Deep Dive with Ken Desmazeau
This year, Haro teamed up with a new ambassador from France, Ken Desmazeau. We already knew about his positive outlook, passion for riding and the openness he welcomes fellow riders with but we wanted to dive a bit deeper, learn more about him and see how he’s doing riding our Haro Greer!
Photo credit: Lucas Brousset
First, can you tell us a bit about your riding background? How did you get to where you are today, and when riding today, what are the tricks you most love? The ones you could do in your sleep?
I started riding around age 10 in skateparks and on small jumps I built with my friends. By 18 I was learning tricks and combos on the dirt jumper, and that’s also when I discovered big bikes and freeride. Over the years, I gradually switched my focus to freeride.
My friends and I started a team called Freeride Factory and together we traveled to famous spots like Whistler, Kamloops and the Utah desert. I got to ride some very iconic lines, including Royall Hills Fest Series and Szymon Godziek’s Fest Polska.
In 2022 I was a part of William Robert’s dig crew for Red Bull Rampage. This was an incredible experience.
Today, I still ride with the same group of close friends, often at William Robert’s place, where we constantly push each other to improve. My current favorite trick is the 360 on drops, but I can pull backflip tailwhips on the dirt jumper in my sleep and I’ve landed it on my freeride bike. My goal is to become more consistent and throw it often.
Photo credit: Romuald Manach
The Greer is an enduro bike, but we also tried to keep some playful aspects to the geometry. Can you explain what about the bike works well for your riding style as it is?
The Greer’s geometry works really well for what I do. The bike is responsive and playful, even with a soft bikepark setup.
I like the short chainstays- this helps a lot with spins and rotations. The top tube has a good amount of slope, which gives you plenty of room for leg tricks.
Now that I’ve had a chance to really ride the bike, I’ve found it to be incredibly versatile. Even on steep trails, I’ve always felt confident and been able to charge.
Photo credit: Romuald Manach
It’s always interesting when people customize their bikes to fit their specific styles and so I’m curious about what changes you made. First let’s start with wheels. The bike comes mullet (29/27.5), did you leave it this way?
I think mullet is best for technical enduro riding, but can make some tricks like barspins more difficult so I did put a 27.5 wheel in front.
Did you change the suspension at all? How do you like to set up your suspension?
I kept the stock Fox rear shock because it works really well. I switched out the fork for a 180mm Rockshox Zeb. This way, with a 180mm/27.5 inch setup, I’m close in height to the original 170mm/29 inch setup and the working kinematics don’t really change. The fork angle becomes slightly steeper this way, but I prefer this because it makes my bike more responsive when steering.
Photo credit: Romuald Manach
Did you make any other changes to the bike? Your frame is a medium, what handlebar rise do you pair it with?
I ride a full Sixpack components setup thanks to a partnership I have with WeOutside. This includes a 35mm stem with the Millenium handlebar, which is 745mm wide with a 40mm rise.
My cranks are 165mm and I run Millenium 4.0 pedals from Sixpack. I’m not too particular about tires, but currently run the original Vittoria in the rear paired with a Hutchinson Griffus in the front. This works great on ramps and still provides enough grip for the bike park.
Photo credit: Romuald Manach
Do you have any new goals for this year that you think might be achievable with this bike?
Now that I have a setup that’s great for tricks, I have a lot of long-term goals in mind. I want to return to Utah and really push myself to land some tricks I’ve been practicing at home.In the meantime, I want to ride some more local jams such as SWR and Evo bikepark and showcase my best riding there.
Photo credit: Romuald Manach
Thanks so much, Ken, best of luck out there!
You can follow Ken's riding on his instagram: instagram.com/kenny_dmz