The list of kooks and icons that have passed through the hallways of FBM, and make the brand what it is today, is as diverse and bizarre as anything. The Characters define a concept, beyond just riding bikes, or juggling supply and demand as a business…
Jackson Allen is one of these Fierce but Mellow west coast FBM lion tamers and circus sideshow all his own. A crucial element to the scene in Santa Cruz, Jax is a skatepark advocate, Trail builder, spot explorer, trip planner, and all around nice guy. We asked Jackson a few questions on what is in store going into 2014, his bike, and more, enjoy his words, and some brand new photos as well…
Name, age, current location–
Jackson DuHamel Allen, 31 years young and I live in Sanda Cruz, CA.
Last year you seemed really busy with work, whats new for 2014, with riding and work and such?
Well, if you ask Mike or Anna or anyone really they will tell you that I always seem busy regardless of whether I really am. I changed jobs this year and one of the goals was to lessen my stress and free up some more time for projects and riding.
Who do you ride with, and what are some of your favorite spots to ride?
There is no shortage of great people to ride with here in town and in the Bay Area but lately I find myself sharing the air with Mike Hernandez, Guy French, Andy Maguire, Jeff Murphy, Chunk and Jake Honesto. Spots wise I go in long phases where I’ll love a certain place and ignore the others. Freedom 40 is always the top of my list but we desperately need rain. There are some other dirt spots in town and lately I’ve been trying to search out little nibbles all over town and make them shreddable with some subtle mods.
Any recent adventures, or weird spots that have you stoked?
Man, not enough adventures lately, but we did have a damn good day trip around New Years. We rented a 15 passenger van for Andy’s birthday and tooled around Oakland and Berkeley all day, catching up with old friends and riding some east bay gems. For some reason the day ended with us standing in total bafflement in a giant mall food court. I still don’t quite know how we fucked up the end to such a resplendent day.
Oh, and as for weird spots, I have been working on a longer video piece and my section is all kind of self-filmed hit-and-run cell phone footage of strange spots and that has meant some trespassing. At one point I snuck into this abandoned coastal factory complex to ride and as soon as I got in there I realized someone must have seen me and was searching me out. The fucked up part was that it wasn’t some by-the-book security guard, it was this weirdo in a rusted out mustang creeping all over, playing cat-and-mouse with me. At one point I was huddled in the bushes and just thinking, “this could end poorly”. In the end I shook ’em and it all worked out fine.
Tell us a good dog shirt story–
Woof. Well, I have learned Andy isn’t afraid of long distances. At home, Andy will pedal his BMX 10 miles from Santa Cruz to Aptos with his bottom bracket creaking like a broken wagon wheel just to ride a manual pad and then he will manual all the way back to Santa Cruz. But this one time in Austin we woke up at Ryan Fowler’s house after a night of partying and for some reason Andy’s bike wasn’t there. So we get up and eat some breakfast and decide we need to make our way down to the Texas Toast site and Andy is just like, “fuck it, I’ll just run alongside”….so he does. We probably had to ride 5 miles and he just trucked it alongside, wearing my helmet and a sweatshirt tied around his waist.
Wilkerson?
As rare as a Sasquatch siting. Doesn’t mean he isn’t out there though. I am currently lobbying to get a big sign placed on the freeway that says “Welcome to Santa Cruz! Home of the inventor of the abubacu”. Bunch of red tape but by 2020 it will be a reality. He still hates Kenny Horton though.
Whats makes the Santa Cruz area so unique and awesome?
It’s just a horrifyingly beautiful place full of some pretty friendly, intelligent and sincere people. Home is where you dig it.
Any new projects in the works?
Hell yeah I do. I have been working on a new Sasquatch Canyon video project called “NOTES FROM THE FIELD: SHORT CUTS”. It’s the first Sasquatch Canyon project since the “Are we still having fun yeti?” video a year ago and I think it harkens back to the feel of some of the earlier Sasquatch Canyon stuff. It started out as a home for some errant cell phone clips and turned into a pretty ambitious project in the end. It will feature short sections from Mike Hernandez, Chris Riesner, Brandon York, Andy Maguire, Nathan Parker, Jackson Allen, Ryan Fowler and a mix section of various Bigfoot brothers. Look for that on the FBM site in the next week or so.
My good friend Nathan Parker has been toiling away on his new project: W E A T H E R for quite some time now and I have been lending a hand with that. Weather is an apparel company based on the things and people close to our hearts. It’s still a gathering storm but expect to hear more about that over the next year. You can learn more at www.weatherbrand.com and keep up with us on your favorite social network.
What bike do you ride currently and what are your thoughts on it?
Right now I ride a long Steadfast and in short, it kicks ass. I’ve always had a pretty “go fast, point it straight, back wheel, turn left” style since I was a kid. I love watching other stuff but in the end you ride how you ride, ya know? To find a frame that fits your riding style like a glove is luxury few of us enjoy. I feel like I was born to ride this bike. I’m real stoked to have gotten a chance to weigh in on the newest version.
Any shouts?
My best friend, Otis the dog passed away on the 25th of October, 2013. I’m still reeling from that and just want to say that I miss you buddy and I leave the light on for you. Gotta send some thanks out to you Steve, Jack Allen and Marilyn DuHamel, my girlfriend Anna, Mike and the rest of my friends. I’m one lucky dude. See you in the green and gold y’all.
More from Jackson Here and the weather brand…