Salesman, Racer, Ambassador - The Jeff Kendall-Weed Interview

For some, Jeff Kendall-Weed is a name you'll know, for others it may seem vaguely familiar and for the rest it's likely a name you've not heard before - but how to concisely describe someone who does so much? Alongside racing for Ibis, working for WTB and riding, Jeff is an ambassador for a number of companies in mountain biking and yet he still finds time to get involved in filming projects throughout the year. We chat to Jeff to find out more about his career, racing and everything from filming to the industry.

I suppose it makes sense to go back to the beginning, so how did it all start for you, have you always loved bikes?

Of course! My first bike was a used girls’ cruiser, in red and blue, from the Goodwill in Santa Cruz. It didn’t have streamers, but everything else you’re picturing is probably accurate. I loved that bike, but I had always wanted a dirt bike. I actually rode a friend’s dirt bike before I was able to take the training wheels off the cruiser bike. After that first twist of the throttle, I always jumped at every chance I had to go motoing with friends who had a spare moto. At home, all I wanted was my own dirt bike, but my parents were not OK with it. We eventually struck a compromise and I was able to get the next best thing, a real BMX bike. From that day forward, I rode that BMX bike every single day. It was all I had, and I really had fun building jumps and trying to progress with that bike. I never forgot about the dirt bike dream, but I really fell in love with bicycles. Fast forward to today and I’m still just as excited to ride my bike as I was with that BMX bike, only now I also have a couple of those dirt bikes I always wanted.



If people aren’t aware of you from your racing or riding edits, how would you describe who you are and what you do?

I’m just a regular, full-time working professional, who spends his time trying to be in every time zone at once, and who rides his bikes and motorcycles as much as possible. I manage international sales at WTB, working the standard 40-hour week at our headquarters in Mill Valley, California. Simultaneously, I try to squeeze in as much time as possible on my bike. WTB has been awesome in that way. I’m able to ride what I sell on a daily basis and I am thankful for the ability to arrive at work covered in mud every morning. As far as who I am on the bike, I’d say I’m an all-around rider. The kind who loves the adventure of backwoods trails, enjoying them in my own way and trying to make jumps out of normal stuff. If we’re talking course tape and finish lines, then I'd describe myself as an enduro racer. It’s the form of racing that is most in line with what I really enjoy - riding new trails while pushing myself to ride faster, smoother and more consistently.


You’ve been racing for quite a few years, how did you get into it and what are some of your best memories so far?

I started racing BMX back in 1995 and quickly started riding mountain bikes too. I’ve been to every Sea Otter Classic since 1996. I then took a hiatus from BMX racing in high school because I was having more fun riding my BMX bike at the local dirt jumps and skatepark. BMX really hit the sweet spot for me because it incorporated the high speeds of mountain bike trail riding, but with massive jumps added into the mix. That sounds weird now-a-days, but back in the 90s, the MTB trails didn’t really have many jumps on them. And if they did, our cross country bikes were pretty sketchy on them!

In the beginning, I really only rode my mountain bike when it rained, and mostly because the dirt jumps weren’t rideable when they got that wet, and the BMX track would be closed. Soquel Demo Forest is only about four miles from my parents' house, so ever since I was about twelve-years-old, I'd pedal out there on solo missions in the rain. I have many memories of big rides as a kid out in the forest, by myself, chatting up random folks on the climbs and then trying to race them on the descents.

My experience of mountain bike racing was mostly limited to sporadic cross country races until my freshman year at California Polytechnic State University. A few weeks into my first quarter there, I attended the Parkfield Classic race and my life changed from that point onward. The track was great - every person at the race was quick to become a friend and the event as a whole had such an awesome vibe. Not to mention, I also won my class! It was an easy way to get hooked. After that race, I went on to race just about all the West Coast Collegiate Conference events from then until I graduated.


Did you ever consider pursuing racing as a full-time career or is it something that had to take a back seat whilst you focused on other things?

I would have loved to make racing a full-time career, but the timing simply wasn’t right for me to do that. I went to a few NORBA events in my late teens and early twenties, but couldn’t get to enough events, with good enough results to land the sort of sponsorship that would require. I got into it slightly too late, and I never got to race the Jr X class, which made it much harder to find sponsors. School came first, too. I've been extremely lucky to receive a great education, and after graduating, I felt like I needed to use that education. At the same time, only a few weeks after graduating in March 2008, the economy just hit rock bottom in the USA. That was a reality check for a fresh grad - to totally struggle to find a real job. Luckily after a long job hunt, I was incredibly thankful to land a job at Ibis and working in the industry that I’m passionate about. Whenever full-time racing came into my thoughts, I couldn’t imagine giving up the career I had built for something as risky as racing. So yeah, I've put everything into my career and I am stoked it has lead me here, to WTB, helping grow an incredible company while being given the flexibility to ride and race quite a bit. It really is the next best thing to being a true, full-time racer.


A lot of people often comment on your skill and style, especially after watching one of your edits. How did the videos come to be, is it part of a project, or something you get to do in your spare time?

Thanks for the compliment! For the most part, the videos have all been free time projects. The edits all began when videographer Elliot Wilkinson-Ray and I headed out for a couple of trial filming sessions and a few of the clips ended up doing really well on Ibis’ social media platforms. None of us thought much of it, except for Elliot, who was psyched to get out and film more. He tossed a few more clips together, made a 90-second edit and it went viral! One thing led to another, and we got a couple more videos together and they kept doing well. I’d really like to thank WTB, Ibis, Kitsbow, Kali, as well as both Elliot Wilkinson-Ray and Abner Kingman for believing in me and helping make these opportunities happen!



Going back to the skills, it’s not something people are often blessed with naturally. Would you say you’re a natural, or is it something you’ve been working to develop over time?

I wouldn’t say I’m a natural. Growing up, I was mediocre at just about every sport. I wasn’t very good at BMX racing and essentially did it just for the fun I got out of it. But I always thought that the more I stayed at it, I’d somehow improve. And I really wanted to be able to physically ride how I imagined myself being able to ride. I started riding a little bit of trials stuff at a pretty young age, just to get the fundamentals of bike handling. I wasn’t very good at that, either and never made it past the sport level. Maybe that was more my impatience - I struggled going so slow through the trials courses, and would lose a ton of interest over the course of a comp.

After spending so much time learning fundamentals, I’m a believer that physical ability will only take you so far, and that mindset is just as important. Breaking things down to the basics was the one thing that helped me improve. Once I had that figured out, I was able to stop thinking about the bike, the controls, the technique, and instead, focus on riding how I mentally picture myself riding. Perhaps that’s the point at which a certain style comes through - once you’re mentally free, and just riding on instinct?


Another thing I noticed is people are often curious about your bike setup, have you found something that works for you in regards to how you like your bikes to feel?

I certainly prefer much more of a racer setup than the average rider. The longer wheelbase of modern bikes has made them far more stable, and that allows for more confidence at higher speeds. Additionally, the slack angles work really well with my "back of the bike" riding style. Surprisingly enough, I prefer really grabby, powerful brakes and run metallic pads front and rear, rather than the easily modulated setup that is becoming fashionable. One of the biggest advancements of the modern mountain bike are heavy-duty tubeless tires that can take a beating.


It depends on the conditions, but I typically run a WTB Vigilante High Grip tire up front and Trail Boss Fast Rolling tire in the rear on my daily driver trail bike. Both with a TCS Tough casing, of course, as they provide the support for hard cornering and don’t have me worrying about flats, which provides a real confidence boost. Tough tires really are the piece that tie everything together on my bike because they also provide the additional traction needed for a single chainring on steep climbs, provide enough grip to actually use those grabby brakes and the extra insurance to get aggressive on a descent. If I had to sum it up, I’d say my bikes are set up to ride best when out of the saddle, and really excel on steep, rough, fast trails.



You have some long standing relationships with a few companies in the mountain bike world from sponsorships to jobs. What’s it been like to see all those different aspects of the industry?

Working in sales has taught me what a company needs in order to be successful. With that awareness, I feel like I am able to be a little more valuable to my sponsors as a rider. If you can market yourself as more than just a few race results, then you're going to be much more valuable as an ambassador to a company. The bike industry is a smaller industry than the average person may believe it to be. Therefore, I’ve always tried my best to treat others how I’d like to be treated. Though people should do that regardless, I believe it goes a long way in our industry. Before I started my first industry job, I would have never guessed the community was so small, but that’s also why it’s so fun!

Working for these companies, while racing, has also exposed me to more aspects of the industry than most people are able to be involved in. I spend time with racers out on the course and weekend warriors at events, but then spend my work week with retailers and distributors. It has enabled me to be really aware of the interests and needs of each group.


Last year you moved from Ibis to work at WTB (though you’re still racing for Ibis Cycles) what does your job entail and how are you finding your new role?

I work with aftermarket and OEM customers in Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Central and South America, the Middle East, and South Africa. It's a huge territory! I love it because I get to call people from different regions of the world every day. Perspectives are so different and markets are equally different, but at the end of the day, we’re all riders. The bike means we all share a common ground and can relate to each other at a core level, regardless of language or belief. It's a fascinating job. I’m thankful for my incredible years with Ibis and I am stoked to have landed another great role with WTB. The perks of the new job are amazing as well. For example, sampling and testing new tires has provided me with a more thorough understanding of what certain features actually do when used on the trails.



You’re in quite a unique position to really be aware of how the industry has changed in the past few years in terms of how bike technology has evolved, is this something you take an interest in and what stands out for you?

I believe the skill level of the average mountain biker has improved drastically over the last five or so years. Consumers now appreciate products like tubeless tires, single chainring setups, dialed suspension and stiff frames much more than they did just a few years ago. Which is great because it means there is a real market for bikes that are truly well built! I’ve always felt that frame geometry and proper tires are the two most important factors for a good bike.

For many years, we rode our slalom race bikes for cross country style riding, and now modern trail bikes use a similar geometry, all while utilizing proper suspension travel and damping. We used to ride heavy, bulky downhill tires on nimble slalom bikes just to keep them from flatting. Modern day bike technology allows riders to carry so much speed through rough and rocky terrain that a tubed, single-ply tire wouldn’t stand a chance of not flatting. Using a proper tubeless, double-ply tire means riders can actually use the refined geometry to its full potential. We’re finally to a point where tires can actually handle more than most riders can put them through. That may not sound like much, but it’s an astonishing achievement compare to where we were only a decade ago.


How was your season race-wise in 2015?

In terms of actual bike races, I only did about five races last year. I had a blast at each race and made some fresh changes to my training as part of adapting to the new gig here at WTB. Luckily, the changes paid off big time! I had a couple good results, and even when I didn’t earn the top spots, I learned a lot. Most notably, I won the race to the altar when I married my beautiful wife, Jamie!


What are your riding influences, is there a particular reason that you ride the way you do?

My influences come from BMX, trials, and from moto, too. I can’t believe how fast the top moto guys go and the successful guys do that solely from precise bike control, not some sort of reckless abandon. I’ve been trying to apply that the bike. Stay within the realms of reality, but push the limits in a calculated way, and always stay committed.

As a kid, I read BMX magazines cover to cover and remember one interview in particular. The interviewee said it’s important to simply make sure you ride your bike every single day, even if only for 20 minutes. Once you do that, and really understand the nuances in your own technique, you’ll be free to focus on the bigger picture of riding and stop fretting about the little details. Such a level of understanding seems to be the point at which a rider’s certain specific style would shine through.

Living in Santa Cruz, CA, and riding with Scott Chapin, Alex Work, Aaron Bradford, and Doss Barnes was also a huge influence. Those guys are so fit and have so much fun riding, that has been huge for me. Motocross advice is always to train for everything. If you can reach the point of being ready for anything, you will become a more well-rounded rider, and it’ll provide more confidence in your own abilities. That will allow your style to shine through. My influences come from all over the place, and I hope I can continue to improve, in both riding and life in general, to be able to adapt to whatever I find. If nothing else, I always hope to learn something new along the way.


Describe your typical day?

I commute to and from the office on my bike, and luckily, the route consists of some really rad trails. If it’s a Thursday or Friday, my wife might even join me for the commute, which are some of the best morning rides. At work, I’ll generally communicate with Central and South American customers until lunch time. Then it’s either a quick trail run near the office, or a quick trip down to the gym. Through the afternoons, I try to spend time working with my Asian and South Pacific customers. That way I can receive live responses from either part of the world. Then it’s back on the bike to hit more of my favorite trails on the commute home. It’s all about prioritizing your schedule to provide more time to ride.


Is there a particular reason you race and what motivates you to continue racing?

There are tons of different motivators for racing and each racer seems to have ones that take priorities over others. For me, it’s not all about winning. I race because it’s a great way to put together a run that I’m stoked on while also being given a chance to put my skills to the test. It all boils down to one thing - satisfaction. When I’ve done my homework, it’s extremely satisfying to cross the finish line knowing I put down the absolute strongest run I could. In my eyes, I should have been trying a bit harder if I don’t make a couple mistakes, because, in a good race run, I’m pushing myself and my capabilities. It’s also just plain fun to know that the trail is completely clear of traffic, and it’s relatively safe to go full speed ahead!


What are your plans for 2016, can we expect to see you compete in more EWS rounds or work on some new edits?

Woah, EWS rounds are some big talk! I’d love to and believe it’s extremely valuable to be exposed to such a level of talent, but we’ll have to see how much of the series is in the cards for me. One or two EWS rounds would be amazing, as well as some California and Oregon enduro races, possibly a Cascadia Cup event or two. The hope is to combine some of my work trips with racing. Making more edits is certainly something I’d like to work into this year, but the scheduling has been a bit of an endeavor. I’m also having a tough time finding places to film. If anyone has any recommendations of filming destinations, please let me know!

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MENTIONS: @JeffWeed / @wilderness-trail-bikes / @ibiscycles / @KaliProtectives

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