News & Stuff BMXVS ART
ArtJuice You can spend hours trawling through web videos, doubtless there will be a large proportion of peg chinking, crank arm sliding, skatepark street action, that’s all good, but nothing captures the attention like some slime covered green tits and suicidal death drops. Creativity and BMX go hand in hand, every time you jump on a bike there is the opportunity to express yourself, that’s the best thing about riding, it’s whatever you want it to be. I am a firm believer that a persons bike shows off their personality, I have a friend, his seat has more than a few rolls of duck tape on it, about 100 flanges on his grips and more rainbow layers of paint than a shitty hatchback, he’s called the Goon. So when artist and all round wild man Wade Lewis showed up to airbrush a setup with his interpretation of what constitutes Bonedeth, the idea of a bike being given its own personality was definitely in full view. The reason? Holmes wanted to get BMX art rolling, in his words ‘hey they’ve got a rad team so lets do some shit’. Said team being the BoneDeth crew of Alex Liiv, Jamie Mauri and Jay Wilson. Bonedeth certainly has a distinctive aesthetic, grown from Burns’ head, it stands alone as the only brand driven by babes, bikes, boners and surf punk among other things. “Frankenstein meets Sid & Nancy.” Was what Wade replied when trying to describe the paint job on the bike, whether or not that is what Bonedeth is, or was meant to be isn’t the point, it’s his interpretation and freedom as artist to put forward whatever his perception dictates, that’s what creativity is. It would be interesting to see what graphics and paint jobs might be produced if companies were to take their expression to this scale. I still think that over time each persons bike becomes their own aesthetically, just in the same way peoples riding changes the more they ride. There are about 13 tubes on a frame, that’s 13 opportunities to express whatever the hell you want. I have a friend called Ollie, one day his bike mysteriously became a picture collage shrine to Michael Jackson, I don’t know if there was meant to be a message, but it definitely gave his bike a whole new dimension. Some go for the clean cut practical approach, while others go all out with stickers and paint, that’s just personal expression. I would be pretty stoked to live in a world where people rode around on bikes plastered in their own creative produce, I can think of a few people who would benefit with having their personality on a bike. There are murmurs of a up coming art/bmx show somewhere in Sydney soon, there is enough odd bike related art randomness laying about for it to be a suitably strange affair, all you green boobed zombie babes keep your ears to the ground. No doubt Wade’s work and this bike will be amongst it. So that’s that, go find yourself a spray can and marker, your bike will thank you for it, or maybe it won’t, who gives a shit, creativity takes many a weird and wonderful form. Will H. Check out the webclip at www.vimeo.com/29762810
A massive thanks goes out to TripleSix and Kickass BMX for being a part of this project. let’s just say there’s a lot more to come...... Photo Tony Nolan
20
News & Stuff BMXVS ART
21
Interview
MiCHAelVOCeNSON
62
BONUS QUESTIONS BY JACK ELKINS
INTERVIEW BY ALEX LIIV
PHOTOS & INTRO BY STEPHEN JOSEPH
THANKFULLY WE WERE ABLE TO FIND THE SPOTS WITHOUT THE DOTS TO MAKE THIS INTERVIEW POSSIBLE AND SHOWCASE MIKES BATSHIT CRAZY SKILL ON A BIKE
HIS PHOBIA OF THESE SAFETY DOTS IS SO STRONG THAT THERE COULD BE THE MOST PERFECT SPOT THAT HE HAD EVER SEEN IN HIS LIFE BUT HE WOULD BE SCARED OF THOSE TERRIFYING LITTLE DOTS AND THROW AWAY THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.
BUT DURING THE TIME I HAVE BEEN SHOOTING WITH HIM IT HAS BECOME APPARENT TO ME THAT VOCKO, THE GUY THAT THROWS HIMSELF OFF ANY STAIR GAP OR ROOF DROP IS TERRIFIED OF SOMETHING AS SMALL AS THE ROUND RUBBER GRIPPING DOTS PLACED AT THE TOP OF MOST STAIR SETS THESE DAYS.
MiCHAelVOCeNSON
FOR SOME REASON MIKE HAS THIS STEREOTYPE THAT HE IS A FEARLESS MOTHER FUCKER THAT WILL SEND HIMSELF DOWN WHATEVER AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
Interview
63
The Art of Rail Revolver goes oFF! MAIN Brock Olive tuck in the midst of a massive night. Photo Mitch Morison BELOW Jay Wilson threw down all night, his three to crooks attempt simply gnar on all levels. How he walked away form it 3 times we’ll never know... Photo Cooper Brownlee
72
The Art of Rail ReVOlVeR gOeS OFF!
THE ART OF RAIL... SLAY THE RAIL V2 WAS ALWAYS GOING TO ROCK. LIKE EVOLUTION ITSELF, YOU CAN’T STOP IT OR EVEN TRY AND DENY IT. AND LIKE OUR FIRM BELIEF IN EVOLUTION AROUND THE 2020 HQ, SO IS OUR BELIEF THAT RIDER RUN EVENTS ARE THE PURITY THAT BMX IS FOUNDED UPON AND COMPLETELY RELIANT ON. THE EQUATION WAS SIMPLE; BUILD A RAIL, PUT IT IN A NIGHT CLUB, ADD LOTS OF BMX HEADS AND BOOM. PRETTY MUCH THE FORMULA FOR A RIDICULOUSLY GOOD TIME EVEN BEFORE EVERYONE GETS LIQUORED UP AND LOOSE.. FROM THE CROWD.... I arrived at Slay the Rails just after it had started and it was already going off. It was the loosest event I’ve ever been to in terms of how hard people were going for it. I don’t like it when people are salty about riding in comps and there was definitely no salt here. Everybody wore their hearts on their sleeves and just went for it. When the only option is a rail it’s basically do or die and I really liked that aspect of the contest. There sure was a lot of doing and a fair bit of dying along the way but nobody got more than bruised. And the free drink vouchers for riders upon getting knocked-out took care of that until the morning. Jay Wilson somehow got knocked-out of the event twice (thanks to Minty offering his spot up!) but he pulled one of the best grinds of the day and tried one of the craziest lines (3 to crooks? So loose I wasn’t even 100% sure what it was). The crashes that ensued were so gnarly and totally befitting the legend that he is swiftly carving. The dude outside brawling kind of sucked, but it wasn’t flatland after all and when I woke up in the morning and remembered the event through my headache, I was stoked to have been a spectator. The only thing I would have liked to see was Jack Kelly pull the hang 10 tooth. I’m sure he did it in practice. I’ll get there early next year. Paul Chamberlain
“THE LEVEL OF RIDING WAS SO FAR ABOVE AND BEYOND THE FIRST EVENT IT WASN’T FUNNY�
73
O-Towns Finest will GUNN & dan BAKER
The s cov Two to h frie to it are
Aus gene inter sto
80
O-Towns Finest Will gUNN & dAN BAKeR
Will and dan. Photo Raine Turnbull
81
Spot Check gleNBROOK
CHRIS HARTI GOING TO THE MOON
90
Spot Check gleNBROOK
THERE IS A SMALL SPOT IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS THAT HAS BEEN GETTING A HELL OF A LOT OF ATTENTION LATELY FROM TRAIL DOGS FROM ALL OVER. JOSH STEAD IS THE MAIN MAN BEHIND THE TRAILS SO I DECIDED TO PICK HIS BRAIN ABOUT SOME OF THE SESSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING DOWN.
PHOTOS AND INTERVIEW BY RAINE TURNBULL 91
Interview JACK elKiNS
PICTURE THIS. JACK WAS DOWN FOR A LITTLE HOLIDAY TO HELP HIS MUM MOVE HOUSE IN SYDNEY AND DECIDED TO COME HANG OUT FOR A DAY OR TWO IN MY TOWN, ABOUT 3 HOURS SOUTH. IT’S A RAINY SUNDAY AFTERNOON SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE PUB AND PLAY SOME POOL WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER GUYS FROM DOWN MY WAY. LET’S JUST SAY JACK’S LUCKY HE CAN RIDE A BIKE REALLY WELL... BEERS WERE FLOWING AND WE DECIDED TO GRAB SOME MORE FOR BACK HOME. WE GET BACK TO MINE AND TEXT A RANDOM SELECT GROUP OF PEOPLE TO ASK JACK A QUESTION ABOUT ANYTHING, THEN SAT DOWN AND RECORDED THIS. IT’S NOT MUCH ABOUT JACK HIMSELF AS A PERSON, BUT I GUESS IF YOU REALLY WANNA KNOW THAT THEN JUST MEET HIM FOR YOURSELF. HE’S A NICE ENOUGH GUY SO IF YOU EVER SEE HIM AROUND DON’T BE SCARED TO CHAT. INTERVIEW BY MITCH MORISON AND ASSORTED OTHER CREW VIA TEXT MESSAGE OR OTHERWISE ALL PHOTOS BY MITCH MORISON
98
Interview JACK elKiNS
99
Road Trip MONgOOSe USA
108
BEN WALLACE
PAUL RYAN
BASiNgSTOKe, eNglANd
liVeRPOOl, eNglANd
Bringing amazing skills on dirt, street and park, Ben’s riding needs no introduction. His US trip a warm up for the competition season that is already seeing him hit the top places. Hella funny geezer and down for a good time, on a bike or out on the town.
Pauls brand of riding is new school street tech and has seen him travel most of Europe in search of new terrain. Never without a smile, his recent RideUK cover speaks for his abilities on the bike!
Road Trip MONgOOSe USA
GREG ILLINGWORTH
TIM MARCH
CAM WHITE
JOH A N N eSBU Rg, SOU TH A F R iCA
A l BiON HQ, e Ngl A N d
WA MBOiN, AUST R A li A
Straight up shredder and super nice dude, not only kills it on a 20 inch but runs his own BMX store, The Riot. Never one to shy away from big transitions, street gaps or rails, this Road Fools and Mega Tour veteran is no stranger to the road trip.
To say Tim is old school BMX ain’t even scratching the surface. Publisher of possibly the raddest BMX mag ever produced, The Albion, Tim’s credentials flow though BMX, motorcross and two wheeled magazine publishing like the tap at a pub on a wild Friday night.
Champing at the bit to ride trails would be an understatement. Always stoked and ready for a good time, the 2008 Dew Tour Champion’s trip was dominated by a need for dirt. This trip was his first time back on a bike in over 6 months thanks to injury.
109
Interview JOSH deRUeS iNTeRVieW & PHOTOS
FIRST UP ARE THE BASICS; WHO ARE YOU, HOW OLD ARE YOU AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I’m Josh de Reus, I’m 17 at the moment, but well when this comes out I’ll be 18, so yea. I’m from Cambridge; Yea C-Town represent.
GOT A NICKNAME? Yea it’s kinda silly, it was Deruthless for a while, but that’s kinda lame. I got it from this local guy Brendon who always used to film my shit. Brendon was like, you’re ruthless, because I’d always slam real hard and shit, one day he just started calling me Derutheless and he was like, yea that’s sick. So that’s pretty much that.
CAN YOU SHED ANY LIGHT ON WHO JOSH DE REUS IS? I like skateboarding, HAHA. I like riding; I don’t like working. So yea I guess I like: Girls; Weed; Partying; Skateboards; Bikes. I don’t like haters on the Internet, that’s gay. Scooters, they’re gay too and people that don’t smoke weed, …. Or party!
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A JOB? I’m a welder engineer. I work five days a week, 7.30AM till 4PM. Then I ride after. I make agricultural farming machinery, it’s pretty cool. I’ve been doing it for five months, but I plan to continue on with it. I got into it through my dad pretty much, he’s a mechanic and he was doing the engineering shit too. But yea he pretty much just sussed it out and got me a job. I’ve always kinda wanted to do something that was those sorta hours, so I could ride easily after work.
116
BY RYA N McCR A e
WHAT DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF RIDING? Get loose! Skate a bit, it’s sick. Other than that just chill and play on the Internet; and girls here and there if I’ve got time.
WHAT DOES YOUR AVERAGE DAY CONSIST OF? Ahh I was waiting for this one. I get up around 6.30am eat Weet bix, on a regular day I probably crank 10; but I’ve been known to push the limits of Weet bix eating. I can probably do like 15 max. My mate J has done like 26 or something, but he’s an animal. So yea get up, chill around the house, eat some Weet bix, make a coffee and my lunch, then have my coffee and a cig. Bike to work, work all day and then get home from work. Go to Fairfield, ride, then when I’ve finished there, get some food then go to the indoor. I get some energy drinks too. Then I ride at the indoor, then go home, get baked as, then go to sleep.
WHAT SORT OF MUSIC DO YOU LIKE? A few different genres, I need to think about things not to leave out because I like so many people. Mac Miller, Kid Cudie, dubstep in general and I do like Punk! Because that’s sick.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU RIDE? I try to ride most days, even if it’s just riding to work or something. I suppose if it’s raining we just go ride the car parks, me and Jono Hopping that is. So I pretty much ride everyday for at least a couple of hours after work. I don’t usually have to go for a day without riding, unless I’m hurt of course, if I get hurt I just push through it, because I’ve gotta ride.
Interview JOSH deRUeS
Big whip gap, with a technical run up too.
117
New Products FReSH iS BeST
New NewProducts
Photo’s by TONY NOlAN
Proper TTl frame www.PROPERBIKECO.com
The 2012 version of Mike Miller’s Proper TTL frame is made from seamless 4130 cromo, with double butted top and down tubes, is available with a 20.7” or 21” top tube and weighs in at 2.1kg. The head angle is 75 degrees and the 2012 frame has a 71 degree seat tube to give you more space between the seat and bars. All the brake and cable guides are removable and the latest colours are neon red, metallic blue and the old favourite, raw.
Colony Miner Frame www.COLONYBMX.com.au
This is the new Zac Miner signature frame from Colony. It features a tapered down tube and stays and internal gussets on the top and down tubes. The seat tube is pretty unique with a larger diameter bit at the top so your seat post will fit in, which tapers to a smaller diameter down to the bottom bracket to save weight. You can get one with a 20.75” or 21” top tube and she runs a steeper 75.5 degree head angle. Weight it 2.25kg and there are all sorts of colours available, including this nice matt red.
Demolition Rogue hub www.DEMOLITIONPARTS.com
136
The Rogue hub is a more affordable hub from the chillers at Demolition. Lightweight 6061-T6 alloy, low flange with a 14mm, 4140 heat treated axle. 1 pc driver with 4 pawls for a loud and clenching engagement, plus 2 large sealed bearings in hub shell and 3 bearings in driver. What more do you need?
The Set local Bars www.THESETBMX.com
Corey Bohan’s signature bar from The Set comes in either 8.25” or 8.65” high and 28” wide with 1 degree of up and 12 degree of back sweep. They are made from heat treated, 11 butted cromo, come in black and weigh 685 grams... Support your local!
New Products FReSH iS BeST
Division Strong Hold cranks www.DIVISIONBRAND.com
Divisions new 2 piece cranks are made of full heat treated cromo with a 22mm, 48 spline axle for extra strength. They come in black, raw or chrome and weigh in at only 775 grams.
Exposure infinity wheels www.XPOSUREPRODUCTS.com
Exposure have some nice looking products coming out. This wheel set has female bolt type sealed hubs with a 9 tooth driver, double wall rims with a brakeless front rim and stainless spokes, so it’s ticking all the boxes. These are available in black with red bits or black with gold bits, so you get a stealth wheel set with just a little bling.
Cult Pivotal seat www.CULTCREW.com
Cults take on the Pivotal seat has a simple plain vinyl cover with embossed logo, it’s available in a bunch of colours and a few different sizes, this one is the slim, there’s even a seat/post combo if that takes your fancy.
Demolition Merit spline sprocket www.DEMOLITIONPARTS.com
The Merit is CNC machined from 6mm 7075 alloy with 4 sprocket bolt holes so you can move it around and extend its life. This one has a 19mm 48 spline insert but you can also get a regular version too. It’s available in 25, 27 or 28 tooth and in black gold or red.
Premium Sub 10 v2 stem
Exposure infinity stem
Fit bike co BF stem
www.PREMIUMBMX.com
www.XPOSUREPRODUCTS.com
www.FITBIKECO.com
The sub 10 stem is made from CNC 6061 alloy with lots of drilled and machined out bits to save weight. It uses hollow bolts, has a 53mm reach and weights 9.2 ounces... so you guessed it, sub 10... For those of us that progressed to the metric system 9.2 ounces is 260 grams.
This front clamp, 6 bolt stem from Exposure has lots of weight saving cut outs and some sweet red anno bolts.
The BF stem is made in the USA from 6061 alloy, weighs 320 grams and is available in either 48mm or 51mm reach. If you want to find out more there’s a cool video on the Fit website that tells you all about it. Oh yeah BF stands for Brian Forster, you might have heard of him... he goes fast... and high.
137