NAME? Sam Bryant

OCCUPATION? Bike mechanic, semi professional alcoholic. Aversion rider.

AFFILIATION TO THE SHOE INDUSTRY? I wear trainers every day of my life? I was getting flow from Nike 6.0 for a while. But then, i guess, they changed team mangers and they stopped coming! Also we sell trainers at the shop where I work (Deens Garage)

WHAT SHOES ARE YOU GONNA WEAR/HAVE YOU WARN TODAY? I've been wearing 6.0s all day. The maverick shoe i think.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NIKE IN BMX? I think that Nike is very mainstream and possibly in BMX for the wrong reasons, like they have an amazing team with amazing riders but there relying on their name too much. They will sell because they're Nikes not because they're good for riding in or particularly hard wearing. It's probably the same in the Skate industry with the SBs (Nikes skate initiative). I spoke with the UK manager a while ago and he was explaining that they were trying to support the up and coming riders but there's no UK website at all and the UK team (at the time) isn't even mentioned on the US site. They've done 1 BMX trip for the UK team and, it appears, nothing has been done for ANY of the other 6.0 sports that Nike 'support' with the exception of one UK mountain bike rider. I feel like they are trying to help but people are gonna be bitter because its Nike. There's only a few BMX shoe companies out there and none of them seem to be doing too much in. Etnies has made a couple of videos and sponsored some events but there BMX range is minimal. Because the ranges are so limited Everyones gonna end up wearing skate trainers anyway.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NIKE ETHICALLY? Nike is a corporation who is in their business for the money so of course they'll cut corners where they can. I don't think that there was any specific thought about the 6.0 line from the suits sat round the table. Im rambling, I cant logically answer that question because I have no idea how much they pay there staff and factory workers. I'm sure they DONT pay these people enough money. At the end of the day all there profits probably go into greedy mouthed peoples wallets. Look at the Jordan range they must have tens of millions of those shoes and made obscene amounts of money. If they did that with the 6.0 line and hired someone like Dave Mirra or Spinner and gave them signature shoes All the kids would break their necks trying to get a pair. But I'm sure given how long Nike has been around they must have some kind of ethics or they would have gone out of business years ago. I don't actually care though, it doesn't affect me any way at all if I don't have to see it. I dont know how any of the shoes are made, including Etnies, Orchid or any of the BMX specific companies. I've never seen the STI lab, it sounds like a sexually transmitted disease clinic. I don't want some dude with herpes making my trainers!! *

DO YOU FEEL MULTI BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES HAVE A PLACE IN BMX? We weren't doing so bad without them and nothing seems to have changed since they got involved. But then why is there such a problem (with Nike) if nothing has changed anyway? If they have made no impact why do people care? if they were doing it for (in my opinion) the right reasons and got the right people on board they could do really well out of BMX. if people believe that there just trying to make a quick buck then people are just gonna be pissed about it. It seems to a lot of people Im sure that they just thought 'Fuck it this BMX thing is getting big lets jump on the bandwagon. I'm sure the riders that ride for them get paid real well to ride their shoes.

WHAT DID NIKE DO (IN YOUR OPINION) TO MAKE YOU WEAR THEM? Gave me free fucking shoes! Nah, I used to wear Orchid duvals , they were the best trainers ever until they stopped making them. Then I guess someone at Nike saw the web video for the 4down contest (Sam won the 4down sponsor me for a year contest in 2006/7) and they offered to send me some trainers. I guess they just wanted feedback from riders at the time and so they sent me some shoes and I sent them some feedback. They sent me 20 or so pairs of 6.0s. I wouldn't actually go and buy them but they were free so I wear them as I still have a few pairs left.

DO YOU HAVE ANY LAST WORDS ON THE SUBJECT? I think that IF Nike are doing it for the right reasons which they haven't really tried to show too much then hating a shoe company is retarded, they're a MULTI billion dollar company and probably couldn't give a fuck how you feel about them. At the end of the day they wouldn't listen to your opinion anyway. If everybody stopped buying the shoes then they'd probably drop the program but there's too many little scene kids in there sisters jeans that wanna fit in.

* The STI lab is NOT a sexual health clinic.