It’s kind of crazy how fast life can change up. The other day I was talking to Brad about what was new with him and his plans for 2013. We were working on this Quicky so we could announce that he would no longer be riding for The Set when he got a message letting him know that he was being let go from the DC Shoes team. We went from talking about where he would be going next for his trips to how the hell are you going to get home? It was a hard reminder of how financially unstable being a professional rider can be sometimes. We decided to change up the Q&A a little bit and still run with it. Let’s see what Brad had to say about the changes going on in his life right now.
Name: Brad Simms
Location: In between layovers in South East Asia, on my way to Manila, Philippines
Sponsors: Merritt and The Trip
Years riding: 16
All right, so word spread pretty quick last week that you decided to step away from The Set for 2013. Any reason behind it or was there something else you wanted to try out on the table?
At the beginning it was everything I wanted but some things changed a bit, so I feel it’s in my best to leave. The owner, Marc Urlich, and I are cool. Definitely no bad blood there. All I can say is, thanks to him for the opportunity and I appreciate everything he did for me over the last 2 years.
You recently parted ways with Alienation and joined the Merritt team. How are you liking things so far? Do you have any team trips, videos or anything dropping in the near future?
Nothing to complain about over at Merritt, they handle business over there. There was actually a team trip right right before the release of my Welcome to Merritt edit I was supposed to go on, but I was already locked into some travel plans with a good friend so I had to cancel. I spoke to Mike the other day and there’s more trips coming up this year.
Will you have any signature parts with them coming through?
Yes, I’ll have a video promo coming out soon for my bars.
So it was a pretty big surprise that you were let go from the DC team last week. What happened there? How do you feel about the situation?
Getting dropped from DC was definitely a kick in the chest. It was definitely out of the blue because I felt like I would be on DC forever! Nothin lasts forever, but when you’ve been dealing with a certain company for 5 years, it feels like home… Basically what it boiled down to be is I didn’t do enough. I’m not going to elaborate on what I did or what I thought should have happened because it’ll just make me sound bitter.. I’ll just say thanks to Mike Aland and everyone who made being apart of the team fun.
Since it was announced that you are off The Set and DC, have you had any new offers come about? Can we expect some news here soon?
I haven’t had any new offers yet, but I’m sure something will be coming my way soon.
Will losing these sponsors change up your travel plans for this year? I’d imagine you will have to come back to the U.S to get things sorted, right?
Yeah, not having those 2 sponsors will definitely slow things down a bit until I get back on my feet. It worried me at first but it’s just an obstacle to overcome.. In due time I’ll have new shoes on my feet, and a new frame company to call home… For the people who think I got dropped by The Set… I didn’t. Itt was my choice to leave. I have a lot of love for Marc Urlich, that dude did whatever he could for me and I appreciate it.
So… Let’s hit on some positives. It’s pretty common knowledge that you are traveling around the world 365 days out of the year lately. Where were some of your favorite places you had the chance to visit in 2012?
Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand
Is there anywhere you haven’t been, but you need to make it happen?
I really want to go to Iceland this summer and do a big central Asia trip.. All together I have about 30 more places to see and then I’m content .. A big Africa trip, central Asia, Venezuela, Paraguay and a few islands down in the Caribbean.
I’ve had a few people ask me this in the past and I’ve always wondered it too… What’s the trick to making the never-ending trip work? Plane tickets, hotels and everything gets expensive fast. What are a few tricks you picked up on to make things work so you can keep moving on a tight budget?
I don’t live anywhere so monthly bills aren’t a part of my life at the moment, if I had to pay rent or mortgage somewhere I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing so freely.. When you live somewhere you acquire more things .. The less I have the less responsibility.. Social networking plays a huge part of my life.. This is another reason why I am able to stay on trips for so long because I stay with local riders, it’s rare if I’m in a hotel. I eat cheap and I usually don’t stay places too long where the dollar is weak.
Have you been filming for anything lately? I feel like the world could use a fresh Brad Simms edit.
I was filming for a Indonesia video but I’m just going to take the clips and use them for my signature bars Merritt promo.
I’d imagine you have picked up some new interests outside of BMX experiencing all of these places. What are you getting into when you aren’t on your bike these days?
I just recently got my open water certification for scuba diving. That’s a whole conversation in itself if you haven’t experienced that. Reading and bear wrestling are also up there in my new interests.
What’s the weirdest thing you have eaten in the past year?
Nothing too weird but I don’t like organs, you know what I think I had horse not too long ago..
What’s the last song you heard, movie you watched and website you visited?
Drake, club paradise. Ted and Google.
Where do you think you will be next year at this time? Any plans of settling down and calling one place home for a while? Hopefully still healthy and in some new place of scenery.. I have no idea where but I think late in the year I will move somewhere for at least a year.
How can people keep up with you these days? What’s your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.?
Facebook: Brad A Simms fan page
Twitter: @BradASimms
Instagram: @bradAsimms
Email: ectb_2000@yahoo.com
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Family and friends for being so understanding and anyone who has helped me along the way.
