THE BIRTH OF THE BMX FREESTYLE MOVEMENT

THE 1st EDITION - 2016 / 17

CHApTERS.

FOREWORD - BOB OSBORN // OUT OF THE ETHER - THE ORIGINS OF TRICK RIDING // THE UNBEATEN PATH - THE BMX ACTION TRICK TEAM // GOING GRASS ROOTS - THE 1981 HARO TOUR // REPORTAGE - BMX ACTION MAGAZINE AND FREESTYLIN'  // NO CONTEST - THE AFA, THE KING OF THE SKATEPARKS AND THE MASTERS SERIES // ROCKVILLE - THE MOST ICONIC BMX SHOP/COMMUNITY OF ALL TIME // A MEETING OF THE TRIBES - THE PIVOT TO HALFPIPE CONTESTS AND THE 2HIP KING OF VERT // NO PERMIT REQUIRED - STREET RIDING PREVAILS // A NEW BRAND COMMUNITY - THE INDUSTRY BRANDS. 

Content, and insight-rich.

With sixty-two individual contributors, including BMX Action Magazine founder and publisher; Bob Osborn (foreword), pioneering Freestyle innovators; Bob Haro, RL Osborn, Mike Buff, and Fred Becker, "Birth" is the cultural "ground zero" for the grassroots era of Freestyle BMX. Read personal recollections from the engine-room at Wizard Publications, with a narrative from Mark Lewman, Andy Jenkins, Spike Jonze, Windy Osborn, and Jeff Tremaine. The King of the Skateparks champions; Mike Dominguez, and Eddie Fiola, reconnect to the energy they felt at contests as they put everything on the line in the name of progress. Read personal insights from these, and many other, preeminent vert-riding pioneers. They existed on the finite limit in their efforts to deliver the-next-big-trick, while remaining acutely aware of the catastrophic consequences of a failure while rising ten feet above the coping of a giant concrete bowl. Illustrated with previously unpublished imagery from the archives of a celebrated community of action sports photographers, reconnect to the era through spectacular scenes and iconic imagery from a period when every day presented an opportunity to create something new.

THE FIRST EDITION CONTRIBUTORS.

BOB OSBORN (FOREWORD) // DEAN BRADLEY // STU THOMSEN // MIKE BUFF // BOB HARO // HUGO GONZALEZ // JOHN SWANGUEN // RON HARO // TED EMMER // MATT RAWDON // JAMES CASSIMUS // D. DAVID MORIN // R.L. OSBORN // MAT HOFFMAN // DANA DUKE // BOB MORALES // WINDY OSBORN // GARY TURNER // RON WILKERSON // ANDY JENKINS // MARK LEWMAN // SPIKE JONZE // STEVE GIBERSON // BRETT DOWNS // JAY METZLER // CRAIG BARRETTE // JEFF TREMAINE // MIKE DAILY // EDDIE FIOLA // FRED BECKER // RICH SIGUR // MIKE DOMINGUEZ // PAUL NOLAN // STEVE ALBA // BRIAN BLYTHER // MARC MCGLYNN // TONY MURRAY // STEVE PERALTA // CRAIG CAMPBELL // TODD ANDERSON // ROBERT PETERSON // JOHN "DIZZ" HICKS // OSCAR GONZALEZ // DENNIS "DMC" MCCOY // SCOTT FREEMAN // EDDIE ROMAN // CEPPIE MAES // PETE AUGUSTIN // JOSH WHITE // TODD HUFFMAN // JOE JOHNSON // DAVE VOELKER // CORY METZLER // CHRIS POTTS // KEVIN MARTIN // LEE REYNOLDS // VIC MURPHY // NICK PHILIP // EVERETT ROSECRANS // BILL HAWKINS // GARY TURNER // PERRY KRAMER // MIKE DEVITT // FRED BLOOD // KEN COSTER // PERRY CREMEANS // REIN STOLTZ.

The rise of a new industry.

The "Brand Community" section delivers individual chapters that celebrate the role of six iconic Action Sports brands on their journey as “start-ups” in the early BMX scene. Original staff members, including Oakley’s inspirational Factory Pilot Program Manager; Dana Duke, and Vans first Skate and BMX Team Manager; Everett Rosecrans, recall the energy at the contests, call-out the stand-out riders, and recall the impact of their most iconic product’s. GT Bicycles founder, Gary Turner, looks back on his earliest memories of designing and building a bicycle frame for his son Craig in the garage of his home in Orange County in the early 1970s. Turner also speaks to the prolific growth of GT on its path to becoming a force, and leader, in the bicycle industry. The management team, and athletes, behind the iconic Skyway Recreation wheel company provide background on the design and product development of their iconic, mag-spoked, urethane wheel.  Members of the celebrated 80's Haro Freestyle Team, including Bob Haro, Ron Wilkerson, Mike Dominguez, and Brian Blyther, provide personal insights into an era when teenagers on bikes commanded six-figure salaries and became the leaders, and icons, of Generation F.

THE FIRST EDITION DEDICATED BMX BRAND CHAPTERS;  VANS // OAKLEY // HARO BMX // GT BICYCLES // SKYWAY RECREATION // SE BIKES

This is the young community that moved the needle of progress forward - fueled only by their passion and unconditional love for the culture and lifestyle that Freestyle inspired. The vision and commitment of this community laid the foundations for the inception of a modern action sport, and The Birth of the Freestyle Movement exists to record and celebrate their achievements.

The first edition of this book is sold-out. But fear not, the second edition is in development, and available now for pre-order. Read more about the expanded, updated, and evolved, version of this book by clicking the button below.