Wallride from Joe PerrizoThe quiet demeanor of Joe Perrizo can be misleading. It changes when he gets on his bike. When working out a new trick most people will work up to it. Maybe spend a little time on a soft trick jump or in a foam pit. Not the plan for Joe. During the best trick at Ranchstyle he decided to try his first double backflip. His first attempt was crazy close. (Watch the edit below for the clips) I got a chance to catch up with him and ask him a few questions about bikes and his plans for 2011...read the full interview below....

Joe enjoying a post ride beverage / pic by Chris C Olivier 

Age: 27

Where do you live: Spokane, Washington

What is your day job:  I work at a bike shop. I've been with Wheelsport South for over 10 years! I got hired on at 15 years old and I've been working there ever since. It's seasonal work so I've had many other jobs here and there, but when the weather gets nice I'm getting busy at the bike shop. 
 
How many years have you been riding:  I've been riding since the beginning of time. I used to just mess around with my buddies in the park. When I was about 11 or 12 years old I got into riding trials. When I was 16 Diamondback hooked me up with a dirt jump bike.  
 
What got you into riding: I grew up in an awesome neighborhood with a ginormous park nearby where my friends and I could play on our bikes. There was a large group of older kids, riding paramounts and bridgestones, that were always having fun on their bikes. They'd turn dirt piles into jumps and have huge sessions while my classmates had football practice across the way. Also, The streets all throughout the park were lined with giant boulders that they would hop on. It was an awesome scene back in the 90's. Everyone in the neighborhood rode bikes. I never stopped riding bikes.

Indain Air from mr. Perrizo / pic by Cory TepperWhat keeps you motivated to ride and progress:  I will never get bored on my bike because I'm always finding new stuff to do. I keep finding new tricks to do and different ways of doing them. Most of the time the tricks are the most dumb and ridiculous thing ever, but those dumb tricks make me happy. I really like to go big and trick huge jumps, but I can entertain myself in almost any environment. 
 
What is the best part of riding: You can ride wherever, however you want. I hop on my bike and just go wherever my wheels take me.
 
Any major changes in your bike and gear for 2011: Yes, I got a squishy bike! I've never had a squishy bike. I've always been on a hardtail and used to tell Kurt Sorge that suspension is for pussies, but really squishy bikes are pretty dope. My friends at Transition hooked me up with a Double. I've got it set up just like my hardtail. I like the Double because it's simple, light and very adjustable. I've still got my Atomlab Pimp 2 hardtail and I love both bikes the same. (Editors Note: Some asshole stole Joe's Double this week. So if you are in the Pacific Northwest and find someone trying to sell a yellow Double in a bag. Please let us or Joe know.) 
 
What do you hope to accomplish in 2011: I want to be on the podium with one of those big fake checks!
 
What event(s) are you looking forward to the most this year: Claymore looks rad. I hope to make it out.

The middle of flip number 2 in Joe's first Double flip attempt. / Image by Chris C Olivier

Favorite riding Spot(s):  We've got a place called Beacon Hill in Spokane that's an 80 some acre bike park. The city is down with our trails and my friend Alec just bought a bobcat so we're going to make some beautiful dirt jumps. Hillyard is my favorite skatepark in town. I can hit the snake run all day without getting bored. 

Favorite person(s) to ride with:  Skye Schillhammer. He's the coolest and he's always pumped up to ride. He's definately the most popular kid on the hill. One day he showed up with a gang of 12 kids. I asked them where thier bikes were and they said that they were just there to watch Skye.

Which do you prefer: contests or edits: I like contests because I get to see all my friends from all over the place and everyone feeds off each other. I like to make edits cause I've got creative control to do what I want. 

Do you ride with headphones? What do you listen to? : Jackson 5, Whitesnake, Led Zep, Hendrix, all sorts of stuff. Rock and roll groove and soul.

Sponsors: Atomlab,   Transition,   Smith,   GoPro

Any last words, thoughts or shout outs:  Huge thanks to the guys at Wheelsport, Mike Flaherty, Ben "Caveman" Tobin, All the boys at Transition, Jaymo at GoPro, El Davido, Peter Jantz, and everyone else I forgot.