I came across Bence through @schoolyardprojects and saw his photos of amazing bike rides in nature, and I was immediately drawn to the simplicity and joy he finds in cycling. Based in Hungary, Bence loves exploring trails on his classic 26-inch Univega mountain bike. His connection to nature and passion for riding show how timeless and versatile these bikes can be. Let’s get to know Bence and dive into his adventures on two wheels!
Hi Bence! To start, can you introduce yourself?
Hii! I’m a free soul traveller very very close to my 30’s and lover of the great Mother Nature, enthusiast of every old goods like bicycles, vinyl records, cars, hippie culture, music from the 60’s til the 80’s.
And I don’t regret to appear in good open air psy or techno party. I also really like to working on creative d.i.y. projects.
I would describe myself as Your local Rambler, a bit hard to explain this but I’ve moved and travelled a lot in the past 10 years and I’m also met with a lot of awesome people but sometimes I just want to explore the place by on my own so when I move to a new place people just see me as a strange hippie with his old van whose just rambling around till I don’t discover the place well enough.
"Cycling heals my soul when it’s needed, gives me energy, and fuels me up with happiness. It’s like the extension of my personality."
Where are you from, and how would you describe your connection to cycling?
I’m from Hungary and my connection to cycling is just getting more crazy by the years. Cycling heals my soul when it’s needed, cycling gives me energy, cycling fuels me up with happiness. It’s like the extension of my personality.
When I was a little kid I had a little bike where everything is started with skidding 😀 I was around 10 when i broke my arm but i had to ride with broken arm too because I wanted to practice to set up my own skid record but I fell on my broken arm and it’s cracked again 😀 So with one word…my connection to cycling is absolutely passionate! Even if I’m not riding every day I cannot spend 24 hour without surfing between new videos or checking the good ol’ internet for some nice parts or I’m just simply thinking on it.
How did you first get into old school 26ers?
I saw a documentary about the origin of MTB.
Klunkerz…OMG what a movie!
Shortly after I’ve moved to a National park area where was a lot of forest so I had to build a bike for this terrain which is also affordable and COOL.
Style is so important to me… just take a look on a car from the 50’s there’s a lot of unnecessary, inexplicable or even dangerous detail but this is why a thing/object become a unique relic or art piece in my opinion.
“Trust in yourself because the only thing you can’t reach is what you don’t truly want to achieve.”
Was there a particular ride or experience that made you fall in love with exploring nature on two wheels?
To be honest not really. I cannot pick one single moment because cycling and nature was always part of my life but exploring a new forest path or struggling with the crazy elevations in the Dolomites is always special. This is that feeling that you can’t get used to but you still searching for it.
Your Univega 26er is a great choice for adventures. What’s its story? How did it come into your life, and why did you choose this bike?
The bike chosen me… Let me explain this awesome story. This was one of the highlights of the year! I know Michael (SCHOOLYARDPROJECTS) from instagram.
I already followed him and he asked for some technical help through an instagram story so I shared my knowledge with him and then he successfully removed the stuck pedal from the crank which can be pain in the ass sometimes. After this he was very grateful and he sent me a bunch of stickers. Maybe everything is started here
Way after this I’ve got a message from Michael and he told me his idea about a collaboration. He really liked the stuff that I posted on instagram and I really love the bikes that he build and he asked me about to what if I would be a SCHOOLYARDPROJECTS team rider. You can guess the answer… I said yesss and I was so excited.
At this point we already planned our trip to The Netherlands with my girlfriends so I met with Michael next to Cologne and i picked up the bike. The bike was perfect and imagine you just got “sponsored” with a sick 26er MTB and you are heading to The Netherlands where’s everything build around bicycle paths.
Do you keep your bike as it was originally designed, or have you made any tweaks to suit your style?
On my 26er Nakita 2670 I made a couple changes like 1X7 drivetrain with a nice Atelier Medium sprocket and I also modified the cockpit with an aluminum motocross handlebar and a nice Wethepeople topload stem but nothing too crazy.
This bike is looks very nice and great for bombing on hills but the Univega is a different story that’s a real adventure bike to me.
Full of with awesome parts like Panaracer Gravelking tires, XT cranks, nice and comfy Ergotec handlebars and so on. Michael also added some extra tabs for bottle cages and luggage carriers on the fork and mounts for disc brakes. So this bike got some serious stopping power thanks to the SLX brake set.
Old-school mountain bikes are often overlooked, what’s your take on the value of riding a 26-inch MTB today?
You know it’s part of the “evolving”. Peoples are overlooking on old things because there’s a newer “better” version. I’m really against this crazy capitalism and I truly see the value in old things because those built for the people not against them.
For example my daily driver is a 32 year old VW Vanagon that I can fix for myself on the roadside without any car mechanic past.
What do you enjoy most about cycling through nature?
That indescribable freedom and the sounds. I always ride without headphones because I love the sounds that the bike and my environment gives… when the little rocks pops out under the tire and when the small branches are cracking or the whizzing sound of the wind when you are rocking fast.
Tell us about one of your favorite and most memorable rides.
Not my favorite but one of my most memorable ride was when I cycled around Hungarys biggest lake which was a bit more than 200km in 8,5 hour NEVER AGAIN. My favorite was when we were in The Netherlands with my girlfriend and we explored Amsterdam on two wheels.
What do you look for when choosing your routes?
Mostly i try to avoid traffic and paved roads so more gravel in the nature with a decent elevation because where you need to climb up there’s gonna be a nice descent that I really like 😀
You also ride BMX and you pull off some amazing tricks! Do you think BMX riding has taught you that wheel size isn’t everything when it comes to enjoying cycling?
Thank you! I try to stay creative 🙂 I started riding BMX like 15 or 16 years ago I and still loving it so much! Simple way for happiness. Back then I also used my BMX to get from A to B. Sometimes i rode like 40km to meet with my friends for a session but I won’t do it again so yeah wheel size isn’t everything but if you have the opportunity to choose a weapon try to choose the right one 😀
I’ve noticed you have a beautiful yellow van, it looks amazing! Can you tell us more about it? What’s its story, and how does it fit into your cycling adventures?
Oh yeah…She is Molly. A Volkswagen Transporter T3 or Vanagon (in the US they call it like that). This was my dream that came true but before this van I also had two other. First I bought the cheapest one from the craigslist so you can imagine the condition… I just wanted to make my dream come true faster but I had to realize it isn’t like that. And at this time I also had a nice VW T4 but that car is not for me…too much electricity.
Molly is a 1992 so the last year of manufacturing. Now it has a 1.7l Diesel engine with 57 horsepower but for the year 2025 I’m going to change the engine for a 1.9D with some modifications for some extra hp.
It’s perfectly fits for every adventures and it has very good off-road capabilities too. The two 26er on the bike rack and the BMX is next to me in the bed 😀 We also live in this van around 8 months a year with my girlfriend. Very reliable car that you can repair easily if you have some effort and basic mechanical knowledge.
How do you prepare for your rides in nature?
I just fill my bottles with water, pack some nuts, a banana and of course my tools and patch kit. Honestly I don’t really prepare too much because with years it became a routine. Mostly I’m in the nature. I have like 7-8 months of freedom per year because i’m doing seasonal jobs. Now I’m working in the Austrian Alps in a ski/snowboard rental and repair shop. Luckily I have some time to go for snowboarding so I’ve got no reason to complain 😀 Bikes are a little bit in the background in these months but here’s also 2 of my favorite skatepark close to me that I can visit a few times during the season.
Do you have any tips for staying comfortable and enjoying the journey to the fullest?
Always bring the tools that you need and a patch kit plus make sure your bike is ready for the trip before you go for it. Do not overcommit yourself. Wear the right clothes according to the weather. And it’s not necesarry to record every kilometer on strava or you don’t need to set up crazy goals just do it for fun and for yourself. Don’t think it over just go and enjoy the freedom that bikes gives for you. Doesn’t matter if you have a company or not because you always got some reason to go out.
What lessons has cycling taught you?
Anger cannot solve the problem. Trust in yourself because the only thing that you can’t reach is that what you don’t really want to achieve. Always try to be kind and helpful without any expectation for it.
