Hack or no hack? - the mod steez of Bentley interviewed by Greg Barnes.

When did you first start modifying BMX bikes & what did you do?

I guess it all started when I was about 7 or so, I always had a shed full of old bikes & shit & my dad & older brother were always tinkering and ‘suping’ shit up so I used to build BMX’s & other cool bikes. Some were choppers, cruisers, a sidehack – whatever it didn’t really matter as long as I could get loose & go fast on it, I even built a hill bombing BMX – ‘Tarmac Hills’. It was very simple, cruiser bars upside down so they were drop bars, high seat & no brakes – lots of fun. Luckily I never fell off that one, I must’ve been 10 when I had that, shit I was a silly young kid!

I guess the last 4-5 years I’ve got right into it and learnt to weld and build whole bikes, so I have a few choppers and shit now that are pretty bad arse, I’ve just gotten in the shed with a bunch of old bikes and seen what bad arse shred sled I can come up with, no guide lines just cut and weld, fun for the whole family!

What was the inspiration behind building your side hack that featured in issue 8?

When I was about 10 I got a side hack off one of my brothers mates. It was dodgy but I loved it, I’d get my cousins and mates on the hack and we’d get well loose, a couple of times the front of the hack would dig into the ground, lifting the back wheel of the bike and catapulting me straight over the bars & onto my face, but still loving every minute of it, I had a dirt drive way (we lived on a farm) that was pretty long and at the end was a decent downhill into a dirt round about right in front of the house, so I used to haul arse down the hill and slide and the roundabout, fun for hours. One funny story was when my cousin came flying down the driveway on his BMX and the brakes didn’t work, he hit the wall of my dad’s bedroom & went straight over the bars and through the window. It was so fucking funny & he only got a tiny little scratch out of it, so bloody lucky & unlucky I guess. So anyway, I was thinking about how much fun the old hack was when I was a kid & wanted another one, so me and a mate got to it.

What materials did you use and what is the bike set up (frame etc)?

Mostly inch 1 ¼ pipe, a pair of bmx forks with brake mounts to run brakes on the hack as well, which are Hombre’s & a 48h Odyssey Hazard to a 14mm Primo hub. The bike is Raine’s old FBM Deployer 21.25” with fly cranks, profile 44t sprocket, S&M Slams, Fit forks, Primo seat, Fly tires, Odyssey Hazard rim on the back with a Demolition cassette & a Hoffman Rotator rim with a Primo Hub on the front, the stem is one I modified to look like an S&M Challenger, I got an old fat Odyssey brake lever & drilled it out to fit two cable ends in & ran two cables, one to the bike & one to the hack, it works sweet. The whole thing is pretty dialled.

What is the primary use for your ‘two man’ BMX? I imagine it could come in handy for beer runs.

To get loose with a mate and have some fun, to have a real good time you both have to know what you’re doing and have your wits about you, shit can get real bad very quick if you’re not doing the right thing. It’s a pretty hard bike to ride, for one you’re pedalling for two people so it’s pretty heavy but in turn makes for more speed and momentum down hills which is where all the fun starts! Yeah, you can fit a few cases on her, you definitely get a few looks and comments.

What other whacked out BMX mods do you have floating around your pad?

Shit where do I start. My own bike is changed up a bit. The brake mounts are now on the chain stays instead of the seat stays, I hate em up the top, it looks shit (not that I run them that often anyway). I cut down the drop outs and ground them in further so my arse end is shorter and welded up the gyro holes on the head tube. Then I rusted the shit out of it with a battery by running voltage through my frame and spraying salt water on it for a few weeks. It come up like the Titanic, looks awesome but fuck you get dirty! Oh, I semi-made my seat, I cut up another seat to have a small seat.
All the choppers have some BMX in them, I have about 8 choppers that I’ve made, all are rideable and get a good regular thrashing from me and my mates. Good old fun, especially drunk, you definitely wake up sore after a drunken night on the choppers.
I’ve also modified a few stems to look like S&M Challengers before I could find one & just cause I like making things I modded a pivotal seat for Tyson as well and a few bits for Rhysty.

The ‘Do It Yourself’ mentality is pretty strong within your crew, trails being your number one passion. Explain the importance of a ‘Hands on approach’ to BMX for you.

Shit, here we go. ‘Get on the shovel bitch’ – nah, I guess the hands on thing is something pretty much all our crew has in a way. I mean Canberra has some of the best parks in Oz and lots close by but we would prefer chillin in the woods on our own with no one to be seen and do our own thing. I’m not saying we don’t ride the parks, because we do, especially the others but me not so much. I don’t know why I guess I’ve always just built jumps because I never had a skate park to ride & I just find that trails are so much less restrictive in that you can build whatever you want and change it whenever you want. Shit, I could go on for hours about this but I guess at the end of the day it’s all just to have fun with some good mates that are there purely for the same reason you are and that’s to have a ball and enjoy something you and your mates have created on your own with no one to get in the way. It is your own scene you have created & that’s very special to me, it’s what I live for, so don’t be shy to pick up a shovel or hammer and saw, you never know what awesome creation you could build & what don’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

I know there are other not so active ‘activities’ that keep you occupied and inspired while chilling with music at home. Ever taken the DIY approach to your other pastime paraphernalia?

Shit, man I could go on for hours, I’m always doing stuff with my hands, building shit, modifying, fixing whatever – I’ll give it a go but yes I do chill on the couch with the stereo up loud with my magic pipe. It’s where my inspiration and ideas come from, I just think of the best way to do shit for me (& hopefully others) and do it. I also made my magic pipe & it has served me well for quite a few years, shit it somehow helped me make the Red Bull dirt pipe work! 
I’m also building a Rat Rod at the moment out of a VW Bug. I’ve cut the front off, welded a fire wall on & getting a full chassis to put under it & a V8 in the front. Chopping the roof so it’ s lower, body dropping the shell so it sits about 10cm off the ground, good fun & it should be sick.
I also draw a lot, I’ve designed shirts and other logos for Back Bone and hopefully more soon, I don’t mind drawing stuff for anyone, I just like to draw. I’ve had a bit of a go at tattooing too which is cool.

Is there anything else regarding elbow grease that you’d like to add?

Heaps but I’ll keep it tame and short, I’m saddened by the lack of elbow grease kids put in these days, worrying too much about learning all the tricks and being the next big ripping pro, no offence it probably ain’t going to happen cause there’s a hundred kids in every town trying to be the same dude, to be honest your best bet of being seen or whatever is if you do make something for yourself that’s heaps more interesting than another foot jam whip at another skate park on another quarter, shit just be yourself and get into it, you don’t think Chase Hawk & Corey Bohan learnt to ride like that at a skate park. I feel sorry for those who have never seen or experienced something DIY, when all you need is a bit of elbow grease.

To all the dudes that aren’t shy of a bit of hard work you know who you are, you rule, don’t let us die & keep up the bullshit good work you do, you’re my inspiration and many others too, hope to see more back yard ramps, trails or whatever can be ridden in future mags & vids. Bicycle Motocross Motherfuckers – Hands on!

Love Bentley

P.S. If anyone wants a dope chopper or some highly polished parts contact me at Back Bone. Affordable style.