At his Rampage debut in 2019, Bienvenido "Bienve" A. Alba crashed shortly after the start when he attempted a front flip drop - a premature end for him. The Spaniard wanted to make the most of his second Rampage opportunity, come what may. And how he used it in 2023! The result: three awards and the fattest frontflip in the history of the Red Bull Rampage. We spoke to Bienvenido Alba about his bike, which he spun through the air for the superflip.
FREERIDE: Your bike looked pretty flashy. How close is your Rampage bigbike to the YT Tues that I can order on the internet?
Alba: The frame is as you can order it, of course I've screwed the parts from my sponsors Spank and Ergon onto it and the paintwork is, as you can imagine, not standard either. For the Rampage I take frame size S, because that makes it easier for me to do tricks.
How did the design come about?
YT surprised me with this. I had no idea about it until training for the Rampage. I really liked the design. Nice and flashy, a real eye-catcher. Of all the Rampage bikes - most of which had a special paint job - it was my favourite. Some looked downright bland against mine.
The photographers and filmmakers will have loved you with the strong colours in the current black trend.
Oh yes, the bike stood out in photos, but my matching clothes also made me a splash of colour. Especially when I was flying through the blue Utah sky.
Why do you ride a singlespeed bike?
That's safer. I don't need gears in the bike park or at the Red Bull Rampage. Singlespeed means less weight, less noise, fewer problems. You only want gears on a big bike if you're racing. With gears, the chain shudders way too much when I land after a motowhip or 360. Some of the Rampage riders agree with me, I'm not alone - many ride singlespeed.
I have seen a mudguard on your fork.
It's a sponsorship deal. I always have to ride it, but I don't mind. It's so light that I don't feel it and when I need it, I've got it. Pretty practical.
How do you tune your suspension?
I put in all the tokens that go in. 100 per cent tokens. Especially in the rear. It can also be 80 per cent in the fork. For the Rampage, I set the rebound as slow as possible. I actually turn it all the way up. I only leave the high-speed rebound open a little. Like the high-speed compression damping. Otherwise everything is closed. I definitely don't want to take off again after landing. I press 280 psi into the shock and 105 into the fork - super tight.
There is an air shock in the rear of your bike. Why is that?
With a steel spring damper, the rear sticks to the ground. This is great for racing and maximum speed. An air shock, on the other hand, wants to jump, take off and fly higher. I like an air shock much better for tricks and jumps. Even if you want to do everything with your bike - an air shock simply does it better.
You actually came from dirt jumping and had little to do with suspension. How did you familiarise yourself with it?
You're right, I had little idea at the beginning and found the setup difficult. How was I supposed to know? The motto for dirt jumping is: nice and hard! When in doubt, I made my fullys as firm as possible and dialled in a lot of rebound. I only learnt the finer points over time. Mainly thanks to my suspension sponsors. I did tests with the mechanics and experts from Fox and tried out a lot. Since "Proving Grounds 2019" at the latest, I've got the suspension set-up pretty well figured out. And back home in Bareclona, the guys in a shop help me with questions. It's called Doctor Racing Suspension.
Tyres play a major role in the Rampage. How do you go about it?
I use a Michelin combination of DH 22 and DH 34. I pump 2.5 bar into the tubeless tyres at the front and 2.7 bar at the rear to ensure that the tyres sit snugly. Because the last thing I want is a tyre that flexes too much on landing or even jumps off the rim. Because then it quickly becomes uncontrolled.
Special requests for the cockpit?
Oh yes. Although I'm a small guy, I like a wide handlebar: 790 millimetres for a lot of control. Very important: the grips. I like them thin and firm. That's why I ride the Ergon GFR1 screw-on grips.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
