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Its been a long time coming! Malcolm Peters is one of the most stylish BMX riders this country has seen and every time we see him ride, he throws down some of the biggest trick known to the BMX world. Finally we have a full blown feature on Malcolm where we chat to him about his BMX life, his style, his tricks, his trails and his goals – throw in a few sick pics and a steezy video clip as this is what we have, pure awesomeness!
Full Name: Malcolm Peters
Nickname: Moe
Age: 26
Hometown: Gordons Bay, Cape Town
Years riding: 10
Machine of Choice: BMX – SalvoBikeCo.
Sponsors: Monster Energy, Vans, SalvoBikeCo.
Give us a quick rundown of Malcolm Peters, how you got into BMX, what disciplines you enjoy most, etc?
I got my first BMX when I was 15, used it mostly for transport to school, then in the December holidays I went with my parents on a family holiday to Jeffrey’s Bay, I saw legend BMXer Matt McLeod doing Whips, Barspins and 540’s at the Skatepark there, after that moment I was hooked. I enjoy learning new tricks so Skateparks are my preferred place to ride.
We’ve seen you progress a lot this year, nailing bigger and better tricks. What has been one of the hardest tricks to learn and land cleanly every time?
Surprisingly enough, it’s the simple looking more tech tricks that were the hardest to learn, some of them being a 360 to Footjam and a Barsin to Footjam Whip on the deck of a mini ramp.
After learning them just over a month ago you are landing Frontflips constantly now. What was the hardest part of learning the Frontflip and have you got an advice for riders keen to learn them?
The hardest part for me was just going for the first one, it’s not that hard of a trick to do but you need to be confident with the forward rotation. My advice for anyone wanting to learn them is to pull up off the lip before you throw your body forward, pulling your brakes mid Frontflip helps with the rotation, and go lake jumping or hit a foampit first before trying it onto something solid.
When will we be seeing Frontflip variations from you?
I would definitely like to try Frontflip No-Handers. We are busy fixing up one of our jumps and making it bigger so that I can try send a few and see what happens.
“Well, when I’m trying new big tricks I like to think of boobs, I don’t know why but it seems to help me pull the trick”
What would you say is the biggest trick you have in your arsenal?
Would probably say Triple Whips. You need to go so high to do them and I’ve eaten the dirt a few times doing them.
What’s the next big trick or variation that you are working on?
Flip Double Whips is definitely something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately and I think 2013 is the year for it.
You have killed it in the park and dirt comps that have run this year. Which comp has been your favourite and why?
Definitely Ultimate X, mainly because it’s a Skatepark setup and I really love riding park even though there isn’t any Skateparks in Cape Town which is quite a bummer.
You ride both park and dirt. How much do you have to change up your style to adapt to each discipline?
I usually just try ride both the same way, do lots of tricks and try land smooth.
Do you ever change your bike setup to accommodate?
I ride the same bike setup for anything I ride.
Which one of the disciplines suits your style better?
Park riding probably suits me more because I like doing loads of tricks, but because of the lack of parks in Cape Town, I have no choice but to build my own park at the trails.
You have just finished building your new trails “Bel Aire” in Somerset West, Cape Town. How long have you been working on them and what’s the deal with the land?
The trails are just on public park land and I’ve been building there for about 6 + years, the trails have been there for over ten years now.
Explain the set-up you have at your trails?
There are 3 main lines, plus 2 separate trick jumps, the main top line links to all the other lines.
What do you still want to add to the trails?
At the moment I just want to focus on getting all the lines running well, it’s a bit hard as there are only 2 people that build there on a regular basis, and there are lots of jumps that need work.
Do you think you will hold any type of dirt comp there in the future?
We did do a Salvo Jam there a year or two ago. It was a huge success but there is a complex near the trails and some people weren’t too happy about it and made a big scene, so no more events will be held at the trails until further notice.
What other plans do you have for the trails?
We will be linking more of the lines together and make everything flow into one big ass line.
What upcoming comps are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to the Salvo dirt jam happening around August/October and Ghetto jam in December.
Do you have any plans to compete overseas or do a tour? If so what?
I have no plans to go overseas as of yet but if the opportunity arises then I’ll definitely take it.
What would be the ultimate comp that you’d like to compete in?
Dew Tour seems pretty mental.
What are your goals in the sport and where do you see it taking you?
I just want to progress as much as I possibly can and I’ll go wherever it takes me, I just want to have fun with it.
moe from Malcolm Peters on Vimeo.
What goes through your mind when you’re on the bike throwing down?
Well, when I’m trying new big tricks I like to think of boobs, I don’t know why but it seems to help me pull the trick, other than that I usually just think of landing smooth.
What is a day in the life of Malcolm Peters like and how often do you get to ride?
I work full time at a marketing agency called 360Eight Communications as a SEO Analyst, and I ride during the weekends only. I usually head up to the trails in the afternoon and meet up with Eric Palmer (Photographer/Filmer) and ride till the sun goes down.
Any shout outs?
A huge shout out to my parents for being my first sponsors [laughs] and supporting me at the comps, and also a huge thanks to all my sponsors namely Salvo Bike Co, Monster Energy and Vans, without them it would be much harder to do what I love doing.
Hit Malcolm up with a follow in Twitter and keep up with his BMX life.
Photos by Eric palmer
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