to feel young again [laughter]. So I lowered it. I run my back wheel at 14.5", I try to run 80 psi in my tires if I'm riding concrete but I like them less if I am riding trails. I run some tape around my straddle hanger so it doesn't 'ting' when I'm riding.

Tell us a little more about the frame.

It's a frame that makes no compromises on what I want to ride. I am so stoked that United wanted to do a TRU version 2 frame and I can't believe how much input I got to give towards it. I wrote a little more about the frame here if you want to read up it. Small things like the flat plate seatstay bridge, double bend chainstays and the bullet tip stay ends get me psyched.

Also the little alchemy symbols around the outside of the knight graphic I drew, on the left running from top to bottom is; day, sand, clay (a good mix of the two for the trails) and air. Represents the recipe for a good day.

On the right from top to bottom is; night, wine, honey (which is heavily referenced at Knightsbridge) and hot fire (the dance floor) [laughter]. A recipe for a good night. 

Put them both together and you've got the Knightsbridge..

 You recently crashed trying to film something. What happened and what are you doing with all that time off?

I came up short on a gap at Tuggers skatepark and went over the bars, tore my AC joint in my shoulder. I'm pretty bummed because I totally thought it was possible and it was the for the promo vid for the frame. It's still possible but I might need to pump my tires up to 100 psi or something [laughter].

I've got 6 weeks off the docs reckon. I always go a little stir crazy but it's a good opportunity to draw more or something along those lines. I think I'm gonna go to the bar this weekend (note: Friday 29.6) if anyone is keen [laughter]? 

Tyson from healthier days, at the trails. Photo: Brendan Boeck.

Riding street and finding spots is a good time, especially with some crew around - so we thought we'd get everyone together to ride some street in the city.

A few of the team dudes are always cruising the city and often talk about getting more frequent street rides happening. We caught word of regular BMX street rides happening in Melbourne with the Focalpoint crew, so we took some incentive from those guys. 

Canberra city has got spots too, plus who knows what we'll find.

Meet up at Civic skatepark and we'll cruise some spots from there. We'll take some photos and maybe get some clips.. See ya there!

Jack O'Reilly riding one of the spots Canberra has to offer.. Photo: Brendan Boeck

You know by now - Chris Harti kills it every time he rides his BMX. The throttle is twisted at all times!

We were lucky enough to be graced with some rad photos of Chris Harti doing his thing at the Kerr bros' trails on his freshly built up bike. If you're feeling like getting a bit of Harti blast and want to know what he's up to - bike wise and this year - read through and get inspired.

Thanks to Brendan Boeck for the photos!

CHRIS HARTI FIT HARTBREAKER BIKE CHECK

• Frame: Fit Hartbreaker, 21.5" Beige Hornet
• Forks: Fit Blade V3
• Stem: S&M Challenger
• Headset: Back Bone
• Bars: Fit Vandlebar (made raw by Harti)
• Grips: ODI Longneck
• Cranks: Fit Indent 24, 175mm
• Sprocket: Fit Key, 31t
• Pedals: Fit MAC, unsealed
• Chain: Odyssey Bluebird
• Seat: Back Bone railed
• Seat Post: Fit I Beam
• Seat Clamp: S&M XLT
• Hub (front): Profile Mini
• Hub (rear): Profile Mini Cassette, 10t driver
• Rims: Revenge
• Tire (front): Fit FAF 2.25
• Tire (rear): Fit FAF 2.25

So Harti, what’s your favourite part about your bike:

The frame.

What about the frame do you like?

Cause it feels like a man’s bike. It doesn’t feel like a tiny bike like I have ridden in the past. I’m not gonna fly away on it like some of these little bikes. It’s good to be on a big bike that is appropriately sized for what I like to ride.

You recently stepped up to a 21.5 tt Hartbreaker, why?

A little bit Danny Stevenson and Dylan Lewis inspired; I was only on a 21 and I felt like I needed my bike bigger again. I saw Danny and Dylan on a bigger top tube frame and I felt the geometry on my frame with a bigger top tube would feel sick.

Sure enough, I got to have a few sessions on the trails and first lap I told Russell (Brindley) ‘dude, you need to get a 21 and a half.’

What would you like to change about your bike?

A new Back Bone seat wouldn’t go astray.

How often do you work on your bike?

I like to keep it well maintained so it feels good. I just can’t afford to have a shit session and when my bike isn’t running well I have a shit session. It’s like a drag car – you gotta rebuild the c*nt every time you take it out [laughter].

Tire pressure needs to be checked twice a week!

How much tire pressure?

The past year I’ve been swearing by 80psi everywhere, but lately it’s 70 at the trails, 80 at the park.

What’s your plans for the year?

Full blown east coast trail camp. Hang out in New York, go to Pittsburgh, full on east coast thing. Head to Austin and do the BMX thing. It’s been four years trying to get this trade and I need get out of here.

So you’ve been with Fit bike co for 7 years and had a signature Hartbreaker frame for almost 3 years; you got anything else in the works with Fit?

A complete bike is coming out for 2019 – for the kids who want to roast.

Chris Harti is all about the pull back whip out. Photo: Brendan Boeck

Nose dived and kicked out. Photo: Brendan Boeck

Launchin' it! This is a 30ft set of dubs out at the Kerr's trails and Harti is spinning it. No worries on the big frame! Photo: Brendan Boeck

If you've ever been to Canberra, I think you'll agree that when it comes to skateparks, we've got some of the best in Australia.

But over one long weekend we got our eyes opened to some seriously amazing skateparks that NSW  has to offer - only a few hours west of us.

A bunch of the Back Bone crew ventured west and found (a lot of us for the first time) 5 seriously good parks that were almost too good to be true!

So where are they and what do they contain? Keep reading:

Millthorpe in the morning with the sunrise.. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

Millthorpe Skatepark

We got a chance to get here right before sunset and got an amazing session in. We met the legend Will Gunn there and he put on a show. There is plenty of lines to be had here, it's kind of wide open but with a mix of tight areas, which makes it a really fun park to ride. Not to mention that capsule. If you've never ridden one of these things Millthorpe is the perfect introduction to it.

Arthur Birbilopoulos goin' round the loop. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni 

Millthorpe is the kind of park that appeals to someone who likes jumping around, kind of like a built up, next level Queanbeyan skatepark. Well, well worth it. 

Tyrone Edwards is a smooth dude. Table in the tighest section of the park. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

We woke up and got the early morning session in, then headed off to Orange, NSW (about 15 minutes away) for a quick pit stop and sesh at the park, then headed off to the next bowl.. 

Chris Harti picked up an Akubra knock-off at the corner store - definitely a good idea. It was hot as hell out west. Blasting the foot off, Molong, NSW. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

Molong Skatepark

Rolling into a town with a population less than 3000, you would not expect to see any skatepark, let alone a next level bowl that goes to somewhere around 10ft deep in the deep end. While it was steep at first, we got used to it and some serious airs were blasted by all. Sick transition that keeps you on your toes - and there's even a smaller street plaza type park there as well if that's your thing.

One tip though:

If you head out west from Canberra, expect it to get at least 5-10 degrees hotter. Pack appropriately. We were dying out there!

The crew staying out of the sun in between runs at Molong. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

It's no secret that if you take Dylan Lewis on a bowl trip, he'll be blasting. X'ed up! Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

After the Molong bowl sesh/sizzle, we moved onto one of the most anticipated stops of the trip.. Mainly because of the reviews we had heard of the town. Nevertheless we were done with being in the sun, so onward we went.

Look at this monstrous beast! Tyrone well up there in the deep beast that is Wellington skatepark. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

Wellington skatepark 

Dude.

We had our doubts - there was a lot of talk of 'the town is sketchy..'. We pulled up to 10-15 kids under 12 years old, all on scooters and not shy at all. Beyond the kids and the small street section, sat a monster of a bowl. 6-7ft shallow ends in a clover shape, leading down into a 12ft tall deep end.

We all walked over to it; it looked super intimidating. 

Then came the drop in. Without a doubt, the first run was almost hilarious.

Bold statement coming up..

Style master Rusty Brindley in the deep at Wellington. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

Wellington bowl has got to be the best 10ft plus transition of any of us have ever ridden.

For something that is 12ft tall, it is perfect. No weird steepness, so safe, the only thing the dictates your height is the speed you can get from rolling in.

Because we were so wrecked from a full day in the sun riding I know that most of us can't wait to go back and really get a feel for it.

Without a doubt a must go to skatepark if big transition is your thing. 

Chris Harti ripped in! Photo: Zac Miner

One last thing..

The kids were sick! While they were wild, they didn't have any issue dropping in on that bowl on their scooters - we're talking 11 year old girls. They even borrowed our bikes and ripped around, carving like they were Garrett Byrnes. It was sick.

Goes to show that if all someone has to ride is a 12 foot deep bowl, they'll adapt. 

The government needs to stop being scared of building the big transitions!

Anyway, onward we go, to the final park of the trip.

The crew at Dubbo on sunset. Photo: Zac Miner

Dubbo skatepark

No doubt about it, whoever built Dubbo skatepark did a hell of a job. We rocked up and were gassed from a full day of riding in the sun, but we managed to get some good laps in while that burning orange ball began to set (it was something like 37 degrees at 6.30pm!)

The park itself, I'll tell you right now:

You have to go!

Tyson Jones-Peni dangling the foot at Dubbo. How's those Back Bone socks! Photo: Russell Brindley

There's a lot to offer at around the 9ft mark at Dubbo, plus an insane full pipe capsule that takes a bit to get used to if you want to start heading into 'upside down' territory, but is incredibly fun.

Another thing that makes Dubbo skatepark so fun is the amount of different lines you can take without trying too hard to be different. Everyone on the trip was doing their own thing in the bowls, which is pretty exciting to see. 

You know a park is good when everyone is doing something different and it all looks effortless!

Dylan Lewis with one of those good lookin' lipslides he does, this time on the cinder block extension at Dubbo. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

The trip in itself was amazing, we were only 5 hours away from Canberra and along the way we'd hit 5 amazing skateparks that I can promise you won't regret riding.

Road trips are integral to BMX, experiencing new spots and growing friendships, making memories. Riding new things allows you to get out of your comfort zone, both on your bike and being in a new place.

You don't need much, jump in the car with a tent and some mates.. and if you live in Canberra, head west for the weekend - you won't regret it.

Here's some extra photos to get your stoke up even higher.. And trust me, you want to get to the last one.

Sun's coming up, Tama's cooking brekkie, Harti's getting pitted while Russ watches on. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

Chris Harti up there with the 44t Imperial! Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

A Tyson eclipse at Wellington.. Photo: Russell Brindley

Oppo table in the deep by Rusty. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

This is ridiculous! Dylan casually blasted this right before we left.. 100% Death Grippin'. Photo: Tyson Jones-Peni

We're going to giveaway $1000 to spend at Back Bone BMX - all you have to do is spend $50 or more for an entry into the draw. Think of all the rad stuff you can get for a thousand Back Bone dollars!

All orders placed after 6pm on January 31st will be added as entries, so don't worry, you're good!

DETAILS

• Entries open 6pm 31.1.18, close midnight 28.2.18
• Each purchase will be automatically entered into the draw
• Each multiple of $50 will add another entry. Example: Spend $50 for 1 x entry, $100 for 2 x entries. One transaction of $529.99 will add 10 x entries.
• No limit to the amount of $50+ transactions/entries
• Lay-buys, postage and repair costs are excluded from entry.
• Winner will be contacted 1st March 2018 by phone (so please leave a valid phone number on orders!)
• $1000 gift card will be issued to winner

Good luck and happy shopping!