Must Watch: Brandon Semenuk's Steps to the Top at Red Bull Rampage in 2021

Oct 3, 2022 at 18:24
by Sarah Moore  

An incredible behind-the-scenes look at Brandon’s steps to the top at the Red Bull Rampage.

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Member since Mar 30, 2011
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83 Comments
  • 165 0
 If I put Brandon's social media platforms in consideration too, I just feel he is this silent genius, the friendly but untoachable professional, doing what he does the best: riding on the top of the top level. I literally love how he is sitting on the throne of the bike world as the crowned king (in my head), with this respectful distance from all the others, not doing VLOGs, youtube channel, not posting 30 stories a day of what he eat and what beer he had after riding, just working on the biggest events and projects in this world have ever seen. For me, with all the respect for all other athletes, Semenuk is and will be the GOAT of freeride MTB for ever. Not only with his achievements but with what athmosphere he created in his own world.
  • 24 0
 you also can appreciate he strongly has a boundary to no showing things out of his riding life... I mean he went that home every day and the film doen´t shows anything of how he might relax or recover... if he plays videogames or sleeps like a bat... makes even the legend bigger...
  • 13 0
 @PauRexs: my bet is blackjack, coke and hookers
  • 1 0
 @nikifor88: lol blackjack , so a degenerate gambler .
  • 96 7
 Most he's talked since life behind bars
  • 15 1
 i forgot he even talked sometimes !! lejend
  • 10 0
 You missed something there: youtu.be/rncB849eguA
  • 15 53
flag wobblegoblin (Oct 4, 2022 at 7:31) (Below Threshold)
 I just can’t get behind an athlete until I know their political beliefs, and which side of the Russian civil war they support.
  • 34 2
 @wobblegoblin: You have got to come in a little softer with your troll. It has potential and I like where your head is at but just a little too much mustard out of the gate. Also your pronouns are hilarious.
  • 9 5
 Too busy being the best rider in the world to talk. Too busy being perfect to use messy and imperfect language to impart deep wisdom upon the fragile minds of the average rider. He speaks with the land and the air through their language, which allows him to shred the crap outta trails and features with the grace of a dancer. Dude's a legend.
  • 6 0
 @jesse-effing-edwards: lol
  • 2 3
 @Whataboutism: Well, you just did not get his brilliant cynicism.
  • 49 0
 What a beautifully shot and edited film...more like this please.
  • 40 0
 Bingo Bango Bongo.
  • 25 1
 Beat-up cardboard? Is somebody gonna hook him up with a bike case sponsorship!?!?
  • 8 1
 the old cardboard box just WORKS.free, easy no worries.
  • 4 0
 I use a cardboard box...can usually get it for free and its much lighter and smaller than a bike case. And since the bike is then nicely disassembled, you can just do proper maintenance.
  • 4 0
 A lot of people forget the weight of a bike bag. An Evoc Pro bike bag is like 10kg. That, in addition to the bike's weight, and any gear also stashed in there will put it over the limit for a lot of airlines. I imagine someone going to Rampage (or any non-local event) would need to bring extra equipment with them for sure.
  • 2 0
 And I'm thinking he probably likes the beat up cardboard because its a little more low profile. Ya know cuz theres a frickin nice ass custom painted bike in there. Seeing that box go through baggage claim I'd probably think it was used car parts or something lol
  • 21 0
 Incredible
  • 12 0
 Incroyable
  • 5 0
 Incrível
  • 6 0
 Unglaublich
  • 3 0
 Ongelofelijk.
  • 3 0
 Storefrotilik
  • 12 0
 Does anybody knows why so many athletes like Brandon in this video rode the 2012ish Code brake instead of the new one? We saw him with a closeup of last gen Code in the beginning but then switch to the old gen on the second part of the video.
  • 5 0
 I had them and when bled right were exceptionally strong but man did the get spongey every month or so.
  • 8 1
 A lot of good riders run them, more power and much more reliable than anything sram makes now. Kinda like the old rc4 shocks, they dont explode like everything fox has made in the past few years. Too much cheap trash out there being sold as premium.
  • 6 0
 While they are sponsored riders who have some contractual 'obligation' to ride the "latest and greatest products" (heavy airquotes), probably those brakes work too well to have the urge to replace them. I do have the same Codes, they have good and consistent lever feel, have enough power, and generally are quite reliable. (Mine are almost10 years old, still working well)
  • 3 0
 @elsorichard: I haven’t ridden the newer codes, but I have the older ones and they are very good. I can’t compare the two but I’ve never once thought I needed to replace those older ones.
  • 7 0
 @elsorichard: also he did not show up with such natural openning of RB can... thumbs up.
  • 5 0
 @sino428: I have the old Codes on my DH bike, and the new RSCs on my trail bikes. The old ones were bomb proof in comparison to the new ones. I do think the new ones have a better lever feel, but the levers need rebuilding and bleeding way more often. My OG codes are 7 years old, and I haven't rebuilt the levers yet (although you can tell when you pull them haha..) but they still just plain work. The new codes are pretty reliable, but I've seen and had levers fail and need a rebuild inside of a year. Also the bolts holding the lever blade in are beefier on the old one, and they run bigger bearings too.
  • 1 0
 I thought I was seeing things, I even went back to last years bike check and he was running the latest gen, but then on his finals run he was running the OG codes. IMO best brake I've ever had. They've been on my bike for 7 years now and they've been flawless. Haven't had to bleed them, and i've been thru A LOT of pads. Plus, the lever feel since they pivot on bearings is just OUT of this world!
  • 12 0
 Jon and Roy - Rising Sun. Vancouver Island band. They always put on a great show. Catch them at the Commodore if you get a chance.
  • 12 1
 I don't think we can use "shred" when talking about Semenuk. He is so graceful, so fluid and so precise that "shredding" just sounds...clumsy.
  • 13 0
 He rides bikes too?!
  • 11 0
 Not filmed by Mind Spark. But it’s real tight. Oh wait.

Amazing beautiful piece. Really well done.
  • 10 0
 What an unreal peak behind the curtain and look into the mind of the GOAT himself.
  • 11 0
 best video in a very long time
  • 9 0
 What are they doing with the epoxy on the rakes and shovels? Is this just to reinforce them?
  • 6 0
 yeah. the heads on those racks are pretty loose and clanky right away.
  • 3 0
 Has any Tech people noticed that he was running Older Avid Codes !!?

He did that build video before Rampage and had the new Sram brakes , but if you look carefully in the video above it’s the older silver ones .


By far my favorite brake , still run them today .
  • 6 0
 Seriously, he packs his bike in a cardoard box and takes a subway? Sponsors can't flip for a bike bag and a cab??
  • 7 1
 Maybe an environmental thing? Instead of using new materials to make a bag he just recycles old boxes that were destined for the landfill and takes public transit. Or maybe he just finds those things more convenient
  • 3 0
 @endurogan: I've used a lot of carboard boxes for flights, but not sure they are convenient. I think if you're worried about waste, MTB ain't the sport, haha. But maybe! He's like the Keanu Reeves of MTB
  • 2 0
 Cardboard's lighter than a bike bag and the subway is the terminal transfer in Las Vegas airport
  • 2 0
 @Joyrode: that's the Canada Line heading to YVR
  • 1 0
 @cluelessidiot: oh i see you're right there!
  • 1 0
 @Joyrode: For normal people, but this is like, the best rider ever and he's sponsored by a large bike company, just seems funny he's using a used box to pack his super fancy bike. You think the sponsor would take all precautions with their equipement not trust a baggage handler and cardboard. Seems a bit performative.
  • 1 0
 probably parked in long-term parking at YVR and hopped on the Canada Line train one stop to the airport. Parking at the terminal is dumb expensive for 2 weeks, even if you are a baller.
  • 5 0
 Interesting he uses a beat up cardboard box to transport his custom Rampage frame/bike, just like us peasants!
  • 6 0
 It’s is funny but at the same time 1) he gets new custom bikes all the time. 2) he’s about to literally beat the shit out of that bike for a week. Nothing is going to happen to the bike in that box that’s anywhere near as bad as what’s going to happen in the hill soon after.
  • 3 0
 I think this is the best rampage content I've seen. So much more goes into the event than what we see on TV, super cool to see a behind the scenes view from the best to ever do it.
  • 3 0
 That was absolutely amazing! Best time of year right now leading up to and including Rampage, and footage like this is what it's all about!
  • 5 1
 I feel so good after this , in peace with the world. Given the moment I think it's as huge as the Rampage itself.
  • 3 0
 I've had the pleasure of walking this site immediately following the event and it is absolutely mind boggling standing on/under these features.
  • 4 0
 His first (well both really) go at the Tailwhip drop was so buttery smooth. Looked like his 1000th go at it.
  • 1 1
 I was travelling back from Rotorua after a crankworx , stopped at Matamata to get gas, Who is there getting gas in a rented hatch back with a bike box in the back?.. The young man featured in this film. I approached him to congratulate him on his Run ( win I think??? ) .. Poor dude looked down right frightened of me ..possum in the headlight situation... I may have been a few cans deep, and climbing out of a pesty dirty diesel hiace after a long weekend of beers and Vegas loam. I may have looked rough. I will never forget it. Thank you Brandon Semenuk the man.
  • 4 0
 Those dig crews man, hard working!
  • 4 0
 That last shot of the tailwhip looking up is beautiful.
  • 4 0
 So good. It’s nuts in person
  • 4 0
 Anyone know what the bolt in the BB Shell that he tightened is for?
  • 11 0
 Fill be a friction stop, to stop the cranks free spinning when doing feet off tricks.
  • 5 1
 Crankstopper, so the cranks don't spin during the tail whips
  • 5 1
 Crank rotation. So tighten that and the cranks wont spin. It's for tricks where you take your feet off the pedals. You want them to be just where you left them.
  • 2 1
 Very likely a ‘crank stopper’ to prevent the cranks from rotating during the flipwhip and tailwhip. Usually they are drilled so that they contact the crank spindle and create more or less resistance depending on how far you tighten them.

You can also use an old cut off ring of slip-on grip between the crank arm and the BB, which is what most DJ/BMXers use, but it’s not tuneable.
  • 2 1
 Keeps the crank in place while whipping , it actually adds drag to the spindle
  • 2 0
 Thanks everyone.
  • 4 0
 @mdg3d: It's a crankstopper fyi
  • 2 0
 tail whips, so the pedals are where you want them to be. stops the cranks spinning
  • 3 0
 Such a beautifully done movie. Great camera work and color editing. Story + visuals = awesome.
  • 4 0
 Wow, this video is well made. Mega props and more videos like this please!
  • 2 0
 Thank you Sram, this is a great video. Seems like you are right there with Brandon and his crew. You can really get how low key, professional and confident they are.
  • 1 0
 One of the absolute best riders on the planet and he is still using a cardboard box for travel? Some company give him a bike travel bag already. Lol.
  • 3 0
 So stoked on this!
  • 3 0
 Song name at the end?
  • 2 0
 jon and roy - rising sun -> www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkz-C7FjDMQ
  • 5 2
 Brandon, this is Evoc...
  • 1 0
 Did they dub in NY subway sounds over the skytrain?
  • 4 3
 a BMX Background Please.
  • 1 0
 This was really good.
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