Cover shot is Factory Kuwie Ace, Troy Daniels taking care of business at the NBL Grands. Photo by Bob Osborn.
Trackside- all the latest dirt!
Redline Carrera II test with Stu Thomsen & R.L.
Skyway T/A frame and fork set.
Schwinn/Levis/NBL Grand National Nashville.
Freestyle How-To Kick Turns with RL. Osborn.
Interview with Greg Hill taking the next big step !
Finish Line is with Bobby Woods givin' his insurance agent ulcers.
Skyway advertisement showing the return of white Tuffs and announcing the new 24" wheels.
Hugo "Gonzo" Gonzales at the King of Skateparks finals at Upland on the cover.
How to do quarter pipe aerials.
Coverage of the GT/AFA King Of Skateparks finals.
Racing: ESPN Pro Series.
Interview: Harry Leary and Eddy King.
Testing: Torker Pro - X and Torklite Mini.
Greg Hill winner of the NORA cup on the cover.
Bike test: Schwinn Predator Competition.
Racing: ESPN Pro Series in Burbank.
1984 NORA Cup Awards.
Freestylin': Front Brake Endo X-Up.
Eric Rupe interview.
Michael Dominguez profile.
Jeff Nicholas, october 2004 : I am in this issue on. I am the blond kid on Mike Dominguez' SKYWAY bike in his back yard while Mike was performing his usual miracles on his halfpipe. I was only 13 yrs old. It was way exciting when Osborne arrived in his awesome Porsche to photograph one of the local kids from Whittier. I was happy to have been invited.
Anthony Sewell on the cover from the ESPN race. Photo by Osborn.
Racing from the ESPN Pro Series final in Burbank, CA., also the Jag World Championships after they had moved from Indianapolis to Los Angeles. Kuwahara Survivor bike test, Freestyle How To Frontwheel kickturn, and a look into hypnosis to inprove your racing.
R.L. Osborn from the BMX Action trick team on the cover. That's Oz up on the deck. Photo by Steve Giberson.
Trackside. BMX Freestyle magazine update, P.K. Ripper, More Freestyle equipment, Jason Johnson, Hospital zone, Kuwahara Survivor, Haro faceguard, Bottema, Eric Rupe, ...
NBL-Child Help Celebrity Race / Azua.
Complete Racer - "Chicken george" Seevers.
Freestyle How to Rollback 180 Alternator.
Hot shots. R.L. Osborn and Dave Cullinan.
Gary Ellis interview.
The Potts modification. This is the end to tweaked front brake cables.
Testing the Diamond Back Formula One.
COVER.
Donovan Ritter on the cover. Photo by Bob Osborn.
Donnovan Ritter, www.kingoftheskateparks.com, july 2013: This was my second K.O.S. contest and first picture in the magazine. I was practicing the morning of the contest. Bob Osborn was standing on the edge of the pool waving at me to do an air. I remembered all the other photos where Mike D and Eddie did Top hander lookbacks, so I figured I wanted to do something different. Right after that contest I got picked up by Haro Bikes. A few weeks later I received a call from Bob Haro, Haro told me he just got off the phone with Bob Osborn (BMX Action). Haro said, ”Donovan you’re going to be on the cover of the next BMX Action” he also said the it was a combo-issue. It was going to be a FREESTYLIN’ special issue combined with BMX Action.
CONTENT.
Skatepark Action: Hutch-AFA King of The Skateparks/Pipeline round 1.
Trackside.
Testing the GT Pro Serie dlp.htm s.
Five minutes with Rob Fehd.
Hot Shots: Timmy Judge showing off his latest creation.
Interview: Stu Thomsen.
Haro's Corner.
Comparison: BMX Racing Pants.
Freestyle: New Wave BMX.
Outtakes.
Freestyle, new wave BMX: Shhh. If you're real quiet and listen carefully, you can almost hear it. It's a low rumbling just ahead. It sounds sort of like something's about to explode. You can make out bits and pieces of movement through the mist, but the picture isn't completely clear. You can feel the energy. It's just out of reach and you can't quite put your finger on it, but make no mistake, it's there. What is it? Freestyle BMX.
What's goin' on here? Of course freestyle has been around for quite a while now, but it's been more or less chuggin' along underground. Sort of like the best kept secret in BMX. But now it's starting to show all the signs of a major growth trend. Here are a few examples:
A bunch of BMX's major manufacturers already have products designed exclusively for freestyle action, and a bunch more are rushing to design and produce their own equipment. More on this later.
Murray is in the process of working on a new network TV commercial that will be seen later this year, featuring their line of freestyle bikes (three of 'em to be exact), and Huffy is also working on a freestyle bike. And you know killersize companies like Murray and Huffy don't mess with something like this unless they know it's gonna cook!
By a recent tally, somewhere in the neighborhood of two out of every three letters we get here at Mighty BMXA deal exclusively with freestyle, and almost ALL of the readers' photos that we get are of guys riding ramps - mostly quarter-pipes. And we get heavy quantifies of both letters and photos.
Us folks here at Wizard Pubs are so pumped on freestyle that we're already in the start-up stage on an all new international newsstand magazine, BMX FREESTYLE. At first it will be coming out quarterly, but that will probably only last for one or two issues. Then it'll be bimonthly for maybe a couple more issues, and then who knows? It's highly possible that it will go monthly very soon!
What else? Believe it or not, the vast majority of BMX bikes never see action on a race track. So where are they all? Out in vacant lots, cruising the streets, thrashing, and freestyling, of course. Vacant lots are becoming an endangered species, and if you can find one, and you build a few jumps, berms, and suchlike to mess around on, how long will it be before it gets plowed or you get chased out of it? Quite a few of you don't have a track in your area. With freestyle you don't need a track. You can ride anywhere that has a hard, clear surface. Maybe you need a substitute for racing since your parents don't dig the idea of you racing at supersonic speeds. It's a lot easier for most parents to swallow seeing you riding around your neighborhood practicing new tricks. Or, if you are a racer, this is what you do during the week when you're not racing. Or maybe you simply don't want to race. Well, freestyle is the ultimate alternative to racing. Some guys just weren't born with the killer instinct necessary for berm warfare, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you need something to amp out your thrill meter, and street riding or vacant lot thrashing just isn't getting it, this is your sport. Most of all, it's fun! The charge you get from aerial ramp attacks, or even putting on a show in front of your hometown crowd, can rival the BMX is still evolving, and freestyle is just a hybrid grass roots version that has taken off almost all by itself. BMX was started by kids, and it's happening all over again. But this time the participants are takin' to the streets, building ramps, and creating all sorts of new and yet unthought of ways to get red.
The history: We'll make this a quick number so you don't think we're runnin' you through a history class or somethin'. The earliest that we can trace freestyle's roots is back quite a few years to ol' Bob Haro and a friend of his, John Swariguen. As far as we can tell, they were THE pioneers of the whole deal. These guys used to spends bunch of time riding their bikes in skateparks, and being competitive type dudes, they were always trying to out-trick each other. After a while, they adapted the tricks that they were doing on the banked surfaces of the skateparks to flat ground. Meanwhile, Haro was also working full-time for Mighty BMXA as staff artist, and he and R.L. started practicing together during their lunch hour, breaks, and after work. Maybe even a little teensy bit during work hours, (But don't tell Oz, okay?) Time passed and the BMX ACTION Trick Team was formed. The riders: Haro and R.L. This is when things started getting official. The first small ramp was originally built as a launching pad into a half-pipe that the Trick Team used for their shows, but later it was adapted into use for kick turns, 540's, and so on. Haro's brother, Scott, built the first portable quarter-pipe ramp after Bob brainstormed the whole deal. More time passed (I told you we were gonna make this a quickie), and Here left BMXA, started his own trick team, and Mike Buff joined R.L. on the BMXA Trick Team. Since then, both the BMXA and Haro Trick Teams have travelled on all kinds of national tours, and made a BUNCH of international excursions. As this is being written, R.L. and Buff are enroute to Amsterdam, Holland for a week's worth of shows, and Bob Here and Ron Wilton have just returned from a week of freestyle shows in Sweden. These guys travel every bit as much as the top factory pro racers.
Current state of affairs - the equipment: Freestyle equipment has been somewhat slow in evolution, mostly because BMX racing bikes work great for freestyling. But as the market grows and expands, specialization will help things move along faster, because bikes that are built for a specific purpose, like freestyle, do work better, whether its in handling, maneuverability, or durability. Haro, GT, GJS, Murray, Kuwahara, Red Line, Huffy, Hutch, and probably a few more companies that we don't know about are all either in the process of designing and testing new equipment, or are already producing freestyle frames or complete bikes. Vector and Hutch both have freestyle bars. Bottema forks are built beefier for freestyle and skatepark pounding. Skyway has come up with a trick bolt-on attachment that makes frame standing tricks a snap. They figure it's trick enough that everyone will want to copy it, so they've had it patented. Steve Potts, Buff's brother, just loves working on new freestyle products. Last month we showed you The Potts' Modification for front brakes that makes it possible to do a complete 360 with your bars and not tweak your front brake or cable. Right now SunTour is working on a stem and front caliper combo that will accomplish the exact same deal without having to modify your existing equipment.
The tricks: A few years ago, the thought of someone doing a rock walk would have blown people away. Now it's one of the simplest of all tricks. Freestyle has come so far in such a short period of time that it boggles the mind. New tricks are being invented daily with no end in sight. This is truly unlimited creative territory. It takes dedication to totally wire the skills necessary for freestyle mastery, but with countless hours of practice, dedicated riders can virtually invent and execute any product of their imagination to add to their repertoire of mega-moves.
The terrain: You name it. Parking lots. Drainage ditches. Your driveway or backyard. Curbs. Sidewalks. Playgrounds. Multi-level parking garages Empty swimming pools. The few remaining skstepsrks. Ramps. Any banked surface. If you have a big garage or basement, go for ill Open your eyes. Look around You will find new challenges. Each piece of new terrain brings new possibilities. Check out the profile on Michael Dominguez in the March '84 issue of BMXA. Scope out his backyard. Now all you have to do is convince your mom that a few ramps like that would be way more cool than her tulip garden. Actually, ramps are springing up everywhere. Maybe they're not quite as elaborate as Michael's, but they're showing up in more and more driveways.
The structure: Freestyle has a very simple progression. Everyone starts out learning a few simple tricks, then graduating up to some smell ramp radness. After they have the small ramp attack tactics wired, thrill-seeking freestylers start eyeing quarter-pipe antics. You know whet happens then - the sky's the limit. From there, riders that are shooting higher start choreographing a show. Local bike shops, malls, fairs, parades, and so on are great pIaces to strut your stuff. There are probably s few hundred local trick teams doing shows like this all over the world. Local shows like these are a great piece to start picking up some publicity. Try your local newspaper. Maybe even your local TV station. The more professional your show, and your presentation of yourself, the better your chance of picking up some coverage.The next step is a biggie - working your way up to a national level and travelling further distances for shows. Maybe even out of state. Setting up a tour. Working on gaffing a major manufacturer to sponsor you and your team.
The sponsorship and coverage potential: It's never been better. The same thing is happening now as when BMX first started. The factories are starting to look for hot local riders all across the U.S. and in foreign countries to help promote their freestyle equipment. As far as magazines coverage goes, this will be getting way easier with our new publication, BMX Freestyle. The crazy crew over on the other side of the hell will be hitting the streets, seeking out hot up-'ncoming treestylers.
The future: It's time to whip out the Mighty BMXA crystal bell. Since skateparks are about as easy to find as dinosaurs, and stand about as much a chance of returning, maybe ramp riding contests will become the new rage. Imagine lining up a couple quarter-pipes - sort of a miniature wooden skstepark- and going for it. Recently we've been hearing rumblings of some hefty freestyle contests being set up. Including big pro purses and the whole deal. Maybe someday there will even be nationals and international championships. There are s few people in the industry who think that freestyle could surpass BMX racing in popularity. Will it? It's too soon to tell, but one thing's for sure. It's gonna JAM!
Diamond Back's Harry Leary on the cover. Photo by Jim Cassinus.
Bike tests: Mongoose Pro Class and Hutch Pro Raider.
Racing: CW-NBL War of the Stars in Devonshire.
Greg Hill's training program.
Haro's Corner.
Rich Avella' and Keith Gaynor on the cover. Photos by Oz.
Bike tests: Red Line 500A and CW Pete Loncarevich Pro Model with help and an interview from Pete.
Racing: GT-NBL War of the Stars in Memphis.
Interview: Ron Wilkerson and Rich Avella; the 2-Hip Trick Team.
Mike Miranda on the cover. Photo by Jim Cassinus.
Bike test: Kuwahara Nova.
Racing: NBL War of the Stars in Las Vegas.
Freestyle how-To (the Twist) and freestyle extra with R.L. Osborn.
Scott Clark's electronic practice gate.
Clint Miller interview.
Racing tips: how to save yourself from going over a berm.
Out takes: Vander roll by Rick Allison.
On the cover is Mike Buff at the Murray World Cup.
Includes coverage of the Murray World Cup in Nashville as well as the Buyers Guide and a feature on 1984's top rookie pros. Also includes some of the funniest BMX advertisements ever including UNI's "It's a Real Jungle Out There!" ad and one of Bob Haro modeling his Motives clothing. What the heck was he thinking?!? You'll also see a quick profile/interview with Gary Ellis in the rookies feature along with a pic of a 12-year old Brian Lopes flying down Nashville's first straight on his way to second place in his expert class (he's number 17L in the third picture).
Diamond Back Turbo test with Eddy King and capitain Kirk, Action's equipment guide, Outakes with R.L. Osborn.
Capt. Kirk Chrisco, headin' for higher territory at "The U" on the cover. Photo by Bob Osborn.
Word search.
NBL War of the Stars North Park in Pittsburgh, PA.
Testing of a Vector Victory 1, and a MT Silverfox.
The 1984 BMXA Trick Team summer tour.
NORA '85 voting.
BMXA readers photo contest.
Hot shots and Outtakes: water jump.
Eddie Fiola up close at the Pipeline on the cover.
Ad with Buff on Z-rims standing a Trickstar.
NBL War of the Stars, Batavia.
Tim Kakouris, Timmy Judge, Greg Hill and Eric Rupe interviews.
3 test bikes Mongoose Californian, Hutch Pro Racer, Cycle Pro.