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It takes someone to do it. It took Alain Massabova a year to do it. Some things are easier said then done. "You should write a book about the history of BMX!" Alain took on the challenge and pulled it off, and in a great way. 300 pages of French BMX history, from the early days to 2022. From racing to freestyle. Jams to competitions. Road trips to photo shoots. France has some rich history in BMX and flipping through the book you will face familiar names. Some you've forgotten. Some are still ripping. In 35 years a lot has happened in BMX and seeing everything together in one thick book is great. Collecting the photos alone must have been a challenge. Back in the day nothing was digital so that scanner must have made some overtime scanning all the early photos. Then archiving them first, putting them in the right order before making a selection. Which ones to use?

It only works when eveyone pitches in, and lots of them did. This makes the book something special for everyone. The book starts off with the 1978-1988 oldschool phase. How it started, the pioneers,

Daily newspapers are still alive. The tradition of a newspaper dropping on the doormat every morning hasn't disappeared now that the news spreads quicker via the internet. A BMX newspaper existed in the early '80s. It came out every week. That shows how big BMX was in the early stages when everyone and their cousin had a BMX bike. The British pubication called BMX Weekly (we still have a coupe) turned into BMX Bi-Weekly soon after and then disappeared altogether when BMX magazines came to life. Seeing a BMX newspaper 43 years later came as a bit of a surprise. It's not going to be daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, it's more of a 1-off published by the folks at DIG and focused on the Glasgow area. It came out during the week of the UCI Cycling World Championships in August but I only got to read the entire paper on the way back from Chile a few weeks ago.

How cool would it be to have a BMX Newspaper dropping on the floor every morning. One that has good interviews, the results of the BMX races and competitions, an activity list, how-to's, new product reviews, a calendar, industry section, kids corner, and spot checks. It would take a lot of effort to get it done. That's why current newspaper subscriptions aren't free either. To fill the paper on a daily basis, just imagine how much work goes into that.

Emerica Footwear is proud to join forces with Biltwell to create an exclusive collaboration that highlights the shared love of skateboarding, motorcycle riding and the open road. Biltwell is a California-based motorcycle parts and accessories brand. By focusing on quality, performance and style - they’ve been providing like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts products they can rely on and trust since 2006.

The Biltwell collection features classic Emerica silhouettes of an Omen-Hi in black suede and orange colour hits, a full-grain leather Romero Laced High with red lining - and for the skate-purists, a grey, suede Wino G6 Slip-On with ollie guards for added durability. The Biltwell collection comes with a unique box and custom insole artwork - along with a full apparel offering and is available now.

Name: Ricky Veronick
Age: 21
Hometown: Moreno Valley, California
Hookups: Khe Bikes, Bluesix Bikes

Frame: Custom titanium
Forks: Custom titanium
Stem: Mutant
Headset: Cane Creek 110

It has been a while since we rode our BMX bikes in the mud. We pick the clear days most of the time or ride indoors or on the asphalt pump track. It took a little while before we had an opportunity to test the Muc-Off power washer. Actually the first test was on some dirty shoes. Carnaval destroyed two pairs of Vans. They were ready for the trash, or maybe a power washer could save them. The Muc-Off power washer was easy to install. Power and Water, and ready to go in minutes. The pressure it created had no problems getting the dirt off the shoes in seconds and both pairs were saved from the trash.

BMX Racing does take place in bad weather conditions and we've been in situations in the past where we could have used a Muc-Off power washer so we didn't have to clean the bike in the puddle or nearby canal. The bike friendly Muc-Off cleaner is powerfull but does not destroy your sealed bearings or other movable parts. It gets the dirt off. If it doesn't get off right away, spray some Fast Action Bike Cleaner on the section and the job will get done. If this sounds like a big investment, think again.

The Bicycle Pressure Washer + 1L Nano Tech Cleaner will cost you €115,95. Cheaper than two pairs of new shoes. We will, in the future, test the Muc-Off washer some more after some dirt bike sessions, wet MTB trips, or when that BMX bike actually gets dirty.

In 1979 artist Damian Fulton began drawing what is now one of the most iconic cartoons in BMX; Radical Rick. Along with characters like MX Mug, Spike Speedwrench and the infamous Skuzzer Switchblade, Radical Rick grew into one of BMX's most historical figures through the pages of BMX Plus! magazine. Over the course of the last year, we collaborated with Fulton to bring his art to life through these Radical Rick-themed 24", 26" and 29" models. If you're thinking that this might be the perfect combination of design, history, and bike life, we'd most definitely agree.

SPECS:

-Frame: 6061-T6 Heat Treated Alloy Frame, Integrated Headtube w/ Gusset, MID BB Shell & Disc Brake Mounts
-Fork: 1 1/8" Threadless Full Cr-Mo Fork w/ Internally Threaded Steerer Tube & Tapered Legs

Title of the Book: KIDRACER it’s Moto madness ft Anthony Bucardo
Author: Anthony Bucardo and Danae Brown
Illustrator: Zachary Brown, Kayden Brown
Date published: June 11 2022
Pages: 15
Copies printed: 300

A coloring book, how did that come about?
Anthony Bucardo: I’ve always loved cartoons, coloring and when I started doing the cartoon stickers of myself I wanted to figure a way to make it into a coloring book, over time was just busy with the races back to back and figuring things out, Anthony and I actually got in touch and he just finished a run of his coloring book series he just started, and we came up with an game plan and made it happen!

Do you have any idea why they had you in mind as the main character?
Anthony Bucardo: I think just me being connected with the kids, and just being who I am.

Vans has teamed up with Palm Angels - a skate-influenced brand from Venice Beach. The collection is made of carefully selected materials and the style has been reinterpreted in the Palm Angels look. The colours red, grey, white and black dominate, as well as the Palm Angels logo on the side of the shoes, which mimics Vans' iconic side stripe.

-Vintage feel with a modern touch
-High-top lace-up shoe
-Printed Palm Angels and suede uppers

Title of the book: Concrete and Smog – Unseen Photos from 1980’s BMX Freestyle
Author: Bill Batchelor
Date published: August 2022
Pages: 424
Copies printed: 1,071

How long was the thinking process before you decided to get to work on the book?
Bill Batchelor: Once I opened my archive of photos and realized how favorable the response was, I thought of doing a photo book. Given that I was only 13 when I took most of the photos and disappeared from BMX for almost 35 years, I felt there could be a good story as well.

Did you have things lined up and organized as far as photos were concerned?
Bill Batchelor: The process started very loose, just posting random photos online. Once I decided to do the book, I wrote most of the story copy and created a rough outline based around sequential events such as AFA contests. I also set aside break-out chapters to talk about publishing and photography,

and well as delve into my family and BMX history.

How many days have you spent scanning images for the book?
Bill Batchelor: Too many. I used an inexpensive flatbed scanner (Epson V600) to scan everything and did it from my dining room table. I originally scanned all the images quickly and at medium resolution. Once I started the book layout, I had to go back through all the negatives and scan again. Many of my original negatives were in poor shape (scratched, low contrast, overexposed) so I ended up scanning difficult images several times, and eventually changed to Silverfast software which seemed to produce better results.

Once digitized, how did you proceed from there?
Bill Batchelor: Everything was stored on mini-SD cards organized in folders based on chapters. I did some Photoshop to clean up dust and scratches but limited myself to tools I would have had in my photo darkroom, such as dodging and burning. I kept it basic and left many images as I found them. I wasn’t interested in making it perfect. The photo scanning, editing and layout took about fourteen months. The book incorporates elements from my old BMX fanzines, so some of the writing and graphics were pulled from original analog sources. Most of the chapter titles were made by hand using old style dry transfer letters. I even used a typewriter for sections.

Did you get help from others?
Bill Batchelor: I relied on several people—Xavier Mendez, Scott Towne, Maurice Meyer, Ron Camero—to help me identify riders and clarify facts and timelines. All of the design and production work was done by me, although my sister-in-law helped create the logo and establish a website. I taught myself Photoshop and InDesign and did the entire project on my work-issued Dell laptop.

Is the book your story of how you lived BMX?
Bill Batchelor: Yes, it is the story of my early love for BMX racing and the BMX magazines, then a switch to freestyle. Once I picked up a camera, I started documenting the early freestyle world, especially around the Pipeline skatepark and the early AFA contests in California.

How does it feel to have been part of BMX' history from beginning to where it is now?
Bill Batchelor: It’s quite strange. BMX was my obsession as a child and almost everything in the book happened when I was only 13 and 14. I retired from BMX in 1985, and permanently in 1988. I hadn’t paid attention to anything in BMX until 2021. I completely missed the last 33 years of BMX. Did anything
happen?! I am proud of my early contribution to the sport, and it’s great to be recognized for that. People in the early California freestyle scene knew who I was, but most of the world had never heard of me when I resurfaced in 2021. At the same time, I was just some kid who loved BMX freestyle and happened to document a lot the early days with my camera. I am happy to be involved again and look forward to contributing more photos of the modern era.

Is the book a personal project or more a way to document BMX as it is/was?
Bill Batchelor: Equally both. Half of it is a photo book documenting mid-80s freestyle, the rest tells my story as a young photographer and publisher. There is also writing about youth and nostalgia, and what it all means as we get older.

Did you come across pics that you forgot about?
Bill Batchelor: Almost all of them! What is wild is the memories were clear and intact. I think it’s because I left all the images in a box for 35 years. When I pulled them out it was fresh and the memories came back by looking at the pictures. I kept finding things in the box, surprises and forgotten moments. It was a surreal experience for sure, like finding a 3000 unknown pictures from your family history, then reliving the moments in your mind. The pictures provided clues to what happened, and when, and I slowly pieced it together like a puzzle. Pieces of memory are missing for sure, and I note that throughout
the book.

Did you find pics that should never be printed in a book?
Bill Batchelor: There are pictures which aren’t good, of course. But I found nothing that would be embarrassing to anyone, or anything that was negative. It was all about people having fun and laughing and enjoying BMX. Some of the riders who have seen the book say it brings back great memories from when they were young. I have hidden nothing, it was all rad.

Who supported the book?
Bill Batchelor: The BMX community was very generous with pre-orders, and I sold photographic prints to help pay for the project. The book has been 100% financed by the BMX community. The support has been overwhelming and I couldn’t have done the project without everyone’s trust.

How hard was it to put a fair price on it?
Bill Batchelor: I would have done this for free, but unfortunately book printing is very expensive. I wanted it to be high-quality, so I paid extra for offset printing and hard cover. I am charging a very fair price given my high printing and shipping costs. The hardest part is international shipping is very expensive. The book is big and heavy, and it costs me $48-60 to ship to Europe, UK and Australia. I’ve tried to offset that by allowing BMX shops like Kuntsform, Alan’s and Luxbmx sell the book to local customers.

How was the feedback on the book from your audience?
Bill Batchelor: Feedback has been great. I am very humbled by the positive reviews and happy that people are actually reading the book, not just looking at the pictures. It was a very personal project and I’m happy that people are able to relate to it. That makes it all worthwhile. From the beginning I wanted it to be deeper than just a photo book.

Do you think you could do another one in the future?
Bill Batchelor: I may have to do a second printing, however I’m not sure if I would do a new, or expanded edition. I have more photos but I don’t think it’s enough for a second book. I am contributing some of my extra photos to the new Birth of the Freestyle Movement book by Dominic Phipps. I published quite a bit when I was young, and making this book has reminded me how much I love it. I hope to do more books or zines, but I’m not sure what the subject matter will be.

Have you run out of copies?
Bill Batchelor: I have some left but will run out very soon. I am talking to the printer about a possible second printing. Order now if you want one, this could be it.

Where can people find more information on the book?
Bill Batchelor: Go to billbatchelorbmx.com to order or follow my Instagram @bill_batchelorbmx.

If you lived through the midschool BMX era and have no magazines left for reference, the book that Jared Souney created pretty much sums it up. 404 pages of goodness that will bring back some fond memories. We caught up with Jared to see how his experience was creating a book that pleased many out there.

Title of the book: Things Seen Along the Way
Author: Jared Souney
Date published: August 2020