Live To Ride BMX

John Donson

�Introduction.
?Back in the early 90’s, at the height of ‘Hoffman mania’, a kid from Middle California appeared on the radar - It seemed as though he was winning contests in no time at all and had a big bag of tricks; he was the first person after Mat to learn flairs, making it seem like [...]

Source: http://www.valleysidedistro.com/wordpress/?p=1112

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John Donson

Brian takes a look back at the X Games street format, his not-so-awesome legal battle over some street riding, making banger trips to Cali and taking care of business.

Go to BNQT.com for more videos.

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2010/11/off-record-with-brian-kachinsky.html

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John Donson

… The Baltic Games was a banger, and the after-party that follow did not disappoint…�”Read More”�to see the after-party snaps; see if you can spot yourself! - VS

Source: http://www.valleysidedistro.com/wordpress/?p=1041

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John Donson

After years of hard work and organising, the QLD Moto Park opened for business on Sunday, offering an amazing new moto facility for riders around South East Queensland. The park is brain child of pro FMX riders Matt Schubring and Steve Sommerfeld, along with alot of help from Motorcycling Queensland.

For all details about the park including location, tracks, coaching and more, visit the official website at www.qldmotopark.com.au

Our good friend Chris Urquhart from www.motodevelopment.com.au was on-site for the offiicial opening, and sent through some info and photos from the day.

Hey Guys,

I was lucky enough to make it out to the official opening of Queensland Moto Park or QMP for short yesterday. QMP is located at Wyaralong so it takes me about an hour and a half from the Gold Coast, but there's some nice coffee shops at Canungra on the way through so of course I needed to stop and grab a roady!

My first impression when I turned off the main highway into the park's entrance was WOW! Full sealed road the whole way up to the gates, these guys have got it going on and I like it. As far as the moto parks go this place is the best looking venue I've been to in a long while, the grass is green and mowed and the tracks have been cut into the place really well. I'm not really into camping, but I could make some adjustments to spend the weekend out here riding and hanging with my mates for sure.

The open day started off with all the VIP's doing their thing and giving speeches. It was cool to hear where the funding had come from and really makes you realise how big of a project it is to get a ball like this rolling and how many hoops you have to jump through. After the speeches all the Council and Government crew (VIP's) jump in a bunch of Rhyno's and went on a tour of the park, while Schuie, Sommerfeld, Sauly, Crawford, Sawaski and Myself ventured to each track and the FMX area to rip it up in a demo ride. Remember most of these VIP's haven't seen a dirt bike ripping in the right environment, so they were pumped with the little show we threw together.

QMP was then officially opened, so the 100 invited riders headed out to whatever track they wanted and put themselves to the test. As far as tracks go I think there is 2 MM tracks, a kids track, a fenced FMX compound, about 40km of trail loops and a trials area so far. I believe there are plans for another MX track, Super X track and some more trail loops. How could it not be fun! The dam is full of water already and awaiting the fitment of a full irrigation system so things will only get better from here.

All in all, what a sweet day and with riding places getting harder and harder to come across my hat goes off to these guys for having a red hot crack at this. Schuie, Sommerfeld and Ray Buchanan have been busting their butts along with the help from Motorcycling QLD to make it come alive, so thanks boys.

Safe Riding,
Urky

Source: http://www.unitriders.com/united-states/news-and-culture/blog/2011/12/19/qld-moto-park-opens/index.htm

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John Donson

One Love Jam Promo from One Love BMX on Vimeo.

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2011/11/one-love-jam-promo.html

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John Donson

So, it's been officially over one year since I built my Pake C'Mute, and here is an update - not much has changed! My 6 month review can be found here.

The only true change I have done has been the shifter and handlebar: gears are moved with an 8-speed Shimano Alivio and the front is steered with a wider (29") low rise mountain bike handlebar. I still continue to be impressed with the versatility and tire choice I have with this frame, and so far, no cracks or busted welds.

I am considering racing the Surf City Classic Cyclocross series in October, so the training may begin changing as well as a weight loss program. I have toyed with the idea of going 2X8 on this bike, but I really like the simplicity of the 8-speed, so I will probably leave as-is. A 1X set-up is very nice for racing, as well. I may switch to a 36T front chainring, but I have to see how my training goes.

Advise: get a C'Mute if you're in the market for such a bike. Frames are going for $220-$250 which, I believe, is an awesome value.

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2011/06/pake-cmute-1-year-review.html

gt BMX haro BMX mongoose BMX BMX extreme BMX racing

John Donson

Looks like Arnette and Del The Funky Homosapien have teamed up for these special collaboration sunglasses, the Fire Drill. We all know Del is nothing short of nice on the mic, so this collabo is straight RADICAL! Big ups to the Arnette fam, Del, and Sunglass Hut for putting this all together. Don’t forget, there [...]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/?p=599

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John Donson

Exclusive Action Village interview with team rider Gary Young. Learn about what went into the making of Gary Young's Sunday pro- model, who they are good for, custom features and overall stoke level. Check out the bikes on Action Village

What went into the making of your bike?
When Sunday and I were talking about putting a line of complete bikes together, the most important thing that we talked about was making sure that they were completely shreddable right out of the box. Since shreddability is our number one goal, we came up with four levels (AM, EX, Pro, and Signature) of affordable bikes that are ready to be ridden. All of the bikes also come with Odyssey parts--making the bikes simply the the most complete, completes.

What kind of custom features did you add to it?
I got to help pick out all the parts and color schemes that come on the bikes. Besides my Signature bike, I think that the Bigfoot Monster Truck inspired model is my favorite. The gold parts with the blue frame, forks, and bars just look so good together. I also helped choose all the angles so the bike has a solid overall feel.

What was the overall input that you had in developing your own pro model?
I got to help choose everything from start to finish. Check out the signature model for proof, it is nearly identical to the bike I am riding right now!

What kind of riders is the bike best for?
When we started talking about making complete bikes, I was really excited to help create something that was accessible and fun for a wide range of people. Whether you are just starting out on a bike or you are shredding the nearest skate park, dirt jumps or street, these bikes = having fun! My bike has been designed so that anyone will be able to jump on it, but more specifically they were designed for people who want to have fun riding.

Anything else really that your stoked on about your bike.
Check out the Sunday team where we built up some completes and rode them right out of the box.
Sunday Bikes

Source: http://actionvillagebmx.blogspot.com/2010/11/gary-young-signiture-sunday-bikes.html

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John Donson

“I finally had time to re-upload the Bazsi Ivanfi interview (originally from 2009.08.05), after the server crashed… Classic interview… So for anyone who missed it the first time… Mr Ivanfi” - VS
“When I first meet Bazsi he was not able to jump up two stairs -� But he was riding everyday and got better and [...]

Source: http://www.valleysidedistro.com/wordpress/?p=927

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John Donson

Well sorry for lack of updates. I have been busy with work and then have spent the last month in Asia. Maybe I will put some stuff up soon…

Related posts:Ed is not dead Yeah it really is true I am not dead or...not dead no updates for a while, you know how it is...Aidan [...]

I've been riding my Surly Pacer lately with the wife and leaving the UNBRANDED bike at home, even though the original purpose of that bike was to do those types of rides. After some seat time with the Surly Pacer, however, I've grown to re-love that bike: the feel, the comfort and the speed of road geometry. I've had my Surly Pacer for two years now, and although I've swapped out all kinds of parts (even made it into a singlespeed for a quick sec), it's now at a happy place.

I gave it a little thought and decided to repurpose the UNBRANDED back to what the frame calls for: mountain biking. I gathered up the parts from the parts bin and converted it to a singlespeed.

HOLY SHIT! I forgot how much I love singlespeed riding! It was so nice to mash through climbs and rely on momentum - it's a whole different style of riding that I took for granted... there's something about a direct chainline to your pedal stroke that just feels right.

This bike is 100% analog - v-brakes, rigid fork, skinny tires, ancient wheels, and an old 110bcd crankset with a square taper bottom bracket - a little throwback to the pieced together "winter" bikes folks would ride to protect their multi-speed race bikes from the harsh elements. There is a purity to riding these types of bikes that modern parts just can't compare to: I guess it's like listening to music on vinyl.

I do not intend to change this bike to geared, nor do I intend to upgrade any parts on this bike; I want to leave it AS IS, replacing only things that break (the On-One Inbred 26" frame does sound appealing, though). Selling it would be futile - I would probably only get about $200-$300 on Craigslist. However, the enjoyment I'm going to get out of this bike does not have a price tag.

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2011/06/oh-singlespeed-why-did-we-ever-break-up.html

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John Donson

One-Hitter from Wiz...

Source: http://easternbikes.com/blog/2011/feb/23/exclusivebmx-one-hitter-wiz/

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John Donson

"Happy Holidays!"

F*ck that... it's Christmas and that what most people are celebrating today. We took the beach cruisers down to my home town of Santa Cruz and did some Instagram'ing; here are the results.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-not-happy-holidays.html

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John Donson

This is where the Flashback goes in our story.

Back to that Hoffman Bikes ad with Mat blasting 20 Ft on that huge quarter. Back to watching the Big Air event debut in the X games, with the current MegaRamp, and half jokingly saying "I wanna jump that!". I never expected to ever even have a remote opportunity to try it. I was taking my full face helmet to Woodward West just in case. Planning out this trip I told Shad I really wanted to at least give it a go. Shad thought there was no way they were even going to let us on it. I hoped he was wrong. I told Riley thinking maybe he would be down to try it.
"You're calling out the MEGARAMP?"
"No, just saying I really want to check it out. It's a box jump."
"But it's the Fucking MEGARAMP dude!"
Wednesday, before his transformation into Boozedawg, Andy called me to let me know they were opening up the MegaRamp on Saturday between 1 and 4 p.m. He of all people was down to try. Thursday when the crew rolled in Shad was excited about it too, but made it clear he wanted to take runs at the quarter but at least wanted to try since it was a box jump. Riley just laughed at us and said we would see when we got there.
"It's the fucking MEGARAMP!"

Friday night after checking in Captain Cradle was beat and called it a night. Fresno wore him out enough to quit thinking about riding Woodward for the first time in the morning. Boozedawg, unchecked, spreads his brand of havoc upon the lodge.

Ran into this guy on the way to our room.

I was in the lodge bar with Eric and Jeremy trying to catch up with Ben Ward when Shad waved me over. He was talking to Woodward resident pro, Coco Zurita, about the MegaRamp. Coco told us in his Chilean accent that the biggest thing to overcome was the long ride down the roll in to the lip. So much time to get in your head and blow your confidence. You're going so fast downhill on skatelite that there is no way to really back out once you get going and the long approach allows for plenty of time for doubt. Stay confident, stay relaxed, no quick or panicked movements. No problem. Sounds good for something I have still yet to see in person.

In the morning Riley made sure Mac's bike was unpacked and reassembled and woke us up so Mac could get down to the park early. Most of the crew was up and pumped up Captain Cradle to give Boozedawg yet another run for his money. We had about a 50/50 split on those who had been before and those who had not. I got to see what I must have looked like rolling into Woodward for the first time. Screw Disneyland, for my money Woodward is the happiest place on earth.

The morning session most of us took it fairly easy, nibbling around loosening up, trying to make sure our old tired bones would make it through the day. Anthony and Joe headed for the Art Park in the Hanger to ride Flatland with the rest of the old scuffers. Shad, Pizza, and ODB sessioned the new Backyard mini. Last year it was still under construction. I was surprised to find myself sessioning the Enterprise with the Captain and having fun. Last year it had confused and frustrated me and I borderline hated it. The difference a year makes. From there I also finally got a glimpse on the hillside of the other major addition since last year.

to be continued...

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/04/saga-continues-day-2-part-1.html

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John Donson

Rad Dad and Chadwick filmed this part for Aaron. Thanks Stewart for uploading. Do you want to see more? Check out more videos on the BMX Freestyler Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/BMX-Freestyler/110140279053562

Source: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2011/12/aaron-frost-skys-up-dvd.html

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John Donson

Colony‘s connect through Par BMX has some fresh footage for you to check out. Plenty of good stuff in this one. Edited by Toms Silins

Source: http://www.bmxunion.com/blog/daily/par-bmx-colony-oskars-zajarskis/

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John Donson

After lunch the MegaRamp was opened up for sessioning. Most people headed up on the hill to at least watch what went down. After filling out a seven page waiver you could set foot on the massive new structure. Safety was a big concern and those that looked too squirrelly were cut off. Boozedawg was one of those booted after blowing off the pedals on a sketchy attempt. Shad gave it a few tries but decided it wasn't for him and was content to watch. My first run at it I think I was almost half way up the roll in. I wasn't sure how the lip was going to feel and wanted to feel it out. It felt good and so on following runs I slowly worked my way higher till I was landing on the top right before the "box" started angling to the landing. Shea Nyquist was the first person to clear it after pedaling about six times down the roll in. He overshot by quit a bit, but it was then I realized I would have to pedal at it to make it. Lance Mosley wasn't down with tagging so he went for it first try and got bucked by the lip and ejected. After seeing him, Matt Mardesetch, and Ryan Nyquist bail it was even harder not to be nervous. I tried not to look down the roll in too much while waiting my turn and on my next try I took three pedals thinking it would be enough to clear but not overshoot. Wrong! I cleared the flat on top for the first time but hit a small slant a bit over a bike length long before the landing and then bounced a ways down the landing. Oooooohs from the crowd watching and an increased heart rate. Scary! I was determined not to let the opportunity pass me by to do this and headed back up for another go. More pedals this time and I made it to the landing but pitched forward a bit too much and landed foot down. More OOOooohs and heart pounding! Next go I stuck it clean and was content to call it quits. All and all there were about seven people, including myself,f that cleared it. Check that off my bucket list! I headed back to down the hill to ride with Marcus and missed all the big tricks. Mosley flipped it, Birdwell superman seat-grabbed it, and Ryan Nyquist 360'd it.

Not sure who took this pic but you can check out more here.

Damn that looks big! Cell photo Scott Hagnas.

The rest of the day we spent riding ourselves into exhaustion. Riley worked on some backflips and got some on the resi ramp. I finally sacked up and 360'd the box jump. I was probably more stoked on that then the MegaRamp. It's something I should do without hesitation but over the past few years my confidence with spinning has been at an all time low. Thanks Woodward for the confidence boost.

After the session ended there was an after party in the lodge. Free food, free beer and bmxers is always a great recipe for good times. Dave Nourie, Anthony, and a couple other flatlander's put on a show in the bar. Dave is quite the showman. When the two kegs ran dry and the bar closed up a group of us moved on to one of the rooms. The room stay was short lived after the occupants realized that if they wanted their room to be inhabitable, the party better continue elsewhere. The whole first floor of the lodge was awoken by everyone looking for someone else's room to wreck. I don't think a door or window was missed by someone banging on it. No more party animals, so we hung out in the parking lot where Jeremy and Boozedawg kept us laughing with their drunken antics. Ben Ward gave me another reason not to have a facebook by posting pics of Jeremy DRUNK on his, resulting in an angry voicemail from the wife wondering why he wouldn't answer the phone when she called to check on him. Too funny. How no one knocked one out Boozedawg is beyond me. He was sac tapping or thumb in the bumming everyone within reach. Quite a few people will remember him after that night for sure! Needless to say we didn't make it up and get on the road by eight as was "planned". We left Woodward around 11 am. The Portland bunch of the crew got home around 5 am the next morning. Quite an unforgettable road trip. Check out the pics below and links for more event coverage.

One of the few times you can say fast and Shad in the same sentence. Shad, fastplant. Photo Jared Souney. Check his coverage here and here.

Boozeplant. Photo Mulligan. Check the Ride coverage here.

Jose Yanez (first person to do flips, Rad Stuntman), Bill Allen (Cru Jones!), Eddie Fiola (duh)!

Boozer, the Hizz Dicks smacker!

The drive home.

Source: http://eugenebmx.blogspot.com/2011/04/trip-concluded.html

BMX master BMX videos BMX parts BMX games online BMX bikes for sale

John Donson

Looks like Arnette and Del The Funky Homosapien have teamed up for these special collaboration sunglasses, the Fire Drill. We all know Del is nothing short of nice on the mic, so this collabo is straight RADICAL! Big ups to the Arnette fam, Del, and Sunglass Hut for putting this all together. Don’t forget, there [...]

Source: http://www.bmxoutsiders.com/blog/?p=599

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John Donson

Well... here's a fun one.

I've had this motorcycle horn sitting in my office for a LONG time. It was intended to go on a Cafe Racer motorcycle I built and sold a couple of years ago, and I never got a chance to use it.

Anyhow, I had the crackhead idea of connecting it to a Makita Drill battery and seeing if it would actually work - and *BOOYAH*, it did! The motorcycle horn is VERY loud, and hopefully doesn't suck up the battery like a car horn would.

The wiring was very, very simple using a bar mount push button. I do unplug it when not in use and I still have yet to see how long a charge will last. Below are pics of the push button and the mounted horn.

...and here are the three levels of warning. Can't wait until I get to use my new horn on a clueless victim!

Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2011/06/motorcycle-horn-on-bicycle.html

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John Donson

Colony‘s connect through Par BMX has some fresh footage for you to check out. Plenty of good stuff in this one. Edited by Toms Silins

Source: http://www.bmxunion.com/blog/daily/par-bmx-colony-oskars-zajarskis/

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Live To Ride BMX

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Exorcising the ?Draino?: The John Parker Interview.

Off the Record with Brian Kachinsky

The Baltic Games after-party snaps!

QLD Moto Park Opens!

One Love Jam Promo

Pake C'Mute 1 Year Review

Arnette | Del | Fire Drill Release Party/Show

Gary Young Signature Sunday Bikes

Interview: Balazs Ivanfi (2nd time around)

Back from the dead

Related posts:

?AME? grips, test riding.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Chepstow Bowl Jam

Related posts:

Trail Jam

Indoor Bmx

Oh Single Speed... why did we ever break up?

Exclusive BMX One-Hitter with Wiz

Merry Christmas! (NOT "Happy Holidays")

The Saga Continues... (day 3 part 1)

Aaron Frost- Skys Up DVD

Par BMX / Colony ? Oskars Zajarskis

the "TRIP" concluded

Arnette | Del | Fire Drill Release Party/Show

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Motorcycle Horn on a Bicycle

Par BMX / Colony ? Oskars Zajarskis