BMX Interviews

Firsts: Mike King

December 28, 2012

Mike King BMX
Interview by Mark Noble

In the past few years, or as he puts it, “For pretty much as long as I’ve been riding, almost ten years I guess,” Mike King has conjured up some of the web’s finest videos – there’s no doubt you’ve sat back and enjoyed his work for the likes of MacNeil (who he also rides for, on their UK team), Amity Bikes, and more recently for the Seventies UK collection of brands where he was in-house filmer for a while, out on trips, hitting contests, and filming edits at their private indoor park. Now branching out into the freelance game again, Mike is also putting some extra focus on to his own web site at FFWDBMX.com and sticking together his new portfolio video site. Says Mike, “I’m trying to put everything I can into Fast Forward, kinda tricky when you’re a one-man army and have bills to pay. I’m also working on a portfolio site and starting up another brand…” So let’s find out where Mike started – here are his FIRSTS.

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Insight: The Chickn’ Nugg’t Mixtape

December 21, 2012

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Anyone that has seen Jeff Klugiewicz’s Twitter / Instagram lately knows that he has been killing himself over getting his new DVD project for The Level Below called “Chick’n Nugg’t” edited in time for the premiere that’s going down in Milwaukee tomorrow night. I’m planning on making the drive out for the premiere and party. Making a trip to Milwaukee is always a good time and I’m real stoked to see what this video is all about. I decided to hit up Jeff and have him take a break from staring at the “rendering” bar to talk a little bit about the video that will be available on DVD in January. Let’s check out what he had to say!

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Through The Lens: Catching Up with Catfish

December 19, 2012

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If you ride BMX, you know who Catfish is…If you don’t, you are blowin’ it and need to get caught up and that’s where this interview comes in. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to call Catfish a friend for years now and it’s always a pleasure to get to hang with him. I noticed he was in Cali for a visit after kind of going M.I.A for a while in Spain and I was determined to chill with him and find out what the hell he has been up to so I hit him up a few days ago and we made it happen. He is the type of person that runs his life according to a very loose schedule and has one goal and that is to have fun. His BMX roots date back to the late 80’s, he has been an announcer at nearly every single major BMX event in recent years and has seen some of the most progressive riding to date with his own eyes contest after contest. If you haven’t seen him on TV announcing a contest you may have caught him on an episode of his own show “Strangers in Danger” with his co-star and BMX legend Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla. Either way, Catfish is one person that genuinely loves riding and truly understands what it’s all about. Sit back, relax and enjoy a little sarcasm from the man himself.

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Portfolio: Rich Maciver

December 18, 2012

Rich Maciver
Photo: Johny Cook

Over the last year or so, I’ve been seeing Rich’s name popping up in the credits of different photos and videos. I wasn’t really sure who this guy was, but I was digging his work. Each time something new comes from him, it’s better than the previous and it undoubtably had caught my attention.
A few months back, Rich had shot me an email giving me a sample of some of his work. He wanted some time so shoot some more photos for some sort of gallery for the site. I kept thinking I need to find out what this guy is all about and decided to ask if he would be down for an interview. It was perfect timing since I just started playing with the idea of doing this Portfolio series. I’m real stoked to present to you this new Portfolio. Check out the interview below, then check out his work in this photogallery. Check it!

Name: Rich Maciver

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Insight: Animal – BPE Pedal

December 13, 2012

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Last week when we dropped the Insight with Animal about their MTT Tire, we mentioned that part two would be featuring their new BPE pedal. Well, today is the day we drop this as promised! We caught up with Jay Dyer, Frank Lam and Jared Washington to talk about the pedal and what it took to make them happen! Let’s get into it now!

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Keith Miller and Ray’s MTB Interview

December 11, 2012

Interview and Intro by Jeremy Ball
Photos by Chad Ruhl

One of the best parts about living in the Midwestern part of the United States is the summers. Just as summers are amazing, winters make riding a challenge for everyone, from the weekend warriors to the most dedicated of riders. Some lucky people are able to migrate south for winter, while others do not have that opportunity.
Fortunately for those that stay in the Midwest, Ray’s MTB in Cleveland is there to help fix the winter time blues. Recently I took the opportunity to sit down with Ray’s Cleveland manager and rider, Keith Miller, to help give some background information on himself, the new ownership of Ray’s, and the park as a whole. Continue reading and see why Ray’s Cleveland is a must visit for riders of all levels and abilities. (Don’t forget to check out the Photogallery that goes along with this after the interview.)

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Firsts: Lloyd Ramsay

December 10, 2012

Interview by Mark Noble

For this instalment of FIRSTS we track down Lloyd Ramsay – a rider who, after spending a few years in the UK, moved back out to South Africa to work in the bike industry, and then break out on his own to work on a new site and branding – or, as he puts it; “I wasted a large amount of time producing digital media for a bicycle company recently and decided I was done making other people rich and working on a BMX frame they were being underhanded with. So I started my own company. The focus is on the lifestyle and passion of people involved in Action Sports. No pro riders. No regurgitated videos / photos. No competition coverage. No press releases. Simply real people who pay for their own bike or skateboard telling a life story we all can relate to. The people that keep our sports alive. I’m not going to plug it and say what it’s name is, but I am sure readers will figure it out.” Prior to this, Lloyd has produced some really impressive video work for a wide range of subjects, from Rockstar’s BMX racing team to Nike’s Pool contest. So we figured it would be a good time to work out Lloyd’s FIRSTS.

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Insight: Animal – MTT Tire

December 7, 2012

Back in September during Interbike, Animal had a display bike rolling around the show floor with a few of their prototype parts that they were working on. Two of those items that caught our attention were the new MTT tires and the BPE pedals. We figured with both of these items being ready to release in January that it would be a good time to catch up with the guys and find out what they are all about. We’ve got a two part interview about each of the parts for you to check out. For the first part we caught up with Jay Dyer, Frank Lam and Jeff Kocsis to take a closer look at the MTT tire and find out what the story is about it. If you are in the market for a new tire, I’d advise you check this one out. Let’s get into it!

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