- We're here at Red Bull Hardline
with Ruben from Propain Factory Racing.
Bob Lewis from Pivot Cycles.
Norman here from Cube.
Ben who is wrenching for Dave McMillan this race.
Vislaw from Atherton Bikes.
Andy Lund who is wrenching for Joe Breeden
and Harry Molloy this weekend.
Mark, Laurie Greenland's mechanic from Mordrake
and we've got some fun questions, are you ready?
(dramatic music)
If you were to get into a bar fight
and you had to grab one tool out of your toolbox,
points for creativity, what do you think you'd go for?
- I just straight for the hammer.
- Straight for the hammer.
- As Laurie says, hammer and tongs.
(Henry laughs)
- Hammer.
- Hammer or bread and butter?
- Hammer probably. (both laugh)
- You got to go in with the bottom there,
with the cassette tool spanner.
- [Henry] Ooh yeah, that's hefty that.
- It's hefty but it's got a spike on it too.
- (laughs) Yeah.
- [Norman] So you're definitely doing
some damage with that yeah. - [Henry] That's medieval.
- I quite like scissors.
- (laughs) Yeah.
- I reckon you could like,
multiple uses.
- Ooh yeah, we're not going to go too much
into it, but yeah. - Yeah, all right with that.
- [Henry] Maybe that could be like a ninja star. (laughs)
- A pretty good claw hammer there
and inside there there's a big long breaker bar,
that'd be a pretty good one there.
- Or you could dual wield, you're quite well-equipped.
- Yeah.
- Maybe just go for the big old Knipex.
- [Henry] Oh yeah. (laughs)
- Just go with the Knipex straight away.
- You get some real nipple twisters out of that.
(groans) like Chinese burns.
- Or you get on some teeth, (Henry laughs)
pull out some teeth, finger nails,
yeah I reckon that'd be pretty good.
- Self-punches, use them maybe like Wolverine.
- Ohh, ooh that is good, marks there,
top marks for creativity.
How long have you been a mechanic?
- For a race team, will be about three years.
- Kind of since I left school,
I got a job at TF Tuned, I started off in the office
and then sort of they taught me a few things.
- Good place to start man.
- Some real good dudes there that sort of helped me out
and then just been a mechanic since then really,
so that's like, four years, five years?
- All my life pretty much.
- Oh bangin', perfect.
- Fifth year on the World Cup stuff.
- Yep 'cause you were Bergamont before.
- Yeah Bergamont yeah.
- Mechaniced my first World Cup in 2008.
- Oh so over a decade on the circuit now?
- Well a couple of years off,
but this was my sixth full season.
- Of bikes, probably since about,
got to say about '06?
- Since I was 16.
- Oh okay, so just?
- So yeah pretty much about 50 years, yeah.
(both laugh)
- Do you work in PSI or Bar?
- PSI.
- PSI, but does that mean you work in millimeters?
- Millimeters yeah.
- Yeah because I feel kind of--
- Well and in inches sometimes, depends.
- Depends on what it is I suppose like
stroke lengths or something. - Yeah, exactly.
- PSI every day, yep. - PSI.
- I do both.
- You do both?
'Cause Gaten all is--
- It depends what the rider works in, I've done both.
Personally when I do my own bike it's PSI.
- PSI.
- For everything, shocks and all?
- Yeah
- Yeah.
- I use PSI.
- PSI.
- PSI, all the Brits do, but then we still use millimeters.
- Yeah Bar's annoying because, so say
most of these riders get really picky
so for example Dave's running 27 PSI.
In Bar that's going to be like--
- 1.7?
- Yeah 1.85 or something or something?
It's just annoying trying to run like
(Henry laughs) to a decimal place.
- What was the last song you added
to your music streaming service of choice?
- Oh good question.
I downloaded a whole playlist.
It was just like old school hip hop, was pretty cool.
- I've been listening to a lot of Stand High Patrol.
- Yeah?
I haven't heard them, are they good?
- Yeah, it's like-- - What kind of deal?
- Like french, hip hop reggae.
- Oh nice.
- Indoor Pets, they're really down and they're really cool.
- Indoor Pets, check it out.
- Hold on, let's check out.
- Oh yeah. - [Cameraman] Yeah.
- I hope it's a good one.
- Oh god, hopefully it's nothing rude.
(Henry laughs)
Oh, that's a good one, Jah War,
remix with Flowdan, by The Bug.
- Been getting into Mako Road quite a bit this year,
it's a New Zealand band, yep they're real cool.
- I'm more of a playlist kind of guy.
- Oh okay cool.
- Yeah, I don't really add individual songs,
I just search for a playlist that
fits what what I want to listen to.
- The last thing I added was the Earthed playlist.
- Oh banging.
- The entire, there's one through five
an entire playlist of it. (Henry laughs)
- I've actually listened to that.
- It is literally an hour of gold.
- Nice, now when I say Mullets,
do you think Patrick Swayze or bikes?
- Ooh.
- Swayze or bikes?
- I'd say bike but I want to say Swayze. (Henry laughs)
- I think haircut personally.
- Patrick Swayze.
- Patrick Swayze, every day, Swayze everday-se.
That's what I was trying to say earlier on.
- I think hairstyle.
- The hairstyle.
- Bring it back someone.
- I'd go Mullet Bikes I just stuck 29-er forker wheel
on my own bike just to see what happens,
and see a few measurements. - How is it?
- Inertially it feels faster than
two 27 half inch wheels, for sure.
- At the moment I think bike but--
- But you guys are running a very refined Mullet,
maybe some of the hair straighteners or some tassels.
- We've done a bit of work to it.
- Patrick Swayze.
- Yeah Patrick Swayze.
- But it's the same sort of prospect isn't it?
- Yeah.
- I've always wanted a mullet but I've
never been brave enough.
- Oh mate, I'm sure we can track
down some scissors, you've got enough hair.
- Let's get it done.
- Yeah it's happening.
- Pineapple on pizza?
- Yep absolutely.
- Yeah, I'm the same.
- Yeah, yeah and just to upset
Barney and Mike, our team manager.
- 100%.
- 100%?
- 100%, just to annoy my Italian mate, Matteo.
- I think people are just too pretentious, just eat it.
- Yeah, woo, free the pizza.
- Love it.
- Yeah, all day.
- There's a trend. - All day, yeah.
- If you want to be a good mechanic,
just eat pineapple on pizza.
- Yeah, Hawaiian, the one, pizza of choice.
- No.
- No?
- Yeah. - First one.
Putting your foot down, enough is enough.
- Yeah no, no pineapple.
- Bit of pineapple on a pizza, definitely.
- We've got one guy that was
Andy Lund was vehemently against it.
There seems to be a correlation with
pineapple lovers and World Cup mechanics.
Carbon or alloy?
- Our bikes have been carbon, I quite like it,
but the new production bike to start
with is going to be alloy, so we'll see.
- I'm going to say alloy 'cause I like metal.
- Depends what for, carbon frames, alloy wheels.
- Depends, it depends.
- Frame?
- Yep carbon frame.
- Wheels?
- Yep carbon wheels.
- I got to say alloy.
'Cause carbon is the asbestos of the 21st century.
- Carbon, everyday of the week.
I'm a bit nervous about wheels,
but people do lifetime warranties
and that sort of stuff, so worry's over.
- Bit of both.
- Bit of both, depends on the--
- Depends on the application. - Carbon handle bars because.
It depends, there's good carbon and there's bad carbon,
the same way there's good alloy and there's bad alloy.
- We'd ram the Envy carbon bar all year on Dray's bike.
- Oh really, That's pretty remarkable.
Now when you're getting reading for riding,
'cause I think I go against the current here,
when I'm getting ready I go kneepad, shoe, kneepad, shoe,
I do one at a time.
Do you go shoe, kneepad, kneepad, shoe, shoe
or kneepad, shoe, kneepad, shoe.
- Both kneepads, both shoes.
- Kneepads and then shoes.
- Kneepads then shoes, I think I'm going
against the current here.
- I've got open kneepads so I do shoes and then kneepads.
- Oh the third option!
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, use the opens so you can do it after,
just you know shoe (swooshes)
- Nice - And then. (swooshes)
- Oh yeah stage, kneepad, kneepad, shoe, shoe, all the time.
- Kneepad, kneepad, shoe, shoe, cool cool.
- Do both my kneepads then i usually put my trousers on.
- Oh you wear yeah pants.
- Yeah it depends on riding but yeah
if the kneepads are going on, usually the trousers
are on so then yeah shoes are afterwards
when I get to the door.
- Nice.
- I reckon I go kneepad, kneepad because
I've always got a set of these, sliders
and I reckon I probably spend, it's like a process,
so I put my kneepads on, cruise around,
sliders and socks for a little bit and then put my shoes on.
So I reckon both kneepads, then both shoes
- (laughs) Nice.
- I go kneepad, kneepad, sock, sock, then shoe, shoe.
- Don't you get a bit of grit when you're getting your knee,
I must have gritty horrible feet.
- No, no, no I love it man, I like the
way it slides over your foot without moving your sock.
- I wear silk delicates for that very purpose.
- Oh god are we talking about underwear or socks now?
(both laugh)
- What's your guilty pleasure?
- Guiltiest pleasure I have?
- Mine's like crap metal music, like Babymetal.
(heavy metal music)
- I'd probably say like cartoons maybe?
- Yeah.
- That's a pretty guilty pleasure of mine,
when I'm real bored and tired,
just stick on some moving wallpaper cartoons
and you're all good for an hour.
- I don't know, I've got so many.
I like metal music, pretty guilty.
- It'd be a good quality dark chocolate.
- Ooh, like what are we talking, like 90% cocoa?
- Yeah, 90, sometime 95.
- Oof.
- It's somehow musical bads.
I've got a pretty antisocial car.
I quite like cruising around London (Henry laughs)
listening to pretty terrible garage music.
- Red wine.
- Red wine? - Just loads of it yeah.
- (laughs) Loads of it?
- Bottle of red wine and a straw.
- A vat. - That's my. (both laugh)
- Weekday drinking.
- Ooh yeah.
- A good day sesh as well. (Henry laughs)
When it's sunny and you're in a field with your mates,
a lake whatever, starting drinking at 11am
is my guilty pleasure. (both laugh)
- Yeah like Pat Benatar or something like that.
(Henry laughs) Yeah yeah some
old female power ballads, that's pretty good.
- Or a bit of-- - Get into it.
- What's it called, like, (sings)
tonight, forever's going to start tonight.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- I've done a whole rendition of that with my friend,
just across star striving,
- There you go mate. - Bonnie Tyler, kick out.
Are you a country bumpkin or a city slicker?
- Country bumpkin.
- Yeah I think most mountain bikers are.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Country bumpkin.
- I think we all are.
- 100% man.
- Country bumpkin.
- Yeah.
- Cities scare me, man.
- I've never been to London. (Ruben laughs)
How crazy's that, I've never been.
Never gone to the big smoke.
- Yeah you're not missing much.
- Both, hybrid.
- Hybrid? - Hybrid, yeah.
- Now that's a city slicker.
- Country bumpkin.
- Through and through.
- Somewhere in the middle, I live in
the city but on the outskirts.
- 'Cause your in Bristol eh?
- Yeah.
- Yeah yeah.
- Country bumpkin, I hate the cities.
- You like being outdoors.
- Yeah. - I mean here's amazing innit?
- I feel like I suck cause I'm living in Bath when I'm here.
- I can't do cities, yeah.
- What's the last thing you do or say
before you hand over the bike.
So go for a race one, is there anything you always say?
- What to the rider?
- To them or either, something you say
or something you do to the bike.
- I usually go for give the rider
a fist bump and tell him to have fun.
- Do you have any rituals? - Usually tire pressures.
Yeah, usually tire pressures.
'Cause I like to think the rest
of it's been done for some time.
- I'll say probably panic. (both laugh)
I think just in my head I try to play it all cool
but yeah you're always thinking have I done everything?
- Yes totally.
- It depends on what rider but with Veej
we normally slap him on the arse.
- Oh heavens, bit of giddyup. (horse neighs)
- Yeah probably yeah that's probably the last thing we do.
- Give him some bam.
- Yeah pretty much.
- Fist bump .
- Fist bump.
- We'll leave it on that.
- Usually the old high five fist bump.
- We always have a little fist bump,
just so that's our thing to know
that it's good I've done everything.
- Yep and what is your favorite tool?
I actually noticed the electric screwdriver,
which are amazing many people.
- That is probably my favorite thing
I've put in there this year, it was only 15 quid
off of Amazon and it just means that
you don't have to do rotor bolts when you're traveling.
- My Knipex.
- Oh yeah, you got the big one or the small one?
- I got the small one, it's so handy for everything.
- These guys.
- [Henry] Oh Knipex again.
- Knipex yeah, pretty versatile
- They are very versatile.
- Very versatile a lot of (chicken squawk) you do with them.
- I don't want to sound like everyone
else in the world right now.
- I know what you're going to say.
- But yeah it is literally the tool of choice.
It's the sharpie.
- Way! - Nah I'm kidding.
(both laugh)
It's got to be these, like honestly,
you can strip 98% of a bike with 'em.
- A hammer and self-punctures so.
- Bam, man just, yeah. - Very tiny.
- Old multi-tool, comes in handy.
- 'Cause I see that's quite the pressure
gauge you've go there.
- Oh yeah you've got the Motion Pro pressure gauge.
- I would have thought in the bar fight
you could even swinging that round your head.
- Right yeah swinging. (Henry laughs)
Digital setup.
- I know like the--
- Ooh that's nice.
- [Ben] T-handles or the Knipex.
- [Henry] Knipex, everyone's said Knipex so far.
- [Ben] They're so useful.
- [Henry] They are so useful.
- [Ben] You can pretty much use them
on anything that's a nut.
- That's nice that.
- [Ben] The T-handles, just a good set of T-handles.
- [Henry] Nice weight I bet.
- [Ben] Yeah, they're good. - Oh yeah.
And so that was Ask The Mechanics,
the best riders in the world
need some solid people behind them.
Now if you liked that and you thought it was a good time,
check out the Ask The Pros I did in Rotorua
to get to know them a little bit better as well.
Thank you very much for watching
and don't forget to like and subscribe, cheers.