LIFE?

TBVO is a hero to many. I wish I knew him better. He is an enigma. He said the best thing to my son Noah at the Griz a year and a half ago. He said "Have fun being a kid". That is some good advice right there. This photo of Dan Closser is from a Life? postcard. Makes me want to build weird shit. You can buy a Life? sprocket at Dan's Comp or Albes. Wouldn't be a bad idea. I would run one but my quirky ass is running a 26/9.
PS congrats to Dan on his recent Hawaiian wedding nuptials.

Publish Post

shout out louds

No one wants to get the text that says "Hey man, big favor, can you help me move a refrigerator on your only day off?" To compound this inquiry, the question really means "Can you help me move one refrigerator out, load it in a truck I don't have, drive it to Detroit, load out another, load this one in, drive back here (2.5 hours each way) then load this one in to my house?" Dave Rino not only graciously agreed, but volunteered his Dad's truck, saving me renting one and making it all that much less a hassle. Dave rarely gets on the line, so I'm not kissing his digital ass, but dude deserves a man hug and major props. The return on the favor? "Will we be able to ride?" An Ann Arbor public trails super sweat half hour on the way out and a slightly less sweltering hour at TRP on the way back. I must give Jason Suchan a shout out too, as TRP is better than ever. New jumps and hips and the box line is big and wide. So fun. I wish I lived closer. Correction, I wish TRP were closer to here. Bike friendly, no questions asked, and bike-specific builds. The stuff in the "skate room" is better than ever too. Support BMXers who support you. And shit. Yeah.
PS The refrigerator we spent the entire day acquiring is approximately .375 inches too wide for its allotted space between two permanent cabinets.

Uncanny

If you know Jason Burton at all, you will notice immediately the uncanny resemblance this rider has to him, right down to the green shirt and jumping style.

Pillnitztrails spring teaser from 130ll3 BMX on Vimeo.

Where these jumps at J? You holding out?

Movin' on up,.

It's crazy to look at early photos of Birdland, like this one. The jumps are so small, narrow and half-assed. Not like they are Empire of Dirt sized now, but they have grown significantly. I jumped the new set (which would be in foreground of this pic) tonight. Getting close to "no pedal" status. Still have to get one good crank in off the roll-in but that is it. I haven't posted many pics because I wanted to at least have complete lines running. I finally do but now the weeds are in full effect. The whole thing is quite overwhelming, to be honest. I don't have a lot of time to work out there and when I do, I want to build new jumps or keep the existing ones dialed. I tried to mow some of the weeds today and had a full allergy onslaught. The half hour I got to ride tonight, as the sun was setting, made it all worth it. I can't get enough saddle time. I'm obsessed...

US Weakly

Etnies tee shirt of non-Etnies design (it's the Cobras Local 77 shirt I did years ago, updated by me with Etnies branding to go with the Cobras shoe) spotted on Ryan Sheckler in Beijing, China, but my good friend Mark Lewman. This is like US Weekly.

Nothing new under the sun

On Tour...

The Etnies BMX team rolled through this past week, first at Ollies in Florence, KY and two nights ago at Modern in Royal Oak, MI. I got my camera out in Kentucky, only to realize my battery was plugged into the charger in Michigan. No photos from Kentucky, but Joe Gall remembered his battery and photography skills, so here goes: Brian Stewart lets 'em fly.



Sergio Layos has long been a favorite of mine. It was a pleasure to watch his flowing style in action.
Stewey again, bonking the heater duct. I saw Morgan Wade hit this same duct, mid-flair, with his back wheel. He dropped from the sky, but laughed it off.
Speaking of Morgan, he flew in right before the Modern stop and went right to work. This huge transfer is one of four ridiculous, hauling ass dot-connections he made. Morgan is a beast.



Corey Martinez let loose with a bevy of technical up moves, include this up Smith to bars on the very long and tall ledge. Autograph sesh. The Detroit kids were amped! Tony Hamlin, Aaron "mob scene" Ross, Brian Kachinsky and Jamie Bestwick were all on board as well. Good times and heavy shredding. Now, go buy some Etnies!

Twilight flights

Last minute session at Birdland last night. These dudes did the Kzoo trails circuit and got here just past sundown. Some incomplete jumps prevented full line usage, but shredding ensued regardless. 40 Distro bossman Eric Block tweaking his Deluxe (plug?). Jonathon Ericsfriend made the most of his 40 minutes and dialed in the "Big 6" to boot.
And of course, any appearance by the White Lotus is marked with ultra-stylish presentation.

holeshot

There's a lot of great content in the new Holeshot zine, but this spread is my favorite. Beetlejuice and an upgraded version of Gravedigger. A zine is like a blog, but it's printed on actual paper and doesn't disappear when the power goes out. Ironically, you can learn more about this fine printed media at www.holeshotbmx.net

have you ever seen the rain?

coming down on a sunny day....

Etnies tour stops

The Etnies BMX team will be coming through our region next week. Tuesday at Ollies in Florence, Kentucky and Thursday at Modern in Royal Oak. Last year the riding was insane! Here's Morgan Wade at Ollies in 09. More details at Etnies.com

southern man

I did a google search for "Louisville Extreme park" and found this photo. I'm pretty sure this kid was there tonight. A least a kid that was emulating this steez was there. A couple of them. There was also an old guy on a race bike with V brakes cruising around. Wait, that was me. I haven't had a good session at The 'Ville for a long time. It still rules. Lack of posts here equals more time spent with the following: Children, shoes, steering wheels, shovels, handlebars, tools, motorcycle wheels. I've been being about it instead of talking about it. That's a good thing. Maybe coming to terms with my narcissistic tendencies as well?

Danny Magoo Chandler

Danny "Magoo" Chandler (not to be confused with McGoo of Snafu/Biltwell) was one of my favorite motocross racers as a kid, along with the likes of Bob "Hurricane" Hannah and Marty Smith. Watching the US Grand Prix of Motocross on ABC's Wild World of Sports was a huge inspiration for me and fueled my obsession for BMX and the importance of style. Magoo had wild style and was known for his crazy jumping antics. He was paralyzed in the mid 80s but his legacy and influence have lived on.
He passed away yesterday. God Speed Magoo.

All I know...

...is that I don't know nothing.
And that's fine.

Numerous shredderings

A nice video by Jeff Tabb, spanning a few years of riding, mostly in the Detroit area. Lots of F.O.D.s (Friends Of Deliverance, lest ye forget) and appearance by captain fatass toward the very end. Good on ya mate.

Numerous Occasions of BMX Shredding from jeffbmx on Vimeo.

new lid

I got a new helmet. I've been rocking the same shitty, grimy, dirty old helmets for so long. Besides a couple wacky lids I've acquired through my rep gig (none of which I used more than a couple times), this is the first new helmet I've had in almost ten years. It's Bucky Lasek Pro Model Pro Tec. The plastic is softer so the shell flexes more, which allows it to fit my gigantic melon. The funny part? The last new helmet I bought was also a Bucky Lasek Pro Model (for the same reason).
I had a great session at Birdland last night. I jumped the new set, which is pretty big by my standards, but couldn't pull the trigger on the next set. I think the lip is too steep. It dawned on me as I started stressing about jumping it that it was the five year anniversary of my crash in Dearborn where I landed on my head and shoulder, resulting in a level 5 shoulder separation and mental scaring that was off the charts. I didn't let the harsh memories get into my head too much and rode until it was dark. I can't describe how much satisfaction I get out of riding those jumps. Standing in line at the store to buy a couple beers afterward, dirty (probably more from mowing the lawn earlier) and soaked with sweat, with a big grin on my face. Each person I saw, all I could think was how much they were missing. If they only knew what I had just finished doing. Not that they would be impressed with my riding, just that what I experienced had to be better than anything anyone else did on their Saturday evening. I wouldn't trade it for anything...