# Bender on a short travel singlecrown...



## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

Got to ride with Jeff and Dan Haskin and Josh Bender at Bootleg, the day after Brent passed away. Jamie and I hadn't brought bikes, so Bender let me ride his big bike, and he rode his XC bike. Still, he is Bender, so even on the little bike, he was pinning it. Twenty feet later he landed like butter...


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

Very cool. Some of my buddies got to ride with Bender up at Blackrock last year. Pissed me off, I had decided not to go up there that day!


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

A XC bike with 2kg TAG wheels...


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

looks like an older fsr maybe.....with TAG wheels!


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## CaliforniaNicco (Oct 13, 2008)

the tag wheels got me.....wtf?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

sweet.....RIP BT


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

Josh was visiting with some mutual friends in Ashland last year. I got a pedal in with him. Nice guy, good rider.


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## azdog (Nov 16, 2004)

Uncle Cliffy said:


> Josh was visiting with some mutual friends in Ashland last year. I got a pedal in with him. Nice guy, good rider.


Definitely nice dude. This was at All Mountain last weekend. His bike was interesting but I'm not telling...


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## viciousdher (Dec 22, 2006)

canfield ?


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## doodooboi (Dec 29, 2006)

viciousdher said:


> canfield ?


Hmmm very warm!!!!


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

Whatever. According to the website, he's riding for ellsworth. Learn more about the rogue and it'll tell you! 

Course, up until about a month ago, ellsworth was also advertising the Dare as the team maxxis bike perfected by luke strobel cameron cole and whoever else was on team maxxis. 

You can tell ellsworth really puts alot of time and thought into their gravity bikes.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

they put alot of marketing into their gravity bikes.


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

William42 said:


> Whatever. According to the website, he's riding for ellsworth. Learn more about the rogue and it'll tell you!
> 
> Course, up until about a month ago, ellsworth was also advertising the Dare as the team maxxis bike perfected by luke strobel cameron cole and whoever else was on team maxxis.
> 
> You can tell ellsworth really puts alot of time and thought into their gravity bikes.


He's not on Ellsworth. That much I can tell you...

Yeah, team Maxxis is on Rocky mountain now. Nothing like out of date company websites. Makes you wonder... :skep:


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

I think this is Bender's broken Canfield

https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/2773/bender0026ds.jpg


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## Big Mike (Oct 26, 2005)

Sweet...

What's up w/ those wheels?

Man, I miss riding with you guys. I have to make time for a trip this summer...


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

tacubaya said:


> I think this is Bender's broken Canfield
> 
> https://img250.imageshack.us/img250/2773/bender0026ds.jpg


If that's his bike, he told us of all the frames he's got over the years that's the only one he ever paid for while being sponsored. He added that he would gladly buy another one if he needed to.


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## Bike Doc (Oct 2, 2007)

*Bender's XC Bike is ...*

an Ellsworth Rogue. Here is a shot of the man with the bikes. Second shot is of the Secret Weapon, a custom one-off that the Canfield Brothers built for him a few years back. It is designed around the Marzochhi Super Monster T fork. It is the only bike ever to be built with the head angle specific to this fork. Otherwise, it turns any other bike into a chopper, as it is so long. The Secret Weapon is the bike I got to ride at Boulder City on Thursday. Quite the sick machine. I took a few lines that I normally wouldn't take on my 7 Point, and it ate them all up in one gulp. At over 65 lbs, it wasn't that great of a pedaler though... (18 lb frame + 12 lb fork + burly parts...)


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## V.P. (Aug 26, 2007)

65 lbs??? maan, thats insane.


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## giffels (Oct 30, 2006)

Bike Doc said:


> Got to ride with Jeff and Dan Haskin and Josh Bender at Bootleg, the day after Brent passed away. Jamie and I hadn't brought bikes, so Bender let me ride his big bike, and he rode his XC bike. Still, he is Bender, so even on the little bike, he was pinning it. Twenty feet later he landed like butter...


landing like butter and bender dont go in the same sentence together....


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## Clutchman83 (Apr 16, 2006)

giffels said:


> landing like butter and bender dont go in the same sentence together....


Dammit you beat me too it!

I was gonna say I've never seen a butter landing and Bender in the same shot, ever.


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## saturnine (Mar 28, 2007)

there you have it. also the world's largest stick of butter.


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## Desert Pig (Dec 8, 2008)

I though Bender faded away after Super T. out did every jump he ever tried in Virgin on a bike with 5 inches less travel all in one day...or did he finally learn how to do a drop correctly.


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## dropmachine.com (Apr 8, 2004)

Actually, it was Wade that showed how its done. Just like he has for years.


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## Jim311 (Feb 7, 2006)

The Bender hate never fails to astonish me. As if any of the people who talk trash about the guy would ever attempt ANY of the stuff Bender did. It doesn't even matter if someone came along and attempted all of his stunts on an XC hardtail, they didn't do it when Bender was doing it... they did it years and years later when it was old news.


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## tmarkos (Jan 18, 2008)

I think there people who enjoy seeing someone go big, and there are people who enjoy style and finesse. He's a super cool guy, and he's one of a kind, that's for sure.


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## mariosjsk8 (Dec 2, 2007)

I guess I am not the only one doing downhill with a XC bike!
READ THIS HERE


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

Jim311 said:


> The Bender hate never fails to astonish me. As if any of the people who talk trash about the guy would ever attempt ANY of the stuff Bender did. It doesn't even matter if someone came along and attempted all of his stunts on an XC hardtail, they didn't do it when Bender was doing it... they did it years and years later when it was old news.


Agreed. I remember sliding NWD 1 in my VCR for the first time and being astonished... Pioneer for sure.


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## Iceman2058 (Mar 1, 2007)

mariosjsk8 said:


> I guess I am not the only one doing downhill with a XC bike!
> READ THIS HERE


When they said he was on his XC bike they meant that relatively speaking (Bender's normal rides have 10" of travel and weigh 65lbs...  ). The Ellsworth Rogue has 6-8" or travel in the rear - its a pretty heavy duty bike (if short of a full FR rig)...


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## Dangerous E (Mar 29, 2008)

Jim311 said:


> The Bender hate never fails to astonish me. As if any of the people who talk trash about the guy would ever attempt ANY of the stuff Bender did. It doesn't even matter if someone came along and attempted all of his stunts on an XC hardtail, they didn't do it when Bender was doing it... they did it years and years later when it was old news.


Well said. The guy was a true pioneer. Maybe a bit, uh, overconfident on a few of his bigger stunts, but a pioneer nonetheless. If he didn't have the balls to try some of that early stuff and get horribly broken, I don't think freerding would be where it is today.

Funny, you can't mention Bender's name a thread, no matter the subject, w/o it ultimately devolving in a "Bender sucks/No he doesn't" argument.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

haha id rather just see pics of his "secret weapon" and his rouge and pics/vid of him riding now rather than debate things he did years ago.


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

Here's a few pics of Bender. 
The first is Bender in Virgin on the Petrified drop, Crap pic but the one after is me on the same drop, better angle. It was his first ride on a Fomula 1, Chris's old Mister Hanky.


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

A few more.


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

And the goods.


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## saturnine (Mar 28, 2007)

sweeeet


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

saturnine said:


> sweeeet


+1 :thumbsup:


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## tmarkos (Jan 18, 2008)

romic is still in business?


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

Not sure but I haven't heard a peep from them in a couple years. Bender runs Marzochi.


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## Freerydejunky (Sep 21, 2006)

tmarkos said:


> romic is still in business?


Yes, they are.

Google search my friend.Here


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## Desert Pig (Dec 8, 2008)

dropmachine.com said:


> Actually, it was Wade that showed how its done. Just like he has for years.


Well, um no... I love Wade and still consider him as the overall best 'freerider' of all time....but there is video and still shot proof of Super T when he was with the Flowriders out doing all of Benders drops in Virgin in the same day..including his most infamous drop from Double Down that took him 4 months to land. Now I don't doubt Bender in the fact that he has more balls then anyone that even responds on this forum...save the actual pro from time to time....but as video viewers and consumers that like our music and food we rate on what we see and what we get....he isn't all that hot.

I've watched the guy from 2000 in videos and have yet to see him actually do anything remotely cool and ground breaking other then taking huge drops dressed in moto gear and wrecking hard..ooohhhh ahhhhh big deal..... but low and behold...here comes Tyler Klassen back in what... 2003 I think and do every drop in Virgin Bender ever attempted and land every single one butter smooth....

Sorry, but Bender is just a a circus act and nothing more. Hell dudes, I'll put on a Bear Suit and go huck 60 ft cliffs landing or not and out do Benders legacy...same damn thing....Oh yeah.... can't forget the Park City Drop...wow....Go Bender!!!


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## remember1453 (Aug 20, 2007)

:madman: 
what's with people like you?

Bender rides, and goes big. SO what if someone else does the same thing he does? He is a personality and he never kicked your grandmother so what's with the hate?

You guys sound like a bunch of high school girls gossipping, it's hilarious.



Desert Pig said:


> Well, um no... I love Wade and still consider him as the overall best 'freerider' of all time....but there is video and still shot proof of Super T when he was with the Flowriders out doing all of Benders drops in Virgin in the same day..including his most infamous drop from Double Down that took him 4 months to land. Now I don't doubt Bender in the fact that he has more balls then anyone that even responds on this forum...save the actual pro from time to time....but as video viewers and consumers that like our music and food we rate on what we see and what we get....he isn't all that hot.
> 
> I've watched the guy from 2000 in videos and have yet to see him actually do anything remotely cool and ground breaking other then taking huge drops dressed in moto gear and wrecking hard..ooohhhh ahhhhh big deal..... but low and behold...here comes Tyler Klassen back in what... 2003 I think and do every drop in Virgin Bender ever attempted and land every single one butter smooth....
> 
> Sorry, but Bender is just a a circus act and nothing more. Hell dudes, I'll put on a Bear Suit and go huck 60 ft cliffs landing or not and out do Benders legacy...same damn thing....Oh yeah.... can't forget the Park City Drop...wow....Go Bender!!!


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## Uncle Cliffy (Jul 7, 2006)

Desert Pig said:


> Well, um no... I love Wade and still consider him as the overall best 'freerider' of all time....but there is video and still shot proof of Super T when he was with the Flowriders out doing all of Benders drops in Virgin in the same day..including his most infamous drop from Double Down that took him 4 months to land. Now I don't doubt Bender in the fact that he has more balls then anyone that even responds on this forum...save the actual pro from time to time....but as video viewers and consumers that like our music and food we rate on what we see and what we get....he isn't all that hot.
> 
> I've watched the guy from 2000 in videos and have yet to see him actually do anything remotely cool and ground breaking other then taking huge drops dressed in moto gear and wrecking hard..ooohhhh ahhhhh big deal..... but low and behold...here comes Tyler Klassen back in what... 2003 I think and do every drop in Virgin Bender ever attempted and land every single one butter smooth....
> 
> Sorry, but Bender is just a a circus act and nothing more. Hell dudes, I'll put on a Bear Suit and go huck 60 ft cliffs landing or not and out do Benders legacy...same damn thing....Oh yeah.... can't forget the Park City Drop...wow....Go Bender!!!


Like I said. Pioneer. Nobody and I mean nobody threw themselves off cliffs like Bender in 2000. He was ahead of his time. Maybe not the smoothest, but a visionary. Klassen probably wouldn't have even found those lines if it wasn't for Josh.


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## Clutchman83 (Apr 16, 2006)

Uncle Cliffy said:


> Like I said. Pioneer. Nobody and I mean nobody threw themselves off cliffs like Bender in 2000. He was ahead of his time. Maybe not the smoothest, but a visionary. Klassen probably wouldn't have even found those lines if it wasn't for Josh.


Werd. Bender was never pretty but he definitely pushed the limits beyond anything others were attempting.

He is a pioneer. No reason to hate on someone for going out and doing it when others weren't (referring to you Desert Pig).


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## Desert Pig (Dec 8, 2008)

Uncle Cliffy said:


> Like I said. Pioneer. Nobody and I mean nobody threw themselves off cliffs like Bender in 2000. He was ahead of his time. Maybe not the smoothest, but a visionary. Klassen probably wouldn't have even found those lines if it wasn't for Josh.


Dude, Pioneer? Please... Let's rewind the clock to pre- 2000 and look at what was happening behind the cameras. There were quite a few Canadians doing stuff that far surpassed Bender (mostly in the fact they actually landed what they did), but because they were so unknown at the time, there was no distributed footage. Sort of like say a band you think is some new kick ass ground breaking music act..only to find out years later the scene and the barriers were already broken by unheard of underground bands..they just didn't have the recognition to get all the fame.

that brings us back to Bender. Back before Bender was the video hero of the so called ground breaking cliff drops, drops like that were being dropped, just didn't have the video footage of the time....

All I am saying is..I'm sure Bender is good guy, can probably ride better then anyone on here way including myself ...Just because he was the first to have big drop footage, doesn't mean he was the first to pioneer it...and if he was...couldn't Bender actually finally land one of his big drops? Really Cliffy...think about it... could Super T just take his line and land a big drop after big drop without ever having years of skill of doing that sort of stuff, yet the pioneer that Bender is still can't land it? I'm mean dude.... get a clue. Sorry to burst your nut, but Bender isn't any more of pioneer to freeride then Shawn Palmer is to the DH racing scene...just because you get media attention, doesn't mean you are worth the sh-it that they make you out to be.


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## remember1453 (Aug 20, 2007)

damn, you sure can type hate.



Desert Pig said:


> Dude, Pioneer? Please... Let's rewind the clock to pre- 2000 and look at what was happening behind the cameras. There were quite a few Canadians doing stuff that far surpassed Bender (mostly in the fact they actually landed what they did), but because they were so unknown at the time, there was no distributed footage. Sort of like say a band you think is some new kick ass ground breaking music act..only to find out years later the scene and the barriers were already broken by unheard of underground bands..they just didn't have the recognition to get all the fame.
> 
> that brings us back to Bender. Back before Bender was the video hero of the so called ground breaking cliff drops, drops like that were being dropped, just didn't have the video footage of the time....
> 
> All I am saying is..I'm sure Bender is good guy, can probably ride better then anyone on here way including myself ...Just because he was the first to have big drop footage, doesn't mean he was the first to pioneer it...and if he was...couldn't Bender actually finally land one of his big drops? Really Cliffy...think about it... could Super T just take his line and land a big drop after big drop without ever having years of skill of doing that sort of stuff, yet the pioneer that Bender is still can't land it? I'm mean dude.... get a clue. Sorry to burst your nut, but Bender isn't any more of pioneer to freeride then Shawn Palmer is to the DH racing scene...just because you get media attention, doesn't mean you are worth the sh-it that they make you out to be.


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## JonnyFLA (Aug 18, 2007)

He's my friend on myspace :blush:


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## sq225917 (Dec 28, 2008)

Desert pig, he shagged your girlfriend , right?


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## supercub (May 5, 2008)

this site is so full of stoke killing thread thrunts, Get a life, stop the hate.


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## rep_1969 (Mar 25, 2004)

remember1453 said:


> damn, you sure can type hate.


Haven't you noticed yet? DesertPIG types nothing but hate pretty much every time he gets on MTBR. :nono:


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

supercub said:


> this site is so full of stoke killing thread thrunts, Get a life, stop the hate.


:thumbsup:


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## KavuRider (Sep 22, 2004)

flymybike said:


> Here's a few pics of Bender.
> The first is Bender in Virgin on the Petrified drop, Crap pic but the one after is me on the same drop, better angle. It was his first ride on a Fomula 1, Chris's old Mister Hanky.


Dammit Lance...

Just when I had finally gotten over the fact that I'm never getting one of those bikes...you have to go and post more pics! 

I sold my Super Monster...but I'm tempted to get another one...in the off chance I can find a frame manufacturer who can build a frame for one.

I have the same Mate gourd


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

My brother just got a Super Monster and finished rebuilding his old "Big Fat Fatty Fat". I wish I had one for my BF3 but I went retro and used the Rissi Big Foot. Theres a few of our old frames out there that will fit a 12" fork but the owners are reluctant to part with them. Theres a nice fresh one in the UK (Gonch), one of the last we built, along with Benders. Looks nice hu. And a shot of our friend, James, doing his thing on the "War Machine".

I cracked my gourd, had to start a fresh one. It's just not the same after you get the thing seasoned.


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## KavuRider (Sep 22, 2004)

flymybike said:


> My brother just got a Super Monster and finished rebuilding his old "Big Fat Fatty Fat". I wish I had one for my BF3 but I went retro and used the Rissi Big Foot. Theres a few of our old frames out there that will fit a 12" fork but the owners are reluctant to part with them. Theres a nice fresh one in the UK (Gonch), one of the last we built, along with Benders. Looks nice hu. And a shot of our friend, James, doing his thing on the "War Machine".
> 
> I cracked my gourd, had to start a fresh one. It's just not the same after you get the thing seasoned.


I've seen a picture of James' bike, that's the one with an Avy MTN-10 up front, right?

I don't blame people, if I had one, I'd never let it go. I've seen your retro BF3, that thing is sick. The Big Foot was another fork I wanted, back in the day, but I wasn't too sure about Risse. I have a Champ that I'm less than impressed with. I really WANT to like it.

I tried my Super Monster on a few frames, including a Banshee Scream and my Karpiel Apocalypse - but, as you know, the height just totally ruined the handling. Also...I was reluctant to keep running a fork that big, long and heavy on an _aluminum_ frame. A local rider just snapped the front end off his aluminum bike, just went to pull up over a rock and it came off. Didn't crash fortunately 'cause he was going so slow, but I guess he was doing 35+ mph just a little bit before, so he's super lucky. 
I love the Super Monster when I had it. Felt good, all that travel. It ended up just sitting until I sold it to a kid in the Ukraine. Just couldn't put it to use.

I for one miss all these monster truck bikes. I'm not too stoked on the new "super light race bike" trend. I will say that one of the guys I ride with (doodooboi on here) is super stoked on his Jedi.

About the gourd - yeah, I hear that. I bought two for that reason. They take awhile to get properly "seasoned" as you said, but when they do, they rock! Most people I know aren't familiar with maté. I'll admit that the first time I was made aware of it was when I read an article on Bender in Bike many years ago.

A few pics (since we seem to be sharing!)

Banshee - Super Monster - this didn't work out so well. It scared whoever rode it. 









Next Experiment - Karpiel Apoc - Super Monster. This was better, but still handled like s***.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

OMFG!!!!! pics of supermonsterT on bikes that arnt an evilHT!


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## bigmike00 (Sep 6, 2007)

Ladies, ladies. Let go of each others hair.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

that white bike looks.....SICK!!!! and nobody can deny that! if i wanted a bike with a supamonstaT it would be that one.


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## flymybike (Jan 6, 2004)

tacubaya said:


> I think this is Bender's broken Canfield


That's old news but what doesn't Bender break? OK, maybe the tag wheels. He was the only one to date to break that rear so welded him a double thick one. I think it's Bender proof now.


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## Playdeep (Mar 18, 2005)

Yeah Doodooboi loves his Jedi. I spoke to him the other day. That white Fatty is sweet looking.


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