The Brake Magazine Podcast

Photography and capturing memories is a huge part of modern existence. We all do it, nearly daily for most of us. There is a huge difference between a snapshot and an image that takes you back to a moment, that evokes a memory and a feeling.Photography can also be an incredibly rewarding part of the process too, It complex, engrossing and the end product lasts a lifetime. In this podcast, our guest is Isaac Johnston, a professional outdoor, adventure and lifestyle photographer. His work is simple, clean and feels incredibly real. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Designing, developing and improving motorbike kit must be a thankless task. The kit I want vs what is possible often seems a million miles apart and the process of trying to get to where we as end users want our kit to be, must be tricky.This weeks guest is Rod Macintyre, a Senior Apparel Product Designer at REV'IT. Over the last few years we've seen some increasingly progressive designs and ideas coming from the Dutch brand, from award winning protection to the wild but incredibly functional Expedition H20 boot. I've been fortunate enough to use some of those products and fall in love with their approach.It's also sparked a conversation with REV'IT that led to this podcast, where we talk about how and why REV'IT approach product design, where the ideas come from and how they tackle the endless challenges from material science to sizing for a global market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For a really long time I've been lucky enough ride with people who are great at making and planning rides. While I spend most of my time worrying about the riding, the shots we're getting and how the bike I'm riding is working, planning the route hasn't been a priority.As I'm starting to explore the new area that I'm based in, I've realised I don't know anything. I'm a complete novice and it's tricky. In this episode we're breaking down all the elements of finding, prepping and planning your routes for your rides. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Right back at the beginning of season one of the podcast, before Covid and all the other jazz, I did a podcast about the choices motorcycle brands make and why they make them, with my friend Chris Northover. It was fascinating and allowed us to tackle some really tricky questions, the type of questions we've all sat around wondering.This podcast is a direct follow on from that, tackling the hurdles and challenges of producing a motorcycle from scratch. Our guest is Uli Ast, a member of the Product Design team at BMW Motorrad. In this episode we cover the who, what and why of the production process from developing the idea to arriving at an end product. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's podcast is returning to the subject of the internet and some its wisdom. We talk about one of the most regular comments I receive on videos, the new Harley and why it's so damn interesting and how it compares in every way to the new KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I'm a self-confessed suspension obsessive. I recognised my issue a few years back and have since learnt to ride around the problem but I'm a fettler at heart. I like understanding it and I like making my bike handle as best as it can.However, when it comes diving inside suspension, I'm no more clued up that the next person. Like most complex skills with layers to understand, suspension takes years of dedication and skill to develop an understanding of. The dozens of variables are overwhelming.Chris Hockey is one of those expert level suspension tuners. He's rare. With skill on the tools and skill on the bike, Chris has created a unique position where he can feel what the bike is doing and understand how that translates into the suspension. Over the years I've ridden dozens of his bikes and it has consistently impressed me that he he take something so mediocre and make it work so damn well. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Throughout the last 20 years Iraq and Afghanistan have had a rough time. War torn, broken and painted into our memories as places not to go. This week's guest, Billy Ward, decided that's exactly where he should go.Billy is a character full of larger than life stories that are not larger than his life. With his intrepid friend and filmmaker Claudio Von Planta of Long Way Up fame, the pair documented their trips into the war zone of Northern Iraq and Afghanistan. The podcast touches on that experience, on how a project like that comes together and why Billy chooses to go to extremes with his holiday choices. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The internet is full of wisdom. As a Youtube channel, I get literally thousands of comments a month asking for advice, feedback and telling me I'm wrong. Those topics vary massively but throughout some themes rise to to the top.In this episode we break down the regularly asked points, such as "What about bar risers?" and "That GS is a pig". It makes for interesting conversation and was mildly cathartic. This series is something I'd love to add in as a more regular feature so if you've got any questions and suggestions I'd love to hear them! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Whenever you sit down with a real engineer, I find you quickly realise just how little you know. This stands for most professions but in some areas these things stand out as a little more obvious but what catches me off guard about motorcycles is that quite often simple parts take a substantial amount of thought.To some degree, adventure bike protection is quite simple. You can make rudimental parts of out bent pipe and stick them together. However, the bigger your company gets, the more complex the process of both design and manufacturing gets. For me this has always been a fascinating conversation. A few years back I did an interview with part of the Ducati design team and this follows on from that. It's all about asking why and how! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dakar. It's easily one of the most closed off sporting events on the planet. By nature it's hard to get inside and the organisers, ASO keep everything close to their chest. To kick off the second season of the podcast we're going inside the Dakar with Chris Evans, one of the few British staff members on the race.His grasp of the French language and genial nature have allowed Chris rare access to the race over the last 25 years. I asked him literally everything I've wanted to know about the goings on of the Dakar, every question that was left over from '21 edition of the racer and more.For more Chris Evans and to go riding with him visit - https://sport-adv.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dylan Wickrama's story is an incredible one. Mid-way through travelling the world, Dylan decided he wanted to skirt the Darien Gap in a non-traditional way. He build a raft with his GS as the main driving force and sailed hundreds and hundreds of kilometres from Panama to Columbia. As well diving into his story, in this Episode we ask the question you all want to know; HOW? How do you build a raft from a GS. Does that work? Where does it not work?If you want to read or watch about Dylan's fantastic story you can do so on his website - https://www.ride2xplore.com/english/------This is the final episode of Season One of the Brake Magazine Podcast. If you want to listen to newer episodes come to the Brake Magazine Patreon Page - https://ww.patreon.com/brakemagazine See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When it comes to getting into dirt bike riding, whether you're fresh to riding or transitioning from Street & Adventure stye riding there is a ton to learn. Dirt bikes are fickle, flighty race derived machines that need some series learning to understand. For this episode we linked up with Hard Enduro legend Chris Birch to break down the lessons he feels are most important for you dirt bike journey.To learn from Chris visit - www.saynotoslow See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Riding from Sydney to London on a 3 speed, 110cc scooter will teach you a lot. Repeating the task in America will teach you even more. Nathan Millward bought a posty bike, threw a basket on the front and rode back to the UK from Australia, in regular clothes without anything fancy.He's made an art form out of travelling via the small, affordable route and he's a huge proponent of living within your means. However, there is a lot to be learnt about how to make that process survivable, enjoyable and reasonable. You can join Nathan for a weekend ride out in Devon on one of his collection of small, affordable adventure bikes.https://www.dorothysspeedshop.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There isn't much at this point that Simon Pavey doesn't know about Rallies. He's ridden a ton and started exactly where you are now; with no idea. We're currently blessed with more Rally events than has ever been, especially on main land Europe. They're some of the best value, most enjoyable rides your can do in a week long holiday and in this episode we pick Simon's brains about every single step of the process to get across the finish line.It's an awesome, fascinating episode of the podcast and hopefully leaves you with a bundle of great info. If you'd like to know more about Simon and his legendary training school, Off Road Skills head to the website below.https://www.offroadskills.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This weeks episode is all about enjoying, embracing and not getting eaten when out in the wilds of the world. Our guest is super nice guy, professional adventure photographer and outdoorsman Isaac Johnston. As a Montanan born and bred, Isaac has grown up exploring the wilderness on foot, by horse, by motorcycle and spends over 100 days a year in a tent. His speciality has become finding the fun in every situation, turning discomfort into enthusiasm and figuring out how to always enjoy your free time.If you want to see more of Isaac, his infectious enthusiasm and great story telling you can find him on his Instagram and Youtube channel.http://www.instagram.com/isaacsjonstonhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCStM5oS1pVNSqLvcqgWLCSg/featured See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris Wilthuis is highly experience and comfortable traveller. A full time tour guide, Chris has a comfort and fluidity when travelling that helps him drop into foreign cultures and environments with a liquid ease. We sat down to ask him how and why he helps clients and himself to break down the barriers and get the most from traveling the world. ---I sincerely apologise for the poor audio quality of this episode. We're not really sure what happened. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Dakar Rally is an event the captures the imagination like no other. It's unique, adventurous and a true test of mind and body. With so much enigma around the event we sat down with the Patsy Quick, a Dakar finisher herself and the owner of the Desert Rose Academy. As well as running schools and events, she provides race support and guidance for people who wish to compete in rallies, from small european events to major competitions such as the Dakar and Eco Africa Race. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There aren't many people who know more about teaching off-road motorcycling. Simon Pavey is the owner of the Legendary Off Road Skills school in South Wales, the same school that trained Ewan and Charley for Long Way Round. He's finished 8 Dakar Rallies, ridden all across the world and has spent 30 years teaching other people to ride better. We took a dive into what he thinks the common mistakes are and what you can do to improve. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We've all sat around with friends, or in front of our keyboards and spurted out "Why don't they just fix that?" It could be suspension, weight, or fuelling. In this episode we look at why certain things happen, why they're not fixed and why certain brands repeat the same traits. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lyndon Poskitt knows a lot about building bikes. Basil, his KTM 690 Rally converted to adventure bike is a thing of beauty. It's custom beyond belief, detailed and considered. After hundreds of thousands of km's testing, travelling and racing multiple rallies, Lyndon knows about bike building and more importantly, guiding others on what bikes to buy and how to make them fit for purpose. In this episode we look at what makes the right bike for you, what needs tweaking and what doesn't. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.