What got you into riding in the first place?
I first started getting into riding way back in 1994 when my dad started to take me out on mellow xc rides, he bought me a orange 18 speed ccm, before i knew it i had destroyed that bike and then adopted my dads kuwahara rock dazur, I beat that bike down shortly after that and started getting really stoked on riding, I raced xc competivly for 5 years and then slowly lost the love for it and got more into just riding for myself and shredding on my bmx, dually bike or hardtail on any terrain.
Do you have any bike set-up secrets that you'd like to share with our readers? Any custom tweaks?
I run my bike pretty basic and stock. Nothing special at all I just try and keep it running which is my greatest struggle.
 What kind of new tricks are you working on that you haven't nailed yet?
I havent been really concentrating on learning any new tricks latley, just keeping style and flow throughout my riding. Theres definitly some tricks I would love to learn and definitely have some things I'm invisioning. Mainly there's lots of ideas where I want to build certain stunts that I have been dreaming of for a while. I really enjoy the alpine terrain and want to ride and build lines up in certain zones around BC. I just love being in the mountains and just wanna bring the new style of riding there, In some zones around B.C. the opportunities and lines are endless to do whatever you can creatively come up with. I have been riding more then ever this year, feeling good on the bike and just loving riding my bike. The last couple years I took alot of time off for injuries and to try and figure out my life, but I've come to the conclusion that biking is my life and I wanna stay away from working a real job as long as possible.
What are the first things that you think about when visualizing lines in a brand new section you haven't ridden before?
I just plot and analyze the best way of conquering it and if need be the best bail out. I usually try and think of the best way of riding it creatively and throwing some kind of trick or variation.
What else takes up your time besides riding?
I spend my extra time playing music with either my guitar or piano, writing and reading. I enjoying hopping on the skateboard now and then. Shawn Denny has been getting me into bouldering climbing which is really fun and takes alot of focus and strength. I'm always up for something new and exciting, I enjoy just being in the outdoors and enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspiration in many ways, watching certain riders or just dreaming and thinking of new things. I can watch people from all different sports to get inspired for mountain biking.
How does it feel to be the mainstay rider on DropIn? That series has taken you many places, any favourite memories? Any favourite spots?
Drop In has been a pretty amazing opportunity, I had no clue it would come to this, at the beginning we had no idea that it would even make it on TV. It has been good in many ways but tough also. It's hard to try and commit to Drop In and riding where we make no money. It has been a pretty amazing way to spent the last 3 summers of my life though. Also with Drop In we miss out on lots of opportunities with competitions and filming. I'm pretty excited this year to have a free summer and to capitalize on that kind of stuff. One of my favourite memories was the heli drop in Golden to river rafting. There have been so many good times and people that I have met through Drop In.
Do you feel that you are the spiritual guru of the DropIn Crew? You always seem so at peace with whatever environment you are thrown into.
I'm a pretty easy going guy in general. I can adapt to new locations and situations easily, and just open to anything. I try to bring positive chill vibes to the crew at all times too. I enjoys positive energy around me and for everyone to feel the same. If one person is down its easy for the rest to follow.
How has your life changed since DropIn, since you are obviously the most recognizable rider on the crew.
Things really haven't changed for me personally when I'm at home or with my friends, but when I go out I definitely meet people who enjoy the show. Its kinda funny when people approach me and something that I still havent gotten used too. I enjoys meeting people who like the show. I still have a hard time realizing that people are watching our show, I'm definitely stoked that it's getting the exposure and that people like it.
What are your thoughts on the Producers of Dropin (Mike and Tim).
Mike and Tim are great guys, they have put so much time into creating and producing Drop In. It no easy task and those boys have put it all on the line even though we have been struggling for support for years.
What do you think of Milkman and how his original film style has added to DropIn and the mountain bike scene in general.
Milkman has brought so much to the show with his original style, in the past the show was edited by the editors in Calgary, we would send them the tapes and they would put it together and make an episode on how they saw the footy, with the milkman he spent the whole 3rd season with us and had the best idea of anyone of how it really went and then he spent 4 months after the tour editing it with the best knowledge of how things went down. I have been impressed by this season and have enjoyed every episode so far.
Who was your favorite DropIn rider besides your self;)
My favourite Drop In rider is definitely Shawn Denny, he is my fav riding buddy and I just feel at ease chillin with him. We have been friends for almost 5 years now. It had been a couple years since we had ridden together until this past spring with Drop In in New Zealand. We had a rad time ripping and shredding together again. All the riders and crew that we have had in the past year have been awesome. Its amazing how many good people are involved in our sport.
 Who was the most inspirational guest on the show for you personally?
So many riders throughout the years have inspired me in many ways. I have always been into every aspect of riding , so there so many people that have inspired me in different ways. It inspires me seeing all the kids who watch Drop In and having them stoked on mtbing. One guy that inspired me from the beginning would be a guy named Ray Hyder who taught me a lot of stuff way back in the day. He really stoked me up to learn more of a technical side of riding.
In Season 3 you seem to be pushing the freeride aspect of your riding abilities. Will we see you entering a Red Bull Rampage contest in the future?
I have always loved the freeride aspect of riding, I have been trying to coax myself into doing the rampage for years, I have been invited the last couple years but things just didn't come together. Either I had no bike or I was injured or just didn't feel it. You have to go into the competitions with confidence and positive feelings. I have a hard time with the competition thing as I can get pretty nervous, but that's all part of it and once you get over that feeling it's great. This year it looks like I'll have time to do some comps, so I'm really looking forward to that.
Do you compete? How do you feel about competition?
I have done a handfull of competitions, I really wanna do more but I have a tendency to get too nervous, but I'm planning on hitting a few this year. They are the best way of pushing and progressing your riding and ripping and shredding kewl courses with your buddies. The new slopestyle aspect of mountain biking is really taking off right now and I definitley wanna get into those kind of comps.
Do you feel that your street riding is complementing your woods riding in any way?
I think that street riding has helped me in the way of dialing in technical skills. I have always been a mountain biker and always will be, but I enjoy doing street as it so accessible and right there. I have always been for keeping my bikes as 'mountain bike' as possible with front and back brakes and 26 inch wheels. I want my hardtail to be able to shred the mountains as well as the streets. I go through phases, where I'll just ride trails and freeride stuff, then change it up and ride some street, but I have only rode the street bike a handfull of times in the last couple months. I'm really liking my dually this year and have rode more then ever. Tons of trail riding out on Vancouver Island and up in Nelson and a couple trips to Whistler so far too.
 Ever feel that your glasses are holding you back while riding? Any advice for other "four eyes" out there?
Glasses are definitely a pain in the ass, the lack of peripheral is annoying but you get used to it. They tend to fall off at times too. My advice for other four eyed freaks is to get laser eye surgery, I would love to get it done if I had money and could afford it.
Out here in the East we see the scene changing by the year. More riders are getting the downhill/woods fever. Anything new and interesting happening out west?
Out west here there's a lot of awesome trail building going on. Every town has some big drop being built or epic single tracks. Many mountains are now littered with stunts and north shore style riding. I'm just so stoked on seeing the scene progress and all the kids and riders in general getting stoked. I'm stoked this year to see alot more girls getting into riding , I was up in whistler a couple weeks ago and was very happy to see the female presence.
Are we going to see you in any other films or vids in the upcoming future?
I'm definitely thinking of different video projects that I might be working on. I love the feeling of putting time into a section and seeing the finished piece. There are lots of lines I have been envisioning in my head that I wanna build in the mountain and alpine, It all takes time but I really wanna find a video project that I can put the time and effort into.
How are things going on the sponsorship front? Who has been helping you out lately?
I have been pretty chill on the sponsorship side of things. It would be pretty killer to have some dialed bikes, but I have been getting by this year pretty alright. Its tough to balance trying to get to comps and shooting photos and to have a real job. I just wanna keep riding and doing what I can to get by. If it's a sponsor or doing clinics or whatever I can do to stay on my bike and make a living . I'm super stoked on being part of the mountain bike scene for 10 years now and seeing it evolve so much. Bike riding has brought me to Sweden where I am at right now for the Are Mountain Festival. I finally got a chance to sit down quickly and answer some of these questions. I'm happy that biking has allowed me to be able to travel and enjoy life. Block 8 has helped me out tonnes, Idun, Manitou, Ridge, Atomlab, Adidas Eyewear.
For more info on Dylan check out Dropintv.com
Special thanks out to Mike Johansen, you the man!!!
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