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SETUPS: Sam Hulse

And his GT Conway

18 Jun 2019

Photos by James Holmes

Hailing from the quiet rural area of Scarisbrick, UK just outside of Southport (home of vert legend Simon Tabron) Sam Hulse might* just be the only 'Rope Access Technician' in BMX who hangs from Skyscrapers for a living, and also the only rider living with the combination of a partner, 3 dogs, a pet pig, and 10 chickens. He's been hooked up on GT since early 2015 but due to a bad head injury his welcome edit wasn't released until almost a year later. Sam has a story to tell about the serious after effects of that one (which we'll have for you later) but meantime we had a chat with that man who brings a whole other level of vertical to the mix, and we take a closer look at his current GT setup.

DIG: What have you been up to lately?

SAM: Lately I have been working on a few projects, one of which is an edit for GT bikes – I’ve been filming with James Holmes between Bristol and back home around the north west. The second project, which I have been wanting to do for some time now, but a lack of confidence on opening up with my own battle was holding me back, this is a short story helping to raise awareness of mental health and specifically post-concussion syndrome. I feel this is a big subject at the moment, but still not spoken open enough in BMX. (Editor's note: Look for that video and more from Sam about this important topic on DIG soon).

How’s life in Southport?

Life in Southport is very quiet for myself, as I ride street mainly and there is quite a lack of spots here I find myself traveling out most days to Liverpool or Manchester a lot.

What’s the scene like there these days?

Southport still has a small riding scene and there is a good skatepark here, but I meet up with the BNG BNG Manchester lads a lot.

Frame: Dan Conway GT signature 21.25 top tube

Fork: GT freestyle full chromoly

Bars: GT OG freestyle 4pc 9.125" rise, 29" wide

Stem: GT Elevated stem

Headset: 1_1/8" sealed integrated

Chain: KMC

Cranks: Wethepeople Legacy cranks 170mm

Tyres: GT LP-5 tyre

Sprocket: 25T alloy GT sproket

Pedals: GT resin platform

Seat: GT Faux Leather pivotal

MORE INFO

So why did you choose this particular bike setup then?

I chose the Dan Conway frame for its size, being just over 6ft I like a longer top tube than I would have got from the BK and most other GT frames.

I see it’s based largely on a stock complete, what have you changed to make it your own?

I didn't change much in all honesty, though it was a big change to my last setup – the free coaster and right hand cranks had to go in replacement of a left hand cassette and the brakes came straight off.

What’s the oldest part?

To be honest most of my bike is pretty new as I took a complete bike recently, but am still running my old 4 metal pegs.

Which part do you switch out the most?

I go through tyres the most, but I don't like to change my setup very often so keep hold of parts as long as I can.

Are you good at keeping this thing dialed?

In the past I was very sloppy at keeping on top of my bike, but in the past few years I have made a conscious effort to keep on top of it.