Bike Check with The Beard. Pics by Frog.

Apr 21, 2011

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 10862 times

-Frame: Failure Flyin Lion 20.5 (Jerremiah Smith Signature)

-Forks: Snafu Pickle
-Headset: FSA
-Stem: Snafu VST
-Bars: Failure Handlebar Moustache Prototype
-Grips: Snafu Simple
-Bar ends: None
-Brake lever: Snafu C-Lever

-Brake cable: Snafu Astroglide

-Brake caliper: Fly
-Brake pads: No clue
-Rotor: None
-Chain: DK
-Sprocket: Failure Moustache Sprocket
-Cranks: Snafu Mayweather 175mm
-Bottom Bracket set: Snafu
-Pedals: Snafu Anorexic
-Seatpost clamp: Integrated on frame

-Seatpost: Failure Pivotal post
-Seat: Failure Pivotal seat
-Front tire: Snafu Sanford 2.10
-Front rim: Snafu Inglewood
-Front hub: Snafu Zenith
-Rear rim: Snafu Inglewood
-Rear tire: Snafu Malcolm
-Rear hub: Snafu Quasar 9tooth Cassette
-Hub Guards: None
-Pegs: Snafu Hexagon

Modifications: I painted my bike with a Batman theme with Spray Paint in my driveway.

Weight: I've never weighed it. Id say mid 20 pound range. It is light enough for me. I grew up riding 40 lb bikes so it feels light to me.

Do you ever get your beard caught while working on your bike?
Beard: Yes I do. I usually will tuck my beard into my shirt or put it in a ponytail. I get my beard snagged on stuff all day long!

What’s it like running your own company and riding your own products?
Beard: I love running a company. BMX has been my life for most of my life. Failure was a natural step for me to do. I am completely revamping Failure with all new product line, website and pretty much the whole deal.

Our goal is to launch the new stuff at Interbike, but we will have a lot of new softgoods and some other hardgoods available before that. Riding my own product is pretty Chawesome. It's kind of like a dream. When you are starting out riding and buying parts, I'm sure it would be a dream of most kids to have a brand and ride their own stuff.

Do you care about the looks of your bike?
Beard: Yes. I don't care what other people think of my bike. I just like to

be happy with the way it looks. I am lucky to have my own stuff and to have the amazing support from Snafu. I can pretty much change the look of my bike whenever I really want to.

Are you picky on how it rolls?
Beard: Yes. To a degree. Everything has to be tight and dialed. I hate when stuff is bent. Like when I step on DGAFs bike, it always feels like crap like everything is bent! I like a solid feeling bike and the brakes have to work good. I hate when brakes suck. It messes with my mighty Abubacas!

What Snafu part are you most stoked on?
Beard: Snafu Cranks. I love the Mayweather cranks. Simple, strong, light. I have not had any problems with them.

What are the modifications you made to your bike?
Beard: All I did to this bike was paint it and put stickers on it. I do need to cut down the steer tube of my forks so I don't have 50 spacers, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Any special reason for the colour combination of your bike?
Beard: For Christmas, my son got some Batman toys. My wife Tessa said a batman bike may be cool. Snafu had some perfect color blue parts, so I got all the Snafu parts and then I got spray paint and painted all the other stuff to match the batman toys. My son love BMX and he is stoked on my Batman bike. Previously I did a Buzz Lightyear bike which is so sweet, that I have it on display in my office and have never ridden it!

Thanks to: The sport of BMX Freestyle, Bart @ Fat, Tessa and Ryder for inspiration on the bike theme, Mcgoo and Bill Bryant @ Snafu, Taiwan and USA bike part manufacturers, Facebook, Twitter, Beavers, Beards, Jeremie Infelise for always sending me parts in a timely fashion and Kevin Frog Spanier for shooting the photos for the bike check.