Space Brothers Podcast

On rare occasion a rider comes along that is so unique they don't fit into BMX the way most other riders do. Back in the 80s that rider was Dave Vanderspek. Dave would combine street and flatland moves before street was really a thing and gained notoriety for bringing a new type of riding to the masses. Among other things Dave would do surfers while holding his skateboard and jump onto the board. He also utilized his street surroundings while performing flatland tricks making for some of the best photos every released in the early bmx magazines. Pushing the bounds of reality even further is Tim Knoll. Tim's riding by many is considered more like BMX Parkour as a way to explain what he does. Tim just calls it BMX freestyle. I can remember some of the first clips Tim shared on the internet where he was doing all kinds of dark side flatland tricks with the bike upside down mixed with handstands and flips. I have to admit when I first saw it I didn't know what to think. As time went on and Tim's skills impr

When you think of the term BMX legend and you think of dirt jumping you don't have to wait long to hear the name Rich Bartlett. Rich is BMX to his core, and at age 51 he's enjoying the ride now more than ever. Rich started out racing and jumping BMX in the 1970s and quickly found his passion in life on two wheels. As quickly as his body grew, his name began to circulate within the industry and when BMX took off in the mid-80s, Rich was the perfect guy to become a test pilot for the magazines. He punished complete bikes and components alike with his 200 lb physique. He put everything the editors threw under him to the test and then some! Most sessions only took minutes before the subpar complete bikes would break or fall apart which left Rich to swap parts off his personal bike just to finish the test! Rich admittedly raced because he loved training so much but felt more at home at the trails, vert ramps, skateparks, and even some of the 2 Hip Meet The Street contests. Rich became very well known in the l

When you think of the biggest names in X Games BMX Park history two names stand out above everyone else, Dave Mirra and Scotty Cranmer, both of which won a total of 9 medals in BMX Park. Scotty has won gold, silver, and bronze 3 times. To get to that level you have to push the bounds of reality pretty far, which means taking some serious risks. Back in 2016 risk became reality when Scotty suffered a life-threatening injury while riding street in Las Vegas. The crash left him with several facial fractures, cerebral hemorrhaging, and damage to his C4 and C5 vertebrae, as well as many other health issues. Most notably his doctors diagnosed him as being paralyzed. This is where Scotty's story really begins. While he's most known for doing some of the craziest tricks ever on a BMX bike, had several amazing video parts over the years, a YouTube channel with over over 200 million views, he's most well known these days for pulling off his biggest trick to date, overcoming being told he was paralyzed and would nev

Shortly after the boom of BMX freestyle in the mid 80s, flatland changed seemingly overnight with a barrage of never before seen rolling tricks which changed the sport forever. At a time when balancing and hopping tricks ruled the scene, and most sponsored riders lived in sunny CA, a group of young up and comers known as the Plywood Hoods from York PA were hungry to make a name for themselves. Little did most people know at the time, the Hoods were a well rounded group of riders who did it all. From BMX racing to riding skateparks, dirt jumps, and quarter pipes, they could hold their own. But where they really stood out, was flatland. Mark Eaton was a cornerstone of the group who not only brought original rolling tricks to the masses like the whiplash and steam roller, but he also began recording every move the Plywood Hoods would take over the next 20 years creating 10 different videos known as the "Dorkin In York" video series. Every time they showed up to a contest all eyes were on them with video ca

Southern California has produced some of the biggest names in the sport of BMX over the past 40 years. At a time when turning pro in bmx at age 16 was still a somewhat new thing, a fresh face to the contest scene quickly became one of the top riders in the sport! Mike Parenti got his first major sponsorship with GT Bicycles and immediately started competing in some of the biggest contests on the planet. Mike went on several summer tours, did NBA half time shows, and moved up the ranks in both dirt and park placings at contests such as the X Games, Gravity Games, Van's Triple Crown, and Dew Tour. We sat down and talked to Mike about the first time he met Dave Voelker, receiving a phone call from Woody Itson asking him to ride for GT Bicycles, being the focus of an HBO documentary, going on tour with older riders, some of his favorite stories from the road, blasting the mega ramp, and his new job working for Haro bikes. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of Californias most tale

When it comes to the mid 80s and BMX freestyle one of the biggest names in the sport is the King Of the Skateparks Eddie Fiola. Eddie was more than a skatepark rider, he killed it in flatland too. He's a 4 x NORA cup winner and 5 x King of the Skateparks winner, and was inducted into the BMX HOF in 2009, and he's currently a film stuntman and appeared in over 80 movies and tv shows, and most famous to many of us for performing the majority of the stunts for Cru Jones in the movie RAD. We talked with Eddie about his start in BMX racing, his early days as a sponsored pro, riding for GT Bicycles, being a stunt double in the movie RAD, other stuntwork he performed on and off the bike in various commercials, tv shows, and movies, injuries along the way, and his involvement with Legend Bike Company! So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know the King of the Skateparks, Eddie Fiola! To learn more about Eddie Fiola follow him on Instagram: @eddiefiola and Facebook: facebook.com/eddiefiolainc To

Anyone who's ever met Dave Brumlow in person probably has an interesting story to tell you. Dave loves to have fun at other's expense. Behind the guy that's seemingly always joking is a life long rider who's spent his time riding vert ramps, judging some of the biggest BMX events on the planet, and organizing contests. We talked with Dave about how he got his start in BMX in the UK, entering the very first X Games BMX vert competition, traveling and doing shows with GT Bikes, what it's like judging major contest events including this years X Games, and putting together the FL Skatepark contest series. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of BMX's most renowned pranksters... Dave Brumlow. To learn more about the FLBMX Skatepark Series visit: FL-BMX.com and/or follow them on Instagram: @flbmx To learn more about Chip Riggs visit: chipriggs.com and/or follow him on Instagram: @chipriggs To learn more about Kip Williamson visit: masterblasterplanet.com and/or follow him on Instag

Episode 16 - Terry Adams BMX flatland is one of the earliest and most pure disciplines of BMX. Almost every BMX rider has done some type of flatland trick in their driveway, skatepark, or nearby parking lot. All you need is your bike, and a decent spot. When it comes to flatland scene in the United States, one name sticks out more than any other. Terry Adams has risen to the top of the flatland game and has some major corporate sponsors and contest placings to prove it. Terry isn't just a rider, he's an ambassador for the sport he loves. Terry worked his way from amateur up and comer to the two time NORA Cup winner, to X Games gold medalist, and much more. Terry has performed in front of millions of fans worldwide and has traveled the globe doing what he loves. Making a living as a flatland rider is a rarity to say the least. Terry has continued to stay relevant and has figured out a way to keep his career going at age 35. We hit up Terry to get the low down on his start in flatland, his new signature fram

When it comes to American made BMX companies they're hard to come by. One of the most popular component companies in BMX is none other than Profile Racing. Throughout the years many of us have had a set of Profile cranks, hubs, or a stem on our bike. Many top pros run Profile components as well. From X Games gold medalists, to your buddy on the other side of town. Profile is hard to ignore when you've been in the BMX game for any period of time. They've sponsored every type of rider, from dirt and park, to street and flatland, to vert and racing. The man behind the scenes that keeps things rolling smoothly is Matt Coplon. Matt's spent the last 20 years with the company. First as a sponsored rider, and the last 17 years as the team manager. Matt stopped by the Master Blaster Planet studios to talk about his daily routine as team manager, why being a rider is important to his job, what got Profile into BMX after initially being involved in the auto racing industry, some of his favorite components created over

The first time I saw BMX flatland it was 1985 and I was an 11 year old kid growing up in a small town in Indiana. I walked around the corner from my parents shop as I waited for them to get off work, and saw a guy doing flatland tricks on a red Hutch Trickstar. I could tell right away this guy knew what he was doing. So I sat on the curb and watched him work through a series of amazing balancing and hopping tricks. His name was Derek Craig, and I asked him what the best way for me to get into the sport was and he told me to get my hands on some bmx magazines and start figuring out which bike I wanted to get. So before I went home, I asked my parents if they would buy some BMX magazines and luckily they said yes. About an hour later I walked out of the local newstand with 3 different mags and instantly started daydreaming about the bikes, the tricks, and the life of being a BMX freestyler. Back then there were only a handful of videos and even RAD the movie hadn't been released yet. All we had were the photo

Imagine growing up and having a brother who loved riding BMX as much as you! Someone to push you, someone to help you build a ramp, someone to help you fix your bike.... just the idea of always having another person to ride with would be awesome! From the first day picking up a BMX magazine I remember several brothers from back in the day making a name for themselves. There was Brett & Trevor Hernandez, Ron & Sean Wilkerson, Robert & Ruben Castillo, The Alder brothers Joe & Jeremy, Chris & Karl Rothe, and Hugo & Oscar Gonzalez. Later on came the Strieby brothers Brian, Adam, and Nathan, Alan & Brian Foster, Stephen & Martin Murray, and more recently Scotty & Matty Cranmer. Enter Trey and Jabe Jones. They both ride for The Shadow Conspiracy, Subrosa, and Vans shoes but the similarities don't go much beyond that. Now that Trey and Jabe are a little bit older they seem to get along pretty good, most of the time. One thing they definitely share is their passion for BMX. We sat down with Trey and Jabe and

If you’ve ever been to Cirque Du Soleil’s La Nouba show in Orlando FL over the past 10 years, most likely you’ve seen flatland rider Marcos De Jesus perform his solo act. Never mind his costume or full face make up he had to apply daily, or the fact he was riding mostly in the dark with a spotlight on him to a live orchestra. Perfection was expected. Originally from Sau Paulo Brazil, Marcos moved to the United States to chase the American Dream. For over 10 years he performed 2 shows a day in front of a mostly packed house for one of the most reputable companies to ever put on a live stage performance. Now that the Cirque show he spent thousands of hours perfecting has come to a close, he’s figuring out the next stage of his life at age 44. We sat down with Marcos to discuss his life growing up in Brazil, how he found bmx, winning the Latin X Games gold medal, auditioning for the Cirque show, staying healthy while pushing his riding outside of the shows, the daily grind of being expected to pull every tric

When it comes to BMX, the X Games have had a major influence on almost everything in the sport over the past 20 plus years. It's the Super Bowl for action sports and a place where riders can carve a name out for themselves to either help or further their career. Many current riders were first introduced to BMX by watching the X Games on tv. The very first X Games premiered back in the summer of 1995 bringing what were once considered outsider sports and cast them into the spotlight making them somewhat mainstream. For many riders, companies, and fans it changed BMX forever! 23 years later the X Games is still going strong and this year included 7 different BMX events including BMX Big Air, Vert, Street, Dirt, Park, park best trick, and the Real BMX Street video contest held a month before. Contest riding is at an all time high in terms of difficulty and consistancy, and riders are willing to let the dice roll in an attempt to win the $50,000 check that goes along with first place gold. In some cases, dep

Welcome to a special edition of Space Brothers, the BMX demo show! BMX demos have been around since the beginning of BMX freestyle. Most of us remember the first show we ever saw. It's more than just watching guys do tricks on their bikes. It's a performance that many of us never forget. It's no secret that BMX demos, also known as shows, are important to the growth of the sport. It's a chance for people to watch BMX in person while being able to experience the intricacies of not only the tricks, but the speed, height, and sometimes the reality of crashing. It's also a chance for the casual or hardcore BMX fan to take a closer look at the bikes, ramps, safety gear used, and an opportunity to get an autograph and maybe ask a question to their favorite rider. It's no secret, that many riders have gotten into BMX after watching a live demo! However doing demos and making a living riding your bike in front of an audience isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of talent and you have to be smart about the tricks

Episode 9 - Trey Jones If you ask a bmx rider that’s been around for the last ten years who your favorite rider is, time and time again you’ll hear the name Trey Jones. Maybe that’s because Trey always looks like he’s having fun or maybe it’s the rare combination of tech, style, and going big wrapped into one rider, or maybe it’s just because Trey is a badass on a bike. Trey Jones is BMX. Dirt jumps, box jumps, quarter pipes, lake jumps, street spots, and even a flatland trick from time to time even though he might not admit it! Trey rides it all! We caught up with Trey at Master Blaster Planet Studios and talked about growing up in Florida, his dad being a BMX racer, entering his first UGP Roots contest when he was just 9 years old, going to Mission Skatepark daily, living in a tent at the local trails, riding with his brother Jabe, building a skatepark at his house, his infamous barefoot run at a Vans shoes major contest, his signature parts with The Shadow Conspiracy in addition to his new frame and spo

Episode 8 - Aaron Behnke In this episode we sat down with Vegan pro BMX flatlander Aaron Behnke and talked about some interesting topics including growing up in FL with Rob Nolli, riding in the Disney parade, getting sponsored and going on summer tour for GT Bicycles, competing in the X Games, and designing a signature frame and complete flatland bike with DK Bikes. Aaron is a great all around rider and always had a unique style in park and street. He also dedicated over 25 years of his life to being an original and inventive flatland rider which is extremely difficult to do when your performing in shows, going on tours, and entering contests. In addition to Aaron's BMX skills, he was the first person I met that was vegan. He became so passionate about it, he now owns a vegan baking company that has become very successful. I was stoked to reunite with an old friend who spends more time in his vegan kitchen than riding these days. But his passion is still the same, on and off the bike. So get comfor

Episode 7 - Jam Circle This time around, we decided to change things up a bit from our typical format. So instead of an interview, we decided to invite three different guests with unique backgrounds in the sport of BMX. Chad DeGroot, John Paul Rogers, and Trey Jones joined us this time around for this discussion based platform, we're calling... Jam Circle. The objective was to throw out a challenging, yet simple list of questions. Some of the things we asked were BMX related while others were just about life in general. The answers we got and the stories that were told, were beyond interesting! So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and check out this special edition of Space Brothers we like to call.... JAM CIRCLE! To learn more about Chad DeGroot visit: decobmx.com and/or follow him on Instagram: @chaddegroot @decobmx To learn more about John Paul Rogers follow him on Instagram: @jpr_fla To learn more about Trey Jones visit: florideah.com and/or follow him on Instagram: @treyjonesucks To learn mo

Welcome to another episode of Space Brothers! Back in the summer of 1987, my mom drove me to my first GT Bicycles show in Toledo Ohio where I expected to see two of my favorite pros in Martin Aparijio and Josh White. But when I walked into the building, I was bummed to find out Josh had been injured and had to be replaced on the tour. I'll admit, at the time, I was kind of bummed...... In his place was a guy people new relatively nothing about. Enter Dave Voelker, a 19 year old ramp rider from Santee CA. He was riding a Dyno decked out in the newest parts wearing a typical BMX factory uniform with a full face helmet and long blonde hair flowing out the back...... The crowd didn't know his name when the show started, yet it was clear right away he belonged on the team. Like Josh, he rode a ton of flatland and blasted the quarter pipe giving the crowd something to scream about each time he hit the ramp. In addition to his amazing riding, he often gestured to the crowd and even mingled with several riders

The other day we sat down with pro bmx rider and Subrosa brand manager Ryan Sher at Master Blaster Planet Studios and discussed a variety of things including his cross country moves and the first time he saw BMX, his early racing career, riding for Kink, being chosen as one of the original Shadow team riders, his move to Florida, and becoming the manager for Subrosa. Since the company’s inception in 2006 Subrosa has quickly risen to the top of the BMX game when it comes to style and quality. As the company continued its growth along with its expanding “cradle to grave” complete bike line various collaborations came about including those with Nuclear Blast, Radical Rick, Aggro Rag, the Sword, and SLAYER to name a few. In addition to talking to Ryan about some of the new components and products coming out, we talked about his personal life and what it's like always being on the move, his riding career, and what goes on behind the scenes of one of the most popular companies in bmx. So turn up your speakers

In the late 1980s one of the largest shifts BMX had ever seen was the street movement. The sport as a whole was dieing, bike companies were cutting back their budgets, and big money pro salaries were vanishing. Many of BMX's biggest named riders dropped out of the sport completely. The days of wearing bmx racing uniforms and being judged for showmanship during contests were all but gone. Which left the door wide open for new cultural icons to emerge and become the face of BMX. Enter Pete Augustin. A former bmx flatlander turned street rider fed up with the bs and politics of old school run contests. As a surfer and skateboarder growing up he watched the sport he loved most, BMX, become run mostly by large companies and outsiders. He wanted more for the sport he loved. He wanted it to be run by the riders, for the riders. Pete is more than a cultural icon for BMX street riding. He's a no frills down to earth personality representing the most popular form of BMX at a time when BMX needed it most! Pete is on