Mick Bayzand is one of the regular names popping up around the Australian scene the past few years from the Colony team. I figured with Mick’s 2nd signature Colony Teddy X Strictly collaboration in the works, recovering from a pretty wild injury, and filming at full speed for the Colony video that it was a good time for some questions. Mick came through with some real solid answers in the process of all of this. So, check out some photos and videos, then leave him some love in the comments!
Name: Mick Bayzand
Location: A hostel in Melbourne Australia
Sponsors: Colony BMX / Strictly BMX / Famous Stars and Straps / Blazeguard / Focalpoint
Years riding:
I have always been on some sort of bike my whole life. Whether it has been a racing bike, thrash bike, or a freestyle bike, it’s just what I love doing… so, about 24 years, ha.
What was it that first got you into BMX? Any early memories come to mind?
I was too young when I first got into BMX to remember how it all really started. My brother raced, so I just wanted to race. I was 2 1/2 when I started racing. No bike would even fit me properly, so I had one specially made for me. A vortex made by Elisabeth Star Cycles. I couldn’t even get up most of the jumps at that age, so my dad or Jessy Carlson would run behind me and push me up the jumps. He was also the man that gave me the nick name Teddy.
How are things going with Colony these days? Do you have anything special going on
with your signature line this year? I know you had your Strictly X Teddy frame collaboration drop not too long ago.
Things with Colony are going amazing to say the least. Millar has always been one of my heros. I remember riding comps and demos with him back in the day and just being blown away riding with him. Then, one day at work I get a phone call and it’s Millar asking me to ride for him. I said yes of course, and ever since then he has made all my dreams come true in BMX. From traveling to my own signature frame to pay checks. Everything I thought would never happen. I don’t want to change anything my frame this year. I don’t want to change anything with it because to me it’s perfect. We are changing the stickers though, I designed them my self. There will also be round 2 with the Strictly/Teddy frame. We are going to do a new sticker and some other cool things. It’s also going to come out in a trans blue frame this time. But, there will only going to be 10 out there, so get in quick.
How about things with the rest of the sponsors? Do you have any trips or anything you’re getting psyched for with them?
I don’t have any trips planned with other sponsors at the moment. But I’m always doing stuff with Strictly. He’s a really cool guy and is always keen to help get my frame and stuff out there. Recently, I got on Famous Stars and Straps and I’ve been really happy about that. Cam is an awesome guy to hang out and have a chat with. And they’ve been really looking after me, so I’m excited for whatever our future together may be.
It sounds like Clint has some trips with the team in the works to New Zealand and the shop tour to kick off the year to get some time in to film for the Colony video. How have things been going for you with stacking clips so far? How much time do you have left to film?
Yeah, thats one of the best things with Colony, we are always doing trips everywhere. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do in the world, and it also brings the team together. I’m really psyched for the NZ trip. That’s somewhere I have always wanted to go, but I never really made it. I’ve been through the airport 4 times, but never got to go out and explore the city. I have a lot of really good friends there too, so that will be exciting. I also we have the shop tours coming up soon. The trip started off with Zac Miner and I going to Brisbane to film with Stu for the video. Then it turned out to be around the same time as the bmx games. So, Millar made some calls and now we have most of the team going and its turned in to a proper tour. It’s very exiting and I’m really looking forward to going on a trip with Liam Z. He’s a really cool kid from my home town. He has the most amazing skills and is fun to hang with. There are also a few new kids on the team now that I’ll get to meet, so it’s going to be killer.
As for stacking clips, it’s going good but I have been getting hurt a lot lately, which is what I do best. And, like 90% of my clips so far have been filmed on trips, not just chillin at home. I have tried to be smart about it by filming lots of clips but holding off on some big bangers for now. But, the dvd deadline is coming up and I’m already siting on a lot of clips. So it’s time now to really get off my ass and get these bangers done. Zac Miner and myself have made a plan to kill every trip and really go all out for the next few months till the dvd is out.
Do you plan on having anything going into the Blazeguard video?
Ohhhh I really hope so. Colony is my main project at the moment, but the Blazeguard dvd is going to be sick. I met all these guys when I was traveling in Canada.They’re all really cool with mad skills. The filmer is amazing. He takes a while to set up, haha, but it’s worth it for sure. I have done a few edits with him and it always comes out amazing. You can stand at the top of something big and not have to worry if it’s going to look dope.
Outside of the video parts, have you been putting in any work for some web edits at all?
I’m always filming. I have a web edit coming out soon for my new Strictly/Teddy collab frame. I’ve been thinking about doing a “day in the life of.” Just because I’m living in a hostel at the moment and it’s always pretty crazy around here. Focalpoint is also doing “a clip a day” for a year, which I would like to be apart of. Also, closer to when the Colony dvd is out there will be a few web edits from all my left over clips.
You’re pretty heavy into traveling. Where are some of the places you had the chance to go this past year? What do you have in the works for this year? Anywhere you haven’t been that you would like to make it to?
I have been traveling a lot in the past few years. I spent almost 2 years in Canada then, when I got back to Australia, all the Colony trips started. We went to Barcelona, a dream come true. That place is sooo amazing. Even though our trip was a bit messed up it’s still one of the best places I have been. Then we went to France. Seeing the country side and all the old castles was breathtaking. All the locals there were really cool, made for a really good trip.Then we went to Vegas for Interbike, and wooowwww. What they say about that place is true. We were only there for 4-5 days, but that was enough. I didn’t want to leave, but if I stayed another day or two I think I would be dead. Nora Cup was the best party I have ever been to for sure. What a wild night. Then we headed to LA for a week to film, and got to hang out with some pretty amazing people like Ryan Navazio, Dakota Roche and Robbo. This year we are going to NZ and Perth. I’ve never been to either, so I’m really excited about that. It’s always good to travel to places you have never been. We’re also doing a lot more trips around Australia to film for the dvd. There are still so many places I want to travel. Everywhere is so unique and interesting, and definitely give me a greater appreciation for Australia. But, I can definitely see myself spending a lot more time in Canada.
So it sounds like you split your time between Australia and Canada, right? What got you up to Canada and keeps you going back there?
Making the trip to Canada was a very last minute decision. My good friend Kym Grosser was making the move there to ride for Macneil full time and he really wanted me to come with him. I had too many things going on here at that time, but a few weeks before he had to leave I thought about it and decided to go for it. I sold everything I owned and made the trip with him. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. The people there are sooo cool. I made some real good friends for life and I also met my lovely girlfriend, who is actually traveling Australia with me right now. So, I will definitely be living between both places so she can be close to her family. But, I don’t
know if I could handle living there full time. The place is beautiful and the street riding is amazing, but the weather sucks, hahaha. It’s definitely not Australia, but who knows what the future has in store for me.
Could you ever see yourself living anywhere else in this world for an extended period of time?
Oh definitely Canada or somewhere in the US. I have so much fun when I go there, and the riding scene is sick. I love traveling and being in new environments, it helps you learn a lot about life and yourself, but I will always love Australia. This is home and it always will be, no matter where I go and how long I’m there.
Where can you usually be found riding these days? Anywhere in particular you have been real psyched on?
I have actually been really psyched on Prahran plaza at the moment, which is weird because I don’t really like parks. But it’s close to my house and there’s a cool group of kids that hang out there. It’s good to go there to brush up on some stuff especially after injuries. Aside from that, there’s not really one spot you will see me at. I’m always filming, which means always scoping for new spots and hitting up outer suburbs and schools. I love schools.
Do you have a dream setup or spot that you have never had the chance to ride but would like to ride?
There are always going to be dream spots, but we just have to keep searching till we find them. BMX is getting to the level now where people don’t even have to find dream spots. They can just kill it everywhere. For me it’s pretty easy, just put me in front of a rail and I’m in heaven. The bigger the better, or two rails in a row…I’m like a kid in a candy store.
It seems like there’s a million real good riders coming up from Australia all the time now days. Any up and comers you have been riding with lately that you think people will be hearing about?
Mate, BMX has gone nuts over here. There are so many amazing kids now, I don’t even know where to start. Troy Jackson, Macca, Liam Zimberg, Broc (the new kid on Colony), little Alex… the list could go on forever. I think it’s just natural progression of the sport. My generation took bmx to a certain level and now the new generation of kids has taken bmx to a whole new level.
I feel like I read something about you taking some time off with some shoulder issues a while back. Do you still have any of that going on or are you 100%?
Hahah 100%? My body hasn’t been a 100% since I was like 10, ha. Yeah, I did hurt my shoulder and my neck real bad not too long ago and it was a real scary one. It was a shitty little crash from a rail hop into a bank. I was being lazy and my back wheel clipped the rail through the front end down. I dove head first into the ground with my hands still on the handle bars. I didn’t even know what happened. A few days went past and I was in soo much pain. I couldn’t even sit on my bed. So, my girlfriend took me to the hospital and that’s when it got scary. They thought I had done nerve damage to my neck and started treating me like a paraplegic. I had to have X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and ultra sounds. Turns out I tore my rotator cuff, did some muscle damage in my neck and cracked a rib. Nothing too serious, but it was a scary couple of months. It has healed up a lot, but it will never be the same. There’s always pain and I don’t have as good a hop as I used too. But, I’m still on the bike and that’s the main thing. It will take a lot more then a little rail hop to put me out. haha.
What are a few things you are real psyched on when it comes to BMX these days?
I’m definitely psyched on the level BMX has come to, as far as the tricks that go down. And, the bike control people have these days is amazing. For myself, I’m psyched to just ride, film, go on mad trips, and party with a great bunch of friends.
Do you have any big personal goals for 2011 when it comes to riding?
I would have to say to just push my riding in a bit of a new direction. I would like to learn some more none rail tricks, more techy, new school, street moves, I guess. My riding is pretty stock standard. So I want to get more creative and hopefully spend more time on the bike than off it being injured.
What do you think you would have got into if you never got into BMX?
Ooooh, that’s a tricky one. I could’ve followed the bad side and got into a lot of trouble. But, thankfully I didn’t. I’ve always been into art. I used to spend a lot of time drawing and spray painting, so maybe something like that. But, to tell you the truth I probably would’ve been one of those people who work a job they don’t like, just to pay for things they can’t afford, party and go straight back to work. So, thank god I ride a bike…
What are you usually getting into when you aren’t on your bike?
If I’m not on my bike I’m probably hanging out with my beautiful girlfriend. She’s Canadian and it’s her first time in Australia. I have been trying to show her some cool stuff and travel around Australia as much as we can. Trust me she’s not getting the everyday tourist experience. She’s seen lots of sick spots and pubs, ha.
I’d imagine it’s hard to focus on doing anything other than ride now, but what could you see yourself going into after your time killing the streets?
Well, I would definitely like to stay in the industry. BMX is the only thing I know anything about, or really care about. It would be nice to be able to work for Colony in some form. Millar has done so much for me, it would be great to be able to help him and the company out for years to come. I used to work at Strictly BMX and I really enjoyed that job, so something like that I guess…
Are you much of a partier or more of a chiller? What makes a good night out for you? Any drinks and smoke of preference?
Oh, I definitely am a partier. I don’t mind a party at all. It’s pretty much what I’m doing if I’m not on my bike. A good night for me is just having fun and running a muck with my mates. Whether it’s at a pub, club, house party, or just chillin having drinks somewhere, it doesn’t matter. Anyone that knows me knows I always have a smile on my face.
What’s the go to move for picking up ladies for you? Any good stories of girls you gave a go?
I don’t really have any cheesy moves. The ladies normally flock to me, ha. I just find being ya self, having fun and being confident is the best go. I would love to tell you a few stories but I don’t think the misses will like that too much.
Do you have anything that scares the shit out of you?
Most of the things I do scare the shit out of me, but that’s the way I do them. There’s nothing better than overcoming something that scares you. I really do enjoy the mind battles.
What’s something about yourself that even some of your closer friends wouldn’t know?
I don’t know really, I am a pretty out there person. So, what you see is what you get. But maybe I would have to admit I still have a couple of stuffed animals that I still hang out with and am pretty attached to.
What’s the last song you heard, movie you watched, and website you visited?
Ok, for song my misses was playing some of her folky music last night, so Dan Mangan. Movie
was a documentary about weed, it’s effects and the decriminalization debate in Canada called
The Union. And for website, I was just on Facebook before I started doing this.
Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?
5 Years? These questions are always hard because I don’t really know what’s going to be going on in my life but, hopefully riding. I’ll have myself a decent job with decent money, so I’m not still a bum and can look after my misses the way she deserves. And who knows, maybe even married to her with a little house in Australia or Canada? Just kickin’ back and lettin the good times roll.
Alright, I’ll stop with all the questions. Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Definitely a massive thanks to Clint Millar and Cooper Brownlee. These two people have made my BMX career what it is today, and for that I can’t thank them enough. The whole Colony team for being great people and great friends. Marc Olrich from Strictly BMX, he has also been there from the start. He’s helped out so much, and been a great friend. Cam from Famous for being such a Champion and keeping me looking fresh. My family, friends and my girlfriend for looking after me when I’m injured and for being so supportive and understanding when I’m traveling a lot. Everyone I ride with, which is a very important part. And anyone that has ever rocked a Colony part or one of my Teddy signature parts. Thanks for everything, you make it all worth while.
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