Have no Fear, the Silver Samurai is here

Kicking it into high gear right before summer we have our May ROTM brought to us by Matty at Pro Bike Supply. Just in time too, as he's offering a discount on your first order using the code and link below, so gear up while you can to make sure you don't miss a beat all season. Getting Matty coast to coast is his trusty FJ Cruiser, Olga aka the Silver Samurai. Passed down in the family like many a Toyota before, this is one rig that is aging like fine wine.

Give us a quick INTRO- who are you? Where do you live?

My name is Matty, and I live a cool life getting to ride, play, and make videos about bikes. I’m based in Orange County California and have dedicated my last 10 years to Pro Bike Supply and getting more people on mountain bikes. (You can find my funny and cool videos here: @probikesupply // @mattys_mechanics). Use code MATTY at ProBikeSupply.com to get 15% off your next order ;)

Give us a quick overview of your rig.

This is my 2007 FJ Cruiser, Olga The Silver Samurai. It’s ‘technically’ a one-owner car that I was lucky enough to buy from my dad in 2017. 3 pedals, 6 gears, and all the capability one could ever need make this a fun daily driver (minus the costs of filling this car up…). Over time, it has slowly evolved as I have found, installed, changed, and built this car.

Tell us about any special modifications that make your rig stand out.

The car was designed to be simple in almost every way and more than capable off-road. Keeping this design ethos was key while modifying the car: a heritage look, but not over the top. From the outside you can see the bumpers, wheels, tires, and some additional driving lights. The underside is where it gets fun… not a single suspension component on this car is stock: coils, control arms, trailing arms, bushings, etc. Everything under the hood and in the interior is stock, with the exception of a DIY drawer system in the trunk to hold all of my bike and car tools for trailside repairs.

What is the best road trip you’ve taken your rig on?

This car has been in my life since I was 7, and has seen many trips to the East Coast, Midwest, Canada, and the West Coast. However, the stand out road trip has been driving up to Santa Cruz to visit and ride with my little brother at UCSC. Scenic coastal driving paired amazingly with the great dirt and trails in SC. Ripping Pismo Beach sand dunes on the way back made it all even better.

What would be your next dream road trip?

It’s been a pipe dream for years now… but I would love to take this car back home to Slovakia and explore the Slovak and Austrian bike parks and mountains. Is it reasonable to take a road trip like that in this car? No, not really. Would it bring me a lot of joy? Yeah, most definitely. If you get the chance, the Slovak Carpathians are some of the most beautiful and underappreciated mountains in the world. They also have some world class trail systems for us riders.

How long have you had your North Shore Rack?

I bought my Northshore rack back in 2017 after a friend of mine RAVED about the rack. It’s now seen 200+ bike park days trips, almost every trail system in southern California, and carried hundreds of demo bikes and customer bikes to and from the trails for Pro Bike Supply. This rack has seen so much use over the last 9 years and will continue to work as long as this Toyota drives. My friend who convinced me to get this rack has had his since 2008!

In your travels, what is your favorite riding location/favorite trail?

Schladming Austria takes the cake and it’s not even close. I have been lucky enough to ride there many times and will continue to make it a point to go back. Seriously the best riding you will ever experience.

Coffee, beer or tea?

Tea I guess. But nothing beats a cold Dr. Pepper after a long ride.

Shuttle/road trip essential tunes?

You don’t want my answer, ask my coworkers, I have pretty sh***y taste in music. But since you asked, Bones, $uicideboy$, Lil Peep, Night Lovell.