Kentucky shredder Brian “Sped” Hinkel may be best known for being the guy to drop in off the Louisville full pipe. He’s also on Metal bikes and recently invited Ride contributor Devon Denham to check out his latest setup for this bike check.
Name: Brian “Sped” Hinkel
Age: 23
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 165 lbs.
Location: Louisville, KY
Sponsors: Metal Bikes, Misled Clothing
All photos by Devon Denham.
Frame: Metal Rebel Contender, 21″
Fork: SNAFU Pickle Fork
Bars: Metal Sasquatch XLT
Stem: S&M Redneck XLT
Grips: Duo Bohan
Barends: Plastic Ones
Headset: Fly
Seatpost: Metal Pivotal
Seat: Metal Spade Pivotal
Cranks: Sanfu Mayweather
Sprocket: Failure, 28t
Chain: Odyssey Bluebird
Brakes: Diacomp
Cable: Odyssey
Brake Lever: Odyssey Monolever (Medium)
Front Tire: Primo Dirt Monster
Front Wheel: 36h Alex rim laced to Primo hub
Rear Tire: Odyssey Mike Aitken K-lyte
Rear Wheel: 36h Proper rim laced to We The People hub, 9t
Pedals: Shadow Conspiracy Ravager PC
Modifications/Other/Extras:
Shaved down brake lever, and grooved for one finger action. Grinded up dropouts for a shorter rear end.
Which parts do you go through the most?
Pedals and rims.
Describe your bike setup and how you like your bike to feel…
Fast, and smooth…That’s all I need.
What part are you most particular about or do you feel makes the biggest difference on your bike?
Definitely the tires, bars, and gear ratio. The tires must be knobby for heavy bowl roasting…The humming noise is a treat. I like the bars big and tall. I’m not a fan of slouching when I ride. Most importantly, the gear ratio. Feeling like a hamster in a tiny spinning wheel isn’t cool…my gear ratio must be on the heavy side. 28:9 is slightly off from my old setup of 28:8, which usually did the trick for me.
Do you remember your first “real” BMX bike?
Haro Nyquist Backtrail X3, haha! I was 13, and I thought I had it made at the time. I kept it looking prime on a daily basis by hosing her down. I thought I was on top of the world until it got stolen from me a week later from some punk kids. That didn’t stop me though.
