FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW YOU, CAN YOU SHARE A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO MAKE THIS FILM?

I’m Rob, originally from the northeast of England, now living in Marseille, France. I’ve always been into cycling, especially fixed gear and BMX. After spending ten years in London working as a film director and cinematographer, I moved to Berlin during lockdown, and that’s where everything really changed for me.

I rediscovered my love for cycling and, at the same time, reignited my passion for filmmaking by creating content around the fixed gear scene. Things just started to grow from there—I was riding a lot, traveling, meeting new friends, and filming everything. Honestly, lockdown was a great time for me creatively, and I really enjoyed the process.

One of the first major brands I worked with was Skream Bikes. They gave me a lot of creative freedom, really liked my shooting style, and started sending me products in return. That was a big step for me—it felt like an organic journey where I was able to combine the two things I loved most: filmmaking and riding my bike. I was fitter than ever and had finally found a way to merge my passions into something real.

Fast forward three years, after building friendships and long-term collaborations, I started working with Thomson Bikes, who have been supporting me with components ever since. We had a group chat going between myself, Skream Bikes, Thomson, and Mathias (aka Deythos)—a seriously strong rider and creative based in Berlin, who I had been living and working with. At one point, we started talking about the idea of a signature frame for me and how cool it would be to fly out to Asia, meet the Skream team in person, and visit friends in Tokyo. That’s how The Root to Tokyo was born.

The Q&A continues below...

YOUR FRIEND MATHIAS ALSO FEATURES THROUGHOUT. HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN EACH OTHER, AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE CREATING THIS TOGETHER?

I first met Mathias in 2020 when I came to Berlin with my fixed gear bike for Rad Race – Last Wo/Man Standing. At the time, I had been following FXD.BLN (Fixed Berlin) on Instagram—it was blowing up, and the builds they were posting were insane. They had these sick street setups with front tri-spokes, 26” wheels, bar spins, and crazy Keo spins—it was just pure energy. I had to see it for myself.

When I finally got there, the scene didn’t disappoint. It was raw, fast, and full of character—lots of riding, a lot of weed, plenty of drinks… you get the vibe. At first, I thought FXD.BLN was this massive crew because they were constantly putting out content. But it turns out, it was pretty much just one guy—Mathias. He had this insane work ethic and a real passion for cycling.

At that point, I had been in the film industry for over a decade, trained in film school, and used to doing things the “traditional” way. Mathias was the complete opposite—self-taught, breaking every rule in the book, and still making some of the best cycling content I had ever seen. That blew my mind. But I also realized that the old-school filmmaking approach was slowly fading. The demand for content was skyrocketing, and brands needed constant output to stay relevant.

We started working together, figuring out how to combine our creative styles. It just clicked. I eventually became part of FXD.BLN, and we pushed the scene even further. Making this film together felt like a full-circle moment—two different approaches, one shared vision.

PLANNING THIS IS ONE THING, BUT COORDINATING IT AND FILMING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CHALLENGE. HOW DID IT ALL COME TOGETHER?

Yeah, it was definitely tricky, but we had it covered. The film crew came from Hong Kong and already had an ongoing relationship with Skream Bikes, so they were packed and ready to go with all the film gear. We had a solid setup—our A-cam was the Sony FX3, plus two smaller cameras for B and C angles, and plenty of action cams to capture every moment in different styles. Huge shoutout to @provit_hk for making it all happen.

One of the biggest helps was Paul (@_paul_u) from Slow Spin Society (@slowspinsociety). He runs a blog and podcast and is super well-known in the fixed gear scene. I was a host on his podcast for nearly two years after we met in Paris in 2021. He’s spent a lot of time in Japan and has lived in Tokyo on and off for years, so he knew everyone and everything we needed—plus, he speaks Japanese, which was an absolute game-changer. Paul was basically our on-location producer, and honestly, we couldn’t have done it without him.

This wasn’t a cheap project, but we made it work with a super limited budget. Huge thanks to Thomson Bikes (@bikethomson) for jumping on board—without their support, this project would never have happened. They trusted and believed in us, and I’ll always be grateful for that.

WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EXPERIENCE?

Honestly, the whole trip was a highlight—the people we met, the food we ate, just being there and experiencing it all was incredible. Like any adventure, there were ups and downs, and at times it was tough, but that’s what made it an adventure.

One of the biggest challenges was the edit. Some days, we had five cameras rolling, and we ended up with over 24 hours of raw footage to go through. That was brutal. But seeing it all come together when we premiered the film across five cities worldwide—Hong Kong, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin, and London—was just unreal. The London event, especially, was the perfect way to wrap it up, surrounded by all my good friends.

Looking back, I was completely overwhelmed by the whole process, but I wouldn’t change a thing. It was intense, but it was also a life-changing experience.

THE RIDE-OUT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF FUN. HOW DID YOU GET THE WORD OUT, AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE CONNECTING WITH THE LOCAL RIDERS?

Mathias and I had been hosting night rides in Berlin for nearly a year during lockdown, and when we took that energy to Paris, the response was amazing. So we just did what we knew best—hosted a killer ride-out with races, games, beers, and prizes, making sure it was a night to remember. Knog's support to illuminate the ride was epic - the entire crew were kitted out.

When we got to Tokyo, Paul hooked us up with Path Backyard (@path_backyard), a local bike shop that was a huge support for the event. Along with Paul, they got the word out to the community, planned an epic route, and even set us up with a cool bar to end the night. It all came together perfectly.

ANY ADVICE FOR CREATORS WHO WANT TO BRING THEIR OWN IDEAS TO LIFE?

Just go out and shoot. That’s it. We’ve always lived by that—just grab a camera, start creating, and see what happens. If you like what you make, chances are, others will too.

And practice—there’s no shortcut. You get better by doing, failing, learning, and doing it again. Keep pushing, stay consistent, and don’t overthink it—just get out there and make something.

YOU MUST HAVE BEEN BUZZING AFTER SHARING THE FILM. WHAT'S NEXT? ANY OTHER CAIRNSY PRODUCTIONS WE SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR?

Next for me is just getting outdoors more. I recently moved to the south of France, and thanks to Thomson, I’ve got a sick new gravel bike ready for the next adventure. I’m planning some gravel bikepacking trips that I want to self-shoot and document, plus I’d love to hit up some bike shows and races this year.

But honestly, I just want to enjoy the sunshine and ride my bike—not for content, not for work, just for the love of riding. It’s not always about the destination; it’s about the journey.

I also want to ride BMX more this year, and maybe—finally—make a BMX film. It’s been a dream of mine for years, but for whatever reason, I’ve never gotten around to it. Maybe this is the year.

At the same time, I feel like I need to slow my pace down a little and focus on what truly makes me happy. The past four years have been wild—a bit of a blur, honestly—and since releasing the film in January, I feel like I can finally breathe. Maybe it’s time to reevaluate things, take a step back, and just enjoy simple bike rides with friends.

It doesn’t take much to make me happy. And a huge thank you to Knog for all the support and trust—they’re truly a great brand that backs people like me who are just out here trying to do what we love.

Peace ✌️