Tom Floyd (Phoenix) Interview.

Hey Tom, its a pleasure to get a chance to talk you and ask you some questions. Hopefully we can clear things up for alot of out followers and riders out there. Lets get started!

What inspired you to make scooter products?

Athletes who go big and push themselves are what truly inspires me. My son Kyle and I had been hanging out at the skatepark and I started noticing the scooter scene there. Kyle was really interested in scooters and started showing me rider videos on YouTube. I couldn’t believe the tricks I was seeing! I started researching scooters from the equipment side and the real big decision maker was when we went to the Action Sports Expo here in Portland and we saw TSI in person for the first time. I really liked what they were doing but I thought the design needed a lot of improvement. I had been in Product Development and Sports Marketing for companies like Haro and FOX Racing Shox and my ideas just started going crazy about designing my own scooter. My previous experiences with top riders in the BMX and Mountain Bike worlds gave me the inspiration to want to give the same level of product to the sport of Freestyle Scooting.

What is your favorite thing about the Scooter Community?

The Riders! Hands down, it’s the riders who make the sport. You are the ones who push the limits of what is possible and have fun doing it.

Do you think scootering has potential to be as big as any other major extreme sport out there, and why?

Yes, I do. But, we need to mature first. It will be the riders who will truly push the sport into that category, not the product. The product is just a tool. We have a handful of solid companies who are currently making big financial commitments to supporting their team riders and that is a great first step. We need these riders to not only step up their game on the scooter but also to learn how to be professional off the scooter. There are some big decisions to be made….If there is any hope of a Pro Scooter athlete making $40,000/year (or more) in sponsorship and endorsement deals, then we need to attract the attention of big corporate sponsors who are looking at our sport and want to reach us. I will tell you right now I am working hard to get our sport noticed by some of the big sponsors I have worked with in the past. It will likely be a slow process at first because the economy has really tightened up a lot of the marketing budgets out there, but I believe it will happen. The key is the riders going out and doing what you do and being chill with everyone you meet. Think, “How would TravisPastrana act?” He is a great example of an athlete who is unbelievably talented on a motorcycle but who is the nicest guy on the planet off the bike

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What inspires you to keep making your amazing products?

Once again it is you riders who inspire me. At Haro, I worked with Downhill World Champion Mike King and traveled with the entire World Cup team all over the world. That job was incredibly product driven as the right design and setup could mean the difference in winning or losing by .001 of a second. Over my career I have learned that I have a passion for products and technology and the athletes who get the most out of them. That is the biggest reason I am so excited to create Phoenix products.

If you could change 1 thing about the scooter community, what would it be and why?

The Scooter Community is evolving and changing daily. We are headed in the right direction.

How does it feel being one of the most legit companies out in the scooter world, producing banger products one after one? Honored that you would even say that.

Can we expect any big from Phoenix Scooters soon, and if so, what is it?

Well, I am sure many of you are up to speed on our new products. We are really excited about working towards having our complete done. We now have Decks, Bars, Brakes, Forks and testing wheels. One area I am focused on at the moment is the compression system. This is a global problem as there is not one system that is dominating yet due to design and/or supply problems. Bikes don’t have that problem because the stem is the best way to attach the bars and there are literally hundreds of stems on the market. I think we need a standard like that to eliminate the headache for the rider and the dealer.

There you have it folks, some vital information from a vital guy in our sport. You can check out Phoenix Pro Scooters out at www.phoenixproscooters.com

Stay real kiddos