Big thanks to the Dirt wars crew for a great series despite the weather trying to stop it.

A BIG Congratulations to Competition winner Nick Forber!
Although he admittedly forgot that he had entered £10′s worth of entries at Round 3, 4X Race, Redhill Extreme.
He has now had a huge suprise to find himself owning a Limited Edition Complete Dartmoor Shine.
 
Right: Graham Foot presenting Left: Nick Forber with his Winnings! Center: The dartmoor shine that was up for grabs.

Thanks to all entree’s for your generosity over the past couple of months and by giving yourselves the chance to win we have raised: £782.00 For Rider Down Trust.

And none of this would of happened without the input of products, time and support.

With thanks to:

If you missed the Draw follow this link: AND THE WINNER IS…..

Dartmoor UK riders Ryan Nangle and Marcel Hunt got first and second in the pro cat at round 3 of the DirtWars series at Holdshott trails.

Directed, Shot & Edited by Fabian Kluhs // Production & Still
Photography by Lars Scharl // 3D Animation by Chris Rebmann // Sound Design by
Daniel Walt // Sound Recording by Janne Jääskeläinen // Music: Heaven`s Basement
- “The Long Goodbye” // Big Thanks for the support to Dartmoor & OBG ! //

Stats: -

// Name: Alfie John Perry Stephens // Age: 16 // Weight: 72KG // Location: The Prince Albert Pub, STROUD // Sponsors: Dartmoor UK, Slam69, Marzocchi, Keith Allen //

Question: -

1) Let’s start with some basic background information – When did you start ‘stunt’ riding? And what exactly got you started?

As a kid I grew into skateboarding, so I guess the extreme sports roots always had a presence. My skateboarding career lasted about three years; and I guess it got me interested in extreme festivals such as ‘NASS’; and events like NASS opened my eyes to a much broader range of extreme sports, looking back it was just insane – I also remember being a little kid and getting ‘Matt Hoffmans’ autograph! So from there on I guess I just fell for ‘stunt riding’ – Soon after a friend showed me ‘Pinkbike’, at this point I actually started to get into it as a rider. From this point forwards, most of my ICT lessons at school were opportunities to watch videos on the pinkbike channel, it just grew and grew from here – I guess most of my original inspiration came from the pink bike website. From what I remember, my first days as a ‘dirt jumper’ were at about the age of thirteen, this stage mainly cantered around borrowing my friends bikes to ride! Eventually I got a ‘good’ one of my own. 2) What was your first jumping bike? And how does it compare with your most recent bike?

Back in the day I bought an ‘Identiti 666s’ from some random kid on pinkbike. At the time this was the bomb and got me started fairly quickly – I now look back and all I can remember is broken hubs and wobbly wheels!!! Comparing that old thing to my new ‘Dartmoor Cody’ is purely jaw dropping! Every aspect of my current set-up is just completely dialled, it just rules!

3) Go on, run us through the specification for your Dartmoor Bike?

I’m running the ‘Cody II’ this year, paired with Marz ‘DJ1s’ – On top of this, I ride a pair of the graphite ‘Fortress rims’, which have definitely proven their worth; I’m also riding the dartmoor ‘Thorn cranks’, which are incredibly light-weight and easily strong enough. My chrome cranks match my Dartmoor ‘Revolt Pro/Xdrive hubs’! I also want to mention the ‘Boogie Bars’. The rest of my bike is made up of top-end dartmoor products. The geometry of my ride is just so user friendly! I’ve had no problem with any of it. Oh, I don’t want to forget to mention my ‘Scwable Table Top Tires’ and ‘Shimano Deore Brakes’! Thanks Slam69.

4) How exactly did the Dartmoor Bikes deal arise? And how has it changed your life?

My local bike course is ‘Redhill Extreme’, it’s got such a great atmosphere going on; and the locals (‘redhillians’) are all super ace! I guess the more I went there, the more I progressed – Someone must have given Graham Foot at Slam69 a nudge, because Graham/Slam69 became my main supporter; he really helped me to step up the game! I thought it was great, seeing what Graham has done, because I’d seen his business progress, right from the start, even since the days of his shed! The opportunity to join the Slam69 team arose, so naturally I accepted his offer, I was then hooked up with an ace deal through Dartmoor UK. The scene with Slam69 is forever improving – As Slam 69 has advanced, the team has advanced – Graham/Slam69 really puts all his effort and resources into looking after us. I definitely would not have reached the level I have without such dedicated support!

5) How does it feel to be the youngest member of the UK collective?

Being the youngest member works really well for me, it allows me the opportunity to go and ride with the more experienced riders – I love this aspect! On a personal level, I feel that to be entering professional competitions at the age of sixteen is a solid achievement – It also helps take the stress away from the whole ‘competitive thing’ – Mostly because the riders I’m competing against, are the ones I spent all those years being inspired by, so it’s great to actually get to chill with them! I never really expect to come out on top in dirt comps, partly because I’m much younger than the majority; but I just love throwing down all that I’ve got! It’s just good to progress!

6) At present, who is your biggest idol in the DJ/Freeride World?

My biggest idol!? You mean besides Marcel Hunt and Ryan Nangle of course! It’s amazing keeping up with ‘RyanNangleMedia’ because it seems him and Hunt just send it daily. No doubt this is inspiring for me because they are constantly stepping up the game and for me being their team mate, this encourages me to be a part of that progression. It’s impossible to pinpoint a specific idol, because I love different aspects of loads of peoples riding styles – I particularly enjoy watching ‘Pavel Vishneviy’ and ‘Matt Macduff’s’ videos because they are so street; and then ‘Semenuk’ and ‘Soderstrom’ are just as impressive and seem to be living the life!

7) Are you currently working on any new video projects/section that you want to talk about?

Nothing in particular, although I have appeared in various edits with friends. This year I’m aiming to produce an all-round street, dirt, and possibly some park and four cross edit! I’ve never really had my own video, but I’m really keen on getting one done! The only problem is that I need a videographer, with some solid commitment and availability – Is anyone is up for it?

8} What goals do you have for 2012?

2012 was always going to be amazing, though it seems the start has been a bit of a wash out! The first few events were postponed, or just ruined by the weather; so the rest of the year is going to have to be of the highest calibre to make up for it! My goals at the moment are mainly based around learning some new tricks – I generally want to expand my trick bank, with some more creative variations combinations… Gonna be ace! Meanwhile, I plan to be at all of the UK dirt competitions, and I’m more than keen on travelling abroad if some other competitions arise. As well as this, I will be at the majority of the nps four cross races, having a laugh and giving the races a go on my jump bike; This proved to go quite well for me last year and was super fun!

9) What do you do when you’re not on your bike?

Well now school has almost finished I’m rarely off my bike, though I spend a lot of my time with friends, just chilling and drinking tea and Barney’s seems to be the norm. With influence from living in a pub, music is a big part of my life at the moment aswell, so throughout the year I also plan to be at a few festivals and hitting up a few gigs here and there, which should be ace! Also, I guess a lot of my time off the bike is used for sewing up old jeans, so I can use them to ride in again!

10) How do you manage to rip your jeans so often? Is it on a certain trick, or a certain part of the bike?

I think part of the reason they get ripped is because the fashion with jeans is ‘tight’ – So the littlest tear, tends to get torn bigger really easily! Everyone has been wearing these girls ‘Primark Skinnys’ for a while; They are a prime example – They are cheap and stretchy and look kinda cool, but they are pretty useless! And I’m not exactly sure how I manage to tear so many jeans – It’s not a specific trick or component that rips my jeans; it’s basically any trick that involves landing on my knees, so pretty much any trick.

I’m not in the habit of buying new jeans, so I keep repairing my old ones! I’m keeping my eyes out for a set of jeans that are comfy and robust to ride in – It would be ace to be sponsored by a clothing shop like route one, or perhaps I’ll buy a set of Urban Kreation jeans to test!

11) Whilst on the subject of products, if you could design a new contraption, what would it be?

That’s a good point, but if I really did have the most genius idea, I wouldn’t want to share my invention now would I – Although as a year seven enterprise day at school, a couple of friends and I once tried to invent a product called ‘Bluetooth Breaks’… It explains itself really, but just in case; the idea was a break that required no cable, this meant you could spin those bars all day long and still have a way of stopping!

12) Oh… One last question… What’s the deal with Keith Allen? And what’s up with  the T-shirts?

The Keith Allen deal arose one drunken night in the pub between my parents and Keith – I imagine my parents got talking to him about what a wonderful son I am and the biking I do… And what with him being a super cool guy, he got very interested in the idea of extreme sports and saw an opportunity to give me a helping hand! His help has been great and it’s allowed me to travel to various bike parks, as well as enter the competitions. As for the T-shirts; the first years T-shirt designs arose from a poster graphic of a local gig he was doing which turned out pretty cool with the gold tooth – And now I’ve just had a new collection of tees of literally every colour ever, might just have a few spare that I haven’t worn yet – If anyone wants their own limited edition Keith Allen T-shirt for a bargain!? did I mention he is the father of Lily Allen!!!

14) Any final words, Big up’s, Boot down’s, Boom-shakka-lakkas?

Well I’m not one who is known for ‘words of wisdom’, but I’d like to big up my favourite tribute singer ‘Alex Ruther’ – You may know him from his work on ‘Sclub7’ and ‘Adele’! Check out ‘Barneys Shed’ on youtube for some home grown tunes from the Shire! And I wish James Brown the best of luck at this years London’s Paralympics! Keep an eye out for him and his tandem on the podium!

Ryan Nangle and Marcel Hunt – Mixing it up from Dartmoor UK on Vimeo.

/// Name: Antti Rissanen // Age: 19 // Weight: 89kg // Location: Kuopio, Finland // Sponsors: Dartmoor bikes/BestBrakes team, OBG clothing, Kali protection and Continental tyres ///

Question: -

1) Hi Antti – Let’s start with some basics – Can you tell our readership a little bit about you? Like who you are and what you are about…

Well, I’d describe ‘me’ as being dedicated to the things I love to do. I just finished my high-schooling this May! I’m now waiting for my final results and news on whether or not I’ve been accepted into University. I have never studied that much, although I have participated in many different activities – For example, I like doing pilates, drawing, singing in a youth choir and of course riding my bikes (both BMX and MTB). I’m trying to help boost our local bike scene here in ‘Kuopio’ and improve our facilities to practice, as well as riding with all my friends on the scene. Besides that, I’m always trying to progress on my bike; by continually learning new tricks, or by doing bigger and better moves than before.

2) At what stage did you get into riding bikes? Or more specifically, at what stage did you start hitting it up…

I was 11 years old, when I got my first taste of riding dirt jumps – My neighbours showed me the local trails and we rode them with our 16″ kids bikes. When I turned 12 I got my first BMX from my parents – At that point I really started hitting up the jumps on a regular basis. After a few months I was hitting the biggest jumps we had at our trails! Back in the day this was big! I actually made the mistake of trying to learn too many tricks too fast, rather than focusing on my basic riding techniques – But later on I started getting the basics wired. Looking back, as I diversified into street and skatepark riding my skills became far more dialled.

3) Can you describe your evolution as a bike rider? Like how you have evolved and progressed…

As I said, in my opinion I started learning trick to early – I just wanted to imitate the tricks that I’d seen on youtube and in video games. When I started riding I lacked company of my own age, so I didn’t really progress that much – I was just riding around and having fun! Then dirt jumping became more popular and more riders started to show up, this helped stimulate my learning – There were just so many different riders, this helped motivate me to keep learning different tricks. During this phase, I started to learn more technical riding as well, mainly thanks to the streets! The original group of riders is still there and they can be credited for pushing me to learn so many new things! There came a time a few years ago, where I noticed that my goals were a little different to the other riders – I had a real competitive streak and wanted to ride the contest circuit! So at this point, once again my riding style took a change in direction – I started focusing on crowd pleasing moves, the type of moves that fit in with the contest scene. Nowadays I do lot of imaginary training before learning anything new, for example, with rotation tricks like ‘flairs’ or ‘cash rolls’ I rehearse the trick in my mind, over and over! I’ve also got a little ‘lego bike’ which I rehearse moves with – It helps me get a sense of rotational parameters – It may sound juvenile, but I really believe it’s helped me to make progress and it will continue to do so!

4) Care to tell us a little about your current bike set-up?

My MTB is built on a Dartmoor ‘two6player’ (2012) aluminium frame, with RockShox ‘Argyle RCT’ forks – I’m actually planning to swap over to a ‘Quinnie’ frame soon, because I’m used to riding a cromoly frame and alu just doesn’t feel the same on street or ramp. As for the rest of my bike, I’m completely kitted out with Dartmoor components, like ‘thorn’ cranks, new ‘revolt pro’ rear hub, ‘raider rims’, etc. I also use Continental ‘race king supersonics’ as tires! I’m currently brakeless, but I’ll change this soon. Overall, I love how my bike feels so light, it helps me do technical stuff, but at the same time my bike feels strong and reliable – I’m ready to go big and I don’t have to worry about my equipment. My BMX is built on Dartmoor ‘Nami II’ (size L) frame with ‘Saito II’ fork. I’m also using Dartmoor components, like ‘Thorn’ cranks, ‘Razor’ hubs and ‘Flow’ bars. I like this bike to be very strong, so it can take bigger hits!

5) How exactly did you get involved with Dartmoor Bikes?

A Finnish bikeshop called ‘Best Brakes Team’ was looking for a talented Finnish BMX/MTB riders to join their team during 2010. During 2010 they also started selling Dartmoor bikes and components, naturally they wanted a team to promote it in Finland. They wanted riders to send them their riding videos, along with short written briefings – At that stage I only rode BMX and joined the team as a BMX rider. The following year, I was the only rider there! At this point I had the opportunity to ride a friends MTB, I was into it – So during the 2011 season, I asked dartmoor if they would support me with MTB components! They agreed and history was to be made!

6) Tell our readers about some of the tricks you’ve invented?

I don’t really consider myself to be an inventor as such – I’ve merely adapted tricks from the BMX scene and unleashed them to the MTB population! For example, the ‘Cash Roll’ was a BMX trick; I then became the first MTB rider to drop the bomb! At present, I have a lot of ideas running through my mind about rotational tricks which could work – Again, some of these have been pulled in the BMX scene, but some have yet to be pulled anywhere, by anywhere! But I am going to keep these moves on the “Hush” – I don’t want to raise public expectation in advance – You know what I mean!

7) What are your thoughts on ‘Foam-Pits’? And have you ever relied on them?

I think Foam-Pits are basically a safe and easy way to figure out the big moves! I’ve heard there are attitudes circulating, that training on foam-pits decreases the rider’s credibility – I really don’t get that point of view! I guess it’s all the same when you come to compete; as long as your tricks are dialled in, it does not really matter how you went about learning them! On a personal level, I rarely rely on foam-pits. Here in Finland we have quite a small foam pit, which I tend to visit once a year. I did however learn both backflips and frontflips using the foam-pits. Otherwise I just learn everything on dirt jumps. I think foam-pits will prove vital for my future progress; with some of the tricks I intend to learn, I really don’t know what will happen – It’s good to know that if I slam hard, it will be into foam.

8} Can you tell us a little about your contest history?

This may not sound impressive, but I’ve only participated in one major international competition to date! The event was ‘Simple Session’ (2011) over in Estonia; I entered the BMX contest. I’ve also been a participant in the ‘Summer Sessions’, during 2010 and 2011, which were held in ‘Helsinki’ – The 2010 Summer Sessions went quite well for me,

I finished up being 13th in the finals! I was especially proud of this result as there were a lot of big names in the house! This summer I was planning to do some ‘FMB World Tour’ events, but unfortunately I totally tore my ACL in my right knee! It’s taken me out of competition for the rest of the year, but I have surgery in a few weeks.

9) Do you have any video project in progress?

Yes, when I visited Barcelona (Spain) during March (2012) we started to film a video with ‘Fabian Kluhs’ and ‘Lars Scharl’. The guys visited Finland a few weeks ago and we finished filming it, now it’s just a matter of time before it’s finished and published.

I’m actually quite happy with the footage we have collected – At the time of filming I had already torn my ACL, but I didn’t even know about the injury because no MRI had been taken! Nonetheless, there will be some serious hammers on that edit, regardless of my injury!

10) Are you currently planning any summer trips?

I had made many plans to do many wild summer trips; but no-thanks to my knee injury and the recovery time everything is on hold. However, the future’s bright, I am planning to attend some good training facilities – I may be out, but I’ll be back!

11) Going back to the knee thing – How exactly did that happen?

I was riding with my friends at ‘Savela Skatepark’, based in Helsinki — There is a nice dirt jump line, right next to the skatepark. I was practising some runs; dropping moves like ‘double tail-whips’ – On one attempt I just slipped the pedal, which resulted in my foot getting bashed into the floor. As my foot hit the ground I heard a snapping sound; It felt like all hell had been unleashed! The following day I went to see the doctor, to see if everything was okay. I just wanted to know what was going on, because I had a film session planned with Fabian and Lars a few days later. I needed to know I was cool! My Doctor told me it should be okay, so I started riding again. When we got back to Kuopio I started getting back into the swing of things. I over-rotated a ‘flip-whip’ and my knee just snapped again – This time I was taking no chances! ‘MRI scan’ all the way! Now I’m here… Counting down the minutes until I can go riding again!

12) Since you’re injured, what will you be doing instead?

I’m going to dedicate a lot of time to rehabilitating my knee, through both exercising and physiotherapy. I’m going to buy a road bike to help the healing process… Doc’s recommendation! I’ll also be doing a lot of digging at my local trails, we’re planning some big changes, big lines for next season!

13) Let’s lighten things up a little – Tell us about a really good day?

Sleeping till noon and then grab some coffee and chill out without a rush! Further components of a good day are laid back attitudes and not set plans – I just do whatever I’m feelin! And the best days always involve seeing friends and riding bikes! I just love going full throttle on my bike! Friends make up the opposite side of the spectrum to riding – If you like friend and riding are the ‘Yin and Yang’! And if it’s a ‘really really good day’ there must be good food as well! One last thing: If I get to sleep next to my girlfriend in the evening it’s a bonus!

14) If you had one wish…

I’d have my own ranch and excavator – Here it would be possible to build up my own trails! Using my excavator I would have the creative freedom to change the set-up whenever I like – The world is my oyster! I have a blank canvas to unleash my dreams upon!

15) Any final words, shout-outs, shout-downs, or maybe even boom shakalaka’s?

Big thanks to my sponsors Dartmoor bikes, BestBrakesTeam bikeshop, OBG clothing, Continental tires, Kali protectives and to my supporters RedBull and Magura brakes!!

Antti Rissanen – welcome to OBG on Pinkbike

Antti Rissanen 2011 promo on Pinkbike

Antti Rissanen BMX 2012 edit on Pinkbike