From Dirt Issue 109 – March 2011

Words by Mike Rose. Photos by Jacob Gibbins.

Adam Brayton is the self–proclaimed ‘fire breathing Italian Stallion from the Lake District’ or ‘Mr Gas to Flat’. However he likes to describe himself there is no doubt that Brayton likes to get loose and rowdy on the bike! I’ll never forget his section in one of the Earthed films or a selection of photos that I was sent of him whipping it out, tweaked beyond belief and very memorable.
Since those early days he has become a regular figure on the World Cup scene, and his pre and post race online videos have gone down a storm (especially his course walks). His riding style means that he sometimes does come unstuck and injures himself, so let’s hope that 2011 sees him keeping it rubber side down and getting the results that he is capable of. Brayton is an unknown quantity.

NAME?

Adam Brayton

AGE?

22.

JOB?

Electrician.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

Lake District.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RIDING STYLE? ‘PIN IT OR BIN IT’?

Fast, aggressive and one of a kind…no one has a style like it! Pin and Bin.

SO THIS IS YOUR SECOND YEAR WITH BANSHEE? HOW DID THAT RELATIONSHIP COME ABOUT?

When I had my knee done I had nothing on the cards for 2010 and I came across the Legend Mk1 and liked the look of the bike so I gave Banshee a shout to see if they would be interested in doing something for 2010.

IS THIS A ‘STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX’ FRAME OR ARE WE TALKING A ‘CUSTOM BUILD’ HERE? ARE THERE CHANGES BETWEEN YOUR 2010 FRAME AND THE 2011?

This frame is 100% stock straight out of the box, and there aren’t any changes this year, but we have been working on an Mk3, it’s going to be awesome.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE WHOLE BANSHEE/ MYTHIC NAME THING?

I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Halfords and their Carrera Banshee…ha ha.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS BIKE’S SET–UP?

Pretty laid back, I like hanging off the back so it’s quite hard up front, so when I go for a big gas to flat I know she’s going to be able to handle it!

HOW ARE YOU RUNNING THE HEAD ANGLE? YOU HAVE ANY ADJUSTERS IN THERE?

I’ve got the new Cane Creek AngleSet in my bike set at –0.5 just to steepen it a little bit, it seems to suit my style better. The AngleSet is an awesome piece of kit.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR SUSPENSION? HOW DO YOU RUN IT?

The suspension on the bike is real smooth, I was running a World Cup (air) BoXXer last year, but I have changed to the R2C2 this season, I can’t believe how much better the coil feels. We ran the Cane Creek Double Barrel for the 2010 season and it has been a flawless shock, it really is a great shock, but we have made the change to Elka for the 2011 season. I’m really looking forward to running their new fork cartridge and Stage 5 shock, these guys are really professional and have a lot of passion, which is great to see.

WHAT ABOUT TYRES? SEEMS LIKE MAXXIS ALL THE WAY?

Yea the guys at Maxxis are helping me out this season, so it’s Maxxis all the way.

AND WHEELS? THE CRANK BROTHERS ARE AN INTERESTING CHOICE, ARE YOU WORRIES ABOUT RUNNING JUST 24 SPOKES?

Not at all, these wheels are awesome and look mega too. They definitely feel different to your standard 32 spoke, they just feel like they’re full of power and ready to go flat out.

ALWAYS FLAT PEDALS?

Yeah, I will never use clips.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ON YOUR BIKE?

I would say suspension, it can transform any bike and when it’s set up right it’s going to make you rapid, if it’s set up bad it’s going to feel like a steel camel.

IS THIS BIKE MUCH DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU HAVE RIDDEN IN THE PAST?

It’s quite a bit different to my Iron Horse Sunday, which a rode for a lot of years. I decided to go for a longer bike for 2010 and I can really feel the benefits on the big World Cup courses.

YOU GOT ANY IDEA OF THE WEIGHT OF THIS BIKE?

It’s 37lbs.

DO YOU GO IN FOR TITANIUM BOLTS? IS THERE ANY TOP SECRET STUFF OR MODIFICATIONS ON THE BIKE?

Yeah I’m a bit of a sucker for ti bolts, I love them! I have them pretty much everywhere I can. The guys at Banshee have also been working on a proto ti axel to replace the Maxel, it’s real light and looks trick. My only other mod is a 12mm alloy spacer under my stem to bring the front end
up a little.

DID YOU GO THROUGH MANY PARTS? YOU MUST BUST SOME STUFF UP WITH ALL YOUR CRASHES!?

What you trying to say! The bike definitely takes a lot of stick but it just seems to take it what ever it hits.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE BIKE WHAT WOULD IT BE?

The colour, ha ha, our 2011 race bikes will look awesome.

WHAT OTHER BIKES DO YOU OWN APART FROM THIS?

I’ve got a Banshee Spitfire, Banshee Amp and my trusty Yamaha YZ250.

WHAT ABOUT 2011 THEN?

To stay on! I’ve been working on some stabilizers so they should help a lot, but seriously, I’m feeling good coming into this season and I’m expecting big things, it’s about time I did something, so watch this space!

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