Interview: DEAD SAILOR - UK

Pete Wallwork - DEAD SAILOR, CORNWALL - UK

Can you explain how the idea for your store came to be?

Dead Sailor as an idea started life back in 2012 when I was working in another bike shop. I had the idea to brand the BMX side of the business separately and the owner, Fred, let me run with it. Five years later I had the opportunity to buy what I had created and jumped on it.

Can you tell us a bit about your personal history within BMX?

My BMX life had started out with sheer luck when I won a BMX off of Saturday morning TV. The thing was a piece of shit! But it got my parents to take me to the local race track and that’s where it all began. I’m currently having some of the best sessions of my life right now. We have an awesome crew of 30+ year old riders who are still always keen to hit some dirt.

Are you primarily a BMX shop?

Our store is 100% BMX! No bullshit.

Who’s on your team for Vans ‘The Circle’?

Casson Downing who just fucking shreds! Pegless, fast, high and loves a firecracker. He has recently been hooked up by Kink.

Tom Fitzsimmons is a tech street master, most of the stuff he does I don’t understand! Tom rides for Volume.

Jamie Skinner is a south west legend. Hardest working rider out there and he rides for the big man himself, Hoffman.

Isaac Lesser who rides for Mankind just kills everything. Burly street, tech quarter stuff, full x-games dirt run, Issac doesn’t care.

Aaron Wilson aka the Ginger Ninja is just 19 and has a super unique style of riding. Crazy fast and can put a no hander anywhere he wants. Aaron is hooked up by Fit

Who have you chosen to film the edit?

Martin Grainger is behind the lens for our edit and he kills it! Martin has filmed a lot with most of the crew so he was the perfect choice.

Has filming gone well?

Filming has been pretty tough as Cornwall lacks street spots and it’s miles away from pretty much everywhere! Most of the boys live along the other coast so we could only organise a single weekend trip for the edit. It worked well as we all love van life! Shout out to Vans & Scrans.

How’s your local BMX scene looking these days?

The local scene is sick these days! Being in Cornwall the towns and villages are spread out so it creates pockets of riders who all kill it in their own ways. We have a bunch of street guys who mainly ride the local plaza, and also a solid trails scene.

How does it compare to when you first opened your store?

I’ve seen a solid increase in older dudes getting back into riding in the last couple years, which is awesome. There are a lot of dads wanting to head to the skatepark with their kids and then finding the love!

Have you seen an increase in female riders and more diversity in general over recent years?

There has definitely been an increase in female riders too, and an increase in interest across the board. It’s awesome to see.

How important is a good BMX shop in supporting a local scene?

I think our store helps to bring the scene together by putting on jams, organising sessions and just providing somewhere for BMXers to come and hang.

Support your local. Pete at Mt. Hawke.

Do you think BMX has been more popular lately?

It feels like we’ve had a boom since lockdown ended, especially in the trails scene, which is sick.

What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had from a customer?

It’s Cornwall man, so every other request we get is weird. Only messing, Cornwall rules. I’d say every week we get asked how much a tattoo is or if we do haircuts. Must just look like the types, haha.