197 – Bringing Downhill To Miami with DirtSpray MTB
Today’s Guest:
Founder and Owner of DirtSpray MTB Clothing – Phil ‘Cheekz’ Rima
On episode #197 We are chatting with Phil ‘Cheekz’ Rima, the founder and owner of the very cool Miami based lifestyle MTB clothing brand called DirtSpray.
We chat about bringing a downhill scene to Miami, Florida, growing a bike brand over the covid period, why Cheekz believes the brand has taken off at full steam, the design behind their very cool race jerseys, the exciting future planned for DirtSpray and how Cheekz and his crew have become so good at downhill when Miami is flat!
Plus lots more interesting info about the Miami mountain bike scene, the outlying bike parks and why enduro and downhill is a growing market.
Enjoy the show!
BONUS TIME!
TO WIN A DIRTSPRAY MTB MARAUDER JERSEY & STICKERS WORTH OVER £50! – Tune into the podcast and find out more!
Find Out:
- How Cheekz got into mountain biking
- Why he was attracted to downhill riding
- What the scene for MTB is like in Miami
- How Cheekz has seen the scene change over the years
- Why to get good downhill you have to travel far north
- Where Cheekz and his crew practice and ride their downhill bikes
- Why Cheekz started a mountain bike lifestyle clothing brand
- What his initial purpose for the brand was
- How it is slowly taking over his life
- How the Dirt Spray original logo came about
- Why Miami Vice is the best TV show of all time
- What range DirtSpray carry
- How to get an ambassadorship or influencer deal with DirtSpray
- Why the brand has been so successful
- What help Cheekz gets from family and friends
- Future products releasing soon
- Why Cheekz loves building DirtSpray so much
- The exciting plans for DirtSpray in the near future
- Where to buy and find out more about DirSpray
It was very interesting to hear about the mountain bike scene in Miami. It is an area we never really hear that much about in the media or it never really seems to be covered in the magazines etc, but maybe that’s just me or maybe it’s because we don’t live in Miami or the United States. So it was great to get Cheekz on the podcast and learn more about what is happening and what is going on in the MTB scene in that part of the world.
DirtSpray has effectively only been going since 2020, but the brand has taken off, it has been received very well and is seeing huge initial growth. Cheekz has been blown away with the response the brand has received and is so thankful for the massive support from his customers, family, friends and fellow riders. Cheekz can’t really put his hand on one particular reason for its success, but if I had to guess I would say it is a number of things. For one, the DirtSpray logo is super cool, it is bringing back the 80’s Miami vibe with dayglow colours, design and feel. Also, I think Cheekz has touched on the want that people in Miami have to ride downhill. They are fed up riding on the congested roads, in lycra and would prefer to be in the forest or mountains pushing their norms and doing what they see on YouTube or Pinkbike. Times are changing in Miami, there’s more to this bike thing than riding on the road or cross country riding.
Cheekz’ background is not in branding or the fashion industry, but he has taken a passion for riding downhill bikes and started a very successful side hustle out of something he loves being involved with and a community he enjoys spending time in. His side hustle has been so strong that he is preparing to go full time with DirtSpray, sell his other business and go full speed ahead in building and growing the brand (you heard it here first!).
Cheekz has big plans for the brand in the coming years, he is planning on expanding his reach into Europe, including the UK, Ireland and other areas of interest. He is also planning a series of DirtSpray race events to be held in Miami with later expansion into Europe (you also heard that here first!). The future looks bright for DirtSpray and with Cheekz’ push, passion and determination, I can’t see why it will not succeed. It will not be easy and there will be bumps along the road, but if anybody can pull it off it will be Cheeks and DirtSpray.
Join us as we chat about the Miami MTB scene, why the DirtSpray crew travel hundreds of miles to hit downhill trails, how DirtSpay came to life and why the future looks bright for such a young brand. Plus lots more goodies!
Thanks for tuning in and for supporting the podcast.
Enjoy!
GIVEAWAY TIME!
WIN A DIRTSPRAY MTB MARAUDER JERSEY & STICKERS WORTH OVER £50!
To grab yourself a DirtSpray Marauder Racing Jersey & stickers worth over £50 follow these 3 simple steps on Instagram:
- Follow the DirtSpray page @dirtspraymtb
- Like their latest post
- Tag a friend
It’s that simple!
The winner will be picked at random and notified via DM.
Competition open to UK & Irish residents only.
Competition closes 30th June at midnight (UK time).
GOOD LUCK!
To Connect with Cheekz & DirtSpray:
Website: dirtspraymtb.com
Instagram: dirtspraymtb
Facebook: DirtSprayMTB
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- Rate and leave an honest review on iTunes/ Apple Podcasts
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Thanks so much to Cheekz for coming on the podcast, sharing his story and telling us more about his exciting DirtSpray brand.
And thank you once again for tuning in!
Join me next week for another MTB TRIBE Podcast show!