Author: Prashant Gopal

22 Feb

Posted at 06:36h in archive by

Terry Proveda has been telling me about this short documentary he has been working on for a while on Winnipeg flatland veteran Bill Borys. He just finished it and sent it over to me, and after one watch I’d have to say it’s a very compelling and powerful piece on the obsessive nature and sacrifice some people (i.e. bike riders) can make in their lives. Billy has devoted nearly 20 years of his life in the pursuit of flatland, and it has taken him from highs to lows. I’ll leave you with what he wrote and ask you to give it a watch and form your own opinion.

“At only 14 years of age Billy Borys left home and began a quest to become one of the best flatland BMX riders in the world. After a few years of riding, he got sponsored by one of the biggest BMX companies at the time, started entering pro class at competitions, and moved to the states to pursue his dream. ‘Going to X-tremes’ gives a glimpse into Billy’s life; from growing up with nothing to being on top of the world living his dream- and then having everything stripped away from him again. But one thing that will never be lost is his passion for riding. It doesn’t matter to Billy if he has a bed to sleep on or not, all that matters is that he can ride his bike.”

20 Feb

Posted at 08:54h in archive by

I had been meaning to post the first trailer (seen above) for Dave Scott’s Open Liquor 3 for the past little while, and then this new one (seen below) edited by Taylor Elvy showed up online today. After having only recently watched Open Liquor 2, and spending some time around Dave Scott, I must advocate that you do the same. His videos can be described the same way you could describe him: a controlled mess, yet acutely on point.

17 Feb

Posted at 06:16h in archive by

Issue 3 of Union Press was released in early December, and if you have not yet gotten a copy you can now view the whole issue online. We are working at getting issue 2 online eventually, and are at work on issue 4 to be released some time this summer. You can still find hard copies of the newspaper zine at better bike shops across Canada, or you can pick one up here.

11 Feb

Posted at 05:17h in archive by

I am by no means a talented filmer or editor, but I do pull out my point and shoot camera (or in most cases my phone) from time to time to record. I collected a bunch of random stuff I had filmed between January 2012 and January 2013 and put together this short video.

In the last year I visited both ends of the country to stay with friends and made plenty of new ones, as well as had numerous friends come and stay with me in Toronto. At times I may jokingly call myself an old man and complain about my aches and pains, but when I look at my life and the people I surround myself with I cannot help but feel young and invigorated. This video is full of those people and places, as well as a few cute animals.

In order of appearance:
Patrick Krzyzanowski
Chris Silva
Jeff Bedard
Leland Nightingale
Rich Redmond
Phil Bartlett
Chris Langoid
Prashant Gopal
Greg Flag
Craig Robinson
Buck 65
Dillon Lloyd
Trent Barker’s fist

Music:
Old Canes – Black Hill Chapel

06 Feb

Posted at 05:52h in archive by

1 skyline

Brad Hill recently took a trip down to Austin, TX with Jordan Krupa and Chris Cadot to do what every BMX rider in Canada does or wishes they could do in the winter, go somewhere warmer. He shot a bunch of photos on assorted cameras and sent through a recap of their trip. Read what he had to say about the Lone Star state and check out his photos below.

14 days in Austin, TX. The land of guns and big tittied blondes. Nah, actually our experience wasn’t like that at all, although we did see a couple seedy girls in the airport and dodged getting involved in a prostitution ring in this bar called Barbs on their gay night. We actually found ourselves in the city of Austin which felt like it had no retiring community and was just flooded with young people and barely touched spots. Even with the skyline the city has, Austin is actually built out and not up. It covers 770 square kilometers giving plenty of land to roam. I mean we’ve all seen tons of Texas spots in videos, but it’s kind of hard to really comprehend how much shit there is to ride there until you see it for yourself. I think the leeway of having 14 days there also gave us enough time to appreciate it and just enough time to miss home as well. Here’s some of the photos from the trip that haven’t been on the internet yet.
– Brad Hill

(more…)

30 Jan

Posted at 10:41h in archive by

photo

We just updated our online store with a new iron on patch we made. Share your love for Canada’s bountiful nature with this 3″ equilateral triangle patch. Our country is full lush greenery and trees throughout, while being surrounded by oceans on both sides, and that’s exactly what this patch represents. It features an iron on backing, or you can sew it on if you wish. Perfect for your backpack, jacket, denim vest, or wherever you want. Only $4 each plus $1 to ship anywhere in Canada. Get one while they last here.

17 Jan

Posted at 10:16h in archive by

Spencer Bryant-Longo put together a collection of leftover clips of himself and some friends in and around Toronto from the summer. Some of the footage might be a little shaky, but it’s a good watch all the way through.

“I don’t want to be in this video. I feel fat right now.”