Holiday Gear Guide: Bike
Dec 08 2006 / Los Angeles, CA
Who knew that what you have inside (way inside) could ever be so stylish on the outside. Skulls and bones are the coolest fashion statement you can make right now, and why not? They are the epitome of tough. BMXers can be pretty tough on their hands that’s why these ultra protective gloves are a must have. The neoprene closure makes for a great fit, and the price is just right.
The first line of bikes from Dave Mirra’s new MirraCo company has been one of the most exciting developments in the world of BMX this year: All that X Games gold in the bank gave Mirra the confidence to start his own thing, and it’s easy to trust the best name in the bike biz. With BMX pros as young as 15 making a mark this year, it’s never too early to get your own young Mirracle Boy started: MirraCo offers its Blend series bikes in sizes to suit any rider, from pros all the way down to three year-olds. The Blend 16 (pictured) is suitable for kids up to about age 6.
The BMX bandit on your holiday shopping list might not be able ride a vert ramp quite like Dew Tour and X Games champ Jamie Bestwick, but he can cop Bestwick’s style off the ramp: This long-sleeved shirt with the word “Unbreakable” printed underneath the collar and a Zoo York logo on the shoulder looks a lot like the one the BMX Brit wore when he claimed his second Dew Cup and a whole lot of prize money this summer.
Don’t know much about history
Coincidentally timed to coincide with the announcement that BMX racing will be in the next Olympics, Joe Kid on a Sting-ray documents 30 years of Bicycle Motocross – aka BMX – from its start as a substitute for wannabe motocross racers to insane progression in freestyle, flatland, vert, and park riding. Jesse James narrates this film by John Swarr and Mark Eaton, and the footage and interviews include just about everyone who’s anyone in the history of the sport. A must-have.
Joe Kid on a Sting-ray: The History of BMX DVD, $19.99. Click here to purchase>
Each of the six athletes who claimed Dew Cup trophies this year in every Dew Tour discipline (BMX, Skate, FMX) gave shout-outs to a little place called Woodward in their acceptance speeches: the gymnastics camp-turned action sports mecca is driving progression in action sports as much as any other identifiable influence, particularly in BMX. If you want to transform the life of a talented young rider you love, it’s not too early to sign them up for a 2007 summer camp session at Camp Woodward, potentially kick-starting a brilliant BMX career. One-week sessions run from June through August at facilities in Pennsylvania, California, and Wisconsin. Prices include pro instruction and access to state-of-the-art ramps and training tools. Too pricey? For about $100 a night per person, guests can stay at The Lodge or the Inn at Woodward and ride the indoor facilities from September through May.
Summer 2007 Action Sports Sessions at Camp Woodward, $820 to $995 per week. Sign up for Camp Woodward here>
Homan for the holidays
Find out why Lat34 picked Van Homan’s video part in FitLife as one of the top ten moments in BMX in our 2006 Look-Back by buying the DVD for someone you love. The city is his canvas, his bike is a bucket of paint, and Homan throws it all over the place like Jackson Pollock in ways that will both baffle and scare you. The rest of the movie is almost as insane.
FitLife DVD by Fit Bike Co., $15.95. Click here for more information>
Send in the clowns
No doubt about it: FMX is the most dangerous professional sport of all time, and the Nitro Circus videos document the good, the bad, and the ugly with brutal precision. As ringleader Travis Pastrana recently told Lat34, “I hate when people panic and can’t film crashes.” The box set features all three Nitro Circus videos – including documentation of Pastrana’s first-ever (pre-X Games) double backflip and the brutal crashes that preceded it – plus a bonus disc of outtakes and new footage.
Nitro Circus Collector’s Edition DVD Box Set, $59.99. Click here to order>
Buckle up
Stuck on what to get the heavily-tattooed FMX fanatic you’re pretty sure is on Santa’s “bad” list? In honor of wounded soldier Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, a beloved Lat34 blogger (who we were happily surprised to see walking without crutches and partying with reckless abandon at the Dew Tour after-party in Orlando), allow us to recommend the Metal Mulisha belt buckle. You might not be able to do much for your friend’s tortured soul or rescue them from a death wish – and motorcycles don’t have seatbelts – but at least you can help them keep their pants up.
Full disclosure: Lat34’s love for Sophisticated Rider magazine runs so deep we brought on art director Jared Souney as a freelancer to help bring his visual sophistication to our own little project – all the reason you need to buy subscriptions for every action sports enthusiast on your list. The magazine covers skate, BMX, and FMX, but you’re just as likely to find articles about riders’ involvement in yoga and weightlifting. Judge this book by its cover: in place of sponsor-pleasing action shots of pros in action, recent covers have featured a close-up of some dirt, an unidentified amateur with a brown bag over his head, and a raggedy jump ramp made of a propped-up piece of rotting wood. Your favorite pros are just as likely to have written the articles or shot the pictures as to be featured in them.
Sophisticated Rider one year magazine subscription, $20. Click here to subscribe>
