FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

It's an obvious concern to us bikers that city parks are going up all over America and not allowing bikes to participate. Like I said in my article "Bikers vs the Government" this is definitely verging on a civil rights issue. Battling the problem from this perspective is asking for a legal court mess I don't think is necessary. The best angle is to offer all the reasons why it's nonsense, and do what we can to help educate as many people as possible. Biking, skating and inlining compete on the same ramps and courses at all the biggest professional contests in the world so it makes sense that we should all be able to session the same parks together. Right now that's not the fact.

It's 21:15pm right now on Saturday 18 March 2006. The People's Store in Cologne was opened today. We drove over to Koelle to check it out and were impressed. The store is very stylish and well thought out. It's got a little showroom on the left in a separate building but the main shop is where the action is. Janosh's BMX shop and wethepeople teamed up to form the People's store. Janosh will be running the BMX shop that was designed and planned out by Harry Schmidt and Klaus Dyba of wethepeople.

Next to a full range of wethepeople equipment and FUSE protection gear, the shop carries BMX specific shoes from Orchid, etnies and Lotek and bikes from Hoffman as well as hard to find special stuff like adidas' Y3 bike and the retro Mongoose.

Name: Diogo Canina
Age: 22
Hometown: Amparo, Brazil

What was it like growing up where you're from?
Diogo: That was awesome I wouldn`t trade it for anywhere else even knowing it wasn’t the best place to be riding, and the bike scene in Brazil is getting better but not even close to the scene in other countries, but I wouldn’t ever trade my friends or how I grew up for anything, it’s made me who I am.

What got you into BMX?
Diogo: The first gift that I really remember was a bike!! I was 6 years old. I didn’t know what bmx was, but I already really enjoyed riding and jumping little curbs, but I didn’t find out about bmx until I was about 15.  

BEN HENNON (HARO Europe - Freestyle)

How did you get injured?
Hennon: BROKE AND DISLICATED MY RIGHT SHOULDER.

Where were you at the time?
Hennon: I WAS AT THE POP SESSSION JAM IN TALLIN, ESTONIA.

Did you know something was wrong right away?
Hennon: I KNEW IT WAS A GOOD CRASH BUT I DIDN'T THINK I HAD BROKEN IT. I THOUGHT IT HAD JUST COME OUT OF JOINT AND GONE BACK IN.

Who helped you on the way to the hospital?
Hennon: NO ONE, THE FINALS WERE JUST ABOUT TO START. IT WAS COOL, DIDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO MISS IT .

There's a cave in Sweden full of ramps. On 1 April it will host a jam. No, this is not a joke. Area 51 opens its doors for a BMX session, beer and Swedish GoGo girls. What a combination. Vans, wethepeople, Child, Sunshine, Carhartt and Simple are the sponsors of the wild fest. Find more info on www.bunkeberget.com.

"B on tha lookout 4 tha episode of CSI: Las Vegas N tha next couple of months, Travis Barker hit me 2 go on tha show with him 2 play myself posted up & promote Famous Stars & Straps, Travis played a rapper by tha name of "High-Def". Rappers: Obie Trice, Method Man & Akon, R on tha same episode, it was cool 2  meet & work with everyone on tha show, one day U might C a CSI Action Sports episode.

Much luv, 
Thorne 
Biker-N-Black

Name: John Povah
Age: 36 years old, married, got a kid on the way
Hometown: Corona, California. Been in the USA for 17 years.

When you moved here you didn’t have a job in the bicycle industry, what did you do to survive so you could still ride your bike in sunny California?

Povah: Originally the reason why I came over here was to ride my bike. I had a job painting cars. I always rode and in the weekends I did shows and made a lot of extra money that way but I still painted cars for a living. Down the line I was fortunately enough to get a job building ramps instead of painting cars which was also better for my health. From there I met Jay Miron, got a job with Schwinn. Schwinn went bankrupt and from there I got a job at etnies.

Do you feel you’re fortunate with the way your life turned out or do you feel that with your BMX history and BMX dedication, you deserve a job in the industry?

Povah: I think anyone can have what they want. When I was a kid what I wanted to do is ride a bike and have fun and never thought about a job because I rode in the early eighties and there wasn’t that much money in it, you know.

With four ABBMX events just on this year done, we already can count a total of 10 competitions in 2006. With certainty the ABBMX mark recounts in this unpublished fact in BMX of Brazil. In this fourth championship we had athletes' presence of several states and cities of the state of São Paulo that it also shows that the text "friendship & BMX" this making effect, rescuing biggest value inside of our sport, the friendship and the pleasure of to find and meet BMXer friends. 

The Ramp Rats Bike and skatepark in  Petaluma, California are inviting to a Spring BMX contest.  It doesn't matter what level you r riding's at, there is a class for you.

Ams pay 25 bucks to enter and they can win some great prizes from some of the sponsors of the event.  They've actually lined up a whole posse of  good companies to support the Ramp Rats contest such as 2-hIP,  661, Props, FIT, Animal,  System,  BlackOut, S&M and  Kink. 

Pros pay 50 bucks to enter and there's 100% payback so the more pros that enter, the bigger the purse without the organizer putting dough in their own pockets.

Contests are fun.  If you're down in Norcal, check in at Ramp Rats on the 25th.