Editor: Brad Hill

Associate Editor: Prashant Gopal

Contributors: CB Coombs, Dave Scott, Charlie Crumlish, Luke Santucci, Trent Barker, Matt Bosco, Zach Rampen, Riley McMaster

Thanks: Trevor Oleniuk, Sue @ Web News Printing, Jamie & Darcy @ Ten Pack / Macneil, everyone @ bmxgallery4130, Mike @ Twisted Sticker

bmxfu.comyosickzine.combradhillworks.com

winter 2014

John Alden (9)

Luke Santucci (1)Trent Barker (2)

Charlie Crumlish (3)Matt Bosco (4)

Zach Rampen (5)Riley McMaster (6)Prashant Gopal (7)

Brad Hill (8)Dave Scott (9)

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RIDER: DILLON LLOYD | PHOTO: MIKAEL CARDIN | WWW.MACNEILBMX.COM | @MACNEILBIKES

diller_UP_ad.indd 1 10/9/13 3:16:29 PM

JAKE MONTGOMERY Being one of two Montgomery’s that put in work, Jake has paid his dues. Those FU head badges you see, they are all machined and bent by Jake. He’s made wax molds and built himself a tiny GoPro rig set-up with a remote handle and an iPhone holder as a viewfinder. He loves to tinker with stuff, is technical in each part of his life and makes sure everything is done with precision. If the photo above was in full colour, you would see that he even finds a way to colour coordinate his spot to his bike and sweater. How often does that shit happen?

RIDER: DILLON LLOYD | PHOTO: MIKAEL CARDIN | WWW.MACNEILBMX.COM | @MACNEILBIKES

diller_UP_ad.indd 1 10/9/13 3:16:29 PM

Andy Roode (8)

Andrew White (8)

Words & Photos (8)

BRIDGE SPOT There are few things more satisfying than creating something from nothing. That may read as a tired cliché, even in the realm of BMX, but it’s true. Even though the St. Catherine’s/Niagara area of Southern Ontario has its sprawl of well-ridden skateparks and street spots within driving distance, what has quickly become the most interesting location in the area is Greg Henry’s Bridge Spot. Once an ordinary footbridge at the end of a winding street, it has been repurposed as a makeshift DIY skatepark. With the aid of Quickrete, Bondo, cinder blocks, a flat rail, and some motivation, Greg and his crew (made up of whoever isn’t working on a given day) have quietly transformed the area in to their unsanctioned clubhouse, where riders come to ride and hang out. A barrier has been changed in to a steep quarter pipe; blocks have been arranged with concrete and

coping to make a ledge; a flat rail has been fixed to the ground, a turtle shelf-esque hump has been poured; and who knows what else by now. Pedestrians walk by freely and safely on the bridge’s sidewalk while a garbage can Greg’s crew purchased is chained up to a post to ensure litter is kept to a minimum and neighbours are kept happy. What is most interesting to me is that you could just as likely roll up and find people riding the obstacles as you could catch them down below the bridge casting fishing lines in to the water hoping for a good catch. The Bridge Spot echoes the DIY ethos of BMX and is an easy reminder of the community building effect a homegrown spot can have. If you are in the area, stop by because the locals are proud to show and share what they have created, the ledge is sliding nice, and the fish might be biting.

Chris Cadot (2)

Shawn Swain (2)

Words (7) Photos (7,8)

RICHARD GALLANTKARSTEN MILLMAN

ZANE FITCHENJOHN ALDEN

DARCY PETERS

100, 1604 10TH AVE SW

PHOTO: ANDREW SCHUBERT

403-264-4900

WWW.BMXGALLERY.CA

Sam Lowe (8)

Montreal is a sprawling and diverse city. If there’s one rider that knows what it has to offer, it’s Mike Fiz. He will spend his morning pedaling up Mount Royal just to enjoy a view, bomb down it, ride across town to grab a macchiato, and then ride a manual pad. We hit up Mike to get his opinion on some of his favourite offerings from his city.

Best ledge: Curved ledges at shop AngusBest wallride: Curved wall on St. UrbainBest rail: Van Horne overpass DIY flat railBest bank: Wallride SchoolBest new spot: Schoolyard on 16eme and MassonBest OG spot: St. Henri schoolBest defunct spot: Saint Jacques Banks (RIP)Best coffee shop: OlympicoBest bagels: Fairmount BagelsBest bar: Casa Del PopoloBest local brew: Saint Ambroise Pale AleBest pho: Pho bang New York/Pho Tay HoBest burrito: Cagibi’s breakfast burrito

Best Montreal advice: Stay away from downtown and the Olympic Stadium

MONTREAL’S BEST

GREG FLAG WILL MAKE YOU LAUGHWhy don’t chickens wear any pants?

Because their peckers are on their heads.

How’s the coffee? aTastes like dirt. Probably because it was ground this morning.

What did the guy say when he walked into the haunted IHOP?

This place gives me the crepes.

Tell us another.I don’t know any more!

SEARCHING FOR GOLD More than five years ago I found and rode one of the most interest-ing spots I have come across: a natural rock transition. I knew this transition existed somewhere in the outlying area of my hometown, as I had seen it pop up in numerous skate videos and magazines, but that’s all I had to go on. Thanks to Jeff Bedard’s dedication those days, who was determined to ride every pool he could before the summer season, we had a spring filled with pool riding. After discovering and riding a hidden gem in a derelict neigh-borhood, I described the pool to a skateboarder who knew of and had skated the natural rock transition. We were each keen to ride the other’s secret spot. After a gentlemen’s agreement to share the location of these spots with each other, Jeff and I received loose directions on how to find the transition. It was a search and a trek, but very much worth it. Five years later, I returned home with the idea of showing the spot to a new group of people. They had tricks in mind they wanted to do, and some people even called stuff out. As I sat behind the driver’s seat, trying to reach far enough back in my brain for the route and directions, I began to doubt myself. What if the spot had changed? What if my memory failed me and I couldn’t find it? After a few reassuring texts back and forth with a friend that knew the place, I began to shake it off and was confi-dent once again. We finally rolled up and journeyed across a field to find the rock transition. It proved harder to ride than people expected, and harder than I remembered. After a couple of hours we had some photos and video that we were all pleased with, but I couldn’t escape the feeling that the journey itself was the reward.

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Jeff Kocsis (8)

Chris Silva (7)

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Words by Prashant Gopal

Mike Fiz’s favourites

Jokes from Greg Flag