For those who don’t know you, your name and what do you ride..??
My name is Michael Brandt,28 years old,been riding for about 10 years. Started out racing Downhill mountain bikes, then moved to Enduro riding. Did a few solo and team 12 hour and 24 hour enduro races here in WA before starting Flatland seriously in October ’08. I ride a KHE Paris II which has been nicknamed the “Snozzberry” due it looking like a candy shop. might change it up again soon, but for now it gets a lot of weird looks
You recently placed 2nd in Middies at Round 1 of the new DownUnderGround series. Congrats!! How did you feel before, during and after your runs..??:
I always feel nervous before any event especially so at Round 1 this year as i’ve been working so hard at my links recently.I felt super sketchy during my 1st run,the combination of the lights and big crowd really got to me i think as i touched on a few tricks i can usually land easily. On my 2nd run however everthing came together nicely. I was mainly focusing on landing everthing cleanly and to my suprise it worked! I even nailed the jump from Halflash to Steamroller that i’ve only landed a handfull of times. I felt awesome after my 2nd run. I thought i was in with a real chance, and when Shaun was announced in 3rd i thought there must of been a mistake, the new guy on the scene cant beat the more experienced Shaun Jarvis!!, but i did.! And being 2nd to Jason Parker by 7 points was the icing on the cake.
How’s the scene right now, in ur home state of W.A…??:
I feel the scene here in Perth is excellent.It’s progressing all the time considering the small amount of riders we have here and how far most of us live apart. Add in recent long term visits from French rider Michael Husser,Canadian Eric Effinger and our newest edition to the WA scene Ben Moran.Combine them with our famous Concert Hall spot,endless sunny weather,Beautifull beaches and the best babes in Australia and it seems Perth is the place to be.
You made it to every round of the last D.U.G. series, props for that. What’s your favourite part of travelling for a comp..??:
Favourite part of travelling for a competition is arriving because it’s always a long ass flight to anywhere in Australia from Perth! Seriously though, the best part for me is getting to know all the riders from around Australia and the world who have been involved with the DownUnderGround series.Personal favourites are Riding Hyde park and hanging with Mike S,The after Parties,DJ Andrew on the decks in Sydney and Brisbane,Scarborough beach sunset ride with Shane Badman and the rest of the crew although how can i forget the scooter incident with Tomascz in Melbourne! S&M 1 Vespa 0.
What’s your favourite trick, and whats your ultimate trick you hope to pull..??:
Favourite trick for me now is Hitchikers,they just feel so good when your rolling them. Ultimate trick for me would have to be a Whopper as i cant even get close to getting it around far enough to get my feet back on.
Bike check:
Frame-KHE Paris II
Bars-A bad thing bar/stem 22mm offset zero sweep
Forks-St martin champagne
Cranks-St martin Holloflat 160mm
Sprocket-St martin Holloflat 20t
Hubs-Hoffman sealed front 36h,KHE Geisha lite rear 36h
Rims-Hoffman Generator front,Alienation Deviant rear
Brakes- Odyssey Evo II
Pedals-Colony Fantastic Plastic
Seat-Colony Badman Pivotal
Post-Colony 330mm
Tyres-Freq G 1.75 front and back
Pegs-Sequence Majic stix front,St martin rear
Lever- Colony Transfromer
Grips-Oury
