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Jeremiah Boobar Interview | Endtroducing


There can’t be many people who can claim to have a pair of handlebars named after them, but Jeremiah Boobar is one of them. You might be thinking that the only reason for that is because he’s got the letters b, a, and r in his name, but to be honest we reckon he’d probably have had a product named after him even if his name was Mr Shit Product. The reason being that during the past decade he’s been an instrumental part of the renewed success of RockShox. Jeremiah has been involved at pretty much every level of the company from spannering for racers, to working with the world’s fastest riders in the development of cutting edge BlackBox products, and luckily for us lot he still seems to be coming up with great ideas. Anyway, here’s the endtroducing of a man who seems to have fork oil for blood…

Who is Jeremiah Boobar?
I don’t know. You should ask my mom, she’d probably know.
Where do you live?
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
What’s your job title?
Product Manager.
What do you do?
I help decide what products we will make and what features those products will have. I also help maintain products through their life cycle. I currently manage RockShox Vivid, BoXXer, Totem, Domain, Lyrik, Pike and Argyle.
What’s the best part of your job?
Riding.
How long have you worked for SRAM /RockShox?
Seven years with SRAM, and four years with RockShox prior to SRAM purchasing them.
How did you land the job?
Long story…I got the hook up through a good friend who had a job working in R&D for RockShox. For my high school senior thesis I wrote about RockShox and went to visit him. During my visit I got put to work building team forks (1994 Mag 21’s). For the next three summer breaks I worked at some races on the RockShox truck. That led to me getting hired full time and I started work just two days after my college graduation. First off I was a Race Tech, then I managed sponsorship for a bit, then I focused on BlackBox product only, then I started managing some products, and now I only manage products. This is the only full time job I’ve ever had.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Racking blueberries (it’s how low bush blueberries are harvested in Maine).
Where’s your favourite place?
Anywhere with good friends and no rain.
Where’s your favourite place to ride?
That’s a hard one because everywhere is good for one reason or another. Right now I’d have to say Whistler for my DH bike and Colorado Springs for my All–Mountain bike.
When are you happiest?
After a big day of riding when my stomach is full and I’m lounging around in the afternoon sun.
What makes you angry?
Queues at airports.
What makes you happy?
My girlfriend and two wheeled vehicles.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
What’s the use in having money if you can’t spend it on your friends.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given?
Under promise, over deliver.
What are your extravagances?
Clothes.
Who do you admire?
Anyone who can do things I can’t.
What’s the most important thing in your life?
Never having to cut coupons to buy food.
What would you never throw away?
A fajita.
What’s your greatest fear?
Having to cut coupons to buy food.
What was your luckiest escape?
I’m not very lucky, I always get caught or hurt. I must be just a display model, not made for outdoor use.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
Try and figure out how much longer I can stay in bed without being late.
What’s the last thing you do at night?
Slip into my old Steve Peat GT full length skin suit that I had feet sewed onto, curl up with my blanky, put my thumb in my mouth, and think about how great it would be to be Jake Peat.
What would be your dream meal?
For my dream meal the type of food isn’t as important as the service. During my dream meal I would not have to use my hands. Each bite would be gently placed into my mouth for me via a gold spoon or fork, and then while I’m chewing I would receive a relaxing scalp massage. At the conclusion of my meal I would be placed into Sam Hill’s hypobaric chamber for regeneration and skills development.
What things do you always carry with you?
A cell phone and a wallet. Those two things will pretty much get you out of any situation.
Do you have any regrets?
Having never really learnt another language.
What’s the most important lesson that you’ve learnt?
There’s always more work to do.
If you could have dinner with three famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?
Strong Bad, Gary Coleman and Julia Child.
Who is your favourite rider?
John Tomac. The man could do it all and well.
What’s your favourite bike product of all time?
Lock–On grips.
What’s your least favourite bike product of all time?
The front derailleur.
What’s your favourite motto or saying?
“It’s all ball bearings these days.”
What saying do you use too much?
“We should parking lot that concept, take it off–line to roundtable, and drill down into the minutia in order to mine that for informative nuggets.”
What bike are you riding at the moment?
Ibis Mojo SL and a Cove Shocker.
What was the last magazine you read?
Fast Company. Every month I read Fast Company, Inc., Dirt, Decline, Bike, Mountain Bike Action, Bicycling, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Dirt Rider, Transworld Motocross and Motocross Action.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I don’t listen to music, I make it. I’ve been told I have a voice like an angel. My voice is a combination of Fergie and Jesus.
What one thing would you change about yourself?
I would have bigger balls (figuratively not literally…literally having big balls would be inconvenient).
What are your weaknesses?
Sweet baked goods.
What does the future hold for you?
Hopefully more riding.
What does the future hold for mountain biking?
We will become comfortable in our own skin and truly define what it means to be a ‘mountain biker’, instead of being wannabe half–breeds of moto, BMX, road, snowboarding, skating and mountaineering.
How would you like to be remembered?
Sometimes it’s better not to be remembered (if you know what I mean?).

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