Why did you choose this particular frame fork set up?
I wanted to evolve my riding somewhat and move away from the tech/front wheel stuff (that I was previously doing a LOT of) and try to go little faster and higher. Id also recently moved to Cornwall and “The Track” at Portreath was a stone’s throw from my house. So I figured a longer bike that allowed me to ride trails more would work.
However I didn’t want to stop riding flat, park and mini so I needed something that worked as an all rounder while giving me the stability to send a few bigger jumps.
What sort of riding does your F+F set up suit?
I know this frame is marketed as a trails/park/street type bike but to be honest, you could ride anything on it. It’s the perfect mix of length and responsiveness and it’ll handle well on any bmx discipline, I ride flat on it during the winter and then park/street/dirt on it through the summer. It’s kind of the perfect all rounder.
What’s the steering set up like (i.e. Stem, Bar rake, Bar height etc)
Id previously been riding a BSD Freedom (which is an amazing frame BTW!) which had a steep head tube and shorter back end. It was ideal for park and tech but I wanted to loosen the front up a little. The MOD has a 74.5 head angle so it’s a little looser and allows you to tank at stuff without the worry of the front end getting twitchy. Ive got some Credence XL bars on it that are 9.25 inches high and feel lovely and are easy on my back!
Which parts of your set up are “Old man friendly”?
Im not too sure to be honest. Ive mentioned the higher bars which suit your ageing back! And the whole set up is relatively light so again it’s easier to throw around. Naturally there’s a front brake on there so I guess that’s a sign of an older rider! Oh and the seats a little higher than the kids would like.
Brand loyalty. What makes you run the brands you use?
As G Sport was a big part of my riding history I try to run quite a few parts from them. Although this is not just blind loyalty, Id trust anything engineered or designed by George and the products they put out there are pretty much as good as you can get.
Equally Id trust the Odyssey forks with anything I can throw at them and the lifetime guarantee you get with them speaks volumes about how good they are.
I also run a lot of S&M parts for a variety of reasons. I think as a brand you’d be hard pushed to find many with the heritage they bring to bmx.
The stuff they make is super strong and high quality. Plus they’re sponsoring Ride On so I wanted to buy stuff from a company that actively supports the older riding scene (this also goes for BSD as I run quite a few of their parts also).
Is there a part of your set up that’s stayed fairly consistent with over the years?
I’ve used a Dia Compe FS990 as my front brake forever! And Id say that there’s nothing out there to touch it for performance and durability. Equally anything other than a Dia Compe Tech 77 brake lever feels awful so Ive stuck with this over the years.
Is there one that has changed a lot?
I guess Ive been through a few frames over the last few years. But I think if you’re riding isn’t evolving then you’re missing out on a big part of bmx. Moving forward and trying new things, riding styles and disciplines is key for me to keep it interesting. I guess part of this evolution as a rider is that your preferences and needs of what your bike does for you also evolve, so yes, my set up has changed quite a bit over recent years.
However one of the biggest changes for me recently was moving away from chrome rims to hard anodised ones. I’d long believed that true pin sharp responsive braking could along be achieved using chrome rims. But I switched to hard and rims and they work just as well if not better than the chrome ones did (naturally it goes without saying that you need to set your brakes up properly to achieve this!)
How has your perfect set up changed throughout the BMX eras?
Its defo getting longer and looser! Generally speaking 2Bs and 4Ps have been constant throughout but the angles, stability and responsiveness have certainly evolved.
Any custom made or custom mods on your bike?
No not really. Im a bit of a caveman when it comes to anything too technical from an engineering side so Ive tended to stick with off the shelf parts and not really mod them. Obviously when I was testing stuff for G Sport BITD I had some weird mod stuff on from time to time (Im thinking the bolt in peg.fork combo here!)
Set Up
Frame
S&M Credence MOD 21 inch
Fork
Odyssey F25
Bars
S&M Credence XL
Stem
S&M Challenger
Grips
S&M Reynolds
Seat
Fit Barstool
Seat post
FBM
Seat Clamp
NA
Pedals
S&M Hoder
Cranks
BSD substance 165
Sprocket
BSD Guard Sprocket
Chain
Shadow Supreme half link
Tires
S&M Speedball
Front Wheel
G Sport Birdcage Rim (black ano) with G Sport Roloway hub
Rear Wheel
G Sport Birdcage Rim (black ano) with G Sport AntiGram hub
Front Brake
Dia Compe FS990
Back Brake
Odyssey EVO 2.5
Levers
Dia Compe Tech 77
Gyro
Odyssey
Pegs
BSD Crackpipes
