Davi Birks. HKT & The Ride Companion.
Mountain biker, distributor and content creator. Davi is one of the Directors of HKT Products Ltd, a Sheffield based manufacturer of mountain bike accessories. He also co-founded TRC Media House with Olly Wilkins and hosts The Ride Companion podcast amongst a handful of other shows.
The HKT Podcast started out first as a platform to discuss all things mountain biking, new products, chat about what's happening in the industry, funny pub chat with a bike theme and discussions with riders. When the lockdown hit, the podcast evolved into an incredible resource for chat and connecting people in the industry as literally just that, a companion and network. It gave people something to look forward to and channel companionship through all things bikes. Since then the 'Lockdown Companion' has further evolved into 'The Ride Companion' Podcast and is a fantastic platform for connecting with bike industry news as well as interviews with pro's and key industry peeps.
Davi, you must be so proud of what this Podcast has become, tell us about what it means to you and others and why people should listen in:
Honestly, it means EVERYTHING to me. It’s been thousands of hours of work, more ups and downs than a UK cross country race but, it’s opened so many doors and I’ve met some of my closest friends through the podcast. I’m constantly blown away by the community that has evolved from the podcast and the best part is… it’s just getting started! You should listen if you like bikes. However, you should listen if you don’t like bikes too because we usually forget to talk about them.
Tell us what's new with HKT Products, key new brands and all things exciting for 2023:
“HKT has gone through a lot of changes over the last few years. We’ve actually gone from being a traditional distributor of other peoples brands to now manufacturing our own. I’ll not get into the politics of why we made this decision but I’m guessing most people might know that loyalty in most industries is hard to come by. So, we’re extremely proud to manufacture almost everything we sell in our very own factory in Sheffield, UK. We’re working on launching a range of 10% made in Sheffield hard parts. It’s super exciting!”
What bike/s you riding this year? I’m extremely lucky to have the support of Focus Bikes. So, I’m currently riding a Focus JAM (regular bike) and a Focus JAM2 (ebike).
We are based in Morzine and Les Gets, the global hub of the mtb community. Have you been? Plans to come this year? We hope so, tell us what you love about Morzine and Les Gets…I’ve actually only ever visited Les Gets for Crankworx a few years ago. I have plenty of friends in Morzine but the travel restrictions over the past few years haven’t made things easy. I’m hoping to get over and visit this year and see what these trails I’ve heard so much about are really like!
What are the major changes you'd make to DH racing if you could. Or suggestions to improve on the racing scene, from both a pro and consumer / fan perspective?
“Wow, this is a BIG question!! I’m a huge fan of the sport and downhill is currently undergoing a lot of changes right? The broadcast partner has changed and we’ve got Crankworx making more of a run at the downhill market. For me though as both a fan of the sport and an ‘industry’ guy I really want to see athletes being paid/supported better. It’s insane to me that the prize money at world level is what it is. These guys are quite literally the best in the world, they’re risking their life to put on a show and then barely make enough to cover a flight. These changes take years to implement and it won’t happen overnight but, seeing some kind of movement forwards I think would be an inspiration to the athletes competing”.
Favourite tracks on the World Cup circuit and why? Have you ever ridden Mont Chery?
I’ve never ridden a world cup track (I don’t think) but, it has to be Fort William. I know some of the riders are getting bored of it but, it has everything in my opinion. There’s so many variables on that course that it always makes for a great race, the finish arena when the race is happening is electrifying and it’s just stacked with history at that venue.
Feel free to give some unexpected news / info here about any exciting projects you are working on and how people in the industry can not only benefit from, but help and get involved.
“The best way to help is to send us money. Ideally cold hard cash or Bitcoin. At this point we’ll even take Iranian Rial. In all seriousness we’re doing some amazing things behind the scenes. We’ll hopefully be in our brand new podcast studio in April. We’re launching TRC Media House officially into the industry and we’re planning our annual Freedom Ride event too.
If you’re reading this and you have listened to the show already then you know how much we appreciate you. We’re a very welcoming community! “
Check out the HKT Podast here: https://www.lovemorzinelesgets.com/podcasts