When did your passion for the movie RAD begin?

Braydon Bringhurst: I have loved RAD since I was a little kid. I watched RAD for the first time when I was 7 or 8 years old.

What is the movie about?

“RAD” is a story about a teenager named Cru Jones. He’s a paperboy that is passionate about riding bikes.

Why do you love the movie?

I loved Cru and always rooted for the underdog. The story of [Cru] being a simple paperboy and then pursuing bike racing, qualifying for the highest level and racing the infamous Helltrack with all the best riders in the world.

Why would others like the movie?

It’s an inspiring story and I think it resonates with a lot of people. I’ve always had a similar demeanor for myself, always feeling like an underdog.

What was your motivation to pay tribute to the original movie?

My niché in the mountain bike world right now is making “Shredits”—making bike videos to get people stoked. I felt like this is my chance to make a tribute to something that’s inspired me for so many years. RAD has been a major influence throughout a large portion of my life. With the RAD Tribute, I wanted to pay tribute to something that has played a major role in contributing to the person that I am today.

Why did you choose Bentonville, Arkansas?

Accessibility and variety of features. I wanted [a location] that resembled the qualifying race in the original film. [Bentonville] was extremely close to the actual thing and they were more than willing to make anything happen to support the project.

Tell us about the riding in the tribute...

Prior to filming, I took a scouting trip to Bentonville. I went there, found features, and took a ton of pictures. Then I went home and I storyboarded—and laid out how the tribute video would come together. And then I watched the original movie about a thousand times more than I already had. I really tried to make every shot and every part of this film pay respect to the original. The tribute includes flatland tricks, like the original. It has the 1980’s style of turnbars and power wheelies—even the music personifies the 1980’s style.

Why did you choose the Spectral 27.5?

The Spectral 27.5 is playful and nimble. I have it set up with 140mm of rear wheel travel and 150mm up front. To me, it just feels like a trail slayer. I feel like this bike is the perfect bike for my style. It doesn’t carry speed like the Strive, but it plays well. Corners well. Jumps well. Climbs well. The Spectral does everything I want in a mountain bike. The rear end is quite progressive and so even with how I ride hard, it handles the biggest hits surprisingly well.

How excited were you to meet your childhood idol?

It was amazing! The guys at Canyon USA organized Bill Allen, the actor who played the main character “Cru Jones” in the original movie, to travel to Bentonville to perform a cameo in the tribute video and it was so cool to finally meet him. Bill was great—to see his genuine excitement watching me ride was nothing I could have ever dreamt as a kid to happen in my lifetime. A true dream come true.

What do you want people to come away thinking after watching the RAD Tribute?

I want people to realize it’s all about having fun on your bike. I want people to celebrate this tribute as if they were riding in the video themself—it’s not all about a Shredit focusing on my riding. I want others to get the same inspiration that RAD originally gave me as a child. My hope is that anyone who watches comes away with that same simple inspiration to get out and have fun on your bike.