It’s kind of crazy to think about how much has changed between the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s in comparison to today. It’s weird to think that BMX is just starting to get to a point where it really has some solid points of history. There’s a lot of riders out there that have been riding for 10+ years now days and I think as we all get older (myself included) we’re starting to see more and more love for the nostalgia of “the good old days of BMX”. A few weeks back, a huge blast from the past surfaced with Hal Brindley and Leigh Ramsdell at the reigns announcing that they would be bringing 2B, Play and Useless clothing back all under a new venture called Oldscool BMX.
Now, I’m sure a ton of kids are looking at this news like “What the fuck is 2B, Play and Useless?” or “Who the hell is ‘Hal Brindley’?” Which, I guess I can’t blame you since there’s a good chance a lot of these names were well known names in BMX before you were even born, but still… If you have an appreciation for Do It Yourself BMX, or even things that helped get BMX to where it is today, this should get you stoked.
With things with Oldschool really taking off fast thanks to a very successful Kickstarter, I figured it would be a good idea to get ahold of Hal and Leigh and find out just what they’re planning on doing with the program. Take a peek because good things are coming!
Official Oldscool BMX Trailer
It looks like Leigh Ramsdell and Hal Brindley are working on a new project called Oldscool to bring back some of their old Useless, 2B and PLAY designs. Check out this trailer then hit their website to find out what’s really going on.
“I started editing the intro for our kickstarter project and made myself laugh. So I turned it into a trailer. Welcome to the oldscool… – Hal Brindley
Eastern – How To Get Bowlegged with Leigh Ramsdell
Leigh Ramsdell is the MAN!
“When we first started filming for Eastern’s Death of Fun video I was pumped to put out a full section. But on our very first filming trip I decided to break my hip on a feeble attempt. I swear it made me a little more bowlegged. So that kids, is how you get more bowlegged. Try to feeble a ledge, knock yourself out and break your hip. Three easy steps. Don’t try this at home. I included a few warm up clips that we filmed prior. Richard Pryor.
-Leigh.
Thanks to Stew Johnson for filming and for picking me up off the ground.” – Eastern Bikes
Eastern – Flashback Friday: Leigh Ramsdell Early 2000’s
Haha, the song choice for this fits all too well. Leigh Ramsdell is the man!
“In the Early 2000’s Leigh Ramsdell was traveling around hitting different spots all over the USA. Here is what he had to say about this old edit; “I wasn’t filming for anything in particular. Actually I was usually filming someone else and would see something that looked fun and ride it. After a few years I had these random clips sitting around so we made this little edit. I sure do love riding bikes”. Enjoy this Friday Flick #Flashback of the Eastern Bikes TM.
Photo: Mark Losey” – Eastern
Eastern – Negsrc in Austin
“Earlier this year the NegSrc crew went to Austin, Texas to celebrate Zack Roberts birthday and ride bikes. It was a real fun trip and everyone had a blast on and off their bikes. Nothing crazy in this video but a good time for sure. Head over to negsrc.com and have a look around that site.” – Eastern
Eastern in Londrina, Brazil
“Last fall Adam Banton and myself went to Brazil to hang out at the Bike Expo trade show and visit some shops. We brought our bikes but did not have much time to ride. The one town we went to that had a really fun park was Londrina and there we only had about thirty minutes until we moved on. Here is a little video of those few minutes and some scenes from Brazil. Next time we go back we are spending a day here!” -Leigh Ramsdell
Eastern – 2011 Best Of Am / Vets
Kind of weird not seeing Eric Holley in this mix, but it’s still damn good. Check it!
“This is a compilation of the Eastern Bikes’ Am and Vet Team. We took the best clips from all the videos we released in 2011 that had these guys in it. Enjoy riding from Darren Bouldin, Duncan Gore, Cody Jennings, Phil Jones, Leigh Ramsdell and Zach Rogers.” – Eastern Bikes
Useless – Leigh Ramsdell
Damn. This is too rad. 1997 is even like two years before I even got into BMX…
“In 1994 I decided to start a small clothing company. I called it Useless simply because I though it was funny and sometimes I would have people say to me that BMX was a useless skill to have. Funny how I was able to see a lot of the world with this useless skill. In 1997 Useless released it’s first video, on VHS. I edited this video on Props old Video Toaster up in Ithaca, New York with the guidance of Mike Tag and Steve Crandall. I love watching videos from this ear. Tricks were sketchy and the quality of the filming was sub par compared to today. Take my section in the video… I case half my bike on a 720, come off early on rails and use wood take offs on jumps. All this would be unacceptable now. But that is just evolution. I get stoked when ever I see this section simply because it brings back lots of memories of spots that are no longer here, people I barely see any more and how things have changed but the feeling of my bike is the same.” – Leigh Ramsdell