These days, seeing some punk kid street riding and ‘shooting the b’s’ (that’s a bar spin to you oldies) or hucking a 180 down a set of stairs is pretty commonplace, but not too long ago one rider was paving the way for modern “urban” riding as we know it. Jeff Lenosky took his skills from trials riding, mixed them with a bit of BMX street style and some ‘proper’ mountainbiking and helped form MTB street as we now know it.
Turning pro in 1993 and riding MTBs since ’89, he’s featured heavily in a number of the New World Disorder films (just search his name in YouTube), and his riding skills have seen him do demos around the world, performing at the Winter Olympics in 2002, on Ripley’s Believe it or Not TV show and countless other events across the globe.
Jeff has carved a mark that will last forever in mountain biking, and this week he’s taken some time for a Frankly Thursday with Spoke……
How old are you? 39
Where do you live? Sparta, NJ
Who makes your riding possible? Giant Bicycles, Fox Riders Co, Native Eyewear, Teva, Bell Helmets, Shimano, Pro Components, Fox Shox, Clif Bar, Maxxis
First bike? Schwinn Scrambler
Best thing about travelling around the world riding your bike? Getting to see new places and meet new people
Best spot in the world to ride? Barcelona
What can’t you travel without? My bike and my laptop
What can you not live without? My family
What’s your day job? Doing office work for a globetrotting bike rider.
What motivates you to get out of bed and go to work each day? Try to learn new things.
What are your plans for the Northern Hemisphere summer? Heal up from my broken leg and do lots of demos and film some web edits.
What’s wrong with mountain biking? Guys who wish they were BMXers.
What’s right with mountain biking? Getting to ride so many different types of terrain on a 26 inch wheeled bike.
Who do you look up to? No one, I’m 6’4″!! Seriously? My grandfather
What do you like best about living where you do? I have access to the New York area in less than an hour but I live in the country. The riding is awesome out here, everyone that visits is always surprised.
What do you dislike about living where you do? Expensive
What are your vices? Coffee and procrastinating (this seems to be a trait most MTBers have!)
Got any dirt / story of a pro MTBer you’d like to share? Wow, so many stories, but they’re all top secret!
Check Jeff riding at Rays MTB Park comp, ‘The Odd Couple’ where he placed 3rd with team mate Chris Aceto:
