For our first episode of Turning Cranks the sock steeze master, Gareth Weston gets real with us on his relationship with bikes and the decision to change dirt for concrete this summer.

I am both blessed and privileged to be able to have had bicycles occupy a key space in my life for as long as I am able to remember. Ever since I first learnt how to turn a set of cranks they have consistently provided me with a platform offering freedom, adventure, inspiration and mental and physical respite. 

What initially emerged as a simple tool with which to make my childhood world bigger, and to provide an early sense of much needed independence, morphed into more than just an accessible mode of transport. Bikes established themselves as a way in which I was able to use my physical energy to connect directly with the earth and to play within the natural environment around me. To find tucked away areas of the forest and slide down it’s natural contours. 

Bicycles have gone on to provide me with a common ground with which to make new and spontaneous connections with like-minded humans all over the world, to develop life-long friendships and companionships, and to travel across continents to stunning locales and hidden valleys I may never have otherwise visited or even knew existed. 

I am, and will always be, forever grateful for the direction and countless gifts bikes have provided my mind, heart and soul as they became an increasingly more integral part of my existence. They opened up an accessible doorway to a transcendent state of flow when my mind most needed it, they have provided me with a platform in which to be health conscious and driven to care for my body, and they have allowed me to feel infinitely connected to and appreciative of the environment. 

Through this deep seated and highly embedded affection, mountain bikes rapidly became the center of my universe and my existence. They formed my crutch and offered direction when life at large was difficult to navigate. They contributed enormously to the discovery and embracement of my new adopted home in Canada.

My passion and drive for bikes became so all-encompassing that the embracement of competition presented itself as the next logical step. With the fortunate support of an encouraging family, I entered my first event as a young boy and was immediately consumed by the culture and the communal ambience of the event. The festival-like atmosphere and palpable passion for all things bikes amongst attendees was addictive. 

Downhill mountain bike racing quickly proceeded to dominate my life for over 10 years. My personal and work life were for years largely curated and based around the structure and needs of my racing schedule. My chosen career path as an adult was chosen in large part due to its compatibility with the seasons schedule and the vast majority of my personal income was spent in pursuit of races around the continent and the world. As my younger (and incredibly talented) brother joined the fold at a very young age my dedication was only hardened as quality time together as a family was became centered largely around bikes. 

The collective trials and tribulations of riding mountain bikes competitively gave me invaluable insight into preparation, failure, focus, determination and planning. Life lessons for which I will forever be grateful to have received, particularly through this platform. It also allowed my brother and I to develop a strength of connection we may not have otherwise found, as we travelled the world and experienced the emotional rollercoaster of racing together. These skills have subsequently been absorbed into all surrounding areas of my adult life and have done much to strengthen and shape my character. 

The racing community, that I was fortunate enough to share with my family and teammates at the time, highlighted and enforced the benefits of team-work, generosity and companionship that I have strived to develop ever since. 

Despite all of these positive experiences, in more recent times I had increasingly begun to identify and reflect on how the initial purity of my relationships with bikes had been warped over the years. As I matured and grew as an individual in parallel to my relationships with bikes, I started to question how solely ego driven that relationship had appeared to have become, and how the simplicity of riding for myself, for health and self expression, for pleasure and simplicity, had become largely clouded by the need to be seen to be riding further, faster and to be taking increasingly higher risks. Every ride needed an objective, a goal or a target. I had become obsessed with perpetual progression as opposed to riding for enjoyments sake. 

Witnessing these events take place around me, and attempting to best listen to my inner voice, I have always been careful to ensure that a passion that has consistently offered me so much throughout my time never becomes tainted to the point of rejection. Bikes have at times been my life support and it is my duty to identify how I can adapt them to my ever changing needs as an individual. 

As an equally passionate lifelong artist and creative, the culture and style of BMX had forever intrigued me and striked my curiosity and had existed mainly within the periphery of my larger interest of all things 2 wheels. I had always found it more engaging to watch as a bystander than any mountain bike related content, despite not having dabbled within the discipline myself and skateparks existed as a largely alien environment to me. By comparison to my chosen discipline, riders were not defined by a set course, and for the most part are not in direct competition with each other. The personal interpretation of the man-made environment, the expressiveness and individualism of rider’s styles and the colorful culture and image surrounding the discipline that I observed had always intrigued me and captured my imagination. Riders appeared to move through their chosen terrain like artists, utilizing the space as they see fit, piecing together the different aspects of their interpretation. As an outsider the sport appeared to be more centered around freedom, creativity and spontaneity, qualities which have always been essential to me in my personal and artistic pursuits.

I had however, never provided myself with the opportunity or platform with which to expand on this curiosity. Mountain bikes were familiar, comfortable and safe and jumping into the suspension free world of BMX, despite still existing within the larger world of bike culture, meant taking a step into the unknown and unfamiliar and being comfortable in swallowing my pride and voluntarily becoming a complete beginner.  

As a culmination of these factors, this summer I made the conscious decision to embrace change, challenge myself and jump aboard a smaller set of wheels. My mountain bikes were wilfully put into hibernation for the time being. I chose to accept the harsh reality and adjustment associated with starting afresh and embraced the satisfaction, steep learning curve and gratification that comes with early progression within a new sport. BMX has subsequently opened new doors that I was not aware previously existed, allowing me to explore the world around me in entirely new ways. To visualise spaces with a different outlook and mindset, and has breathed new life and energy into my life long affinity for bicycles. This altered perspective will no doubt be taken back to the mountains and natural environment, and familiar trails are unlikely to look the same upon return. 

The wide-eyed discovery and amazement I felt as a child upon first exploring my surroundings on a mountain bike, had been re-ignited following a paradigm shift. Bikes again feel at their most pure and simple. I feel humbled by the technical difficulty of the sport and my personal egotistical expectations have been relieved and unweighted. My creative side appreciates the focus on style and personal interpretation and I get as much of a thrill from minor progression as I would from risking my life and limb on a mountain bike. 

I love bicycles of all shapes, sizes and disciplines and BMX is simply another flavour of all things 2 wheels to add to the repertoire, and I am forever grateful for what the humble bike has offered me to date and will continue to as I evolve, change and grow. I would not be the same person without them and my relationship with them will not always be the same. I look forward to embracing the unknown places to which they will take me next.