Welcome to episode 3 of the Steed Cycles Podcast. In this episode Sam chats to industry veteran Seb Kemp. Seb may still shred just as hard as anyone but he's also got a wealth of experience in all corners of the bike industry.
Born in the UK, Seb has travelled to and lived in all corners of the world and worked as a bike coach, a heli-biking guide, a journalist, in marketing/media and a whole bunch of other stuff. His résumé is as long as your arm, and you can bet he has a whole lot of unique perspectives and opinions to go along with it.
Seb Kemp: international man of mystery, bike nerd, nice guy.
Like many of us in the bike industry, Seb started his tenure in the industry as a teenager working in a humble bike shop back in the UK, doing 'not much work, talking about bikes and eating baked potatoes' according to the man himself. From there he moved around a whole lot seeing the world and riding in amazing places. He wrote for Dirt magazine and Bike Mag for a while when he was offered a job working for Santa Cruz Bicycles as Canadian rep until he ended up where he is today as global brand manager. He says that he never wanted to work 'in the industry' as such, but he could turn down such a great job working for a brand that he respects as much as he does.
Seb moved to the mountain bike mecca that is the North Shore over a decade ago and hasn't gone far since then. He now lives in Whistler and is on the board of Directors for WORCA (Whistler Off Road Cycling Association) as Director of Trails. His love for mountain biking very much extends into trail building, so much so that he considers the two one and the same for himself - time out digging trail gives him the same simple job that riding a bike brings. WORCA are currently facing similar challenges to the NSMBA in terms of funding, and one of the best ways you can help support the trails is by buying a trail membership. If you have a few spare dollars and plan on riding in Whistler (outside the bike park), I urge you to consider buying a membership and help sustain the incredible trails we're lucky to have such easy access to.
If there's one thing we can say for sure about Seb, he knows how to ride a bike.
Seb is crazy knowledgable and has a ton of insider knowledge within the bike industry. He's seen a ton of different trends and standards come and go - some useful, some not so useful, and some just poorly executed. He's ridden a stupid amount of bikes over the years and is a self-confessed bike nerd. Take a listen to episode 3 of the Steed podcast to see what Sam and Seb think on the age-old wheel size debate, their favourite and least favourite bike-related innovations, and just wax lyrical about how much they both love bikes of all types including retro and modern bikes alike. You can get the podcast either in the browser-based player below or on Spotify and iTunes. Simply search for Steed Cycles to find our channel. Thanks for listening and enjoy!
