Lewis Buchanan has been on the scene for many years. Like none other however has he managed to shift his career across the disciplines. From DH world cups to EWS racing, from Red Bull Hardline to creating a YouTube channel, Lewis did it all!

As far as riders goes, Lewis Buchanan is one of the most versatile and skilled bike riders in the world. A Tweed Valley local that found his way up to podiums on DH races, Enduro World Series events and keeps your eyes (and that of 30k other subscribers on YouTube) locked on his riding adventures. The only rider to have cojones big enough to tackle the RedBull Hardline course on his Enduro bike and to pull the plug on racing the EWS mid season. We managed to sit him down for an interview, read and enjoy! 

So, for those that don't know, who is Lewis? My name is Lewis Buchanan, I am 29 years old and a Professional MTB Rider from Scotland. I have been riding since I was around 10 years old and turned professional when I was 16, so I have been at it for quite some time. I ride for Norco bicycles, DHaRCO, PNW, TRP, Ride Concepts, DVO, NS Billet, Maxxis, Enve Composites.

How's life treating you these days?

Life has been awesome, I have been doing exactly what I love which is riding my bike in cool ass locations and have also just taken a month off to spend some time in Canada chilling, but I have still been working hard on some new brand deals for 2023-2024.

You've been riding and racing on two wheels for quite some time now. Tell us about how you got started? 

Yeah so I started racing when I was 11 years old, before that my good friend Robbie already was riding and suggested that I give it a go as it was super fun. I did exactly that and I was hooked on the enjoyment it gave me. It just snowballed from there and turning pro all happened really quickly and at such a young age.

When did you start racing Enduro and was it hard to adapt coming from a DH background? 

I started racing enduro in 2016. I wanted a change from WC DH and a new motivation and felt like if I could find that then it would relight the fire to be committed and I could get back to being super competitive. It was a bold move but I worked super hard in the off season in 2016 and came out swinging at any Enduro race I did from Scottish/National events to EWS and was certainly a cool thing to feel. The training for enduro is more intense and requires a lot more commitment and time, but it really gave me good discipline and a strong head.

Over time you had plenty of misfortune with injuries. Which injuries did you have and how did they shape you as a rider and person?

I have had my fair share indeed. I have had broken wrists, dislocated shoulder, broken ankle, broken leg, broken coccyx but those were just little bumps in the road compared to the injury I got in 2016. 

What happened then?

I was doing a photoshoot when I fell and broke my elbow. It was a nasty compound fracture (the bone was sticking out my arm!) and it kept me off the bike for around 9 months I think. I got told I would probably not return to world level competition again by my surgeon. That’s incredibly hard to hear as a pro rider.I got addicted to the pain meds and honestly was very depressed throughout the healing process. It was a dark time but somehow managed to get back on the path. I worked super hard on my rehab and strength to get it back to normal but I was just never able to get it back to 100%. To this day I still can’t straighten my left arm fully.

How does that affect your riding these days?

I had to totally change up my cockpit set up (bar height/fork steerer height/stem length/stack height etc). But now it's a completely natural feeling for me, and I just roll with it. It's how you bounce back from it that really matters and being able to continue on without it affecting you mentally.. I have been through a lot of adversity but it has honestly shaped me to be mentally strong and just accept that it's part of what I do and I accept that sometimes you get hurt.

Your ankles took a pretty big beating in 2021, did you manage to recover over last winter? 

Yeah so when I competed in Red Bull Hardline, I cased a few jumps during practice and also had a nasty crash which broke my coccyx and also smashed my ankles on some rocks. I struggled to walk during that event and even months after the event. I never did get them checked out but I think it was just deep bruising, so I recovered over the winter by taking plenty of rest. They’re good to go again now! 

You worked together with a lot of brands before settling with Norco last year, how did that deal come about? 

Yeah I feel like sometimes you have to try different things before you feel like you land with a brand/company that you feel super comfy with. Norco for me has been awesome and they have been chill to work with and really stoked on me and my riding and content. We began discussions towards the tail end of 2020 and I think my transition from racing full time, to being more about creating content and doing the odd race was appealing to them and it just worked out. We signed a 1 year deal and then at the end of 2020 I resigned with them till the end of 2023.

Besides the regular racing in the EWS you started to push your YouTube content more and more. When did you start filming for YouTube and what was that like?

I made a little push at the Youtube game in 2020. I saw it as a cool opportunity to share my experience when I signed with Forbidden in 2020 and it honestly paid off. It worked out amazing and I know I did such a good job at marketing that bike and people loved the behind the scenes and it kind of blew up honestly. Since then I have applied much the same attitude towards my relationship with Norco and I share my experiences wherever I go.

Currently you have a more than decent following of over 30k subscribers, that didn't appear out of nowhere. How did you build the following? 

In the end it’s the same way you get race results. Just plain old hard work. Create video’s regularly, stay original and make the quality as good as you can get. Modern camera’s really make life a lot easier with this though! For me the Youtube platform is not a money maker, but it is pretty handy as far as reaching a particular audience and it's a cool way to connect with people. I do bring in a little revenue from it but I don’t rely on it and I mainly make the videos because I enjoy it. It’s great to share an insight in my life and I like the editing and creating part of it too. 

One of the most disappointing things for me personally this year was to not see your name on the Red Bull Hardline Riders list. After killing it in 2021 on your enduro bike, I was keen to see what you'd be able to pull off on a big bike. How come you weren't on the list? 

Yeah I wish I knew haha! I didn’t get an invite and I don’t really know what went on. Personally I feel like I deserved to be there after last year and I even covered the whole experience on YouTube too. This year it looked like there was a stacked field, but there were people taking part this year that didn’t even manage to finish last year's event. I even heard that someone got an invite, showed up, walked the track and chose to head home as it was a bit much. I don’t want to be sour about it, but it didn’t make much sense. I would love to be in it next year and hopefully all the dots line up and I can be there.

What was it like tackling that course on such an underpowered bike? It was challenging but the bike was really capable. I had 170mm in the rear and a big DH fork up front. I would have liked at least 200mm in the rear but I was pressed with time and couldn’t sort out a DH bike before the event. So I just stuck a big double crown fork on the front and off I went! I actually never even got to ride the bike until the first practice day at Hardline…which is rather gnarly to think of haha.

Being the extreme allround rider you are, from Hardline to DH world cup to EWS is there a chance we'll ever see you doing an XCO race? 

I can confidently say I will never compete in an XCO event haha. It is not my cup of tea.

In one of the video’s of your trip to the Redbull Rampage site, you mention you have a fear of heights. How does that work out in a place like Utah? 

I am terrified of heights, but once I am on my bike I feel more comfy. I definitely overcame some fears out there and when I go back I know I will be even more comfy!

How do you deal with fear in general? 

I don’t really know how to deal with it. I think being nervous is a good thing and having some fear is good. It shows you care and I guess it is kind of thrilling and gives you a good buzz. When you push the envelope it’s just part of the experience. I just go with it now and let it flow these days haha.

The whole mental game of being a pro rider can be tricky. Between training hard, race pressure and pleasing sponsors, it must be hard to keep enjoying riding bikes. This summer we saw you pull out of the Whistler EWS for just that reason. How do you look back at that decision? 

That was a huge moment in my career for me honestly. I got half way through practice but I felt so fatigued mentally and I was not enjoying the stages. The physical/mental demand that it takes these days to race at EWS level is incredible and my heart was just not in it. I don’t really enjoy the Enduro racing anymore and I think it is really hard to get any good marketing or content out of the EWS unless you are winning or on the podium every weekend. So I made the choice to pull out of the race and not do the remaining events towards the tail end of the year. Instead I went to the US and did a project with Enve and met the whole crew and then went to Utah to film some YouTube stuff and that worked out much better. You might see me at an E-EWS but I am certain you won’t see me at any EWS in 2023.

You've created some great YouTube content after that, riding with Remy (Metallier) and visiting the Rampage site. Besides the YT content, are you working on something bigger like a video part of sorts?

That has been all super fun and I will continue to do that. Remy is a really good friend and we chat a lot over the phone about ideas and sponsorship stuff and just bouncing ideas back and forth and the dude is someone I take a lot of inspiration from. In 2023 I am planning on a video project and it is going to be a huge focus of mine so stay tuned for that!

The first thing that came to mind when you mentioned you went to Utah for a shoot, was Rampage. Are you secretly training for Rampage? I am not , it was a work related trip for a project and some extra content. Hardline is one thing, but when I was at the Rampage site it was crystal clear that that event is of a whole new level! 

If you receive an invite would you go? 

I would, but to get into Rampage is another thing. It is really tough and besides big mountain skills you need a big bag of tricks too. So much has to line up and I am humble enough to say I am nowhere near that yet…but hey in the future never say never.

What was it like seeing the terrain up close and finding your way on the bike yourself? 

It was insane, I have so much respect for the locals there and what they ride and the guys that compete in Rampage. It is completely different to anything at home, the terrain is loose and the exposure is dangerous but the features and lines are so fun. I will for sure be back next year to do some bigger stuff! 

We're entering the 'off season' right now. What do you have planned in the next few months? 

I have some cool content planned for my new Norco Range VLT E-bike. I am stoked to share my experience on that and get up to some antics on that. I am going to get a DH bike built and spend a lot of time on that and riding across the UK on that. I will be doing a lot of planning also for 2023 as far as trips to new locations.  

Do you have any tips for up and coming racers or wannabe YouTubers? 

I think it’s Important to focus on what is fun for you and what you personally think you are good at doing. If you enjoy whatever it may be…racing or creating YouTube content, then put all your efforts into them. Nothing happens over night but persistence/consistency and hard work will pay off. I think I spent maybe too long listening to what other people wanted or thought I should do and I never listened to myself or what I really truly enjoyed doing, but that’s part of learning and I know I have landed in a position that I am super happy with and doing.

Is there anything else you'd like to say / share?

Thanks for hitting me up to do this interview and I am stoked that I am able to share some of my experiences and thoughts on certain things.

Cheers Lewis!

If you want to stay updated on his antics, give him a follow on https://www.youtube.com/c/LewisBuchanan https://www.instagram.com/lewbuchanan/

 

By IMB

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