Issue 30 Movember 2008
Premium 20 Rampfest VIP Opening night action.
44 BMX Life Clarity from a different perpsective.
54 It begins with the roots Brett Stumpy Mason on life and more.
66 Infocus: Steve Morrisey
76 Spinal Disorder Take three, this time in Melbourne.
84 Luke Barling Interviewed by Cooper Brownlee.
94 Colony in the USA Clint Millar takes a break for a day or two.
100 Photolife... Jeff Bahr and nic Gascoine got busy.
The crew
Regular 12 Spoken new media versus the old. 20 The Low Down What’s been going down? 42 Industry.au Matt Hodgsons new deal. 48 Reformist Down Underground and egypt. 110 Behind Bars remember these faces. 122 Tech 101 rubber... 124 Beats and Pieces Music, DVD’s and more. 126 Bike Check Fit, Mongoose and FBM’s 09 rides. 128 New Proddy enuff said. 132 Picture this The money shots. 142 Inbox We’ve got mail, winners and photos. 146 Wrappin’ up Cam White is stoked!
Instigators//Matt Holmes, Mike Daly
2020bmxmagazine is proudly printed in Australia by The Quality Group www.thequalitygroup.com.au
Design//Phil Townsley, Alex Liiv
Scanning by Europress www.europress.com.au
Creative//Holmes
Contributors//Clint Millar, Steve Morrisey, Steve Gorak Taylor, Caleb Mondon, Cooper Brownlee, Shaun Jarvis, raine Turnbull, Devin Parker, Mike Davies, James Wade, Ali Finlay, Michael Harris, Brock Beadman, rob McCann, Sam Orchid, Michael Puniard, Shane Badman, Zac Miner, Polly Cooper, Tom Boorman and Simon O’Brien. Photos//nitai Whitehurst, nic Gascoine, Steve Morrisey, raine Turnbull, Gorak, Seaton Spratt, Caleb Mondon, Adam Sheedy, Michael Harris, Mike Davies, Sam Orchid, Zack Musarsa, Brock Beadman, James Wade, Simon O’Brien, Kosman and Mark Watson. Photographic inspiration//Tony nolan Publishers//Holmes & MikeD
Dubdubdub//2020bmxmag.com.au
Nitty gritty
Distributed in Australia by Gordon&Gotch. For bikeshop sales in Australia hit up 0415 585 243 or email sales@2020bmxmag.com.au new Zealand distribution is taken care of by Independent Magazine Distributors (IMD) For bike shop sales in new Zealand call 09 5270500 To subscribe in Australia use the subs page in the mag or check out www.isubscribe.com.au For new Zealand online subs go to www.emags.co.nz Change of address? Let us know ASAP! 2020bmxmagazine RRP AUD$8.95 NZD$11.00
All material copyright ©2008 2020bmxmagazine Pty Ltd. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher, but possibly that of the author. So if you’re pissed with something, hassle them or get over it. respect yourself and others, when riding and in life, you’re always responsible for your own actions. Always wear protection regardless of what/where/ when/who you’re riding. Become part of the mag//every issue more crew get themselves involved in the evolution of 2020bmxmagazine, making it the riders manual for the whole of Australia and nZ. If you think your scene is going off, let us know with words and photos. We’ve only got one prerequisite; everyone that writes, shoots or does anything for the mag must ride. editorial and photographic contributions are more than welcome, we even pay for words and photos. Send a stamped self-addressed envelope if requiring return of slides or otherwise. And label it good cause piles of slides, CD’s and photos with no names or details on ‘em get lost quick. If you wanna send 100 rAW files on a disk, please name em! Hit up our website for the run down on contributing. 2020bmxmagazine is published four times a year by 2020bmxmagazine Pty Ltd. We are a 100% Australian rider owned and operated publication, dedicated to documenting the Australian 20inch riding experience since ‘98. Correspondence and competition entries to// 2020bmxmagazine PO Box 498 newtown nSW 2042 or email bmxrules@2020bmxmag.com.au Advertising info//Advertising rates and info is available upon request: sales@2020bmxmag.com.au
Aaron Ferro at Flemingtons most famous BMX attraction. PHOTO Zack Musarsa
ISSUE 30
7
SPOKEN THE OLD VERSUS THE NEW
The digital age
Lately IÍ ve been hearing and seeing a lot about web-clips being the new deal in BMX media. And without a doubt, this medium is rocking along right now with basically anyone able to throw something together, compress the hell out of it and get it up and out to the world with minimal fuss. Be it on their own site or some networking site. even in these early days of the digital revolution, it’s exposed some amazing new talent on both the riding and filming/editing fronts. But while I’m 100% sure that the web-clip revolution is here to stay, it will never beat the deal of kicking back and watching well produced content on your big arsed TV with a few crew to share the experience with. And with at least 4 new Australian DVD’s due out in the next months, we’re going to see the next generation of Australian produced content define where Australian BMX is at right now. Hopefully in HD! From this point of view, between the talent on both sides of the lens, there’s going to be some good watching over summer. It’s a similar deal for the mags versus web debate. While magazines days may be numbered in some peoples eyes, I doubt there’s many that stick their lcd screens on the wall each time a new pic from a camera phone gets posted. It’s so true that the web is up to date to the minute, but again, production quality on a 72DPI html page will never beat a 300DPI scan printed by a Heidelberg offset web press in vegetable dyes on non-chlorine bleached recycled paper. With magazines being an integral part of BMX worldwide since it’s beginning, I’ve got a feeling that this medium is in for the long haul. Ultimately, regardless of the format, DPI or delivery system, there’s nothing quite like publishing your own take on the BMX experience. Bring it all on, the riders of Australia are waiting. Holmes
12 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
ever clocking clips... PHOTO Cooper Brownlee
Photo: Leigh Ramsdell Rider: Seamus McKeon
2009 JANE
CHECK THESE EASTERN DEALERS FOR ALL YOUR EASTERN NEEDS... NEW SOUTH WALES BELROSE CYCLES 02 9452 5105 BMX MAFIA 02 9879 7000 ABC LIVERPOOL 02 9821 1372 WARZONE 02 9545 2979 ERINA BIKE WORX 02 4365 2208 TOUKLEY WORLD OF BIKES 02 4397 3054 BEYOND BIKES 02 4954 2943 DRIFT BIKE STYLE 02 4926 1066 KEVIN BARTLETT CYCLES 02 6765 2414 BIKES IN BYRON 02 6721 5999 BOURKES BICYCLE CENTER 02 6552 1251 KEMPSEY BIKE SHOP 02 6562 2144
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
STANDISH CYCLES KLEMZIG 08 8261 1696 STANDISH CYCLES SALISBURY 08 8285 1144 GAWLER CYCLES 08 8522 2343 ADELAIDE HILLS BICYCLES 08 8398 2077 DAKTARI BIKES AND SPORT 08 8724 8013 RAMP 2 RAMP 08 8586 6556
TASMANIA TREADLIES 03 6229 4052 GEARD’S CYCLES 03 6344 9154 DERRICO AUTOMOTIVE AND CYCLES 03 6424 3121
VICTORIA
GRAHAM SEERS CYCLERY 02 6583 2333
TED’S CYCLES FOOTSCRAY 03 9687 1013 TED’S CYCLES WERRIBEE 03 9749 8688
VENTOUX CYCLES 02 6651 3355 GRAFTON CITY CYCLES 02 6642 7890
GLENROY CYCLES 03 9306 9651 WHITTLESEA BIKE SHOP 03 9401 3938
WOODSEYS WHEELS 02 6654 1217 BYRON BAY BICYCLES 02 6685 6067
BMX MAD 03 9762 5210 SUBITO CYCLES 03 9772 6141
ILLAWARRA CYCLE CENTER 02 4284 3434 BIKES AT THE BASIN 02 4443 3777
SEALYS CYCLES FRANKSTON 03 9770 5500 STRICTLY BMX 03 9686 3466
DIRECT BIKES 02 4422 9000 PHANTOM CYCLES 02 4683 1262
DEGRANDI CYCLE AND SPORT 03 5221 5099 HENDRY CYCLES 03 5255 1627
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DENHAM CYCLES 03 9747 0088 HODGSON CYCLES AND HOBBIES 03 5023 6041
LIFECYCLES 02 4721 0500 BIKE MINDED 02 4757 4607 WINDSOR CYCLES 02 4577 3209 INSANE CYCLES 02 6351 3171 WINNING EDGE CYCLES 02 6332 4025 PAT KINSELA MOTORCYCLES 02 6862 1800
QUEENSLAND ASHGROVE CYCLES 07 3366 0379 FOR THE RIDERS 07 3892 5356 BIKES AND BEANS 07 5568 7332 THE PEDAL SHOPPE 07 5537 2722 CLEVELAND SUPERCYCLE 07 3286 3597
BENDIGO CYCLES 03 5441 3532 SEYMOUR CYCLES 03 5792 3845 WARRENS SPORT AND RECREATION 03 5968 3729 MALLARD CYCLES 03 5176 5711 BICYCLE PASSION 03 5155 3033 RIDE ON BIKES 03 5952 2533 SEALYS CYCLES MORNINGTON 03 5975 2444 CROSSOVER CYCLE AND OUTDOOR 03 5672 2270
WESTERN AUSTALIA GUILDFORD CYCLES 08 9279 5613 PORT KENNEDY CYCLES 08 9524 6774
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DEMPSTER SPORTING 08 9071 1823 BIKE FORCE GERALDTON 08 9921 32790
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BEERWAH CYCLES 07 5494 0111 CAIRNS BICYCLE WORKS 07 4033 0377 THE PEDAL SHOPPE 07 5537 2722
BACK BONE BMX 02 6288 5186 MAL-ADJUSTED BICYCLE EXCHANGE 02 6230 0169
DISTRIBUTED BY DIRT WORKS AUSTRALIA 02 9679 8400 WWW.DIRTWORKS.COM.AU
RIDE WITH US
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
Rampfest VIP night As many of you know, Rampfest indoor bike park is now open and the place is amazing! It has taken Brett Williams and his esteemed team of family and friends four months to complete. Story by John Buultjens
20 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
The park consists of many different ramps such as a 10ft Quarter pipe, Jersey barrier and 8 ft to 6 ft bowl that corner’s out to a 6 ft street spine. There is also a massive 10ft box jump roll in that takes you straight to the foam pit and resi box jump. next to that you have a box spine and 6 ft jump box. On the back wall there is a 9 ft resi quarter and a nice wall ride. The park has a completely plyed floor, which just makes it all that more perfect to ride.
Fink, Zack Musarsa, Abalardo Vargas, Phil Johnston, Liam Fae Hampton, Chris Finnigan, Cooper Brownlee, Luke Barling, Scott Greentree, Adam Hough, Andrew Gul, Daniel Taylor, Dave McComb, Jamie Moore, Jimmy rostlund, nathan Saunders, Scott Lacey, Steve Gorak, Stu Wellington, Lee Giason, Luke Weatherall, Trevor King and the originator of freestyle in Australia Steve Cassap, this guy started freestyle riding back in 1978!
Myself and Brett were talking during the construction of rampfest and came up with the idea of a V.I.P. opening night. We thought this would be a great opportunity for so many rider’s to test the park before it opened. So we sat down and made a list of all the rider’s we would like to invite for this special occasion. We decided that there would only be 30 rider’s on the list, this was to give everyone a good chance to ride the entire park without running into anyone. As you could imagine as soon as the list was done there were so many more people we would have liked to invite. Some of the rider’s on the list were Clint Millar, Chris (Danger) O’Donnell, Daniel Donges, Josh Mete, Andrew Ahumada, Luke
As I said before we had 30 riders on the list, but more than 90 turned up on the night. The night started with everyone at the entrance of the park having some nibbles and drinks. The guests were treated to an 8 minute video of the park before entering. Lindsay Brown produced the video and it has been a huge hit on youtube. At 6.30 the park was open for the evening’s events. I knew some crazy shit was going to go down and it sure did. After talking with so many people before I went into the park, I eventually entered. Holy shit! everyone was all over the place. First thing I saw was Daniel Donges about 10 feet out of the 6 ft box jump. I know Daniel can boost but damn, the style of the kid is something else. I looked over
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
Chris O’Donnell got down to Melbourne for the VIP opening night festivites. PHOTO Chris Cooper
the spine and there was Andrew Gul going mach 10, dropping in towards the 8 ft side of the bowl, he seriously flaired it about 8ft above the coping. His shoulders were in line with the back beams of the park. Over behind the bowl there is a double kinked handrail, of course Cooper Brownlee was there. I saw a battle go out between Luke Barling and Clint Millar. Both pulling the kinked rail within a few goes. The highlight for me was Phil Johnston pulling this 360 hurricane out of the 8 ft section of the bowl onto this little 2 ft sub. Phil being Phil, he pulled it clean and the room went crazy. For me I was just stoked to be riding with these guy’s, the talent was just outstanding. I was happy pulling my 540 Canadian nosepick in one of my runs. If I could tell you what everyone did that night I would fill half of this issue of 2020 and I know you don’t want that. All I can say is, that it was a great night and every rider had the best time. Thanks to Brett and rampfest for putting on this night and I hope there are more events like this in Australia. Get down to Melbourne and check out this park.
Afend us and win...
The crew at Afends have been hassling us to do something with the large pile of killer clothes they sent us. So in true Afends style, the ï Most Afendsive Photo compÍ was born... It’s a pretty simple equation. you send in your shots of what you think is hella ’Afendsive’, then come December 24th, yep, Xmas party night, we’ll suss the winner by the most honest judging system there is, beer goggles. As for rules, there are none. your best bet is to check out their website www.afends.com and get a feel for the clothes and style possessed by these loose cats from Byron. We still reckon that a photo of ryan Sheckler’s gap in Martin Place, Sydney is still up for the taking on a 20inch, but that’s a whole ‘nutha comp... We’ll print the winners next issue (as long as they’re legal) and the top three will get a selection of prime Afends T’s, caps and whatever else is in the pile. Shoot your digi files to afends@2020bmxmag.com.au with Afendsive in the subject line. Or mail the real deal, be it photos, drawings or otherwise to Afends c/o 2020bmxmagazine, PO Box 498, newtown, nSW 2042. entries close on the last mail received December 22nd 2008.
ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
21
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
Event Calendar With summer kicking in, hereÍ s a rundown of whatÍ s coming up over the next few months.
The BMX Games is the big one of the summer and this year itall goes down in Melbourne, on the docklands of all places. 2009 will be bigger and better than ever with big dirt plans, a wicked new custom built multi-level street course, possibly the best flatland area ever and one big party to finish it up. BMX Games is on the Australia Day weekend. The weekend after will see the biggest dirt jumps in Australia get hit up by the best riders from here and overseas. The event, none other than Cams Jam take 3. That’s going to be one big weekend! And to make sure that you’ll definitely have to quit your job, the following weekend should see red Bull’s epic Dirt Pipe return, bigger and better than ever. yep, it’s back, and this time it’s open to all comers. While details aren’t 100%, looks like anyone can enter, that’s if you reckon you can ride the beast... This three week period should see a truckload of OS riders hit our shores and join up with a stack of crew from here in some of the biggest road trips ever seen. Bring it the hell on.
Talking comps, Spinal went off. Check out he coverage further on in the mag
The dates Freestyle Now Jam
PHOTO Gorak
16th november, Hillman Oval 10am - 12 noon and Secret Harbour Skate Park Perth 2pm to 4pm www.freestylenow.net.au
Freestyle Now
28th/29th november, Merredin skatepark (east of Perth) www.freestylenow.net.au
Ghetto comp
6th/7th December, Bassendean earth festival WA www.freestylenow.net.au
Freestyle Now
13th December, Willetton skatepark WA www.freestylenow.net.au
Freestyle Now
14th December, Kalgoorlie skatepark WA www.freestylenow.net.au
Livewire Jam
20th December, Mandura Skatepark, WA www.freestylenow.net.au
Farm Jam
27th/28th December, near Queenstown nZ, Dirt www.southernfreeriders.blogspot.com
BMX Games 2009
24th to 26th January, Melbourne, Street, Dirt and Flatland www.bmxgames.net
Cam Jam 3
1st February, near Canberra, Dirt www.cambmx.com
Red Bull Dirt Pipe 2
7th/8th February, Mt Beauty, Dirt www.redbull.com.au
Freestyle Now
7th February, Carine skatepark, WA www.freestylenow.net.au
If you’ve got a jam, comp, session going on, let us know and we’ll let the Freestyle Now riders of Australia know bmxrules@2020bmxmag.com.au
14th February, Kinross skatepark WA www.freestylenow.net.au
Orange crush anyone? ColonyÍ s 2009 frames and parts are landing now...
To say that Colony has gone from strength to strength over the last years is an understatement. And we think it may be something to do with a steady diet of Vitamin C? Or at least you could come to think this given their latest release of parts and frames... Liam Fahy-Hamptons Hell Stallion frame has been updated for ‘09 with removable brake mounts and is post heat treated along with being coated in this years new black, orange. And to make it complete, there’s bars, stems, bar ends, sprockets and more available in Colony orange. The only question is, when do Colony bring out orange tires?
22 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
A tribute
When I was first asked to write a Tim Hales tribute I felt extremely privileged. Then I sat down and thought to myself, I could sit here and write how sad it is to lose one of my best friends and a truly amazing rider. Losing Tim is one of the saddest things I have experienced, but I thought instead of focusing on this loss, I would try and show you the kinda guy Tim was. By Mike Davies Obviously Tim was an amazing rider and had endless tricks and style, but he was also fun and out of control. He was a dude who just lived for the moment. I remember once turning up to his flat and Tim had put dishwashing liquid instead of dishwashing powder through his dishwasher. Most people do this accidently but Tim wanted to fill the dining room and kitchen with foam. I walked in through the front door and witnessed Tim sliding all over the place in his board shorts, he probably had the sounded track to ‘wide awake nightmare’ playing in the background the whole time too. Another funny Tim Hales memory was the time he came to stay at me and my girls flat in Auckland, we went out on the town and had a few drinks and to no ones surprise Tim disappeared. When we arrived back to the apartment that night there was a trail of peanuts going up the stairs which was a bit odd. They led to our doorstep where we found Tim curled up with an exploded bag of peanuts around him and a can of tuna in his hand. Tim was fast asleep and the funny thing is he had the spare key to our apartment right there in his pocket. But that wasn’t even the end of it, in the morning when I had woken up I opened my bedroom door to be shocked by a huge bang. Tim thought it would be fun to booby trap my whole house with party poppers, and I have to admit it was pretty bloody funny, especially when two weeks later I went to adjust the position of my office chair and got shocked by another huge bang. These are the kind of things that made Tim such a fun and crazy guy to hang out with. But Tim was also a very caring and loving guy and cared a lot about his friends. I’ll never forget my 18th birthday, pretty much all my friends had forgotten about it, which was no big deal, but then in the afternoon Tim came riding up my driveway after work and gave me some Primo Taj grips for my birthday. It’s just amazing that out of all the guys Tim would remember. I think that really shows how good of a friend he was. Tim was one hell of a guy, he was a total legend on and off his bike, he was always so much fun to be around and made anytime a good time. I think a lot of people wish they could live their lives like him and I think he has showed everyone he met not to take life so seriously and just have fun. I have so many good memories of him that will never die and I am going to truly miss him. rIP Tim.
On the cover Rider: Zac Miner
Photographer: nick Gascoine
Location: you wish you knew where in Canberra! Camera: Bronica SQ-Ai Lens: PS 150mm
Settings: 500th/sec @ F11
Lighting: 2x sunpak 555, 1 x Quantum T2, Packie Wizards. Film: Fuji neopan ISO 400.
The shot: When I first looked at it, I didn’t think it could be done. After Zac cleaned up all the water surrounding the wall and put a small concrete transition at the bottom of the pillar to help him keep his speed. We went back once it was dry, and Zac hit it up first go no problem. After doing it several times over, he was at the point where he was riding down the wall into the other bank like it was nothing.
24 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF If you listen hard enough you’ll hear Donga laughing his head off on every boost PHOTO Caleb Mondon
Metal trails?
When we heard a rumour that Daniel Donges was building some kind of boostermatic ramps capable of sending him to the moon, we figured we better find out a little more... What motivated you to build the set up? Well, there were no sweet trails to hit at the time and I just wanted a fun jump to blast! How long did it take? It took a good two months and cost me over $1000 all up to build it. Did you make plans or just go from scratch? I just started with a tape measure and worked out that I wanted an up ramp that was 1.5m tall and a step up down ramp that was 2m tall with a steep landing to bomb. After that I drew up some sketchy plans then just started building.
Did you have to make any changes to it? Well after I finished it, I found out how big a 2m high steel ramp really is! I packed it for my first jump, it looked crazy as. The thing sent you straight up haha! After a while I decided to chop it down a bit and mellow it out a little so it would be more of a chilled ramp to hit with my mates. What did your dad think when he first saw you jump it? Haha, he freaked out a little and thought that someone was going to die riding it or something! Does anybody else ride it? real close mates, but mainly my boy ev Daines.
Johnny Chopper
Australian born, bred, machined, welded and ready to ride. Yep, Johnny Chopper components are now available... It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to choose hand made, quality Australian BMX products off the shelf, but the time has finally come. With Johnny Chopper now relocated and settled in sunny Queensland with a new workshop and a bunch of new tools, it’s all systems go. While there’s been race and retro BMX gear available in the past, the new Jailbar bars (tall and wide just the way you like em!) and 3 piece cranks are now in production. Going on weight and quality of build, it more than proves that Australian made is the way forward, and given the current dollar situation, will be more than competitively priced. Definitely worth checking out if you’re in the market for new gear. Hit up their website for more details www.johnnychopper.com Word has it a new frame is in the works utilizing true tempered, double butted tubing which should make it super light.
26 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
team boonts
a town
Clash for cash
team gero deros + one whitey
What could $400 get you? Pay your rent for a week? A new wheel set? A new TV? A clapped out car? Or a good night at the casino? What about a fun day at the Rockingham skatepark so you can give it away to some BMX riders. Story by Shaun Jarvis This was my idea when Freestyle now set out to host the “CLA$H for CA$H” on the 16th of August. It was time to give something back to the riders of WA and to have some fun along the way. I arrived at the skatepark to see about 80 riders in attendance. Kie came up and said to me “you must be stoked Jarvy to have this many turn up” He was right, no way did I ever imagine there would be this many riders. The format for the day was to think outside the square and do something entirely different. To win some cash, riders had to make up a team and then battle it out against the other teams in some wacky categories. It was going to be a fun day for sure. The day was not about tricks but more about fun, so I’ve got no big trick list to share with you. For that I’m happy because who cares about tricks. nine teams went into battle but only four came out cashed up. Team “Boonts yea” consisting of Kie, Tim, Jarrod and Luke took home $50 for the slickest run from a team as well as $50 for the most factory looking team. They put a good effort in with printing up their own team shirts for the day. Dylan, Brad and Pav travelled down from Geraldton but they were one man down to make up a team. not sure of the guys name who joined their team but he was dubbed “whitey”, due to the all white bike and sunnies. So the “Gero deros plus one whitey” scored $50 for the most awesome amount of tricks in a run as well as $50 for the most choreographed run from a team.
This category didn’t go the way I thought it would. I was hoping for some well thought out runs, kind of like “do you think you can dance” but better luck next time. Team “A town” which consisted of Dave, ryan, Brady, Anthony and Scott took out the best train run from a team and $50. Many teams tried to win this title and it ended with about 30 riders all in train mode hitting up laps around the park. A very impressive sight to see. The most colour coordinated team also went to team “A town” as they did put a good effort into some dressing up and looking very sexy. Without a doubt the last two categories belonged to team rocko. Consisting of Brenton, Harley, Daniel, Dempsey and Bootsy! With some of the riders not wearing shoes, bikes that only a mother would love and some really disorganised team riding they had no problem taking $50 for the rattiest team in riding and appearance. They also took a very deserving $50 win for the team with the most street cred. The other teams that need to be mentioned would be; The Big Hairy Mutts Team, Team Shitf**k, Team PK, Team F**k rocko and What Da F*k Team as without them the day would not have been as enjoyable. I would like to thank every one who showed up and had fun. At the end of the day I was $400 lighter in my pocket but the smile on face was worth every dollar. Watch out for the next clash for cash as there will be new categories at a new location.
The love Beloe
TripleSix Distribution are proud to announce they will be distributing the slick Beloe footwear range here in Australia. To celebrate the release they have a bunch of shoes to giveaway. Well at least if you are lucky enough to be a size 9, then here’s your chance to score some free shoes. All you have to do is answer the simple question below... Q: Name 3 team riders on the new shoe company Beloe? email your answer to beloe@2020bmxmag.com.au and you’ll have a chance of scoring a random pair of fresh kicks! Make sure to include your full name, address and a contact phone number with your email. Put Beloe in the subject line or you’ll probably end up in the mailbox with countless offers from hot russian ladies keen for a relationship. entries close Friday the 12th of December. Be sure to check out www.beloebmx.com
28 ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF robbie Brown mid super whip at last years Farm Jam PHOTO Tim Pierce
Farm Jam ‘08
NZ’s best FMX, MTB and BMX dirt jump event ‘The Farm Jam’ is to be held again on the 27th - 28th December in NZ’s deep south. Building on last year’s event, the Southern Freeriders have hooked up a new deal with rockstar energy Drinks and Unit Clothing to help make this year’s event even better, with more prize money and prizes in all the events. The BMX course has three, 10 ft dirt tables with wooden kickers and boxes set up for transfers and added diversity. The MTB course, which BMX can hit too, has a line of five dirt jumps and hips between 15 ft and 24 ft with a hip stepdown for a roll in and a huge 12 ft high, 12 ft wide dirt quarter at the end. All the riders from last year will be back and we are expecting many more from throughout nZ and Australia to lift the level of riding even higher than last year. There are limited places for entries in the events and a practice/qualifier will be held on the 27th. The park is open from the 27th to the 29th for riders, media and volunteers and open to the public between 2pm and 8pm on the main comp day, the 28th. Check out the blogsite for more information on the course, event updates and daily happenings. Also check out our new website at www.southernfreeriders.co.nz for more info. rider pre registration is essential so contact the organisers to get a spot on the rider list. Hit up brettfrew@gmail.com for entry info.
FUEL TV. 24/7 Action Sports Television BMX on FUEL TV in NOVEMBER PROPS Saturdays @ 4.30pm FREE Weeknights @ 7pm 10 COUNT Sundays @ 5.30pm THE DUKES Weeknights @ 7.28pm A new short series featuring Cam White and Dane Searls, among all the other Aussie action sports dudes. ACTION SPORTS TOUR Mondays @ 9pm You’ve seen the live, now see the wrap up shows! Plus, check out the on screen guide for the action sports news story on Spinal Disorder!
If you like riding bikes and stuff, then you might also like…. Super X, the love child of Chad Reed Saturdays at 11.30pm UFC Unleashed, the best of the best from the UFC archives, best of the PPV fights, quickest knockouts and legendary fighters. Saturdays at 8.30pm
And remember...
www.fueltv.com.au It’s new and improved!
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF Gerldton retro as Brad hellfast Pro-tecs planting rule! in true Voelker fashion. PHOTO Mike Davies
T. Whites bikes
I have worked in the bike industry and ridden BMX for years, but over the last year or so, as I have watched the BMX scene in New Zealand grow, I have come to realise the importance of rider owned companies. Story by Mike Davis
Someone else who knows the bike industry, and especially the BMX industry, in new Zealand is Tim White. Tim has spent half his life working in distribution here in new Zealand and the other half working in BMX and cruiser shops in Vancouver, Canada as well as a stint at Woodward camp in the USA. Tim has just opened his own shop in the CBD of Auckland dedicated to BMX and cycle enthusiasts, called T. Whites Bikes. Here are a few questions with Tim about the importance of rider owned companies and the opening of T. Whites
First of all tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in BMX and the bike industry. I started out racing but ended up riding a bit of everything. In the late 90’s I started working at Adventure Cycles in Auckland. I went from there to work at Woodward and live in the US and eventually moving to Canada for the summer around 8 years ago to work for the legendary Don Selby in his BMX and cruiser bike stores. All the while still working at W H Worrall & co during the nZ summers.
So T. White’s Bikes, tell us a little bit about your shop? What makes it stand out and be unique compared to other shops in Auckland City? My shop is a place where anyone can bring their bike to get it fixed, check out some new parts or just meet their friends to go riding. The shop is an environment where everyone feels welcome and you don’t need some expensive bike to get good service and a good selection of parts. Auckland has simply never had access to this before. Also we are not just a BMX store, we have all kinds of fun, simple and stylish bikes to ride.
How important do you think rider owned businesses are over non rider owned businesses? There are so many reasons why rider owned is better. The BMX industry has always had its fair share of gimmicks but over the years rider owned companies have really come around with high tech and well thought out parts, built by riders. This means in the end the consumer will have a great product, even if it’s not the most expensive in a company’s product range and because thought was put into it, it will blow the doors off anything made by a larger company without riders steering the ship.
There seems to be more and more rider owned company’s emerging in NZ, do you have any words of advice to people waiting to start getting involved in the industry? Like anything in life the more experience you have the better, so put yourself in the field you want to get into. As you all know it’s not going to make you a million dollars but it’s a great lifestyle doing something you love.
Do you think being a rider and a bike enthusiast has been an advantage with your shop, not only for you but for your customers? It’s really a case of product knowledge and if you’re out there using the products yourself you know what works and what doesn’t. This enables you to pass this knowledge on to your customers and give them something that’s just right for the application.
Where can people find out more about T. Whites Bikes? We are at 132 Symonds Street, newton in Auckland CBD and you can check out the website at www.twhitesbikes.co.nz Thanks for your time Tim, any last words or anything you would like to add? Thanks to my family, everyone at W H Worrall & co who have helped me out over the years, you Mike, the Mt Wellington house, Justin H, Mark, Skulls, The WazzMan, Ivan and Justin, Don Selby and everyone who helped get the shop off the ground. Couldn’t have done it without your help. Thanks
NowraÍ s new park...
Your local park getting demolished is usually the last thing you want to hear. But when itÍ s not the best park in a shitty location it isnÍ t as bad as you might have first thought, especially when the council are replacing it with a brand new park in a better spot. Story and photos by Michael Harris 16 weeks sounds like a long time to wait for our new park but the old one hasn’t been torn down yet so no one should be complaining. nobody is, but that isn’t the reason for all of this, there is always a small group of people who need to ruin it for everyone else. I can’t understand what goes on in some people’s heads when they decide they are above everyone else and take it upon themselves to ride a new park before it has been finished. It’s not like it is the day before the opening, the fences are down and all the Mayor has to do is cut the ribbon. These people decided to ride the park a week after the first trannys and flat bottoms had been poured. What sort of message is this sending out about riders? What will the council think when they see tyre marks all over their half finished skate park? Hypothetically, if I personally had just invested half a million dollars into a new park and a group of people broke into my construction site to ride it I would be super pissed. I might even go so far as to ban riders from my new park. It’s pretty obvious they don’t respect it and don’t care. It only takes a very small minority of people to make every rider look bad. We had to fight very hard to get riders input into the new park so it didn’t end up another skate plaza and to think people are taking that for granted is really shitty. Concrete might be solid on the surface but it takes months to cure properly and even walking on it can make it uneven. I overheard one of the people who had ridden the new park say the trannys were bumpy. How good is that! It’s probably bumpy because you and your mates couldn’t wait another month and had to have a private session. Good job, you might have ruined it for everyone else.
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THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF Macca killing it at Kuraby PHOTO Morrisey
Core series
The Core series was held over 3 different parks over three different competitions in Brisbane from July to October this year taking place at Albany Creek, Deegan and Kuraby skateparks.
The series uses the three comps to decide an overall champion with a lot of prizes and some sweet mulah to top it off. Obviously each comp had winners that got prizes and placings but the advantage was to show the riders that could cope and perform on the different parks, not just their local, which would give a more accurate winner overall. right from the get go nick Cooper took out the top spot at Albany Creek and didn’t really slow down at all. From superman seatgrab 180’s over six foot concrete spines to his street inspired park lines that only he found, all in all by the second comp it was pretty obvious he wasn’t going to be bumped off the top spot easily. The runner up was Alex Hiam who came in second for the series, not bad for a kid only 13 years old, but he killed it with quality riding and tricks that should be way beyond this kids age. Chris Courtenay and Macca killed every comp they went in as well as George Jackson who had some wild style and Snappa, who probably had the most crowd support whenev-
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er he dropped in. The classes were full of shredders and notable mention should be given to Keelan from Jindalee who took out the Kuraby win with flairs and style and even donated his prizes to a fellow mate that got his bike ripped off at that comp. Tom Brock pulled together good riding at all three comp’s and won the end title for expert and Jason watts took out the beginner class. There was also skating and lots of activities for each comp which kept the hundreds of people entertained and stocked up on fried food and slushies! This years Core series was the best so far, so big ups to Chris B for pulling it all together. The series was supported by WeThePeople, ride On store, 2020, Brisbane city council, Symbiotik skateboards and FBMX Australia, so a big shout out to those guys for supporting the evens and also anyone and everyone that turned up on the day or participated in any of the comps.
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
Session trails
While we seem to hear about more trails being demolished, these guys have been bucking the trend and building a new riding mecca... Story and photos by Caleb Mondon So do the trails have a name?
It seems like some of the best trails are in the Blue Mountains, why do you reckon this is?
Haha... Seeeessssionnss.... Dan, Steve, Kegan, Bryson, Mick, Alistar, Mark, ernie and whoever else turns up.
Probably because the dirt and bush are great for building trails. We had an amazing set of trails with a dirt bowl at Wentworth Falls that was demolished a while back, a lot of people miss that place, including myself.
How long have you been building them?
Any thank yous?
Most of the guys have been digging there for a few years now. Mick, Alistair and me just met the others at the park and started digging with them.
All my family and friends who have let me ride my little kids bike for too long and helped me be where I’m at today.
Who usually digs there?
You already have two cool lines, but what are your plans?
A big thank you to Mark for letting us ride, shoot photos and for answering these questions.
We have a massive roll in under construction thanks to Alistair and Mick’s building skills and I guess a huge set after that. ABOVe//Mark Ludenia blazing through his handiwork. LeFT//Benn Pigot with a signature late nohander.
BMX Bandits turn 25!
While not the original BMX Bandits, the Australian Freestyle Team was kicking it back in the early to late 80’s all around Australia. reece Jordan, Grant Gettens and quite possibly Ken DeGraff with the frame grab fly out... PHOTO Tony Nolan
It sure seems like the ï BMX BanditÍ heckle from a car has been going on even longer than that!
Later this year, the seminal Australian movie that inspired a whole generation of riders and launched the career of nicole Kidman turns a big 25 years old. To celebrate this historic Australian BMX industry event, we’ve scored 5 copies of BMX Bandits to giveaway thanks to Magna Pacific. All you’ve gotta do to go in the draw is name the two characters that feature in the movie with Powder Puff. email your answer to bmxbandits@2020bmxmag.com.au with BMX Bandits in the subject line. Get your entries in by the 20th of January to be in the running. And keep your ears/eyes peeled for info on the BMX Bandits 25th anniversary celebration going on in Manly on the 23rd of november. The day will feature a ride to some of the spots in the movie with strictly 80’s bikes and clothing required, a killer quarter pipe jam/comp, celebrity skid comp, an exhibition of old school bikes and a screening of the movie on some kind of big screen so the day should be awesome. Get your old bike out of the shed, dialled in and find your open face helmet, joffa and Dyno nylons... Hit up www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42974371800 for up to date details... ISSUE 30 NOVEMBER 2008
35
THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF Before and after... PHOTO Caleb Mondon
Off the rail Things don’t always go as planned. Story and photos by Caleb Mondon
This is especially relevant to BMX. no matter how comfortable you might be with a certain trick, in this case a double peg rail, sometimes things just don’t work out and this is a perfect example of that. Anyone that has seen Moose ride knows two things. Firstly that he has a lot of skill and commitment, and secondly that he has the amazing ability to walk away unscathed from some of the most gnarly looking slams. This is by no means a small rail, but is fairly straightforward in terms of Moose’s rail diet. A fraction of a second after this photo was snapped, Moose’s front peg came off the rail and threw him headfirst into the concrete at the bottom. Moose hit his head pretty hard, but thankfully, he was wearing a helmet. His shoulder took the rest of the impact, resulting in a car ride to the hospital and a Grade 2 AC separation. Moose should be back riding after you read this and after 6 weeks off the bike still wants to go back and hit this rail again. Maybe this time in a hospital gown? Things not going as planned are just something you have to accept with BMX, and whilst people get hurt sometimes, unpredictability is one of the things that makes riding what it is. Hate it or love it.
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THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF Louis Bolter floating one high above Putaruru. PHOTO Mike Davies
Special Ops NZ roadtrip
The Red Bull special ops road trip took off on Friday the 10th of October. The trip was organized by Justin Sweeney from Red Bull and the only real purpose or idea behind the trip was to get a rad group of riders together and get out on the road. Words by Mike Davies red Bull hooked us up with two of the best road trip vehicles ever, the red Bull Hummer and Land rover Defender. We stopped to shred as many skate parks as possible, chilled out, ate a bunch of fish’n’chups, drank a few beers (and red Bull’s) and most importantly had heaps of fun!
The Crew:
Another reason for the trip was also to celebrate the start of summer as winter this year in Auckland city has been more than horrible to say the least. Anyway I thought I would share with you a bunch of highlights from the trip.
Mike Lawrence Bandana folding extraordinaire, got his brakeless tech on.
Justin Sweeny The organizer, rad as hell, always down for a good time. Tim White Super relaxed dude, had the most quotes from the movie rad. George Bolter Twin one, official red Bull team member. Louis Bolter Twin two, Macneil rider in nZ. Fraser B Most stoked for being on the trip, king bike stacker. Mike Davies Took photos, drank the exceeded daily recommendation of red Bull’s.
Highlights of the Trip: Team Defender and Team Hummer combining forces after a night of drinking and then turning into team asshole at the raglan Hotel. Tim White getting his old school shred on at the rotorua Dirt Jumps, Tim has a killer nac nac on him. Spending nearly five hours in the hot pools drinking cold beers in paper cups and talking smack after a full on day of riding in the sun. Justin Sweeny off-roading in the hummer, driving through huge puddles at speed while watching top gun on DVD. Trading red Bull’s with kids to borrow their bikes to lake jump (we didn’t want to get ours wet). Blasting Bob Marley out of the hummer to keep the locals happy. Louis Bolter riding the hell out every park after saying ‘I don’t feel like riding’. George Bolter learning flip no handers and trying barrel rolls. Mike Lawrence killing it with all sorts of tech combos, especially impressive seeing as he’s only been riding fixies for the last 6 months. Justin Sweeny for learning nose wheelies, even better as the guy has only ridden BMX a handful of times. Fraser for never getting off his bike and riding more than anyone else on the whole trip, he also cranked turndowns everywhere.
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THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF First time OS and Dan goes to Disney... PHOTO Mike S
First stop: Disney While some of us plan trips OS to trails, parks and comps, not everyone is the same... Story by Dan Baker
Heading to Japan to do demos at Tokyo Disneyland, I didn’t know what to expect. especially seeing that I’ve never been out of Australia before, it was a totally new experience. It was also my first plane flight and the experience lived up to my expectations. When we arrived at Tokyo’s narita airport we were greeted by a girl holding a sign with our names on it. That made things a lot easier, because it would have been hard to find our way around with all directions given in Japanese and not a great lot of locals speaking english. Anyway, once we had our accommodation sorted out it was time to go for a ride and explore the neighbourhood. Luckily it didn’t take too long to find a skate park in our area which was cool! As we’ve only been here for a week now, we haven’t done too much sightseeing yet, but I can tell you this much, Tokyo is an awesome place. Beautiful parks located right between amazing skyscrapers, way too many people in busy shopping malls and dressed up dogs to top it all off. From what I’ve seen so far, Japan feels very safe and clean and I’m sure I will enjoy the two months that I will still be here in Tokyo. Gotta say a big thanks to seasoned travellers Simon O’Brien and Mike S for making my time here so much easier!
Fox Transition helmet giveaway
Fox have added a BMX friendly helmet to their range of styling head protectors and thanks to the crew at Monza Imports, weÍ ve got one to giveaway.
Unlike traditional skate influenced helmets, which use heavy polycarbonate outer shells, the Transition has been moulded in one go, meaning this is one super light helmet. The outer shell is injection moulded onto the ePS foam protecting it from minor hits whilst adding structural integrity and it’s fully standards approved for use here on these shores. 12 big vents allow air flow and it is available in four colours and in two size options of S/M and L/XL, along with a stack of padding to fit your head just right. For your chance to win Fox’s latest helmet, simply answer the question below. Q: Name an Australian Fox sponno’d rider? email your answer to transition@2020bmxmag.com.au to go in the draw. entries close 20th of January 2009. Hit up www.foxhead.com for sizing details so you can include your helmet size. Like measure your head, then suss it out on the site and make sure to put that in the email!
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THE LOWDOWN NEWS & STUFF
With his adaptability on any terrain on two wheels, the shop shouldn’t be that hard... PHOTO Jamie Moore
Industry.au Little Black Bike
It seems lately that starting a rider run BMX shop is the real deal. More than a few new shops have opened up and it seems there will be more to follow. With retail being a game of hard yards, long hours and endless cash going out, itÍ s a big risk. But making BMX 100% of your daily life seems to far outweigh the costs. So we figured weÍ d take a look at some of upÍ s and downs of getting into business for yourself in a shop thru the eyes of Matt Hodgson, long time rider, shop manager/mechanic/employee and all round ruling guy whoÍ s stepping out onto his own... So, after all these years running shops for other people, what was the motivation to step away from a steady job and set up shop for yourself?
Is it a complete solo mission or are you working with others to create the shop look, fit out, art etc?
I kept hearing riders saying they wish Adelaide had a good BMX shop, so this started me thinking. A few of the better BMX wholesalers have also been encouraging me to start my own thing for a while now, so I checked out existing stores interstate. Most states have one or two successful and respected BMX only shops that each have a positive effect on their local BMX scene. I’m referring to the likes of Back Bone, Hell On Wheels, Strictly, Anchor, ride On etc. These stores all share a common thread, being rider owned and operated with a passion for BMX. I felt Adelaide also needed a store of this nature.
I have a long list of talented friends I know and ride with who have been a big help. I have been so lucky really. Whenever I have needed advice or help there has been someone I know to step in. robbie Keen and Mike from The Cloud Concept have done so much for me with the graphic design work for Little Black Bike and Greg Turra has done a series of illustrations for our magazine ads. Thanks guys, without you this wouldn’t be a reality. Matt Holmes and Jamie Moore have helped a lot by answering my many questions and offering great advice.
You know how hard the retail game is first hand, so why take all the load on your own shoulders?
In a nutshell, what’s the vibe of the shop?
I’ve been working in the industry for a long time and thought it was about time I did my own thing. I’ve had lots of mixed ideas floating around in my head for ages. I decided it was time for me to act on these ideas and create something my way. I was getting sick of working hard for other people with little personal progress or satisfaction. I have many friends that I see as roll models and I can only hope to be like one day i.e. you Matt at 2020, Jamie Moore at Stowaway, rider driven BMX Distro and robbie Keen of The Cloud Concept, a multi-discipline design studio. I have seen these guys take their ideas and make something of it and have witnessed first hand that the benefits far out weigh the hard times.
With a BMX only shop, you’re working in an already small niche, what’s your plan to differentiate yourself from the rest of the bike shops in Adelaide?
Setting up from scratch is a massive job, what was the hardest thing to get your head around in the planning stages? Getting the balls to quit my job and just do it! So beyond your time in shops, being a TAFE accredited mechanic, being part of BMX distribution and riding for longer than nearly anyone I know, did you have to get skilled up in business planning at all? I asked everybody I could think of a lot of questions about their business experiences. Asked advice from anyone that would give it and then asked some more questions. I did a lot of web-based research. Plus I have a friend that is an accountant who is real good at this sort of thing.
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Clean and friendly, with good beats.
Little Black Bike is a retail outlet supplying select quality products for the BMX lifestyle, the best selection of BMX hardware, apparel and footwear in Adelaide. We will have lots of cool clothing, footwear and BMX fashion, more so than your average bike shop. So what can people look forward to beyond simply a rocking outlet for all their BMX needs? We are looking at doing DVD premiers and showings in conjunction with Stowaway Distro, more info to come on that one. We will present photography and art exhibitions of riders work. I’m not sure what to do with actual riding events as yet; there are some local crew that organize regular jams already. So we’ll see what we can come up with, stay tuned I guess. So the big question, when are you looking at opening the doors? early December I hope… The current tenant in the premises we are going into has had some setbacks with his new building. If there was one thing you’d say to anyone considering starting their own business in the BMX industry, what would that be? Do your homework, be prepared to work hard and go for it.
THE LOWDOWN FIRST THINGS FIRST
Mikey C keeping the glare on lock mid stair hop turn down.
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PHOTO Nitai
a carpark sesh with a six pack is just as good as double tailwips at the LivinÍ the life local park
+ ACT w South WalesShop Ne 6 Fisher Square, Fisher Back Bone BMX
Clarity, thatÍ s what you get if you spend a month living the BMX life. Story by Andrew Jansen
now, I’ve definitely ridden a little bicycle for some time, but not really in the normal kinda way. I’m one of those legal type guys, so I work heaps of hours and most of my riding was between 11pm and 1am. Well, until a month ago it was anyway. So one day I quit, no more law… Until the money runs out. Sometimes the best decisions in life are the stupid ones. But, I had a plan, all those days locked in an office, I thought about the simple BMX life, and that’s what I was going to do. The thing is, when I think of the BMX life, I pretty much think of drinking, smoking, laughing, talking crap and riding, in that order. Almost everyone I started riding with over the years has fallen off, I’m more scared of handrails now than 3 years ago, but hey, I thought I knew how BMX still went. I was wrong. I’m definitely not writing this to complain. BMX is simply awesome, and always will be. I don’t even care that bikes look totally scooterish, and kids have bars wider than yo’ momma’s booty. you know why I’m writing this, I want a hug, a big collective, all homo, BMX hug. Kids, why can’t we just get along? What I’m trying to say is, when someone does something awesome, f*cking cheer. Someone does a sweet line, its high five time. Someone spews from riding smashed, take a photo, then help your brother out. We are in this together. Until this last month, I hadn’t been to a skatepark during the day in years, maybe 2005. When I did make it out to one, it struck me as really weird that of all the BMX’ers there, not one helped the little BMX grommets with the basics. now, because we are all family, I rounded up a few kids, and we taught those little suckers how to bunny-hop. everyone has a laugh, kids got more stoked on BMX, everybody won. nice. I was definitely stoked to see that the sweetest things in BMX haven’t changed, and some riders still know that a carpark sesh with a six pack is just as good as double tailwippage at the local park. The thing about BMX that doesn’t change is that at some point, for all riders, going epic every session just isn’t fun. you get older, you don’t bounce. you know what is always fun, manuals, 180’s and riding a three stair. I’m really hoping this generation doesn’t forget that. I’m writing this now, locked behind a desk, back at work. I have another 4 or 5 hours of work to go, and its 6pm already. For the next little while, you are going to have to live the BMX life for me. next awesome trick you see, pat that dude on the back for me. next bunch of BMX’ers you see in a car park having a laugh, yell out a ‘hell yeah’ for your brother. Let me feel the love!
Bikes At The Basin The Edge Cycles Hell On Wheels Beyond Bikes Camden Discount Cycles Bikes In Byron Bike Trax BMX Mafia Hawkesbury Cycles JR Cycles Kidsons Cycles Lifecycles Monster Skatepark Morgan Street Cycles Rainbow Cycles The Push Bike Factory TippoÍ s Cycles South Side BMX Warzone Bikes
Shop 5/10 Paradise Beach Rd, Sanctuary Point 39/41 Pacific Hwy, West Gosford 463 King Street, Newtown 10/335 Hillsborough Road, Warners Bay 184 Argyle Street, Camden 145 Byron Street, Inverell 47 Vincent Street, Cessnock 242 Victoria Road, Gladesville 6 West Market St, Richmond 22 Scarba Street, Coffs harbour 107 Fitzmaurice Street, Wagga Wagga 2/20 Riley Street, Penrith Grand Parade, Sydney Olympic Park 53A Morgan Street, Wagga Wagga 3/24 Isles Drive, North Boambee Valley 2/11 Mill Road, Campbelltown 67 Meroo Street, Bomaderry 3/41 Deering Street, Ulladulla 43 East Parade, Sutherland
The Broken Spoke Ultimate Ride
10 Gap Road, Alice Springs Shop 2, 2 Ghan Road, Alice Springs
Certified Action Sports Corry Cycles Crossley Cycles Cycle Scene For the riders For the riders Ride On 99 Bikes The Grind Totally Spoked
233B Brisbane Street, Ipswich 2 / 47 Shields Street, Cairns 118A Sydney Street, Mackay 51 Cambridge Pde, Manly Shop 9, Helensvale Plaza, Helensvale 2/2 Central Court, Browns Plains 652 Ipswitch Road, Annerley 140 Boundary Street, West End 2930 Logan Rd, Underwood 3/42 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin 239 Brisbane Street, Ipswich
CM BMX HittinÍ the street Ramp 2 Ramp
239 Diagonal Road, Warradale 598 Regency Road, Broadview 49B Bridge Street, Murray Bridge Shop 5 Chaffey Colonades, Renmark
Bears Bikes Bears Bikes Pakenham BMX MAD Connections BMX Crossover Cycle Diavolo Cycles Greensborough Cycles Logans Cycles PauÍ ls Cycles Push N Pedal Cycles Swan Hill Bikes and Trikes
75 Johnston Street, Collingwood 62 High Street, Cranbourne Shop 45 Pakenham Plaza, Pakenham 116 Boronia Road, Boronia 5A High Street, Eaglehawk 118 Graham Street, Wonthaggi 36 Chute Street, Diamond Creek 167 Para Road, Greensborough 55 Percy Street, Portland Shop 16, Eltham Mall, Eltham 384 Raymond Street, Sale 73 McCallum Street, Swan Hill
thern Territory Nor 4/5c Georgina Cres, Yarrawonga Spokes NT eensland Qu Ipswich Cycles
alia Austr uthJones SoBernie Cycles ctoria ViAnchor BMX
Western Australia35-37 Steere Street, Collie Crank N Cycles Georges Bike Shop KD Cycles
8/511 Wanneroo Road, Balcatta 9 Kent Street, Rockingham
nick C getting his tayboe on//MORRISEY
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REFORMIST FLAT YO!
Simon O’Brien onboard his new Colony frame. Currently spinning at Tokyo Disney... PHOTO Michael Harris
Down Underground
By the time you read this, round one of the Colony Down Underground flatland series will have taken place on the sunset coast in Perth. Riders will have travelled from all over the country to hit up a great beach spot to compete and have a blast. To get a bit more information on their involvement on the competition series I asked Chris from Tasmania, a rider involved in the series, rhysty at Backbone BMX and Clint at Colony (who are both sponsoring the event)t on what they all thought of the Colony Down Underground series. What made Backbone BMX want to be involved in Down Underground, a flatland competition all the way over in Perth? Rhysty When most riders think of Backbone BMX they think of trails. At first I was a little bit apprehensive as we stock little-to-no flatland gear. When I found out a little bit more about the competition and what it was aiming to achieve for flatland in Australia, I felt it’d be a good thing to get on board with. I would also say that it would take as much dedication and perseverance to ride flatland as it would to have a dialled in set of trails. What made Colony want to be so involved in the flatland? Clint I used to ride flatland. So when Shane Badman said he kept breaking frames I said we should make you a special one and it just sort of grew from there. When I heard Simon was getting messed around with his previous sponsor I offered him a spot on Colony. It’s definitely not a pure business decision as sales for flatland gear is rather low but just something I wanted to do to help out both Shane and Simon. What got you involved in flatland? Chris I started riding back in 1988, when uniforms and Dyno pants were cool. I was 8 years old had a dodgy old Mongoose with flip pegs. Growing up riding BMX was just the thing to do, I didn’t know any different, whether it was dirt, street, vert or flat. I lived near a bike shop which was the local hang out spot. I remember the older guys doing tail whips, cherrypickers and Miami hoppers. I joined a freestyle club which used to meet every Sunday for a session and a comp once a month, from then on I was hooked. The past 5 years I have focused a lot more on flatland. Living in a small isolated state like Tassy I had never met many other flatland riders so I was stoked when I went to the 2007 BMX games. I was blown away at all the talent of all the other riders, local and international. Since then I have been back to Sydney and to Melbourne to ride at Imax with the Vic legends and co. How well do you think flatland is represented in Australia? Chris I think the flatland scene in Australia is thriving and can only get bigger and better, it’s a real close community, most of the riders know each other personally and there
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is a lot of respect amongst the crew, from all different levels of skill. As far as being represented goes, I think it needs to be put out there more, 99% of kids starting BMX ride park or street because that’s all they see. In your opinion, will the down underground series encourage more riders to take up flatland and push riders to progress faster? Clint I am sure it will and with a series like this each rider will want to have something new to show or be more and more dialled for each event. Will this kind of series lead to the bigger bike shops stocking more flatland orientated stuff? Rhysty I’d say so. With more kids becoming involved there will obviously be a greater demand for parts. If you take a look at one of the directions that street has headed in, with ya hang 5’s, rolling whiplashes, tailwhips hops and even lawnmowers on quarter pipes. These have been base tricks for flatlanders forever. Once kids have a greater exposure to flatland they might see the crossover between different genres to want the parts to go with it. We’ll just have to wait and see. By being a part of the down underground how do you think this will help you and the flat scene grow? Chris It’s great to ride with other riders, see the different levels that they are at and give each other tips. I think that everyone finishes a day’s ride with some idea of what they are going to work on tomorrow, there is always room for improvement and tricks to be learnt. Rhysty I just want to see BMX grow, if I can help flatland be pushed and get bigger in Australia than that’s awesome. It’s still not going to get me a legal set of trails, but if it helps flatlanders gain better recognition from a similar situation that I know trails are in, then I’ll be happy. Colony I would like to think that since Colony supports it, that the scene here will support Colony and what we are trying to do with flatland here in Australia. Where do you think flatland will be in Australia in 5 years time? Chris I hope that the closeness of the community stays the same, and that jams will continue around the country with the same support there has been in the past. I like to think back 5 years on the tricks and see how much it has progressed in that time.
REFORMIST FLAT YO!
Flat out in Egypt
Education can be delivered in many different ways. Different civilisations and cultures from around the world have different ways of passing on knowledge to the next generation, all with equal amounts of success and challenges. Modern day society generally relies on classrooms, books and more recently, the internet to school the next generation on the ways of the world. Story by Shane Badman yet, with all of these proven and effective systems, there is one method that has a perfect pass rate. It’s not a hidden secret, it’s talked about in the open every single day. Many people do it, many more people have done it and everyone wants to do much more of it… travelling. We all look to get something a little different out of our travels, whether it’s visiting a new spot you’ve only read about in a magazine or seen in a video, learning a new language or understanding and appreciating a different culture. BMX has been giving riders the perfect inspiration to pack a bag, chuck in a spare tube and head out into the unknown. Several months ago while living in england, I heard about an opportunity coming up to live and ride in egypt. It was working for Solutions red Sea, a local company who also managed several huge nightclubs including the Ministry of Sound and Hedkandi, worldwide known clubbing brands from the UK. After sending off my profile and several phone calls later, I was asked if I’d be interested to work for them for several months doing riding shows at their newly opened marina at Hurghada on the red Sea. Like any self-respecting Aussie, the lure of white sandy beaches, endless sun and hot weather was too good to pass up… Getting myself organised quickly over the next few weeks, I made my way to egypt and was greeted at Hurghada airport by two local egyptians who worked for both Solutions and the airport. For security reasons, visitors are not allowed inside the building, instead only being able to wait outside. After getting my Visa and collecting my bike we left for my apartment to drop off some things before deciding to go out for a little look at the nightlife, egyptian style. egyptians party and go out late thanks to the hot weather. Kick off time is usually not much before 12pm and it’s fairly regular that they’ll be out until 5am or later. Most businesses do not open until about 11am and stay open until midnight. The working week is slightly different with Friday being the equivalent of Saturday and Sunday the start of a new working week. Living in egypt over time, it quickly began to feel like home. The people are amazing, generous, kind and eager to show you what their country has to offer. Once you know a local egyptian and become good friends with them, anything you want or need they will help you with, or if they can’t, they will always know someone who knows someone who can. Leading a measured pace of life, traditional Muslims balance their daily life with regular prayer intervals with sermons blaring from loud speakers scattered about the city. Day to day life is governed around faith, with any decision making process punctuated with “enshalla!” meaning “if God wills it… It will happen”. Being on the road is also an interesting experience with traffic horns offering a means of communication between drivers and the road markings more like guidelines than rules that need to be followed. As a rapidly developing nation, egypt is hungry for new additions to its already swiftly growing society. The introduction of dance music and club culture has been well received, an especially big step forward as it can be said that egypt has been a traditional conservative Muslim nation in the past. The red Sea of egypt is known for some of the most amazing diving sites anywhere in the world with people coming from all walks of life to see their natural wonders below the sea. This steady stream of foreign visitors has also given the nation a growing multi-cultural feel and has encouraged a multitude of languages to exist beside Arabic to include english, Dutch, German and russian to name but a few. As far as I know, BMX has not yet reached egypt as a sport or pastime. Few people ride bikes and those that do, ride creations made from the spare parts of other bikes. every kid knows how to ride one, very few though have the opportunity to own one. Doing flatland demos in this type of culture is a very interesting experience. As a first time for many of the locals to see this type of bike riding, the response was incredible. Locals were amazed that a bicycle could be used in such a way and even though some had seen similar things on TV, It’s very different to see it in person. It was a very humbling experience, but equally rewarding to see people so enthusiastic towards what you do. riding spots can be hard to come by, but I was fortunate to have several perfect marble spots to ride at in the Marina and with the heat consistently around the 40 degree mark, it was refreshing to ride next to the sea.
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When I get the chance to visit a new destination, I’m always interested to see as much of the place as possible. I organised a few side trips including the Valley of the Kings in Luxor about 4 hours drive away on the banks of the nile river, snorkelling on the red Sea reefs, a visit to el Gouna (a whole city owned by a single person!) and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids just outside Cairo. Luxor is an amazing place, being the location of the Valley of the Kings that has been the burial home for many of the ancient egyptian Kings and also the location of the mammoth Collosi of Memnon, both constructed roughly 3000 years ago. When you see amazing things on the internet or see a photo in a book, you have an appreciation of what you’re looking at, but until you see it right in front of you it can be difficult to get a true understanding of the enormity of it. Seeing the pyramids for the first time was exactly like this. The sheer size and precision of their construction and the fact that they are over 4,500 years old really hits home and makes you wonder whether anything humans create today will be around that long into the future? Calling egypt home has been a tremendous experience and it was never in my mind that BMX could take me this many places and yet it has. Has the ride finished? nope, it’s just starting, grab your bike, your backpack, take an open mind and see what happens….
BRETT ‘STUMPY’ MASON ON LIFE, BMX AND OTHER THINGS. STORY BY ALI FINLAY PHOTOS BY NITAI WHITEHURST Have you ever met that lanky hyperactive flatlander from Queensland? Or perhaps you knew him when he lived down south? You’d know if you have, there is no ‘which one?’ answer to a question like that, the only possible one is: ‘YEAH I KNOW STUMPY!’ People always seem to have good things to say about 36 year old Brett ‘Stumpy’ Mason. But he’s more than just good vibes and positive riding, Stumpy can be seen as a complex guy who is the product of his ever changing environment. He has a dark(ish) side and whist you’ll always find him with an upbeat public exterior, if you get to know him and have the chance to engage him on a deeper level, you’ll possibly find this genuinely interesting, diverse and caring guy’s positivity is tempered by a level of cynicism at parts of his world.
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THE MELBOURNE YEARS... Over a crackly speaker phone, Stumpy tells how his story starts in the mid seventies on Melbourne’s northern fringe. Growing up in Thomastown with his sister, mother and grandmother, Stumpy was aware that he was an ever present reminder of his father and that this placed a level of tension on the relationships with the key women in his life. ‘My gran always said I looked like my dad. My mum always said “you’re just like your father”. It felt like I’d get blamed for stuff because my dad wasn’t there. I really didn’t understand until later on in life and had the opportunity to look back and go “aww gee, that’s what all that’s about.” It wasn’t about me at all, it was about my dad and him leaving and the emotions involved with that and just because I was the male figure and I looked like dad, I got out-letted with it all’. Whilst conflicting messages from his father and negative comments by his mother and grandmother have left their marks on his memory, Stumpy flows with positive recollections of the love and commitment from the maternal figures in his life. ‘My mum basically dedicated every Sunday for seven years to go to the Nunawading Skate Ranch (the place for BMX back then!) and wait for me to ride for two or three hours. She dedicated a lot of her life to my hobby, which back then I didn’t even realise. I just thought she does this because she’s my mum’.
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Stumpy also talks warmly of his grandmother. ‘You ask any bike rider that grew up in the late eighties and early nineties who rode with me, they would have great stories about my grandmother. Me and Lindsay Brown would go out with the boys and she would bring out a bowl with wash cloths in them so we could wash under our arms after a days riding, she would make them biscuits and stuff, she was a really good influence on me’. His education started at the local primary school and followed with high school just down the train line in Keon Park. After developing an interest in computers and because his high school didn’t have any, Stumpy’s educational journey took him to Merrilands High in Thornberry, then n.M.I.T in Preston and ultimately r.M.I.T in the middle of Melbourne where he gained a tertiary qualification. However, he has never used his degree for employment and comments somewhat bitterly ‘it’s something I didn’t wanna do, it’s kinda like hey I’m in year 11, I’m in year 12 and I wanna ride bmx, but you know what it was like back in the day, “no, you can’t ride bmx, full stop! There is no way you can ride bmx and make any kind of a living”. So I went and did Uni, which was the next most interesting thing’. Stumpy was drawn to elements of underground culture from an early age and the influence of bmx, skateboard, graffiti art and hip-hop on his life and way of thinking is evident. ‘All my friends back then were skaters and stuff like that’. At age nine, his first real encounter with BMX was hopping gutters on the way
to the local ramp. He recalls ‘I was skating pretty much everyday’ and that ‘because I’d skate the ramp and I was getting pretty good skating, I didn’t really wanna ride it because it was a different feeling.’ It was whilst skating a flat block of concrete at the end of his street that he first noticed two guys riding past on BMX bikes. ‘One of them would roll across the whole road on his back wheel. Like down the gutter, and then across the road and then back up again, on his back wheel and I thought that was awesome!’ It wasn’t long before he was saving for, as he puts it his first real BMX bike. He notes that ‘I got a new frame and pegs and the wheels off my old bike and stuff like that’. His new frame turned out to be an imitation Torker. ‘It was an awesome frame! The welds were terrible but yeah, very nice.’ It is at this point you can see where the merging process between Stumpy’s BMX world and his everyday life began. A ‘trick-to-trick’ lifestyle as he calls it, where each day is focused on learning new things and thinking about the next new trick, link or combo. It’s a process that continues to this day and has been a key factor in many of his life decisions and goals. A simple chance encounter where a young Brett Mason stood at the end of his street watching Trevor King and Dave Scott show off as they traveled from their homes in reservoir to the local BMX shop in epping started Stumpy on his soon to be life long BMX journey.
It was during this time that Stumpy managed to hurt himself in a couple of major ways. At one point he fell from a trampoline at school, injured his back and required intensive therapy. The back injury still gives him trouble to this day, however he notes ‘I just dealt with it and never complained, having a bad back is just a thing, whatever’. Another time he stuck his hand between the chain and sprocket whilst riding and managed to amputate the tip of his finger. It was only luck that lead to a specialist surgeon reattaching it. Stumpy’s 20 inch journey took him riding at the seminal City Square in Melbourne and Skate ranch in nunawading with people like Lindsay Brown, Dennis Caddy, Hodgy, Stokesy, rado, nick Watts, Alan Woo, Chris Carver and Grant Cruise. He also organised events and competitions which ended up getting him paid to do so by the V.A.y.C. The Skate ranch was an important part of riding for Stumpy back in the eighties. ‘From when I started riding and going to the Skate Ranch to when the Skate Ranch closed, it was pretty much the Melbourne scene. Everybody went down on Sunday, it was church and that was the bottom line. The amount of stuff I saw pulled there, attempted there, yeah! Any video you see now a days just will not compare to the memories I have from back in those days and hopefully everyone else who rode then will have similar memories. I remember Tammy Storer doing his first 900 on vert, Alan Woo pulling his first Hitch-Hiker (I’d never seen a Hitch-Hiker before then) and Nick Watts blowing everyone else away with his skill.’
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RELOCATION BRISBANE In the mid nineties Brett pulled up stumps and moved to Brisbane. He has given various reasons for going over the years. In an interview on the KHe website in 2005, Stumpy said he moved because ‘it was hard in Melbourne with all the rain and depressed people’. But if you probe him a little more on the topic you may come to the conclusion that he really moved because of what Queensland offered rather than what was happening south of the border. ‘I’d been to Brisbane many times for things like John and Linda’s Flat Amp series, the Queensriders comps and just to ride with Damian Neilson, Tim Galician, Clint Millar and the other Queensland riders’ says Stumpy. ‘Basically the opportunity came up for me to move in with some graffiti friends that I had met up here. So I went home to Melbourne and said “I’m moving to Brisbane next week.”’ Stumpy has lived all over Brisbane and whilst he currently resides in Inala, having moved there after he become ill, he says at first ‘I moved around the inner city of Brisbane and it’s always been because I ride my bike, if I ever wanted to get anywhere, I just hop on my bike and I’m there in five minutes, I never had a car.’ Of the many places Stumpy has rested his head in Brisneyland he lists Fortitude Valley as number one. ‘I lived there for three years, you would walk into the Valley, which was the hub of fashion and social activity, that was really good’.
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After arriving in Queensland, Stumpy engaged in a bit of ‘when in rome’ and jumped on the Dole for a year or two. ‘I just rode my bike and lived off the government, as you could do back then’ he says. ‘I justified it by saying that I worked for five years and I paid tax and all my friends who never worked a day were on the Dole, so in my opinion I had worked for my Dole money’. Stumpy’s been employed in a few different jobs whist living in Queensland, mostly in the retail and hospitality sector. His experiences in retail have left him feeling used and undervalued, due mostly to being passed over for promotion after breaking sales records and receiving much positive feedback from customers. ‘Being told you can’t progress anymore when you have goals was the main reason to stop that. I haven’t really had the motivation to get another full on job where I have wanted to commit myself since’ explains Stumpy. Working behind a bar is where you’ll currently find him of an evening. ‘We do a roaring trade on Friday and Saturday nights. I really enjoy talking to people and making them drunk and happy.’ He acknowledges that punters can get grotty from time to time but maintains ‘I have a calm nature and seem to calm people down. So if someone is screaming at me I’ll quite happily make myself a fuck’n idiot so they can be happy and not start fights. The bottom line is that after two weeks and after I have met another 500 people, no one can remember that dick head.’
On friends Stumpy says ‘there’s always people that come and go, that turn up in your inner circle and then jump out, then you see them years later and say “g’day”. They might have changed but they still have those really good memories of riding’. Stumpy’s been at the forefront of the powerful Queensland flatland and bmx scene that has existed since the nineties. Along with riders like Clint Millar, Colin McKay, Michael Canfield, Brett Dighton, Chris Moore, ron ramton, James and Comino bro’s of Drain Kids fame. Stumpy says ‘the little crew of flatlanders in Brisbane was pretty strong. We pushed our selves pretty hard to learn new tricks and combos in late ’99 and 2000 that were hard.’ It was during this time that Stumpy met Stewart Munro. He credits Stu with keeping him riding. Although, ‘He started to annoy the fuck outta me. Basically it’s a love hate relationship with him. I love him to death because he motivates the fuck outta me. Like if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be riding now because he annoyed the fuck outta me by ringing me every day and saying “come riding, come riding, come riding”. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have started doing the comps again, I guess I would have been just a weekend warrior. There have been fuck-up’s but yeah, he’s like a life partner of mine’ says Stumpy. Another person Stumpy credits as an influence and mentor is Tony newton. Their closeness in age and shared passion for riding meant he felt comfortable looking up
to Tony. ‘We were about 19 or 20 at the time and he wanted to be a lawyer, he looked after his body, put good food in it and did weights, so he was a good role model like that. He was the kind of sporting role model that people look up to, clean cut Australian kid, goes to school, doesn’t drink, doesn’t do drugs, rides really good and has a really good personality’ says Stumpy. ‘Years later when I met him again, he had finished his degree and was married to his beautiful wife Ros, but still had the same attitude towards riding. All I can say is if flatland was mainstream he’d be a hero to a lot of kids’. He became friends with Simon O’Brien after traveling to Sydney for the now defunct Planet X Games flatland events and after Simon began spending time in Brisbane. That was when, as Stumpy puts it ‘Simon was going from learning pinky squeaks to learning one handed cross footed whiplashes. The guy was a sponge and wanted to absolutely pick up everything’. Stumpy’s relationships with Simon, Tony and Stu as well as many others riders have been his biggest motivation. When he can form a positive interaction on a bike he feeds off it, pushing his riding and yours. If you’re watching him at events, he is never negative, he always has a huge grin on his face and good things to say. If you are chilling out with Stumpy, you will find he always adds positivity to the experience and leaves you feeling happy to have spent the time with him.
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ON LIFE As mentioned before there is a mixing of flatland BMX and Stumpy’s life that makes it impossible to separate the two. As he states ‘I can explain flatland to anyone’. He understands the bmx world and the world outside it. He is able to blend the two into a lifestyle that suits him. ‘I do live a life out side of BMX, but if you ask anyone who knows me in my social life, they know me as Stumpy and know me as “that bmx guy”. They don’t know what I do, probably thinking back-flips on a ramp or something’ he says. Stumpy has an expectation in himself and passing that makes him feel good. He feeds off the praise from his peers and turns it into positivity. riding has taken him to many places, to good friends and happy times, it’s hardened him up and focused his energy. When taking about future directions for BMX, Stumpy notes ‘unfortunately, BMX has been seen as entertainment from a mainstream point of view. For an outsider it’s very entertaining to look at, but then again so is a circus or a puppet show. I see BMX moving away from that entertainment type based activity to a more intense sport. You’ve got Woodwood with great riders like Colin McKay teaching kids how to ride BMX and they are going to come away from that experience with an amazing outlook on life. I think that’s the way bmx should be pushed, more of “hey, this is a proper sport!”.’
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In a more personal future, Stumpy would like to start an outlet and give away cash. ‘I’d love to open a media place and give people money from big corporations. I hate big corporations, they’ve got to much money, way way too much money, so they might as well do some good with it’. Whilst his business model might require a bit of work, Stumpy’s sentiment is not lost. He’s skeptical of politics and the system. ‘the whole politics thing – I don’t care much for it, I understand it all and if something concerns me I’ll look into it, but I’m not down for it’. He has a similar outlook on religion, ‘I have never ever been a religious man. I have been a spiritual man in that there is a guiding force in everybody, but I never stop people at random and tell them that. Religion in my mind is a bit of a distraction, if it suits you then do it but it’s not for me’. Stumpy’s done his crime and done his time. He was once busted for painting panels and the whole experience left him feeling shafted. ‘When I look back on it I got the worst deal out of it all. I got the biggest fine, I got the biggest suspended sentence, yet I still got ostracised from the group because I was from Melbourne’ he says. A self confessed X-Box junkie, Stumpy gleefully reels off past console and computers he’s owned. ‘I had a Commodore 64, Atari 2600, An Omega, a Mac IIci, I’ve always had computers and love playing games. I have to clock games and everything in them, I’ll play games for four days straight.’
But not too long ago, Stumpy’s dreams of travelling and riding overseas were shattered by an illness. In the past he had overcome many health issues (health issues mostly due to BMX). People often recall watching as he dislocated his shoulder at the Planet X Games in Sydney. Then there were the broken legs, ankles, toes and fingers, but never any complaining. On the contrary, ‘I’d break my finger and just bite my lip and keep riding, I’d still be able to hold onto the handle bars with the other ones.’ At around the start of 2006 Stumpy began to experience abdominal pain. ‘It felt like a stitch and I thought “hey, this will go away in a week and after a week I’m like, this will go away in a month”.’ But it did nothing but get worse... ‘After about eight months of being in kind of constant pain I began to feel this lump in my bowel and when I’d push it, it would move around, my stomach would growl and the pain would go away’ he says. ‘Then in 2007, it started to get worse to the point where it was hurting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I was finding it hard to sleep and walk and stuff.’ Then one day he went to the toilet, looked down and noticed it was all blood. Still not convinced and thinking that perhaps he had eaten something red, it wasn’t until it happened again and he talked to his flat mate that someone convinced him it was time to see a doctor.
After a quick visit to a doctor, Stumpy was referred onto a specialist where extensive testing including an MrI revealed a tumor about a fist and a half in size. The large tumor was attached to his bowel through a small growth and had to be removed. The tumor was also giving Stumpy’s immune system a kicking as well with small cuts taking months to heal. ‘I didn’t have any money, so I could have gone on a waiting list in Brisbane for eight months to a year or fly to Melbourne and get it all done privately. So I ended up going to see my mum and stuff and chilling there to get it all done’ admits Stumpy. ‘So yeah, all done and all good, I’m not in pain anymore, I still have scar tissue on my bowel and when I went riding I tried a hang-5 and kinda got a strange feeling and bailed out’. Looking back on the beginning of the illness ‘because I hang around all twentysomething’s and they never experience anything like that, I never knew about it. I never had dad to teach me about it so I just figured it was going to go away. I’m just so glad I just didn’t let it keep going because the doctor was like “Dude you could have totally gotten yourself in a bad way.”’
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ITS A WRAP Ultimately the thing about Stumpy is that he’s an incredibly nice guy. He’s the kind of guy who once you’ve meet for the first time will be a good friend for life. That’s why it can be hard when you hear about some of the bad things that have happened to him. It’s true bad things happen to good people but it’s the quality of the people that Stumpy surrounds himself with and the places they go and things they achieve that always mean Stumpy can make his negatives into positives.
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MIKeCZaJKoWsKi Gap to wall ride over light switch Canon 30D with booster Canon 24 –70mm 2.8 lens Canon 580exII x1 F 4.5 @ 1/250sec ISO 640
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It never ceases to amaze me how you don’t need the radest setup or crazy obstacle to get come up with a good trick or shot. This is pretty much the smallest kicker ever and a flat wall that had a light switch in the way! Add a little creative thinking and one hell of a hop and this is what you get. Sometimes 5 slave flashes aren’t needed! I actually had two out but turned one off as the colour of the wall was bouncing enough light to give a better feel and definition to it. I just love the simplicity of it, as more often than not I have just as much fun riding two stairs or a two foot quarter as a dialled park. Oh yeah, then Mike 180’d out of the wall ride. Mike is rad. TK brother!
NaMe STePHen MOrrISey age 28 shootiNg 10 yeArS ridiNg MOre THAn 10...
I
have been a rider longer than I have been shooting BMX and I believe this is 90% of the reason I have had success (for lack of a better word) in photography. This and the decision to lug around 20kgs on the bike for the last 10 years. It’s been a number of lucky things, but for me it’s the fact I ride that puts me where I am and gives me an edge over your average photographer, when it comes to BMX anyway.
I would say if I wasn’t riding the spot or knew the people through riding first, then I wouldn’t have shot half the photos I have. That said, the hardest thing is to put down the bike and pick up the camera and I have probably missed a few opportunities of photos for that reason. In the simplest form, just being a rider, you know when that table or invert is going to snap to the most tweaked part, or how close you can push getting close to a tailwhip with a fisheye lens or just knowing when to pull out the fisheye or better yet put it away! I have been very lucky and need to thank a lot of people who have either pulled/crashed/ helped/published/inspired or most importantly been a rider and more than likely a friend. A lot of Photographers love to shoot everything and I must admit I have taken a billion shots of weddings, landscapes, animals, in studios, models and everything in between. But honestly I only “love” shooting BMX, it’s like learning a new trick on the bike when I get a shot that I am stoked on and that feeling is the same reason I will never put down the 20inch or the camera. Hope you like the shots...
Stephen
Infocus Morrisey
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Infocus
rAPHAeLJeroMaWILLIAMS Makeshift Sub Fufanu at Springfield Sk8 park Canon eOS3 with booster 15mm fish eye f 2.8 @ 1/200sec Fuji Velvia iso 50 pushed 1 stop 1x Canon 540ez slave Quantumn slave unit
This is kinda old, but the main reason I like this shot is about 20 seconds later the sky opened up and the biggest storm hit. It was early arvo, but the storm was cranking through the sky fast and every 10 seconds the light would change, so I had to meter it a few times and then guess what it would be in another 10 seconds. Pretty much after raph rolled away from the fufanu, it started to rain so we had to run around and save the gear from getting wet. It’s also probably the last shot I took of BMX on my 35mm film camera before moving to medium format film and digital 35mm. This shot was one of 30 in my folio when I was studying and it helped me pass with flying colours. Thanks raph
AerIALaNgeLs OK so it’s not BMX... Canon 5D F 2.8 @ 1/60 15mm “fisheye” lens Canon 540ez x1 Canon 580ex x2 Quantumn freewire slaves x3 Studio Light with red Gel
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But two girls dressed in leather and garters swinging from a warehouse ceiling was too much of an opportunity for me to pass up. A mates partner was an acrobat and wanted some promo shots, so I rocked up almost unaware of what I would be able to shoot as they had a “darker” James Bond theme to follow. So with that it took me a while to dial in the shots the way I wanted, by lighting up a warehouse in particular areas but hiding doorways, windows and other things. Keep in mind the girls were suspending themselves so they couldn’t just sit and pose, I had to get as much done before they lowered each other into various poses and positions so there was a fair amount of pressure to get the shots as good as soon as I could. It was quite a task but in the end I am happy with what we got. It’s all about the setup sometimes kids!
CLInTMiLLar Toothpick at Varsity Lakes Bronica SQ-B 150mm lens Fuji Velvia 100 F8.5 @ 500 sec pushed 1 stop 580 exII x1 580 ex x1 Quantum freewire slave units x2
I have shot a lot with Clint over many years, from interviews for this magazine to ads that have appeared world wide for various companies in magazines, catalogues, posters and more. A lot of the time, he needs a shot and has an idea and usually a deadline that’s overdue. So we go out for a day or so and try to get something together. I have lined up rails, ridden backyard ramps, found street spots and that’s probably half the fun cause we like to ride the same stuff. I appreciate the opportunity I ever get to shoot him and look forward to the next time, cause no doubt it will mean riding with him. This quarter is super steep and slippery due to the new park and paint but I couldn’t go past the colours on the quarter and Clint’s bike. Check the shadow he leaves and compare that to the one the ramp casts to get an idea how tight and steep this actually is. As Millar would say, yo yo…
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Infocus DAnBraidy Secret full pipe... Bronica SQ-B 35mm lens Kodak 400 black and white F 3.5 @ 1/250sec natural Lighting
This spot is one of those rare finds that not too many people know about. Add to that it’s illegal to ride, as you are violating some serious ‘no trespassing’ laws. Plus it’s open for business pretty much 24/7, so it’s only an option when a public holiday falls on a Sunday! Anyway I put down the bike long enough to take a couple of shots and this is one of the treats I got. I like shooting black and white film for it’s raw look and because it can be hard to get the right exposure as black and white is all about the contrast. I was given this film from a photographer that went digital, it was mostly way out of date but had been stored in the fridge, so I would use it to play around here and there as there was no guarantee it would even work. I took some colour transparency on the medium format as well as some shots on my digi, but nothing I got came close to this. Some times it pays off to muck round with weird settings and old film, and that day technology came in second place to old techniques and equipment.
nICKKaJeWsKi Laying it over at Willow park
Bronica SQ-B 150mm lens Fuji Velvia iso 100 - 120 f 4.5 @ 1/250 sec Canon 580exII Canon 580ex Quantumn Freewire slave x2
I pretty much wanted a table shot as it’s got to be one of my favourite tricks to do and take photos of, and nick has one of the best you will ever see. So with that in mind, I trekked out to Toowoomba and nick cut from work early just to shoot some photos. He managed to do a bunch of stuff over a few different hips and quarters, but the week before he got his bars stuck in his shirt and ate it bad, so was feeling a little off the taybo, although this shot might say otherwise? He asked if I wanted to shoot a euro which was way high and way laid over. I couldn’t decide between them, so here’s both...
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Infocus MATTLaWtoN Downside whip on rough street quarter
Canon 5D 15mm Fish eye lens f 2.8 @ 1/200sec Flash 580ex
I have known about this spot for years, but have never really been able to ride it. If you look at the massive pile of wood that’s off to the side, well that was in the way. It was the least amount of wood and crap that I have ever found there and it still took us the better part of an hour to move it out of the way to allow the spot to be rideable. At the bottom of the pile we found the most perfect bits of plywood with metal plates attached to the bottom side to smooth it out even more. That took the gutter kick out and then we rode for a few hours till dark. What you can’t see is how rough and gnarly the concrete is and you definitely don’t want to crash on it as it will eat your skin off. First try at the downside, Matt popped funny but still kicked and committed to the whip. He got spat, shoulder first, to the bottom of the quarter but somehow landed, mostly on the plywood and still cut the shit outta his back and shoulder! He got straight up, grabbed his bike and fired it out clean before sitting down and nursing his wounds. Thanks Matt for taking one for the team.
Jerry VaNderVaLK Canon 5D 15mm Fish eye lens f 5.6 @ 1/180sec Quantumn freewire slave units x 2 1x Canon 580 ex 1x Canon 540 ez
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Barspinnin the slow bank
I went out to shoot an ad for Tempered bikes with Jerry V that featured last issue. After Jerry threw down on the rail, we were all keen to ride a bit, so we drove to a wallride I knew that’s lit up so you can ride it at night. By chance, we drove past this spot on the way so we decided to quickly check it out. It turned out we were there for over an hour and never made the full journey to the wall ride. I still had my camera gear ready, so I snapped a couple of Jerry. I walked around the other side to get out of the way and ended up taking a few more from that side. While I don’t usually like having flashes in view, it’s the main reason I like this shot and it has much more punch that the others. I love shooting at night for this reason as you can get creative with light and flashes if you know what you’re doing.
Infocus
COreyBohaN Beenleigh hip circa 2001 Canon eOS elan-e II 15mm fish eye Quantaray flash unit (cheap POS) Fuji Sensia 35mm film iso 200 F 2.8 @ 1/90 sec
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This is an old shot taken round the time I did a bio/Interview with Corey for 2020 back in 2002. I had just started shooting so every roll of film was a learning curve. My equipment and knowledge was pretty basic, but I was staying with Colin Mackay and we rode and shot a lot for about a month. Colin introduced me to Corey and even back then I was blown away with his style and flow, plus he was just a super nice kid. The funny thing about this shot was it was actually going to be the cover for the same issue, but he got another shot I took of him and somehow, somewhere the two got swapped. It actually worked out for the better as he’d just got on red Bull and wasn’t wearing his helmet in this shot, so was worried they might be bummed about that. either way it’s one of those shots I loved and I’m stoked it’s finally going to be used.
s
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nathan Tomsic with the most bullshit 360 tuck no-hander you have ever seen. you might even see the exactly same timed shot of this in an up-coming issue of xpress seeing as I managed to capture Gorak’s flash to the left firing the same time as mine. PHOTO Nick Gascoine
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Alex is just one of those people you have to see in person when they ride. So fair enough I had heard a lot about him and even seen a few clips of him, but was never hooked. But after seeing him slay the ramp and also to meet him and find out how cool and polite and genuine he was, I can now say I am an Alex Hiam fan. Word to you Alex, for being rad. PHOTO Nick Gascoine
So all the riders who entered the event turned into a living sideshow so that fat kids and their even fatter parents could stand there, gawk and laugh when people fell off. With a reasonable crowd it got under way with the expert class. For the most part, these kids could have been in pro, the level of riding these days is retarded. I really only saw bits of the expert contest in between being hit in the balls by numerous people and knocking lollies out of Marc Arnolds hands. But what I saw was young Alex Hiam killing it. now I have heard a lot about this kid and even seen some clips, but when you see him ride in person its quite amazing. Alex was spinning big tail whips about 5 foot out then hitting the next wall with 360’s, old school no hander’s and bar spins. Other kids were throwing bar spins to foot jams, retarded clicked look backs about 7 foot out and pretty much every foot jam variation getting out. Sorry to all those people I have mentioned but don’t know their names. In the end all I know is that Alex won, but I missed it because I was off trying to find a show bag amongst the hordes of people. After walking around for ever looking at the back of peoples heads in stupidly big crowds while trying to find a show bag that didn’t have a fake butt or a Bratt’s doll in it, my friend Zac Miner got a call to say that he had to show up for finals so with no show bag in hand and smelling of carnies, I headed back to the ramp to shoot the finals and see some red hot BMX action.
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There were only nine people in finals so it looked like a short but sweet end to Spinal. After a day of blistering hot weather and smells of greasy food and horseshit, I was ready to shoot and go home. Highlights from the finals was most definitely seeing Zac Miner flowing around and killing the ramp with big superman’s over the spine, flair’s, old school no-hander’s and clicked look backs. He defiantly deserved the fourth placing he got and walked away with 500 dollars and a whole lot of tire burn on his arse. Third placing nathan Tomsink was one of my favourites to watch with him doing some of the most bull shit no-hander’s and look backs I have ever seen and even sometimes looking like he was going to hit the roof. Second placed Chris ‘Danger’ O’Donnell was doing his usual smooth whip combinations and double whip combinations but got thrown to the ground on a missed old school no-hander and wacked his face on the flat bottom. He came back and finished his second run but later found out that he broke his jaw on that crash in his first run. Get better soon brother! After solid runs all through qualifying and finals, Andrew Gul took first place with ridiculous flair’s, 360’s, wall rides and I couldn’t believe my own eyes but the suicide no-hander was even thrown over the spine on a number of occasions. He even at one point touched the roof while jumping the spine, which got the fat kiddies screaming for more extreme action in between their sugar hits. Once it was done, I was happy to see the bright lights of the ferris wheel in the distance and to no longer have the smell of hay and horseshit in my nostrils. A big thank you has to go out to Dinny for putting on the event and making sure everything went well and to the riders who turned out and rode, instead of riding the carnival rides. Nick Gscoine
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Sporting a gapping bleeding knee and tire burn on his ass like you wouldn’t believe, Zac is never scared to stretch the fuck out of a superman. I never get sick of seeing him do this trick, but maybe Clint from Colony needs to start making tall tee’s so when Zac slays a superman his shirt doesn’t turn into a mid-drift top and he looses any chance of a photo incentive… PHOTO Nick Gascoine
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Boosting the shit out of the dark side of the ramp, Gul just about hit the roof on most things he did over the spine. Flairs of this size were the norm for his runs and always got the youngins’ screaming for more up side down action. PHOTO Nick Gascoine
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Luke Barling
tos Inte photos &pho w& rview Intervie ee wnlee by Brownl perBro Cooper byCoo
I have known Luke for six years and have watched him learn so many tricks and grow to become the great rider he is now. I remember the first time I saw Lukey B, he was riding a ledge in the small town we grew up in called Maffra and when Maffra got a skatepark I started riding with him there soon after. It wasn’t long until we were taking days off school and getting my mum to take us to Warrigal skatepark on her way to work where Luke never disappointed. Not long after, I found out that Lukey has another love in the form of partying. He will not leave the venue until the ugly lights come on. And he will party anywhere he can, even if it involves jumping the fence of the local swimming pool to go night swimming or say he knows the way home from the pub but we end up walking eight kilometres the wrong way. I also have it on good authority that Luke has hotel room trashing skills to the tune of $1500, and it was not even his room! He has a hulk like hop on him and every time you ride with Luke he seems to amaze you with a new trick or a different line that is as smooth as glass. Be it riding through trails or up a rail, he seems to be able to adapt to all aspects of riding.
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Ok Luke – you haven’t always lived on the outskirts of Melbourne, so where did you grow up? I grew up in a little country town called Maffra. It’s about 200 kilometres east of Melbourne and a bit of a shithole unless you’re old, I guess. Were there many other riders to ride with out Maffra way? yeah, there were two guys that I used to ride with, Mat Lindrea and Mark Archer. They were from Sale, which is about 15 kilometres from Maf. I used to work in Sale on weekends, so I would stay there and we would go out riding the street until all hours of the morning. By the end of most of those sessions, you could hardly hang on to the grips because your hands were so sore. Mark tragically passed away from cancer at the age of 18 and Mat broke his ankle real bad and couldn’t ride for a couple of years, but he’s back killing it now. There was also Arron and Gil Daniel from Maf (who live in Melbs now) and are still killing it! Other than that, there were the kids that rode because it was cool at the time but quit as soon as they turned 18 and cars became cooler. You grew up riding four pegs and no brakes but nowadays you run a different set up. What made you change? When our town finally got a skatepark, I was riding a lot more park than anything else and I was seeing guys doing some tech stuff on the coping or whatever that involved brakes. So I thought I would chuck some brakes on and try some of that stuff and I haven’t really looked back since. I took two of my pegs off because I wasn’t really using them all that much anymore. Do you still eat your cereal with your riding gloves on? Haha, nah. As a kid, how excited were you when you got your Hoffman George? I was stoked as because it was pretty much my first half decent bike. Do you still get that same feeling now when you put a bike together? yeah, for sure. There’s nothing better than putting together a new setup. you try and put it together as fast as you can so you can see how it feels. It’s even cool putting new parts on. How do you think your days of riding only street in a small town with no parks have influenced the way you ride now? Did it make you more creative when looking at riding? I think so because after riding pretty much every square inch of a town you have to start looking at different ways of hitting the same thing or you get bored really quickly. How did you manage to crack three frames in nine months when you were younger? Why did you then go out and buy a Solid Duke (8.4 pounds) and how the fuck did you learn so many tricks on such a behemoth of a bike?
Luke Barling We used to be into doing stair gaps, so we would go around hucking ourselves down the biggest stairs we could find. I think that’s what would have probably done it. Oh, and fly outs! So I bought one of the toughest frames I could find. I guess I just got used to the weight and it came in handy when I finally got a lighter bike because it made everything feel a lot easier. Who were your main influences in riding when growing up?
Ben Lascelles (Lass) was probably my main influence. He was like the local pro and I used to look up to him when I was growing up. Other than that there was the usual, Hoffman, Mirra, Taj, Van Homan, all those guys that were on all the videos and at X-Games and stuff. Oh and Cru Jones!
How many times have you watched the movie RAD?
When I was younger, I used to watch it like everyday. I didn’t actually own the video so I used to borrow it off my neighbour/older brother, Mic. He must have gotten so sick of me going over there all the time! now I’ve got it on DVD and it usually comes out after a few drinks, good for a laugh!
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Luke Barling When you first started riding parks you didn’t have a job. Did that help with your progression? Did you have anyone else to motivate you at the time?
It definitely would have helped because I just rode everyday and made my mate, Arron Daniel, wag school so we could go ride. We used to have comps to see who could land stuff first, so we motivated each other. And Arron still rides?
He’s in the army now so he’s always getting posted to different places. That kind of sucks, but I still ride with his brother, Gil, who is always good for a laugh. You seem to be able to ride all styles of BMX. What is your favourite type of riding?
I don’t really have a favourite. I have a ball riding everything, but if I had to pick one it would probably be park because that’s what I ride most. How has moving to Melbourne helped your riding? You must have been stoked to have all these good parks at your fingertips? Having lots of different stuff to ride has helped me to become more of an all-rounder sort of rider. yeah, I was like a kid in a candy store when I moved here. It was so exciting riding all these places that I had never been to before. You seem to have made a name for yourself by winning a bunch of comps and shredding at jams. I remember a jam we had at old Knox about four years ago. No one knew you and here you are, hopping higher than anyone else in the hop contest. Was that something that motivated you to move to Melbs, so you could get more involved in BMX? I had just moved to Melbs at that stage and I was still a bit shy. That was one of the things that motivated me and allowed me to meet a few more people within the BMX community. How did you come about riding a Felt frame and how long did you have to ride that ugly thing for? It was when I had first moved to Melbourne and I went in a comp at yarra Junction. I ended up coming in second to Fink, and first prize was the Felt frame which he didn’t need because he was sponno’d. So he ended up giving it to me because I was riding this heavy as Seth Kimbrough instrument frame that I had borrowed off a mate. I ended up riding that until I got hooked up by Proper, which was about a year and a half later, I think.
Nowadays you’re a bit of a tradesman. What do you do for work Luke? I’m an air-conditioning mechanic (fridgey). Do you enjoy it? yeah, it goes alright. You are qualified yeah? I’m a couple of months away from finishing my apprenticeship, so I probably will be when this mag comes out. Do you have any plans to travel outside of Oz in the future? I’m thinking of going over to the UK next year if I can save some cash (which I have never been able to do because I’m hopeless with money). How come you would choose the UK over other places like the US? I’ve been told that it’s a lot better and just because of a lot of the amazing stuff you see on videos and mags and stuff like that. I would still like to go to the US, but I think I’d like to go to the UK first.
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Besides riding and work, what else do you enjoy to do? I hang out with my girlfriend, Jess, and I don’t mind going for a fang in my 180sx, trying to do skids. I’m not very good at it though. I love getting on the beers as it’s always a good time, and I can’t really find time for anything else. riding seems to take up most of my time.
Luke Barling What is with the Pete Radivo style sleeveless tees?
When Pete’s wasted, which is probably 85 percent of the time, he feels the need to rip people’s sleeves off, and it turns out that those tees are really good to ride in on hot days. It makes you look tough too!
And now the typical thanks list?
Mike Daly and Proper for hooking me up; my mum for buying me a piece of crap bike just about every year because I always used to wreck them; my girlfriend Jess for putting up with my shit; Coops for doing my interview, taking pics and footage of me; John Buultjens, Clint Millar, Ben Lucea at the Sale bike shop (Mallards) for helping me out; and everyone else who has helped me out if I’ve forgot you.
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COLONY US ROADTRIP Clint Millar ryan Guettler Josh Boatright Steve Woodward
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Clint getting living on the Aggroman fantasy ditch. PHOTO Guettler ISSUE 30
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Large, inverted and ruling. ryan Guettler . PHOTO Millar
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Getaway in California Most of you would think that running your own bike company would mean that you would get to ride, totally not the case. This leads to some of the reasons I was looking forward to my latest trip to the USA so much. With all my duties with Colony, my riding time is the first thing that suffers in my life. But hey, I am mostly OK with it as I think I have had a good run the last 20 years or so, no complaints really. All I had to do was a few days of work promoting Colony at Interbike and then I was free for nine days to ride my bike with mates, stoked. ryan Guettler and his good friend from Greenville, Josh Boatright were my two travel companions and we were ready for some riding ahead. Our plan was to meet up with my Colony team rider, Steve Woodward and see what happened. Pretty loose plans really but exactly what I wanted. The pics you see here are just a few split seconds from the trip, but pictures speak a thousand words, or so they say. enjoy. Clint Millar
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Jeff Bahr
is a pretty rad kid. I only really knew him as a kid who could do a mean foot jam, until I started riding with him on a more regular basis. The amount he has progressed over the last year or so I have been riding with him is ridiculous. Jeff has developed from someone who shredded the park to someone I would consider a very well rounded street rider and a great friend. For each one of the following photos, it was a case of me proposing the trick and location, and Jeff getting it done. Instead of an interview with the same old vital stats and bullshit about how old he is and what his favourite alcoholic drink is, I thought it would be interesting to get Jeff’s take on each shoot, what went down and what had to happen for it to all come together in the end. Nick Gascoine
Jersey Barrier nose dive 180
We had to make two visits to this shoot because I ended up headless in the best photo from the first visit. So twice I had to put up with the constant cars flying past with douche bags beeping and people staring at me and nicks 18th century camera, just wondering what the hell we were doing. After my long ass legs somehow stopped me from falling on my face a few times, by doing a reverse superman nose dive we got the fuck out of there with the shot in the bag and without getting killed by a car.
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Nose bonk to Gap
We went to do this photo after Zac Miner did something bullshit at the Kambah U pipe. When we got there it was a bit different to what I remembered it being, so I wasn’t to sure how it would work out. The sun was starting to go down and the shadow from the over towering buildings was getting closer, but we decided to try our luck and get it done. nick was fanging around trying to get his shit set up while Zac and myself were just riding around. After a little bit of riding Zac did the one thing we were all trying to keep away from, that be falling into the fountain! All his shit got wet and it was awesome. After two shots nick ran out of film and thought he had it so we got the fuck out of there.
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Tree ride to 180 bar spin
We went to this tree after we paid a visit to a university court yard by the name of Moot court, in which the pillow (Thomas Fordyce) clocked a clip. The last time I rode this tree I blew out my front wheel because I foolishly gave in to the pillows heckling to try and double whip out of it. nick ended up planting one of his flashes in the middle of the road and marked the tripod legs spot with spit just so he could remember where it went, if it had to be moved. Of course the pillow was on hand in case a car came along and while he was standing there, he decided to put down a few gollies of his own. Thomas went to place the flash down after a car drove past it, but seeing there was so much spit everywhere, he ended up putting the flash facing in the total opposite direction to the tree and we were all pretty confused. nick ended up making me do this a million times so he wouldn’t hack it, but I think he finally learnt how to shoot photos of bar spins.
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Luc-e grind over the ditch
We got to this spot pretty late in the day and I showed up not knowing what we were going to try to get. After I had a bit of a play and nick threw out a few suggestions I thought it would have been cool if I did a link and went nose bonk to smith to nose bonk. I gave it a go but ended up hanging my front peg on the ledge and sent myself over the bars. I pretty much thought that was the worst that could happen until I tried it again and did exactly the same thing. But this time ended up on the ground face first in the ditch. We decided to abandon that idea and came up with a different link. After shooting this second link, nick had some shenanigans with his batteries not working or some shit, so we decided we would shoot a still photo opposed to a sequence. I decided to do this Luc-e grind across it but with nick getting low and close with the fish, he nearly shat himself when I dropped off the ledge into the garden and started falling towards him headfirst. After nearly clipping feet and front wheel on the lower ledge and spending almost two hours at the spot we decided we got the still and got the fuck outa dodge.
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Hayden Bro
Resides C-Bar, QLD Words & Photo by Morrisey
Name and age? 17 and most people call me Hayden Bro, cause I’m Maori.
Why BMX? Keeps me occupied, keeps friends close, makes me a lot of friends. It’s just good as gold.
Years riding I’d say about one and a half if that. Hasn’t been too long, my constancy of riding isn’t too fresh.
Inspirations in BMX? Definatly Dakota Roche, Mike Aitken, Chase Hawk and Corey Bohan. All bangers and mash. Pure killers.
Park, dirt or street I prefer park but all are about as good as sliced bread. Tricks or style? Just do what’s natural, if style comes with, it’s a bonus. Love Beef jerky and Nike shoes, rad T-shirts, 59 fifty hats and brown jeans. Hate Work, sh*t ankles and constant flat tyres... What’s your hood like? Ghetto, too many VL’s, little scooter kids, wannabe graffers and jobless bums. Haha you know who I am talking about. Starting with a J ending in e!
Inspirations out of BMX? Bob Marley and my beautiful wife, Carmen Elektra. So you’re a young kid, what’s your take on the scene? To do as good as I can and get what I’ll get. Nothing more and nothing less. Stay fresh and get lady’s, ha! Thanks and shout outs! Thanks to Steve for these bangin questions, thanks to my bike for being there for me! Love you baby haha. Thanks to C-Bar skata for being as ghetto as you are. Can’t forget Mummy and Daddy for lending me money and stuff for my bike and transporting me wherever I wish. Shout out to MaggaMagga, be at the skata asap!
Gangster, emo, partier, rocker, thug, chiller, old or new-skool? Old school, reggae, chiller. Can’t go past a bit a Dre, Pac or Biggie...
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Mitch Jamieson Resides Brisbane, Queensland Words by Robbo
When I first met Mitch he was a crazy 11 year old ripping up the park on an old yellow Haro. He had all us locals thinking to ourselves “this kid is going to be good!” With Mitch being a KP local, I have been lucky enough to get to know him pretty well over the last couple of years. Myself and other KP locals such as Brad Taylor, nikki Buckard and Brow all get psyched on watching him learn new tricks and tear up all the local spots. He has a great attitude towards BMX and his mates and has a big future in BMX. So next time ya see Mitch at a spot, don’t be afraid to say g’day because he is a top young bloke! Mitch, being 13 years of age your only transportation is a 21 inch Colony Bloody Oath bicycle, how are the latest jumps in fuel prices affecting you? Well by the time I get a car fuel prices will be like $8 per litre. On to the next serious question. How do you feel about the whole Coke vs Coke Zero? Have you made the switch due to Coke making people fat? no I think original is the best! You are pretty good friends with KP local Brad “Brawlin” Taylor! Is it true you once knocked him out with a flying roundhouse kick because he cut you off at the park? yeah me and Brad are good friends, but yeah, I don’t remember kicking him! Do heaps of chicks at school think you are awesome because you are a BMX’er? Umm yeah, some of them do think it’s cool, but then heaps of them think skating is cool too. OK final question. I have heard you talking about getting your first car a lot lately. Which one is it to be, a 1982 XD falcon or a 1987 VL Commodore with pursuit rims and a No fear sticker? yeah my first car will hopefully be a 1987 VL commodore with Pursuit rims and a Strictly BMX sticker. Thanks again Mitch for giving the readers of 2020 a little insight into your views in this complicated world of BMX riders.
The new generation of Beenleigh ripper... PHOTO Nitai
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Louis Bolter
Resides Auckland, New Zealand Words by Mike Davies
How old are you and where are you from? 19 years, from Devonport, Auckland NZ. How long have you been riding? Just over seven years now. What do you do for a living? An engineering apprenticeship, I qualify this year. If you could do anything for a living, what would it be? Get paid top dollar to do nothing. What’s your favourite thing to ride? Street mostly… big dirt jumps are always fun too. Are you a style kid or a trick kid? Tricks done with style. What do you love most about BMX? The freedom it gives you just pedalling around. What do you hate most about BMX? Trends, they seem to stick like shit to a blanket in BMX. How did you start riding? Started riding this crappy thing that was sitting under the house, never looked back.
PHOTO Mike Davies
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5 favourite riders? Chester Blacksmith, Brian Kachinski, Sergio Layos, Sean Sexton and Tony Cardona.
5 favourite NZ riders? Dave Manconi, George Bolter, Jed Mildon, Ewok and The Bastard. What’s your favourite BMX video of all time? Animal, Can I Eat? Interests outside of BMX? Not really. HAHA. Girls? Yes please! Pizza or Pie? Beer or Cola? Pizza and Beer. Describe your ideal day? Sleep in late, get up, something to eat, go meet up with everyone and go have a good session riding somewhere, back home for BBQ, hit it hard and have a good night out. What was the very last trick you did on your bike before this interview? Tried hucking an opposite 720 out of the flyout, it didn’t work, haha. What bike are you riding now? WTP the chief and it’s sick! Are you stocked? Hell yeer!
BEHIND BARS BMX 4 LIFE
Luke Castles
Resides Penrith Words & Photo by Caleb Mondon Luke grew up in a riding family with both parents and his brother either riding or working on bikes. He used to race and it shows through the speed and smoothness in his riding. Anyone who has seen Luke ride would know he can blast, which you can probably see here...
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Luke
Huisman
Resides Ulladulla Words and photo by Michael Harris For about two months I had been trying to get down to Ulladulla to shoot some photos with Luke and every time I planed to go down it rained or for some other reason I couldn’t make it. eventually I got myself down there and it was well worth the wait. Luke always impresses me every time I see him ride, he is progressing in leaps and bounds, constantly learning new stuff and always having fun! How old are you, how long have you been riding and where are you from? I’m 14 and I think I’ve been riding about 2 years, maybe a little bit longer and I’m from Ulladulla. Favourite place to ride besides Ulladulla? Probably Shoalhaven Heads, I don’t ride many other parks besides ‘dulla. They are both nice places! Oh yeah haha, dulla’s got it all. Big spines, hips, vert bowls it’s rad and heads is the best flow bowl out haha. What do you prefer, nice session at the park or a comp? Just a good chilled sesh with mates is the best, comps are OK as well but I prefer a chill sesh. Anyone you want to thank? Haha! Thanks mum and dad for helping me out with parts, South side BMX, Tippo’s Cycles for keeping the prices down and you for taking photos.
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BEHIND BARS BMX 4 LIFE
Brad Greenslade Resides New Zealand Words and photo by Dave Coulson “I can’t air quarters” is what I usually hear Brad telling me. you decide people, I think he’s doing pretty well. The street dog Greenslade has taken to dirt over the last few years and taken to it pretty well. The Frew farm trails or the QT trails, either way he seems to have it dialled. I remember seeing him a few years back being broken, unable to ride BMX, with a mountain bike in hand and heading up to jump 50 ft doubles. The boy was on a mission and got the job done! As the years roll by, I’m stoked to see what’s next for Brad, he’s got the most misshaped kidney I’ve ever seen, but keeps trucking on.
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TECH KNOWLEDGE RUBBER TO BURN Ben Clissold hoping his tires be gripping the tiles... PHOTO Nitai
Get a grip
So you think tires are just things that are good for hella skids, are black and seem to get way too many flats? Well there’s a little bit more than meets the eye in the new generation of rubber for your 20inch wheels... Starting with the most obvious external feature, the tread pattern, there’s a massive amount of choices here at any good BMX shop. Tread patterns are a pretty simple equation, although a lot more thought and design goes into that than we need to go into here. Basically, the deeper the tread, the more grip you’ll get in loose (dirt) surfaces, while the smoother, more low profile treads (all the way to the slick) are going to roll faster and offer more grip on concrete and asphalt surfaces. Most of the new school tires are directional, so get em on the right way and they’ll roll and grip the way they’re meant to. Underneath the tread is what is known as the casing, which is the material that the rubber compound adheres to. The fabric of the casing can be made in varying thicknesses and threads per inch (TPI) and every company uses their own materials and processes here. normally the higher the TPI, the more supple the tire sidewall will feel and flex. Most manufacturers casings are treated and reinforced with various materials in order to achieve different degrees of puncture resistance, pinch flat resistance and ride qualities. With weight becoming an issue these days, you’ll find a lot of tires are starting to shave rubber and material here, although there’s still plenty of thick, solid choices should you rather a more bomb proof tire. The maximum pressure the tires can handle will come into play for you as well. If you’re a ramp rider wanting every ounce of speed you can pump out of a ramp, you’ll want to be running the maximum pressure possible. Most hardcore vert or park riders run pretty high pressures, from 100 to 140+ PSI. This is to make sure they don’t lose an ounce of precious pump up or down any transition. now before you go cranking your tires up to that pressure, know that you will feel every bump (or case) in your wrists if you ride anything other than smooth as hell terrain. Still you’ll harden up a little and roll a truckload faster as a bonus. you’ll want to get your hands on a big floor pump to get to these pressures and if you think a servo air hose is going to go there, you’re dreaming. Always suss out what pressure your tire is capable of running. I’ve seen many a rider over inflate a cheaper tire only to see it blow out under them resulting in an unexpected meeting with the ground and burst eardrums at the same time. Of course the guys riding dirt will be at the other end of the pressure scale and depending on their local dirt, they may be running a lower pressure to ensure more grip in the looser surfaces. That said, it’s easy to feel like a lower pressure will absorb a little more and give you a smoother ride, but remember you’ll be rolling slower and the pinch flat demon shows no mercy when you case... Probably the biggest leap in tire evolution in the last few years has been the Kevlar bead. While the folding tire has been a staple in the MTB scene for many years, it took the BMX industry a little longer to come to grips with this new school of thought. Basically, your regular cheap arse tire is never going to be light thanks to their steel bead which ensures the tire retains it’s shape and stays put on your rim. This steel bead system works well and is cheap to make, but ain’t the lightest solution to a problem, although no one ever questioned this until lately! So when the crew at KHe upped the ante and introduced a Kevlar beaded folding tire, the weight of your regular BMX tire dropped dramatically. So what does this loss of weight mean other than just making your bike a bit lighter? Well a lot more than you’d think. While we won’t go into mega physics, there’s a thing called rotational weight. To accelerate a wheel, kinetic energy of rotation must be supplied, in addition to the kinetic energy of linear motion. Confused? Well it’s easy, with a wheel, if the weight is mostly concentrated in the tire, it would take nearly double the energy needed to accelerate it than an equal non-rotating weight. In other words, 500 grams added to a wheel is equivalent to nearly a kilo on the bicycle frame. So saving weight on your tires is a much better investment in how your bike rides than 12 titanium bolts and a cut down seat pole. Jump on any bike with a super light set of 32 spoke wheels and lightweight rubber versus an old school 48 spoke wheel with heavy tires, with both bikes running similar set ups and you’ll immediately understand the difference. Acceleration on the light wheeled set up will feel phenomenal and once the bike is in the air it’s a whole new world. enough said. If there was another evolution in BMX tires that would really make a huge difference, it would have to be the tubeless deal. A simple extended rim tape (I’ve run a regular tube slit down the seam) and valve set up replaces the tube and a solution in the tire seals the set up and also instantly repairs any punctures, pinch flats or otherwise. Sound like the best thing ever? Quite possibly! I know I’m so sick of changing tubes. But we’ll have to wait and see if it comes into regular use... With nearly every reputable BMX tire manufacturer finally getting on the ball and offering a Kevlar folding tire, the choice is better than ever. And if you can’t afford the lightest tire, there’s even more choices in the regular steel beaded versions at a lower, more affordable price. It’s a matter of weighing up the weight saving you’ll get versus the durability, pinch flat resistance and type of tire that’ll suit you. Have a think and choose the rubber you roll on wisely.
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“I can’t air quarters” is what I usually hear Brad telling me. You decide people, I think he’s doing pretty well. The street dog Greenslade has taken to dirt over the last few years and taken to it pretty well. The Frew farm trails or the QT trails, either way he seems to have it dialled. I remember seeing him a few years back being broken, unable to ride BMX, with a mountain bike in hand and heading up to jump 50 ft doubles. The boy was on a mission and got the job done! As the years roll by, I’m stoked to see what’s next for Brad, he’s got the most misshaped kidney I’ve ever seen, but keeps trucking on.
BEATS & PIECES GIG’s, DVD’s AnD CD’s
PHOTO Mr Greggles
Live and direct
Ladytron 29th September 2008 Metro Theatre, Sydney.
For a group with four studio albums and a massive cult following, it was about time Ladytron graced our shores with a tour, and not really surprising that the gig was sold out. AstroBBoy This was my second electro gig at the Metro in a week, and my main concern about tonight was that the sound was better than ‘The Faint’ a few days earlier, and thankfully it was, well sort of. Where as The Faint delivered a sound that was extremely flat, Ladytron brought with them a punch to the chest. And although heavy fuzz ridden bass rumbling through your chest cavity can be enjoyable, after a while it becomes uncomfortable. High volumes shouldn’t have to mean poor sound quality. With the back lighting set to cast the band in shadows, it was left to our imaginations to picture what the group looked like. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t get past the fact that when backlit, Helen Marnie, one of the two female vocalists, looked like a Fisher Price character with her cropped/rounded haircut and full length cape (are capes making a comeback?). Understandably, half the set consisted of material from the new release, but each album was featured, including “Playgirl” one of the group’s first singles. Other standout tracks were “Runaway” and “Destroy Everything You Touch”, but it was “Seventeen” that really got the crowd’s attention. Something I did notice tonight was that Ladytron sound like Siouxsie & The Banshees with Moog synthesizers, and that’s definitely not a bad thing. When it comes down to it, I’m glad I finally got to see Ladytron and they basically sounded like their albums, but that’s all they did. From my point of view, nothing new was introduced and it seemed like they were going through the (robotic) motions.
Long days, longer nights
Stewart Munro on the making of two DVDÍ s simultaneously.
OK, first things first, I hear you’ve been busy working on two productions? Why two DVD’s at the same time? I really wanted to see if I could pull off two DVD’s at once. I have a flatland DVD called “From the sky up” and a street DVD called “These days’’. It was really hard putting a DVD together and I don’t think many people realize what goes into making one! I had to keep pushing the deadline back because I had riders getting hurt or were busy with comps. I even had two riders pull out as well. But I’m really happy on how both DVD’s have come out and I’m stoked on having the riders that feature! Thanks guys.
When I first started filming I would use Clint Millar’s old 8mm camera to film him for his parts for the Prody videos. I’ve filmed two of Colin Mackay’s parts for Ride BMX and the Drama DVD. I eventually got a Sony VX1000 PAL with a death lens but I keep getting asked to film for all my mates that film for DVD’s in the USA so I got a NTSC Panasonic AG-DVX100a to save converting. Then there’s my Krasnogorsk-3 Super 16mm camera and a Canon 1014 XL-S super 8mm. I also use a light meter when I’m shooting film. I guess when I first started my setup only cost me two grand but now I have about 10 grand’s worth of gear.
So with the upcoming release, how long has the project taken from starting to film to finished, mastered DVD? It took about a year and a half to make both DVD’s and by the time you read this, you will be able to buy both in shops across Australia. I am really happy to have Triplesix distributing the DVD here in Australia and Tip Plus in the US.
Well its just easy to film and put the video straight up on the net. But I always like sitting down and watching a new DVD, so I like to think of them as two different forms of media. I would have to say that Wolfman puts out the best webvideos I have ever seen!
Who’s been immortalized in the DVD? “These days” has Corey Bohan, Kym Grosser, Kevin Kiraly, Mike Dies and Justin Burns. “From the sky up” has Chase Gouin, Aaron Frost, Ed Nussbaum, Simon O’Brien, Matt Wilhelm and Akihiko Takahashi. I really didn’t want to have all Aussie riders, I wanted to try and mix it up and have some riders from all over the world in there.
Do you have a goal to work outside the BMX industry in film? I have started up my own production company and have filmed weddings, live gigs for bands and filmed stuff for Fuel TV. I will have some new stuff up on my website www.crf-media.com Now you’ve got a couple of productions under your belt, what’s the future hold?
What was one of your highlights from the making of the new DVD? I was really stoked on filming Corey Bohan ride street because most of you out there only get to see him ride dirt and Corey kills it on street, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks about some of the stuff he does.
Well right now I’m just working out who I want to be in my new DVD. My goal is to have new street DVD done for Interbike next year. I’m going to start working on a short film I wrote and film some more bands.
In taking on a street/trail/park based production, do you see there being many differences in filming that in comparison to flat riding? Filming flatland is a lot easier than filming street/trail/park because you can go to a spot with a nice background and just film. Then depending on the rider, it might take 3 hours just to film one combo. When I’m out filming at a street spot I really hate security guards kicking you out.
The flatland DVD will be out by the time you read this! Also, I would like to thank Corey Bohan, Cooper Brownlee, Marc at Strictly, Clint Millar, ‘I can’t be fucked’ Glenny M, Colin Mackay, Dave D for filming the 2nd angle and anyone who helped make this DVD especially and all the riders and filmers that were involved!
You’ve stuck to your guns and continued to use some funky old school cameras? Why is that when the digi world is so crisp? I really like filming in 16mm and super 8mm because you really never know what you’re going to get back! Plus I like the mix of film and digi together. I am going to buy a Panasonic HPX170 next year so that I can start filming in HD but I will never stop shooting film and I think more riders should shoot more film! From when you first started filming how much has your set up changed, and how much more gear do you have now?
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So what’s your take on web edits taking over from DVD’s?
And when can we expect the flat DVD to make it’s way into the world?
NEW PRODUCTS 2009 COMPLETES
ï 09 complete bike check
Fit Bike Co. PRK 2 www.fitbikeco.com
Fit has been making complete bikes for a while now and in a lot of ways have been setting the bar for how a complete should look, ride and be priced. The new 2009 bikes are no exception with new colours and graphics as well as a good spec of parts for the money. With their completes loosely based on Fit team riders bikes, you can be looking the business without haemorrhaging cash for a custom. Fit’s complete bike range is split into 3 categories, street, park and trail with obvious differences between the set ups being in tyres, bar width, gyros and brakeless options. The Park 2 is pretty much middle of the range. you get a 20.5” top tube frame with a mid BB and sealed integrated headset, a sealed cassette on the rear, alloy annodized rims and a rear brake with a gyro. Pretty much everything you need for riding park, unless you’re old school and need to run 4 pegs and a front brake....
Mongoose Sheild
www.mongoosebikes.com.au Mongoose have been around BMX since day one, so you’d be easily lead to believe they know how to make a good complete bike. They have a huge range of like 15 bikes for 2009, ranging form basic as hell all the way to their top end team rider replica models from their team. That being Steve McCann, Cam White and in the case of the Shield, Simon Tabron. now while you immediately think I don’t want a vert bike, know that it’s pretty dialled for any ramp/park or street use. The ‘09 Shield has a full Sanko cromoly frame with a 20.8” top tube, mid BB and removable gyro tabs. Parts wise it’s all pretty stacked with full cromoly fork, 48 spline cromo cranks, a 9t sealed cassette and Primo tyres. It comes in this nice blue/purple colour and even has nice minimal stickers. Pretty damn good job Goose!
FBM Executioner www.fbmbmx.com
It’s pretty cool to see that a smaller hardcore BMX company like FBM has upped their game and gone headlong into making a range of complete bikes. In this day and age why shouldn’t kids just getting into BMX be able to buy a good entry level bike from a company that also makes hi-end frames and parts? Makes perfect sense right? But are they any good? The executioner is the cheapest bike in the FBM range and with a 20.25” top tube it’s firmly aimed at the younger rider who’s looking for a good solid bike for all round riding. you get 3 piece cranks with a mid BB, a sealed 9 tooth cassette hub, Odyssey twisted pedals, a sealed integrated headset and alloy rims, so all up a pretty good set up. FBM have also released a new range of parts for their complete bikes called nice, which feature heavily on all the FBM completes and which you can also buy separately.
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NEW PRODUCTS FRESH IS BEST
New Products PHOTOS Tony Nolan
Deluxe frame
TSC Rota + Stun rims
www.deluxebmx.com
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www.theshadowconspiracy.com
Animal Sway bars
www.animalbikes.com
Demolition Mary-Kate and Ashley hubs www.demolitionparts.com
NEW PRODUCTS FRESH IS BEST
DC Command Shoe www.dcshoes.com
Loose Kid New Era hat www.loosekid.com.au
BSD Superlite chainwheel www.bsdforever.com
S&M logo Red Neck XLT
www.sandmbikes.com
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NEW PRODUCTS FRESH IS BEST
S&M Dirtbike frame www.sandmbikes.com
Strictly BMX T-Shirt www.strictlybmx.com
Nike 6.0 Air Zoom Oncore www.nike6.com
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Fox T-Shirt
Zoo York T-Shirt
Demolition Medial 2 cranks
ABD Plastic pedals
www.foxhead.com
www.demolitionparts.com
www.zooyork.com
www.avantibikes.com
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It’s all about big arsed wallrides. Thanks for keeping the spirit alive Dan. PHOTO Ryan McCrae
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Chris Anderson bombing the late arvo hip lead by the one and only Shane Biffen. PHOTO Holmes
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PHOTO Kosman
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Tim Hall. BarямВip. PHOTO Adam Sheedy
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Just in case you hadn’t got enough of Zac Miner this issue, here’s a flair with no chance of a flat bottom landing... PHOTO Nick Gascoine
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INBOX WE’VE GOT MAIL
Inbox
Email, write or paint your thoughts to us. ItÍ s simple, address it to: 2020inbox PO Box 498, Newtown, NSW 2042 or send your digital communications to bmxrules@2020bmxmag.com.au
Living the dream... Hello all at 2020,
Well how do I start? Here goes... My name is Anthony, I’m 32 years young and am the proud father of 5 boys; Tarquin 12, noah 10, Osgar 8, eli 6 and Zephryn 5. I have been riding BMX since I was 5 (wow 27 years!) on my great old Hotfoot. Ahh the old days! Anyway I have up changed up to a Dragonfly Kater which is a great ride. We just love to ride all day everyday and if it’s raining then we are collecting and restoring old school 80’s freestyle bikes. I got sick of driving half hour to get to Katoomba skate park, so last year I decided to make my own. I started with a crap little plywood quarter pipe, then grabbed the bargain of the century when I found a mini half pipe that I was told came from the ‘05 x-games. Then I just needed more, so I built a huge 6 foot side by side quarter that we call the wall, then a bit of a jump and grid box that’s heaps of fun. But me and my boys need someone to show us how to ride it! Tarq and noah can get to the top of the wall then drop in and have heaps of fun. They can also drop in on the half pipe and as for me, I try my best! Just thought I would drop you a line and invite anyone from 2020 down there in old Sydney town up to the highest point of the blue mountains (can’t get any higher then this!) to come and have a ride in my back yard play ground. My boys would be stoked to see someone ride it like a pro. Love the mag and remember if it hurts get back on your bike and ride. Cheers
Anthony and clan Hey Anthony, it looks like you’re living the great Aussie (BMX) dream! A family, a house, dogs and a backyard park. It’s definitely a recipe for happiness! Especially ramps with pirate flags. Expect a call next time we’re heading to the mountains, we’d love to check out the set up and session with you and the clan. There’s no better way to learn than to see riders better than yourself rip it up. That said, you guys will probably be killing it and make us look like squids. To everyone wishing they had their own private ramp set up, get to work. We’re inspired!
The winners is... Last issues Colony Hell Stallion frame subscription giveaway got people stoked and this guys gonna be the stoked-est...
Congratulations to Ben Gollschewski from river Hills, QLD who will be riding a shiny new Hell Stallion frame by the time you read this...
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subscribe online at: www.isubscribe.com.au Of course you can still subscribe through us with the form below! For NZ subscriptions go to: www.emags.co.nz
In need of a new set of tyres?
Well look no further! Maxxis have upped their 20inch game with the new foldable Grifter tyre. Weighing in at a measly 367 grams, the Grifter is one killer all round tyre for all terrains, but best suited to the streets and parks of our lovely towns and cities. With high pressure and dual compound tread, theyÍ re ready to roll with so much less rotating weight than any steel bead tyre out there! Thanks to the crew at KWT, weÍ ve got five pairs to giveaway. To go in the draw to win this slick new frame, simply subscribe to 2020 with the form below and answer the question enclosed. Simple!
Get your tyre stack on//TONY NOLAN
subscribe subscribe IÍ m down for the chance to win a pair of Maxxis tyres so sign me up to a subscription for a years worth of 2020bmxmagazine! Q. Name one other Maxxis BMX tyre: ________________________________________ __________________________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________
One year Australian subscription (4 issues) $A30 delivered to your door! For NZ subscriptions go to: www.emags.co.nz*
MR/MRS/MISS/MS_________ FIRST NAME:__________________________ SURNAME: _______________________________________________ ADDRESS:_________________________________________________________ SUBURB: ____________________STATE:_____POSTCODE:______ DAYTIME PHONE:____________________________________ E-MAIL:________________________________________________________________ [ ] I ENCLOSE A CHEQUE/MONEY ORDER FOR $30 PAYABLE TO 2020 2020bmxmagazine bmxmagazine (N (No o cash please!) PO BOX 498 NEWTOWN NSW 2042 *Please remember 2020bmxmag is published 4 times a year so it can take up to 3 months to receive your first issue *Terms and Conditions 1. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these conditions of entry. 2. Entry is open to residents of Australia only. 3. Entry is open to people who subscribe between October 31st 2008 and January 28th 2009
4. The competition will be won by the five correct answers drawn. 5. This competition is a game of skill. The judgesÍ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 6. The winners will receive one pair of Maxxis Grifter tyres valued at $100, not transferable nor redeemable for cash thanks to Maxxis and KWT Nominees. 7. The winners will be notified by mail/email or possibly by phone. 8. The competition closes January 28th 2009 with all last mail received on this date. 9. The promoter is 2020bmxmagazine!
INBOX READER PHOTOS
Aaron Maslen taking it to the streets. PHOTO Dylan
Garfield. Fakie Barspin
Lee Mans boosting Cheltenham
PHOTO Jacob Raupach
PHOTO Edmund Nelson
Reader photos Dedicated to the next gen of riders and photographers in Australia.
We can let you in on a little secret, nearly everyone who shoots for 2020 started off in exactly the same way every photo on this page came in. A shot got published and a rider and a shooter got stoked and went back and stepped it up. 2020 is the result of a truckload of riders making it happen, documenting what is going on in their hood right now. So from here on in, we’re dedicating a page to the best reader photos we recieve. Stay in touch with what you’re shooting and pretty soon you may find yourself a part of the ever growing crew. Click on!
Bikes are bikes yo. Fairy Meadows
Chris Henderson on his backyard trails.
PHOTO Christian Vellar
PHOTO Little broÍ Hendo
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It goes like this...
DVDÍ s are one of the most important factors in the constant progression of BMX as we know it. And if itÍ s raining outside or you got broke off on some rail, itÍ s the only thing thatÍ ll get you through time off a bike. So we came up with a plan to ensure you can always access and afford the latest and greatest riding DVDÍ s from here and around the world and stay amped on the riding experience! 2020Í s DVD Direct mail order not only cuts the cost of DVDÍ s but we send ï em straight to your door! Stoked.
Prices as listed INCLUDING free postage in Australia!
INSIGHT RIDE BMX $29.95
The latest and easily the best ride video production since Thunder follows Dakota roche, Chester Blacksmith, Darryl Tocco, Jared Washington, Mike Brennan, and Davey Watson through the making of a video part… Some banger sections and a good vibe make this DVD one for the winter months. Dakota roche has skills. Serious.
SOUL 31 SOUL BMX $20
Once again Soul covers the world of BMX. This issue features a Melbourne scene check, Spanish road trip, north Wales scene check, Germany to the netherlands road trip plus bio’s and coverage from a bunch of comps ranging from the Backyard jam in Sheffield england to a comp in Trutnov in the Czech republic. All up you get 40 minutes of footage you probably won’t see anywhere else…
RHYTHM + HOW TO DIRT JUMP RIDEBMX $29.95
ride BMX has combined two classic videos onto one DVD. rhythm is a trails video that takes you all over the United States, including: Indiana, Ithaca, Florida, Iowa City, California, Long Island, north Carolina, Pennsylvania, and many other places. How to Dirt Jump is hosted by Fuzzy Hall, and stars T.J. Lavin, Cory nastazio, robbie Miranda, and many others teaching you everything you need to know to become a better dirt rider.
THE COME UP THE COME UP $36.95 This DVD rocks! With full length parts from JJ Palmere, Ben Hittle, nicky B and Steve Croteau, as well as 2 Come Up team road trips, a Shitluck road trip and sections from The Shadow Conspiracy, Coalition, Profile and Sputnic BMX. All up over an hour of killer content plus lots of bonus material.
GROUNDED ETNIES $49.95
Probably the most anticipated DVD of the year, Grounded shows what the etnies team has been up to since Forward. Featuring all the team riders you would expect including Taj, Joe rich, Garrett Byrnes, rooftop, Sergio Layos, Josh Stricker, Jamie Bestwick and Morgan Wade, as well as locations from all over the world, this DVD dosent disapoint. you also get a 50 page book full of stories and art from the team as part of the deal.
FLIPSIDE RIDEBMX $29.95
ride’s latest DVD takes 4 hardcore nyC street riders and drops them in Greenville for a look at the protown lifestyle. Featuring big name’s like Dave Mirra, Josh Harrington and Aussie Dave Dillewaard ripping up the million dollar private indoor parks of Greenville, plus some cutting edge street from nyC. This DVD is all about uniting the fringes of BMX. you know the production will be up to ride’s high standards, check next issue for a full review.
LIVIN IN EXILE RIDEBMX $29.95
Mike “rooftop” escamilla, Corey Bohan, Danny Hickerson, Will Love, Kurtis elwell, Sergio Layos, Scotty Cranmer and Steven Lilly all blow up in the latest ride BMX DVD. Although BMX continues to be one of the most popular of all the lifestyles, it still remains one of the weakest industries, with lower-paid professional athletes and active persecution by police, parents, security and even other sports. Why, for so little reward, do these riders still push themselves so hard? Where does inspiration come from when you are... Livin in exile
HOW TO TRANSWORLDBMX $29.95
Just staring out and want to learn how to grind or need to learn some new tricks cause the local kids getting better than you? Grab a copy of the How To DVD and learn from a bunch of pro’s that lay it down nice and simple so you can make the steps to BMX ruler in no time!
dvddirect dvd Get your BMX DVD fix with no mess, no fuss. Simply fill in the details below.
For Australian sales please mail a cheque to: 2020bmxmagzine, PO BOX 498, Newtown, NSW 2042 NZ sales: Paypal the $ to dvd@2020bmxmag.com.au and email your details to the same address. Delivery MAY take UP TO 21 DAYS depending on stock.
FIRST NAME _______________________________ SURNAME ____________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________ SUBURB_____________________________ STATE _____________ POSTCODE ________ DAYTIME PHONE _________________________________________ E-MAIL _______________________________________ [
] I enclose a cheque / money order for $_____________ payable to 2020bmxmagazine Pty Ltd (No cash!)
Please tick desired box INSIGHT SOUL 31 RHYTHM + DIRT JUMP THE COME UP GROUNDED FLIPSIDE LIVIN IN EXILE HOW TO
Wrapping it up CAM WHITE
IÍ m not going to tone my run down half assÍ d to squeeze in. ThatÍ s just not how I roll.î Wrapping it up. Literally! Cam White
Interview by Holmes
First up, a massive congratulations is in order for winning the Dew Tour Overall Dirt championship. Have you come down at all from the realisation that you won? Well it still hasn’t sunk in properly. I flew home to Vegas yesterday and when I woke up this morning it kinda sunk in a little bit and I can’t believe I did it ay! Dream come true! After coming so close to taking it last year, how did it feel to finally take it out? Last year I came close, but my foot decided to slip off the pedal on the flip bar to whip in my last run, I was bummed cause everyone was like ‘you didn’t have to do that trick to win it.’ The way I see it is that I did have to do it. I’m going to do everything I can to win it, I’m not going to tone my run down half ass’d to squeeze in, that’s just not how I roll. So to come back this year and be in the exact same position going into my last run, I was like, ‘well here we are again, you can do a safety run and maybe win the cup, or you can go throw out your biggest trick on the first set and do it properly’. I had a weird gut feeling going into my run that I was gonna do it. I wasn’t nervous, I was more excited to do it. Thinking about it now, I’m definitely nervous cause it was a bit sketchy, but as it turned out, i didn’t slip my pedal! You know you may have just won the most prize money ever by an Australian rider? I’m more pumped on the actual Cup Trophy because money comes and goes, but the Dew Cup will always be there to remind me of the 2008 season. But the end of year bonus is definitely a big one. You made mention of there only being two reasons why a real man cries on the live coverage on Fuel? You wanna recap that for us? It made me a bit teary to hear it! I don’t know where to start with this one. The fact that I crashed twice in practice, one of them knocking me out. And then right before my last run in a warm up lap I flipped the first set only to T-bone rob Darden who shouldn’t have been walking across the course. I hit him so hard and we both went down, nothing
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broke on my bike or on me luckily. Maybe Hess surprising me with him flying all the way over there to support me. Or the rest of the family being there in support, or maybe that it takes all season to work up to the running of the Dew Cup, then to send everything I had and then win the Cup after all that. There is a lot of emotion that’s for sure. I think there are only two reasons for a real man to cry, and that’s when his dog dies, or a close family member dies! I guess I don’t fit into either of those two categories, but at the end of the day what more can I say, I’m only human.. Haha. Does having the likes of Luke Parslow, Colin Mackay, Ryan Guettler and Corey Bohan in the final with you make it easier or harder? It makes it way harder, I hate those guys! nah, I’m totally joking. It’s awesome having fellow Aussie riders on the roll in. When I look around and see those guys it makes life definitely easier. you see your friends from back home and it turns into more of a fun session, but when you’re competing against those guys, it is so hard. They are all so damn good, but that’s what makes Aussies proud! Did this years tour seem any different for you over last years? Or was it the same full on battle all season? It’s always a full on battle all season, I just try and take one contest at a time, do the best I can, then move on to the next. I try not to think about the Dew Cup at all until the last stop, but it is hard when you’re sitting first overall going into that last stop. So what’s instore for you now? Well now I have a couple of weeks here in Vegas until I fly back to Australia! Then it’s getting ready for the Jam again. It’s going to be bigger and better again this year so keep your eyes peeled! And lastly, how much dirt for your jumps will the prizemoney buy? Hahaha, it is a lot of prize money that’s for sure, but you can never have enough dirt right?