BMX - My Story Of An Open Community
What comes to your mind when you think about bikes?
Kids playing in the streets? Hoodlums riding things they shouldn’t? Or professionals competing in the XGames? Either way, you’re right.
Bicycle Motocross (BMX) is a sport for all ages and types. From 13 year old Colin Akerman, to 40 year old Ryan Nyquist. It is an open sport. There is riders of all types, of all ages, heights, weights, color. There are very light bikes, there are heavy bikes; bikes more suited for “street” riding, as well as bikes more suited for “park riding”.
I myself currently weigh in the 320s with a height of about 5’9. My bike is built with a mix of park and street parts.
I ride street more than anything.
When I first got into BMX, it was a terrifying thing.
The air you can get, the injuries you could face, the ridicule.
There is ridicule because no community is without hate.
People were against me for my weight and my unique style of riding I acquired from the beginning.
I didn’t learn to balance on a bike until I was 16, with the help of kids and teens younger than me.
I observed how others rode for a long time. I took the longest just learning to hop. It would seem futile at times, inevitable at others.
Over the course of a couple years I struggled to wonder if somebody like me really belonged in this type of thing.
Then I made new friends that pushed me farther than I’ve ever gone.
They encouraged me to keep going, so I did.
Here I am at age 20. Over 1,600 followers on my mainly BMX-focused Instagram page.
I’m followed by two very well known riders. Jabe Jones, and Big Boy, one of my all time top inspirations. As well as one of my favorite BMX brands, Subrosa, and their founder Ryan Sher.
I have started a clothing brand and team of BMX riders, Gamers, Musicians. We have plenty of diversity at Shadow Channel.
I’ve got 13 year old kids supporting me, I’ve got 30 year old adults supporting me.
People in the United States, people in the United Kingdom, Thailand, all over the planet.
We’re all brought together by our love for riding bicycles.
BMX is a sport anybody can get into with enough drive. The hate I still receive will forever be outweighed by the overflowing amounts of love from my friends and fellow riders.
Big Boy, Jabe Jones, George Galyo, Robbie Dandeneau, Blake Forester, Josh Pierce, my brother Stevie Adams, everybody at Subrosa and The Shadow Conspiracy, William, Bob, Doob, and everybody else at Sparky's Distribution Center.
You can do freestyle, you can do flatland, or simply race.
You can ride only street. You can ride only park. You can ride both.
You can do whatever you want in BMX; that is a huge part of what it’s about.
We are far more than criminals trying to vandalize the world.
We just want to ride the world.
Sources:
Shadow Channel
Kids playing in the streets? Hoodlums riding things they shouldn’t? Or professionals competing in the XGames? Either way, you’re right.
Bicycle Motocross (BMX) is a sport for all ages and types. From 13 year old Colin Akerman, to 40 year old Ryan Nyquist. It is an open sport. There is riders of all types, of all ages, heights, weights, color. There are very light bikes, there are heavy bikes; bikes more suited for “street” riding, as well as bikes more suited for “park riding”.
I myself currently weigh in the 320s with a height of about 5’9. My bike is built with a mix of park and street parts.
I ride street more than anything.
When I first got into BMX, it was a terrifying thing.
The air you can get, the injuries you could face, the ridicule.
There is ridicule because no community is without hate.
People were against me for my weight and my unique style of riding I acquired from the beginning.
I didn’t learn to balance on a bike until I was 16, with the help of kids and teens younger than me.
I observed how others rode for a long time. I took the longest just learning to hop. It would seem futile at times, inevitable at others.
Over the course of a couple years I struggled to wonder if somebody like me really belonged in this type of thing.
Then I made new friends that pushed me farther than I’ve ever gone.
They encouraged me to keep going, so I did.
Here I am at age 20. Over 1,600 followers on my mainly BMX-focused Instagram page.
I’m followed by two very well known riders. Jabe Jones, and Big Boy, one of my all time top inspirations. As well as one of my favorite BMX brands, Subrosa, and their founder Ryan Sher.
I have started a clothing brand and team of BMX riders, Gamers, Musicians. We have plenty of diversity at Shadow Channel.
I’ve got 13 year old kids supporting me, I’ve got 30 year old adults supporting me.
People in the United States, people in the United Kingdom, Thailand, all over the planet.
We’re all brought together by our love for riding bicycles.
BMX is a sport anybody can get into with enough drive. The hate I still receive will forever be outweighed by the overflowing amounts of love from my friends and fellow riders.
Big Boy, Jabe Jones, George Galyo, Robbie Dandeneau, Blake Forester, Josh Pierce, my brother Stevie Adams, everybody at Subrosa and The Shadow Conspiracy, William, Bob, Doob, and everybody else at Sparky's Distribution Center.
You can do freestyle, you can do flatland, or simply race.
You can ride only street. You can ride only park. You can ride both.
You can do whatever you want in BMX; that is a huge part of what it’s about.
We are far more than criminals trying to vandalize the world.
We just want to ride the world.
Sources:
Shadow Channel
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