My first bike was Merida hardtail.

The steel frame cracked in several places, and I snapped several bottom brackets.
I do not think we were quick enough to get a photo before it was in the shed.

This was my Diamondback Dual E Pro. (1994)

This Diamondback Dual E Pro had to be specially ordered in by my local bike shop. It was on this bike that I won the Australian Open Mens Dual Slalom Championship while I was still a Sub Junior at 15 years of age. (Photo: Dad)

Sunn Dual Bike. (1995)

My first sponsor, Paul King, of Rapid Descent Body Armour, procured this bike for me to ride in the Australian National Series during 1998. The bike was very light with a basic set of forks and simple rear triangle giving about 5 inches of travel on the back. (Photos: Dad)

Avanti Moto Pro Bike.(1996)

This was a european Cyclepro bike rebadged. It featured a welded aluminium tube frame and a radically (for the time) raked head angle. This was a heavy bike that had to be manhandled to get the performance. It really built up my leg muscles though. (Photo: Dad)

Ohlins Shock on the Avanti Moto Pro.

I have seen the same shock on a Harley Davidson Motorbike. I had a number of custom springs built to give greater setup choices. The name "Stomper" was given because I rode flat pedals at the World DH Championships in Chateau D'Oex, Switzerland in 1997. This bike was stolen in Mt St Anne, Canada in 1998. (Photo: Dad)

Rear End of the Avanti Moto Pro.

The thick Hope discs were needed to stop the momentum, due to the weight of the bike. (Photo: Dad)

Yeti Bikes

I had a generous collection of Yeti bikes including the DH9, AS-R, AS-X.and the ARC. (Photo: Dad)

The Black Yeti DH 9.

I did have a DH 8 with the pull shock, but this DH 9 was bullet proof. It had all the top components that you would expect in a purpose built, hand made, no expense spared bike. (Photo: Dad)

The Iron Horse SGS Team Bike.

This was not some special project prototype.

This was a stock bike just like you can buy at any bicycle shop.

And I won the 2003 World Cup Series Championship on this bike.

Photo by Shawn Spomer at 164 Productions

The Santa Cruz Nomad.

The tool of choice for the Four Cross and Dual Slalom. The Nomad is light and nimble with the geometry set to soak up the bumps and jumps. This was my 2006 4X bike. (Photo: Kathy Sessler)

Santa Cruz V10 DH.

I always say "get the right tools for the job". If you are doing the most serious of downhill, then this World Cup tested rig has stood the test of time. The Virtual Pivot Point System actually counteracts pedalling bounce and converts it to push. I have ridden the same bike time after time from World Cup to NORBA, with it being chucked on planes and in vans. Rock solid. Bombproof. This bike survived my Red Bull jump attempt of 122 feet and I rode it in several races after, in fact, until I got the next years bike. (Photo: Red Bull/Mark Watson)