First Ever Weekly Rant With Ryan...

" A few weeks ago, or three, or four, Tazz asked me to write a story for the most kickass bmx blogspot on cyberspace. The page you are currently visiting now, Crank Faster. He probably thought I had forgotten about the task - but I didn’t. I’ve just been waiting for something to hit me worth sharing. After a while, something did, and it just took me getting sick and missing some work to start typing it out. So here it goes.

Thought #1 Where is the free in BMX Freestyle? One thing that slightly bums me out about the human race is our inability to accept others that are different from one another. There’s an evolutionary explanation as to why humans always notice all our differences, rather than our similarities, and establish an “out-group” along with an “in-group.” But I can’t remember what it is right now. An explanation of that would be beside the point anyways.

The point I’m trying to get at: ( Once upon a time when BMX Freestyle was beginning to emerge, if you were doing tricks on a BMX bike, you were part of the “In-Group”. There was no having to fit in. If you were on two-wheels, you were part of the BMX Club, so to speak. Proof of this is the fact that Rick Thorne (of all people) got to hang out with some of the most kick ass BMX riders in history on a regular basis growing up, Dennis McCoy, Matt Hoffman, Dave Mirra, etc! Now I personally like Rick Thorne for various reasons besides his riding, and not because of his annoying television persona he puts on in front of the camera; but judging by the tons of shit talking I’ve read on this guy over the years at various bmx message boards, there is no way in hell he would have ever fit in with any generation of riders over the past 10-years, had he been born any later! Rick’s parents definitely nailed the timing right when they decided to hump him into the worlds existence. Any later, and he never would have fit in with the “BMX In-Group”, and gone on to live a somewhat rock star style life, and any sooner, he never would have got to experience the joys a little bmx bike can bring in life, which is why we ride bikes in the first place, for pleasure.

So, the next time you see a dude roll up at the skatepark, or wherever, with two front brakes, four pegs, and possibly a seat post as high as Jody Donnelly use to run his back in the Bicycle Stunt Series (which was probably enough weight in exposed seat post alone back in the 90’s to equal a seat post-seat combo today); don’t let your primitive instinct lump the rider into some “out-group” category, even if the person is an insanely pathetic rider. Just step back and realize, that if they’re on two wheels, they are part of the “in-group” known as a BMX. Plus, where would we be if everyone was the same? Variety is the spice of life. Or at least some say. So please be accepting of those who wish to express their freestyle in a different type of manner."

boom.