Max Bimar is a shredder in the south of France BMX scene. With a carefree attitude, Bimar brings style to himself on and off the bike. Being one of the main builders at his local trails and riding with influential style, Max brings a lot to is BMX community. I caught up with him to talk about his trails, his new signature frame, and his role in the Kill the Line contest.

Quick Facts:

Age:

I’m 24 years old.

Current location:

I live in Aix en Provence, a French city in southeast of France.

Hometown:

I’m from a village 20 minutes away from Aix. It’s called Peynier and just in front of it we can see the “Sainte Victoire” a mountain, which got famous by the painter Cezanne. It’s a typical village of Provence.

Sponsors:

I ride for Deluxe BMX, which is 3 or 4 years old. It’s English, and the label of it is simple, clean, and trail BMX. I ride also for a brand of clothes. Savakas it’s called and the label is pretty modern. D.I.Y. as time are now.

Years riding:

15 years I guess. I started pretty young, I tried every kind of bike. But my favorite is BMX especially on trail jump.

Interview:

Michael: Why do you ride?

Max: I’m looking after THE GREAT FEELING. It can be a short and intense feeling right after doing a great jump, tricks, or I can be the feeling to share a session with people on a great trail. BMX is not a team sport, but I never or almost, ride alone. It’s dangerous, and we push our limits by trying to get the same level as your session’s partners, better or different.

Michael: What’s your favorite thing about BMX?

Max: Many things are high in my brain. Maybe it would be to think of BMX. To imagine how to pass a jump in a strange way. To think of how would be this new sensation. Get a phantasme on a mouvement.

Michael: You pretty much have trails in the back yard of your parent’s house, can you tell us about how they came about?

Max: It’s a long story… It’s 20 years old. But to be simply, our trail improved as the level of the people who rode on it. At the beginning it was some racers, who get bored of the pressure and the character of racing. So they started to dig. To dig jumps and lines, and now time after time, line after line, our trail feels pretty great.

Michael: I’ve heard that the mayor of your city likes the trails. Can you tell me about that?

Max: Yeah, he let us dug into that field during a long long time without telling us to do an association. But he did, it wasn’t a big deal to make it, thanks my friends, and now the mayor doesn’t risk anything in case of trouble at the trail. He’s proud of us, and lets us do what we want.

Michael: Did you start out riding at your trails, or did you start riding somewhere else?

Max: As soon as I was able to ride a bike, I went to the field in front of my house. Where the trail has been started. I met guys, who teached me how to jump. So yeah I start to ride firstly on the trail. But it’s was like now. Then cause of my father I’ve been riding XC bikes for 6 years.

Michael: How’s the trail scene in France?

Max: It was pretty hard to answer this question few years ago, but now, internet, the video compression, and facebook, and Soul BMX magazine help myself a lot to learn of it. It improved a lot this last years. I just need to taste it. I can say that they look clean. Easy to see that. But I saw also that they’re not ridable well some of them.

If I can say something about this it would be, “no care if it look s***, just care of the feeling”.

More and more people get into BMX now, and few of them start to dig a trail. I’m glad, cause it a source of pleasure insane.

Michael: Do you have any other favorite trail spots than your own?

Max: In France, I like la source which is a trail in Toulouse. Jems Müller is one of the famous guys there. I like him. I like Elian Torniol’s trail, which is not far from mine. Few road trips pass through it, with many famous guys, as Brian Foster, Mark Mulville, Chase Hawk….

Michael: You recently moved out of your home near the Peynier trails to the near by city Aix En Provence, has this affected your riding?

Max: Yes I did to move away from my parents. It’s not far away, sure it’s longer to get to the trail, but it still short. Like 25 min…..

Michael: Tell us about the Van’s Kill the Line contest and how it came about?

Max: I’m not really involved into kill the line. I’m one of the main local of Peynier trail, but it doesn’t mean that I work for the contest. I’m glad to help as I can by digging and welcomes people into my parents house. But I don’t get involved into the merchandising, adverts……….But I like how it improved, glad that many people come. It’s always a great time. The idea is a contest of trail. A contest, not a jam. So I taking place on only one line. Judges do their job and that’s it. Also there’s a great party. I didn’t see anybody unhappy by the contest.

Michael: Do you have anything big planned for the next one?

Max: I can just tell you that the line is gonna be different. I can just tell that cause I’m involved as I said just into the trail. People might be surprised and scared by it. It improve as our level…

Michael: You have a signature frame in the works, how’s it coming and when will it be out in stores?

Max: My signature frame. haha, I’m proud to elaborate a frame. Mark Noble, the boss of Deluxe BMX gave me this opportunity. As an old rider, and as a fan of mechanical systems, I use to think of thing who’ll help my ride. I also copy a lot on many brand, haha. It’s got a long rear, to be able to pull as never before. I’m gonna call it “Sacre bleu”. I’m back from England and I heard this expression 10 times a day. It’s an old French expression, which means d***. I fortunately found something, which can be able to be understood in French and English. Fortunately English people know something in French. Sacre bleu.

Michael: Your brother has been in some notable punk rock bands and you seem to be into the punk scene, how has punk rock influenced your life and riding?

Max: Yeah it won’t be wrong if I say that my musicals beliefs gave me a label. Instead of having a real reason to wear slim pant, it gave me knowledge with I can use anywhere. Rock music is pretty famous.

Last time I was at leeds having good times with some great guys, one of them came to me and said: “that was you last year at the Murray Jam who were wearing a punk suite?” It was me. He said I was insane….

Anyway, I do care of real music, Not UNIVERSAL music. I believed in truth music, not rubbish music made by people who wants to get more money. Muse is a great example. Stroking in the direction of hair.

This is why I believed in punk music. It doesn’t mean that I listen the sex pistols all day long, But I got the feeling to check what’s good, what’s wrong. Maybe cause of how my brother teach me music. He’s got it.

Michael: How’s the punk scene in your area?

Max: Super small, we are all friends, we support each other. When I want to check a rock gigs I go to Marseille. Aix is to rap and business or rubbish, in this 2 cases you need money. So I go to Marseille, city which gonna be the capital of culture in 2012 for the Europe. Waouuu…Subway closed at 10h30, and instead of sleeping they’re few place to go out after midnight.There’re 1 million people in this city. Hard times. Fortunately we still got the club called “machine à coudre” where I feel great.

More and more people want to cry their anger. Anger to be lock between TV and your job, if you got one… Some of them build a band. The rest dance and get drunk. Like me. I also try to get those brand new girl who agree our philosophy.

Michael: Anything else?

Max: Usual thanks, thanks to Fugazi to improve by a 1000% my knowledge in music. Thanks to the people who respect each other, who put their turn signal. Thanks my family who’s not able to read English, thanks my friends, thanks Savakas and thanks Deluxe BMX. Hope to work into that firm when it’ll be possible.

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About the author

Michael Potoczny

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