Dave Osato Tag

03 Aug

Posted at 11:30h in archive, events, features, home by

The Nelson contests were our piece of ’90s BMX lore in British Columbia. They exemplified so many things about that time, from people scraping together road trips across Canada and the PNW to get there, to the collective party vibe that resonated throughout the town and its nightlife (which by most accounts could not handle that many BMXers). For those of us who were young, it was a chance to see our heroes in the flesh, riding in the purest way possible with our friends. There were bangers, crashes, and even a flatland contest. Above all else, the vibes were unbeatable and everyone who showed up had a chance to feel like they were a part of something. When a small crew of organizers resurrected the contest as a reunion effort in 2022, a long lost piece of our culture returned and by all accounts brought back its original spirit. The contest is on again for 2023 and I know many riders are feeling the collective pull to be there. Justin Schwanke and I traded some questions with Andrew Lazaruk and Wade Nelson, who are both at the helm again for this year’s gathering.

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07 Jan

Posted at 20:28h in archive, features, home by

Adam Perez – Vancouver Metro Jam 2003
Adam was a young rider from Oregon that was picked up by MacNeil. Like a few others, he was blasting this hip all weekend, and to me, this shot sums up the whole vibe of that contest.

“From early 1999 until late 2003, Chase BMX Magazine was a quarterly publication focusing primarily on the Canadian scene. I was fortunate to be the editor for its four year run, and along the way I started taking photos. We had mediocre photo equipment, and possessed little of the skills cut out for it, but what I did have was a lot of talented subjects to shoot with. Chase was published by World Bicycle Sports Incorporated, who also founded Up North BMX Supply, Ten Pack Distribution, MacNeil Bikes, Metro Jam, and the Pivotal seat. At the time, the magazine served as an advertising medium promoting the brands that Ten Pack distributed, while at the same time trying to grow the sport in Canada and abroad. While we printed about 10,000 copies for Canada, 5,000 copies made their way to the US and 1,000 more to the UK. It was a great ride while it lasted. In the late summer of 2003, we decided to fold the magazine and focus our attention more on the other ventures at World Bicycle Sports. I was going to include all of my favourite shots from over the years, both during Chase and post-Chase, but we don’t have enough bandwidth for that. Instead, these shots were all taken from 2000 until early 2004. These were all shot on film, and some of them I cringe when I see the imperfections, whether it’s composition or technical. In the end, it’s a snapshot of a time that I look back upon quite fondly. We were really just a bunch of guys having the time of our lives growing and creating, whether it was history or friendships.” -Ken Paul

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31 Aug

Posted at 13:03h in archive by

In a follow up to our post from last Thursday with Dave Osato’s 1995 Props interview, Matt Sinclair reminded us of this Osato part in BMX-MEN that came out the following year (and Least Most uploaded 4 years ago). This part is filled with so many amazing tricks: 540 tailtap decade at 2:06, icepick to decade at 2:40, over tooth x-up 360 half barspin (?) at 2:50, and pretty much the last half minute are all some of the most technically advanced tricks of the time, and some would argue are still to this day. Please give this one a watch, and maybe go ride a mini ramp afterwards.

28 Aug

Posted at 16:54h in archive by

Spotted this classic interview from 1995 with an 18 year old Dave Osato show up on the Props Youtube page and knew it was an immediate post. Dave talks about being a rookie pro, the difficulty with traveling to contests as a Canadian, and decisions with making a jump from small to big sponsors, all while demonstrating some of the most technical mini ramp riding that BMX has ever seen (that Canadian nose pick to barspin at 3:21!). Check out this interview from nearly 20 years ago with one the Canadian greats whose impact and influence is still felt to this day in BMX.

20 Oct

Posted at 08:27h in archive by

The other day I spotted this photo of Dave Osato on Ken Paul‘s Instagram feed and it reminded me of this amazing section from him in Demoltion’s Last Chance DVD. It sparked a conversation with a friend about how incredibly amazing Osato was/is. When this video part came out in 2011 he was already less and less in the BMX spotlight, but this came out and surprised everyone and reminded us all that Osato still has it (and will probably never lose it). All the amazing skatepark and subrail/hitching post tricks are so against the grain of modern day popular BMX, and the 50 Cent track was already a number of years after it’s prime popularity, but all that makes this section even better. One of the most technical mini ramp riders with the appearance of a line backer, a career of contests and video parts behind him with nothing to prove creating one of the most honest and real portrayals of their riding. I believe this is the most recent footage of Osato that the public has gotten to see, but I hope it’s not the last.