July 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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”.