The Infamous Duo
Issue 55 / Wed 22nd Aug, 2018
Isac Paddock gets up close and personal with one of the fastest riders on the planet and the man who keeps him rolling, John Hall. We find out about the relationship between the mechanic and the rider, and why it is so crucial to top level performance.
Aaron Gwin and his mechanic John Hall have worked together since early 2014. John Hall is the meticulous mechanic ensuring Aaron Gwin’s bike is set up for yet another unstoppable season. The man from The Black Hills of South Dakota has been winning races alongside Gwin since Pietermaritzburg in 2014, so his ability to wrench for the best is carved into rock.
He spent four years in the United States Marine Corp as a Humvee mechanic with 3rd Battalion 5th Marines. He completed one combat tour to Fallujah, Iraq maintaining convoy vehicles and serving as a machine gunner on the same convoys in his downtime. His next deployment sent him to numerous countries around the South Pacific training with foreign militaries. His experience in the military certainly prepared him to handle stressful situations with the calmness needed to get the job done efficiently and correctly.
It was while he was stationed in California that he found his love for The Golden State and decided to take up roots in Temecula. In the past 4 years the pair has secured 11 World Cup Wins and 22 podiums, they clearly work well together. We wanted to delve deeper and find out what makes these two guys perform this consistently and find out more about their friendship off the bike.
John
How did the Job come about with Aaron Gwin?
I had just started at a new bike shop in Temecula, CA and Rich Houseman happened to come in with a little bike work needed. I wasn’t actually living in Temecula yet so I ended up moving closer to help with my commute to work and the house I ended up renting was literally down the street from Rich, unbeknownst to me haha.
That led to me helping him out with his junior development programs with Trek and then Specialized as their mechanic whenever I could get a day off to help. There were lots of late nights in Rich’s garage during that time building bikes, prepping for races or just discussing the finer things in life. He was also working with Aaron helping him out with a few things so that's how we eventually met.
When Aaron was on Specialized at the end of 2013, beginning of 2014 they decided to restructure their program and bring it in-house. Rich Houseman threw my name in the hat to be Aaron’s mechanic without my knowledge. I knew he was up to something but he wouldn’t let on too much. Eric Carter and John Canepa made up the rest of the prospects.
I didn’t even know it but behind the scenes, Rich and Eric were vouching for me. To me, that meant everything to have guys of that calibre telling a company as big as Specialized that I was the dude. I still trip out over that, they're legends. Eventually, after a couple trial races with Aaron, he asked if I wanted to head to World Cups with him and wrench. I don’t think I even let him finish his question before I said yes.
That was in March of 2014 and a week or so later the job was mine and I immediately put my 2 weeks in at my job and cancelled all the classes I had just registered for in college to hit the road with the boys. Aaron and I still laugh at that timeframe. From the time he asked me to wrench for him to standing behind him in the start hut in South Africa and our first win together was probably around 4-5 weeks.
That included flying to Specialized HQ, signing contracts, being shown where all the parts are, building all the bikes and doing a team camp/team presentation...from scratch. It was trial by fire for me and I was kind of just thrown into the pit. I didn’t realize it at the time but that was probably for the better.
The team had some solid guys to mentor me along the way like Eric Carter always lending a word of advice. John Canepa filling me in on pit etiquette and how to approach our supporters for help. Monkdawg took his ENTIRE toolbox apart and told me the story about every tool at a Fontana race just so I could get a head start on building my box and told me if I ever needed anything he probably had it and to come to find him.
Aaron was always helping me along the way and guiding me in the right direction, telling me what to expect at each venue and how to go about things. I’ll always be thankful for that crew and proud of that first year on the circuit. Looking back now, what the team pulled off that year was a serious accomplishment with the amount of time we had to prepare a World Cup effort.
Prior to your career as a World Cup mechanic, you served in the Marine Corps, tell us more about this and what skills you transferred to your role as a mechanic?
I did one enlistment in the Marine Corps from 2005-2009 stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. I did one deployment to Fallujah, Iraq and one MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) to the South Pacific part of the world where we spent time training with foreign militaries in Australia, Philippines, Thailand and Korea while acting as what we as Marines like to call, the worlds 911 force. That pretty much means while we’re out and about we’re able to be in almost any part of the world within 24 hours to help with a crisis whether that be a humanitarian effort or a combat role.
The time I spent in the Marine Corps was short in comparison to other things I’ve done but it's had the largest impact on my life as a whole. It’s shaped who I am and how I approach everything I do. That's a direct result of my training and my experiences. Everything we do and train for is for real-world applications, everything we do has a purpose no matter how dumb it may seem at the time.
That was hard to grasp at first when you’re in boot camp running on 2 hours of sleep and cleaning your weapon at 3 am freezing your ass off. But what all of those experiences did was prepare us for the worst possible scenarios, because they can and do happen in high-stress combat environments. So when it comes to my World Cup preparation, whether it's my pre-race checklist or building a bike, I know I can handle any kind of scenario with calmness and efficiency. I
In my mind, that is the most important thing. No matter if its just a flat tire change between practice runs or a worst case scenario like a full frame swap before a race run, you have to move with a purpose, do it right the first time and do it the fastest you’ve ever done it and then send your rider down a World Cup track and confidently tell him that everything is PERFECT. That's what my time in the Marine Corps has given me, the confidence to stay calm, move fast and do it right the first time when it counts the most.
How would you describe your relationship with Aaron, of course, you have a personal friendship, how do you think it benefits the professional relationship you have?
Yeah, I think we have a good relationship. A personal friendship and a professional friendship is a fine balance. We know when we have to turn the professional switch on, put our head down, be serious and get to work and we know when to keep it light, fun and have a laugh. I think that's really important and to know those lines and boundaries.
We’ve got it figured out pretty darn good I think and the benefits show in the results. Nobody is gonna have much fun if you don’t get along. But overall we keep it light and fun, even in serious moments haha. In MSA one year it started BUCKETING rain in the start hut and he asked for spikes to be put on when the timing guy gave us the 5-minute warning. I went into overdrive to make it happen and here AG is making NASCAR pit sounds like the air guns they use to change their tires.
Things like that remind me that we’re just racing bikes and always have fun. Sometimes when I hit that overdrive mode I can get pretty serious and he knows how to keep me calm and efficient. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast right?
Not all mechanic/rider relationships share the same nationalities let alone same city, how does living close to Aaron benefit your work?
Definitely, this helps us a ton I believe. It gives us the benefit of keeping our mechanic/rider relationship consistent. He’s not working with one guy at home and another guy at the races and always having to explain what changes have been made and why. Plus I can keep all his training bikes fresh between races.
Another benefit is that Aaron being at the top of his game the way he is, he’s often chosen to develop, ride and test the latest prototype part from any one of our sponsors. So its beneficial for me to be there to install and maintain as well as pass feedback on to move the development process along a little more efficiently so he can focus on his training and what he needs to do in order to go fast. That's what its all about, helping him go as fast as he can and taking whatever I can off his plate so he can focus on that as much as he can.
Favourite tool in your box?
Ah yes, the infamous mechanic question haha. This is always changing for me as bikes and product advances. Everyone knows about all the T-handles and basic tools. Sometimes it’s not about what is necessarily my favourite tool, but which ones are a treat to use...even if its once or twice a year. Any tool that makes my life as a mechanic easier is my favourite one.
Right now its the Abbey Bike Tools modular press. That thing is a dream to use. They also just launched a chain tool that I’ve been testing for the last year or so that I really think mechanics will enjoy using. I also really like my Birzman pad spacing tool. I like to use that during my brake bleed process to really get the pads and brakes feeling good.
Advice to aspiring mechanics.
I get this question a lot as well. Honestly, you just have to make yourself available and visible as much as possible. Find neutral support jobs to work, show up to races and chat with teams and mechanics. Work in bike shops to get the wide array of experience needed. Stuff like that. There's no real roadway to being a professional mechanic. There's not one single mechanic that has the same story. So it really just boils down to hard work, persistence, a little bit of luck and being in the right place at the right time in front of the right people.
Do you think being a rider is crucial to your relationship with Aaron, Why?
Absolutely. That wasn’t apparent until we were having an issue with a part on the bike one time. I remember it wasn’t super serious but something that was annoying Aaron and I had done absolutely everything I could think of to remedy it and it just wasn’t working. Until we were back home and at Big Bear, we swapped bikes and I rode his. I immediately felt what it was that was annoying him. What that did was it made the issue personal and I was able to better understand his frustration and the need to fix the issue. I think I went home that night and found a solution.
Of course, athletes have career goals, do you have a career goal(s)?
I most definitely have goals and I’m always working towards those. It’s hard to single out specific ones because I think I’m a pretty dynamic person. I’m constantly adjusting to achieve them, create new ones or adjusting my current approach to achieve ones that I’ve had for a while. I heard a philosophy about this and it was “Micro speed, macro patience.” What that means is bust your butt every day to work towards your goals but be patient in the long run of things and trust that the work you’ve put in will pay off when it’s supposed to. I always try to be as prepared as I can be for anything I can think of as well so that when an opportunity presents itself I’m in a position to accept that opportunity and get the most out if.
We’ve heard you're now part of the media squids with your GoPro edits, what’s fuelled you to pursue further work at a World Cups?
Does that mean my application to the media squids has been accepted? But yes, GoPro approached me just as a fun side project to start gathering some content with Aaron from the World Cups. Kind of a behind the scenes thing, just based around what we do and what our days are like. It’s honestly been an eye-opening experience and really fun to do. I’ve literally never done any sort of editing or gathered content before. Just from watching our team media guys, Brock and Isac, I know there's more to this stuff than what meets the eye.
Honestly, I had no idea the amount of time and hours it takes to gather and edit content for a one minute clip! Let alone these 10-15 minute episodes these dudes crank out and deliver on the Monday after the race. So shout out to the unsung heroes that make up the entire media gang on the World Cup, those dudes put in some serious hours.
As far as what fuelled me to pursue more work at World Cups, that's just kind of who I am. I really enjoy my job and just working in general. So to add one more thing to my list of things to do isn’t really a big deal for me and actually a challenge. I’ve found that finding new challenges and pursuing those has been really fun for me. It’s what's fun about getting prototype parts and figuring out how to make them the best they can be by the time they’re released to the public. It’s just the challenge of learning something new and the process of getting better at it. Be patient and stay tuned, more GoPro edits to come as I get better at them!
Aaron
Introduce yourself, when did you start racing, where was your first race and what was the result?
My names Aaron, I've been riding mountain bikes for about 10 years now. My first race was in Fontana California, September of 2007, I raced pro class with my good friend Cody Warren and placed 3rd. The following January I started racing locally more regularly and by March I signed a 1-year contract to race for Yeti Cycles, the rest, as they say, is history. That first year was crazy!
How and why did you move from BMX > Moto > DH?
I didn't really move straight from one to the next, there were a few years in between each sport. The transition into downhill was really just a random thing that happened by chance. Cody and I were buddies at the time and he invited me to come ride with him for fun. I think we rode together maybe twice before he invited me to that Fontana race. I never even knew downhill racing was a professional sport until about a month before my first race.
How did your relationship with John Hall start, and when did it come around?
I started working with John in March of 2014 I believe. Rich Houseman and I had a Jr development team we were running for Specialized and Rich had hired John to be the mechanic about a year earlier. The Specialized factory team that I was riding for went through some changes at the end of 2013 and it left me looking for a new mechanic. John had been doing an awesome job with the kids so Rich and I basically just asked if he'd be willing to go to a local race with me in January as a sort of "test" race to see how we worked together. I'm not sure John really knew about that but he did an awesome job that weekend, we got along super well, and I asked if he wanted to start going to the World Cups with me a few months later.
What’s the benefits of having a full-time mechanic living only miles away from your home?
For me, it's a huge advantage. John is with me almost every time I get on my downhill bike. He drives shuttle for me so that I can get my runs in and we do a lot of testing so it allows us to be super efficient with our preparation as well as work closely with our sponsors on product feedback etc. It also just makes riding days a lot of fun since we've developed a great friendship through the years. I'm very thankful to have his help, there's nobody else I'd rather go racing with, he's the man.
The YT Mob saw you move away from some prolific brands that you worked with in the past and use some unproven products that are now proven, have you enjoyed the experience of developing products with brands like E13, TRP, Onza?
Yes, very much. It's been a really cool process working with the sponsors that we have now. It's also been super rewarding for the team, the brands, and myself. A lot of our sponsors had little to no World Cup experience so we were able to develop their products to the highest level of performance and then win World Cup races together. It's a lot of fun and we've really kind of grown together in a way. I'm stoked to be a part of it and I'm proud of what we've accomplished together in such a short period of time.
Why did you choose these brands when forming The YT Mob over pre-proven brands?
For me, I just believed that these brands really lined up well with my desires, goals, and all around approach to racing. I really believed that we could develop the best product together and have a great time doing it. It's been everything that I had hoped for and more.
We’re aware that you’ve never won world champs, this must be one of your only career goals left? Do you have any more goals?
For sure it is, I'd love to win world champs at least once before I retire. I feel like I've got plenty of years left to do it but I'm really hoping I can get it done this year in Switzerland. I've had some weird luck and situations unfold at Worlds in the past and the challenge of winning that race is getting more exciting every year. I'm also closing in on a couple of all-time world cup win records, which would be a great honour to achieve. I don't put too much focus on results, I just want to perform my best and hopefully, that leads to winning a lot more races.
You’ve been on the circuit for some years now, how have the bikes, tracks and sport developed?
Everything has changed, especially the bikes. The frame material, wheel size, geometry, sizing etc. have all changed immensely. I think the sport has become more professional as well. There are a lot of guys going fast and really dedicating their life to making a good living at racing downhill. It's been cool to see the sport progress; I'm excited to see how things continue these next few years.
Your life outside of DH looks hectic, BMX, motocross, fast cars, a new house, shifter karts, what would you be doing if you weren't a pro mountain biker?
That's a good question, I have no idea! Haha, thankfully, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing, I really do love my "job".
Would you like to add anything else?
Sure, here's some advice my dad used to tell me as a kid, "If you aim at nothing, you'll probably hit it". I've found that to be pretty true. If you've got a dream, goal, or ambition, go chase it. You'll never know unless you really try and I believe that everyone is capable of greatness in some way.
Videos
By Isac.Paddock
