BMX UNION

It seems like this interview has been a long time coming. Simply because I have always been impressed with how talented Reed is. If you are unaware of Reed Stark, that is all going to change in time. Recently added to the Sunday flow team, a few real solid video parts, and progessing all the time will lead to good things. Plus, he’s from Minnesota! What’s better than that? So, I shot him some questions and this is what came from it. Check it out, and leave him some comments!

Name:
Reed Stark

Location:
Maplehood Minnesota

Sponsors:
Team dilly, Sunday bikes!

Years riding:
7

What was it that first got you into BMX in the first place?
My brother Kyle and I used to rollerblade and he eventually switched over to riding. Of course, I followed what my brother did because when I was younger I always tried to be like him ha.

You were recently put on Sunday flow. How did that all work out? Do you have anything cool going on with them?
I do not really know exactly what happened but as I was told Kyle was talking to Charlie Crumlish on bmxfu (their video FUTU out now!) and Kyle said that Charlie should talk to Jim C and try and get me on Sunday. They talked and pretty soon I got sent a message from Jim saying that he wants to get me riding some Sunday stuff. I was super pumped because Sunday is easily the best company in BMX today as far as quality products goes. Jim sent me a frame, bars, and a fork in the mail. Right now I do not have anything going on with them but I plan on filming this summer for the next dilly video and Sunday!

Photo: Tristan Thiel

I have heard some people say some real good things about your part in the new Team Dilly video It Do! How do you feel it turned out and are you filming for anything else right now?
I was really excited to see how my part in it do! turned out and it was all I could have hoped for. Everyone on team dilly had been filming all summer and it came together really good. Every single part in the dilly video is really entertaining and fun to watch. Kyle’s editing and filming is so fresh and so clean. There is no garbage over edited colorful weak ass videos when Kyle is in charge. I don’t understand how people can enjoy watching dramatic serious videos with 420 clips of people airing skatepark quarterpipes with 69 of those airs containing tailwhips. It’s boring. Creativity is important. Summer of 09 I’ll probably be filming for another team dilly video and possibly a Sunday video.

Speaking of your brother, you guys seems pretty tight. Even though he’s in Arizona right now do you guys ride together a lot when he’s around?
My brothers a really cool person. he doesn’t hold his tongue when he thinks something isn’t good, which is why he’s the best. When we are filming sometimes I don’t think I can do something and he usually just calls me a pussy and tells me to do it ha. One time we were filming this line and at the start there was this ledge and I noticed there was a bee hive under it. I told him I was just going to cut that part of the line and he told me to man up, quit being a pussy, and that bee stings don’t hurt much anyways. So, I smithed through a bee hive and didn’t get stung. Motivation at its finest haha.

You have been killing it lately, you kicked a lot of ass at the 3rd Lair contest and then almost kicked the owners ass. What made you want to try the 360 from the bowl to wall bank, and huge 180 turndown into the vert wall?
ha thanks man. I’m pretty sure Brandon called that 360 out for me to do… so I had to do it. I’m pretty sure gunch called out the turndown for me to do also… so I had to do that as well. I guess I tried those things because it seemed like something fun to do.

I remember one of the first times I had heard about you was on Catfish’s website. When was the first time you met Catfish and what is your favorite memory with him?
Within the first year or so of riding my brother sent a video of me to catfish. He was stoked so he sent me a box of random stuff from system cycle. I met him in person at the first ratty fest at 4 seasons Milwaukee. He always seems to piss off everyone on bmxboard which is really funny because he’s a cool guy not on the internet.

You have had the chance to travel all over the place to ride bikes. Where are some of the places you have been, and where are some places you would really like to go to?
My family has been taking vacations based around me and kyle riding ever since we started. I’ve been to Austin, all over Wisconsin plenty of times, California twice, Woodward 3 times, Arizona just recently, Louisville… and the list goes on. I really just want to keep going to new places and riding fun things. Variation in life is key.

Now that you are banned from 3rd Lair, what are you going to do until it is dry enough outside to ride street?
haha actually I’ve been riding there every once in a while undercover… wearing hats and keeping my head down while going in. I’ll probably do that for a while, ride the basement ramps, and ride renegade.

If you could go on a trip with 5 people, who would you pick, where would you go, and why?
Kyle Stark
Seth Peterson (big z)
John Dunlap (gunch)
Brandon Morcomb
Cody Smiglewski

I’d probably drive over to New York and hangout with the bmxfu guys. Riding stuff all along the way. Then drive down to Texas and hangout with Chris (woodlandsbmx) and ride a bunch of stuff in the soufff. In H-town I’d get myself a wood wheel to put in a candy painted slab. We would roll around bangin screw.

Who is your typical riding crew these days? I know a lot of the guys around your area kill it. Who do you think deserves to be getting some coverage?
I basically ride with all the team dilly guys. Everyone is awesome and they all deserve to be getting coverage. I really wanna see a full Mack Albright part because he’s the most creative rider out there. If you haven’t seen Mack yet, you will. Also piratebmx has been killlling it recently. That guy is good.

How the hell do you go so high on everything? You seriously go about 2 feet higher than most people go on everything.
Well I guess a diet of 5 or so bowls of cereal a day, candy, and evergreen is helping me out. Add some speed and you will succeed. Also, you really just gotta push with your arms.

I would imagine because you and your brother ride your parents are pretty supportive of it? How do they feel about it all?
My parents have always helped us out by taking us on trips, buying bike parts as Christmas and birthday presents, letting us have ramps in the basement, and helping us out when we are injured. In reality my parents hate bmx and everything that comes with it though. They always give me talks about how I don’t know the risks I’m taking and stuff like that. They really just dont wanna see me or my brother get seriously injured which is fine. I respect them for letting he do all the things that I do. it do.

Photo: Calvin B

What do you think you would be up to if you never got into BMX?
I would probably be playing hockey and basketball. Basically doing most of the same stuff I do now except I wouldn’t know a lot of cool people. I feel like a lot of people think bmx is their whole entire life. I don’t think its my life. I love BMX but I wouldn’t be that much different without it… I just wouldn’t ride.

What are you usually doing when you are not riding? Don’t you snowboard?
I’m a member at a golf course and play a lot during the summer, skateboard, I played hockey all my life but quit a year or so ago, I play basketball and I’m on the high school bowling team. I used to snowboard a lot but I stopped doing that because its way too expensive and gets boring.

How’s school going? Don’t you graduate soon? What are you going to do after that?
Schools pretty good right now. I’m in 10th grade right now and next year I plan on doing pseo which is where you go to college and receive high school and college credits while just going to college. I plan on going to the university of Minnesota for that if I get accepted. After that I’ll probably try and go to a college somewhere warm.

It seems like everyone changes your age up quite a bit. I think I’ve heard you are 12, 14, 16, and 18 from different people. How do you feel about all that?
I actually seem to change my age up a lot. Sometimes you have to be 12 and other times you have to be 18 or 20 haha. I always think it’s pretty funny when people have no idea how old I actually am.

Have you ever gotten any play from the ladies because you ride? What’s the trick to getting high school chicks these days?
Well the only reason I really ride is to pick up girls. The trick to getting high school chicks is half barspins. Never fails.

Photo: Gunch

What is the craziest story you got involving anything from homeless people, midgets, hookers, pissed off parents, to sloppy drunk girls?
At the it do! dilly video premiere this year Peter Tawfick ass slid a cop car who was at the time giving a ticket to BJ Tomczik. The cop then chased Peter down, tazed, and beat the fuck out of Peter. He blew in a .17 or something like that haha. After all that they ended up giving the ticket to BJ haha. bummer but a good story none the less.

What’s the worst thing you have spent your money on lately?
What money?

What kind of music are you into?
Hip hop mostly

If you could live anywhere besides Minnesota would you move? If so where?
I would probably live in Vancouver, California, or Texas. I don’t really want to leave Minnesota now though. It seems like it’s going to be a really good summer this year.

A midget with downs syndrom wants to fight you. Do you accept the challenge? Who do you think wins?
I feel like in this situation I wouldn’t accept the challenge. I mean heck, he might have a knife. I would get the fuck outta there! There’s just some situations that you leave alone. this being one of them.

About how many girls have you knocked up so far in your career? How do you feel about the use of condoms?
I’ve knocked up 6.9 girls so far. This guy from bmxboard sent me a bunch of condoms… little did I know that they all had pinholes in them. The situation was handled by having Dom Mach 1 footed xup to canadian nosepick all over their stomachs.

What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I plan on having a lot of fun doing whatever I do.

Photo: Calvin B

What are 5 things you wish you owned or had right now?
A bowling lane
A wood wheel for my car
A completely wood grain bike with a candy painted frame
Spring to come in minnesota
420 dollars

If you could change anything about the world, what would you change and why?
In order to reproduce, humans must be tested for any diseases and an I.Q test must be given. If you pass, you are good to bang away. If not… no babies.

What is the best advice you have been given?
Get up, get out, and get somethin.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Minnesota for being a nice place to live, bmx for having fun, Sunday bikes for making the best products out there, Jim c for sending me parts and being an awesome guy, intelligence for being able to think beyond idiots, family for helping me out and being the jam, team dilly for being the best thing in bmx, high school for pissing me off and making me want to leave, mambas for being sooo delicious, cats for hanging out with me, driving for wasting gas, banging screw for having fun, grippin grain for keeping me positive, candy painted slabs for having people admire, arizona iced tea for drinking, the sun for giving me that vitamin d and putting a smile on my face, friends for keeping my life fun, and you for reading this interview.

Anything else you would like to say?
sundaybikes.com
TeamDilly.Blogspot.com

If you pay attention the the names of photographers when you look through magazines and websites, there is a good chance you have heard of Ben. If you are from Minnesota then there is a real good chance you have had the chance to meet him. You would also know he is a real good guy. It seems like these days if you ride BMX, you shoot photos, film, or edit at some point in your life also. I had the chance to shoot Ben some questions, so check it out and leave a little love for him in the comments! After the interview make sure you check out BenAustinPhoto.com. After you read the interview, check out Dig to see even more photos of him!

Name:
Benjamin Gray Austin

Location:
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Keep it cold.

Sponsors at all?
None, son.

Years riding:
11

Years shooting photos:
10

What was it that first got you into BMX? Any real early memories that stick out at all?
I used to look up to a couple kids who rode bikes in my neighborhood, and always thought it was cool just cruising around with friends. I got a mountain bike as birthday present, and started jumping curbs and little dirt jumps at a city park near my house. One day, my friend Andy Mark convinced me that it would be a ton easier to jump on a BMX bike, so I went out and bought a used DK from some kid who was giving it up. I still have the same handlebars from that bike to this day, Slams!

Living in Minnesota, you are used to the crappy weather. Have you been doing much riding this winter?
What are you looking forward to riding once the melt down happens? Minnesota weather is something that will always amaze me. It’s -20 in the winter, and can easily get to 100 in the summer. I’ve heard that we have the most varied weather of anywhere in the US, although I can’t back it up. This year, as in most years, I went into hermit mode as soon as winter hit. I’ve been trying to ride at least once a week now, and have been loving it. A lot of times I end up shooting photos in the summer, rather than getting in on a session so it’s nice to be able to ride a little again.

You have had the chance to travel all over the place to ride and shoot photos. Where are your top 5 places you have been able to check out and why?
1. Athens, Greece. It’s an amazing country with so much history. Great food, good beaches nearby, and friendly hosts.
2. Barcelona, Spain. I love to practice speaking Spanish, and Barcelona was an amazing mix of modern and historical significance.
3. Cologne, Germany. Amazing architecture, and good public transportation makes for amazing street riding. This was my first experience outside of the US.
4. Raleigh, NC. A really good mix of fun people, mild weather, and sweet tea!
5. Minneapolis, MN. Nothing like home sweet home. Amazing summers, family, swimming spots, trails, and actually knowing my way around the area!

If you could go on a trip right now spur of the moment, who are the people you would invite, and where would you go?
Ryan Barrett, Chris Doyle, and Cory Muth. We’d go on a month long trip to Australia…never been, and I need to learn how to surf.

Who are you usually riding with these days? anywhere in particular you find yourself locked inside at?
I’ve been riding at a local skatepark called 3rd Lair as much as possible. It’s set up for purely for skateboarders, and makes you think outside the box. I have yet to be bored.

What is it about BMX that keeps you into it after all the years?
It’s hard to come up with an original answer to this question. I love to meet new people, and I think BMX has an usually high concentration of characters. I also love seeing new places, and being outside enjoying the day with my friends.

What do you think you would be up to if you never got into BMX?
I think BMX has been an amazing addition to my life, but I don’t think I would be doing much differently if I never started. I would probably focus a lot more on other creative outlets like music, design, food, skateboarding ,etc. I would probably be really out of shape!

If you could change anything about BMX, would you?
There is nothing worse than getting vibed at a skatepark, although I am probably guilty of it myself. Other than that, I can’t complain!

Did you get into photography because of BMX or how did you get into it?
I got into photography first. I took a black and white photo class in High School, and absolutely loved it. Our teacher, Ms. Lester, ran an amazing class environment that really inspired creativity. She gave us a relaxed way to express creativity, and learn about all of the basics. I took the class 2 more times, and kept learning more, wanted to see what was next. After the class was over, my mom bought me a used Canon for about $100, and I just never stopped shooting.

What kind of cameras, flashes, lenses, and other parts do you own?
Film only so far, one medium format setup, and one 35mm setup. I think I run a pretty simple setup. Photography equipment is expensive, and I don’t think it’s rational to spend a fortune on your gear. Keep it light. I love being able to quickly capture a moment, and emotion, a time of day, and it’s really tough to do so with a 2 rolling bags of flashes and batteries.

Cameras:
Bronica ETR-Si, Canon EOS-3, Canon AE-1 Program (1st camera). I’ll use a little Polaroid camera from time to time, although the film is now discontinued. I also have a little Sony point-and-shoot digital that I’ll take with me here any there just for fun.

Flashes:
2 Sunpak 120J flashes with rechargeable battery packs (cheap, small, and no automatic functions). I’d love to get another more powerful main flash to round out my shots. I use Pocket Wizard radio transmitters to get the flashes to fire from a distance, which allows you to make a more natural and creative use of light.

Lenses:
The standard for action sports is a fisheye lens. They let you get close to the action, yet still allow you to include much of the surrounding area. It’s too bad they are so expensive! I picked up a fisheye for my Bronica off of eBay, and got one for my Canon as a Christmas gift (thanks Dad)! Other than that, I just have a standard straight lens for each setup. I try to limit using the fisheye, it can be a little creatively constraining at times due to its predictability.

Other Stuff:
Gossen Digipro F light meter. I don’t recommend this model, however, if anything has changed my photography over the years for the better, it is the use of a light meter. I also carry a lens cleaning kit, and a ton of extra film with me at all times.

What is your favorite camera that you own? What is your dream set up?
My favorite camera is my Bronica. They are discontinued now, so they are super inexpensive. The film that it uses is 3 times the size of a normal 35mm frame, so you are able to get extremely fine details and sharpness from each shot. Plus it is able to sync with my flashes at high speed, which means it can freeze fast action like spinning handlebars, or a flipping skateboard. My dream setup would be to have a digital Hasselblad, a few good lenses (straight, fisheye, portrait), and a couple Lumedyne Action Pack flashes. The Hassy is running around $15,000 right now…so it’s a little out of reach!

You have had a lot of photos in magazines and other places like your recent work on Defgrip. When were you first published and how many times has that happened since?
I think my first published BMX photos in were in the 2004 Hoffman Bikes catalog. There were 2 shots of Ryan Barrett (who rode for them at the time) that made it into print, and I remember being so amazed when I got a call from their art director to let me know he wanted the slides. Since then I have done additional work for Hoffman, Eastern Bikes, GT, and Drive. I’ve contributed work to RideBMX, Dig, VitalBMX, Defgrip, Manmade Clothing, and a number of others here and there.

Have you ever had any photos that have nothing to do with BMX published in other magazines and places?
Not really, although I’ve considered trying to shoot more work outside of BMX. My first published photo was actually a for a daily campus newspaper when I was going to college in North Carolina. I had a ton of random assignments for the newspaper and yearbook covering everything from Girls Soccer, to Design School parties, and fraternity events. Pretty random, but I learned a lot about photojournalism and self-reliance from the experience. If you don’t capture the shot assigned, you are screwed…and that is a scary thought. Too much pressure for me, I’ll stick to shooting what I want, when I want.

How do you get your work published? What kinds of tips can you give for some of the aspiring photographers out there?
The most important thing is to keep shooting as much as possible. Keep aspiring to shoot higher quality stuff, emulating the things you like about other photos you see published. Once you get some shots you are really proud of, start reaching out to people with the photos. Whether it is a magazine, blog, clothing company, Flickr account, or whatever…if your shots are good people will start to notice, or at least give you a critique to help you get better. I’ve been fortunate to meet people along the way that have really helped me out a lot like friends who needed an ad shot for their sponsor, or an editor who gave me motivation and constructive criticism. You need to reach out to people and let them know that you are shooting good stuff (and back it up). If I could give one technical tip to new photographers, I would say that you need to get your images as sharp as possible. That means shooting high quality film/ISO, at a high speed (1/200th of a sec or higher), with a flash, and scanning it in well.

Do you make a living from your photography? If not what do you do for a living?
That’s funny; I definitely do not make a living from my photography. Everything I have made has gone back into buying film, a new bag, a new flash, etc. I should probably claim it on my taxes as taking a loss! It’s really tough to make a living as a photographer, and near impossible as a BMX specific photographer (maybe 3 guys in the world). If you want to scrape by, get ready to shoot some weddings, class reunions, etc. to make ends meet while you get on your feet. My full time job is working for Target Corp here in Minneapolis. I work for Target.com, helping out with marketing projects, and selecting the products that are featured in our banners, emails, etc.

Were you aware there is another Ben Austin who is a photographer from Australia?
That’s crazy, I had no idea! I knew there was an Australian swimmer with the same name, but this is eerie.

Who are your favorite people to shoot photos of? I know you have had the chance to shoot with some real big name dudes too.
I love shooting photos with riders who have motivation, and a creative eye. Some of my favorites would have to be Ryan Barrett, Jay Schlie, Eric Holley, Todd Johnson, Jonah Lidberg, Chris Doyle, Josh Nendza, and all the MN locals.

Who or what are some things you would like to shoot photos of someday that you haven’t had the chance to yet?
I’d love to get a chance to shoot at Bondi Beach with some friends…and maybe Mat Hoffman for good measure.

What are you usually up to when you aren’t riding or shooting photos?
Usually hanging with Brigid, trying new food, watching movies, working on our house, etc. I try to play as much guitar as possible, although I’m still no good. I have a couple friends that play other instruments, so we’ll learn some cover songs and rock out in the basement about once a week. I love to watch college basketball, so I’m psyched that March is around the corner. I’ll skateboard about once a year to remind myself how hard it is, haha.

You went to college didn’t you? Where did you go and what did you go for? Do you feel like college is necessary to be successful in life?
I got a 4 yr degree in Business Management from North Carolina State University. I think success is all relative to what your goals and passion are, and I don’t think going to college is the only way to get there. I definitely think college helped me to develop socially and intellectually, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to go.

What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next few years?
One random life goal of mine is to learn how to surf. I’d also love to keep getting more and more of my photography published. It’s really rewarding to see your work in tangible print. I’d like to travel more, both in the US and abroad. Thinking about starting a family in the next couple years too!

In your own opinion, what is your greatest accomplishment so far in your life?
Meeting my favorite person in the world, Brigid. I think if I had no material possessions, no money, no job…I would still be having a blast just hanging out and talking about life.

Do you have any favorite websites?
defgrip.net, weather.com, google (mail, maps, shopping), definitely ebay, facebook, and wikipedia.

You win the powerball, what are the first 5 things you spend your money on?
1. Invest like crazy (boring, I know). Stocks are crazy low right now!
2. Sell our broken down house and move to a nice area closer to the city.
3. New shoes (I have an addiction).
4. Coke and salty snacks for Brigid.
5. United Way.

If you could change anything about your life, would you? If yes, what and why?
Mo’ money mo’ problems…I’m loving my life as is!

If you could change anything about the world, what would you change and why?
End world hunger, and peace on earth maybe? I think it would be awesome if everyone could understand each other’s cultural history, languages, and hopes. Waaay to many hot-heads in power.

What kind of advice do you have for people just getting into photography?
Shoot as much as possible, keep a camera with you at all times, and experiment. Have fun, and don’t stress about ‘making it’. Making photography your job is a great way to ruin an amazing creative outlet.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Thanks to my fam for always supporting me, thanks to my friends for always keeping me smiling, and thanks to Brigid for always keeping me sane.

Anything else you want to say?
Keep it real.

I think one of the under rated things people make in BMX is what it takes to make the parts you put on your bike. The two most common ways these products came into existance is either a company in Taiwan did the work, or a company in the U.S.A did it. At least that is the case for the people here in the United States.
Profile Racing is one of the few brands in the United States that actually produce their products themselves. So I asked Matt Coplon, along with some of the others from Profile what it takes to produce those fine products of theirs. Check it out and let us know what your thoughts are in the comments!

Name:
Matt Coplon

Your role at Profile/Madera for those out there that don’t know:
I handle freestyle promotions, sales, and manage the Madera and Profile freestyle teams. I’ve been riding for Profile since 1999.

So, to start things off, Profile has been a very solid brand with an excellent reputation for years. What made you guys want to start Madera? Has it been two years now?
Thanks for the compliments! Yes, it’s actually been close to three. The idea behind Madera was to create a more affordable American made product (made in our in-house machine shop) that could more closely compete with the price of product produced by Taiwan made companies. Our overall idea was to make a new line that retained the quality and craftsmanship of Profile, but was a little less aesthetically/externally involved. Madera, in essence, is a more streamlined version of Profile product.

What is the biggest difference between Profile and Madera? It seems like they are very similar products.
Mechanically, they are very similar—especially within the hubs and cranks (the internals are exactly the same). Aesthetics makes the difference. With Profile, we will continue to do more intricate designs (which costs more to produce on the machines). Madera will remain streamlined, which reduces time spent on the machines during production.
Also, Profile cranks have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser.

How many and what kinds of machines does it take to make all the products at Profile? About how much does a shop like that cost do you think? Are all of the machines pretty new or is there some that have been running like a champ for years?
We have 16 CNC machines, 5 “Bridgeport” vertical mills, 3 lathes, and a giant CNC saw.
The machines are a motley crew of Haas, Fadal, Cincinatti-Milacron, and we have two brand new Euro-tech machines that run hub shells pretty much non-stop.
The oldest machine is a 1990 Fadal that is primarily used to mill cranks. Yes, this one is running like a champ!
Overall cost, a lot of money.

What materials and tools do you go through the most? What about the least?
We go through quite a bit of “part off” inserts, drill inserts, and turning inserts. When we drill titanium parts (for instance a titanium driver), drill inserts might last through as little as 6 pieces, sometimes as many as 30. Titanium, steel and (believe it or not) plastics tend to wear out bits the most. Aluminum, on the other hand, might allow for us to get through 500 pieces.
On a side note, We produce approximately 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of aluminum chips a month and recycle all of it.

In a given day about how many cranks, stems, sprockets, hubs, etc. can you guys’ produce?
In a day:
Cranks are complicated. I would say 250 to 300 crank arms (that’s just the milling process of the cranks). Considering there are ten steps to finish a crank arm set, this is really hard to average, as the process does not happen in sequential order. The processes that are involved in the cranks include:
-Machining Pedal and spindle bosses
-Broaching and threading those bosses
-Swedging the crank arms
-Milling the crank arms
-Welding the bosses to the arms
-Then you have to run them through finishing (de-burring and polishing each arm)

Besides the arms, you have the axle bolts and cups to be machined. And finally, the spindles need to be hobbed.

Total time on a set of cranks? About 1-1/2 hours. It’s pretty wild when you think about how much time goes into their production.

For stems, considering it takes 21 minutes to produce the body and cap, total amount would be about 24 stems a day. That’s why they are more expensive than most.

Pedals (bodies and axles): Same amount of time as the stem (21 minutes). So 24 sets a day.

As for Hub shells, the Euro-tech can belt out about 73 hub shells (either Profile or Madera) within an 8-hour workday.

What products take the longest to produce?
Cranks, above everything else, take the longest considering ten steps are involved. Second to the cranks are stems (21 minutes for body and cap) and pedals (how long)?

How does Profile go about getting all the cool colors? Is that all in house also?
Anodizing is a whole other story done with a different company. There are so many environmental issues as well as technical issues (dipping time, color correcting, polishing) with anodizing that it’s best to let someone else handle that. It has taken us years to find a dialed anodizer.

Do you do all of the quality control and more scientific testing in house or is that an outside group that does that?
As parts come out of the machines they are given a once over for any blemishes or imperfections. Once components get back from either getting painted or anodized, they are looked over again before packaging and shipping. If we don’t snag a mistake in the machine shop, there’s a good chance we’ll snag it before it’s shipped.

Scientific testing? Profile’s components are manufactured from raw materials that are certified and under comprehensive quality control guidelines by our suppliers. Once the materials are in our factory, they are stored under cover until ready to be used. Once the materials are cut to smaller manageable lengths, they are moved to the machines that will fabricate or produce the components. While the materials are being manufactured into components, the operators randomly sample the output of each machine and take measurements for specification tolerances and machining quality.

We take great pains to make sure product goes out the door as dialed as possible.

How many people are running the machines and doing the actual physical jobs around the shop? Can you tell us anything special about each of the guys?
There are five humans with ten hands that run the machine shop—a very small amount of labor that takes on a massive amount of work.

Shop eccentricities: Jack thinks he’s a professional golfer and is pretty sure he can beat up anyone in the shop. Dave #1 still has a subscription to Playboy magazine and is the cleanest person I know (somehow never gets dirty while working on the machines). He has seen approximately one whale shark off of the coast of Florida (which is a rarity). Brent is Claude Monet’s great grandson and is also an amazing artist. Dave #2 has a catalogue memory of any historical tid-bit from August 23rd 1929 to date. And Corey has designed a large portion of everything that has come out of the shop. To upstage Dave #1, He has seen two whale sharks off the coast of Florida while fishing.

Is Profile or Madera hiring at all? How does somebody go about getting a job in the shop? Are there any qualifications or degrees they need to do the jobs?
Timing is key here. Turnover at Profile is very low so we seldom have a need to hire. However, we’ll take applications whenever they are submitted. We catalogue them until a rainy day when help is needed.

Degrees are always nice, but experience is key. Our current crew has over 150 years of combined machine shop knowledge and experience.

Are there any new products coming out soon you can tell us about?
On the Madera end, we just released the “Unity” stem. We’ll be following that up with some hub/crank combo designs that should be pretty sweet.

With Profile, we are re-releasing the “Ripsaw” sprocket (that we originally made in 1992) in smaller sizes and multiple colors (25, 28, and 30t).
-We have a new Profile crank modification (simple but unique) being welded as we speak.
-In two months we will release a new hollow crank axle with hollow flush bolts that weighs about an ounce heavier than titanium.
-And more colors to come in the near future on all of our product.

With the economy being the way it has been lately, has it affected Profile or Madera very much?
Yes, absolutely. I don’t think anyone (besides Wal-mart and McDonalds) will be able to steer clear of this recession. I just hope we have already hit rock bottom and are on the way back up.

Are you guys all up to code on the CPSC laws even though it got extended?
We think we are. We’ve certified our materials and we are having those items designed and marketed to children (12 and under) tested for lead content. Other than that, life goes on.

Is there any other big Profile or Madera news relating to the company, the team, or anything else along those lines?
In machine shop news, we just invested in a brand new Euro-tech machine that can hammer out a massive amount of parts on auto-pilot (instead of having to move parts around to finish them in different machines). Having the new Euro-tech will seriously increase our efficiency and productivity.

In team news, myself, Degroot, and Mulville will be going to Mariposa, California over Memorial weekend. On the Monday following the trip, we’ll be heading to Fresno for a couple days to ride—if anyone out there has any contacts in Fresno, please get a hold of me!

And the Madera team will be doing a bike shop tour throughout New Jersey early this summer. Stay tuned for dates!

Anything else you want to say?
Thanks for the Interview, Kurt. Thanks to everyone for supporting Profile and Madera, and above all, thanks for supporting American made components companies.