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Leon Hoppe Radio Bikes Nemesis Bike Check

July 12, 2017

Let’s take a look at Leon Hoppe’s fresh Radio Bikes setup!

There’s not much else better than building up a fresh bike! The other week Leon Hoppe dialed in a brand new Radio Bikes Nemesis setup decked out top to bottom in parts from Radio Bikes, Wethepeople, Eclat and Salt Plus parts to keep him rolling. The bike was looking too good not to do a quick bike check with Leon to talk about the bike, his travel plans, filming, a new signature sprocket that’s in the works and more! Check out the full bike check below!

Current Location: Krefeld, Germany

Sponsors: Radio Bikes, Saltplus Components, Peoples Store, The Fella BMX

Years riding: 8 years

Frame: Radio Bikes NEMESIS 20.75”
Bars: Wethepeople PATHFINDER sample, 9″ rise
Fork: Radio Bikes NEMESIS

Stem: Radio Bikes Axis
Headset: Saltplus Dual

Seat: Radio Bikes Tripod
Post: Radio Bikes Tripod

Sprocket: Éclat Vent Guard
Crank: Wethepeople Awake 170mm
Chain: Eclat Diesel
Pedals: Éclat Plaza

Rear Wheel: Federal Freecoaster / Saltplus Mesa Rim
Front Wheel: Saltplus Trapez Hub / Saltplus Mesa Rim

Tires: Saltplus Sting 2.40”
Pegs: Salt AM Nylon Pegs

You just built up this bike, what would you say your favorite part of it is?
I think my favorite part of my current bike is the Radio Bikes Nemesis frame. It’s a very solid frame and it has a perfect geo for every type of riding, street, park, even trails. It’s a machine you can take everywhere and shred anything.

What’s the oldest part on your bike? Does it have any sort of sentimental value or anything?
I really don’t know. I got a complete new bike a few months ago so everything is still fresh really.

I know you’re a beast on a bike. How often do you like to build up a new bike? Do you swap things out early or run it until the wheels fall off?
There are some parts I change often like pedals, pegs and grips but everything else stays on the bike till its not readable anymore, which surprisingly isn’t that often.

It seems like the Radio Bikes crew are always working on something new. Do you have any signature parts or anything coming in the future?
Radio as a brand has grown so much in the past 2 years, Dave really kills it! I started working on my first signature product earlier this year, it is going to be a Guard Sprocket which will be super solid and perfect for the Streets, but also designed in a way so that it’s not too expensive which is great especially for younger riders. I’m super thankful for this opportunity and can’t be more stoked to be riding the prototype in a few weeks time. The sprocket will be available around October/November.

I saw you’re testing out a sample of the new Wethepeople Pathfinder bars. How are you liking those so far?
They are feeling great. I’ve always liked the look of 4pc bars and I really like the geo and the specs of the Pathfinder bar. Felix Prangenberg is also one of my best friends, it’s really cool to help him test some of his signature stuff.

Are you pretty particular about the way you have your bike setup? Bars in a certain spot, a specific tire pressure or anything like that?
Haha no, I’m not that talented at working on bikes in any way at all. I ride it even when it’s not perfect so I’m not that picky.

It looks like you have been real busy stacking clips and miles. How was your recent trip to Holland with the Radio Bikes team?
It was so much fun! Nothing but good times with the Radio crew. It was such a fun trip because we were able to ride so many different setups. We rode skateparks, bowls, street and even dirt all in one week, I can’t remember the last time I could do this all on one trip. It was also rad to meet new guys on the team like Brian Fox and hang out with them in The Hague. Rotterdam was so good definitely one of my favorite cities to ride . I’m super stoked on all that clips me and Robin Kachfi got there and I can’t wait for the edit to drop which should be any day now.

Now that summer is in full swing, what is your travel plans looking like? Anywhere in particular you would like to get out to?
I really would like to go back to Barcelona end of the year. I’ll be riding all the major street contests in Europe this Summer and for the rest of the year I’m going to try to travel as much as I can, filming some clips, meet some new people and just having a good time.

I saw you have hit up a few different contests this year already. Are you a big fan of riding in contests or is it more just for fun? Do you have any plans on hitting up a few more this summer?
I like the good vibe at Contests, you always travel to new places and meet so many new people. For me this is what makes contests so special, not the competitive side, but the ability to ride and meet new people in new places. I always try to hit up most of the bigger contests in Germany, Belgium and Holland this Summer and I’ll probably be going to Riga for Simple Summer Session.

You have been busy filming quite a bit lately and popping up in plenty of edits. Are you working on any video projects that you can tell us about? When can we expect to see a fresh video from you?
Yeah there is an edit of our Rotterdam trip with my Radio teammate Robin Kachfi coming which im pretty stoked on . I have a People’s Store edit droppijng pretty soon, and I’m going to be working on a promo for my signature sprocket later this year. I also did a couple of Trips withe the guys over at the Fella Bmx and the video should be out in a few weeks .

What have you been getting into when you aren’t riding these days? Any new hobbies or things keeping you busy?
No other hobbies just work to be honest haha! I’m working as a chef right now and it’s a pretty hard job but also super fun and I don’t have to work so long during the day so I have a lot of time to ride my bike than your average 9-5 job which is sick in the Summer.

How can people keep up with you?
Instagram: @leonbmx
Snapchat: Hoodboy47

Do you have any shout outs or thanks?
Thanks to all my sponsors, my friends and my parents for supporting me riding my bike. Special thanks to my man Dave Paterson for everything he’s done for me over the past few years.

Anything else you want to say?
Thank you Kurt for this interview and the bike check and thanks to my man Aaron Zwaal for the photos .

Odyssey BMX – Brandon Webster 2017 Video

July 10, 2017

Here’s one we’ve been real excited to see! Odyssey BMX have just released Brandon Webster‘s 2017 video that is packed full of clips that he stacked a ton of miles for! As always, Brandon finds some amazing uses for spots and manages to put his pegs and nose balance to heavy use on as much of it as he can! Hit play because this BMX video kicks a ton of ass from start to finish!

“Brandon Webster is a proud Canadian, devout fisherman, hard worker, and incredible bike rider. Even with a full-time job and hours spent on the lake daily, Brandon still found time to film this killer video, traveling when he could and steadily stacking clips in locations as far flung as Austin, Miami, and Southern California. Brandon’s riding is a fantastic mix of tech and burly, and even his most tech moves are landed with such authority that they almost seem burly. Clips don’t always come easy for Brandon, but his determination sees him through, and I’m sure you’ll agree this part is well worth all the time and effort he’s put into it.” – Walter Pieringer

Insight: GT Bicycles – Junk Food Pool Tire

July 7, 2017

If you have been following the GT Bicycles crew over the past three years now, you have seen a lot of progress. They’ve completely revamped their team, the product line has gotten a ton better and they’ve been far more actively supporting BMX like they had back in the day. A big part of that reason is Ben Ward‘s role in product design and managing the BMX program for GT, and seeing his ideas coming to life are pretty wild. A little while back, GT released their classic Pool tire with a crazy sidewall that used their Junk Food design that was found on one of their Pivotal seats. We have seen BMX tires come in a lot of different colors, sizes and patterns, but we didn’t expect to see graphics like that on the sidewall. We decided to hit up Ben to learn a little bit more about the story behind the Junk Food Pool Tire… Let’s do this!

GT Pool Tire
– 20 x 2.30”
– Inflated Width: 2.37” (60mm)
– Inflated Diameter: 20.60” (523.2mm)
– Max Pressure: 60 psi
– Weight: 31.40oz
• Non-directional tread
• Micro-knurled surface
• Quick Release grind friendly sidewall

Alright, Ben! Let’s get into this. The Junk Food Pool Tires have been finally released and seem to be getting a good response. When did you originally start working on this concept for the tire?
We started working on this concept just over two years ago.

What were some of the reasons it took so long to go from concept to final product? Were there any crazy hurdles you had to jump to make this happen?
First was the idea and figuring out how to pull it off. Then a few rounds of samples, mainly to get the colors to pop and match the textile versions of the Junk Food pattern as close as possible. The last bit of time was rebuilding our customer base on the sales side to make sure we had people to sell the tires to. We’ve gotten some great traction there, so I hope to keep rolling out new goodies for everyone.

What made you want to go with the Junk Food design? Were there any other options that you guys had considered when ideas for this started flying?
Nope, no other ideas. Truth is, I wanted to jump the shark with a print design. Something so out there you couldn’t take the silliness any further. That idea just ended up turning out rad and people are stoked on it, haha. Hat’s off the Chris Piascik for turning my silliness into something cool.

Is there a possibility that you be doing any other designs in the future or is this kind of a limited run you wanted to try out?
Everything has gone so well with the idea development and now that it will finally be under riders, I can see how it does with the masses. I want to keep working on new designs. But that is down the road, people are just now getting a taste of this.

Since we know somebody will ask… How are they for grinds? Does the sidewall help slide better or is it slightly sticky? Does the print hold up to wear and tear well?
Both our LP-5 and Pool tires have Quick Release smooth sidewalls for grinds and you shouldn’t feel any difference between the Junk Food wall or a black wall Pool tire. As you ride, the graphics will smudge like any color sidewall.

What sizes do the Junk Food Pool tires come in and what are they retailing for?
The Junk Food Pool tire is a large 2.3” (measures 2.37” inflated) and retails for $24.99. That’s a bit higher than a standard Pool tire, but still competitively priced for such a unique offering.

We had a lot of the old school guys asking if the tire was going to come in smaller sizes? Any chance you’ll do a limited edition run of smaller 1.95” or smaller tires for the collectors out there?
We do have molds for the Pool tire in a 1.95”. The sales on it completely fell off, so we haven’t brought any more back in. Noted on the request for the future. For the Old School heads, we have the LP-5 (Logo) tire in a 2.2”. It is true to size and I think they will love it for both the size and nostalgic look.

Do you think we’ll be seeing more brands picking up this unique tire option in the future? The possibilities seem pretty endless.
Unfortunately, an original idea doesn’t stay original for too long in BMX, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some other brands figure out how we pulled the concept off and do their own versions. Saddle and tires have become the apparel part of the bike, so I really want to see where we can go with ideas to help the rider’s dress their bikes as unique as they dress themselves every day. Of course, for the white T and blue denim crowd we still make things in standard Black.

Since we know you recently spent some time over in Taiwan… Any hints at what’s to come for GT in 2018?
I’m not much for giving out hints, just keep an eye on the brand and teams social media pages. Odds are we’ve told you what were up to, you just didn’t catch the clues, haha. #srslyfun

We have seen a lot of comments of people talking about how products aren’t as creative and unique as they used to be. Where do you see BMX products going in the coming year or two? Do you think we’ll start seeing more creative and unique designs start popping up again?
If those two keyboard vocal people could buy enough product to keep brands doors open, you would still see creative and unique offerings. The thing is, those products existed and the tide turned. Pockets have gotten leaner and no one wants to take a chance on purchasing new ideas. Tried and true is the current path. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There isn’t enough money in BMX to justify reinventing the wheel when the current wheels are infinitely better than anything before them. I am not going to comment on where I see things going, but what I would like to see is more people putting the phones down, closing the laptop, getting away from the desk to go outside and ride, like I should be doing. Thanks!

If you aren’t feeling the Junk Food Pool Tire, the tire also comes in a pretty wild Black that slowly turns yellow as it wears down. If that’s a little too wild for you, you can pick it up in Black, Brown and red.

Here’s a look at the Junk Food Pivotal Seat that matches the tires as well. Just incase you missed that one when it came out awhile back!

Shadow Conspiracy – Trey Jones and Simone Barraco Stem Promo

July 6, 2017

Haha, this is amazing. The Shadow Conspiracy dropped this promo video for the new Trey Jones and Simone Barraco signature Treymone Stem! Not only does this have some really dialed riding clips, but they went all out with a Beavis and Butthead theme for the video that should get most of you older guys cracking up pretty good. Check out the video then learn all about the stem right here!

“Shadow riders Trey Jones and Simone Barraco may seem wildly different, but when you get them together, it’s clear that they’re on the same wavelength. When we were approached by the two of them to create a new split signature stem that fit their unique styles, we couldn’t say no. The Treymone stem is a classic stem that pays homage to the duos classic style and unparalleled riding. Look for it at your local Shadow dealer today!

Filmed and Edited by Ryan Chadwick”

BSD – Reed Stark “Safari” Video

July 3, 2017

We’re not quite sure how many countries or miles that Reed Stark has logged in the past year, but they both have to be some pretty insane numbers since he’s been on the move constantly! BSD just released this new Safari Frame promo giving you a look at some of his time in South Africa and a ton of amazing clips he has stacked during his stay! Reed is one rider you can always count on to come through with the goods and this BMX video delivers! If this doesn’t make you want to travel to South Africa, you’re crazy! Hit play!

“Reed Stark takes his signature BSD SAFARI frame on a Giraffic adventure through the epic wilderness of South Africa.

Filmed and edited by Antoine Sabourin.

Additional filming by Brandon Blight, Denim Cox and Kevin Schnider.

Special thanks to to Brandon Blight, Kevin Schnider, Murray Loubser, Rico Ribeiro and Paco at Evals BMX and all the good people who we met along the way including Nathi Steeze, Darren Oatley, Hann Jansen, Catfish and Zach Krejmas.”

The Trip – Ty Morrow “Trip Tape” Section

July 3, 2017

The Trip helping kick your week off right with another section from the “Trip Tape” full-length video for your viewing pleasure. This time around we get Ty Morrow‘s section that you already know is packed with heat. As always, Ty brings a ton of style, grinds, big 360’s, wallrides and more to every spot he touches. You won’t want to miss this!

“Ty Morrow’s video opening part from #TripTape.

Buy the full video on DVD or digital download now at TheTripped.com

Filmed by- Fernando Gomarin, Calvin Kosovich, Tony Ennis, Steve Croteau, Aaron Brenner and Andrew Castaneda.”

Review: Focalpoint – “Alive & Well” DVD

June 28, 2017

Let’s talk about the “Alive & Well” DVD from Focalpoint!

If there is one guy who we don’t quite know how he manages to do everything he does, it’s Cooper Brownlee. Between his roles with Colony and Division Brand, he has always managed to put a lot of time into keeping Focalpoint going strong, keeping the scene down in Australia rolling along.

A few weeks back, the latest full-length video from Cooper and Focalpoint called “Alive & Well” was released and it’s a banger of a BMX video packed full of familiar faces. The video features full parts from Jake Deering, Sean Falkenstein, Alex Bolton, Kym Grosser, Pat Freyne and Jack Kelly, with mixes and a split section featuring Marius Dietsche, James Pease, Cooper Brownlee, Polly, Brad Anderson, Chris Whyte, Daniel Johnson, Jack O’Reilly, Jacman Hinss, Lachy Swanton, Tasman Murray, Jax Anderson, Chris Henderson, Kyle Fletcher, Matt Green, Jack Gruber and Alex Hiam.

If you aren’t going through that list and wanting to see this video already, you’re crazy because that’s some of Australia’s finest that all stacked clips for this BMX video.

Going into the video, we had a pretty good idea of what we were getting into. We’ve followed Cooper’s videos enough over the years to know that we’re going to get some really clean film work and pretty straight forward editing without a lot of extra fluff or graphics. We’re big fans of clean and simple, and that’s exactly what we got in this video. The film work had a good mix of long lens and fisheye shots without over doing it with the second angles for clips unless it was necessary. The video has a good balance for the footage and it makes it easy to watch without getting caught up thinking about how they could have done this or that to make it better.

When it came to the music, the “Alive & Well” video focused more on classic and laid back tunes from bands like Blood Ceremony, Sacri Monti, Uriah Heep, Blues Pills, Leon Russell, UFO, Electic Citizen, Omega and Mott The Hoople. We really liked the sound track for this since you can’t go wrong with the classics. If you like rap with your videos, you’re not getting much love in this one.

The “Alive & Well” video is all focused on the streets with a lot of rail and ledge destruction, ditches, banks and wallrides. There might be a skatepark clip or two mixed in there, but this is for the most part just grinds and lines. With a line up like the one this video has, you get a lot of different tricks and a good mix of styles in this, which helps keep things interesting from start to finish!

Overall, the “Alive & Well” video turned out just as dialed as I had expected when I saw the trailer for the first time. We were really stoked on the whole video, but Jack Kelly didn’t disappoint with the ender! The entire video runs a total of 54 minutes including the crash section that is packed with heavy slams and some good laughs, so it’s a decent length! It’s actually a lot of video for the price, since it is currently available for FREE with any order from the Focalpoint Webstore! Talk about a deal.

Check out the trailer below and you can learn more about the video over on the Focalpoint website!

SE Bikes – Matt Cordova SoCal Bowl Thrashing

June 28, 2017

Now this is what we’re talking about! SE Bikes just dropped this brand new video featuring Matt Cordova going to work on a bunch of bowls in Southern California! As you should know by now, Matt is a style machine that goes fast and big and this video is all those things! You gotta hit play because this is too good to miss!

“ No morsel of transition is safe in this new heater from Matt Cordova! The 2016 Van Doren Invitational winner went on a bowl rampage on his SE Gaudium all over Southern California oozing that typical style that he’s become so known for. Hang on for this one and get your day goin’!

Film/Edit: Nathan Sykes
Song: Band Red Scalp – Song Rituals”