Finished: The Froriders Ask Us Anything
Photo by Ale di Lullo
Update: all finished, we've got to go ride now. Thanks for all your questions everyone! See you on the trails.
-Wade, Tippie, & Schley
As we roll into the craziest part of Crankworx week, we managed to contain the 3 original Froriders in one spot. They'll be here at 10am PST to answer all your questions, so get them in below!
The History of the Froriders
Originally from Kamloops, Richie Schley, Wade Simmons and Brett Tippie are considered the pioneers of freeride mountain biking. They were involved in all the early Kranked, NSX, NWD, and other freeride film series. They brought a ski and snowboard film ethos, shifting the focus from pure racing to a new avenue for sponsorship and brand marketing.
Recognizing the potential, Vancouver's Rocky Mountain Bicycles created a team called the "Freeriders"—until Cannondale attempted to enforce a trademark on the word, and the team was renamed to the "Froriders". The ad went viral, or whatever the 1998 equivalent of viral was, and the rest is history.
Originally from Kamloops, Richie Schley, Wade Simmons and Brett Tippie are considered the pioneers of freeride mountain biking. They were involved in all the early Kranked, NSX, NWD, and other freeride film series. They brought a ski and snowboard film ethos, shifting the focus from pure racing to a new avenue for sponsorship and brand marketing.
Recognizing the potential, Vancouver's Rocky Mountain Bicycles created a team called the "Freeriders"—until Cannondale attempted to enforce a trademark on the word, and the team was renamed to the "Froriders". The ad went viral, or whatever the 1998 equivalent of viral was, and the rest is history.
 | We experienced something that not many people experience-we were at the front of a revolution. We traveled, broke barriers and pioneered new ground. We scared each other... It’s been a trip, a crazy trip. |
BRETT TIPPIE
YT Industries
The Director of Good Times needs no introduction on Pinkbike. His career resurgence has amplified stoke levels everywhere, and he's a fixture on the mic at mountain bike events all over the world.
YT Industries
The Director of Good Times needs no introduction on Pinkbike. His career resurgence has amplified stoke levels everywhere, and he's a fixture on the mic at mountain bike events all over the world.
RICHIE SCHLEY
YT Industries
Wade and Brett are quick to credit the business and marketing savvy of Schley. Always the consummate pro, he was the one who pushed his peers into treating freeride as a viable model for high level athletes.
YT Industries
Wade and Brett are quick to credit the business and marketing savvy of Schley. Always the consummate pro, he was the one who pushed his peers into treating freeride as a viable model for high level athletes.
WADE SIMMONS
Rocky Mountain Bicycles
Considered the Godfather of Freeride, Wade's flowing style inspired a generation of riders. Humble and hardworking, he's a rider's rider that never actively sought fame, but who absolutely pushed the boundaries of the sport during the birth of freeride.
Rocky Mountain Bicycles
Considered the Godfather of Freeride, Wade's flowing style inspired a generation of riders. Humble and hardworking, he's a rider's rider that never actively sought fame, but who absolutely pushed the boundaries of the sport during the birth of freeride.
How ‘Ask Us Anything' Works:
Starting at 10:00 AM PST/6:00 PM BST on August 16th you can type your questions for the Froriders into the comment box below this article and the guys will have a crack at answering them. Sometimes your answer will pop up in a few seconds; others may take a few minutes while Wade, Tippie, & Schley work their way through all the questions. Everyone who posts a question, large or small, will be taken seriously.
To make this go as smoothly as possible, try to follow these guidelines:
• Keep your questions relevant
• Stay focused and to keep your questions on one topic if possible. You can always ask about another item later
• Try to keep your questions to about 100 words
• Ask Us Anything is a service to PB readers who are seeking helpful information, not a forum to broadcast opinions or grievances. If you do have an issue that you want to ask about, no worries, just keep your complaints relevant and in the context of a question so that it can be addressed in a productive manner
• Use propping to acknowledge good (or not so good) questions and bump them up or down to where they belong
Other time zones:
• 1:00 PM EST (New York)
• 6:00 PM BST (London)
• 7:00 PM CET (Paris)
• 7:00 PM SAST (Cape Town)
• 3:00 AM AEST (Sydney, Australia)
MENTIONS: @YTIndustries @RockyMountainBicycles
Author Info:
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Now it seems trails are being tamed. Roots are covered, rocks removed, trails widend. It seems like riders want whistler style bike park trails and not the skill testing shore trails of old.
What are your thoughts on this? Have trails become too easy? Has riding been tamed down too much? Is riding your bike more about climbing and speed, than just trying ride the toughest trail and technical stunts?
You see it more in Germany. There's a new kind of rider, and they're really bike park riders and can jump really well, but you take them to a normal technical trail and they're LOST. It's definitely easier to do. So it's important that we keep technical trails in the mix. What makes MTB so cool is that you're out and can ride so much different terrain. I don't want to see people only able to ride manicured trails. - RS
I agree with Wade (I didn't listen to Richie, aha). You don't want to kill a new rider by dragging them out to a double black, like we used to do. "HEY we'll go riding, and then to the hospital!" - BT
Disclaimer: I'm pro-freeride and mountain bike access into natural areas, I've just been seeing people used freeride videos and pictures against us when justifying why we shouldn't have access to some areas.
Hit them quick and hit them hard!
Right where it hurts hahaha
Good one!
Whats one technology there is today you wished you had 20 years ago?
If I didn't have to do it, I would never do it. But it's important for my job. I do think sometimes I'm too focused on getting the shot, branding myself, etc. You used to have to be part of a cool scene to become someone, now you can be a hanger on and just do it... in some ways it's awesome and democratic, but others can fake their way to the top. Buying followers and that shit. - RS
Things have evolved that way, and it's part of the fabric of society. But uhhh, I think if you're doing a good job in other ways you don't necessarily need to do it. You can have a global reach with social, but you can have a local reach too, and that's really important. The thing I don't like about social, is that often the better you are at social, the shittier you are as a rider—because you need to be good at social. - WS
Sea to Sky, the Dolomites for the views, the area around Virgin, Utah. - RS
The places that defined my career... stunts in Nelson, the Shore, and Turkey. Turkey was so memorable, I'd love to revisit it. - WS
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Throwing it out to the new riders, why can't they find new locations? Be more pioneering? - RS
Bret: 1 If you weren't leading the life of Brett Tippie who would you be? ( Don't say Richie or Wade !) What would your wife say?
Wade: 1 What is your opinion of e bikes ? 2 Are they the future? 3 Have you/Would you ever wear lycra, shave your legs and ride a road bike ?
Thanks for all the laughs & inspiration!
Tippie question: I've always wanted to be a comedian, but they don't take me seriously. Seriously though, I've always wanted to be an actor, and wanted to be the bad guy in a James Bond movie. See Kranked 4. My wife would be cool with that, because she fell in love with me when I was just out of rehab and a construction worker. - BT
Wade question: Not into road biking, but I did ride lycra. I started on the XC team at Rocky Mountain back in the day. I shaved my legs too. For eMTBs, all sponsor obligations aside, they absolutely have a place in the future of mountain biking. They are so much fun, and I've always been okay with people doing new things. We can't predict the future, but I'm definitely not against them. I'd buy one before a road bike for sure anyway!
-Spider
Am I invited? - RS
It's nice to mix it up. Not the extreme skinnies where you're 20 feet up on a 2x4, that's ridiculous... - BT
Building ladder bridges in a field was always dumb. But when it makes sense, getting around swamps and stuff, I miss it. - RS
What's the difference between a well-dressed people on a unicycle, and 2 poorly dressed people on a tandem? A tire. - BT
I would purposely unmatch Richie's glasses from his gloves in every photoshoot. And I'd give Wade a calf implant kit.. - BT
I'd make Tippie weaker so I could outwrestle him, and I'd make Schley stronger so he'd actually wrestle me. - WS
(Would like to see more riding of you)
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Tippie & I have never been afraid to work the angles, push the sponsorship, etc. Wade has always been modest, doesn't like to promote himself as much. He's always been torn between selling himself and selling out. When Oakley first wanted to sponsor him, it was a real dilemma for him... I was like, GO FOR IT! - RS
Wisconsin Dan ;-)
Why would you pay almost double the price for a bike that isn't better? Direct is the future. - RS
1. A bike with modern geometry and suspension from 1998
2. A bike with current suspension and dated geometry from 1998
||
Suspension - RS
||
Brakes. But really geometry. - BT
www.pinkbike.com/video/375800
But why does this industry hate on every tech improvement? Things are SO much better than before. - RS
Bender's power word was always "loopy-loo", and mine was always a 3-2-1 countdown, so at least the photographer will get the shot. If I'm freaked out about doing something, I would visualize that the move was in snow and it seemed a lot more feasible. Kind of tricking myself into doing it. - BT
I never let the fear creep in. Kind of try to portray quiet confidence. I'll know right away if I can do something, and then if I know I can do it, I just do. For the Moreno Valley gap, I stood on the edge, scope the landing, and then ran towards it to recreate what I was going to see as I'm coming up at it... But I didn't hang around looking at it too long before doing it. - WS
27.5 or 29er?
Water bottle or hydration pack?
Alloy or carbon?
W.S. you make me proud. Show those youngsters whats up.
How many people never asked a technical question about mountain bikes again after they asked one to Wade Simmons and saw expression on his face?
How many girls and women did Richie steal with his smile and chest?