Suggestions for an Old School BMX video night

This is Ride On, the 1992 video by former Skyway factory rider, street legend, and all around good dude, Eddie Roman.  In 1989, the major bicycle companies decided freestyle was over, and mountain bikes were the new thing.  So they pulled money from BMX racing and freestyle, and the more mainstream, non-bike businesses, did the same.  The major bike companies sunk their money into mountain bikes, and only GT and Haro kept some BMX and freestyle guys sponsored.  The money left, we had no reason to wear MX type leathers to ride anymore, and flatland, street, vert, and dirt jumping were all progressing at stratospheric levels.

Rider-made videos were growing in  number, rider-owned companies were springing up, mini ramps were still a new thing, as were spine ramps.  The 1990 recession was officially over, but the economy didn't really come back until late 1996.  Like that guy in the Monty Python movie, freestyle kept saying, "I'm not dead yet."  Ron Wilkerson was putting on vert and street contests.  Mat Hoffman stepped up and started putting on contests as well.  It was a tough time to get a good job, but a great time to ride BMX bikes, because only the hardcore riders were left.  That's the world this video was made in, and if you're going to invite some of today's young riders to check out an old school video, this would be my first choice.

A few posts back, I wrote asking if Old School riders thought it was a good idea to show our world of the 80's and 90's to today's riders who may be interested.  People went apeshit on Facebook.  The post got something like 400 views, 175 likes, and maybe 60 comments, most of them negative.  I was baffled by the response.  Obviously, a lot of those who commented didn't read the post.  I learned why blogging legend Seth Godin disabled the comments on his blog more than 15 years ago.

My idea was a simple one, I thought it would be cool suggest that some Old School riders might want to have a little event to introduce today's BMX riders to a little of our shared history.  It wasn't a mandatory thing.  I know most Old School riders don't want to bother doing this.  I just wanted to suggest it, for the handful who might like the idea.  Have an "Old School BMX video night" at your shop or skatepark.  Or your house if you're not too creepy.  Hold a "Old School vs. New School game of BIKE" at a favorite riding spot.  Maybe even have a demo or small contest, 80's or 90's style, if you're really motivated.  That was it.  "Hey, here's an idea, give it shot it if sounds cool."  That's all.

For the handful of people who actually thought it was a good idea, here are my top video suggestions to pick from :

Joe Kid on a Stingray - (2005) This is the best, and only, documentary looking at the whole history of BMX racing and freestyle, from 1970 to 2005.  Produced by Mark Eaton.  You'll have to find the DVD, it's not online.  From Scot Breithaupt and the early races at the B.U.M.S. track in 1970, through the rise of racing in the 1970's and beyond.  The movie also documents Bob Haro and the birth of BMX freestyle, and it's rise during the 1980's and beyond.

The Bob Haro "Master Class" - (2012-France)- This is Bob Haro, the guy who invented BMX freestyle itself, giving a one hour slide show and talk about how it all happened. French Old School riders Seb Ronjon and Franck Belliot put this event together in 2012, and just shared the video with me a couple of weeks ago.  It's on Vimeo, so this link just goes to the blog post I did about it, which has the video on it.  I spent a while in the industry, and was around old school riders for the better part of 20 years, and I learned things I never knew in this talk. 

Freestyle's Raddest Tricks by BMX Plus! magazine- (1985) This was the first freestyle video I ever bought.  When this was made, BMX freestyle had only been a sport for two years.  The first skatepark contests were in 1983, and flatland and ramps contests were in 1984.  To make a video like this you had to hire a professional video production company, using $50,000 cameras and a $500,000 editing system.  Consumer video cameras were still a new thing, and decent editing was pretty much impossible.  This video probably cost $30,000 to $50,000 to produce, so only top factory riders with uniforms and helmets were allowed in it.

The Curb Dogs video - (1986)- This is the anti-BMX Plus-style video.  Led by San Francisco's visionary BMXer/skater Dave Vanderspek, the Curb Dogs was a bike/skate demo team an unruly posse from San Francisco.  In addition to Vander, brothers Maurice and  Ray Meyer, and Tommy and Tony Guerrero were members, among several others.  Vander and the other Curb Dogs saw the future, avoided uniforms when possible, pioneered street riding and skating, encouraged and helped up-and-coming riders, and set the course for the future.  Dave, unfortunately, died in 1988.  But his legacy lives on, partly in this video. 

Dorkin' 4- Mark Eaton- Not sure where you can find the whole video, but the Dorkin' series, starting with Dorkin' in York (1988), has to be on this list.  With one trick in Austin in 1987, Kevin Jones changed flatland forever.  Here he is from Dorkin' 4, about 1992 (?) 

Headfirst-(1991)- Eddie Roman- This video, almost entirely of one rider, Mat Hoffman, is, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the single most influential BMX freestyle video, ever.  Almost everything in this video was brand new tricks, and basically Mat and Eddie said, "OK guys, here's the next 20 years of vert riding.  Oh, and we'll up the ante with street riding you've never seen, and Chase Gouin on flat, just to round it out." Oh yeah, Eddie is the Veg-O-Matic at the start.

The Ultimate Weekend- 1990- Steve Emig (that's me)- Am I an ego maniac for putting my own video on this list?  Probably.  But this self-produced video did have the first handrail slide down steps, the first icepick grind, the first mini ramp in a BMX video, the first spine ramp in a BMX video, the first 360 over a spine in a video, and the first person to try one handed and no handed backflips (into water) in a video.  There are more firsts as well.  Oh, and did you ever hear of S&M Bikes?  Chris Moeller, the S&M Bikes crew, and the P.O.W. House riders (Pros Of Westminster), this is the first video they were ever in, as well.  Keith Treanor is the star of this video, and, as a hungry rider straight outta Jersey, he stepped up and put himself on the map in it.

44 Something - (1993)- S&M Bikes- This is another video I edited.  It's the second S&M Bikes video, but this one sold thousands of copies in the hands of S&M owner Chris Moeller, and heavily influenced the emerging Mid School BMX world of the 1990's.  It may have been the top selling BMX video of the 1990's.  No flatland, more dirt jumping, more street, and Chris Moeller, Dave Clymer, Keith Treanor, Mike Griffin, Jimmy Levan, and a little Brian Foster make for a tight, "get psyched to go ride" video.  Ryan "Biz" Jordan once told me he watched this video every day for like a year, until he wore the video out, in his early days.

Rippin' - The BMX Action Trick Team video- (1985)- R.L. Osborn is one of the original pioneers of BMX freestyle, starting just after Bob Haro himself.  Coming out the same year at the BMX Plus video, Rippin' found really disappointing sales.  That's a bummer, because R.L. and Ron Wilton introduced thousands of people to BMX freestyle, and inspired a lot of them to start riding.  R.L., as top pro rider and entrepreneur, was the guy I most wanted to model when I got going in freestyle.  That was an epic fail on my part, but I did make it into the industry, which was cool.  Unfortunately, this is another video made by a professional video production company, and this one bores even me. 

My First Time Going to Woodward West

This is a selfie while standing on a huge boulder, with the newly concreted pump track, and a sliver of Woodward West, visible in the background.  This place is freakin' amazing.

A week into another new phase of life back in Southern California, Rich Bartlett, owner here at Block Bikes asked, "Wanna go to Woodward West?"  Uh... yeah.  I've been wanting to go since I knew there was a Woodward West, many years ago.  But for this first trip, I was a week out of long term homelessness back East (long story, don't ask), I weigh over 300 pounds, I haven't been riding for years due to my crazy situation, and I knew I would  NOT be riding.  Honestly, I almost didn't want to go on those terms, at first.

I grew up in a world where BMX didn't exist, as far as I knew, until I was in junior high.  I got into it in high school, in 1982, when racing was a weird thing, and BMX freestyle, as a sport, was just being born.  I spent 20 years of my life riding every day on whatever I could, DREAMING, literally dreaming, of a place like Woodward West.  Then life put me in an arm bar, banished me to a BMX hating part of the South, and apparently punished me for something I did in a previous life or something like that.  I've spent a decade struggling to escape North Carolina and get back to Southern California, get back intp some kind of shape, and get riding again at some level. 

 One of the MTB guys airing the step/hip/table in the huge flow course.

Rich had been going to ride at Woodward every month, a third Wednesday, long, open session for bikes, skates, and scooters.  Yeah, scooters. And since Woodward is scooter friendly, you can't give them the pro elbow or a hard carving shoulder shove like we did in the Orange County skateparks in the late 90's.  Anyhow, the riding crowd was smaller than the month before, Rich said, and there was plenty of room for all.  That's what was so crazy, there was stuff to ride, GOOD stuff, everywhere I looked.  I was jonesin' to not only ride a bike, but to skate, as soon as I saw the first bowl and banks.

I had to settle for snapping these few pics on the phone I forgot to charge (DOH!), and shooting some video with Rich's camera. I haven't shot video in years (except for a North Carolina redneck wedding), so I was struggling to figure out a camera system that was totally new, and missed catching a couple of guys tearing up the vert ramp. 

This double target gap, with a very inviting shed roof nearby, is just outside a small street area that only a couple of little scooter kids were really riding.  It had some cool wedge features that would make for some fun 80's bank tricks.  That's a huge Hot Wheel car in the gap, they're sponsoring Woodward, and a contest series for kids.  You can see a close-up of the car in the "part 2" blog post, just behind this post. 

One thing that I couldn't figure out at first is that there was this three level high, over vert, quarterpipe, with almost no run up to it, right by the sign-in table.  About two hours later it dawned on my that it's for practicing American Ninja Warrior type stuff.

I connected with old Orange County friend Jason German on Facebook the day before, and he made it up that day.  So he's the first O.C. rider from BITD I got to talk to and catch up with since I've been back here in California.  That was really cool.  I spent ten years in a place where there were literally NO old school riders or skaters.  I'm up in Lancaster without my own transpo now, but I'll get to H.B. Tuesdays and elsewhere as time goes on, and meet up with people as I can.

As we walked into the main gate, there's a huge concrete flow bowl to the right.  It's got a tall corner, hips, tables, a step-down into it, two side pools, and even huge banks, along with a couple of spines.  This is the bowl pictured above and at the very bottom of this post.  Then there's the little, slab style street course near those target wedges above.  There's a big freestanding skate curb near that.  Just beyond all that is the big outside street course.  Above that is the pump track which had just been layered in concrete, and looked like a good, fun, warm-up spot for a session.  That's where Rich and most of the BMXers started out.  You can see it in my selfie in the Part 2 blog post.

Mountain biker with a big flip on the resi, next to the foam pit.  Except the foam pit is now a big bag, which is easier and quicker to get out of when you land.  Good idea.

I've always loved riding concrete, banks, bulges, and vert, though I could never air out.  So this pump track below is another place I'd love to ride.  Above all of that was a wooden mini ramp that was closed for repair, but next to it were two, facing, wide, wooden quartepipe/wallride things, going unused.  There were dirt trails in progress above that along a trail that passed a leaf covered parkour/free running course, with a covered climbing wall, and then the big BMX dirt trails farther down the way.  Those were closed for the evening.  But I didn't hear anyone complaining, there was so much else to ride and skate.

It was seriously riding environment overload.  All the stuff I just mentioned, that was BEFORE I walked into the HUGE indoor wooden skatepark with park stuff, a big vert ramp with resi on one end and a foam pit on the other, a huge street section, and the massive roll-in to the foam pit and the box jump resi.

I spent 20 years riding every day, and we would have been in heaven to go to any one of the sections I've listed above.  And I'm sure I forgot some stuff.  It's absolutely mind-blowing how far BMX riding, skateboarding, and (go ahead, hurl the insults-I had a 1971 scooter with lawn mower wheels, and competed on 80's scooters, I have no shame) even scootering, has progressed and grown in my lifetime.

The world needs Woodward-type places in in every city with more than... hmmmm... let's say.... 43 people.  We NEED these places EVERYWHERE.  You know all the dead shopping malls closing down?  Yeah, imagine the Woodward people with a big check and an empty shopping mall.  There's something to dream about tonight.

Hey, it could happen.  None of us Old School guys thought we'd be riding past age 23 when we got started.  And look at the world now. 

MTBer carving the tall corner in the flow course.  This bowl has more big hips than the women at your 30 year class reunion. 

So, I was jonesin' to ride like crazy the whole night.  But I held off, and got these sketchy pics and a little video, which should be up on the blog when we get ourselves organized here.  This whole blog thing here at Block Bikes is new, and there's a lot more online/social media stuff coming in future months.

-Steve Emig/The White Bear

All in all, it was a blast going to check out Woodward West, even as a non-rider for the night.  It's great motivation for me to get back in shape (12 pounds lost in 2 weeks in Cali so far, mostly from being sick, but I'll take it).  I've got an old MTB to tool around on here, and I'm walking every day, so it'll happen eventually.  If you ride out here, get to Woodward West whenever you can.  If you're a kid, save your money all year and take your dad to Woodward West.  I'll see a lot of you there at some point, I know.

Woodward West is located at 28400 Stallion Springs Drive, Tehachapi, CA 93561.

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It's all about having fun on bikes... First 2-Hip Meet the Street in 1988

It's funny how things work out.  This contest was in the spring of 1988, behind a shopping center, in Santee, California.  The location was chosen because it was one of Dave Voelker's favorite street riding spots.  Nearly every major rider was there, and many of us every day California BMX freestylers, industry people, and street riders, as well.  NorCal Curb Dog and street pioneer Dave Vanderspek, BMX Action trick team entrepreneur and 1988 "Old School" rider, R.L. Osborn, mid-80's street legend Eddie Roman were all there.  Then a new breed took the day, San Diego local  Dave Voelker, and English bloke Craig Campbell blew everyone's minds.  BMX riding completely changed because of this contest. Street riding, as a genre of bike riding, exploded that day.

Street riding, on BMX bikes and mountain bikes is world wide today, there are contests, highly paid pros, and high caliber videos.  But more than anything, there are just a lot of people out there, all around the world, having fun on their bikes in all kinds of different ways.  And that's what it's all about.

I'm rode to this contest in the back of a VW bus, driven by Unreel Productions cameraman Pat Wallace.  He shot this footage.  I later edited this clip for the 1988 2-Hip video, the very first 2-Hip video, put out by Haro pro freestyler, trick team owner, and contest promoter, Ron Wilkerson.  At 3:07 you see me ghost ride my bike into the wall.  I wasn't used to riding that big of a lip into a wall, and couldn't do a decent wall ride that day.  Then at 3:13 you see pro racer, hardcore jumper, vert and street rider, Rich Bartlett bust a cool line over the box jump.  Rich does a big wall ride earlier, and then tries to pull down the big General banner from the wall later.  This new blog, the Block Bikes Blog, is the product of Rich and me connecting and working together again after 31 years.

Rich has been hardcore in the bike industry this whole time.  He owns Block Bikes, an actual bricks and mortar shop, in Lancaster, CA, north of L.A..  He put out the Block Bikes brand, he's been riding hard all these years, and rides road bikes, MTB's, and BMX still.

As for myself (Steve Emig), I've worked in the BMX and skateboard industry, then got into TV production, and then burned out in 1995.  I went off on my weird philosophical journey to figure life out.  I read hundreds of books, and worked lame jobs, like being a furniture mover.  As a philosophical type,  I, of course, became a taxi driver.  There's nothing like dealing with crazy drunk people nightly to put life in perspective.  Then I became homeless as that industry collapsed because of new technology.  I began blogging, worked to figure out how to be a functional writer in today's world, and wound up a blogging Sharpie artist somehow.

So Rich and I connected online recently, started throwing ideas around, and I'll now be doing this blog and some online marketing and social media work for Block Bikes Online Shop, as it grows.  We're both really stoked on this, it seems like a great fit, and we want to help keep BMXers, and everyone who rides bikes of some kind, hyped on riding itself.

For those of you who follow my personal blog, I'll keep it going, sharing my Sharpie art, and tossing out my ideas on the economy, the importance of small business in America these days, and stuff like that   It will have an old BMX story now and then, still.  But I'll be sharing a lot of my old school stories in this blog, as well as covering many other aspects of bike riding.  This is all being brought to you by Block Bikes online store, so it'll help if you all click over and buy 8 or 9 bikes right now.  Buy them for the whole neighborhood, get them kids away from Fortnite.  Get the kids back outside and riding.

Stay tuned, there's a lot more coming...

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