ANIMAL BIKE CO. INTERVIEW
Posted by Henry on 26.04.2008, 00:05
Yesterday, after many, many weeks of being a lazy good for nothing waste of space, I pulled my finger out of my arse (is it a metaphor, you decide) and began to get things done, both at uni and for S43. I’ve been slacking lately, but I’m looking to amend my ways. First up, here’s an interview I did with Jeff Teague at Animal Bike Co. Enjoy.
When was Animal officially born?
Animal was officially born on January 1st 2000 out of Ralph’s parents
garage.
Who were it’s parents?
Ralph Sinisi with help and ideas from Bob Scerbo.
Is Bob Scerbo a good dude? I can’t imagine he’s not but I’m unlikely to
meet him so it’d be good to know!
Hahaha. Bob is a good dude. Hes one of the most dedicated riders and
down to earth guys on the team and has been with the company since day
1. Not only is he dialled on his bike but he can also apply those skills
behind the lens.
It seems Animal has become synonymous with the NYC street scene, was
that the intention?
It was and it wasn’t. NYC was only minutes away from where we are
based out of and everyone would always be in the city riding. So it
kind of just fell into place.
What part are you most pleased with? Did you have any specific ideas
about just what parts you would make when Animal began, or has it evolved over time?
I am pleased with every part we make. Everything is made so it’s the
strongest and highest quality. The idea when Animal began was to make
sprockets and pegs because those parts were the ones used most. Ralph
was tired of bending sprockets and wearing pegs down fast. That’s where
he decided that he would put out pegs and sprocket that could take the
abuse.
How much input do the riders have on the design of the products?
Our riders have 100% input on all the products we make. We won’t put
a product into production unless we have the whole team’s input on it
first.
Were you scrutinous when selecting who manufactured your products?
Yeah. We want to make sure everything we make comes out to be the
highest and strongest quality money can buy. Therefore we were very
selective on who we wanted to make our products.
It’s good that you put on the jams at the BK Banks, is it hard to put on
your own jam? Was there a lot of red tape?
It is and it isn’t. The time and money that goes into it can be a lot
of work but the actual organization of it is pretty simple. Make a
flyer and hope people show up hahaha. As for red tape there really
isn’t any rules at the banks. We never got permits of anything like
that to have a jam there we kind of just did it. The only thing was we
had to clean up afterwards in respect to Steve Rodriguez owner of 5boro
NYC who had the banks reopened after what looked like was the end. Big
shout out to him for that one.
Where’s Vic Ayala?
Vic is a full time construction worker in NYC now. He has other
obligations he has to tend too but can be seen picking up his bike every
now and then.
Do you plan on building up a big team like some companies, or would you
rather keep it family?
Animal is a family. Everyone knows everybody and has for a long time.
As for a big team like some companies our team is real big. 14
different riders are what makes up our entire team.
What do you think of the current brakeless/big bar trend within bmx?
Brakeless riding was never really a trend in my opinion but more of a
style of riding. The big bar thing is definitely a trend and is getting
ridiculous.
What are your thoughts on bmx media outlets as a whole? Do you think bmx
is properly portrayed within the mainstream
media, or that it will once again get the limelight it procured during
the 80’s boom?
My thoughts on BMX media outlets is that it could be better but at the
same time BMX isn’t main stream like skateboarding or snowboarding. As
for the limelight I mean come on, if they’re taking it out of the X Games
one by one I don’t think there will be a boom like there was in the
80’s. But companies will keep producing better and better videos that
will get noticed and hopefully one day BMX will be like skateboarding or
snowboarding and get the coverage it deserves.
Is there, or was there ever, a plan for where Animal’s going? Like how
some weird girls plan their relationships years ahead?
Ralph once said there was a need for a company that was solely based
on street riding and making the guys that are killing it on street
noticed. The idea was to get these riders noticed and make the best
products on the market that could hold up to the heavy abuse that would
be given to them.
Would you have any pearls of wisdom to give to anyone out there looking
to start their own company?
From what I see Ralph go through on a daily basis it is a lot of work.
Anyone thinking about starting there own business be prepared for a lot
of work, dedication, and patience.
Massive thanks to Jeff Teague for that, and in case you’ve not seen the spanking Animal Winter Coats I recommend you do. They look the biznizz. All sorts of Animal goodness can be found here
Word
1st two photos nabbed off the Animal website and the one of Tyrone was by me.