So, a little about where Bezerk is from...I can say I've always been into bikes in one way or another, I used to ride to school and cruise the neighbourhood by bike. My dad had the motto "why buy it when you can make it", so it wasn't long before I was making my first frame, a BMX of course was order of the day. Don't remember what age I was, early teens I think...
Riding everywhere by BMX was maybe where I got my first taste for singlespeed action, probably didn't realise it back then that I'd be back there again today...I then made a few road frames and started saving every cent to buy upper end parts to fit to it. One road frame I made the lugs and brazed the tubes in, the other frame I fillet brazed vowing to never do it again!
My brother and friends then got me into the MTB thing, I got hooked and was soon making my own frames with a unique design at the time. I had fun racing a winter series with the Fat Tyre Flyers I even remember my friend Justin telling me "look, there's Cadel Evans" with my response of "who?"...I even remember poor Cadel having a big face plant just in front of me and me asking if he was Ok...he just took off...he of course went on to win his race. I had fun racing at "Sport" level with Justin and I travelling from race to race.
From there I was sucked into the world of downhilling and the design of rear suspension. I made several bikes from 4 to 8 inches of travel and had fun riding them and making frames for others. I even sort of sponsored a Junior rider named Sam Baker with a 6 inch travel, hub geared beast, 6 inches was a lot of travel back then!
On the 18th of August 1995 I registered Bezerk, I worked at Greenspeed during the day and hired out the factory after hours to make custom frames. Things that I made were lightweight steel road and MTB XC frames, full suspension XC and downhill bikes as well as other contract work. I did this for around 3 years until my family became my main priority. I didn't renew the name and continued making frames for select clients.
Fast forward to now and after some spinal fusion surgery in 2005, I had a renewed interest in mountain biking and was slowly honing the skills and the fitness while having great fun with friends on regular rides. I came full-circle and met back up with Sam who asked me to join their team for the Kona 24hr in 2006. Even though I had been sick for several weeks before the race, I had a great time and decided that Enduro racing suited my body type.
So to 2007 and I basically competed in everthing FGP had on offer, mainly because the races were local so I didn't have to take too much time off from home and because long car trips still don't agree with the back...so on to the first solo effort of an 8hr and was fortunate to come away with a first place...this was the first race of a 4 race series and put me in a great position for overall honours. The field swelled to huge numbers from here on and sickness again struck for the third and fourth race, doh! Series ended with me in equal second place which was a great finish to my first campaign.
That series was done on a Specialized Epic from Total Rush who sold me frame to build up with many of the parts I had accumulated up to then. I had been training on a singlespeed as well and did the last lap of the last race on it and noted how well it climbed when you were stuffed and the minimal difference in heartrate while climbing. So onto the Werribee 12hr and I ditched the gears from the Epic and circulated for 12hrs, one flat tyre, one over the bars and bruised bladder and a 5th place, I was really getting sucked in now!
While out training I decided it was time to use my resources at Greenspeed and start up the business again, but this time instead of doing all the frame fabrication, I'd get it outsourced and do the design. I decided to have some fun at the Kona '07 event with a mixed six team and raced my first Bezerk cromoly prototype frame, SS once again proved to be great fun and was happy with some fastish laps.
So what now? Race the 2008 FGP season solo SS, keep racing at the Bushy Park Original MTB Crits and work on some new designs and get some frames into stock for you!
A big thanks to my wife, kids, family and friends for supporting me, couldn't and wouldn't have done it without you :-)
Some pics of designs to date...
Bezerk Cycles, designed from experience, made by hand.