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Our last day in France…
Today we had a relaxing day which started out at a lunch time picnic at the beach in Palavas. I had been there back in 2001 for a FISE contest so it was cool to go back there to chill by the water. After that we headed back into Montpellier to ride a ditch & a little street. This soon turned into a few drinks at the Australia Pub right by the river. It was a good way to spend the last full day in France. We’re now in Marseille for our flight back to Barcelona for one night before the long 36 hour journey home.
I would like to thank Unleaded for all their amazing support during this trip, without you guys it would not have been so amazing. I would also like to thank everyone who showed us around to spots & showed us great hospitality. Much appreciated !!
Yo yo !!
Sunshine!
We trekked down to Montpellier and although it was terrible weather in Lyon once we got here it was great! We had a great days riding around some local spots, it was good to have a solid days riding after a few days of wet weather. Thanks to all the locals who showed us around.
Lyon, France = wet weather
Since it rained all day here yesterday in Lyon France, we went and rode the indoor park in the evening, everyone seemed to have a good time. This sequence is of Le Goff Guillaume getting his ledge jib on. It may take a little while to load so be patient or perhaps it’s just the slow internet here?
Today we head down to the south of France again hoping for good weather. It’s our second last day here in France before returning home, so would be nice to get a good solid street ride in before the long flight home.
In other news, Mick Bayzand is now the official jib king… or so he claims?
Yo yo !!
Product highlight – Colonial V2 Cranks
With the unique 2.5 piece design our cranks are a favourite with many riders out there who want a reliable light weight crank. Keeping them nice & simple with the one bolt design is where we’ve shaved the weight off without sacrificing the strength. Check them out in all our colours at a store near you now. You can also click here now to get the full low down.
Yo yo !!
More of that bowl…
Here is a full shot of the bowl we rode on Sunday evening. It was one of the most fun bowls I have ever ridden, such a treat.
Yo yo !!
Crazy Bowl.
Yesterday we were treated to some what of a private session at the indoor bowl here in Aurillac, France. This thing was super smooth and was a pleasure to ride, even for the more street rider types it was still awesome to hit the vert wall with some speed. Thanks to all the locals who made it possible for us to ride and sorry that we were late!
The photo below is of Marnold who felt right at home in this bowl. Today we continue the journey across France!
Product Update – Variant Stem & Clone Front Hub Guard
We have made some last minute modifications to our new stem & here are the first photos of it. This is the final production sample & is now much cleaner with a smoother look. Called the Variant Stem because you can choose to run it as a top load stem or inverted for the same feel as our Official stem. It is also made to the same high quality specs as our Official stem in CNC 7075T6 alloy with an optional removable gyro plate.
We also have our Clone Front Hub Guard which replaces the cone nut for hub & spoke protection on the front wheel. The guard is made from CNC 6061T6 alloy.
Both items are due out in September across the planet as with all our 2011 products.
Bayzand bringing home the bacon…
Here is Mick & his cured leg of ham that he won at yesterday’s comp here in France. Gotta be the most funniest prize I have ever seen for a comp. It was such a great day & everyone had a blast. Thanks to the organisers & all the riders that showed great support for us all & made us feel very welcome. Merci beaucoup !!
Yo yo !!
France Update.
Today was the local comp in Aurillac , it was actually a blast to hang out at. It had a good vibe the whole time and everyone got right into it when the riders were having there runs, at the end of the day the group of Mick Bayzand, Bruno Faucon and Le Goff Guillaume came up on top. The funniest thing about it was that Mick won a cured leg of ham and some local goats cheese. That would have to be the strangest prize ever won at a comp and also the funniest!
Paddy Gross in India.
Paddy sent us over a story about a recent trip he did with some crew to India for some Demo’s, well worth the read…
10 days ago I got asked to fly over to India to ride demo’s with my mates Sergej Deier & Daniel Dressen. India??? I haven’t even heard anything of BMX coming out of India so heck yeah I thought, I am going.
Well where to start? Because you wouldn’t even believe what life is like over there. Let’s say it’s a mix of religion, poorness, happiness, history and far away from our world as we know it. It seriously takes its time to get use to things like that there’re almost no traffic lights and the streets are packed with people, cars, animals, motorcycles, trucks and bikes. Everyone is going where they want and they show their presence by honking their horn but for some reason, it all works out.
We rode demo’s in different citys like Udaipur or Gnarghar. We spent lots of time in planes and cars to go from one city to another and it’s kinda normal that you’ll need around 12 hours of driving for 400km because the roads are just wrecked, full of holes and half finished construction, a pain in the a… to be honest. The people just don’t care, even when the streets are flooded with water everytime it started raining because there’s nothing like a sewerage in small citys where we’ve been. Big citys like New Delhi seem kinda modern but at the end there’s no difference. I’ve seen way too much suffering, sickness and things I don’t understand like their religion and castes system. Lots people get treated like their life is worthless and others seem like gods for them just because of money.
I think we had the chance to make a lot of people and kids happy for one day because of riding our bikes for them. At the places we’ve been a bicycle had the meaning of not having enough money to own a car and having a lower value in their society. I remember having a street session with Sergej at a curb-hip construction and after 10 minutes the place was so crowded that the police had to stop our action because we just caused a traffic jam. So the demo’s were absolutely amazing for them and for us as well because the people thought we’re from a different planet and we felt that the more we ride, the more we’re creating us a place in their hearts, and we did! The ramp set up hasn’t been what we’re used to but we’ve done our best and had a lot of fun doing it.
Well I can’t explain in words about my experience in just a couple days and my mind is over flowing with things, people and life I’ve witnessed. I already have been to lots of different places in the world because of that little kids bike but no other place expanded my horizon as much and made me apreciate the life i have even more as India did!
France Roadtrip Day One.
Yesterday morning we headed out from the Unleaded office to drive all day into the middle of France to the small town of Aurillac there was some amazing scenery on the way here which helped keep the drive interesting, we are here to hang out at a local comp and to ride some spots, looking forward to the next few days for sure!
A bit of 2008 footage…
Here is a little edit that Glen McGlaughlin (Colony warehouse manager) made up from some almost lost footage from back in 2008. Check it.
Yo yo !!
One for the Ringwood Locals…
Here is one just for the Ringwood Locals !! Shot in France at an awesome plaza that we dropped by to ride.
Marseille.
We drove down to Marseille France yesterday and thanks to the locals we rode some amazing spots then we were treated to ride an indoor park which was no doubt the best indoor park I have ever been to. The photo below is of Mick Bayzand getting his box jump game on!
Shintaro in Austin.
This edit features Shintaro from his time in Austin Texas for the Mc Duff Jam that happened recently.
France Updates.
After a bit of a mission to get here we are now in France, we took two trains, a bus and then a two hour drive, all up it was about 11 hours to get to where we are now but it was worth it, we put together a bike for myself and had a fun day out riding with the locals at a cool street plaza park and then we had a roll around at some spots, thanks to Unleaded and the locals for their hospitality.
Barcelona coming to an end.
As the Barcelona leg of this trip comes to an end I thought I would post up a few random shots. Have a look at the photo of Zac Miner jumping the gap, this clip got missed as a car was coming to where Zac was going to land hence why you can see Clint waving but Zac was to focused and got it done.
More Barcelona…
Here are a few random pics from the last few days of riding around Barcelona. Today is our last day & we will head down to the Forum to ride there for one last time. Hopefully should be a bust free zone. We head off to France tomorrow to hang with the guys from Unleaded. Should be good times & a welcome change from recent events here.
Yo yo !!
Simon’s Dejavu DVD
Simon O’Brien’s second solo DVD is out now & is getting some rave reviews. Check out a few of them by clicking here & here now. Then click here or here to get the DVD now.
Yo yo !!
One Less Bike.
So it seems Barcelona cops have decided it’s time to take action on bmxers and skaters that are riding spots here. Yesterday I had my bike confiscated by them for no real reason at all, all I was doing was riding a bank, no grinding no damaging property but with this language barrier all I know is that I just lost my bike! Whilst we were at the police station there was a booklet about how skating in the streets was an offence, I’m not sure if this is a new thing but either way anyone who heads over here be careful.
As much fun has it has been here I am really looking forward to going to France on Monday and hanging out with the Unleaded guys. The photo below is of Marnold shredding one of my favourite spots that I got to ride.
Hibiscus BMX comp…
August 1st is the date for a BMX comp at Hibiscus skate park in Brisbane. We’re getting behind the event with prizes. Get yourself there for a good day on the bike. Check the flyer for more details.
Yo yo !!
Afray…
Mike Cz from Brisbane has started up a new clothing brand called Afray. Colony team members Zac Miner, Liam Fahy-Hampton & Tom Stretton are on the team as well as Raph Jeroma-Williams. I am really down with the look & feel of what Afray is about. Check out their site by clicking here in the weeks/months ahead for more.
Yo yo !!
Barcelona Day Four.
Today started off good, we hit a bunch of spots which was fun however things turned from good to bad over the course of the day, we got kicked out of a couple of spots then ventured out of town a bit of more and rode a real fun spot for a fair while, then we were just eating some food around the corner from the last spot when four police officers pulled up, pointed at me and proceeded to speak in Spanish which all we got out of it was that they were giving me a fine for grinding on the rail (which I actually didn’t) they then asked me which bike was mine, I tried to keep it all nice so I showed them and the dude literally took my bike and put it in the cop car, because of the language barrier we have no idea what the story is. Basically all we know is that in two days we have to go to the police station and deal with it then.
The photo below is of happier times from yesterday after riding amazing spots all day and meeting new people.
Valvoline in NYC
Valvoline is in New York city on a trip with Marcelo from Dream BMX, our Brazilian distributor & came across this store in the city. Nice one !!
Yo yo !!
TwentyTwenty.
The new issue of 2020 is out very soon, it has some coverage of a trip some of the team took from Brisbane to Canberra along with a trip that Richo and Guettler took to Sydney. It also features a Chris Courtenay interview which should be interesting.
Product highlight – Phantom Forks
Liam’s signature Phantom forks are designed tough enough to withstand all the abuse the big fella can throw at them. They also feature a shorter offset suited towards front wheel tricks. Couple with this strong drop outs & a tapered leg look & you get a fork to Liam’s exacting standards. Check them out at a Colony dealer near you now. Or click here now for more details.
Yo yo !!
Zac’s Birthday.
2nd day in Barcelona, Spain and it’s Zac Miner‘s 23rd birthday today, we had an amazing ride today at some awesome spots! The spot below was the first spot we hit up. So stoked!
Barcelona Day One.
We flew into Barcelona this morning after a very very long flight. We were all really tired but we went out and explored and had a ball riding around. Tomorrow we should be back on the normal sleep patterns, more updates to come…