Who is…

Braydon Bringhurst

Photos by Burst Media Creative

We first came across Braydon, aka Bikerbrayd, on the old Instagrams. He had a certain style and eye that caught our attention. It seemed almost weekly he had a new gap, jump or line popping up in our feed that was truly impressive. Since then we’ve been keeping track and have shared in his stoke as transforming from regular Joe college student/mountain biker to, dare we say, influencer… When we saw Braydon a couple months back he told us about an upcoming edit so we thought it’d be a great time to introduce him to those who haven’t heard his name just yet.

Name: Braydon S. Bringhurst | Age: 30 | Town: Boise, Idaho

TLW: Tell us a bit about the new edit?
Braydon Bringhurst: Simply put. The edit is about me riding my bike the way that I view mountain biking. It includes both the ups and the downs. I try and showcase mountain biking as I see it. This edit has every aspect of riding that I enjoy. It has fast flowy, chunky downhill, tech climbing, style and flow, quirky jibs, and it’s all backed with the message of giving back and building the sport. It’s not about me being better than anyone else or outdoing anyone with the craziest stuff. It’s simply about me riding my bike the way that I see it.

TLW: It seems like your edits aren’t just thrown together clips of you shredding. Is there a slightly deeper message or story that you try to tell?
BB: Yeah for sure! I try and make my edits have multiple layers of meaning. Riding my bike is something I use to influence my life for the better. I use it as a weekly or bi weekly reminder that I can set out to accomplish tough things and succeed. I try to embrace the climbs as much as I enjoy the descents. I think that’s important to keep in mind for life in general too. I hope to inspire people to keep moving forward no matter what lies in their way. That’s it.

TLW: How long do you typically take to come up with an idea to executing it and delivering a finalized edit?
BB: About three months to conceptualize, plan, practice, shoot, and edit a project that’s deliverable. I try and make my edits deliberate. Every shot means something or has a purpose. I try not to add stuff that’s cliche, empty, or has already been done before. Most people watching these edits have only seconds or minutes to watch. My current mindset for film making is to make sure my riding is properly executed with style and progression, make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing, and then convey a deeper message to give it more depth. It’s a whole process that I just can’t get enough of. I love it.

TLW: Is there typically a light bulb moment, or feature that inspires you?
BB: I’ve definitely had “lightbulb” moments throughout the process. As far as a feature inspiring me… most definitely. Before the actual days of shooting I typically ride the trail and scout for feature to implement in the edit. Once I pick out a handful of features I go to the drawing board and list out what and how I want to utilize them. It’s a pretty involved and thought out process. I love it though. I think that’s why Transcend was received so well. I put a ton of thought and energy into that and couldn’t be more grateful for how it turned out.

I feel super grateful to be able to have a company like Canyon that gives me the reigns and says “Dream Big!” I love it. It’s because of their support I feel like the sky is the limit with what I can make happen for both filming and riding.

TLW: What clip or feature were you most excited to dial for this shoot?
BB: I had three specific shots in mind that I’ve never seen done before. I had something planned that was extra saucy over the giant boulder but it was just too big to do what I had practiced and went there to do. I had to accept the fact all I’d be able to do was jump over it but I nailed the other two things. It’s nothing too crazy, it was just fun to incorporate a few things I’ve never seen in an edit before.

TLW: What move were you most nervous about?
BB: Most definitely the boulder jump. I went there a few weeks earlier and completely smoked my chain ring/cranks by not clearing it. I fortunately, was able to eject off the bike and come out of it in one piece. Second to that was the climb up steepest and slipperiest section of trail called Jacob’s Ladder. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it but I did.

TLW: Can you tell us about your film crew and the gear used?
BB: Simple… My wife and I. We shoot 15-20 weddings a year and that’s helped us to work really well together. She understands that sometimes the stuff I’m doing is going to take a good amount of attempts. It’s nice cause I feel very little pressure from her which is huge deal since the pressure is inherently there on the day of filming. My buddy Kevin Lillywhite came and hung out for moral support on this film as well. He’s just a really good friend and riding buddy who always keeps things light hearted.

Camera gear? Really simple as well. We shoot on a Panasonic GH5 with a metabones speed booster for a Sigma Art Lense 18-35mm f/1.8. We also use a canon 50mm for gimbal shots on the Zhiyun-Tech crane gimbal. Our drone is the Mavic Pro. Photos are on Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8.

TLW: Have you come up with your next idea/edit location yet?
BB: I haven’t let my mind go there yet. More than anything I want to make this edit the best I can and once that’s done, I’ll move onto the next project.

TLW: If you could pick one spot to go ride your bike what would it be?
BB: Park City, Utah

TLW: Burritos or Pizza?
BB: PIZZA all day every day. lol

TLW: Name two of your biggest inspirations in life. (One rider, one not)
BB: What!?! This is a hard question. Rider, Brandon Semenuk. Non Rider, Kobe Bryant.

TLW:How have you been dealing with the rising challenges of finding new ways to share your riding now that you’re “InstaFamous”?
BB: Hahah “InstaFamous”… Instagram’s so interesting. I really haven’t dealt with many challenges with it yet. A few people get mad at me for going off trail and that’s understandable. I honestly enjoy connecting with so many rad people. That’s how I got linked with you guys and a ton of other wonderful people. I try to keep my stuff biking related, positive, and focused on progression. I just hope I don’t cause people to feel less or create a sense of envy of the “success” I’m having on the bike. I can assure anyone that my biking skills and ability to create videos has come from an insane amount of energy and hard work. Some of my riding might come across like it was little effort but really…. it’s taken my whole life. I started riding bikes when I was 4 and now I’m 30. Haha tangent… Sorry!

Using social media has been a tool to give me a stage to share my skills. I’m very grateful for the exposure it’s given me. As great as Instagram has been for me I’m confident in what I’m developing, even if it vanished tomorrow. For now though, I’ll keep sharing the stoke and connecting with rad people.

Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule Braydon. We’re sure you’re busy trying to finish editing between studying for your Master’s Degree. We’re hoping to see an edit where you jump over the whole graduating class in nothing but a graduation cap in the near future!