ON THE COVER: Alex Landeros.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, january 2015: Some magazines count by numbers. If that was the case with BMX Plus! magazine, I wonder what number they'd be at. Okay, I think it's not too difficult as we're on the internet these days. First issue dates back to November 1978. That's 36 years ago. BMX Plus! arrives every month so make that times 12. The number would be around 434 if the mag actually did show up every month since the first issue. Where other mags celebrate their 50th, 100th or 200th issue, BMX Plus! will be hard to beat. And they keep going and going and going. 84 pages for the January 2015 number which has Alex Landeros on the cover shot at the Regency trails. It was a fruitfull shoot over there as some bike check pics came from the same spot. Vans Kill the Line is in here with pics from Syo. The Dew Tour in NY and the UCI BMX SX in Argentina are two more BMX events that get the coverage. Bike tests are with the FreeAgent Lodus and a 24" SE Quadangle. Landeros not only got the cover but also his bike gets turned inside out in the Pro Bike Check. Plus travels to Hawaii for some flatland and teaches you how to do lookbacks with Regency local Fernando Sabat. Plus! gets nostalgic with Kevin Jones and they even spotted Gary Ellis. Like really? $ 5 bucks at the newsstands. Grab a copy.
ON THE COVER: Joris Daudet and Liam Phillips.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, january 2015: Making a cover of an American BMX magazine is always nice. Especially as a European rider it means a lot. This month Joris Daudet (France) and Liam Phillips (GBR) make the front page of the longest lasting monthly BMX plublication: BMX Plus! The UCI BMX SX finals in Chula Vista are featured in the February issue and that's where this shot was taken. Next to the race track BMX Plus! also visited the Texas toast event in Austin and calls it Freestyle's Greatest Gathering. It's one of the better ones for sure. If you didn't get a new race bike for X-mas or if your sponsor just ditched you for 2015, you can look at the 2015 BMX RACE buyer's guide with over 100 rides that can take you to the finish line first. Make the right choice. GT's got a new OS20 Pro series bike that BMX Plus! takes a look at. Also the new Ssquared CEO gets inspected. That's a bike, not the boss. Gary Littlejohn's article involves inventing BMX. Curious what he has to say? Get yourself a copy of the new issue.
ON THE COVER: Alise Post.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, january 2015: Today we received a copy of BMX Plus! magazine. It's the February 2015 issue so not the freshly new March 2015 mag that we're presenting today. I figure sending the magazine to The Netherlands from the USA simply takes a bit, especially when you have to deal with X-mas and New Year's in between. Let's go March 2015 already. Three of the fastest American BMX racers grace the cover. In the lead we have Alise Post (Redline), followed by Haro's Brooke Crain and GT's Felicia Stancil. If America can send three girls to the 2016 Olympics in Rio, it's probably going to be these ladies. The USABMX Grand Nationals took place in November and they're featured in the new mag. It's the biggest race on earth so expect some big coverage. Tom Dugan has a complete bike out over at FIT Bikes. BMX Plus! tests it. Not sure if they get naked in the process. Even pro riders get scared for rails, and every rider has to go for their first rail at some point. BMX Plus! collected some experiences. It's that time of the year again: Riders of The Year! Will they get a car this time? At the moment it's raining like crazy over here and sometimes you have to race in these conditions. The March issue has some quick wet weather tune up tips for you that will come in handy. Anyway, worth the $4.99
ON THE COVER: TJ Ellis makes the cover.
FEATURES
Decades: Chad Degroot's pro column.
Redline and WTP tests.
Trail riding in the '90s.
Learn one-handed flatties with Gary Young.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, february 2015: Years ago I wrote in a letter to BMX Plus! magazine which got printed. If I remember right I was looking for pen pals. Fast forward 30 years and on occasion I write stories for the magazine. The cover of the April issue just showed up online. I'm not sure the FISE Malaysia story is in this one, but for sure the mag is packed again with BMX stuff. Dirt riders will be stoked on the cover which features TJ Ellis who just got bumped up the the Vans Pro team. Gary Young explains a trick that you can use at the trails as well, the One-Handed Flattie. More dirt related articles in the April issue with Paul Kintner and Groundchuck talking about trail riding in the 1990-s. If you want to swap a brake cable without any tools in two minutes, BMX Plus! has you covered. The mag brings tips and loads of new products. If you're looking for a new ride for the trails, the Dirt Riders' Buyers guide will lead you in the right direction. We haven't seen Chad de Groot ride trails much but I'm sure he can. He's got a Pro Column in Plus! which could get interesting because he's been there, done that. Two complete bikes get tested, one from Redline and one from wethepeople. Sounds pretty packed, right? No need to write letters and put them in the mail if you want to get in touch. Use Facebook instead. There are plenty of 'pen pals' ready to answer on the internet today.
ON THE COVER: Fuzzy makes the cover.
Keith Mulligan, www.facebook.com, march 2015: Congrats to @fuzzyhall for landing the cover of the new @bmxplusmag! So stoked for you, Fuzz! I started reading Plus! in 1981, was lucky to have been on a cover in 1992, and now have one of my photos used for one of their covers. Pretty cool. This photo was shot during January's cross country trip with @vandeverhoman. It was 38 degrees and Fuzz's backyard was mud, but we wanted to have fun and definitely made the best of it.
www.fatbmx.com, march 2015: In October 1988 Fuzzy Hall had a cover of BMX Plus! doing a Hannah at one of the first BMX dirt jump jams wearing full Vision Street Wear gear riding a stickered up bike. Fast forward 27 years and Tim Hall is on the cover of BMX Plus! again. It shows that BMX doesn't stop at age 25. Keith Mulligan, free of any Ride magazine hoopla, shot the cover of the May 2015 issue that just came out. I need to get my hands on the mag again because the issues stopped coming. The FISE Langkawi report is in there and should have some of my photos and the story in it. Always good to see your stuff in print. What else? Keep it Simple. Not a Simple Bikes article nor a Simple Session report (yet), but Tricks, Tips and the Pro Attitude that will motivate you for a lifetime. BMX Plus! checks in with FOX' Greg Illingworth and finds out why the South African believes that going Faster is Better. Two bike checks. One from Stolen and one from Position One which I'd actually never heard of before. There's an article on the Micro-Cosm; The Big guide to Building small. Once the mag shows up I'll explain you what that is all about.
ON THE COVER: Brandon Webster toboggan. Photo by Joey Cobbs.
ON THE COVER: ?
www.fatbmx.com, may 2015: Magazines used to come in on a weekly basis but the stack isn't growing at a similar rate today. With Dig, Ride UK, Freedom, Art, 2020, The Albion, Zwanzig Zoll, and RebelYell not coming out in print any longer, we're happy every time the mailman drops some BMX pages through the door. You can always count on BMX Plus! magazine to arrive on a monthly basis and the July Issue was just released. It's got BMX Racing from Rock Hill, 25 tips to make you a faster racer, they visited the Old School BMX reunion at Woodward West, tested Aaron Ross Motoross frame from Sunday, Checked out Paul Cooper's Colony, they put a Redline Flight AP through the test and much more. The tech Tips, new products, the news section, parting shot, Nostalgia page, Mailbag, Inside Scoop and other regulars make sure you don't miss much on what's going on in BMX. The fact that BMX Plus! gives 'unknown' riders an opportunity to shine makes it interesting month after month. Ben Crockett was in France last weekend to cover the FISE World Series but we'll have to wait a few months before we see that coverage in the mag. But you can count on it to come out.
ON THE COVER: Haro SDV2 test.
www.fatbmx.com, june 2015: Just before the weekend the new issue of BMX Plus! drops in the mail. The weather this weekend isn't looking too good so this might come in handy. But where do we start? With the UCI BMX SX World Cup race report from Manchester? Or the HARO SD V2 test report? We used to go straight to the news section of the magazine but the internet has taken over that part. Did you know Sam Willoughby's B-day is when he is in Sweden for the World Cup in August? We just found out because it's in BMX Plus! There's also a new page where you can even get a photo in BMX PLUS! Follow them on Instagram @bmxplusmag and add the hashtag #bmxplusmailbag in your photo and you've got the chance to show up in the print version. Dillon Leeper gets put on the spot, DeGroot has his two pages and reports about Trey Jones' backyard. Alex Rabal shows five tricks to do on the Subrosa rail. Woodward West hosted an Open Am comp and Ryan Guettler takes care of the report. Have you ever put a press-fit BB in your frame? Unless you're a racer, you probably haven't. The how-to on pages 40-41 shows you how to install that BB. There's Fly Paper, a Recon Tour Stop 1 report, a bike check with Amanda Carr's Redline and a whole lot of T-shirts in the T-shirt Buyer's Guide. The Nostalgia page is with non other than Florida's Rob Nolli. Product Probe this month: Fly Spronghanger Brakes and the Subrosa Street rail. Trick Stuff came in from HARO, FOX, S&M, Cult, etnies, ODI, Colony and United. When you get to Showcase funnies you know the end of the mag is near. But not until Drew Bezanson throws the bars on a bomb drop from the fence at Simple Session (Parting Shot).
ON THE COVER: The September 2015 BMX Plus! magazine cover goes to Dennis McCoy shot by Mike Escamilla. Dennis informed us that it’s been 30, that’s right 30 years ago that he received his first photo in Plus! That is a legacy in BMX!
ON THE COVER: Sam Willoughby leads Elite Men out of turn one at the USA BMX Great Salt Lake Nationals. Photo: Crockett.
BIKES
Specialized P.20 Pro: Pro level right out of the box
Yess Belt-Drive COMPLETE: Is belt drive the future of BMX?
EVENTS
Great Salt Lake Nationals: Back on the national circuit
Recon Tour: Pros and Ams take on Mission Valley
FEATURES
WE’VE GOT ISSUES: 12 that we know about
PRO-SPECTIVE: The future of BMX events
ON THE SPOT: Dennis Enarson on Dew
Decades with Chad DeGroot
On The Move : Truckdrivers
Tech Tip: Going clipless the right way
Inside The Pros’ Bikes: Twan van Gendt’s Meybo
On The Move: Like a web edit on pause
Moving Pictures: Like a web edit on pause
Nostalgia: Flashback with Jammin’ Jeffrey
PRODUCT PROBE: Daily Grind’s Stealth seatpost, Rokform phone case and Etymotic Isolator earbuds
SHOWCASE FUNNIES: Someone has to make fun of these people.
@niekkimmann scores the cover, and rightfully so as he has been making a name for himself in the Elites. Also, Dizz Hicks, 2016 Sneak Peek, Vince Byron, Supercross Envy Carbon, UCI World Championships, Zach Rogers and much, much more.