I was just informed that Beloe is having a contest where you litterally can win stuff because you have a pair of shoes.
Check out the Contest right there.
Get some!
See beloe for info on the Bauers!
Note: This site contains affiliate links and we could receive a small commission that supports this site if you were to make a purchase on their websites using our links for no extra charge to you.Beloe: Bauer Review
So, Beloe has been out for a little while now, and they seem to be getting pretty popular fast. After wearing nothing but Etnies for the last 6 or 7 years I had finally tried a new brand. I was really into the things Brian Osborne was doing so I figured why not give them a shot. So I ordered up a pair of the Bauer’s since they seemed to be pretty popular and looked real cool.
Now I am sure most of you reading this know about the whole thing behind Jim Bauer’s shoe design.
This shoe is based off the last few bikes he has along with a bunch of the colorways he has had for parts.
This started from a ledge he painted for a contest a while back. I couldn’t find the photo of that ledge and him painting it so if anybody has that could you E-mail me that?
So back to the shoes, so I have had them for a few days now…
Originally I was going to get the stitches but my buddy Rob got them so… that just doesn’t work out.
So alright, first real test of the shoes was work. Working retail blows, it also blows when you work for 7 hours and don’t get to sit down at all. So I was standing in these brand new unbroken in shoes which I figured was going to be a disaster. However, they are actually real comfy with good arch support and a feel of a wider shoe; not super tight on the sides like a lot of shoes now days. They aren’t like wide looking though so that is a perk. I really like the feel of them for sure a difference between my last few pairs of shoes for sure. The toe of the shoe is real stiff, I don’t know if they are because they are new or because they were made that way for footjams and other good tricks. I just know that it is a perk for all those kids with 20 different footjam variations.
The look of the shoes as you can see are a little “different” and by different I mean the colors, pink, and baby blue are two of the colors, along with a little brown mix. I kind of had to laugh because my mom happend to be around when I opened up the box and the first thing she said was “those things look kind of gay”, I know shocker. I was pretty much over the colors before I ordered them so this didn’t phase me, I explained the story behind the design and then it wasn’t so “gay”. I actually got a lot of compliments on them the last few days now that I think of it, being that they are different and have a cool design people dig it. (esspecailly girls)
So I took them out for a spin on the bike at the skatepark. Truth of the matter is that it is awkward riding in fresh shoes that aren’t broken in. My feet slipped a bit on the plastic pedals I rock and just didn’t feel like I was moving comfortably in them. This is obviously the fact that they are new though. The rubber hasn’t been broken in on the bottom giving it more grip and flex to comfortably stand on the pedals. This is typical among all new shoes! So I rode for a bit, did a few footjams and the toes were safe and it was solid. I really liked the feel after I got used to them a bit I can see these shoes lasting a long time too. I don’t ride brakeless so I am not one to jam my foot in the tire and rip my shit up but I think they would do decent against all the street dogs out there.
Overall I personally feel they were a good investment. They look good, chicks dig them, they are really comfortable and pretty good for riding in (I am sure they will be real good after a week or so). So if my opinion at all matters to you, which it doesn’t, then I would suggest these for you to try out. I don’t know how many people are like me that only rock a certain brand but if you feel like mixing it up it is worth a shot to try Beloe’s out.
They run around $64 dollars, along with the other shoes that are more in the $50 dollar range. I don’t think that is half bad considering that most shoes cost that anyways.
You can pick some up at:
Dan’s and
Albes
Ride BMX: Insight – Review
Alright, so here is a review that is going to be a litte different!
Myself and Alex from Give D are doing reviews on it from two different perspectives.
Myself, only seeing the DVD (which I watched a few times in the last few days)
and Alex, who was at the premiere, and has seen it all plenty of times. Sure this might be a long read but I think overall you will get an understanding of how good we felt it was.
So this is how it goes in order I guess is the best way to do this.
The intro which is a lot like the trailer plus a few extra clips, the song is the same too. However, maybe I am just weird but I was super into that song and want to find more like that.
Something I thought was cool is the guys in the video all talk about the different challenges with filming parts and just their perspective on things, I found that pretty interesting.
So then after the intro it rolls into Dakota’s part! I don’t even have to tell you the kid is good, you already know this.
Somebody complained on another review of mine I didn’t tell what was going on tricks wise, but I don’t want to give it away so I will describe the stuff a little better this time through.
He has a lot of wall ride lines, and a lot of bank to wall rides where he does some spins including a man sizes 540 out of one. There is a pretty big rail hop then immediately after he rides up a pretty straight up and down pallet.
He also does a 180 off this big ledge going about mach 10 into the street, brakeless like a champ. However, I was kind of bummed on his ender banger, it was just a ice over into a drop but I couldn’t tell how big the drop was, so I was bummed on that.
Next up was Chester Blacksmith’s part, this part was rough for Chester I guess, he got broken a lot filming for this including a compound fracture in his leg, they show you that crash which is badass, his wheel explodes! Some of the things I was super into was the loooong multiple kinked rail that turned a bunch, super good. He also does this double peg to over into a bank, but he beat the hell out of himself doing it! real tough dude. Remember that photo from Ride where Chester was bailing like way up in the air out of a tree?
Well, they show that, and the one where he actually lands, I am shocked he has ankles and pedals let’s just put it that way.
Darryl Toccos part up next! I am going to throw this out here, this personally was my favorite part. I don’t know what it was about it but I just liked it a lot. The weird thing that I am shocked I was happy about was the number of barspins he did.
He litterally does a barspin in almost every clip, I usually would get bored, but the way he does barspins is super fast and does them clean as hell. Also, he had some really good tobbagons too! He does a pretty long rail to real clean tobaggon out, hot!
The other was this ginormous pole jam! It had to easily be a 5 foot tall pole jam, he did multiple variations out of it and it was rad. Sorry if I seem overly excited about this part.
The friends part was cool, it was just a mix of other clips collected throughout the filming. As you can see from my notes in the picture attached, Van does a real clean rail ride to whip.
Sean Burns is an animal, massive 360 down a big set! He takes himself out the first try but gets it done. Nathan Williams has some real good clips. There is a guy with a red bandana I don’t know who he is, but being a pussy like I am, this makes me nervous.I feel like I am going to get stabbed or something watching this dude. Brad Simms does like a 30 stair double peg up the rail, man sized. That Eric Litchenberge dude is good, he has some sweet clips. So over all this part was really interesting!
I didn’t really take the time to stop the credits to get all the names but there was like 10 people in this part and it turned out to be solid.
They did a 4 way part with Mark Gralla, Jeff Kocsis, Dave Belcher, and Tom White. If you have paid attention to the web videos and stuff lately these names all sound firmilar. Some really smooth lines from Mark, the kid kills it! A lot of wall rides and nose manual tricks so I am sure if your a street dog you will be into this kid. Jeff has a few good lines, my favorite was a hop onto a block thing, to 180 gap onto another block to cab out, that is some difficult stuff! Dave has a clip where he manuals a truck beds like side, so an inch at most. He also ices up a big rail!
Tom does some real cool stuff in some good spots, however his banger is a over to double peg, where if he messes up he could have falled probably 20 feet to death, RESPECT!
Jared Washington has a smile that is contagious, now that might sound gay, but seriously the dude is smiling like his whole part it is real cool. Except when he gets 13 flats trying one trick, then he ets pissed! haha Some of his good stuff includes a superman seat grab, fast barspins and whips, and a bank into ice into bank whic seemed to be a pain in the ass for him, it was good. He finishes stuff up with a smith up a rail to barspin out, real good stuff!
Mike Brennan makes me hurt. The guy kicks his own ass all the time! He makes some awesome grunts too when he falls and he is a tall dude so he takes it like a beast. His song for the part is Eye of the Tiger so you know it is awesome.
If Mike reads this, stop killing yourself for real! I couldn’t believe how much he got worked making this part. He has a few different spots where he does sprocket stalls to over, and well, one of which is like a 7 foot drop into a bank, I thought that was really cool. His ender trick is a massive whip into a ditch, I cannot believe he lived after his first go at it, that’s all I should have to say about that. High five on riding in basketball shorts too! I want that trend to really kick up I am all for basketball shorts.
Davey Watson is good, backwards manuals down stairs, jumps big ass drops, 180’s big ass drops, gets kids in park all excited watching him do some stuff. The talent he has is wild. He apparently likes to party.
He seems to be a very positive grateful guy who enjoys what he’s doing! He even does a man sized icepick, I think to be honest this was one of the first parts I have seen of him and I think that I want to see more of this! I laugh when I think of his ride video interview from the premiere where he talks about being drunk doing his big stuff, which makes me wonder what clips he was actually bombed in.
I spy B Dubs in the background of the last clip too which is the man sized icepick I talked about.
The bonus stuff is really cool, the guys talk about all the stuff that happend throughout the making of the video and just the challenges to making a good video. I think this is cool because you see the stuff normally not seen when videos are put together. This is the part where they show Chester’s crash where he snaps his leg I believe, and blows out his backwheel! That stuff gross’s me out. Jared admits to “showering in that shit”…please tell me you have seen my new haircut?
There is a full on crash section, a lot of it is Mike just rocking himself making the video, I am shocked he is alive and gets up and rides everyday. RESPECT. They also mention getting pistol whipped.. so I am curious what that is all about!
Overall
The filming was real solid! I think that it was cool that there wasn’t a lot of fisheye shots which made life better for me. I guess I just personally dislike all the distortion from the fisheye shots but that is just me. The quality is clean too!
The graphic work is clean and not overdone. There isn’t a ton of moving things throwing your eyes everywhere, just simple stuff but still looks great.
I felt like the editing was good too! It was well put together and there wasn’t much for extras, a few slow-mo’s here and there but they just made some tricks look even better. So I am a fan of that.
The Music was interesting, it had a good mix of hip hop and classic rock stuff. I think that is good because over doing it on rap kills it for me, but over doing it on other stuff can do that too. I got a good vibe from the songs esspecially Mike’s song haha.
Here is a kicker I liked, the run time for the video is about 36 minutes not including the Animal promo and Ride Staff section. This is good because videos tend to drag on after a while, but this video is pretty quick and will get you excited to go ride.
I think with that being said, with summer coming up quick I could see this be the “Wake up and watch, then go ride” video.
Little note of the ride staff section, Fudger can ride better than you… I want to see a legit part from him sometime! The other guys on the staff also can rip it. Fat Tony impressed me. He wears a helmet for all of his clips, this is really cool because nobody else in the whole video had a helmet on and to be honest with all the brain injuries lately like Levan, it should start picking up but that is just my opinion! Don’t get pissed! haha
Wow, where do I start with this video? Its so damn good, the showcased riders, the music selection, the editing, the trickery…
Well, I guess I’ll start with this statement, Ride BMX has full regrets firing Ryan Navazio… Why you ask? Because this is the best Ride video ever produced and I don’t see something with the “Ride” name on it topping this video for a long time without the help and ability of Navaz. I could be wrong but hell that’s my opinion on that subject…
Anyways, the DVD is packaged in a clean looking case, Dakota on the front, killing it of course. That’s always a good sight to see and if you don’t like that, you can suck it. Flip the case over and you’ve got 6 really unique, talented riders, all of which do their own thing when it comes to riding. They shred way hard, pure and simple. Now open up the case and you’ll see this glorious DVD and some prime photos from the past filming trips for the making of this video… Pop that disc out, put that in your player and take notes on what you’re about to watch…
The movie opens up with an awesome montage, little tastes of all the riders and different scenes. I really like how they have a text screen at times to the words of the rider that’s speaking. It gives a good feel to the video, really legit in all ways… Dakota is the first featured rider and he gives you the rundown on what its like to film in Southern California… All of what Dakota says is true, so if you plan on filming in So Cal then you need to be prepared for long driving sessions and shutdowns. Dakota’s a real local dude and I’ve had the opportunity to watch him shred fairly often now. This video is no exception, you can basically watch Dakota shred a lot of Southern California’s most famous spots with some of the most original trickery. The song for Dakota’s part fits amazingly well and I think that’s what really makes the section. I don’t need to get down on droppin the tricks that are fired out, if you’ve seen anything from Dakota, you know how he gets down. You’ll just have to watch it for yourself, if you haven’t already. I’m just going to say that Dakota is one of my favorite riders and his section does not disappoint.
Chester Blacksmith’s section is next, a little shorter than the rest of the sections but for an obvious reason why… I’m sure a lot of people have witnessed that terrible crash on MTV or Youtube and can see why this dude is such an ape. This section has some gnarly moves but the best part about Chester is that a lot of his riding is basic stuff. He just goes higher and does it bigger than anyone else, its plain to see he’s not much for tech riding, just big ol’ beefy stuntin’. This video doesn’t show his gnarly wall ride crash to destroyed leg and I think that’s a good thing…
After that section its Darryl Tocco, I was never really a fan of Darryl Tocco until his sweet, sweet Insight section ended… I had never seen much from him but this video part opened my eyes to how much ass he kicks. He shoots smooth as butter bars into and out of everything, its ridiculous. Barspins shouldn’t be in the combos he does, but they’re definitely there and there’s lots of em. It’s another example of where the chosen song makes the video section so appealing, Darryl’s a tech master on everything he rides and he makes it all look so effortless…
A really good friends section follows and it’s got plenty of cameos and good riding from all over the place. Cameos include Van Homan, Kurt Rasmussen, Jack Maddox, Brad Simms, The German and more… I’m real stoked on Kurt’s and The German’s clips, both are local California dudes and both are way kick ass. It’s just good to see that they’re getting good coverage, they deserve it most definitely. For those of you who don’t know The German, his real name is Eric Litchenberger and he’s a good friend of mine. Eric rides no pegs and shreds rails as if he ran pegs, he also happens to tire ride everything in sight like its no problem. Germans are crazy accurate, so I’ve heard? I also happened to see a clip of Mike Hoder in there as well… Weird.
Next is a four way split between Mark Gralla, Jeff Kocsis, Dave Belcher and Tom White. I won’t lie, I don’t care too much for the split section because I only happen to enjoy Tom White in all that, I just don’t care much for the other dudes. It’s a couple of Chase D clones and Dave Belcher, with lots of Tom White doing the gnarly shit he does. There’s definitely some tech stuff within the section that’s sure to get you stoked, if you’re into it, its all street shredding too… I really like how the riders are introduced, getting pulled along side a truck or something… It’s put together real well, looks real cool and the song is real prime as well, it’s a good little section but I’m just not feeling all the riders so much…
Jared Washington follows with some real damn good shredding, I was real into this section because I was used to watching Jared in the old Animal videos. His riding was a little shakey and his bikes were always really sketchy… I hate watching a video part with a whole lot of klink-klanking bike sounds in there, dial that piece in!! I would say this was a major upgrade of what I was used to, his riding ability went way up and he seems to be riding some real dialed bikes finally. All good things to see, his grinding skill on numerous obstacles is real fun to watch and his grind combos get me stoked. The only thing that was weird to me was the beginning of the section where he’s gone through a dozen tubes trying a bump up 6 stair to curve wall to tailwhip off the stair set… It just seemed like I was going to see something real gnarly, I feel that they just built it up to much. Really good and fun to watch though!!
Mike Brennan is an animal and definitely clocks in somewhere way past 6 foot tall, he makes any bike look like a 16 inch. His riding speaks for itself, creative, gnarly and even tech at times. He has a little of everything and showcases all of that in his section. He rides to Eye of The Tiger by Survivor and rightfully so… This part put Mike Brennan on top of his game and I’m sure we’ll see lots more of him in the near future. I have no complaints on this section, it’s to damn good and if there’s anything wrong with it, it’s that he throws whips and bars down things you shouldn’t even be sessionin’. Mike Brennan kicks ass. Watch the video and see why…
Davey Watson has a section dedicated to out of hand grinds, switch, opposite and sometimes both in the same grind. He also happens to session his front and back wheel a lot, with ridiculously fast 540 cabs, real long manual lines to 180, which are also fast, footjam whippers on everything, and fakie hangfives… Davey’s section is basically tech stuff mixed with gnarly street riding, he says “Whad Up Doe” during a hanger tooth… Hoder has another clip of himself with a rail hop/gap in there as well. How many hidden clips of Hoder are there in this video anyways?? I definitely like the song but I don’t know if I like it to this section, I think they should’ve used something else. It’s the best riding I’ve seen from Davey and I really enjoy watching that dude shred. He’s got a kick ass, don’t give a shit attitude as well. Can’t beat that…
Shortly after there’s more montage stuff of the riders shredding, taking it and speaking about the filming process for Insight… There’s definitely a “my new haircut” reference after the credits… SHOWER IN THAT SHIT!! Once that’s over you get to the good stuff with the bonus goodies on the DVD… Crash section kicks ass, Brian Kachinsky wins that crash section, hangover tooth on El Toro rail to chest bash… So brutal… All sorts of bails and biffing on everything, I love watching the crash sections. Animal has a solid promo in the extras as well, some real good clips in there and its filmed and edited pretty well… Then if you’re feelin it, you can watch the ride staff shred it up a bit…
This video definitely kicks a lot of ass, if you haven’t seen this yet you need to get off your fat ass, purchase it, then sit on your fat ass again and watch it. This video gets me stoked to go out and ride every time I watch it and that’s how a video should be…
Chad DeGroot Interview
What can I say about Chad that nobody has said before? The guy is awesome plain and simple. I have had the chance to meet him a few times through Baco up in Wisconsin and to be honest those were probably the best times I have had on my bike. He is a halarious dude and knows his stuff. I laughed because he sent me about 20 photos to choose from, I only used a few but I wish I could have used them all. Let me know what you think in the comments?
Name:
Chad Superman DeGroot
Location:
Altamonte Springs, Florida (central florida son)
Sponsors:
UGP, Versa Bikes, Profile, go211.com, Bern helmets, Mesh Skatepark
Years in the game:
Wow, since 1986, so you can do the math
You have been popping up all over lately with UGP! How are thing’s going over there as TM?
It is nuts…we have a full team, by that I mean we have some old school to the newest school. So it keeps me on my toes. From doing orders, to designs, to web updates, to baby sitting (do this a lot), and being a rider for the team, I have a full plate, but its good as hell. I am happy as hell this year with the direction we are moving. We have had some growing pains the last few years, and I firmly believe we are back on it. The Fall/Winter line is on point for sure. The denim is getting out there. We have some jeans, the bandits and Cigs, that are a bit tight, but will cater to the younger rider, or the ones like Mark Mulville who keep it tight. I don’t mean girl tight, just the right fit for a slimmer man. We have to be honest, there are not to many beef cakes in this sport, are there?
You guys have been pumping out a bunch of web edits lately, do you have any more coming soon?
Do we ever. I have 5 I am working on right now. There is no end in sight. We have received a great response to all of them. I know they are just web edits, but we do get them out there. We want to get them out, put them on our player on the home page (undergroundproducts.com), then get them on our FTP site so people with shops in Taiwann or Japan or where ever can get them and use them for shop promo. Brian Kachinsky sent me some of his scraps for an edit. We went on a short trip to fill in the blanks. It is nuts. Tell you the truth, I love his scraps. You will to. His will be out soon.
How about a UGP dvd is there anything in the works?
The UGP DVD gets talked about a ton. We spend a lot in advertising and promotions right now to get back on the map. So, as we get more established again, we will cut out the better riding for a full DVD. Right now, its online for a bit…
You have been working with Versa now also. What’s the news on that and how is the prototype holding up?
Versa is sweet. Its just a baby. There isn’t more to say about it or a better way to describe it. We are in our infant stages, prototypes and ideas. That is all. We don’t plan to take over the world or get in every shop. We just got a team set, trying on a flow team. Very small and nice. The owner is taking it slow, and most of the team is happy with this. Don’t want mistakes if possible. The site (versabmx.com) is coming along. There might not be everyday updates, but we will when the time comes. Keep checking back. The whole team is traveling a ton this year.
When can we expect to see some product from them up for sale?
That is a hard question to answer. We all have prototypes we are running. So testing is first. Maybe some shirts and stickers early summer. If I had to guess, we would have some pre-books for interbike. Don’t quote me on that…the boss might kick my ass.
It would appear you have been super busy, do you have any big trips or vacations planned?
Trips with Profile all over Florida. We want to go to another city almost every other weekend. That will be sweet cause its quick and not far to drive. UGP is going to the Northeast and Northwest and Baco, which might be in Illinois this summer. Vacations, hell yes. Going to Toronto for my sister in law dike wedding. Should be nuts, weird, and interesting. Also have some plans later in the year to be in Japan and Maylasia for UGP only stores opening. Want to bring another rider (can’t say who yet) to open the stores and do demos. We have Three stores open already over seas, all UGP only…
Baco last year was wild, how do you feel about Mother Daughter stripper teams?
Pretty much necessary. Not the broken nose thing. That happened just as they were about to get loose and let them hang out…sucks, but that is Baco. Flipper was the the best follow up show. Wrestling n shit…love that kid…
Since Baco is no longer welcome in Wiscompton. Do you plan on having it again in the midwest or Florida only now?
We found a spot in Illinois. But it could be somewhere in Wisconsin. Don’t want to spoil it with a location…you will find out and you will be there…
When will the next Baco video be out anyways?
Dave was just in Florida and we talked a ton on this topic. There are more than a few fools that have sections almost done. So I will just leave it at that…
How are things going at Mesh, any big news?
Baco will be there this year again. DC and Pabst and Levis are all in…happy as hell. Kinda getting to big, but as long as we run it, chuck out some money, have beer, and everyone is assholes dressing up for Halloween, who cares. Otherwise, we are changing the park really soon before it gets to hot to build…shit is hot as hell in there.
What are some things you are really looking forward to doing BMX related over the next year?
web edits are always exciting, designing some new shoes, doing some trips where I have never been, and maybe making another kid
What are some things you would like to accomplish in the next few years?
Get my family going, I have one kid, but we want more. Get Baco bigger than the X-games with a bigger purse. Get UGP on Jay-z. Shock people with my riding. Get in a movie doing some acting.
If you could do one trick for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
backwards manuals hands down. I did them today for hours, got a few new versions that I need to film for an upcoming Profile edit, otherwise I do like hang 5’s.
What is one trick you cannot do for the life of you?
Flairs. I’ve tried them a few times then just stop. Get close as shit, then stop. Someone needs to push me or do them with me…
*This is a photo Chad took that won a photo contest. His dad grows stuff in his old shoes…
Being around BMX for a while you have seen things come and go, what do you think of the current “era”?
Its pretty mellow. Little jib tricks, manual pads, nick nacs. It is good, cause it covers all the bases. You can go big, ride vert, ride a curb, parking lot, or a roof. Its sweet personally. It is putting people in groups. This sport needs more shit talking to. Come on suckers, get on the web and let it loose. No one knows you, let it out. Start some shit…
Out of all of your video parts, which one was your favorite?
I couldn’t answer that. I am happy with all my stuff. There is a ton more meaning in stuff like Baco 6 or 7, but the stuff lately, I am happy as hell with.
Who are some riders you really enjoy riding with?
Anyone that will make me laugh. Anyone that wants to try weird stuff during a session. Dave Freimuth, Mark Mulville, Joey Juaristi, Mesh locals.
Are you and Dave Freimuth brothers? I swear you guys should be.
We pretty much grew up together. I lived in Green Bay which is 25 miles away. We really clicked when we moved to Arizona for the winter. Came back and lived in a house with 10 other fools. We travel a lot and have a similiar personality and interest in good times where ever we are. We have some history that goes way back…
How do you feel about Mustaches?
required if your a real man…so many options…
*Kachinsky is stoked on this
What is your all time best story of a run in with the cops?
There are no best stories of run ins with the cops. Give me a bit of time, might get a good one. Come back to this question.
Outside of work and riding, what are some things you are up to?
Have a kid, Cooper, who takes up most of my time. He is nuts. Everyday he makes me laugh and does some wild shit. Love it. I have been doing a lot of photography. Did a wedding for Mike Andrews. That was a little stressfull till the reception, then everything was a blurr. They told me I was wedding guy. The pics turned out sweet.
What kind of music are you into? Any bands you recommend people to check out?
Led Zepplin and the Beatles are on my player right now. It changes all the time. Could be Flogging Molly or De La Soul. I don’t get crazy on music. Modest Mouse is sweet and Eat the Elderly.
Seen any good movies lately?
We get Netflix, get all the seasons of WEEDS…love that shit.
Where are some places you would like to go at some point in life?
Pyramids, South America, Spain, Taiwan
If you couldn’t live in Florida anymore due to a old person epidemic taking the state over, where would you go and why?
Southwest is pretty sweet. Like the mountains in Arizona and the dry air. Florida is humid as hell.
What are some things you think everybody should experience at some point in their lives?
Jump out of a plane, invent something, get in a fight, drive over 150mph, and spend money like you don’t care
Who or what are your biggest influences in your life?
Sunny days, nice sunsets, great pictures, good conversations, artistic people, my wife, the positive
What would you do with the money if you won the lotto?
Get a box seat at a packer game and invite and fly all my friends in for a serious party, or give a ton to the people close to me so I don’t look like the only rich person they know
If you could spend the day with anybody, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Christopher Walkin. He is sweet and never will look you in the eyes. His personality and being is mindboggling…
What kind of advice do you have for kids just getting into BMX?
have fun and support your skatepark, it will be gone before you know it
What kind of advice do you have for people who want to work in the BMX industry/ own a skatepark?
Skatepark; have a lot of patience, and don’t expect to make money. Industry; know people.
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
UGP crew, Versa crew, Matt and the Profile team, go211.com, Josh at Bern, Mesh Skatepark…Thanks to my kid for opening my eyes, there is happiness in the simplist things.
Anything else you would like to add I forgot?
BMX won’t get you rich, stop trying..
Chad DeGroot random edit from chad degroot on Vimeo.
Contest Update
*click to make big!
As you can see by the flyer.. it has a few more sponsors!
Hell On Earth
S&M
UGP
For all the details on the contest click on the right under Contests
or Click right here
Van Homan Interview
Van is probably on everyone’s favorite rider list at some point in time in every BMX riders time. I finally got a chance to do an interview with him and it turned out pretty much awesome. It is weird how some people you could ask a million questions and that wouldn’t be enough. So this is about as much as I could give him without well, over doing it. Enjoy!
Name:
Van Homan
Location:
Pennsville NJ
Sponsors:
Fit Bike Co., Orchid Footwear, Duo, Little Devil and Two by Four
Years riding:
16
After all these years this would make interview number?
I have know idea. Couldn’t even guess.
Lets start out with two by four which was recently featured in Ride BMX. How is business going? Id imagine it is picking up due to the weather?
Yeah things are good over here. Its everything I dreamed it could be. No one is making a ton of money but its a great vibe and it holds its own. I love having it here for the kids. It also feels great to have the team backing this whole thing up. We have been busy working on a video that should be out by Aug. Hopefully Two by Four will continue to grow so that we can take care of the employees, the team and bmx as a whole even more as time goes on.
What is the hardest part about running a shop and what is something you never expected to happen when running a shop?
Being a boss sucks sometimes. My employees are my friends so when you have to take charge or correct people it feels weird. I don’t love that part of it. Paper work sucks too.
Did you start the shop so you could start to “settle down” a bit or is there no slowing down planned?
I guess in a way it was but its more of a future plan I guess. I really just didn’t like sitting back and just being a pro rider anymore. I wanted to be involved in another way.
Is there any big two by four news you can tell us about?
The Video in progress would be the biggest news. We have a couple other things in the works that should be announce/finished up before the end of the summer.
So the dvd is in the works. When do you expect that to drop and who all will have parts?
It should be available by Aug. Darryl Tocco, Brian Wizmerski, Garrett Byrnes, Randy Brown, Geoff Slattery, Chase Dehart and Myself should all have full parts. Cesar Monzon has been having a lot of problems with his wrist so its not looking like he is going to be able to film a full part. Our boy Cody Jennings has been on a mission lately too so he may have a full section.
What are some things you would like to accomplish with the shop in the next few years?
Just make it grow. I’m sure we will have some sort of online store at some point but I hope to always keep a local feel to it. My goals are pretty modest. I would love for me and another employee to be able to support our selves from the store. I would also like to be able to continue to due trips and what not with the team. Continue doing local events, Video Premieres and so on.
With all the work it takes to run a shop, how much time are you getting in on your bike?
I still get to ride and travel plenty thanks to Dan Palumbo, Smurf, My Wife Samantha and my parents. I couldn’t do it with out you guys. Thanks.
Did you have much time to travel over the winter? Where all did you go?
I went to Dubai in December for the Dubai X-Games. That was a lot of fun. I thought my X-Games days were done. I never thought I would be getting a bronze metal at 28. Those street events are really cool. I hope they put it in the US X-Games. We went on a couple filming mission to the south. Garrett, Tocco, Randy and Myself just did a trip to Cali loosely based on riding pools. That was a lot of fun.
Now that it is warming up and everything, what do you have planned riding wise?
We are doing a small Fit trip on the east coast to film a web video. Then i’m off to Brazil for the Brazil X-Games street event. The last Two by Four trip before the video gets made will be at the end of May. I got plenty to keep me busy.
You have had the chance to ride so many place, where are are your favorite places you have been over the years?
Wow thats a hard one but I really like going down south. Raleigh NC, Tennessee, etc. Its just laid back down there.
Where are some places you haven’t been that you would like to go to?
South Africa would be cool. Any place is nice if your with the right people. Just anything or any place new is cool. At the same time staying home is really good too. I love leaving for a trip but I think I like getting back home even more.
What is it like to show up in a new place and have people recognize you?
It can be a little weird but bmx is cool. People only reconize you if they ride so its not like you get random weirdos just coming up to you and giving you a hard time.
Who is your usual riding crew? Any unknown guys you think people should look out for?
I have been riding with Randy Brown, Chase Dehart and Darryl Tocco a lot lately. I ride with a lot of the locals from around the shop. Everyone just ends up here and we go pedal around. If Cody Jennings keeps up the good work he could have a really interesting part in the new video so keep an eye out for that.
If you could only do one trick or ride one spot for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
If I could only do one trick I think I would quit. If I rode for 16 years and only learned one trick that would be pretty frustrating haha. If I only had one spot I think I would just ride my local street spots. That might wear on my bones as I got older though so I might have to pick a nice concrete park.
What parts do you tend to go through the most on your bike?
Cranks and Back wheels. Their was one point last year where I broke 4 sets of cranks in 3 months. Scary.
What is one trick that you cannot do for the life of you?
Nose Wheelies are really hard for me I need to buckle down and put the time in to learn them proper.
What do you think you would be doing if you never started riding?
Couldn’t really guess its been such a huge part of my life. Maybe music, art, skateboarding but who knows without riding I might not even be the same person.
Out of all your video parts over the years, what is your favorite one?
Criminal Mischief or Fitlife. I was really happy with how my props interview came out too. Hard to say.
If you could, would you change anything at all about any of your past video parts?
yeah but mostly small things. A wack clip here or there. I was happy with most of the major ones over all.
What is your best advice for kids getting into BMX?
Have fun, Travel and screw the rest.
Outside of running the shop and riding, what are you into?
My Wife Samantha, My Dog Hazel, Poker, Yuengling, Snowboarding, Skating mico minis.
You have been married for a little while now, how’s that going?
Its great I love the family life. Its good to have some one to share your life with.
What are some of your favorite movies? (riding/non riding)
1201 was my Bmx bible growing up. Big Labowski and Mall Rats are both solid flics.
What are some of your favorite bands, any you suggest people to check out?
Screeching Weasels, Dead Milkmen, Ryan Adams.
What are some of your favorite websites?
I hate the internet. Its evil but you can’t help but be a part of it.
If you could spend the day with anybody, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
My wife Samantha
If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
Pay off my house and live the same way I do now.
Who or what are the biggest influences on your life?
My Parents for sure.
What are some things you are excited about right now?
Getting to the end of this interview haha, Two by Four video
*note: Van said he was kidding, but honestly I think I had too many questions haha*
Who are you going to vote for on the coming election?
I don’t vote. I don’t pay enough attention to politics to make a valid choice. Maybe I should pay more attention but…I don’t so I don’t vote.
If you could be sponsored by any company that has nothing to do with BMX, what would it be and why?
Wawa and Yuengling. I don’t think you need to ask why.
What is something you wish you had more of in your life?
Places to ride, Money, Time. I’m not complaining about any of the above but I wouldn’t complain if I had more of that stuff either.
What is something you wish you had less of in your life?
Flat Tires, Drama. I don’t have much drama because I do my best to avoid it but I sure hate when drama finds me.
What is one thing about yourself that nobody really knows?
My first bike was a Peregrine Performer until I traded it for a Mongoose.
If you could change anything about BMX, what would it be and why?
I like to see people make more of a point to support bmx. Support the companies and the people that are giving back to bmx in some way.
Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Samantha, My Parents, Robo, Derek Adams, Steve Buddendeck, Cory Muth, Dan Palumbo, Smurf, The entire Two by Four team, Everyone that buys stuff to help support Two by Four and keep our doors open, all my friends and anyone who has helped me out in anyway. Sorry for anyone and everyone I forgot.
Product Preview: KHE
Plastic, plastic, plastic. KHE just sent out an email to introduce the newest BB they are working on… you may have seen the other BB out there by Eastern this one is a bit different. I’ll let Thomas explain since I am no engineer…. –iTod
At the moment we are testing a new kind of BB-cup which features the “patent pending” AFFIX® bush system and the proven quality of igus® bush bearings.
These bush bearings, named iglidur® are principally used in other industries, primarily on permanently running applications at high temperatures. Each of them sustain more than 3 tons.
Their advantages are obvious:- They are unbelievably compact and weigh next to nothing- Highest wear resistance- lowest friction- Excellent resistance against extreme conditions like high temperature, humidity, chemicals- Maintenance-free – Lubricant-free – Corrosion resistance – Extremely insensitive to dirt – High accuracy grade
The AFFIX® bush system features strong alloy cups to get the most resistant end-product.
One alloy cup including the iglidur® bush bearing weighs only 36g/ 0.079lbs.
For example: Compared to a regular MidBB (including spacers), the AFFIX bush system saves 120g/ 0.265lbs, while it´s more durable and maintenance-effortless.
These bush bearings, named iglidur® are principally used in other industries, primarily on permanently running applications at high temperatures. Each of them sustain more than 3 tons.
Their advantages are obvious:- They are unbelievably compact and weigh next to nothing- Highest wear resistance- lowest friction- Excellent resistance against extreme conditions like high temperature, humidity, chemicals- Maintenance-free – Lubricant-free – Corrosion resistance – Extremely insensitive to dirt – High accuracy grade
The AFFIX® bush system features strong alloy cups to get the most resistant end-product.
One alloy cup including the iglidur® bush bearing weighs only 36g/ 0.079lbs.
For example: Compared to a regular MidBB (including spacers), the AFFIX bush system saves 120g/ 0.265lbs, while it´s more durable and maintenance-effortless.
We plan to offer the AFFIX® bush system for Mid BB, Spanish BB & Euro BB.
Here you can see pics of the new system assembled on a bike.
Bink That Counts
Bink is probably the most fun person to watch ride ever, I am shocked he isn’t getting much coverage to be honest. I don’t even feel this part fully does justice to what he is capable of doing haha. However he left Minnesota for Arizona so I never see him much anymore but I am sure he gets better and better all the time.. yes like the song.. Miss ya buddy! haha
