Shredder MTB Zine Issue Eleven

SHREDDER ISSUE 11:

The Future Is Now:

There's been a youth explosion within mountain biking in recent times, not only with young up-and-coming talent taking to the forefront of riding, but creatives showcasing what we do with a fresh, new and unique perspective. However, you can’t have a future without a past… Issue 11 of Shredder puts a spotlight on rising talent, but also discusses influential figures, media and moments of the past that have helped get us to where we are now.

Now with an over-sized layout (255mm X 190mm) and a total page count of 304, Shredder is no longer a ‘zine’, but a fully fledged coffee table bible celebrating the underground world of MTB counter-culture.

Artificial Intelligence: A short, tongue-in-cheek intro explaining why Shredder could never be made with the aid of Artificial Intelligence.

Just Get Creative: An interview/photofolio article with Will Brignal; the self proclaimed short and stumpy scouser who enjoys capturing mountain biking across all of its varying disciplines. From his early days of janky jumps in the local woods, through his teenage years exploring mountain biking through the infamous print world of Dirt, to now shooting some of his riding heroes on a regular basis; Will’s passion for bikes has fuelled his expedition behind the lens, on a quest to perfect his skills.

Party Pooper: Unpopular opinion…. A pessimistic rant investigating the mountain bike industry’s current obsession with the ‘party lifestyle’.

Dawn Of A New Era: If you’re a follower of downhill World Cup racing on social media, it’s very likely you will already be familiar with, or watched videos created by Jack Clark, Louis Citadelle and Dorian Jouvenal. The 3 amigos have been making noise on the race circuit over the past couple of years with their distinctive angles and individualist approaches to editing. I interviewed the young creatives to gain an insight into their filmmaking, touching on inspirations and what the future holds.

First Things First: 2 articles in 1! I ask Ryan Middleton about his first riding experiences, whilst Ross Bell gives us a photography showcase of the trails at Glenlivet, Scotland.

Be yourself: Will Hearn, better known as Furnz, see’s his nickname as an alter ego of sorts, a way of expressing himself behind the mystery of a full-face helmet and goggles. When the helmet is on he’s in attack mode, riding within an inch of his life. When the helmet is removed, he’s a down to earth dude with a positive mindset, who wears his heart on his sleeve.

“Bikes Are Pretty Fucking Rad”: Joonas Vinnari is the definitive of a core mountain biker. He’s an OG who for years has been pushing an alternative approach to mountain biking, partaking in almost every discipline along the way. From his early years as a freeride hucker, his tech wizardry in the streets, the years spent on a DH bike between the tape as a racer and more recently, shredding his trail bike in his loamy, local playground. A purveyor of rad times riding, and an advocate for a post ride beer; Joonas’ contagious, positive attitude towards mountain biking is truly inspiring.

End The Trend?: A 24 page interview with filmmaker Hunter Paull. I asked about the time leading up to filming ‘When Does The Trend End?’, how the project came to fruition and his inspiration behind the video, Hunter also filled me in on the finer details of the film, including his outlook towards riding, and touching on whether he thinks this current trend will ever end.

A Brief History Of Mountain Biking Clothing: With issue 11 unintentionally becoming the self-proclaimed ‘Fashion Issue’, I thought I’d continue the theme with a little history lesson looking into what riders wore in the past, what we’re wearing now, as well as trying to make some predictions as to where mountain biking fashion might be heading in the future.

Second Coming: A photography article taking a look at the stunning images captured by Sven Martin of Amaury Perron and Brendan Fairclough during the filming of DeathGrip 2.

Chasing The Art: There’s not much more I can say about Ollie and FASTASFUCK’s approach to mountain biking that I’ve not said before, and the sheer amount of riders in this issue alone who mention them as influential is testament to their collective impact on our culture. In this article I ask Ollie about the recent FASTASFUCK photography project ’Tunnel Vision’ to find out more about the art form of digging trails.

Force Of Nature: Scott Dickson is a freelancer working with a multitude of mediums to create mind blowing illustrations, paintings and design work. Now residing in Nelson, British Columbia, Scott grew up surrounded by bikes and the outdoors, and it’s clear growing up that being immersed in nature has helped shape his artistic vision, and is still a major influence when it comes to inspiring him today.

The Future: An interview with the young, Italian downhiller, Christian Hauser. To me, Christian embodies the essence of individuality in mountain bike racing. I ask about his beginnings with riding, how listening to hip hop played a big part in learning to speak English, how he got into graffiti and whether he finds any similarities in painting and riding.

Sometimes Stupid Ideas Turn Into Good Ones: Billy, Oscar and Nick make up the collective, who use Dad Cam TV as a fun outlet for their creative endeavours. Dad Cam TV are a fellowship that embodies creativity, good times, and a true love of mountain biking. By living a unique lifestyle, recognising the importance of tangible products, and building a community through the events they hold, the Dad Cam boys truly stand out within the MTB crowd.

Do The Exact Opposite Of The Majority: After becoming obsessed with the video ‘Pedal In The Air’, I discovered the Pig Pen Boys; a crew of dirtbags who enjoy riding, racing and digging around their local trails in San Antonio. Aside from this basic info, I didn’t know anything about them, which made my curiosity grow tenfold. Who are they? How did they meet? Where does the Pig Pen name come from? After a quick DM and exchanging a few emails, Charles Bakke (the filmer and editor of their aforementioned full-length video) kindly updated me with all the finer details, and asked the rest of the gang to fill in the blanks as to why they have a more left-field way of how they perceive mountain biking.

Into Darkness: A photography piece showcasing the happenings of DarkFest 2023 through the lens of Sven Martin.

Create More Than You Consume: An interview with the highly productive, yet mysterious artist, Alec Stewart. I hope you take as much from this interview as I did; whether that’s inspiration to make something, encouragement to get out for a pedal, motivation to dig out some of your favourite albums, or just merely make time to appreciate the more simple things in life.

The First Dirt Magazine Video (Earthed): If you’ve bought an issue of Shredder before, you’ve probably read me fan-boying over Alex’s impeccable filmmaking on more than one occasion. If this is your first time reading Shredder, then this is a good place to start in the videographers prolific filmography. I’ll never tire of hearing the tales behind how Alex’s masterpieces come together, and thankfully for me, Alex is always happy and willing to answer my questions, from the obvious to the obscure. This interview covers the facts, stories and tidbits behind the game-changing, inaugural ‘Earthed’ video.

Style ’N Grit (Click X5): I’m sure you all know the drill by now; Sven Martin is the GOAT of mountain biking photography. I pick 5 selects from his packed portfolio of riding photos, snapped throughout his 15 year-and-counting career as a MTB photographer, and he fills me in on the backstory as to how the images came to fruition.

Chasing The Unknown: The Brage Vestavik interview. Taking inspiration outside of the mountain biking sphere seems to be a common topic amongst the interviewees within this issue of Shredder, and the influence music has on Brage is probably the most prevalent; the dark, mystical and mysterious aesthetic he uses to document his digging on social media can be likened to the Norwegian black metal music he pounds through his headphones. In Brage’s most detailed interview to date, and the longest interview in the history of Shredder, he covers injuries, inspirations, family, working with Blur Media, filming and MTB fashion.

Same As It Ever Was: A light-hearted outro to close out issue 11 of Shredder, pondering on whether riding was better ‘back in the day’, or if we’re currently living through the glory years.