Colin MacKay

Colin MacKay

1. What is your very first memory of BMX?
Watching a guy do small airs on this half pipe at Alexandra Headlands, in Australia. I thought they were huge at the time. The bike shop owner told me to go check out the ramp and when I arrived, there was a crew of riders there. I made some new friends and we rode that ramp everyday.

2. How did you feel when you got your first bike – do you have the same feelings now when you set up a new bike?
Of course, it was the best feeling when my Dad got me my first bike, and yeah I love getting new parts or a new bike. Bikes last a while; each bike has a memory of that time in life.

3. What was your first bike like?
It was a Skyway Streetstyler, lavender and white. My neighbour who had a Streetbeat talked me into lay-buying it, my Dad ended up paying it off one day. I was stoked. It was 1992, but I’m sure the model was like ‘84 or something. The shop owner was probably happy to get rid of his old stock.

4. What is your latest bike?
Haro Forum; when I first got on Haro I was lucky enough to design a new bike. It’s perfect for me, 21TT, removable gyro tabs, mid BB, small tubes and a nice blood red glossy paint finish.

5. When and what was the first time you saw a rider do something amazing on a bike?
The rider was Tim Wood, and the trick was a backy out of the bowl at Beenleigh skatepark in Australia. It was at a contest in ‘93 and no one had done a flip in Australia, no one saw it coming. He pulled it perfectly, apparently he had been practicing it for the contest, but it was a big secret. He could also do 360 whip fly-outs, and I used to think it was a 720 or something, I didn’t understand what the bike was doing.

6. When and what was the last time you saw a rider do something amazing on a bike?
Dave Mirra doing a backy drop-in off his wall-ride at his local park in Greenville. Just getting up on a wall and thinking about leaning back is crazy.

7. If you hadn’t discovered BMX, what do you think you’d be doing now?
I was pretty close to taking on an apprenticeship as a chef, but working Sundays and missing out on riding with my friends sucked. I tried for three months. Either that or Rugby League, I gave them both up to ride. Sacrifices ay!

8. When it comes to riding, do you go for tricks or style?
I love tricks for sure, I’m hyper, I can’t just ride and not do a trick. But I think there’s different ways to do a trick and I don’t want to do it the same as the next fella, so I guess that’s where style might come in.

9. Do you have to work on progression or does it just come naturally to you?
I guess BMX would be boring if it came naturally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. That’s why I enjoy it.

10. What state of mind enables you to progress your riding?
Good times with friends, or sometimes the contest courage.

11. What one rider has influenced you the most?
Everybody plays their part one way or another…

12. What goes down if you have a bad day?
Bad days always seem to happen after great days for me. I try not to let it bother me.

13. When was the first time you tried something big/burly/scary?
540, my friends thought it a bit advanced for me. I hadn’t been riding long.

14. When was the last time you scared yourself on your bike?
When I broke my ankle at Metro this year, I knew it was stuffed; I just didn’t want to believe it. I was scared.

15. What was the last bike part you bought?
Ruben pedals, brown.

16. What is the greatest BMX product in the last 10 years?
Profile Cassette LHD, grinding on the chain sucks, so the left driver plays a great role for me. Being able to change gearing to what you like is cool too. 44-tooth front looks so massive doesn’t it? Every company has cassette hubs now. That MacNeil Pivotal seat is pretty smart also.

17. If you could choose two riders to go riding with daily, who would they be?
Dave Dillewaard can do a lot of hard tricks and he makes them look nice. I like watching him a lot, and he’s always having fun. And at the moment my mate Kenji Tsuruta from Japan is living with me and I get to see him about once a year, but we always have fun, we can try stuff together and it’s never competitive.

18. How would you most describe your riding?
I like to boost it, click it, and be smooth; otherwise I’m not happy with my efforts.

19. What is your favourite type of riding?
I like skateparks and my trails. I feel guilty riding someone else’s jumps because of all the work that goes in. I also love being home in Australia riding the cement parks with friends.

20. Describe an ideal day…
Wake up early at an amazing beach with Kelly, swim, go to my jumps that are in a rainforest with animals everywhere and that are a little bit wet after a light shower, run a shovel over them so they’re dialled and ride with friends for the afternoon, then shoot some pictures as the sun sets and have a BBQ and party with my friends on the beach.

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