Inside Info: Ricky Boyer & Lusty Industries

Ricky Boyer has been racing downhill for longer then some of how readers have been alive! A true legend of the scene. — Ricky Boyer has been racing downhill for longer then some of our readers have been alive! A true legend of the scene.

Lusty Industries is increasingly well known throughout the Australian action sports industry as a distributor of gear. From GoPro to Troy Lee Designs, Downhill to Moto and beyond. We got an interview with Rick Boyer, Australian mountain bike legend,A�to gain some insight on his role, what it’s like to work at Lusty Industries, and how the company has grown from a Vegas idea to a household name. Read on…

How did you become involved with Lusty, you have previously had/have a mountain bike related import business?

I have known Johnny (Lusty Ind Director) for some time now. It all really kicked off when we caught up in Vegas many years ago, with different business agendas. It wasna��t until a few years later that the hangover wore off and I started repping Lusty bicycle with the other programs I was running. I then moved to Newcastle and while doing some work at Drift bikes ended up helping out at Lusty HQ and it progressed from there into a full time gig. I still run Orange bikes on the sideline which pumps along under its own steam as it has done for over 10 years now, we have a great Lusty / Orange bikes partnership. A lot of that experience and years of retail translate directly to my role at Lusty.

What is your job at Lusty and what does this mean you do day to day?

My official title would be Sales Manager, but my role is pretty diverse. I help out with most stuff but lately its more focused on building the bicycle program at Lusty. Customer service is one of the main areas I drive at Lusty but I do a mix of everything from dealing with suppliers and product orders to keeping the reps informed. It’s exciting to say the least and have not had 5 spare minutes since I started working here nearly 5 years ago. Im the longest serving employee other than Johnny and watching the evolution of Lusty has been an amazing experience. Its a great gig to be a part of.

Knowing that the head of your bicycles division is a rider/racer is a good indication of the culture of the company.

Ita��s great to see an Australian company picking up speed in the sports industry, how has Lusty Industries grown to what it is today? Has it been a smooth ride?

Lusty has grown to what it is today from the hard work and dedication we have put in to bring Australia the worlda��s best brands. Johnny McLean founded Lusty Industries based from a Moto heritage and has always had the insight to diversify into all areas of the Action Sports markets and more, and quite considerably Bicycle of late. We have tried to work with brands globally that are just as passionate about the sports and products that we are. You cana��t make an omelet without cracking a few egg shells, but the ride has been positive the whole way. We have been faced with the usual highs and lows, but ita��s how you recover that says a lot. The evolution of Lusty is continually moving to another level.

Working with the Lusty family would be pretty special; whata��s the workplace like? Wea��ll try not to drool thinking about all the awesome gear you handle daily..

Yes ita��s not your usual office, shiny pointed shoes, ties and suits are banned. The Lusty office is fitted out with some vintage MX Bikes, Race Jerseys, Athlete helmets, paraphernalia plus photos and posters signed from some of Australiaa��s and the worlda��s best athletes. Ita��s a great vibe to be a part of. Ita��s never quiet and there is always something to do. We aim to work with market leaders in all of our brands. The look on some peoplea��s faces when they walk in is great!

Within the action sports industry gear and brands often cover a few different sports (eg Von Zippera��s snow, moto and bike goggles). Does having a diverse range of customers ever make things difficult?

Definitely, having such a diverse customer mix is a real challenge, as trends and styles change over varying disciplines. Different industries also need to be catered for differently with seasonal buys as well as industry expectations. You always need to remember that the customer is always right!

Lusty Athlete Graeme Mudd on the pace in Lithgow for the NSW State Championships, 2013. Photo/JB Photo & Media

Gravity mountain biking is ever-growing in Australia, especially since Cairns 2014 was announced. Will you be doing anything special with that in mind in the lead up to the event next year?

MTB and Gravity MTB is a focus at Lusty, we have had the Lusty MTB team running for a number of years now with amazing success. We will have a presence at the Worlds, thata��s a definite! We will be looking at some special events to coincide with the World Cup and World Champs.

Troy Lee Designs is one of the biggest names in action sports a�� what does this partnership mean for Lusty Industries?

This amazing new partnership is the most exciting news we have launched to date! To partner with a business that shares the same drive and passion for its athletes, market and sports is crazy. There is so much buzz with all of staff and in the industry ita��s hard to focus on emails sometimes. It is definitely the next step in the evolution of Lusty Industries in so many aspects; it solidifies us even more as a bicycle distributor but is massive on a whole new level.

GoPro went from sponsoring no events or athletes, to covering the industry in only a couple of years. I remember when they were few and far between in the country. What is it like to be a GoPro distributor, and to be connected to such a phenomenon

Being a GoPro distributor is a wild ride. Having a product that is in such high demand presents its own problems but being a small part of a global revolution is something that will never be easily repeated. It brings so much to the business and ita��s nice to have a product that in some cases keeps our dealers afloat in a tough retail climate. We get so many sponsorship enquiries each and every day it is unreal. Ita��s easy to get caught up in the whole GoPro phenomenon but sometimes you just have to sit back and just take look at it all and take in how incredible the brand is.

Downhill247-LustyIndustries-photoJaimeBlack-3 — The camera everyone is talking about. Photo/JB Photo & Media

2013 is blazing past, what has Lusty got in store to finish the year and soar into 2014?

We are going to keep working on the same program that has got us to where we are today and then push that a little more! Marketing and social media are a significant aspect of the business and will continue to strive to stay on top of the social media beast. We will keep working with the worlda��s leading brands and try to secure more partnerships that the Australian market will hopefully benefit from. You will see a press release shortly announcing that we are the new bicycle distributor for Five Ten shoes which is another exciting program to be a part of!

Lusty Athlete Blake Nielsen riding for Norco Australia at Round 2 of the NSW State Series - Del Sin, Del Rio. — Lusty Athlete Blake Nielsen riding for Norco Australia at Round 2 of the NSW State Series – Del Sin, Del Rio. Photo/JB Photo & Media

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December 1, 2013

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Leogang

So Leogang was the last race of the World Cup season for 2013 and the last race until I went back home for the summer so I was pretty excited to get a good result here and get home. Last year the World Championships were here and I placed 3^rdso it was good to know I can perform here. The track was really good this year it had some new technical sections which worked in my favour but kept all the turns at the top section where my Kona Operator rips.

Since there was no cross country races at the event the schedule was different to other World Cups. Track walk was on Thursday, practice started Friday with qualifying Saturday and Sunday. It rained a lot during the week so practice was pretty wet and treacherous. I was using wet scream tires which worked well and they roll well so it helps in the middle section where therea��s lots of pedalling. On Saturday it dried up quite a bit but I still used mud tires because I was use to them. I had a big crash the run before qualifying which knocked me around a bit. I broke my helmet and hurt my hand so I had to roll down to the bottom slowly.

When warming up for my qualifying run my hand was really sore and I didna��t know if I could even finish my run. Luckily adrenaline kicked in and it didna��t bother me too much. I finished 13^th which is really good, my best qualifier ever. I was looking pretty forward to racing and walked the track Saturday arvo I check out some new lines that appeared from the dried out course.

After qualifying 13th, his best result to date, Connor was in the box seat for a big result.

Waking up on Sunday I was really excited and nervous. Ia��ve never qualified this good before and it piled a lot of pressure on me to do just as well in finals. I did two good practice runs and just waited nervously until it was time to race. Matty my mechanic had my bike running flawlessly and I was really confident. With not much to lose I set off from the gate and gave it everything I had. Luckily there was a tailwind in the pedalling sections so there stronger riders couldna��t gain much time there. I was hoping to come through the finish line in the top 7 so I would be guaranteed a top 20 finish. I actually took the hot seat by almost a second. Once everyone had finished I was left in a career best 10^th position. What made it better was before my race Matty said if I got top ten hea��d buy me a set of Brembos for my WRX so Ia��m waiting for those now haha!

Now that the season is done and dusted I can finally make my way back to Aus and relax for the rest of the year. Ia��ve learnt a lot this year, although I didna��t quite reach my goal of top 20 overall (finished 25^th) I ticked a big box for the top 10 at Leogang. Ia��m locked in for next year and cana��t wait to train hard and improve my results.

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September 25, 2013

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Hafjell

A slight break since the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup saw Connor off to another awesome Canadian race - Crankworx before heading back to the World Cups. — A slight gap between World Cups after the Mont Sainte Anne World Cup saw Connor off to another awesome Canadian race – Crankworx, before heading to Norway to continue the season.

After Mont Saint Anne World Cup there was about a month gap until the Norway World Cup. In this time I went to Whistler and raced in Crankworx where I scored a 2^nd place in dual slalom and 10^th in the Canadian open. After the event was open I stayed there for a couple weeks riding with my friends from home. This was refreshing to take time off from the world cups and racing in general to just have fun and hang out.

Last year for some reason I didna��t really like the track. There are a few good bike park turns which I like but all the technical sections were awkward slippery rock gardens. This year it was really dry and therefore I liked it a lot better. I was feeling really good in practice straight away. Ia��ve been changing my shock setup a lot recently between a 350 and 400 spring. Sometimes Ia��ll swap back and forwards a few times at a race but here I felt comfortable on the 400 in my first run so it stayed like that.

I was really excited for qualifying and was confident and not too nervous. Unluckily for me I got caught off my line less than a minute into my run and hit my derailleur into a rock which got my chain jammed. This meant I had to coast the rest of the track and actually having to scoot some sections I thought I wouldna��t even qualify. I ended up 55^th and I was left pretty sad thinking of how I could have qualified.

When it came to race day it started to rain heavily. This was not to my discretion and I was a little disappointed as I know Ia��d be stronger in the dusty conditions then in the wet. My practice runs in the morning were pretty good. I didna��t push it too much and tried to keep the same lines I was riding in the dry. In conditions like this every rider is faced with a decision to attack really hard at a high risk of crashing or just try to stay on the bike because a lot of people will crash. I think I opted for the latter but maybe took it too easy. After a couple of bad choices to pull tear offs and a costly mistake in the main rock garden my hopes of a good result here were gone. I ended up 39^th which is a disappointing result. Luckily Ia��m still in the top 30 overall and will try to improve it as much as possible in Leogang.

September 18, 2013

Inside Info: Connor Fearon – Andorra

After round 2 at Val di Sole there was a 5 week gap in races. I took this time to head

back to Australia and dig into some training, eat a lot of Chicken Parmigianaa��s and

do heaps of Go Karting. By the time I flew back to Europe for Andorra world cup I

felt I was a lot stronger, fitter and ready to continue the season.

Nobody really knew what to expect of the track in Vallnord. There were rumours of it being steep, long, technical and also physical. After walking the track on the Wednesday it was apparent that the rumours where true. The course was very long, steep, rough, fast and technical. I liked the look of the track except the first section which was very flat and had you sprinting for the first 40 seconds of your run. When the first day of practice rolled around the track was pretty wet from the heavy rain it received leading up to the event. Some sections of track where so slippery you could hardly brake or steer down them.

Qualifying was on Friday and I had been feeling really good on the track. It hadna��t rained at all so the course was drying up and getting almost dusty which I preferred. In my qualifying run everything was working well until about halfway down when my hands where cramped so badly due to arm pump I was reduced to just crawling down the track. I didna��t have this problem in practice because I would stop 2 or 3 times a run. I qualified 63^rd which is my worst qualifying result by far in the 3 seasons I have competed in.

On Saturday my mechanic and I worked on changes to help me down the track. We changed the settings on my suspension a lot to try and make it easier for my Hands! I walked the track on Saturday as well and scoped out some smoother lines which might be a little slower but in the long run would make me go faster. On Sunday my practice was good and the track was dry and dusty in sections which made for a really fast course. I knew if as long as I could hold on I could get a good result here.

downhill247com cflq — The crowd is always loud on a WC race day, but Connor is quietly focused, on the job.

My plan for my runs was to make as much time up at the top of the track before my hands got cramped. This seemed to work pretty well for me. My final run was fast, the track had changed quite a lot since my last practice run so I had to guess what to expect in some sections. I finished in 34^th position, which was good considering my qualifying result and I didna��t lose to many points for the overall.

Next race is Mont St Anne which I have done well at in the past. At the moment Ia��m already in Bromont, QuebecA� spending a lot of time on my bike getting prepared to get a great result there in two weeks!

August 4, 2013

Inside Info: I-Track Suspension – Home Grown Talent

Australia has some of the best downhill riders in the world but one area that is well and truly behind our home grown riding talent is our home grown bike industry. We caught a glimpse of a beast out at one of the South Australian local Inside Line state rounds and were immediately interested, once we found out the bike was designed and built by the rider we knew an Inside Info was in order!

Hi Hugh thanks for chatting to us, before we talk about the bike can you give us a little insight into who you are and what your past work/qualifications are;

My name is Hugh McLeay, and Ia��m a 31yo Mechanical Engineer. Ia��ve been riding bikes for around 20 years. My interest in suspension design started when I was at university; my final year project involved designing, building, and racing a small race car (called Formula SAE). It was through this project that I began learning about vehicle dynamics and suspension design. Since then Ia��ve spent a lot of time thinking about ways of improving bike suspension systems. My a�?reala�� job is quite different; I work in the construction industry, and have spent the last ten years working around Australia on various mining and industrial construction projects. Ia��m currently working in Adelaide on the construction of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

How many people can say the ride a bike that they designed and built? Not to mention of such an impressive quality! This is the first attempt too.

Thata��s quite impressive, clearly bikes and an interest in how things work are definitely something that you have been involved in for quite some time! How did the idea of the whole I-Track/make your own bike – situation come about?

From the design aspect, I started analysing bike suspension systems about 5 years ago. A friend came to me asking for advice, to help him decide between a couple of different bikes he was interested in. I crunched some numbers relating to the suspension performance of these bikes, and used that to describe to him how each bike would behave.

After this, I became obsessed about the characteristics that made some suspension systems perform better than others, and focused my attention to developing a suspension system that allowed for optimization of these characteristics, without the usual compromise.

From the fabrication aspect, Ia��ve always been into making things, but never previously had the right tools to be able to make a bike frame. So once I had a half decent bike frame design sorted, it was a pretty easy decision to go and buy some new tools to be able to make it.

Certainly not something that happened over night but it all started when a buddy was shopping for a new bike, who would have envisaged it would lead to this!

So leta��s just clarify how much of the bike we are looking at did you either design or build;

I designed and built the frame from scratch. Ita��s made out of Chromoly (steel), which I cut/shaped/welded in my shed.

The head tube and bottom bracket shell were bought from a frame building supplier, and there were a few components that I had laser cut elsewhere.

All the pivot hardware was done by a machine shop, but Ia��ve since bought my own lathe, so Ia��m doing this myself for the next prototype.

The paint job was done by Gripsport in Melbourne.

Most of the other components came off a Giant Glory, and Ia��m very fortunate to have the support of Syntace, Carbocage, and Formula components providing some nice bling.

All from home in your shed?

Yes.

The details on this bike are well thought out, while we didn't get a chance to ride it we would love to! It looks like it was designed by a rider for riders as old as that clichA� is. — The details on this bike are well thought out, while we didn’t get a chance to ride it we would love to! It looks like it was designed by a rider for riders as old as that clichA� is.

Wow, that is quite frankly amazing and hugely inspiring. What sets this bike apart from the majority of what is in the market out there at the moment?

The unique thing about this bike is the a�?floatinga�� idler. The idler is mounted on a pair of links, so that it tracks along an arc as the suspension is compressed. Because the idler moves relative to the front and rear chainrings, it means that chain growth/shrinkage can be strategically controlled by the idler throughout suspension travel. During design, by altering the length and location of the idler links, it means that the anti-squat curve can be tuned independently of other design variables. Finally, all this means that Ia��m able to design the bike with a specific anti-squat curve that provides an incredibly supportive pedaling platform, without compromising other suspension characteristics.

What are your plans for the bike and suspension design, are you trying to make and sell direct to the public or are you investigating other options?

For the time being, Ia��m really enjoying making prototypes in my shed; however these wona��t ever be for sale. My main goal is to license my suspension system to bike manufacturers that are keen to try something different. I-track suspension can be implemented in many different ways, so I would work closely with the bike manufacturer to help develop a product that suits their design philosophies.

If none of that works out, then I may consider doing small production runs under my own brand, however that would be a last resort.

By looking close the non drive shot gives a bit more indication as to how the rear end of the bike moves.

Hold the press! As we were putting the finishing touches on this article we got some more exciting news from Hugh regarding frame number two and what the future holds for him, read on;

The future (short term):A�I’m planning on taking two bikes to Interbike in September this year, to try and get some publicity, and also talk to as many industry people as possible. I’ve also started working with a company that makes high-end dampers for motorsport applications. They’re keen to get into the MTB industry, so it’s really exciting to be helping them out. I don’tA�think we’ll see any commercially available products for a little while, but I do envisage some high-tech testing sessions in the veryA�near future.

The next bike I build will probably be an All-Mountain bike, as that’s really the most appropriate application for my suspension systems. With SRAM releasing a more affordable 1×11 drivetrain, it makes my suspension designs a much more viable option in this genre.

The future (long term): I’m not really sure what will happen in the long term. A�If things go well, I’ll be helping out manufacturers that want to use my designs. Hopefully I’ll be able to generate some sort of income too, so that I can spend less time doing my ‘real’ job, and more time playing with bikes. If things don’t go well, I’ll still enjoy making bikes for myself, the way I want them. It’s kind of a win-win situation!

Another frame has just been put together for its maiden voyage and features some key differences to Prototype 1.

Regarding the new bike P2 versus the original bike P1 there are differences and best explained technically;

With P1, the axle path is determined by a single pivot, and the shock is directly actuated between the swingarm and the front triangle. The idler is mounted between a pair of links, which causes it to move rearwards/upwards along an arc as the suspension compresses. The rate and direction of this idler movement is very specific and deliberate, and it produces a particular shape anti-squat curve.

With P2, the axle path is determined by a 4-bar linkage, and the shock is actuated by the upper link. The idler is mounted to the upper link, and it moves rearwards/upwards in an arc as the suspension compresses. Being a 4-bar system, the instant centre can be positioned further forwards than is physically possible with a ‘single pivot’ system, which results in less anti-rise (aka ‘brake jack’).

A closer detail view of the different system.

P2 provides a much more progressive leverage ratio than P1. P2 is a bit longer and lower than P1.

Both bikes have a rearward axle path, to allow for better absorption of frontal impacts. Both bikes have the idler configured to produce a specific anti-squat curve: Increasing anti-squat in the pedalling zone of suspension travel (to provide a very supportive pedalling platform), and decreasing anti-squat beyond about 70% travel (to minimise pedal feedback on bigger suspension compressions).

So there you have it, an insight into one of the most interesting bikes we have come across in a long time! If people want to find out more what is the best way?

Therea��s a stack of information on my website: www.i-tracksuspension.com

And Ia��m very happy to respond to emails from people that are interested to learn more: info@i-tracksuspension.com

July 21, 2013

Inside Info: Jackson Davis

Jackson is a guy we have really wanted to sit down and have a chat to for a while!

Jackson Davis, a rider we have wanted to chat to for a while, when Sam Hill says he has some of the best cornering skills he has seen you take notice! Even if Sam hadn’t of said anything we noticed Jackson’s silky smooth skills and good demeanor. So without further a do lets have a chat with another up and comer…

Name: Jackson Davis

Age: 19

Hometown:A�Perth, WA

Hey Jackson, thanks for chatting to us, straight up,A�what have you been up to over the past 6 months? We saw you in Indonesia, then a lot of National and Vic races, tell us about your travels:

Yeah I spent a little bit if time up in Indonesia about 6 months ago racing the Specialized Asia Pacific Downhill race, which was a good experience just being able to ride with a few World Cup racers and some local heroes.A�I ended up winning my category soA�I was pretty happy about that. After that well we had the national series, this year being my first full season and first year on the Swell-Specialized team, I was pretty happy with the season on a whole but I think I learnt a lot and I’m pretty keen to get back next year and give it a crack.

Never a quiet moment for Jackson it would seem, a hectic schedule has had him all across the country (and internationally too).

So you are back home in WA now:

Yeah back home now which has been good after my stint over east, had a few races since I’ve been back home and went quite well on a few of them but it’s just been good back riding some fresh loam haha.

Looking back at those races what were the goals you had set and what stood out as highlights:

Since I finished the national circuit I decided that I should probably start training hahah, so I have been doing a bit of work on a lead up to the Mont Saint Anne World Cup which ill be racing a little bit later on in the year so well see how we go there hahah. As for other races I’ve just tried to stay up with the top boys at home and stay on my bike unlike Mount Baw Baw which I would actually consider to be my biggest highlight of the season. (if you are wondering Jackson had an epic crash there but walked away)

If you have ever chatted to Jackson he has a level head on his shoulders and when it comes to racing this is a huge help.

What is it like for someone from WA to try and make it in the Australian downhill world, you guys are so far from all the races, even the nationals are just on the East coast:

Coming from WA is not the easiest for racing but we do produce good riders such as Sam HillA�for example but then we have Luke Ball and Mitch Bryant some guys you’ll be seeing on the circuit soon if not already!

Track destruction 101! Loving the looseness.

Sounds good, how about the race tracks in WA, how do theyA�compare to everywhere else?

The tracks over here a pretty cool but there’s not much you can ride in comparison to places like Thredbo or Buller as we struggle to get a track over two minutes. The good thing about our tracks is there all built by the man rather than a machine so they ride pretty well but they don’t last long haha.

The unique surface that WA tracks offer must be part of the reason so many riders can hold it wide open on the limit but keep it upright.

We saw you aboard a Specialized for the Swell team this year along with David McMillan, Rhys Atkinson, etc how did that all come about?

Sam helped me out a little on that one throwing my name forward and I ended up getting in contact with Matt O’Connor at nationals one year and then I flew over to Melbourne for a trade show and that’s when It came about really! I like to thank Matt, Dad and Sam for that one, it’s been a massive help and I’ve learnt a lot being on the team with the boys!

Having a strong team behind you always helps, the Swell Specialized team is on of the best on the domestic circuit.

Your dad seems to be a pretty big supporter of yours, can you explain to everyone a bit further and how important it is for you?

Yeah dad’s the man aye he’s been the biggest help and gave me some mad support over the years! I’ve just recently left school and got a job to help fund some stuff but before that dad was running the show and I thank him for everything so far and everything to come!

Team Davis, father and son are always a strong pairing.

Apart from your dad is there anyone else you would like to thank:

Specialized Australia,A�A�FJC clothing andA�Kabuto helmets.

That's a wrap, best of luck to Jackson and we will follow his progress as he continues to improve. — That’s a wrap, best of luck to Jackson and we will follow his progress as he continues to improve.

Images: Sean Lee Photography.

July 11, 2013