WINNING BIKE: Kieran Bennett's Zerode G2 6

Talk to us about your bike.
Currently I'm on a 2014 Zerode G2 which is custom anodized in our Wideopen team colorway for this season. The build is basically the full range of parts from Wideopen Distributors here in NZ, Marzocchi 380 fork, Formula R0 brakes, Atomlab wheelset, Thompson bar and stem, SDG I Fly saddle and carbon post, Maxxis Minion tyres and ODI ruffian grips to finish it off.

Are you a gearbox fan? Do you feel there's a significant advantage over a bike with a normal derailleur?
The gearbox is definitely a pretty cool feature, I love the fact I have no derailleur to break off for a start, and the way the Zerode is designed, all of the weight is pretty central and low which makes it handle really well. I don't think gearbox bikes are going to take over the world any time soon, but I don't see them going away either.

Are you a bike nerd, particular about your set up?
Yeah, I am fairly picky with my setup but once I have it dialed in I don't tend to change it much during the year. I don't really ever change much to alter the geometry, I like the front end fairly low and will really only ever change a couple of clicks here and there on my suspension to suit the track.

How important is tire pressure for you?
That's another I'm particular about. 25psi front and 29psi rear. That doesn't really tend to ever change.

Not including the Zerode, what was your favorite bike over the years?
That would have to go to my white Iron Horse Sunday in 2008, I had that bike so dialed. Fitzy got me one of the best shocks I have ever ridden built for it and it was an all-around awesome bike. I had probably my best ever season that year.

Do you wish there were more gearbox bikes out there in the world?
I'm pretty easy. I like riding any kind of bikes so it doesn't worry me too much.

What do you do when you're not racing bikes?
Aside from working as a sheet metal fabricator I've recently got into surfing with my fellow World Cup has-been Matt Scoles and love getting my dirt bike out. Surfing has been a pretty refreshing change from a life that revolves around riding bikes.

Do you wish you were still out on the World Cup circuit?
I tend to get pretty bad FOMO [fear of missing out] watching the World Cups online during the season and the competitive side of me really misses the racing. But there is a rough side to the glamor of World Cup racing when you're a struggling privateer making no money that I don't miss. These days I just absolutely love riding and racing my bike and when I get a chance to race World Cup podium regulars like Blinky, Brook MacDonald and Cam Cole back here in NZ I still put 100% into trying to beat them.