BMX Union

STA: Jonah Lidberg

February 26, 2008

Standard is awesome, they have a Youtube page, they just uploaded the Jonah Lidberg part from Stronger Than All, I don’t know why. Jonah is a Minnesota rider and he is straight up awesome as hell. If you ever get the chance to ride with him you will be more than stoked… Also I should have an interview with Rick in a few days too so get excited for Standard wildness.

(His Stronger Than All Part)

Then I figure since Drop The Hammer has been around forever I would post this also..

(Jonahs part in Drop The Hammer from a few years ago still awesome)

ON THE HORIZON: UGP

February 26, 2008

On the Horizon is a little series of info that I plan on posting up as I get them. Keeping you a little bit in touch with whats going on in the BMX world. hey lets face it you came to this site to get info right? here is the first installment.

Chad Degroot stepped up and provided a glimpse into what they have going on in 2008,
What’s up with the team and so forth.
check it.

-iTod

UGP news for 2008 will start off with the team and what each fool is doing.

Adam Baker-recently on Fuel’s Daily Habit talking about trails and the war. Will be on a few road trips with the UGP team.

Brian Kachinksky-Upcoming interviews in Props, Ride US. Will be appearing in summer ads in Ride and Ride UK as well as Dig. Brian will be attending all the Dew Tours, Metro Jam, and Baco Jams. Props Mega tour will be releasing the European trip soon. Look out.
Chad DeGroot-TM, Filmer, photographer, and partial sales. Will be going on 3 road trips with one being an all Europe deal. Will be at all Dew Tours and JoMo Pro in Missouri. Appeared on Daily Habit early Feb.
Tom Haugen-Doing shows all year long. Competing at this years Dew Tour. Traveling a few times over seas, and filming for web videos.

Aaron Behnke-Riding flat as much as the great up north will allow him. Filming for web edits and traveling to far away lands for flatland comps.

Dave Freimuth-photographer, filmer, and rider. Will be going to Toronto’s Metro Jam, JoMo Pro, and Baco Jam. He will be doing summer shows in southern Wisconsin.

Karl Poynter-with his signature shirt coming out, travel with UGP roadtrips, filming for web edits, Karl will be busy as a beaver. He will be attending Baco Jams in Orlando as well.

Tony Malouf-recently on Fuel’s Daily Habit, appearing in ads in Ride UK and soon Ride US. He will be working on web edits and signature clothing this year.

James Foster-Fresh off his Dirt win at Dew Tour, he will attend all events this year. He is going to appear in Ride US, BMX Plus, and NBL publications with his signature dirt style.

Last but not least Mark Mulvile-our newest additions to the team. Trails, street, park, he does it all. He will be at JoMo Pro competing. Going on 2 road trips for ads n web edits. He recently appeared on Fuels Daily Habit. Look out for his new ads in Ride UK, Ride US.

Flow:

Adam Banton-Fresh off the completion of Odyssey video Electronical, he has a sweet part. Will be filming for 2 more videos this year as well web edits.

Kip Williamson-freshly exposed fanatic of shoes, collector. He will be working on web edits coming out middle summer. He recently appeared in Ride UK ad doing “elbows on the table”.

Quinn Semling-Living in Greeville, there is never a shortage of riding. Fresh off a European trip ready to come out in Props mega tour.

Dan Sieg-Greenville resident as well, the level of riding he is doing is insane. Thriple whips, doubles, you name it. Dan will be at all Dew Tour events this year.

Catfish- Known for his MC skills which include Baco, Estonia, Dubai, X-games, and all Dew Tours. When he has time you will see him run some flat lines around the skatepark or flat ground.

Dave Brumlow-Vert assasin, he still flyin over the ten foot mark. Doing shows across the country. Attending the Dew Tours. Messing with anyone that talks to him

The plan for UGP this year will be to focus on making a solid brand, brand awareness, and make our comeback which no one thinks we can do. Our team is stocked with all kinds of talent and entertainment. Support the brands that support what we do…

No Bikes: Four Corners Review

February 26, 2008

You know when you and your friends are riding and filming the topic of “we should make a video” has probably come up at some point or another. Most of the time, it is all talk and never happens, then a lot of the time the video doesn’t turn out all that good and nothing happens, and then theres what happens with this, the video turns out good and it is all fun and real relaxed.

I got the chance to review the No Bikes DVD Four Corners. I am really glad I had a chance to see it, I have been hearing stuff about it through Bikeguide’s forum for a while. I was real excited to see Matt Dessons part too since hes a pretty frequent poster on there and his riding is always pretty good.

What I was most shocked to find out is that this vide is their 6th video, so they have been getting stuff done for a long time now. This video is real cool too because there is riding in Alaska, Florida, Tiawan, and British Columbia. This means there is a lot of different spots.

So here are my notes right below here.

Click to enlarge*

The video’s intro starts out and I immediately got a good vibe from the video, I knew it was going to bring a relaxed feel to it that was just people having fun.

The riders in this video shocked me, I seriously only have heard about Matt Desson and that was about it but a few other guys really stood out. Desson is on 1664.
The first person who stood out was Travis Sexsmith the dude goes so big, and is real smooth. Im surprised that kid is not more heard of. Travis is on Macneil flow.

There was a guy with big hub gaurds who had a bunch of really interesting he had a style that stood out to me for a fair share of the video.

Throughout the video there was clips of something you never see, they built a box jump out of plywood and snow, I mean this wasn’t a huge shock to me since I have experienced winter, but they have some random clips of it throughout the video, real good.
The video starts with a mix of a lot of different riders doing their thing, the riding is pretty solid too. A lot of the mixed sections, I kept thinking they were going to be a persons part with the big name, but I guess not haha.

There is a dude named Gooch in this video. This guy rides real good, and has the coolest name ever. I think there needs to be more gooches in this world. well, at least the name wise an riding wise.

The first part is Mat Ridgeway and Ryan Hiebert- Opposites attract to make good parts. Mat is more of a flow style guy who throws the occasional barspin, whip, and flip. He mostly just goes fast and big. Ryan is the kind of more tech, a lot of barspins and whips, real street and park dog. Had really clean tricks that were very consistant.

Aaron Gates is the dude who made the dvd, he made the video, is going to probably get a lot of hate from the “anonymous” crew since he rides with a helmet most of the time. I have a lot of respect for him for wearing a helmet I wish I was smart enough to do that. He had some good riding and also made the video real good.

Brian Prince- He had a lot of bad crashs getting footage for his part, shows, but he has a lot of good riding that mixes between slower street tricks and then had some real big tricks, real good tuck no handers.

Wayne Anasogak, spelled his name real wrong is my notes.. This dude has some real clean 3’s and pretty solid style. The street guys will like this part.
Marlo Karjala- Has a real good slam in the beginning doing a 180 over a rail, and also does one of the fastest whips I have seen over a tiny hip.
Matt Desson- This kid has tricks after tricks, real good, flips, whips, barspins
and is capable of doing them on street, dirt, and park, so he is an all around good… I thought he was on Seshin?

The video ends with David Clay, this dude is wild. This kid has all the tricks, did a big 180 barspin over a bench, front flips, 3 backflips?, all sorts of wild tricks. This guy scares the crap out of me, why? Because he rides brakeless. Scary!

The bonus part is good, a Alaska mix, Dvx mix, Crash section, slide show, and a bunch of other good stuff, theres about 25 minutes of bonus stuff. I really liked that. There was a clip of one dude riding on the shoulders of another dude on a bike, while holding his bike.. yeah try and imagine that one. He then gets closelined by a tree which was real funny haha.

The riding overall was good, they have a lot of fun. The guys all must push each other to ride better because they all are capable of some big, and difficult riding. Real stoked on how a bunch of guys who are stuck in a not so rideable place make it work for them.

The filming was pretty smooth and quality, they used a dvx to film so it isn’t some cheap consumer camera getting the clips. The colors were good too. On the editing side, it is aparent Aaron has made a few videos in his day, he makes it flow together real good, no clips that didn’t get cut right or anything. High five on that one.

The music is good because of a big reason I have, it was right in the middle. There wasn’t any heavy metal raaaaw! type stuff where you can’t even understand the dude singing, and there was no main stream rap music, it was all more unheard of and lower key bands and artists. I really liked that, and it was something that I think takes talent. That is finding music and not just going for whats hot.

Overall I think the DVD was good stuff, it has a great vibe and worth checking out.
If you are interested you can get more info on the DVD at NoBikes.com

For even more information on the DVD check out the interview I did with Aaron to get more info going on the dvd for you kids..

and here is the trailers..

Four Corners Trailer from no bikes on Vimeo.
(original trailer)

four corners, out now from no bikes on Vimeo.
(Newer Trailer)

Brian Oestreich Interview

February 23, 2008

Full name:
Brian Oestreich

age:
24

location:
St. Paul, Mn

occupation:
TIG welder

What got you into bmx?
Just grew up with a bunch of kids that loved to mess around. Bikes were usually involved and it eventually became an addiction to ride.

how long have you been riding?
roughly 12 yrs

who or what are the major influences in your riding?
Music kinda influences me. otherwise i just kinda pick up on things i think look neato and try to add it to the how i ride.

do you have a certain style to your riding that makes you stand out?
uhmm i dunno. really quick jerky movements and whips off of weird obstacles. thats about it.

whats up with girl pants yo?
haha oh god. srsly? havnt worn a pair in a looooong time. used to be fun. but i grew out of it. fitted guy pants are the way to go nowadays. much more comfy:)

what is your favorite trick and why?
whips, and barspins. basicaly the bad ass tricks haha. i like them cause its fun to try to do them on odd things.

what type of riding terrain suits you best?
really flowy park. and street

wheres your favorite spot to ride?
Dinkytown mcdonalds and the U of M campus on a weekend night when all the partiers are out. Ive had the best nights just chillin in front of mcdonals with mark riding curbs haha

do you have any major plans for your bmx life?
nope not really. just to do it as long as im physically able.

if you had a chance to ride with anyone in the world who would it be and why?
honestly. id rather just ride with everyone from here. such a good vibe goin on here. plus that way i dont feel stupid when i cant do an invert.

do you have a perfect day?
75 degree day. partly cloudy. drivin on a curvy road in an evo9. and then riding my bike at a cement park all evening.

being a minnesotan, what do you do with bmx and the cold weather?
take it indoors. winters get super depressing sometimes. well actually a lot of the time. but you just have to find something to occupy your time and it goes by a little faster.

what is your most memorable biking experience?
G-shock.

how on earth did you come up with your nickname shwang twong?
You can thank my friend Mike for that one. Up until he said that my only nickname was B.O. but one day he was being his normal weird self and was saying B.O. over and over again in a jingle sorta and then added the word shwangtwong in there. and it stuck. nothing exciting.

if youre not found biking… you can be found?
driving. playing v games. online. napping. eating. watching tv or movies.

What is your current bike setup?
fly 3 amigos frame. fit salt lake bars. sunday fork. trq and prpl front wheel. brakeless at the moment.

If you could change one part right now which would it be?
oh fuck. haha my whole bike needs changing. everything on there is old as tits. but i just ordered a stem cause my oddyssey has been cracked for half a yr.

what part on your bike is your most favorite?
frame has treated me well. although i am looking to save up for a new one. but otherwise id hafta say my front wheel cause its dope and looks neato. only nice looking part on my bike.

Least Favorite?
brakes and chain. the fuck up to much. dont have to worry about the brakes now though cause i took them off.

explain to me your life outside of bmx:
work. and sleep. yep.

any lovers?
besides mark…. and del. oh jeez. haha. maddy is pretty dope so im pretty much tamed down at the moment. we’ll see how things go tho.

whats the word?
what word? dixxx?

yes or no?
uhmmm no? i dont know what this is asking

Youre a pretty avid Live For Speed player, tell me how it feels to get your ass kicked by an asian in simulated drag racing?
meh im fine with it cause i can still kick everyones ass at grip racing and drifting:)

Aside from video games, biking, and looking cool youre a pretty big car enthusiast. What kind of car do you drive?
that would currently be a silver mazda 3 hatchback. it gets me from point a to point b. hauls the bikes. and looks sexy. but someday itll be replaced by an evo9.

Anything i missed that you would like to add?
uhmm dixxx:)

Any shoutouts?
just wanna say that i seriously, deep down, love everyone that i ride with. if it wasnt for the friends ive made from riding i definitely would have quit a loooooong time ago.

Beloe Is Live…

February 22, 2008

Well, as you remember from the Brian Osborne Interview and other Beloe news we have been posting up for the last few months, I guess it would be neccesary to let you guys know that the BMX part of the beloe site is up Beloe BMX section check out a bunch of the pictures in the blog and see the king of minneapolis. AKA iTod our contributor.. DIALED! haha

HAPPY FRIDAY

Frank Stewart Video

February 21, 2008

Frank Stewart is a well known legend around Iowa and Minnesota, he rides like a champ, super amazing stuff…

Such a good video

BMXperception.com

February 21, 2008

There is a new website that is just getting underway, if you are firmiliar with the website SkatePerception.com you will understand what this website is. Basically the guys who run that have started up a BMX version for us all to be apart of. I figured I would ask them a few questions about the website and what to expect. Here is what he had to say.

What is bmxperception all about?
BMX Perception is a media discussion forum targeted at the filming, photography and design community within bmx.

How did you come up with the idea?
Well it was kind of in the works for a long time. Other people had shown interest in starting up a site geared in the bmx media direction but no one stepped up. A few months ago Steve LaClair emailed me about his idea for starting it. I was more than thrilled to be a part of it.

You also run some other sites, what are those?
Steve LaClair and Mike Holm are the creators of the Perception Media Network. The Other site are SkatePerception.com and SnowPerception.com. As far as myself and other sites, I’m part of the content team for News-Record.com, which is the news paper for Greenboro, NC. I’m a video producer for online content.

What would the ideal thing you want to come from this site?
Skateperception was obviously a huge hit, and has been around for a while. I’ve been a member of that site for some years now and it does a lot of great things for the skateboard media community. And i think that BMX Perception is something that the bmx community has had the need for a long time. I just want to have an educated media community to hopefully help others out that are just starting. I feel its such a rewarding experience to be able to help out up and comers and give them a chance to show their perception on bmx.

How can people sign up?
Get on the internet and type in BMXPerception.com/forums and click on sign up.

What is the difference between this forum and all of the other forums?
The other perception media forums are geared towards skateboarding and snow. There are quite a few members of skateperception that are bmx’ers, and its funny because most of them kept it undercover most the time. it was surprising to get pm’s from people saying, “hey i ride bmx too”. Most of the skateperception community was pretty open about things. I and a few other risk takers would post up bmx stuff every now and again. Some members would be into, and well, some weren’t. But BMXperception.com gives us a place to focus on bmx media.

What does the future hold for BMXPerception.com?
Well if you look at SkatePerception.com you’ll see it has more of a front end site with videos and news and stuff. We are working on getting all that up and going but we wanted to get the forums going off the bat. BMXPerception.com will be your come to place for bmx media in the future.

Corey Bohan Interview

February 20, 2008

Everyone knows who Corey is, if you don’t… well your sick chubs. He is an amazing rider and super chill guy. This interview turned out awesome..

Name:
Corey Bohan

Location:
Corona CA

Sponsors:
Giant bikes, RedBull, DC shoes, Fox, Duo and Mosh

Years riding:
10

It would appear your livin the good life! How is Austrailia and when do you come back to the states?
Life is good right now. I been in aus for a few months..just spending quality family time and surfing my local breaks and riding my bike. I come home every year. Im back in CA by March each year to get back to business and have fun back there.

What is it like to be able to surf in February while the rest of us are freezing our asses off?
For me ive known nothing but summer. Australia’s winters are very mild and u can surf all year round in shorts and a T. I have never experienced a full on white winter so maybe one day i will know how that feels…as for now i will just keep skipping from summer to summer.

How are things going with Giant, do you have a signature frame or anything with them coming out?
Giant has been so kick arse its not even funny. they have been behind me 100% since i signed and its been just goodtimes. I have a frame out this year….its been a slow process mainly cause im not really motivated too get shit going hahaha. The frame is dope..i been riding it for the last year and have made a few little changes for 08 but the bikes should be out and about this year.

How about your other sponsors anything signature?
Duo does cool shit and our whole team works on different stuff. Duo brought out a 5950 new era hat for me as a gift and i got to design it all so that was cool. Im workign on other stuff such a grips and things so keep an eye out.

It seems like your everywhere these days, where have you been recently?
Its been quite a busy end of year thats forsure……one month i was in Berlin, then i was back in CA, then it was off to fiji and then i made a trip back to aus where ive been traveling around a whole bunch as well..when your busy time flys….but u will always remember the goodtimes.

What are your plans for 2008?
Umm progress a bit, heading on road fools in april, Ride a lot more street, surf, travel……just keep on having as much fun as possible.

Will we see a lot more of you at the park contests along with the dirt finally?
Its all depends if i qualify, sometimes the dew tour prelims for park can just be a nightmare, courses and long days…..im gonna try ride the opens and see how it goes…so who knows….im not too concearned if i dont make the cut.

Plenty of medals and nora cups, what else do you want to accomplish in the next few years?
Im more than happy with how bmx has turned out for me….i think i just wanna go new places and ride new stuff. Its all about having fun and thats all i really wanna do. I have a full length part coming out in a new dvd called “Holiday” it will be avaible everywhere so im excited to work on more video parts for the future.

You have some really amazing style, did you race as a kid or anything or is it natural?
Thanks a lot. I raced for a few weeks but nothing too serious…i grew up near a bmx track back home here so i would just ride it every now and again.

If you could ride only one place for the rest of your life where would it be and why?
I would say back here in aus….that way if im not riding i could just go surf haha.

What are your favorite tricks to do or see?
A good invert will not be beat. Too see i would say a 360 invert. I love doing 360 one foot flats.

What is a trick you cannot do for the life of you?
I would say a no footed x-up lol.

What are some new tricks you are working on?
Im working on this one trick its called “win the dew tour” haha just fucking round……i dont know what i wanna learn….something that you dont see over and over again or already been done…i will try come up with something creative and different. I’ll let you know when i get it.

What contest are you looking forward to more, elevation or empire?
This is an awesome question…..these are the only 2 contest i wanna do really good at….im looking forward them both a lot!

Do you have any information that dirt half pipe contest red bull had in the works?
Yep, its been pushed back but its still going too happen. dates are being worked out so that it can be an event where everyone is avaible too attend. Ive seen pics of the actually site and the progress already looks fuckin rad.

A few years ago before you were able to make it over here from Austrailia, did you ever expect it to go as well as it has for you?
Def couldnt expect any of it. I worked an apprentiship with my dad for his construction company and i just went over to travel and ride…..i came home with some good result from some random comps and got hooked up with some spono’s. It was a dream come true and i was fuckin siked.

Is there something in the water in Austrailia? It seems like theres just unbelievable riders over there!
haha yeah its called beer & jack daniles lol. Its complete madness that there is this many doing so well. Aus has a bunch of talent and it just so happens that a good handful have done well.

How do you feel about Jack Daniels?
Jack Daniels is a great thing. I will drink it for the rest of my life.

You appeared on that one MTV show… Everyone wants to know, did you hit that!?! (maybe not everyone but I am curious)
haha it seems too have scored abit of attention…..its all good, i think its funny that i ended up in that position. Audrina is a kick arse sexy chick and we are close hahaha. i’ll leave it at that 😉

What do you think you would be doing if you never picked up a bike or surf board?
I would be working construction and trying to make a good go at life here in australia.

Who or what are some of the biggest influences in your life?
My family. They work so hard for what they have got and they love each other dearly. I want a fmaily just liek that when im older.

You have some pretty awesome photoshop skills did you teach yourself?
Actually a friend of mine Heidi first showed me the ropes and now im well on my way…..when you have a lot of spare time and its raining i guess i think photoshop lol.

If you could be sponsored by a company that has no ties to BMX, what would it be and why?
I think it would be an airline company. Travel is so rad. You can go anywhere and i’d sit my arse in first class all the way ahha.

If you could spend the day with anybody alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I think i would spend it with someone funny. Probly that chubby fella thats big in all the comedies these days…from super bad? that guy…..
Jonah Hill

What are some of your favorite movies and tv shows?
Fav movie would be dumb n dumber and the wedding singer. Fav tv show would be an aus dvd series called “Summer Heights High” search it on youtube if you dont know what it is and im sure you will have a laugh.

What are some of your favorite bands?
Megadeth, Archers of Loaf, Shadows fall, The get up kids, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Run DMC….theres alot fo good music out there.

Favorite websites?
Vital, Coastalwatch.com, TheComeUp, YouPorn & Myspace.

Since your a pretty well known dude, do you have any stories about stalkers?
nah its been alright. One time tho this random chick wrote this crazy fuckin poem/story thing online and it was just fuckin wierd haha.

What do you miss most when your in Austrailia?
Family, friends and food.

What do you miss most when your in the states?
My house, Mates and the crazyness that goes on in LA.

If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Mind reader. Then you really know whats going on haha.

What is the lady situation lookin like?
Its looking good haha, Been keeping it real and just being a real gentleman haha.

What are some things you like to do outside of riding and everything?
If im not riding im surfing. Then comes stuff like Table tennis, actual tennis, golf and dirt bikes.

What is the wildest thing you have seen or experienced in your life?
Surfing Pipeline around 10ft plus……so heavy and so fuckin scary.

If you could change anything about BMX, what would you change and why?
I wish it was as popular as NFL or some shit cause our sport is so much fucking cooler.

What kind of advice do you have for kids just getting into BMX?
Do not worry or stress out about becoming pro or gettign paid. Have fun with bmx and if shit works out it will work out just fine. I am believer of good things come to good people.

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Family. Friends. Thanks to all my sponos. Giant, Redbull, Fox. DC, Duo & Mosh. Fuckin go off and cut sick mates 😉

Anything you would like to add I forgot?
No haha.