../publications/BMX Now

Sources: Ride BMX UK, www.ebay.com, The Albion, Owain Clegg, ...
If you want to add any info, please contact buissonrouge@23mag.com.
Bmx now est un magazine anglais créé par James Hudson.
Le premier numéro est celui de l'hiver 1991-1992. Ce magazine s'arrête après seulement cinq numéros.
Mark Noble, Ride BMX UK #8, december 1993: One of the shortest lived BMX magazines in history, BMX Now lasted for only five issues, during '91 and '92. It started out with 16 pages of color and a low cover price promising more, then dropped the colour pages and increased its cover price at the same time - genius. Sheer genius. And there's more - for issue 1 they printed 25,000 copies yet sold just over 4,000. Genius. Chronic spelling, but it had its moments.
The Albion #6, 2012: BMX Now only lasted six issues during the early 90s. It was a time when BMX was at a low, yet James Hudson, the magazines editor, was confident that even in austere times, BMXers would support a magazine documenting a largely unseen Northern scene. BMX Now was important for a number of reasons, it was the first ‘challenge’ against the growing popularity of Invert (and subsequently Ride UK) and also where a young Will Smyth cut his teeth before amicably moving ont o start Dig in 1993. Sadly, BMX Now proved to be too much of burden on James Hudson, so laden with debt in 1992 James called it a day and bowed out of the UK BMX magazine industry.
James Hudson, The Albion #6, 2012: At the time I was a professional BMXer but had also recently been the editor of a skate magazine for about six months right after I finished riding my bike in the circus. When the skate mag was closed down by the publisher he suggested I should start my own magazine. (...) There was just one BMX mag at the time called Invert and many of us felt it was not really representative of the whole UK scene. It was based on the south coast and also had relationships with some riders/teams/sponsors/politics that people often felt were over-represented in the magazine. I definitely felt that there was room for another voice and other riders and companies agreed. The intention was never to take over or compete with what Invert did, but just have another angle and show other scenes. RAD (formerly BMX Action Bike) did occasionally have some bike stuff in but they’d become a really full on skate magazine by then.
(...) I never really saw the national scene in a ‘&Mac222;nancial market’ way because I was personally into BMX in such a complete way for so many years that I did not care if it was growing or declining nationally. Shops and companies would sometimes tell me things were getting better or worse but it didn’t really affect me in my decision to start a magazine. The scene was really small at the time and interesting stuff was happening with half pipes and street but I never felt it was going to grow into something massive. I still cannot believe it has. I’m really glad to have been there at the start though.

James Hudson, The Albion #6, 2012: Will [Smyth] had contributed to some of the earlier issues and as things started to get really difficult for me we talked about Will basically being the editor and supplying all the content for the next issue, but it never got that far because I had debts and had to stop publishing. I’m sure Will had thought about making his own mag for a while, but when I called it a day with BMX Now he basically took all the content he had been working on and that formed most of issue one of Dig. I was really happy for him and he did a really good job but by the time Dig came out my BMX ‘career’ was really in decline after so many really intense years.

James Hudson, The Albion #6, 2012: The main problem was that I was riding in all the competitions I was meant to be covering for the magazine, that got kind of ridiculous. Also, I soon found out why Invert would use riders who were local to the south coast for articles in the magazine: because it was quick and cheap! So I had to start doing that as well but it didn’t matter, at least riders in the midlands and north got some more coverage. Financially though, we were screwed from before issue one even hit the streets. Because we were a new magazine, most of the UK newsagents decided to order loads of copies of the first issue to see if it sold, on sale or return of course. So I had to print 25,000 copies of the first issue. I had heard Invert was selling about 3-4000 copies at the time and was hoping to print about five thousand copies and sell about the same number as Invert. I thought that as the BMX scene was so small and had a hardcore following most riders would be happy to buy both magazines and especially as the content was not going to overlap very much. So the initial investment in print on the first few issues was massive for me and it was months and months before all the returned issues were counted back in and I got paid. I think we did actually sell about 3000 copies of the first issue but by then the cash flow was fucked, I couldn’t afford to print the mag in colour and it was doomed.
bmx now 1 issue 1 - winter 1991
4 All the latest.
8 A short guide of all the to rave in Manchester.
Words from the man who does big airs.
Harobike for free.
22 New and not so new products to spend your dosh on.
26 Peg grind and Decade.
28 Andy Burke, Spencer Thompsett and Richard Brown.
32 BMX Racing.
36 The final placings for the 1991 EBA season.
39 Where to ride this winter.
42 Information from the two national associations.
44 Mongoose's mid price 'Villalj Haro's 'Master' get thrashed.
52 Read all about it.
56 Words and pictures.

Carlo Griggs and Amos Burke interviews.
Peg grind and Decade how to's.
Places to ride indoor in the UK
Mongoose Vilain and Haro Master tests, ...
64 pages.
lincoln blacksley bmx now 2 issue 2 - spring 1992 (1)
Lincoln Blacksley on the cover.
Circus article; Jason Ellis interview.
Haro Edge, Webco 'E' Type and Elf Double Cross bike tests.
Phil Dolan interview.
Homeless 3 video review.
Hoffman BS contest in Texas.
Stefan Prantl, Lincoln Blacksley, Colin Light and Paul Roberts interviews.
Street basics: bank carve with Paul Smith and manual roll with Rob Walker.
Notice board: EBA and UKBFA.
BMX at Bury.
All you need to know about jumps.
3 issue 3 - Summer 1992
Ian Morris on the cover.
Hastings comp
GT Pro freestyle team test
French contests
Hoffman contest 3
Slagharen
Icepick grind and 360 nose pick how to's
Ian Morris, ...
alex leech bmx now 4 issue 4 - Xmas 1992 (1)
Alex Leech in Oxford on the cover.
Mike Canning's trip to the Worlds in Budapest.
Products: Rob Ridge pegs, WAL stem, ATI Pistol grips, Haro Fusion pegs, ATI plugs and Fusion stem.
Bike security.
Video reviews: Bald Iron Holy Land Pro's, Ride on, Standard Rogers Garage, Dorkin 5 and Backroom Guilt trip.
1992 King Of Concrete.
Gravel rash dirt bash.
Lightwoods park in Birmingham.
Toothpick, Feeble grind and Barspin nose job how to's.
EBA British champs.
Ron Bonner (UGP) interview.
Insight: Belv Dhami, Scott McNicol and Stuart King interviews.
Bike test: the new PK Ripper, Redline 220, 1992 GT Performer, Robinson SST.
Oxford mini ramp comp.
johnny petit bmx now 5 issue 5 - march april 1993
Johnny Petit on the cover.
BS contest Chicago.
1993 BS contest round 1 Arizona.
Northampton new indoor ramp.