Downhilling on a Granny Bike - The Crash Reel

Fabio Wibmer came out with his latest edit “Out of Mind” a few days ago, and has already hit over 700.000 views on Youtube. But don ́t worry, he also failed a few times, while backflipping a granny bike and he wants you all to see it. Here is s some behind the scenes footage, and his own thoughts on the experience.



So, let´s be honest here, did you really dream about this?
I had this idea about two years ago, and somehow forgot about it for a while. I actually had a pretty crazy dream of me riding an old ladies bike half a year ago, and from that day on, I wanted to make it happen in reality. I worked out a concept, went to Saalbach and Leogang with my film crew and made it happen.


Any other dreams of yours, we should be aware of?
I’ve been pretty busy with my “Out Of Mind” project in the last couple of weeks, but I managed to implement another video project, which was definitely one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life. It ́s a GoPro edit on Europe ́s biggest dam. No one has ever done it before.


What went through your mind, when you backflipped the granny bike? How many times did you do it before you succeeded?
I can’t tell you how nervous I was! I’ve never hit a slopestyle jump on a normal bike before, and I was so scared when I stood on the drop-in tower for the first time. I just wanted to hit it without doing a trick. Jumping over a Slopestyle jump on a bike, which is probably older than me, was just a terrifying feeling. I had one trick left on my to do list for the video on the last day of filming: the backflip. I managed to jump it without the flip the first time, and I just thought now or never. I went up to the top of the tower and just shut off my brain. I did it without thinking. The first try didn’t go well and I jumped off the bike in the air. Luckily I landed on my feet, and me and my bike didn’t get hurt or damaged. I was full of adrenaline and went up to the top of the tower again. I took a deep breath, dropped in and pulled the backflip. I couldn’t believe I just landed a freaking backflip on an old ladies bike. It was one of the best feelings ever!


What ́s your dream location for riding?
There are a couple of cool locations for riding. I don’t have one dream location. When it comes to downhill and enduro, I really like shredding in Saalbach and Leogang. If you are creative and motivated, you can make every place your dream location.

5.What was your bike set up during filming?
To be honest I don’t know which brand the old ladies bike was but I pimped it with Magura HS brakes, Continental tires and Crankbrother pedals.

What is your normal bike set up?
For Downhill riding I’m using the Specialized Demo with Fox suspension. It definitely is more fun to ride downhill with this one than with a "no- suspension” granny bike. For trials riding, I’m using the Inspired Bicycles Fourplay.


Was there anything you couldn 't pull off, that you would have wanted to?
I was pretty surprised that I managed to do everything I wanted to do.

Would you ever do it again just for fun?
I definitely prefer riding my full suspension Downhill bike. Maybe there’ll be a second part someday.

How many times did you ride up and down to get the full edit?
It was definitely pretty tough to film. We filmed every day on another track and always started at the top of each track. So we just worked our way down and mostly didn’t have to go up and down too often. But yeah...there are also scenes in the clip, where we needed 15-20 tries to get the shot.


What are you doing when you are not riding your bike?
Good question. I do my usual e-mail stuff, edit videos and I’m studying as well, so it doesn’t get boring.

What ́s the plan for 2017? Do you already have your mind set on some new projects?
The biggest goal is to have fun on my bikes and enjoy every minute I’m able to do this. But I’ve already got some interesting projects in my mind for next year. It’s going to be an exciting year!

Do you have any other hidden talents we don ́t know about?
Hmm... haha. Not really, my life is all about riding.


Any recommendations to the riders who want to try it out themselves?
It’s definitely pretty risky and scary to ride down a downhill track on an old ladies bike. If you really want to do it, make sure that you put at least good brakes on the bike. You don’t want to end up flying over the first berm. And you’ll need some spare rims.

Last year, same time. What has changed in a year skill wise and personality wise?
Luckily I can say, that I really improved my riding skills and tricks. I traveled a lot in the last couple of months and had some really great experiences with my bike. Not only my skills on the bike changed, but also my way of thinking and my personality, which is good. My mind is filled with new ideas more than ever.

And let's finish with a cliché - give us an inspirational quote that describes your life philosophy?
Dreams don’t work unless you do!

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MENTIONS: @rasoulution

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