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It's a tough decision what to do with the magazine reviews. We haven't even seen the actual RIDE copy of Issue 153 and we already received the cover and contents list of issue 154. Now we could wait until this issue arrives in the mail, or give you the full list of what's inside now. This time we opted for the latter. We've also got copies of Cream, RIDE UK and BMX Plus! laying here on the desk so expect a review of those actual mags in the next few days. All these mags seem to arrive all at once leaving me puzzled on where to start. Since we received the full list of RIDE BMX issue 154 by e-mail, we'll start with that:

- Departments -
First Words. Keith Mulligan has been in the BMX world for a long

It was a surprise to me to find out there is a full colour BMX magazine from Spain. I normally know what's out there but this time I did not know what to think and had no clue who was behind the publication. The other day I received a mail from BMX A Tope! and today I got two copies in the mail. Issue 8, and issue 9. The October issue (#8) is all about the BMX race at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, photos and all. I wouldn't say the paper quality, photos and layout are top notch but issue 9 showed where they're coming from. BMX A Tope! used to be a 'zine (issue 1-7 were xeroxed 'zines) so the full size full colour magazines (issue 8 and 9) must have felt very special for the editors and everyone on the BMX scene in Spain. I like the effort that goes into these projects and you must have a BMX heart to pull this off. It's fair to say that BMX A TOPE! is focusing on BMX racing first but it also has a "Zona Free" which includes Freestyle contest reports. I'm not sure Sergej Geier knows he's got

Difficult as this might be to believe, there are still riders out there who prefer the greater adjustability of a saddle with rails. If you’re one of these guys, Snafu's got your seat. There are three new cover designs on this year’s Love seat, but the shape and technology of the popular BMX seat remains the same. Love seats have 8mm OD solid 4130 chromoly rails, molded nose and edge guards and a slim, lightweight molded nylon base.

We've been using these gloves for a while now and like them a lot. Light, thin and durable. Here's some more info on the SNAFU Digit Gloves: Single layer synthetic leather palm with absorbent internal padding Abrasion-resistant thumb and outside finger panels for durability Expansion joints on finger knuckles for flexibility and comfort Velcro wrist closure with thermoplastic rubber adjuster tab 4-way stretch back and braking finger panels for flexibility Non-slip rubberized finger tips for better brake control Stretch Lycra finger baffles for a

RIDE UK came out with an interview issue. I like reading interviews. It gets you to know the person a little better and it gives the rider an excuse to take some decent photos. 11 interviews in total with the following riders: Alex Kennedy, Harry Main, George Boyd, Tate Roskelly, Davey Watson, Tom Forster, Tom Sanders, Tom Blyth, Dennis Enarson, Ricky Feather and Dakota Roche. That took some work to collect those I bet. If you're a fan of any of the above riders, get this issue. There is other stuff on the 164 full color pages as well:
-The Foreword
-UK News (By John Dye)
-US News (By Kyle Carlson)
-Top Fives (James Cox)
-On The Spot (Mike Taylor)
-Video Player (By Hman)

For decades, smarter engineers at bigger companies than ours have tried to reinvent the bicycle sprocket, with limited success. In the ‘70s Addicks made BMX chainrings from plastic. Result? Disintegration and bankruptcy. Shimano followed suit in the late ‘70s with Dura Ace 10—the first micro drivetrain for bicycles—and a few years later with Biopace—Japanese for “egg-shaped,” it seemed at the time. Neither innovation survived. Today one BMX company makes spline drive sprockets, and another makes a sprocket that only fits their proprietary spindle size. When sub-30-tooth sprockets became the fashion in BMX, function was relegated to variables like tooth size (1/8” or 3/32”), tooth count and

There ain't no stopping BMX Plus! The new issue arrived earlier this week and it's got Chris Gerber on the cover, or is it superman? The main articles are about the LG Action Sports Final, the Red Bull Trick or Treat and the ABA Grands. Bikes tested come from Stolen and Redline. No, it's not a stolen Redline they tested.  The regulars, like the Inside Scoop news, Ask the BMXperts, Mail Bag, Product page, Parting Shot etc. fill up the 100 page magazine. Newly added is a page called the Showcase Funnies which has funny photos or photos with funny comments. It's nice to see some fun in BMX. The March issue has a big Photos Special and also a How-To on winning the battle with rust. NIKE's 6.0 Banksgiving Jam gets a few pages and there's a Whopper how-to. No, they're not inside a Burger King but a bunnyhop tailwhip got called a Whopper almost ten years ago (Andrew Faris? or was it Billy Nitshky who named it that?). There's a bike check on Ryan Nyquist's bike, Tech Tips and a full on Trail

In 1981 my BMX numberplate had # 85 on it. I'd moved up from Novice to Expert and finally said goodbye to my solid steel CPX100 and swapped it with a true American Cr-Mo MCS Magnum frame. Stoked! This has nothing to do with this Magazine review other than this is issue number 85 of Freedom BMX. You want to know what's inside? Here we go. First we got Alex Kennedy on the cover from a recent trip to the USA which took the 6.0 team and a bunch of media from the East Coast to the WESTSIIIIDE!! (motherfuckers!). Kay met up with Bob Haro for an interview too. Living legend for sure. Felix Kirch is up for big things in 2009. He's almost a BMX veteran but he's only 19 years old. Read his interview which starts on page 20. The Carhartt crew did a few trips in 2008. Remix starts on page 28. NIKE trip goes from page 36-42 before we move into the T-Mobile Extreme Playground Street session report. It's fun to ride & party around Halloween. Good costumes make for good photos.

-Frame: Zion Silence
-Fork: Macneil bmx ID fork
-Handlebar: Proper team
-Cranks: Fly bikes
-Pedals: Demolition team
-Chain: KMC lite kool chain
-Sprocket: Zion Street
-Seat: Zion Pivotal prototype

The January/February issue of DIGBMX couldn't have come at a worse time. It got me motivated to ride some trails but we just received 4 inches of snow so riding outside is not an option right now. A Trails Only issue is great when you ride trails. If you don't ride dirt this issue might turn you into it. Pick up a shovel and build the exact jumps that you want to build. No need to blame the concrete builder that messed up the trannie at your local park. DIG 68 takes you through the steps with veteran trail builders and shows you spots