Dozer
04-09-2007, 10:48 AM
Well, here we are again! I've been slack I know (also very busy!) but I have some interesting members coming up soon.
This time around we are introduced to Udi. You've all had a technical question answered by him somewhere along the line and as you'll read, he is a funny character. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Udi!
Who are you?
I’m Udi, full time forum whorer, qualified sandbagger, and part time body builder.
The prize collector (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled2.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled2.jpg
What inspired you to join Farkin?
I stumbled across it on a late night alone back in ‘03 and thought it might be what I was after. Boy was I wrong.
Did someone already use that line? Dammit, these interviews got lame about 36 of them ago.
What riding styles do you partake in?
Mostly DH, I suck at dirt jumping and street – although would like to hit jumps more. When I’m not riding DH I’ll be doing some XC, at the BMX track, or doing cutties on neighborhood lawns. One time an old grandpa had a go at me for doing cutties in the park because I was stopping the grass from growing, until I pointed out that we had been in a drought for 6 months.
Airtime (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled1.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled1.jpg
Tell us about your first downhill experience.
I’d just picked up a real downhill bike and had met a few kids at the local bike shop if you could call it that (SDV bikes for the old Brissy locals – “dodgy” Al helped me out a heap; and probably for all the wrong reasons, was the best guy I’ve met in the bike industry). Anyway, I got dragged into my first afternoon of shuttles at a local track (local in Brisbane means legal of course) with not much idea of what to expect. I had a smelly full face that was tossed to me for free and let’s just say I was pretty thankful for it afterwards. The first run I must have crashed at least five times, but enjoyed it enough that I wanted to do it again… second run I ended up sideways wedged between my bike and a fallen tree, knocked out for a few seconds… I think there were more places on my body without skin than with that day, but after the horrible shower that followed it I knew I had to try it again.
If you could build a dream bike, what spec would it be?
I guess I’ve already built it (then again, I said that for the last four DH bikes I owned too), most of you would have seen it in post your ride.
I’ve also got a P3 for mucking around on, but it always gets robbed for parts when I bust something on the downhill bike – so that explains why I suck at dirt jumping even though I have a bike for it. Thankfully it’s in one piece now so I haven’t got an excuse.
Best and worst riding moments?
Riding moments are all good…. broken bones mend themselves unlike broken frames!
What are the highlights of your racing career? (Apart from the prizesJ)
I don’t like how you say apart from the prizes, because here in QLD that’s the best part. 20” BMX tubes, bottle holders, even sweatbands… all must-have’s for any serious DH racer…
How do you see the Aussie mountain bike scene changing in the future?
In terms of riders, I think it’s just going to keep growing at a steady rate – as bikes get better and cheaper and drugs start costing more and more.
On a more political note, I think the local industry will realize (in case it hasn’t already…) that the overseas market is quickly taking over, and will have to make some changes to the way things are done if they are going to hang onto their customers. I’m sure it can and will happen, I guess it’s just a matter of time.
What is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?
Non bike related?
I guess I haven’t done anything too dumb thankfully… back in high school I once threw a hot pie at a friend’s face with a teacher watching. He squirted half his water bottle on my pie which he thought was relatively hilarious (unfortunately I’m pretty passionate about food – eating it anyway)… so after a chase I had him cornered against a wall, but then the teacher walked out. So I looked at her, and then the pie, and then him… and suddenly it all made sense. There was an outline of his face on the wall for months after that, I got busted of course but it was totally worth it.
Bike related?
I’ve told this one before, but anyway…
About 4 years ago now, I’d made some nice fork guards for my inverted fork, and needed a 2mm hole near the bottom of the dropout to mount it to. So I drilled a nice neat hole, leaning down at eye level with the dropout/drill to keep it accurate… not knowing the oil cavity went past the bottom of the stanchion into the dropout. Pulled the drill out of the hole, and bam... 300ml of fork oil straight into my open mouth and eyes. For anyone that’s smelt the silkolene/motul oil bottles and thought “damn that smells good, I wonder how it tastes?” – Well I would say that it’s an acquired taste.
What does your life entail away from bikes?
I like unicorns, flowers, and long walks on the beach…
A very well known member of Farkin works for you…….
Yes, a certain Quintin Humphreys on here works for me in the IT field on a part time basis. He is generally a solid worker but occasionally spends too much time on farkin so I have to smack him into line. I’m looking into blocking farkin at work to increase productivity, and maybe just keeping it for myself.
You ride some quality tracks in the Australian summer…….
Yeah been to Buller twice now… last summer I did a road trip with Toodles down the east cost and managed to ride a heap of cool tracks and meet a heap of farkiners. Most people on here are actually pretty cool in real life – except Ryan, he’s as short and angry in real life as he is online. I also found out that S. can actually ride a bike at a reasonable pace. A big thanks to everyone we met for being so hospitable though… really enjoyed it, and we’re hoping to do it again next year – hopefully with a few more people.
Pinning (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled.jpg
You are part of the regular Yup invasion brigade traveling to Mt Coramba in Coffs Harbour. What does that track need to be better?
More terrain with a positive gradient perhaps?
Are you traveling to Canberra for the World Champs in 2009?
Maybe… drunk cheering with the Brissy crew at the nats round there was great but I came home with more dirt inside me than any day out riding, it’s a serious dustbowl! Hopefully something will have grown there by 2009…
Are you spending time with a special someone? (Apart from your riding buddies J)
Yeah I’ve been hanging out with a particularly lovely lady lately but unfortunately have no idea which way things are going with her at the moment. It’s so hard to tell! I think girls are more difficult than rebuilding rear shocks… with a blindfold on, and without vice grips. Wait, you don’t use vice grips on shocks?
Clips or flats?
Flats. Personally I’m not out to convince anyone, I reckon ride what you’re used to and stick with it.
Do you think riding along a flat asphalt road with a head wind is a good way to spend your free time?
Couldn’t think of anything I’d rather more.
Except maybe stabbing myself in the face with a blunt screwdriver?
Just not for me I guess. But talk to tu plang, I hear he’s into that stuff.
What are your three favorite movies?
The Butterfly Effect, Fight Club, Crank? Not sure about the last one, it was fun but had a horrible ending. I guess I like movies that are easy to watch though… if I wanted to think, I’d be doing something else! Oh, Harold and Kumar too – classic, can’t wait for the sequel (and hopefully it won’t suck like sequels typically do).
You are quite skilled in the technical side of bike parts. Did that skill come from genuine knowledge or spending countless hours pulling things apart with Toodles and trying to figure out which bit goes where?
Genuine knowledge of course, Toodles doesn’t know anything – especially when it comes to loctiting pivot bolts. He does know a thing or two about drinking while wrenching though, and tells me I’ve still got a lot to learn on that front.
Seriously though, lots of trial and error (years back now, thankfully). There’s only one way to learn how to do stuff and that’s to buy a couple tools, rig up the rest, and pull stuff apart!
If you were in a New World Disorder movie, where would you be riding, what song would be playing and what riding skills would be on display?
Well technically I wouldn’t be riding, but I’d certainly be standing with my bike in full riding attire atop a massive drop somewhere in Canada. Something real heavy would be playing, and I would have on a huge fullface, sunglasses, and a tight singlet to expose my manly physique (anyone who’s met me knows I’m a pretty tough guy).
I’d proceed to stay standing atop the massive drop, and then the camera would cut to something else, and then cut back to me skidding down a really long dusty hill… the kind we just don’t get in oz. I love NWD, can’t wait for the next one to come out!
Tell us a joke……
The 2009 Downhill World Championships in Canberra…
There we go! The huge man has spoken! Make sure you say G'day to Udi if you ever get the chance. His conversation content is very inspiring!
This time around we are introduced to Udi. You've all had a technical question answered by him somewhere along the line and as you'll read, he is a funny character. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Udi!
Who are you?
I’m Udi, full time forum whorer, qualified sandbagger, and part time body builder.
The prize collector (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled2.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled2.jpg
What inspired you to join Farkin?
I stumbled across it on a late night alone back in ‘03 and thought it might be what I was after. Boy was I wrong.
Did someone already use that line? Dammit, these interviews got lame about 36 of them ago.
What riding styles do you partake in?
Mostly DH, I suck at dirt jumping and street – although would like to hit jumps more. When I’m not riding DH I’ll be doing some XC, at the BMX track, or doing cutties on neighborhood lawns. One time an old grandpa had a go at me for doing cutties in the park because I was stopping the grass from growing, until I pointed out that we had been in a drought for 6 months.
Airtime (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled1.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled1.jpg
Tell us about your first downhill experience.
I’d just picked up a real downhill bike and had met a few kids at the local bike shop if you could call it that (SDV bikes for the old Brissy locals – “dodgy” Al helped me out a heap; and probably for all the wrong reasons, was the best guy I’ve met in the bike industry). Anyway, I got dragged into my first afternoon of shuttles at a local track (local in Brisbane means legal of course) with not much idea of what to expect. I had a smelly full face that was tossed to me for free and let’s just say I was pretty thankful for it afterwards. The first run I must have crashed at least five times, but enjoyed it enough that I wanted to do it again… second run I ended up sideways wedged between my bike and a fallen tree, knocked out for a few seconds… I think there were more places on my body without skin than with that day, but after the horrible shower that followed it I knew I had to try it again.
If you could build a dream bike, what spec would it be?
I guess I’ve already built it (then again, I said that for the last four DH bikes I owned too), most of you would have seen it in post your ride.
I’ve also got a P3 for mucking around on, but it always gets robbed for parts when I bust something on the downhill bike – so that explains why I suck at dirt jumping even though I have a bike for it. Thankfully it’s in one piece now so I haven’t got an excuse.
Best and worst riding moments?
Riding moments are all good…. broken bones mend themselves unlike broken frames!
What are the highlights of your racing career? (Apart from the prizesJ)
I don’t like how you say apart from the prizes, because here in QLD that’s the best part. 20” BMX tubes, bottle holders, even sweatbands… all must-have’s for any serious DH racer…
How do you see the Aussie mountain bike scene changing in the future?
In terms of riders, I think it’s just going to keep growing at a steady rate – as bikes get better and cheaper and drugs start costing more and more.
On a more political note, I think the local industry will realize (in case it hasn’t already…) that the overseas market is quickly taking over, and will have to make some changes to the way things are done if they are going to hang onto their customers. I’m sure it can and will happen, I guess it’s just a matter of time.
What is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?
Non bike related?
I guess I haven’t done anything too dumb thankfully… back in high school I once threw a hot pie at a friend’s face with a teacher watching. He squirted half his water bottle on my pie which he thought was relatively hilarious (unfortunately I’m pretty passionate about food – eating it anyway)… so after a chase I had him cornered against a wall, but then the teacher walked out. So I looked at her, and then the pie, and then him… and suddenly it all made sense. There was an outline of his face on the wall for months after that, I got busted of course but it was totally worth it.
Bike related?
I’ve told this one before, but anyway…
About 4 years ago now, I’d made some nice fork guards for my inverted fork, and needed a 2mm hole near the bottom of the dropout to mount it to. So I drilled a nice neat hole, leaning down at eye level with the dropout/drill to keep it accurate… not knowing the oil cavity went past the bottom of the stanchion into the dropout. Pulled the drill out of the hole, and bam... 300ml of fork oil straight into my open mouth and eyes. For anyone that’s smelt the silkolene/motul oil bottles and thought “damn that smells good, I wonder how it tastes?” – Well I would say that it’s an acquired taste.
What does your life entail away from bikes?
I like unicorns, flowers, and long walks on the beach…
A very well known member of Farkin works for you…….
Yes, a certain Quintin Humphreys on here works for me in the IT field on a part time basis. He is generally a solid worker but occasionally spends too much time on farkin so I have to smack him into line. I’m looking into blocking farkin at work to increase productivity, and maybe just keeping it for myself.
You ride some quality tracks in the Australian summer…….
Yeah been to Buller twice now… last summer I did a road trip with Toodles down the east cost and managed to ride a heap of cool tracks and meet a heap of farkiners. Most people on here are actually pretty cool in real life – except Ryan, he’s as short and angry in real life as he is online. I also found out that S. can actually ride a bike at a reasonable pace. A big thanks to everyone we met for being so hospitable though… really enjoyed it, and we’re hoping to do it again next year – hopefully with a few more people.
Pinning (http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled.jpg)
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/untitled.jpg
You are part of the regular Yup invasion brigade traveling to Mt Coramba in Coffs Harbour. What does that track need to be better?
More terrain with a positive gradient perhaps?
Are you traveling to Canberra for the World Champs in 2009?
Maybe… drunk cheering with the Brissy crew at the nats round there was great but I came home with more dirt inside me than any day out riding, it’s a serious dustbowl! Hopefully something will have grown there by 2009…
Are you spending time with a special someone? (Apart from your riding buddies J)
Yeah I’ve been hanging out with a particularly lovely lady lately but unfortunately have no idea which way things are going with her at the moment. It’s so hard to tell! I think girls are more difficult than rebuilding rear shocks… with a blindfold on, and without vice grips. Wait, you don’t use vice grips on shocks?
Clips or flats?
Flats. Personally I’m not out to convince anyone, I reckon ride what you’re used to and stick with it.
Do you think riding along a flat asphalt road with a head wind is a good way to spend your free time?
Couldn’t think of anything I’d rather more.
Except maybe stabbing myself in the face with a blunt screwdriver?
Just not for me I guess. But talk to tu plang, I hear he’s into that stuff.
What are your three favorite movies?
The Butterfly Effect, Fight Club, Crank? Not sure about the last one, it was fun but had a horrible ending. I guess I like movies that are easy to watch though… if I wanted to think, I’d be doing something else! Oh, Harold and Kumar too – classic, can’t wait for the sequel (and hopefully it won’t suck like sequels typically do).
You are quite skilled in the technical side of bike parts. Did that skill come from genuine knowledge or spending countless hours pulling things apart with Toodles and trying to figure out which bit goes where?
Genuine knowledge of course, Toodles doesn’t know anything – especially when it comes to loctiting pivot bolts. He does know a thing or two about drinking while wrenching though, and tells me I’ve still got a lot to learn on that front.
Seriously though, lots of trial and error (years back now, thankfully). There’s only one way to learn how to do stuff and that’s to buy a couple tools, rig up the rest, and pull stuff apart!
If you were in a New World Disorder movie, where would you be riding, what song would be playing and what riding skills would be on display?
Well technically I wouldn’t be riding, but I’d certainly be standing with my bike in full riding attire atop a massive drop somewhere in Canada. Something real heavy would be playing, and I would have on a huge fullface, sunglasses, and a tight singlet to expose my manly physique (anyone who’s met me knows I’m a pretty tough guy).
I’d proceed to stay standing atop the massive drop, and then the camera would cut to something else, and then cut back to me skidding down a really long dusty hill… the kind we just don’t get in oz. I love NWD, can’t wait for the next one to come out!
Tell us a joke……
The 2009 Downhill World Championships in Canberra…
There we go! The huge man has spoken! Make sure you say G'day to Udi if you ever get the chance. His conversation content is very inspiring!