Colony Hell Stallion Review

Hey guys and welcome to my first review.

I just got home from my first ride on my brand spankin' new Colony Hell Stallion and I am psyched on it! I bought the 21.25 version in black this morning from ForTheRiders in Browns Plains. I' had been looking for a new frame for a while and it had come down to a couple of options. In the end it was a toss up between a Hell Stallion and an S&M LTF. I picked the Colony for 2 reasons. Number one being that I think the warranty is a bit more reliable and two obviously being the price.



Geometry wise I think the frame is great. Within 10 minutes at the skatepark I was already feeling comfortable if not more comfortable than my old Superstar. I was a bit worried at first about the steep headtube angle but I think it feels better. Hops feel a bit more snappy and it really helps with spinning off the ground. 3 hops feel easier and I learnt 5 cabs which I thought I'd never be able to do. I also tried a few nosewheelies as apparently a steeper head angle makes them easier but the verdict is they still scare the shit out of me.

The next thing I was worried about was the low standover height. Theres been a fair bit of talk on the internet about frames with lowslung top tubes but that debate can be left for another time. Personally I think it looks sweet. It felt a bit weird at first because on some tricks you're used to feeling your leg push against the frame but I guess this is a good thing.



One of my main motivations for getting a new frame, and this sounds pretty OCD, is for better working brakes. The 990 mounts on my Superstar had a ridiculous amount of flex and it made my brakes feel disgusting. I was a bit concerned about the removable mounts and cable guides but I was overjoyed when I squeezed my lever for the first time. Almost no flex at all. Maybe the thread that the mounts screw into reinforce it a bit more but all I know is that it feels amazing. I know not many people that buy Liam's frame are going to be running brakes so I'm really stoked they work so well. One thing I didn't like about my old Superstar was that I feel like the brakes were overlooked and just thrown on as an option so as not to alienate some of the market. I guess this is why the Hell Stallion comes with removable brake mounts but at least in this case the brakes aren't just an afterthought.

Overall I couldn't be happier with it, the paint feels high quality, unlike my Superstar which started peeling basically straight away, and the graphics are fresh as. Finally a frame I'm not going to peel the stickers off straight away. My only gripe is that I miss running a good old seatpost clamp, but I guess thats what kids want in a frame these days so I can't blame Colony for that.



Overall I'm going to give it a 9 out of 10. If it had of had the option of a seatpost clamps and maybe inbuilt chain tensioners it would have been an easy 10 but I can't go giving out a 10 on my first review can I? Oh I forgot to mention the weight. Who cares?

-Mitch

Liam Fahy-Hampton Q&A

First off the boring bits. Name, age, shoe size, sponsors, sexual orientation....
Liam Fahy Hampton, 23, 13, Colony, Backbone, Orchid, Animal, Profile, Martial, Triple Six, Stowaway, APP.



You seem to be getting a lot of coverage and hype over in the states. How do you feel about that?
Yeah good I guess. Everyone likes attention.

What’s is it like to be on the Colony team?
Awesome. Millar really knows how to hook up his riders and have a good time.

Do you have any signature products in the works with Colony?
Aside from the frame and forks (out soon) you’ll have to wait and see. ; )

Yourself and Mick Bayzand are now on the Profile team. How'd that come about?
I don’t know, I guess we kinda met up with Matt Coplan in Florida and we hit it off. Long walks on the beach, you know, and the rest is history. ;)



I saw your clips in the new FocalPoint dvd not long ago and they blew my mind. Any more video parts coming out in the near future?
Yeah plenty…when, I don’t know.


What's the last thing you did on your bike you were stoked on?
Threw it down some stairs (it seems to help the anger).

Do you have special magic tires that stick to rails?
Sure do. They’re called ASMs.

Where do you draw your inspiration from when you ride?
From the flux capacitor, Marty.



If you were to put a chain back on would you use a coaster or a cassette?
Not sure. Hasn’t crossed my mind yet, but probably a coaster.

What part do you break the most often?
Pedals, headsets, and myself.

Whats your favourite type of cheese?
I don’t mind a vintage ash blue, with a nice glass of shiraz… what, cunt?


As most people know you ride without a sprocket or chain. Do you feel like this helps or hinders your riding?
Yeah, well it definitely doesn’t help. I guess it just makes you hone the tricks you can already do.

How/when did you get into BMX?
The year 2000. Me and a few mates all got BMXs the same day. The rest is history.




What cd is in your stereo?
Right now, Little Birdie ‘Big Love’

What kind of hobbies to you have outside of bmx?
Hanging out at malls, gelling my hair, popping my collar, doing laps in my car, bashing cunts, drinkin’, watching footy at the pub, you know…

Whats your view on internet shit-talking?
What the fuck is the internet?

Ask yourself a question and answer it.

Q. Why you always hurt yourself?

A. Because I convince myself that I’m fine with an injury, ride on it, and crash. Then I’m back to square one. Resulting in time off, that turns into sketchy riding, which turns into injuries.




You've recently spent some time in America. What’s the riding scene like over there compared to over here?
Every kid is x games pro, and it’s scary.

Where do you see Liam Fahy-Hampton in the future?
He’ll probably start referring to himself in third person.

Famous last words?
First of all I’d like to thank CLINT MILLAR at Colony for all his help, now and into the future. And thanks to everyone else who makes my riding possible. And number one thanks to Rhysty at Backbone, without whom I wouldn’t be riding. Thank you and goodnight.

-Questions by Mitch, Photos Courtesy of Colony

DiversityBMX vs Abbs.

Click on any section of this interview to open up the larger images.

Alex Liiv Bike Check

Jerry Vandervalk Interview

First off the boring stuff. Name, age, sponsors, sexual orientation?

Jerard John Vandervalk, 20 years of age. Sponsored by TemperedBikes. Yes, I orientate sexually.


Haha that doesnt make sense. How tall are you?

I haven't checked recently but it was like 6 and a half feet.


Is it cold up there?

Cold as ice.


Who influenced you when you started riding, and who influences you these days?

Well, I started riding in Toowoomba with a few guys, then met the older guys that had been riding a few years by then and they were a big influence.

Along the years most of the guys I started out with quit or gradually faded out of it. Nick Kajewski is the only person I still ride with who I started with, and has influenced my riding to this day.

I guess everyone I meet and hang out with are an influence, riding wouldn't be the same without my mates.


What is your favorite thing to ride?

My bike haha. Anything that's possible to ride.




You seem to be able to do just about every trick in the book. Are there any simple tricks you can't do?

Ahahaha, I'm sure there's plenty of things I can't do, but I guess tuckies, mostly because I don't like them, I don't understand why people do them, I think they're shit. And I don't backie. lol.


What do you love and hate most about bmx?

I love the feeling of pulling somthing clean, but I hate hurting myself. I hate how the scene is always changing and if you don't follow like everyone else you're not in. Like the whole big bars, low seat, brakeless, doing manual 180s thing. I have respect for the riding, I even go brakeless from time to time, but I just wish people would do what feels good and not what everyone else is doing.


Ask yourself a question and answer it...

What am I gonna have for tea?

Hmmmm thats a good one, might go get a kebab.



You just got internet in your room. How's that working out for you?

Hahaha, heaps good, don't know were the time goes...


Too much palm action?

Something like that, hahahahaha.


Favourite websites?

Youtube, Myspace, 89 haha, EBAY!!


Anything else...?

Oh, hahaha, diversitybmx of course!


Now you're just sucking up.

Nah I swear. When I get home I go straight on myspace then diversity. Its my schedule.


Lucky. Where do you see Jerry Vandervalk in the future?

Fuck, thats a tough one hey. I tend not to think about it. Hopefully I just get rich somehow and don't have to do shit for the rest of my life.


Any thanks?

Thanks to Matty L straight up for making me a part of Tempered, and thanks too all my mates and anyone who I've met that's a mad cunt, you know who you are, and thankyou Mitch for the teriffic msn interview.


Haha, you're welcome



Interview by Mitchell Wood, First photo by Stephen Joseph. All other photos by Justy Bumpstead.

For more of Jerry Vandervalk click HERE

Troy Charlesworth talks about "Droppin' Clips"

What’s your whole thought on the DVD, how does it make you feel inside?
Im not to sure it was a little rushed due to my ankle injuries but I thought it was a good first release. I just love filming and editing. I guess I'm hooked. It makes me feel accomplished inside.


Please state the items, equipment and aid you used for your DVD, drop a clip?
I used A SONY VX2100 camera, a MAC Computer and John Young gave me some help with the authoring bits.


Any future plans at Underground visuals? What's your next step?
Yeah my second release is in the works and I'm going all out on this one so its going to be wild.


Have you got any interlock road child sock blood rubs on the back burner?
I wouldn’t say the back burner but yeah I have a few.


What was the initial thought pattern about creating a video and what did you have to go through to get the video done?
I just wanted to keep it clean smooth and enjoyable to watch. For what I went though lets see... I had to put up with Chris Danger O’Donnell's laziness to go film but eventually we got shit done and deadline stress suxxxxxs.


What inspires you to film and edit?
At the moment its listening to a song and getting an idea in your head and getting it done. I tend to edit things before I film them.


Next at the side alley you have been seen. Explain "Droppin' Clips", the title.
I used to live in an alley with Jimmy Mac. Its what it’s all about, just filming and getting clips for the DVD.


Explain the content?
Bios on Luke Gorecki, Liam Fahy Hampton, Tom Payne, Danger O’Donnell, Abbs, A few Mixed Sections and a United We Stand road trip.


In four words how would describe under ground visuals and your productions?
Australian bikes worth buying


What’s your next project going to be about and how will it compare to drop a clip? The next one will be called SEND IT. It’s all about just sending yourself and I know in my head that it’s going to be a really good DVD.




Interview by Alex Liiv

Alex Liiv Interview

Diversitybmx: Who's Donna Bridgwick?

Alex: my mate Matt was in the middle of the desert at some bar/club with his uncle. After his uncle left, Matt started dancing with this girl called Donna. At the end of the night matt and this donna chick where walking home, making out and weirdness. then out of the heat Donna says "RAPE ME" so matt the weirdest dude, took this on board. and took his and her pants off and then went for it. after about a minute he took a look and blood was coming out of her vagina. thats Donna. not to mention this all happened in some side alley in the desert.


Diversitybmx: How did you get that MTV interview?

Alex: burns sold some crashes to scarred and out of the blue they said do you know this dude(youtube crash) and burns was like yeah i know him and they sent an email to me and it went from there.


Diversitybmx: What inspires you to ride the stuff you do?

Alex: clean shoes so i don't slip on the pedals and i always think of what would be gnarly if i wasn't a rider. tricks have been done, tricks are only tricks but stunts are endless, its riding a bike so i think of stunts and whiskey. maybe some loud music and sex later that night.


Diversitybmx: Do you already know what your going to ride or do you just do weird shit on weird things?

Alex: its never mr yellow brothers trick challenge. i think of weird shit all the time and sometimes it's riding but i watch a lot of skating videos for stunt ideas. Anything to flat.


Diversitybmx: What kind of freaky things has your tongue touched?

Alex: le' freaky clity bang kitchen wear le' light wight knifey sex.

Diversitybmx: Whats the first thing that comes to mind when we say "Latex Lips and Ciggerete Arms"?

Alex: your arms and neck must be tilted at the same angle.


Diversitybmx: Freakiest thing ever seen?

Alex: about 3 years ago, there was this dude who road these shitty bikes around where i live and we called him freak show, he had a huge forehead to instant freak face. anyway we used to follow him when ever we got the chance, so we follow him all the way to what turned out to be the top of the his street. we turned down the street and we couldn't see him anywhere so we high beamed and he was kissing the driveway of this church. so we then knew that he lived down that street, so we went driving down there and found his house because we say all these shit bikes out the front.

the next day we went into the bush around the back of this house to see what we could see and we get to the back of his house and we see this little shack made out of blue tarps and weird shit. we started to throw rocks at this bum shack and freak show comes out of his den with no pants on and starts walking toward us so we make a run for it and as we are running through this fire trail there was this dude with like a nappy and red rings painted around his eyes. and we got away from freak show but red rings was like jumping from tree to tree then he just vanished.

so we go back to this house the next week but knock on the front door of this house and this house was so nice, we continue on to the back of the house and we end up standing right next to freak shows shack. we hear this freaky music coming from the radio so we aren't sure if some one is in there so i go to the front to look out if anyone freaky comes down the street and matt says "hello" and then freak show comes out of his shack with a hammer and fully clothed saying "what are you doing here", matt says "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE,DO YOU LIVE IN THAT HOUSE!", freak show says "yeah, just out here playing a few games", matt says "but why are you in that thing(points to shack)", freak show started getting angry saying some one has been stealing bikes and he thinks it was us, matt leaves and we never saw him around our area since.

One day about a year ago i saw him at the fuel station getting fuel and some bum looking dude with a shitty bike gets into the van with freak show and then he drives off over the footpath and nature strip and over the wrong side of the road and over a round about and drives off. i still see him from time to time riding shitty bikes along the high way.

Diversitybmx: Whats the stupidest thing you have done for money?

Alex: paper run or road off a motel roof drunk but i don't think i got paid.


Diversitybmx: Describe the ugliest girl youve spent the night with.

Alex: serpents faces you can get weird with like shit on them of something weirdy that they love... never spent a night with one.


Diversitybmx: Wie ist es Ihnen denn so ergangen?

Alex: its just a sprinkling


Diversitybmx: If you could be any celebrity who would you be?

Alex: jim beam and whiskey tits


Diversitybmx: How do you get on with your parents?

Alex: day at the office


Diversitybmx: A dice is sitting on a table. Lenore counts 17 dots on all the sides she can see. Which face of the dice is resting on the table?

Alex: 6 6



To finish the interview we made up a little story and left some blanks for Alex to fill in. Here's what he came up with....

My name is Alex Liiv but you can call me Stevens (as in more then one). My friends usually call me other names though like Mr sluty and volcano No.5. I used to frequent the chilli factory until I went out the back and uninstalled her diaphragm, but that was a few months ago. Now I spend my time looking and looking for reasons to look. While I'm here I guess I will tell everyone about my friends Demitri (roof painter) and progington. I met them a little while ago while i was on a road trip with dirty santa clause over in the big smoke America, which I found to be FUCKED. I have been alive for 19 years now and riding for 6 of those years, in my previous life I'm pretty sure I was a human because i am now in my previous life. I mostly ride high speed vaginas around the stair area, my bike is set up with the help from my close friends and sponsors, RIDE THE WHEELS OFF THIS THING & SPIN TO WIN so big thanks to them! And finally bmxpress.

Interview and Story by Mathew Lawton

Pictures courtesy of Alex's myspace.