BMXation: The Nation of BMX

July 2010

2010-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today Is The 3rd Anniversary Of Stephen Murray’s Crash

June 25, 2010

Press Release:

June 22 marks the three-year anniversary of Stephen Murray’s accident in Baltimore, Maryland, which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down during a double backflip attempt in the finals of the AST Dew Tour.

The time may have flown by for us, but for Stephen it has been a long, slow challenge to get his life back on track. Medical complications, divorce procedures, and general obstacles thrown in his path have kept Stephen determined to overcome the challenges before him and tackle his problems head on.

No matter how hard things have gotten for him he has always remained true to his life message “STAY STRONG.” Never a quitter and always filled with determination, previously as a rider and now in his current situation. Stephen Murray is still a BMX soldier in every sense of the word!

Rembering Stephen Murray today, and looking forward to him slowly getting his life back on track…

Message from Stephen… ”I would personally like to thank the worldwide BMX community and industry for all the support shown to me and my family in the last three years. It is humbling to think how much people have pulled together to help us out and I appreciate everything that you guys have done for me. My past sponsors and even brands I didn’t ride for have gone above and beyond what I could have ever imagined. The BMX family is a true family and I’m grateful to have you all behind me. It’s been a tough three years, but I’m still pushing on and not going to let this situation get the better of me! Stay Strong isn’t just a saying or a brand name, it’s a way of life to me now and a message I will always stick by and continue to promote. No matter how tough life get’s STAY STRONG. Thank you.”

To keep up with Stephen and help support the Stay Strong cause, visit staystrong.co.uk.

May 2010

2010-05-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Prize-Pack From Ride BMX
May 6, 2010

Okay well I received my prize-pack from Ride BMX today and it was definitely worth the wait! This
prize-pack got me feeling like I'm sponsored and what not lol!

PRIZE PACK CONTENTS

STICKERS (LOTS!) UNIT CUSTOM VALVE CAPS

Maxxis Grifter Tire and Limited Edition Ruffian
Lock-On BMX Grips for Stephen Murray!

Tioga Street Block (Prototype) Tire

If picture do not load go to http://twitpic.com/photos/bmxation

April 2010

2010-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Craig Mast One-Ups Harry Main!?

April 28, 2010

Okay you all may remember Harry Mains' Bunny-Hop Flair Drop-In that was done um.... oh yeah YESTERDAY! Well Craig Mast just one-ups that TODAY (THE NEXT DAY) with a drum roll please... druma druma druma druma... BUNNY-HOP FLAIR! Didn't I call it yesterday(Below)? I said someone would try it BUT I didn't think the very NEXT day oh wow! Like Willy Wonka says" What'll they think of next!?"

Harry Main Bunny-Hop Flair Drop-In

April 27, 2010

WTF! When I saw this on the @RideBMX Twitter page I thought it was one of those fake tricks they were talking about that people were posting on Twitter then I clicked on the link and watched it and all I could say was, "OH SHIT SON!" rewinded it and watched it again just to make sure I saw what had thought I saw! Whats next bunny-hop flairs on flat?! Someone crazy enough is gonna try it sometime in the future I bet! In the words of my boy Mike Payne I JUST GOT MIND FUCKED!

Josh Perry Tumor Surgery Update

April 18, 2010

Following surgery to remove a tumor in his head, Josh Perry is on the mend.

Following the news of Eastern's Josh Perry being diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor last week, Josh went in for surgery at noon on Friday, April 16, and the surgery was a success. How do we know this? Because Josh basically Twittered his way through the entire process. Here's a quick rundown of Josh's Tweets leading up to and immediately after the surgery.

Friday, April 16, 10:01am: "Going in at noon for a 4-hour operation. Pretty nervous but feel better thanks to everyone and the positive thoughts and prayers!!!!"

Friday, April 16, 10:57pm: "Hey guys! Just got out, feel amazing and so relieved!! I'm so happy because I can move everything and should be home very soon."

Sunday, April 18, 9am: "Doc says I'm doing so well I can go home today. Might be going home tonight."

So it looks as though all things are well for Josh, and that he might even be riding again by mid-summer. You can track Josh's progress or send words of encouragement through his Twitter account.

BMXation Tees and Stickers

April 8, 2010

Sticker

Ride to Live

Shut Up Tee

Live Free Tee

The BMXation tees and stickers are almost here so be on the lookout for those pretty soon just working the kinks out right now!

BMXation 59Fifty Hats

April 1, 2010

To order you one send me your size and if you are going
to be getting any additional embroidery to bmxation@gmail.com

Okay I've gotten everything setup for the hats the price for them is gonna be $28.00 if you want any additional embroidery on the side of the hat that will be $2.50 . Go check it out! The only thing I have to figure out is the shipping right now.

Mike Payne Update

April 1, 2010

Mike is a trooper! If you were at this year's Extreme Thing dirt contest or heard anything about it, then you should know that Mike took a really ugly fall on a double backflip attempt. As promised, we have more info on his current condition.

I wanted to start off by letting everyone know that I'll be fine from the double flip to face from March 27th. The only bone I seemed to have broken from the accident was my nose. However, I did manage to nearly rip my bottom lip right off and I gave myself one of the worst concussions I've ever had. After nearly twenty stitches the doctors did their best to tuck my lip back inside and reattach it as one piece. Though my entire body hurts and my face looks like it doesn't belong to me, I know I got off extremely lucky and in a couple weeks I'll be close to my old self again. I'm very thankful to be alive and extremely thankful for my friends and family who I worried the hell out of and I apologize to everyone for that bad decision. Since Saturday I've gotten a lot better. The swelling across my face has gone down dramatically, and I was able to eat solid food for the first time today. It felt amazing to not have to eat through a straw.

Now that this part of recovery is well under way, it is the next part that really scares me. I'm honestly just a little terrified as I'm trying to ready myself for the medical bills I've accumulated. I haven't a clue how I'm going to afford to pay them since I recently lost my medical insurance. But as it stands, I want to thank everyone that had their hearts out for me and kept me in their prayers, I'm recovering as good as I am because of each and every one of you. My family has been amazing to me and has been by my side at all times since the fall, as well as my beautiful girl Danielle. They're doing all they can so I can eat and recover comfortably. I need to apologize to the people I haven't been able to respond to, simple tasks like texting or writing are quite hard to complete as of lately, so I've been resting to try to take care of what currently needs my attention. Thank you again to everyone that has helped any way they could, and to everyone that has been concerned of my well being, I love you all.

~ Mike Payne

March 2010

2010-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

2010 Extreme Thing Results

March 28,2010

The 2010 Extreme Thing dirt contest went down Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here's a quick rundown of the results -

1. Luke Parslow
2. Dennis Enarson
3. Cory Nastazio
4. James Foster

It was a windy day and none of the riders seemed very into the course, but a ton of great riding went down nonetheless. We'll have a video up very soon!

The low point of the day was when local shredder Mike Payne went down hard on a double backflip crash in the finals on the last set. He was taken away in an ambulance , he only got a broke nose, swollen lips, and a few scrapes and cuts! Also early in the 1st round Mat went with a nasty crash he actually broke his handlebar clean from the rest of his bars!

January 2010

2010-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Couple of BMX-related ways to help Haiti

January 20, 2010

There is nothing more that I need to say about the devastating earthquake that occurred in Haiti last week. Now, with another hitting today, and the constant aftershocks, the people of Haiti can use any and all help far into the future.

One BMX-related way that you can help is to pick up “I Love My Bicycle, The Story of FBM Bikes”, directly from the director, Joe Stakun. All of this week, he is donating the profits of every DVD sold to the relief efforts.

You can order the DVD here: http://www.ilovemybicyclemovie.com
Follow Joe on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ILoveMyBicycle

Also, on the BMXMuseum, user Polanco, from neighboring Dominican Republic, has started a drive selling BMX parts or just looking for folks with a few extra bucks in their PayPal that want to contribute.

Follow the thread on the BMXMuseum board here: http://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=191263

December 2009

2009-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Mt Baldy T-Shirts

December 9, 2009

Mt. Baldy Pipe - Photo and T-Shirt by Jared Souney

Jared Souney, action sports photographer extraordinaire, has T-shirts for sale on his site featuring one of his photos of the infamous Mt. Baldy. He’s only making a few in each size, so if you want one, go scoop one up, pronto! If Mt. Baldy means nothing to you, get yourself a history lesson, son!

Nice to see some well-designed, limited edition t-shirts popping-up in the land o’ BMX lately. DefGrip and Mutiny bikes have both put out some solid examples as well.

October 2009

2009-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Rick Moliterno’s Bike Recovered!

October 27, 2009

Good news - Rick got his bike back. It was found in an apartment across the street from the D’port skatepark. Missing its brakes, but otherwise intact.
Read about it here:
http://www.standardbyke.com/blog/?p=2479

Rick Moliterno’s bike stolen in Davenport, IA

October 20, 2009

If you’re in the midwest, particularly around Davenport, IA/The Quad Cities, keep your eyes open, for Rick Moliterno’s bike. It was stolen earlier today from the Davenport skatepark. All of you outside of the area, lookout for it on craigslist or ebay. It is a pretty custom ride, with features and parts that only Rick has.

Rick Moliterno's stolen Standard 20" BMX

Here’s the info from Rick (Standard Byke Company Owner/BMX Veteran), himself:
My bike was my first and only bike made here in our shop. It had unique engraving on the head tube and drop outs. It had a custom green paint job to match my 1963 Ford Galaxie. The fork had straight cut legs and a freestyle steer tube instead of race. The compression bolt was a sample we never sold.

It had a titanium Standard front peg that is like 10 years old. Oh yeah, the frame has euro bb and a 27.0 seat tube…2 things no other freestyle frames that are up to date have. Man, I loved that damn bike! It had so much I liked plus being the first one from here and being the one I am getting back to riding full time on again….

If you see this bike, let Rick/Standard know via:
info@standardbyke.com
twitter.com/standrdbykeco

July 2009

2009-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Stompin’ Stu Documentary From Bang! Pictures

July 22, 2009

Stu Thomsen, Greg Hill and other race heros from the 80s.

Looks like Mark Eaton of Bang! Pictures and of course the “Dorkin in York” series of videos, is at it again. Following-up on the BMX documentary, “Joe Kid on a Stingray”, Eaton is releasing “Stompin’ Stu, the Story of BMX Legend, Stu Thomsen”. Looks like it will be similar in style to Joe Kid, with filmed interviews, vintage film/video footage, as well as still photos.

I forgot that Stu’s wife is Greg Hill’s sister. But hearing that in the trailer, I was reminded of how much the magazines used to push their rivalry back-in-the-day.

I love to see BMX remembering and celebrating its roots. For too long, we’ve only focused on the new and now. Every day that continues to change. Good stuff.

Check out the trailer here.

Discuss over at the BMXMuseum.

Found on ESPN, posted by Brian Tunney.

June 2009

2009-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr Video featuring BMX/Skating

June 5, 2009

Too good - I noticed this on the FBM site when Crandall posted about the video shoot a few months back. You gotta watch it to see how they got Jay, Murph and Lou to “ride” in their new video for their song “I’m Over It”, from their upcoming album, Farm. Can I just say that I’m stoked to see the original lineup lasting past the “reunion” of a couple years back?

Also, saw that Weezer was just shooting a video featuring some BMX riding as well. More to come on that. Greyboy supplied them with a whole bunch of Sundays to roll on in a LA ditch. Rad.

March 2009

2009-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

The Hackflip

March 22, 2009 in Freestyle, Roots, Skatepark by Jeremy | No comments

Nothing like a new term in BMX - and it is a trick that is completely over the top. Here’s a photo, courtesy of @odysseyBMX of Jim Bauer and Rooftop attempting a 1-handed backflip on a sidehack into the foam pit. They were at Woodward West for the Old School BMX Reunion. Should be a ton of coverage on this event soon, and we’ll keep you posted here at the ‘Roots.

Ah, video as well, from ShredorDie.com to check it out click on pic below to follow the link.

How sprockets are made - Tree and SuperRat Machine Works

March 20, 2009

Sprocket Making Video from andy chapman on Vimeo.

Nice little video of the making of the world-famous Tree sprocket at the world headquarters of Phil Wasson’s shop, Super Rat Machine Works. Damn, I miss Phil and Courtney, and my hot-pepper infused lattes (heh) from the Songbird.

Found at TheComeUp.

This is why you run front brakes

March 10, 2009

Baco 10 section with Chad DeGroot from chad degroot on Vimeo.

Chad Degroot’s part from Baco 10 - Kickstart my heart, indeed.

December 2008

2008-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays

December 31, 2008

I fell off the blogging wagon over the past few months, as seems to be the case with me every-so-often. My school and home lives have both been busy, and I haven’t come through with new material for a while. So, I at least wanted to say “Happy Holidays” to those of you who take the time to read my ramblings. I wish all of you and yours a safe and Happy New Year. So here's a classic clip from the movie E.T. of the bmx chase scene.

November 2008

2008-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Red Bull BMX 816 Session Video

November 11, 2008

In the infancy of this site, I posted about a contest that happened in KC at the Pleasant Valley Skatepark. During the contest, I noticed a guy rolling around on a skateboard, filming. I was told by Ivy Melvin from Red Bull that the guy on the board was Trevor Hawkins of Butter Films and she had hired him to grab some footage. So, over a year has now gone by, but I stumbled-upon Trevor’s work on YouTube last week. Almost 10 minutes worth of some great footage of the good times had. Gotta love the long-jump section around the 3-min mark.

Barack Obama is Your New President

November 4, 2008

America, your president-elect. Barack Obama is indeed your new bicycle.
Now that you rocked the vote, rock a helmet like him, too.

October 2008

2008-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hacks and Kicks Videos

October 21, 2008

DJ Truly Odd and Greyboy released a promo video for their new sidehack company, Hercules, a couple weeks back, and it is awesome. Just looks like too much fun. They’ve ben working with Ben Ward from Odyssey on some of the design details, and showed a prototype at Interbike last month. Can’t wait to see more.

Well, Rich Hirsch and the Lotek crew have filmed a ton with a number of their riders over the summer, and you can now see the fruits of their labor over on VIMBY. The Lotek SF Mixtape Episode 1 was very street focused, and Episode 2 has quite a bit of park riding. Both are awesome in their own right, keep an eye out for their new episodes. Go check ‘em out.

Benefits and Bikes for Mike Aitken.

October 17, 2008

Video by Jordan Utley
As you have probably heard by now, and as I mentioned on the site last week, Mike Aitken was injured, and as the appeals have gone out to give him and his family a hand, the BMX community has responded. Odyssey and 5050BMX shop are raffling off a one-of-a-kind S&M LTF, Profile is auctioning an early Hutch frame, and there is a bunch of other stuff happening that you can check out at MikeAitken.com. You can also hear about Mike’s progress at his site.

Positive thoughts go out to him and his family.

Lighten the Mood

October 15, 2008

I got a couple great links from a couple friends this week. You can call them vintage, retro or whatever, but here’s some enjoyable viewing to be had.

First up, from Jason, I got the above video, “Industry on Parade”, featuring Columbia Bicycle manufacturing. A great look at an American bicycle factory in the 1940s. Check out the women who could be our Grandmothers lacing wheels around the 2:40 mark. As Jason said, it is definitely “worth the 5 minutes”.

Next, from Andy, who gave us the behind-the-scenes on the Nike Olympic designs a few months back - airwalkprototypes.com. Ollie pads, lace-savers, neons, and more. The site is a labor of love by a guy with a serious fetish for some rare kicks. Though I often rocked the ever-popular Adidas hi-tops or Chuck Taylors, I destroyed a few pairs of Airwalks back-in-the-day. The best thing is that you could probably re-create the visual design of many of these by using Nike ID, or Converse One.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some updated ways to help Mike Aitken, as well as a couple of new big bikes I gotta tell you about.

Mike Aitken Needs Our Help

October 8, 2008

Pro-rider, father, and BMX style-cat, Mike Aitken fell hard and is in need of the BMX community’s help. I hate posting this kind of news - similar to Jimmy Levan and Stephen Murray, amongst others, last year. Aitken is known for his amazingly smooth, classic riding style, as well as his Fit frame, popular with so many kids these days, the S3. Hell, I even run an Odyssey Aitken seat. Now, he and his family need some help with the oncoming medical bills they’re facing with his injury. I encourage you all to do what you can, even in these trying economic times.

Here’s the press release from Aaron Cooke, of the Athlete Recovery Fund, an organizing body that is trying to implement insurance for Action Sports riders and their families…

Mike Aitken is a Professional BMX rider in need of our help. Mike is an icon in the sport of BMX and is someone who rides with incredible style and passion for the sport. He is also a proud husband and a father. Read the message below from his brother Jeremy Aitken:“Mike Aitken has been hospitalized in serious condition. While in Pennsylvania over the weekend, Mike was seriously injured when he over-rotated a 360. He is currently in the ICU unit and has not regained consciousness. His injuries include a fractured eye socket, sinus and both sides of his jaw. A CAT scan shows no swelling on his brain. As soon as any changes in his status are available, we will pass them on. Thank you for your faith, prayers, and support of Mike and his family.They are needed and greatly appreciated.”10/6/2008

This is a time when we can pull together to make a huge difference in Mike’s recovery. No amount is too small and if everyone pulls together and offers a little bit we can make a dent in the medical bills to come.

Ways for you to help:
www.5050bmx.com There is a link and a Paypal account set up for Mike and his family.

www.athleterecoveryfund.com Click the “Make a donation button” and because ARF is a 501(c)3 Non Profit the PayPal fees are less than most anywhere else, meaning more of your donation goes to Mike and his family. All donations made at this time go directly to Mike Aitken and his family.

Mail a check to:
Athlete Recovery Fund c/o Mike Aitken
27636 Ynez Road L-7 #284
Temecula, CA 92591
Write check payable to Mike Aitken

Athlete Recovery Fund is in the process of providing a grant to also assist Mike and his family through this tough time. While extremely unfortunate this is the reason why we started our charity. For the PayPal and mailing address we are simply helping coordinate donations with the approval of Mike Aitken’s family. For large donations or concerns about receiving tax deductibility please contact aaron@athleterecoveryfund.com.

September 2008

2008-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Interbike 2008 - BMX Coverage

September 25, 2008

MacNeil Cruisers Coming Soon

September 21, 2008

Black and Orange Macneil Cruiser. Photo courtesy of the Defgrip Photostream

Just perusing Defgrip, and saw what appeared to be a clean-looking cruiser on their Random Photo feed. Sure enough, it linked me to the DefGrip photostream, and viola - a couple of shots of the new MacNeil cruisers. Harrison Boyce (Defgrip contributor and MacNeil Art Director) says that they’ll have them at Interbike, which starts this week, and that they’ll be available for purchase, soon. More specs as they come available.

White Macneil Cruiser. Do I see a big-ol’ gusset? Nice. Photo courtesy of the Defgrip Photostream

Look for a site for the cruisers off of the MacNeil site soon. Oh, and while you’re at the MacNeil site, check out Travis Collier’s new frame. It is a very traditional looking flatland frame that’s meant to be ridden on most-any terrain. Simple and clean, without flatland-specific geometry that limits the use of the bike.

Brian P’s Summerslam #4 Video

September 21, 2008

For the past four years, one of the good guys of the vintage bmx scene has held a party at his house in New Jersey. Brian P and his family let a bunch of BMX kooks invade their yard, street and home for a day of fun. Folks bring out their bikes for show, and to get their kick-turns on with the wedge ramp. Enjoy the video from this year’s 4th annual Summerjam.

Ride BMX 150th Issue Party - Today

September 17, 2008

UPDATE: Looks like Ride has added a video feature to their site to capture the happenings during the party. It isn’t exactly live streaming, but it is being updated quickly, and is very cool nonetheless. Check it out on their homepage.

If you’re in SoCal, and can make your way to Tustin, CA (1421 Edinger Ave. to be exact), you should go to the party that Ride BMX Magazine is throwing in celebration of their 150th anniversary at their HQ. They’ll be giving out copies of the magazine, handing out beer mugs to the first 150 or so people, and having a bunnyhop contest and a mini-ramp jam. Plus, there should be a bunch of pros of all eras on-hand. As of this posting, you have 4 hours to get there (it starts at 3PM PST).

Mulligan posted about all this on his blog and said “Consider yourself officially invited. Bring your bike and a smile, we’ll take care of the rest.” Go, dog, go, and if you’re there and shoot some photos or video, send ‘em my way and I’ll post them on BMX Roots.

Congrats to the Ride staff (past and present) on this achievement. Can’t wait to see issue 200. Also, I dig the understated approach to using the above logo on the cover. Nice and clean, but there for all to notice - plus, it looks like there is a special 15oth issue poster inside.

SNAFU Goods for Your Event

September 15, 2008

Dave Mirra might not show up at your next homegrown jam, but the SNAFU parts he rides might. Photo from Mirraco Bikes

McGoo’s been posting like mad over on the SNAFU site. New product, new photos and new words that should make you stop and think.

Anywho, he mentioned that they’re getting ready to do a bunch of updates to their MySpace page, and with that, he wants anyone doing a contest, jam or other bicycle-related shenanigans to send him a flyer of the happening, as well as info about it. They will post it on the SNAFU MySpace page, as well as their blog, and send you some product to give-away at your event. Gotta make room for the ‘09 product, so why not give it to those evangelizing the BMX-culture? Sounds like a solid plan to me, so, hell, why not go plan something right now? Summer is almost over, trail season is firing up…

2012 London Olympic Cycling Plans Revealed

September 8, 2008

We’re only a few weeks from the wrap-up of the Beijing Olympics, and the London 2012 organizers have released the plans and the above video for the “VeloPark”, which includes an indoor velodrome and outdoor BMX track. As this is one of the premier permanent facilities for the 2012 Games, it will remain a part of the London cycling scene, and an additional 1-mile road cycling path and MTB course will be added after the games. Read more about it over on the BBC.

I know this is for the Olympics and all, which means big plans and a big outlay of cash (though not to the extent of the Beijing games, I’ve read) but it would be great to see more multi-use bicycle facilities in the US. With the popularity of track/fixed/single-speed bikes, it would seem that there is a market for more velodromes, and BMX tracks and skateparks should just go hand-in-hand.

Thrown-back; Bashguards and Twin-tubes

September 4, 2008

A little of this, and a lot of that…

A couple of new complete BMX bikes have been hitting the web in the past few days that reference earlier times in freestyle. One from the recent past, and one from the very beginning.

First, Subrosa has released news that they’re going to be doing a bashguard bike that is a modern take on the old Bully bashguard frame of the early 90s. As Ryan Sher, of Subrosa puts it on their site, “I can vividly remember seeing a bike that I only wished I could own, or even knew how to use; that bike was the Bully R.L. Inc”. He goes on to say that it was around this time that he was inspired by the progression of BMX, and the street riding “style” that became so prevalent.

Ultimately, he says that it is about bringing the fun back into BMX. A topic that seems to be popping up in a number of places (Thanks, mcGoo - note I meant “sight”, not “site”, ugh). I’ll keep saying it - remember, this is about riding bikes, and bikes should be fun. If sliding on a plastic bashguard helps to get you there, cool, go for it.

Next, there’s news that the retro Haro Bikes Gen-1 Freestyler is finally happening. After a couple years of speculation, and a few prototypes (one of which was at last year’s Interbike), there are images of the 2009 Haro Bikes catalog floating around that shows what should be close to the production version of the retro Freestyler, based on Bob Haro’s original Haro Freestyler,the predecesor to the ubiquitous Haro Master. As with the Subrosa Bash Bike, it looks like an integrated headtube and “updated geometry”, as they say in the catalog, are part of the package.

Rumor has it that both of these are going to be limited-edition run. With all of the clamor about the Haro, I have a feeling they’ll go quick, but then become available over the upcoming months. This is the third retro model done by Haro, the first was a Dave Mirra-based Freestyler, the second was the 2005-06 retro Sport. For Subrosa, the bash bike is a continuation of what they started with their Letum cruiser.

I’m down with either of these, but of course, I have a lot of heart for the Haro, just because it has been discussed for SO long in the vintage bmx circles. However, I have to dig the Subrosa because it not only has graphics in the vein of the Bully designs, but also because I was right there, watching RL and Chris Day tear it up on early Bully frames at a mall show in Overland Park, KS, during a summer tour. We snuck our bikes in and rode through the mall - good times…

FBM Featured on local Binghamton, NY news

September 2, 2008

Click the image to watch the video over on the NewsChannel 34 site.

FBM has a piece from the local news station about their facilities in Binghamton and their new complete line of bikes. Their master welder, Big Dave, John Paul Rodgers and Steve Crandall are all featured in the video. It looks like most of the bikes being built in the video are FBM Fixed frames, which look so damn nice. Side note - awesome to hear the reporter say “Fat Bald Men”.

August 2008

2008-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Olympics BMX Coverage

August 23, 2008

Download Donny Robinson, US Olympian and Silver Medal Winner

Well, even after the semi-finals were rained out, and thus, not televised as planned, the BMX events in the Olympics put on a solid 45-second (per race) show. Jill Kintner, Mike Day and Donny Robinson all medaled for the United States with bronze, silver, bronze, respectively. Maris Strombergs of Latvia won the men’s gold, and two French riders, Anne-Caroline Chausson and Laetitia le Corguille took the gold and silver.

Stuart over at DHADM sent me a couple of videos in the build-up to the BMX racing events in the Olympics. One from the Seattle program, Evening Magazine, and another from MSNBC. The video from MSNBC, above, features some more behind-the-scenes of the track, and an interview with racer, Donny Robinson.

Interesting that the host on Evening Magazine, John Curley, mentions that if you haven’t heard of “BMX Motocross” before, you’re not alone. Strange, because I know that BMX has always had a good footprint in the Pacific Northwest, and, well, it has been around for what, 30-plus years? Public perception of BMX never surprises.

Download Evening Magazine BMX Feature, featuring some solid Washington racers

If you didn’t get a chance to see the Olympic medal rounds on tv, you can check them out here

Oh, and George over on Kranky found some great photos (via We Mine Deeper) of the Olympic BMX races, shot by a non-bmx photographer. Cool stuff.

On the heels of this, I’ve dug through my archives, and I have something pretty special planned starting Monday - it will be Bob Haro week at BMXRoots. Check back for some stuff many of you may have never seen.

So about this BMX Olympic thing… Discussions from around the ‘net

August 17, 2008

The BMX competition in the Olympics is only three days away, and with that, there are some lively discussions popping up all over. Since most of my time has been on the freestyle/non-racing side of BMX, I’m focusing on this side of the fence. There are plenty of other places to get the BMX racing contingent’s thoughts on the Olympics, and a quick search will get you there pretty quickly.

First, Phil at Super Rat Machine is giving you a shot at winning a set of Super Rat Prototype pedals as one of his Friday Freebies, for answering these questions in the comments of his site:
Since this is the first year of bmx in the olympics and since it will essentially expose millions of people to bmx racing what are the pros and cons of the event as you see it? and do you think it will affect your daily interaction with joe public? and to go along with that do you think any other form of bmx will make it into the olympics?
Post your answer here by Friday, August 22nd, for a chance to win a set of sweet not-even-yet-released pedals.

Over on the RideBMX site, there’s an interesting bunch of quotes from BMX-industry folks and riders. Mat Hofman’s response and comments (taken from another interview in a German newspaper), have sparked quite a bit of discussion. Rad to see the infamous McGoo throwing some thoughts, as well.

(Note that I’m not the Jeremy commenting on the Ride site, it is me on the Super Rat site, however, for what its worth…)

On a lighter note, I encourage you to take a cue from the Minnesota Faction BMX crew, and get some other riders together and watch the racing. If you’re in Minneapolis, join them. What better reason to ride, drink and eat - in whatever order you prefer? Thanks to Paul Smith for the heads-up.

Corked pedals…not pedals made from cork. A Super Rat Friday Freebie.

Knight Retro Performer Cruiser Geometry

August 15, 2008

Seat stay/framestand and bologna-cut top tube detail. Photo: George Yang

Looks like there’s already quite a bit of chatter about the Knight Performer - I’ve seen it pop up on a number of the vintage BMX sites over the past couple of days. One thing that’s been discussed is the geometry of the ride, and how it compares, considering it is overall, a pretty modern ride. I hit George at Knight up for some more information, and he sent over pretty much all you might want to know:

Material: 4130 Chromoly
FRAME
Top tube length: 21.5″
BB height: 12″
Chainstay length: 15.25″
Head angle: 73 degree
Seat tube angle: 70.5 degree
Headtube: Integrated
Bottom Bracket: Mid type
Brakes: 990 mounts
Seat post: 25.4mm
Dropouts: 3/16″ thick
Axle type: 3/8 axles
Extras: Coaster Brake plate like the 20″ version

So, there you have it - the top tube length should keep it roomy, yet quick for a cruiser. With the 3/8″ axles, you might need to hookup a set of the Skyway Graphite TuffWheels to go with the frame. Keep a lookout here for shots of the prototype as it gets built-up.

More big bikes - New Knight Retro “Performer” Cruiser

August 12, 2008

Raw and fresh out of the jig. Photo: George Yang

The 24″ Retro Squareback Knight released last year was very well received by those looking for a cruiser with vintage styling. Modeled after the Redline squarebacks of yore, it was a fairly traditional cruiser frame, with some really nice detailing.

I think that the new 24″ jam from Knight will up the retro BMX game - other manufacturers should take note. In fact, it is only retro in styling, as it features all of the modern features of today’s BMX bikes - integrated headset, mid-bottom bracket and 990 brake mounts. However, look closer at the photos of the prototype - a coaster brake tab and a standing platform. Yeah, I said it - a standing platform, just like the GTs of yore - on a 24″ cruiser. Knight is calling it the Knight “Performer”, but I don’t know if they’ll stick with that name. They say it is a tribute to one of the most recognizable early freestyle frames, the GT Performer/World Tour, and Eddie Fiola - who helped make GT so prolific early in the freestyle game. Be sure to hit the link on Eddie’s name - there’s a great story on lifelounge.com, with some of Eddie’s personal photos.

If you want one, get a hold of Knight quickly. They’re going to be made in limited numbers, and available very soon. Damn, just like yesterday’s post - did I find yet ANOTHER bike/frame to obsess over? Check more photos over on the Knight blog.

Olympic BMX Television Schedule

August 8, 2008

THAT, my friends is a starting hill… Photo Credit: Casey Gibson/USACycling.org

As I type this, the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics are underway. Controversy aside, it is pretty amazing to see BMX recognized as an Olympic sport. Thanks to the good folks at the OS-BMX Forums, here are the broadcast schedules for the Olympic BMX coverage on NBC, here in the United States. If you’re a night-owl, you can watch some of this live online at nbcolympics.com

August 20, 2008 - 12:30am - 2:00am EST
Late night (LIVE) BMX cycling, featuring men’s quarterfinal races.

August 20, 2008 - 8:00pm - 12:00am EST
Prime time (LIVE) cycling’s BMX finals.

August 21, 2008 - 2:00am - 5:00am EST
Prime time Replay BMX finals.

Wanna know more about the bmx athletes? Check these links:
jillkintner.com - Personal site of the sole female USA rider and all-around badass cyclist
USA Olympics Cycling Team
Redline’s Global Olympic Team Page
Mike Day (Olympic rider) on EXPN.com
Uhh…

Related:
Nike USA Olympic Uniforms

Dan’s Comp Freestylin’ Book Giveaway

August 7, 2008

Dan’s Comp has 3 of the 2,500 limited edition Freestylin’ Books from the Nike Collaboration to give away. These are much sought-after in certain circles, and I gotta say that I’d love to get my hands on one as well. You can enter once a day, and there’s no purchase necessary. Check out the details here.

Kansas Action Sports Contest

August 4, 2008

Double foot-jam tailwhip at the Kansas Action Sports Contest - rider’s name coming. Photo: Jeremy Schutte

Alright, I’ll get the obvious out of the way first - August in Kansas is HOT. Not quite Texas hot, but we can get damn close. Heat and humidity combine to make some sweaty, exhausting times. So, first, props to the 12-15 riders who rode through the heat yesterday in the state capital of Topeka, for the bmx portion of the Kansas Action Sports contest - which also had skateboarding on Saturday and Inline skating on Sunday as well. It was pushing 100 degrees yesterday at the end of the contest, with 90+ % humidity. Ugh.

Ty from Topeka organized and announced the bmx contest, held at the Rip On Skatepark at Shunga Glen Park. Rip On is a small park with some big features - definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area. Seeing that I had my almost-4 and 6-year-old boys with me, I didn’t get to meet many of the riders, but I gotta say that, as always, the midwest guys easily throw-down with any rider out there. A nice mix of new and old tricks, with footjams, whips, big boosts, grinds and wall-rides all represented.

Rumor has it that they are considering moving the contest to earlier in the summer, and I gotta say that this, along with wider promotion of the entire contest, across all disciplines, would boost the contestant and spectator turn-out. Again, especially with BMX, we gotta evangelize it, and I was glad to see the amateur group available to the younger/less-experienced riders.

The contest was sponsored by Capps Bike Shop, Midwest Skateboarding, Topeka Parks & Rec, the City of Topeka and Pepsi of Topeka. Nearly every rider walked away with something in-hand from the sponsors - always a nice touch.

I’m planning on shooting some photos with some of the riders, in the upcoming months, so look for those here, soon.

July 2008

2008-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ride’s New Site & Mulligan’s Favorite Things

July 28, 2008

Ride Editor, Keith Mulligan’s custom-made sticker board.

If you haven’t been over to ridebmx.com - aka bmxonline.com - aka bmx.transworld.net, get over there and check out their new site, which launched a couple weeks ago. Much more user-friendly, with content from the magazine and new blogs from their editors, the new site has a ton of reasons to visit and hang around for a bit. Personally, I’m just happy to see the funky photo gallery navigation/pop-up thing go away.

Keith Mulligan, Ride’s editor, wrote a “favorite things” post about a week ago, and most of them are of the vintage variety. From his first BMX racing trophy in ‘81 to the plexiglass board his dad made, covered in hella-cool stickers of various eras, it is definitely worth a read. BTW, what BMX rider hasn’t had a certain place to stick, or horde the many stickers collected over the years? I know I do.

Check it here: Mulligan’s Favorite Things

Friday Freebies courtesy of Super Rat Machine Works

July 24, 2008

Phil at Super Rat is doing a cool contest of sorts to get people excited about what he’s got going on in the shop and reward them for participation - wisecracks, sarcasm and innuendo are all welcome.

Basically, he’s got a small inventory of BMX parts and Super Rat schwag to give away for free. All you have to do is post an answer (in the comments of the site) to the question he posts on a Friday, and by the next Friday, he will pick his favorite. The winner gets the weekly freebie sent to them. Easy, eh?

This week’s giveaway is a Super Rat 7075 t-6 bottle opener, simply for posting your best hangover cure, and Phil says he’s got sprockets, stems and other parts to pass along in the upcoming weeks.

Check it out here: http://www.superratmachine.com/category/freebies/

Nike Lab Interview - Olympic BMX Uniforms

July 19, 2008

My friend, Andy, (thanks, man) sent me a great link to the Nike Lab, a series of interviews with their designers, and there are a couple with John Martin, who led the Nike/Freestylin’ collaboration and is leading up their Olympic BMX effort. As most of you know, the 2008 Olympics in China will feature BMX (in the form of racing) for the first time in the Olympic games.

Hit these links to check out the uniforms and the shoes they’ve designed for the riders. Interesting to see the inspiration from the early Haro Designs uniforms and hear about their design process.

City Battle 2 Skatepark Jam - Saturday, July 12

July 9, 2008

I just found out about a skatepark jam/contest coming up this Saturday, July 12 in Topeka, KS. Teams of riders from different cities will compete against each other in a sort of advanced game of B.I.K.E. This is all going down starting at 10AM, at the Rip-On public skatepark.

From MySpace user TY! (sorry, I don’t have his real name - will update when I do), who is organizing City Battle 2:
“The first city battle was a game of bike. We had 6 cities/teams and about 23 riders…City Battle 2 will be more riding and less sitting around, more of a jam style. Lets say I turndown the 8′, Team Topeka gets 1 point but if Trent from Manhattan pulls one on the same obstacle the point is taken away. So basically its going to come down to which team has the biggest range of tricks and creativity.”

The Rip-On Skatepark is located at 23rd and Washburn in Topeka, near the Washburn University campus, by the soccer fields. Get a hold of TY! via his MySpace page for more info. Definitely check it out if you’re near the area.

Monkey Masks and Balloon Tires - 1963 Bike Safety Film

July 9, 2008 in Bikes, Video, Vintage by Jeremy | No comments

I’ve known about the Internet Archive for a long time, and have used it for work and personal research for years. Between the Wayback Machine (a website archive - here, check out RideBMX’s site from Sunday, June 18, 2000), and the Live Music Archive, you can literally spend hours finding hidden gems of all sorts.

The sweet spot, to me, however is the Moving Images archive. Especially the vintage films found in the Prelinger Collection. You say you want a Chevrolet World’s Fair movie? Check. How about some AFL-CIO union worker training films? Sure, no problem.

Well, this being a bicycle/bmx-focused site, and all, you know where I’m going with this. So, I wanted to post something a bit more light-hearted today, so here’s some TRUE vintage for ya.

There is some great bicycle safety film footage from the 50s-60s that is too good. And in the case of “One Got Fat“, the gem above, it features a bunch of kids riding with creepy-as-hell monkey masks and running into steamrollers and other obstacles in suburbia. Seriously, the masks are waaay creepier than anything from Planet of the Apes.

Here are some others to check out. The first one reminds you that you should never be a “showoff”:
You and Your Bicycle
Drive Your Bicycle
Bicycle Safety - shot in Lawrence, KS

Limited Editions and Colorways…

July 8, 2008

Great discussion over on SPRFLS today, regarding limited edition parts/colors/etc. Something that’s been on my mind as of late, and Russ fired off a new post that got some discussion going. The second day in a row that the comments have really been flowing over there.

Check it out and participate in his comments section…

Here’s an excerpt of one of the responses:
Wasn’t it a similar mentality that lead bike shops to having massive amounts of inventory during the late 80s, that now lead to guys with major “scores” of NOS (new old stock) bright green Skyway pegs, dug out of these shops … how many sets of DiaCompe Nippon calipers did a dealer have to carry when they were manufacturing SO many colors?

Happy 4th of July

July 4, 2008

Doesn’t get much more American than the USA-made blue, white and red Standard Bykes S250 that I just built. Yeah, I know, the majority of the parts are imported, but this one was built on the cheap, and American-made components are getting harder and harder to find.

Check the specs over at the BMXMuseum.

Oh, and don’t forget about the red, white and blue Skyway T/A wallpaper I posted last week.

June 2008

2008-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

More Nike BMX and Freestylin’ Magazine coverage

June 30, 2008

I thought we might see more coverage from the Nike SB BMX/Freestylin’ launch party today, and indeed, the info keeps getting better and better. Above, there’s a video that just came up on YouTube, from what I believe to be is Mark Lewman’s (Lew for those of you Freestylin’ Magazinephiles like me) design company, Nemo Design. Note that John Martin, Nike’s Director of Action Sports spearheaded the project, and he gives a very emotional introduction to the Nike BMX work. Cool to know his history of BMX as well.

Vital has a photo album and a great introduction by Mark Losey, here:
http://www.vitalbmx.com/features/Freestylin-Retrospective-Launch-Party,3925

Discuss this over at the VitalBMX forums:
VitalBMX Old School Talk Forum

Nike SB BMX Collection

June 28, 2008

Yesterday, Nike released their limited-edition SB BMX pack in honor of the first Olympics to feature BMX - this year in Beijing. This is a continuation of the participation Nike has had, starting with the Lightning Bolts show last month. The SB BMX collection will feature four different shoes, including a limited-run pack that includes the “Trickstar” Dunk Low and Blazer Hi, as well as a couple throwback Hutch-styled jerseys. Only 600 Trickstar packs were made, and were released at DQM in NY and Brooklyn Projects in LA - both shops participated in the design of this collection. The other shoes will be out later in July, though the Trickstars have already hit the ‘bay.

Also, rumor has it that these will coincide with a Freestylin’ book release, more info as I hear it…

Interesting, because though it is great to see Nike giving major support to the BMX effort this year, they’ve never been known as much of a BMX brand. Recently, they have built a BMX team with Nike 6.0, but in the 30+ years since BMX began growing, their participation has been limited. That said, a big brand getting behind the Olympic BMX effort should only help the recognition of the sport.

Also, I’m a bit confused by the fact that they have released the BMX collection under the SB (skateboard) brand, and not the 6.0 moniker. Probably has something to do with distribution, but seemingly minor details like this unfortunately only add to the little-brother status of BMX riders to our skateboarding brethren.

See other shoes in the colleciton:
Michael Lau Chinese BMX Federation
and
Kuwahara ET

Knight Bike Co Retro Stems - v2

June 16, 2008

I’m back. After a long unplanned hiatus (life, work, etc. got crazy for a bit). Enough about that, though…

George at Knight just sent news that he’s got some new inverted Pro-Neck-style stems available, as well as the traditional top-loaders back in stock. Right now, the inverted stems are available in silver and gold, with blue available next week. Check ‘em out and order directly from Knight. So, if you wanna drop your bars a bit, and do so with a clean, simple looking, retro-styled stem, you’re set.

I’m interested to hear what you think of these, compared to the other retro-styled products that are starting to crop up. Drop your opinions over at the Vital BMX Old School Talk forum.

April 2008

2008-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hutch Comeback?

April 30, 2008

I wondered when it would happen. We’ve seen a number of retro products over the past couple of years being pushed out by Knight, SE and other manufacturers. Just yesterday, it was announced on a number of the BMX message boards that John De Bruin, who has been making repro Hutch pedal cages and decal sets, has acquired the rights to the Hutch Hi-Performance BMX brand, as well as CW. He plans on creating new product “reissues” that have at least one detail that is different from the original, and down the road, creating more modern products. Read his full press release here.

Needless to say, with the prices of Hutch parts continuing to climb, Hutch Hi-Performance with be something to watch. Interesting to see if John will build bikes with modern geometry and old-school flavor, a la SE, or vintage-style frames with 1″ headsets. Hell, they’re making “new” 60s Ford Mustang bodies now, so it was only a matter of time until we saw this happen with BMX.

S&M Bikes’ Chris Moeller Interview on OS-BMX

April 3, 2008

Chris Moeller, 2004. Photo from sandmbikes.com

Just got word from Steve over at OS-BMX about a huge interview he and a couple of the other fellas from the forums over there just completed with S&M’s Chris Moeller. It is an excellent read, giving Chris’ thoughts on the history of S&M, the current state of BMX, and for the vintage guys out there, a bunch of info about the different models of bikes over the past 20 years. Check it out, now. Oh, and while you’re there, sign up and spend some time digging around. Some good people on that site.

Also in S&M news, they’ve got some new chrome parts out - Slam XLT bars, Race XLT bars, and Race XLT forks, are avialable now, with Pitchforks and LTFs coming soon. Just saw Ryan Guettler’s new bike on the Mirraco site as well, looking straight outta 1986, with purple, pink and chrome - is this the 2nd (3rd?) coming of chrome?

Have fun everyday…

April 1, 2008

…especially on April fools day.

Profile and Eastern have some rad new parts coming out soon that they’ve just posted about recently - hit the links to check em out. Pure awesomeness from two cutting-edge bmx companies.

I’m sure we’ll see some other “announcements” coming out today.

Tip o’ the hat to Kranky for the Eastern news.

March 2008

2008-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

FBM Owners Group

March 24, 2008

Have a FBM bike? Wanna show it to the rest of the unwashed FBM masses? Then get on over to the new FBM Owners Group site and submit your ride. As the site says, “The FBM Owners Group is for anyone; industry types, pro riders, FBM staff, and kids everywhere. Basically anyone with an FBM they wanna show off.”

This is a great way to get riders involved intimately with the brand - which is especially important with the rider-owned companies. Fit has a similar feature on their site as well, with the Fit Trust. Dig.

What’s Old is New Again
March 16, 2008
KHE, the German BMX company with roots back to 1988, has a couple of new products out that remind me of how the BMX industry should always look back at its relatively short history for ideas that worked before, and can still work today. Both their Centaur handlebar/stem combo and 1pc seat combo refer back to products that were popular some 20-odd years ago.

KHE Centaur circa 2008.

Vector pro bars circa 1984 - photo by “oldmetal” on the bmxmuseum.

The influence of the Vector bars and Troxel seat are immediately apparent, though with modern geometry, technology and materials, KHE has created something totally new in today’s bmx market. For example, with the seat, by removing the seat guts, they were able to significantly lower the weight and the price will be comparable to a standard saddle alone. With the bars, KHE wants to again create the purest form of a handlebar and stem, again to reduce weight and simplify the number of parts on your bike. The Centaur bar/stem will come in a couple different angles, though the seat will only come in one angle.

KHE prototype seat/post combo prototype.

Early ’80s Troxel Comet combo seat/post - photo by “bmxr68″ on the bmxmuseum.

Both of the KHE products should be available in Spring 2008. Will be cool to see how KHE continues to reference the past while offering something new.

February 2008

2008-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Terrible One Fakie Contest Videos

February 19, 2008

Joe Rich at Terrible One just posted a couple videos from their fakie contest they held a couple weeks ago. One features just the fakies, shot in DV, and the other has a bunch of footage shot of the whole event, shot in HD. You’ll recognize some of the riders, such as Taj, Chase Hawk and Tony Cardona, tearing up the T-1 compound in Austin. Plus the HD video features “Cactus” by The Pixies, how can you go wrong?

These kind of contests are what bmx is all about, and I can’t wait for the spring to get here so I can get to more of them in person.

Rob and Big tearing up the BMX track

February 19, 2008

From Todd Lyons at SE Bikes:
If you’ve ever seen the “Rob & Big” TV show on MTV, then you know that Big Black is a very, very big guy. He told us a while ago that he’s really into the whole old-school BMX scene. But his problem was that he couldn’t find a BMX bike that came anywhere close to fitting him. So being the cool guys that we are at SE Bikes, we built him a custom sized PK Ripper Looptail that would fit him like a glove. I went up to Rob’s house & gave it to him a little while ago & they filmed the whole deal for an episode of the “Rob & Big” TV show. I even went to a BMX track & rode with Rob & Big & their whole crew. And man, was it funny watching those guys ride!

Anyways, I’m pretty sure that this stuff will air tonight at 10:30pm ET & PT on MTV. Check it out. And if this segment of the show doesn’t air on the show tonight, then I’m almost positive that it’ll air next Tuesday night.

Click here for more info & other air times & to check out the show in case you don’t have cable:
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/rob_and_big/series.jhtml

I’ve watched Rob and Big a bunch, and it is a good show, with a bit of “Jackass”-like humor. From the looks of it, good times will be had on the bikes. I appreciate the fact that Todd and SE continue to push their bikes and therefore, bmx, into the public eye, continuously. More exposure leads to more riders, and so on. May the circle be unbroken, or something like that…

Super Rat Machine Works - New Products and Site

February 14, 2008

Veteran BMX pro, Phil Wasson, has been running Super Rat Machine Works for a couple of years out of Kansas City (KC Pride!), making parts for a number of BMX manufacturers you know and love like FBM and Solid, and some others just starting up. Super Rat also manufactures prototypes and products for other industries as well. As a pro, Phil was known for having a dialed bike with tons of custom mods, and his love for solving problems with creative solutions shows in the work the shop produces.

Just a few days ago, Super Rat launched their new site with more information about their projects, past and present, and the going-ons of the shop. One of the most interesting bits of news is that they’ll be doing their own line of products, starting with pedals like the prototype shown above. Read all about them via Phil’s post, here. They’re going to be a bit wider than “normal-sized” pedals, and should be available by the end of March.

Also on tap is a new stem from Terrible One (scroll down the news on the left), and a new stem from Sequence, a flatland-focused company - check out the photos below.

Friend of BMX Roots, Thad Allender, redesigned the site, using a modified WordPress theme from his company, Graph Paper Press.

SE Racing Aluminum Signs

February 13, 2008

So, you’ve got your vintage looptail PK Ripper, your retro O.M. Flyer, and all of the latest SE t-shirt designs. Continue to show your love of all things SE with this 47″x14″ aluminum sign. They’re available now through any SE dealer for MSRP of $36.00.

VitalBMX 2.0 Relaunch

February 11, 2008

Vital Media Network launched the first version of vitalbmx.com back in December of 2006. They’re about to drop version 2.0 of the site anytime now. I was a part of the beta testing, and have seen the changes they’ve got on tap, and I think the community will be pleased. Some really smart functionality that will create a better overall user experience, and keep people hanging around the site longer. Plus, there will be more to come after this relaunch goes live.

Quick Update (February 12, 2007): The site is up, and Vital is looking for your thoughts and any technical issues you might come across via a link at the top of the page: Welcome To Vital BMX 2.0! We’ve listened to your feedback over the past year and put it into this re-design. Click here to let us know what you think or if you have any technical problems. Thanks!

Albe’s Daily Special Sale

February 6, 2008

Starting today, Albe’s BMX mail-order shop is running a Deal of the Day sale throughout the end of February. Offically, it is called the “Christmas in July even though it is February Sale!!!”, and they are planning on offering some killer deals every day until February 29th. They are also having some sales that are not part of the daily deals, but will be on sale through the month. Get all the details here, and check out today’s deal on the Albe’s store homepage.

Related:Albe’s Mail Order Video Contest

January 2008

2008-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

More Retro Goodness from Knight

January 25, 2008

Hot on the heels of their other recent retro/vintage releases, Knight has come out with a vintage-inspired chainwheel spider for Profile Racing Cranks. Made from 6061-T6 alloy, with a 19mm hole, this retro spider keeps it simple and classic. Order it directly from Knight.

S&M Bikes Factory Tour from Vital

January 22, 2008

See More BMX Videos at VitalBMX.com

As a kid, there was a certain magic to getting a new frame, or hell, even a new part. Especially when it was something that you KNEW was not only rad looking, but also built to last - it is a feeling I still get today. Any part I’ve purchased from S&M Bikes usually fits that bill, as they continue their tradition of hand-building frames, forks and bars in California for S&M, Fit, and Metal. Vital has a video tour of their operations led by Sean McKinney, shot in October by Bret Rohlfing. Always dig this kind of behind-the-scenes look into turning raw metal into rolling machines.

Related: FBM Shop Tour

Woodward BMX Coverage by Penn State Newspaper

January 21, 2008

Endless lines at Woodward. Photo from the Camp Woodward site.

The Penn State Daily Collegian has a recent article about the BMX pros who call the area around State College, PA home, so they have full-time access to the Woodward sports camp. The article features interviews with Jamie Bestwick and Chad Kagy and gives some good history on the camp, with insights from Woodward main man, Gary Ream.

Interesting to read all of their thoughts on the popularity of BMX, and how Woodward helps this progression.

Check out the full article: here

They also have a couple of slide shows with audio: here

Much respect to Sidewall Distro

January 19, 2008

Recently, I was on the hunt for a set of 3/8″ forks with 990 brake mounts for a new bike I’m working on. I was looking for options, and stumbled upon some SNAFU forks shown on the Sidewall Distribution site. I rang them up to see what they had in stock, and though they didn’t have any of the SNAFUs, they had some ‘07 Hoffman’s with the specs I was looking for. I ordered that and a Simple Copenhagen sprocket.

After about a week of awaiting the arrival of my shipment, and not seeing anything, I dropped Scott in their sales department an email, and he figured out the issue on their end, and apologized for the delay. He mentioned he’d be dropping something “special” in my shipment, and that I’d get it in a day or two. Sure enough, in two days, I had the forks and sprocket I paid for, PLUS a Hoffman “Broke Off” DVD and a set of Hoffman grips. Nice. So unexpected, and it really made up for the delay.

So, if you’re in the market for Hoffman, Simple, SNAFU, Props, Coalition or any of the other brands they distribute, I highly recommend checking out Sidewall’s Outlet store here: http://www.shopsidewalldistro.com/home.php They’ve got some amazing deals on close-outs, blems, and overstocks. Tell ‘em Jeremy from BMX Roots sent ya.

Knight Bike Co Retro Stems Now Available

January 16, 2008

Oh, man, I’m drooling over this eye candy…

Knight Bike Co have released their vintage Pro-Neck style stems for all of you who want something truly different for your threadless headset bikes. Featuring an etched Curb Dogs Bulldog logo (courtesy of Maurice Meyer) in place of the old Tuf Neck tiger, and a nice array of classic colors, these would be perfect for a retro-fied modern bike, or even better, on a Knight Squareback - their 24″ throwback frame.

Get on over to Knight and check out their array of vintage-influenced parts, as well as their modern work. Note that George at Knight knows his BMX history - they were one of the primary sponsors of the Tuff Love art show last year.

Stronger Than All - A Video Review

January 12, 2008

Mayhem and Metal from SBC. Photo by Jeremy Schutte.

As planned, I got the Standard Stronger Than All video in the mail this week from Goodtimes, and I’ve watched it three times since. That’s three times through both DVDs. See, the first one is all about the Standard Army, section after section of their riders, both US and European, tearing it up both on their bikes and off. The footage is cut with archival military footage and some home-grown destruction. The second DVD has separate riding sections from 13 of the guys in the videos. Street, parks and mini-ramps are well-represented here, with a small bit of trail action.

The footage spans a number of years, and you see it in the various styles of riding throughout. Front brake tricks, no brakes, boosts, foot-jams, lip-tricks, rail grinds, giant gaps, flairs, ledge grinds, whips, manuals; they all come fast and with abandon. Guys like John Rodgers, Drew York and Bommel throw down the latest tricks, with massive lines and flow. Vets like Rob Ridge, Jaimy Spreitzer and Rick Moliterno show just how they’ve been getting it done for years. None of the riders featured here currently have podium spots on the X-Dew-Action Tours, nor are they necessarily the riders blogged about or with multi-page magazine interviews. They rip anyway, period. And, there are a number who will be the riders generating the chat on a message board near you, soon.

In these times of HD and exquisitely shot bmx videos, with the bar being raised everyday, there is a certain beauty in the rawness that Standard has delivered with Stronger Than All. Some of the night riding is lit with flares, a couple of the edits appear to be self-shot, and the DVD menu, or lack therof, makes me crazy. Yet what matters to me is that STA makes me want to put on my headphones, crank the Dead Kennedys, and ride like hell. This video is purely about riding and pushing what can be done on a 20-inch bmx. Make notes when watching it - this video will remind you of how much fun you should be having on your bike.

Get it for $19.95 plus shipping from Goodtimes, now, though I’m sure it will be available other places soon. Check out the following promo videos that Standard put out in 2006-07 teasing the release of STA.

Fifth Annual Local Exposure Tour Hitting the Road

January 9, 2008

Local Exposure Tour 4. In Arizona, 2007. Photo by Ryan Fudger.

Hot on the heels of Alan Cooke’s RV Check over on Vital, there’s news from Allan’s brother Aaron, about the 2008 Local Exposure Tour. You can help them pick the places they’re going to hit in April. Not too many other sports allow you such access and influence with the pros.

Check it out:

2008 will mark the 5th year that we take Local Exposure Tour (LET) on the road. We have some amazing things planned for the pros and the participants! We are looking for your support to determine where we take LET in 2008!

Email us at letusknowwhatsup@localexposuretour.com and speak up if you want us to come to your local park! Based on where we have traveled in the past, 2008 is going to either visit the North West (Southern CA, Oregon, Washington) or the North East (Greater New England area).

2007 was an amazing tour with the most pro riders we have ever had on the road at once and the biggest prize for amateur riders who participated in the tour. “The Golden Ticket” Champion Marcos Torres received flight and hotel for the first two stops of the AST Dew Tour Qualifiers and he is still enjoying a full year of product from most LET sponsors.

Local Exposure Tour is a creation of pro BMX rider Allan Cooke that puts some of the top pros in BMX Park, Street and Dirt on a RV for a road trip before the contest season begins at the end of April. The purpose of the trip is to have fun, but along the way discover some of the best in unknown amateur BMX riders and give them exposure from the BMX Magazines, sponsors web sites, Fuel TV and year end DVD that we produce. The pros will visit six bike parks in the duration of the tour and at each stop pick one rider that impressed them the most. At the end of the tour an overall champion will be chosen by the pro riders and a huge package of travel money and product sponsorship will be won! On top of all the goods the Champion will also be invited to attend the next years LET on the RV with all the pro riders.

Hit the LET website for videos, photos and more from previous years…www.localexposuretour.com

Standard Byke’s Stronger Than All Video Out Now

January 6, 2008

When I was visiting family over the holidays in Davenport, Iowa, I hit the Goodtimes Superstore (also the home to Standard), as I always do when I’m up there. I got to check out the artwork (created by 57Even) for the new Standard Byke Company video, Stronger Than All. They didn’t have the video in stock, quite yet, but it is now, and I’ve got one on the way to my mailbox.

It has been eight years since Standard has released a team video, and based on everything I’ve heard as well as the preview video that has been on YouTube for a while, I have no reason to think that it will be anything less than outta control. I’ll have a full review as soon as the DVDs arrive and I dig into it.

Head over to the Goodtimes site to check out all of the details, and order one up by calling them direct. There’s also a sneak peek at some new SBC product on the site as well.

2-Mile Hang-5

January 3, 2008

Craig “gOrk” Barette (Redline’s Marketing Director, and O/S BMXer), or krog, as he’s known on the Vintage BMX forums, just posted a link to a video of “Fish” Johnson doing a 2-mile long hang-5, a few years ago. The video is almost 6 minutes long, and in the youtube comments, Fish mentions that he was hitting 30-35 mph during this downhill run in Auburn, WA, which, after living in the Seattle area, I don’t doubt at all. Pretty rad to watch, as you can see the proverbial wind in his hair (or is that a jester hat?) as he hauls down the canyon road.

December 2007

2007-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

“I’m gonna call you the Bike Man”

December 27, 2007

On Christmas Eve, I saw a great story on ABCNews.com about “The Bike Man”, Lewis H. Davis, a retired maintenance man, who rebuilds bikes for kids in Durham, North Carolina. He does it out of the good of his heart, through donations people make, or bikes he finds - usually rebuilding up to 150 a year. So good to see stories like this, especially when it involves getting kids into riding bikes - regardless of how, or what they ride.

Check out his story here: ABCNews.com (Thanks to FenwayKid over on the BMXMuseum for the link).

Also, I want to say Happy Holidays to all of you. I hope you and yours are enjoying the season and looking forward to 2008.

Black Lightning Collaboration with Lupe Fiasco

December 23, 2007

Black Lightning, the boutique bicycle and clothing company, has done four custom bikes for the release of Chicago hip-hop artist, Lupe Fiasco’s new album, The Cool. This is just the latest in Black Lightning’s promotion of the bmx culture since providing bikes for The Cool Kids’ video “Black Mags“.

It should be no surprise that Fiasco, with his documented love of skateboards/comics/bikes, would hook up with a company like Black Lightning to do something special for his latest album. His first single was “Kick Push“, an ode to skating, that earned him multiple award nominations.

The bikes feature the custom finishes Black Lightning is throwing down, with graphics in the style of the album art. Check out more images on the Black Lightning Blog - look closely at the details, some really detailed touches on these bikes.

BMX vs. Fiat - Top Gear Video

December 20, 2007

Top Gear is my absolute, all-time favorite television show about cars, and a few months back, BBC America finally began running it here in the States. Last week’s UK episode featured riders Sebastian Keep and Ben Shenker racing one of the hosts, James May, through Budapest in a Fiat 500 retromobile. The way Top Gear shoots cars is always so well done, and they apply the same techniques to the riding here as well. Sebastian and Ben pull out some bangers along the way in unexpected places - some of which were obviously staged, but rad nonetheless.

Check it out at RideBMX UK (via defgrip).

Stephen Murray Auction Package from SE Bikes

December 19, 2007

It has been quite a week for news out of the SE camp, as I just got this little tidbit about another great auction for Stephen Murray. So rad to see the continued support of the BMX Community. Go bid now, you know you want to…

SE Bikes, one of the OG’s of BMX, has put together a one of a kind package to help raise funds to assist Stephen Murray in his fight to “STAY STRONG” and recover from injuries he sustained at the Baltimore AST Dew Tour.

These items are for collectors and serious BMX enthusiasts!

The Bike
This is the FIRST production bike of the 2008 PK Ripper Looptail. It’s the same EXACT bike that was on display at Interbike in Las Vegas. All of the normal production bikes have the serial numbers stamped in numerical order on the inside of the rear dropout. But this bike is unique in the fact that it does not have any serial number stamp. Only 250 of this bike will be available throughout the year in the USA. This was the first one made!

The Shoes
These are a brand new pair of the limited edition DC/PK Ripper DC Shoe. This shoe was also VERY limited worldwide and all stores are completely sold out. Size is 10.5. As a bonus, these shows come with a re-release of the “Joe Kid on a Stingray” video with bonus footage.

The Jersey
The most legendary BMX jersey of all time, the SE retro jersey. Made by Hot Shoppe in the USA. Size large.

Get in on the auction at EBay where you can type in Stephen Murray for the item or the listing information below.
Stephen Murray SE Bikes Collectors Package – 200185371813

Special thanks to Todd Lyons and SE Bikes for making this effort to raise funds! Happy Holidays to all!

Also visit www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com & www.myspace.com/murraystrong

There is a second auction package that will be released on EBay soon as well that includes a Quad Angle frame and tons of SE goods.

SE Shirts - Great Gifts for any Rider

December 15, 2007

Shirts from SE - click for a larger image.

Todd Lyons at SE just sent over the news that they have all four of their new shirt designs in stock from sizes small to XXL. The BMX shirts come in the classic blues and browns, and they have one representing their single speed bikes which looks rad as well. You can get them through your local SE shop, now, just in time for gift-giving.

Personally, I’m digging the “number plate design”, and I’m a XXL if anyone needs to know, heh.

Fuel TV Videos and Podcasts

December 11, 2007

Fuel TV, the Action Sports channel available through most cable providers, (unfortunately, not Sunflower, my local provider, though we did have it with Comcast in Seattle, but I digress) has a number of their videos available at their site, or via the podcast menu in iTunes. Quick, well-produced segments from video-makers like Props and Fuel-produced shows like Firsthand, give you some great BMX videos to watch wherever you like.

There is a ton here from other sports as well. Plenty to waste at least a few hours on during these cold winter months. Sorry, we just had our first ice storm in Kansas, so I’m a bit bitter in many ways…

Check it out at the FuelTV site here - click on the BMX tab to the far right
Or
Download the podcasts directly from iTunes

AFA Flatland Finals circa 1988

December 6, 2007

Dennis McCoy grabbed from a video by krtschmidt.

Kurt Schmidt has a great site with a bunch of vintage freestyle info, and a ton of videos that he has put on YouTube. His most recent videos feature Eddie Fiola, Woody Itson, Dennis McCoy and Rick Moliterno at the 1988 AFA Finals in Wichita, KS. I wasn’t at this contest, though it was only a few hours away from my home in Kansas City, but some of my friends went, and I remember how stoked they were when they got back. You can hear the crowd just LOSING it over the tricks being pulled, something you don’t hear as much on the televised spectacles of today, even as guys are pulling triple-tailwhips - perhaps because the tricks are just SO big today…

Interesting to see the different styles between the four riders. Moliterno and DMC just fly through so many of the rolling tricks that were becoming popular at that time, whereas Woody and Fiola pull more of the power-moves that helped progress freestyle past the balance tricks and hopping of the early-80s.

I believe Schmidt filmed these videos, as he was deep in the freestyle scene of the mid-80s and 90s, and has the knowledge, history and footage to prove it. In 1991, he formed Standard Industries with Rick Moliterno and Bill Nitschke.

Check out krtschmidt.com, and then jump over to his YouTube collection. Make sure you have some spare time available. You’ll be there a while.

Winter Sports

December 5, 2007

See More BMX Videos at VitalBMX.com

I found this video over on the Vital BMX site today. First, it is a rad old-school trick adapted to street - one I haven’t seen many times before - a whiplash (rolling tailwhip) to stair jump. Second, Ryan Harley, the guy doing the trick, and I’m assuming filming, pulled it in Alaska, with snow all around, in a limited window of time because the days are so short this time of year.

I’m done complaining about the 30 degrees we’ve had in Kansas. Look at his face after he lands. Brrr…

Two More Ways to Support Jimmy Levan

December 1, 2007

Jimmy Levan continues to progress well after his fall and head trauma that occurred a couple of weeks ago. He’s not healed, but he is healing.

Over the past week, a couple more chances for you to help him as he heads into a rehabilitation facility have been announced, and both give you opportunities to get a little in return. For the vintage guys, Profile has dug into their warehouse and has an auction running on ebay for a NOS 1985 Profile ProStyler Frame, Fork, Ladder Handlebars (Still with original warranty card), Padset (Still in original packaging), and old style Profile polished seat post clamp. For those of you new-schoolers, Dan’s Comp is offering a chance to win a new Shitluck Magnolia frame signed by Shitluck main man, Leland Thruman.

Click here for the Dan’s Comp Levan page.
Click here for the Profile auciton on ebay.

Oh, and the auction for Jim Bauer’s bike ended, raising $1,025 toward Jimmy’s recovery fund.

November 2007

2007-11-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

RIP Evel Knievel

November 30, 2007

Today, we’re saddened by the news that Evel Knievel, the first Daredevil that anyone over 30 knew when we were kids, died today at 69 years old. Knievel had cheated death many times throughout his motorcycle-jumping career, with stunts that went awry, but amazingly he always pulled through. He often joked that he had broken every bone in his body, except his neck. Knievel was most recently in the news for an amicable settlement with Kanye West following a lawsuit against West for using the likeness of Knievel in a music video for West’s song “Touch the Sky“.

He was the reason many of us built our first ramps, launching our bikes over our own version of Knievel’s “Snake River Canyon Jump”. I even had the stunt cycle toy that you would wind up and launch a plastic Knievel over anything in its path. I have a feeling my boys might end up with their own this Christmas.

Mat Hoffman was one also one of the kids under the Knievel influence, and once he finally met Knievel, they struck up a friendship and Hoffman Bikes built a limited run of 500 Evel Knievel signature bikes in 1998 and then followed with a Wembley Stadium edition in 1999. There was also a few Harley-Davidsons built to celebrate the launch of this collaboration.

Close-up shot of a 1998 Hoffman Bikes Evel Knievel bike, 1 of only 500 made. From BMXmuseum.com

From EXPN. com: “If you asked Mat to make a list of who the most influential people in his life have been, one name that stands at the top, in regards to his influence on Mat’s riding and determination, is nothing short of pure Evel. Evel Knievel that is, the greatest stuntman to ever dawn a two-wheeled vehicle. Now, in honor of Evel’s lifetime of achievements, Hoffman Bikes has been granted the privilege to manufacture a signature series bicycle worthy of flying the Evel Knievel banner.”

The decals on the bike featured a quote from Knievel, “You’re never a failure in life when you fall, as long as you try & get up.” Truer words have not been spoken. I mean, c’mon, he did these jumps on a freaking 300-pound Harley-Davidson, after all.

Photos from Andy Shohara’s Birthday Jam

November 29, 2007

Birthday Boy, Andy Shohara. Photo by John Leonard

As we noted a little over a week ago, a skatepark jam went down in San Diego, celebrating the 40th birthday of longtime rider, Andy Shohara. Sponsored by Black Lighting, about 30 riders plus some of their kids, showed up to the park which was reserved for this event. Andy (on his new Black Lightning bike), Brian Blyther, Dave Voelker, Todd Andersen, Lee Reynolds, Woody Itson, Xavier Mendez, Alvin Mullins and others all ripped up the park for a few hours. Mullins has posted about the event in a couple of places, and has a bunch of images John Leonard shot, on his Photobucket (note that you may need to be a member to see all of them).

Happy Birthday, Andy! Damn, California Dreamin’, indeed.

Mullins’ post on the OS-BMX message board.
Photos on Mullins’ Photobucket.
Quick write-up on the event by Lee Reynolds on Fat-BMX.

BMX Industry: Three Site Redesigns

November 28, 2007

The past week has been a big one for bmx industry site relaunches. Two of the growing rider-owned bike companies, Mirraco and Fit, and Animal, the east-cost parts and lifestyle brand, all launched new site designs. All three have built what appear to be very flexible sites, meant for easy updates to quickly feed the hunger of the unwashed internet masses.

Much like many of the bmx sites out there, a flexible design means news in a blog-style, right on the homepage, with deep-linking in these news stories, and bigger areas of focus in the main navigation. This immediate access to news is something that is expected today, whether it is new product information, photos, videos or simply whatever has caught the eye of the sites’ editors. Both Animal’s owner, Shane Rossi, and Fit’s Robbie Morales, keep the updates flowing on their sites. Mirraco seems to have a number of contributors posting on the site.

The Fit and Mirraco sites are loaded with product information and technical specifications on their bikes - especially important as both are steadily pushing complete bikes in 2008. Animal sells direct to its customers, with a large online shop featuring a number of its soft and hard goods, including some limited edition products. All feature team links, though both the Mirraco and Animal sites are still in-progress within these sections.

Ride BMX has an interview with Robbie Morales that gets behind the motivation to redesign the Fit site and what you can expect in the way of updates. Robbie mentions a section to come featuring bike checks of the riders who send them in. More than a “send us a photo of your bike and where you ride it”, bike checks give their customers a chance to show their personal setups, which should be extensions of their riding style and personalities (not just rolling representations of the latest fads, though I am a realist, and I’ve been there before, especially as a youth…)

I’ll post here when I see new sections show up across any of the three.

Big Man, Little Bike

November 25, 2007

BK Spec Video

With the recent bad news I’ve posted lately, I had been looking for something a bit lighter as we finish this holiday weekend. I was reminded of this gem by Stuart over at DHADM. We worked together on the Burger King interactive advertising account for a few years at VML, and this is some spec work we did for a Whopper promotion. Prior to “The King” and “The Chicken”, created by the venerable Crispin Porter Bogusky, we worked to push Burger King into the viral marketing space online - in 2003. This work never ran, but we had a blast creating it and influencing the thinking of the BK marketing organization.

So, when asked “What would you do for a 99cent Whopper?”, we answered with a bunch of Jackass-style clips, surrendering our bodies to a beat-down. In the first part of the clip, it is yours-truly, jumping a 12″ bmx bike, belonging to Stuart’s kids - listen for their laughter when I bail. Didn’t make the run-up the first time, but stuck it the second, with an almost-pulled 180 at the end. The second part of the clip features Stuart dragging a snowboard-type thing with our copywriter, Rick, behind a lawnmower. Ryan from The Jalopy Journal lays him out with a solid tackle that would make any college football recruiter proud.

Donate or Bid to Help Jimmy LeVan

November 21, 2007

Jimmy LeVan. Photo courtesy of Odyssey.

Recently, Pro rider and Metal Bikes main man, Jimmy LeVan took a hard spill on a skateboard, simply bombing down a hill after the Red Bull Down and Dirty contest. He incurred a head injury and has been hospitalized since November 3rd. Though he is out of the drug induced coma, he is still in the hospital, recovering.

With this, of course, come the pile of bills from the hospital stay and especially for the rehabilitation he will need. In another instance of the BMX community coming together to support one of its own, there are a couple of ways you can help Jimmy. Empire BMX shop in Austin, Texas and Odyssey (one of Jimmy’s sponsors) are making it easy to give, and Jim Bauer of Odyssey is offering his personal bike up on Ebay.

Empire BMX and Odyssey teamed up so that you can easily give to Jimmy on the Empire site. When you donate, your contribution will be matched by Empire and then the sum will be matched again by Odyssey, so your contribution will essentially be quadrupled. Here’s where to go to donate at Empire.

Also, Odyssey’s Jim Bauer is auctioning off his own bike, which is basically the test mule for all new Odyssey parts and features a bunch of pre-production or unreleased parts, and especially cool are the clear twisted pedals. Bid at ebay here, and see a larger photo here.

In this season of giving, let’s help out a fellow rider.

Veteran Freestyle Pros at Andy Shohara’s 40th Birthday Jam

November 20, 2007

Just received this bit of news from Kevin at Black Lightning, a new BMX lifestyle/apparel/frame(?) brand, featured in the Cool Kids video I posted last month:

Black Lightning presents the Flyin’ Hawaiian Andy Shohara’s 40th Birthday Jam.
Where: Krause Family Skatepark, San Diego, CA. 8:45-10:45 sat. nov 24th
Riders attending: Eddie Fiola, Woody Itson, Brian Blyther, Dave Voelker, Lee Reynolds, Tony Murray, and more. Show up and have a blast with riders from the past.

Shohara competed in a number of the King of Skatepark contests in the mid-’80s and continues riding today. If any of you in San Diego go, send me pics and I’ll post them here.

BMX Action Trick Team Video - 1984

November 19, 2007

Innovators…

RL Osborn and Mike Buff drove around the country countless summers in the early 80s, driving from shop to shop and mall t0 mall putting up their 8ft. wide quartepipe (maybe only 6ft?) and putting on shows, introducing the country to this thing called freestyle. They were a team in the loosest sense - nobody gave signals, or passed a ball, but they were part of a wider-reaching brotherhood that so many of us kids in the time grabbed a hold of. It is all about individual style and how riding made you feel.

My introduction came when the Haro team put on a similar show at Metro North mall in Kansas City. I got a front brake, put away my racing gear and started learning to do kicturns on a ramp my dad and I built from plans in BMX Action magazine. The magazine and these teams influenced how we rode, dressed and spoke.

This 8mm footage from Crabtree Valley mall shows the giant crowds these guys would pull, even as people questioned these growing men riding around on kids’ bikes.

Thanks to Kevin for the link.

57 Even and Standard Bykes

November 15, 2007

Standard Byke Company Shank and Race Fork graphics by 57 Even.

First up is the news that the new shop that they’re building in Davenport is coming together quite well. I was in Davenport visiting family last week and visited the Goodtimes store, where I heard from Ryan that they’ve built a couple forks and are moving quickly to getting frames into production. Hopefully, I’ll be doing a feature on here about the shop in December.

Hot on the heels of this are some new graphics and apparel that 57 Even has worked up for Standard, and it all looks rad. 57 Even is Steven David Muller, an artist/visual designer who is making a name for himself in the bmx/skate/street culture. I’ve been watching his work since I started seeing it on the Standard site - he has done the graphics for the parts, apparel and site for the past few years - and it has been great to see him pickup other clients and adapt to their brands, while remaining true to his style, which is based in a hand-crafted collage approach. Have a look, and enjoy. You can see all of his work (I swear he doesn’t sleep - I think that is part of his mantra, actually) at: 57even.com

Standard Byke Company Skull t-shirt and poster by 57 Even. Check the details with the Standard logos and the textures that build the depth of the image.

I’m running these on my 250, even though my frame is a couple years old - 2007 Standard Byke Company 250L frame graphics by 57 Even.

FBM Bikes - Online Store Sale & Shop Video

November 12, 2007 in BMX, BMX Industry, BMX News, Bikes, Video by Jeremy | No comments

FBM is having a sale at their online store right now, so if you were thinking of getting into a FBM frame and fork, now’s the time. Choose from any one of their six 2007 frames, like the Autopilot, Bitchin Camaro, or The Joint, for example, and get a free Chopper fork. I’m one Kansas City boy especially tempted by the Phil Wasson signature reissue, the PWMoto, with only 24 of them made, in a rad-looking pearl grey. There are some great deals here, but once they’re gone, the sale is over - so hurry up! The site even gives you a handy updater so you know how many are available.

Also of note on the FBM site are Steve Crandall and team’s constant updates, and their cool behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the manufacturing process. This one is from Props #64, and gives you an idea of what goes into building the pieces of welded art we go out and beat-up.

Where ya been? (A bike check)

November 7, 2007

So, my posts have been really lacking lately, and I think it has been with good reason - at least to other riders - maybe not so much to my wife.

I’ve been building a new bike, and I’m really happy with how it has turned out. It is my first non-complete new(er) school ride, and I’m getting ready to take it out on its shakedown ride as soon as I finish this post.

The frame was raw, but the clearcoat was in rough shape. I sanded it down and sprayed a number of coats of clear, so it has protection and a light shine. I dig how the color combination turned out very hand-made looking overall - dare I say almost traditional hot-rod style.

Frame: Standard 250 (American BB)
Fork: S&M Pitchfork with brake bosses (Yeah, I’m a part of the front-brake revolution - heh)
Bars: S&M Slam XLT
Grips: Odyssey Team
Stem: FBM Protect Ya Neck
Wheels: Haro 48s and Haro Directional Tires (From my Retro Sport - will be switching to some Odyssey Hazards, I think)
Seat, Post, Clamp: Haro (I’ve got a Primo Seat and a Shadow Conspiracy Post on the way), Kink Clamp
Brakes: Dia-Tech Hombre Brake, Odyssey Monolever, Odyssey GTX Gyro
Cranks: Primo Hollowbites
Sprocket: Tree
Chain: KMC
Pedals: S&M one o one

I sold my FST and some other vintage parts to fund this build, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Not to worry, though (I’m talking to you old schoolers), I’ve got a bunch of other builds planned now that old man winter has arrived. Thanks to those over at bmxmuseum.com who sold me parts, and bought other ones, and thanks to eBay for being like a bad addiction…

More photos to come…

Stephen Murray Update from his Mom & Props Auctions

November 1, 2007

Stephen Murray Props Auctions

Props Stephen Murray Bike Auctions. Video from Props.

Just saw this over on Fat BMX Magazine, and felt compelled to put it up as soon as I read it. Stephen Murray’s mom, Cynthia gives an excellent update on his progress. Just awesome to hear about.

“I would just like to share my happiness with you that after 130 days Stephen is vent free, oxygen free and trach free! Last night they took out his trach and so now all we have to wait for his the wound in his throat to heal. The relief of him not being dependant upon the ventilator is unimaginable. It’s better than winning the lottery!

Next step…………movement. If I say so myself I have a remarkable son who will defy all odds and amaze us all.

Thank you to all for your support
Cynthia”

Also, today is the first day of the auctions Props Visual has put together to continue to help raise money for the Stephen Murray Family Fund. Stephen’s accident occurred just as they were going out to film their latest video and they got 11 riders to donate their bikes. Mat Hoffman’s Condor is the first one up, and available today on Ebay. Bid high, and bid often!

As Mat’s signature on his bike says - “Give to the strength of our community”. Much respect to Stew Johnson from Props and all those who have donated. You can see the complete list at the link to Props, above.