Photo: Keith Teket – Ben getting some boost off the propeller and into the sky in downtown Baltimore.
I’ve been a fan of Ben’s riding for a few years now, and I figured with his new Props Bio about to drop, it would be a good time to catch up. Ben mentioned he was building up a new bike, so we decided to do a quick bike check along with a bunch of questions and riding photos to go with it. Take a look at what Ben is riding these days, what’s new in his life, some riding photos and videos, then leave him some love in the comments!
Name: Ben Hittle
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Sponsors: Kink Bike Co.
Years riding: Almost 10
Photo: Keith Teket
Frame: Kink Empire Revision C, 21” tt, 3/8” dropouts
Bars: Kink Lynx
Forks: Kink Empire
Stem: S&M Redneck XLT
Headset: Kink Ti Ceramic
Grips: Duo Bohan
Cranks: Eclat Tibia 175mm
Sprocket: Profile Imperial 31t
Chain: KMC Z610HX 3/32”
Pedals: Odyssey Twisted Plastic
Seat / Post / Clamp: Duo / Kink Stump / Kink
Front wheel / Tire: Kink Viridian hub / Odyssey 7KA / Fly Ruben Ligera
Rear wheel / Tire: Profile Mini Cassette, 11t, 3/8” / Odyssey 7KA / Fly Ruben
Pegs: None
Hub guards: No
Brakes? Yes! Fly
Mods: I cut my bars down a 1/2” inch on each side and bought hex bolts for my rear hub at a hardware store.
Photo: Jeff Z
How are things going with Kink these days? Does Jay have any trips or anything in the works with you coming up?
Things are going great. I just got home from a bike shop tour in the Northeast with Kink, and then in 2 weeks I go on another Kink trip to Paris. I’ve never left the country so I’m really excited!
Any other sponsor news you have been psyched on or in the works you can tell us about?
Not really, some offers have came up but I’m happy where I am.
You spent a good portion of the winter out in Long Beach like a number of riders this past year. What are some of your favorite memories from the time there?
I guess just hanging out and riding with all the dudes. It was crazy how many people crammed in the Kink House at one point, like 13 people in a 2-bedroom apartment. And there were guys from England, France, and all over the US, so it was cool hanging out with everyone. Also, there are so many dudes in Southern California in the winter, I got to run into people I don’t get to see very often, and meet a lot of new people. It was awesome.
What are your plans for the summer? Any trips or places you want to get to in the works?
After the trip to France I actually don’t have anything planned. I’ll probably end up going to Woodward for a little bit, and maybe taking some trips up to New York City to ride with friends up there, but no solid plans yet.
I know you have been filming for quite a while with Stew for your Props Bio. Any update on that? When can we expect that to drop?
Yeah, it definitely has been a while. About a year and a half ago, right after Stew first asked me to do a bio, I went on a 3-4 trips all over the place with him and we filmed a ton. But then after that he was super busy finishing up Anthem II, so my bio was kind of put on hold. Then we went on another small trip around here last summer and decided we had enough footage. So it’s finally done and is actually going to be in the new issue of Props coming out right now. It’s a relief to have it finished and I can’t wait to see how it turned out.
Have you been filming for anything else? When can we expect a new edit or something to keep us occupied until your bio drops here soon?
Not really, since I’ve been back home from California I’ve just been riding with my friends around here, chillin’ and not doing the filming thing.
Photo: Jay Roe
Who have you been riding with these days? Anyone in particular you have been real psyched on?
Unfortunately there are only a handful of people who ride in Baltimore, but its cool. I ride with my one friend Derek pretty regularly, and a few other dudes like Albie Bennet and Ryan Lamont. There’s also a new generation of kids riding around my parents’ house, who ride my ramp all the time, so I ride with them sometimes too. And as for being psyched on people, I guess just the dudes I ride with, my local friends. And then also the Kink team when I go on trips, riding with the dudes is always fun.
What’s something about yourself that might surprise people?
I don’t know, probably that I haven’t been that into the bmx scene the past year. No specific reason, I just don’t go on bmx websites or watch web videos or anything nowadays.
What’s the last song you heard, movie you watched and website you visited?
I just looked at my iPod, it was on shuffle while I was driving earlier and the last song that played was “I Wanna Get a Mohawk (But My Mom Won’t Let Me Get One)” off AFI’s first album. The last movie I watched was Face/Off on TV the other night haha. It was awesome but they cut out a lot of the good stuff since it was on TV. And the last website I visited was my email to answer these questions. But if that doesn’t count, the last site before that was eBay.
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Of course, I’d like to thank my parents for being super supportive this whole time. And obviously Jay Roe for hooking me up and giving me these opportunities. Also, Matt Coplon has helped me out with parts over the years and I really appreciate it.
Anything else you want to say?
Nope, that about covers it. Oh actually thanks to Stew for wanting me to have a Props bio, and thanks to you for wanting me to do this thing!
Go to BNQT.com for more videos.
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