Rubencheck over at Dig BMX! “A close look into the steed of one of the most legendary riders ever… Ruben. Everyone knows who’s first name that is. A DIG staple since the late 90s. A true innovator on so many levels. A real definition of the borderline cliché term ‘influencer’.
Here’s a glimpse at the whip that Mr. Alcantara continues to use as the tool to display his silky smooth style, as well as a little insight into how the evolution into an aging BMX’er has been for him. Not that he’s really slowing down that much…”
Señor Alcantara-Ortiz
Check out the BMX Union interview Joe did with Kurt… It should answer some of your questions. We’ll be posting more info soon. Thanks for your patience and support!
Dig BMX are posting up the sections for Elf’s “Dollar Bet”! The intro’s online now. More to come…
“Intro section from Shawn ‘Elf’ Walters’ full-length DVD production ‘Dollar Bet’. Packed with fire, mayhem, crashes and characters, it slams you headfirst into the pool of mischief that is the Salt Lake City scene. If you like the old FBM videos, you’re gonna love this. Check back every day on DIG this week to see the rest of ‘Dollar Bet’!”
Growing up, we have all come across those that impact us in such a way, we are forever changed… It was the the beginning of the 90’s, and public parks were virtually nonexistent. But nestled away in small town New Jersey, there existed a little bike shop known as T&C Cycles. They had a very inviting bunch of ramps behind the shop. This scenario was so rare for the time, so of course we’d go down and ride every weekend that we could make it there. John LUC-E Englebert, Mel Cody, Chris Hallman, Dave VanderMaas, and Chris Price were some of the regulars I’d head that way with. During our first bit of time there, we kept hearing of a rider named Jeff Crawn. Some of the guys that were local to T&C, had told the tale of this guy that could do anything. I can still remember the first time I saw him ride at one of their events, and it was mind blowing. A few months later, I skipped school one day to meet up with Jeff and his friend Tim. They made the drive from North Jersey to Easton and we were going to squeeze all that we could into this day. Over the following years, Jeff became one of my best friends and he eventually moved to Bethlehem. Too many good times to count. Life was so very simple. Work just enough to cover bills, and spend the rest of the time hanging out with the boys and riding as much as possible.
On a very dismal day at the beginning of July in 1993, Jeff and I drove out to Chicago to ride SCRAP indoor skatepark. We were both getting flowed stuff from Standard at the time, and Mark Losey was headed there to do a photo shoot for BMX Plus!, whom he worked for at the time. I can remember not far into the session Jeff telling me how stoked he was because Losey had told him they wanted to do a small spotlight on him in the magazine. This was a dream come true as none of us had ever been in a magazine. Remember, only the superheros of BMX were in the magazines right?! It seemed like only minutes after Jeff told me that, things took a dramatic turn for the worse. He was hitting the box jump there when his forks snapped upon landing. It was probably the most traumatic emotion I’ve ever felt in one instant. That accident left Jeff paralyzed from the chest down…..
I feel like I could write a book on my time with Jeff. Both before and after the accident. Damn he went through more than any of use could ever imagine…. I would go visit Jeff whenever I could at his home in New Jersey. We’d usually just hang out and talk about just about everything aside from BMX. As the years went on, Jeff started to get into using a video camera to film some wildlife, that then turned into him shooting pictures. It was really great to be able to connect with him on both of these subjects as they were 2 of my loves as well. Needless to say, Jeff went blazed ahead full speed with his intreats in photography. And both his photos, and the methods he’s used to take them, mirror how unique he was on a bike. He’s shown me some of the most unreal wildlife photos I’ve ever seen, all shot from either the front seat of his car, or out the back window of this house. Inspiration is something I always feel when thinking about him. I couldn’t be more proud of what he has done.
Kenan Harkin was a good friend of ours during those years. We all got together to ride whenever we could. Kenan now hosts a show called Kamp Kenan and its based around nature and some of the animals that we share this planet with. He recently visited Jeff in New Jersey and featured him on his show. Take a minute to watch it here. It only scratches the surface of how great Jeff is. Thank you both Jeff and Kenan for putting this out.
The Thing Within new works by Michael Sieben, December 3rd - January 1st
Neighborhood is so happy to present the works of Michael Sieben for the entire month of December. This show has been in the works for quite some time, it is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited. Michael has taken time out of his busy schedule to create an entire new show of work for Dallas.
About Michael Sieben:Michael is a professional designer and illustrator whose work has been exhibited and reviewed worldwide as well as featured in numerous illustration anthologies. He is currently the managing editor at Thrasher Magazine and has a monthly column in Juxtapoz Magazine. He is also a founding member of Okay Mountain Collective in Austin, Texas, as well as the cofounder of The Program skateboards. He lives and works in Austin, TX with his wife Allison, son River, and daughter Eve.
From Joe… “We never really considered any holiday oriented stuff before, but for some reason this drawing I did two Decembers ago, seemed fitting on a mug this year. It was fun for me to draw, and with the ramp coming down this year, it just seemed like a good time to do it. Happy Holidays everyone, and thank you all for helping T-1 continue on.”
We’ll also have Holiday Packs (1 x Mug, 1 x Coaster, 1 x Deep End Roast Coffee), and Deep End Roast Coffee back in stock. Limited edition Coasters made by Cam Wood at The Wood Shop BMX. Everything’ll be ready on Tuesday, December 6th, but is available to order now in the T-1 Online Store.
