Ian Morris Bike Check

Dick 5

• January 11 2001
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Sponsors: Federal, Etnies, Nixon

Ian Morris has been a mainstay of the UK BMX scene for a solid decade. He now owns two different companies (Federal Bikes and Seventies Distribution), and he still finds time to travel the world riding his bike. Mark caught up with Ian at the Volume warehouse to talk about his bike set up and why he became a bike company owner.

Frame:Federal Nation
Forks: Federal
Stem: S&M Redneck with detangler tabs
Handlebars: T1 medium
Grips: Primo Pro Taj Signature
Bar Ends: Primo
Brake Lever: Dia Compe Tech 77
Brake: Dia Tech Hombre on the rear
Seat: Primo Hemorrhoid
Seatpost: Primo Rod with S&M Marvin Guts
Seatpost clamp: Primo
Rims: Sun
Hub: Primo in the rear
Cranks: Primo Powerbite, 175mm
Pedals: Primo
Tires: Primo V-Monster 2.1″ front, 1.95″ rear

What frame do you ride?
It’s the Federal Nation frame that I designed.

When you designed it, what were you going for?
It’s just a short frame because I’m a short guy. It has a short top tube and back end.

Did you try to make it really beefy?
No, not really. I just made it a plain frame. It has a wishbone top and bottom in the rear, and a gusset in the front.

What is the length of the top tube?
Twenty inches. We do a frame called the Extension as well, and it has a 20-1/2″ top tube. It’s basically the same frame, but with a half-inch longer front-end.

You aren’t a front brake guy?
No. I used to be, though.

What changed your mind?
I just couldn’t dial in the brakes. I’m thinking about putting one back on because we just built a new ramp in the warehouse at home.

Why the size difference with your tires?
I just prefer a bigger front tire. It’s better for nosepicks and stuff. You can do foot jams a lot easier.

What’s the deal with your front wheel?
It’s just a wheel I bought in Austalia because I folded a rim while I was out there.

Do you do anything special to your bike?
No, not really. I bend the lever a bit and I cut the bars down a bit. I cut the seatpost as well.

You’re involved in running two different businesses?
Yeah, Seventies Distribution is one. We import the hardcore brands from America like S&M, Hoffman, Volume, Demolition–basically all the good stuff. I run Federal Bikes as well.

What made you decide to start the businesses?
We started off doing Backyard mailorder. Stu Dawkins started it about ten years ago, and I joined him I think in ‘93 or ‘94. We slowly got into distribution by doing S&M Bikes, and we moved on. Basically as the business grew, we just got more and more brands.