C3 rider Brandon Semenuk’s originality translates to unmatched bike design
When it comes to designing the look of his bikes, Brandon Semenuk’s creative process goes deep. He combines influences from all different parts of his life. It could be the texture of a wall, a punk band poster, a travel experience. Each bike will become a swirl of aesthetic inspiration that results in something authentically him. Each bike is unique.
Semenuk is a off-road rider who incorporates moves from dirt jumping and slopestyle into big mountain free riding. In the world of free riders, Semenuk’s name is synonymous with style.
“I really like design and I draw a lot of my inspiration from riding or from art, video, and illustrations,” Semenuk shared.
A texture on Semenuk's "rising sun" bike which draws inspiration from smoke and soot.
Semenuk is part of Trek Factory Racing’s C3 Project and has collaborated with us for more than 10 years. During that time, we have produced custom looks for his bikes based on his unique aesthetic.
Trek’s Art Director Brian Lindstrom, the designer who brings Brandon’s creative ideas to life, described Semenuk’s bike ideas as highly original.
“For Brandon, the bikes are an extension of himself without being literal,” Lindstrom said. “To design his bikes, we go through an open-ended and super creative process with a lot of back and forth communication.”
Semenuk’s recent trip to Japan fueled the inspiration for the design below, nicknamed the “rising sun” bike.
Semenuk features the bike in his new video release.
“The design pulls your eye through the bike,” Lindstrom said. “This is one of my favorite bikes we’ve made for Brandon. The graphics were fun, even the text. Japanese script is art itself.”
The custom design and paint for his C3 bikes motivate Semenuk as a rider.
“I’m riding my bike every day. Being able to get on a bike that I really like gets me stoked,” Semenuk said. “It’s like wearing clothes you like or don’t. My bikes are very me so I get excited to show them off.”
Semenuk’s bikes along with the other custom C3 bikes bring energy to Trek’s creative process.
“Our C3 work is very open and current. The C3 riders are young and they have a ton of good, uninhibited ideas,” Lindstrom said. “Their bikes are super fun to create and generate energy for other Trek projects like Project One designs.”
One of the most time intensive designs that Trek created with Semenuk was a collage bike to celebrate his 10-year anniversary as a Trek rider.
For the 10-year anniversary collage bike, the design featured hand-ripped photos applied in the fashion of paper mache. Semenuk selected photos that represented his years riding Trek bikes.
We are thrilled to have collaborated with him more than a decade. Stay tuned to see what emerges from the creative process in 2020.
