Happy birthday to Flatmatters Online – your daily fix of flatland goodness – 3 years today!
The Big E does a lot for flatland, but more importantly he is still busting out hardcore everyday.
Check the below edit full of bangers…
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Joel recently dropped us a line with a recent trip he had to Japan – good times for sure!
Hey Newcircle,
Just thought I would drop you a line checking in after my wife and I visited Japan recently. This was actually our second time in Japan and we totally love the place!
I wasn’t able to take my bike over there this time around but it is definitely a must-do for next time, the scene over there is crazy!
We spent a few days in Tokyo when we first arrived, what a crazy place! It is very easy to get around and it is very clean and friendly – very different to any other big cities I’ve visited. We next hopped on the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, where caught up with an old friend of mine, Namito Watanabe- one of the coolest guys you could ever meet.
I met Namito waaay back years ago when I was 16/17, he was living in Melbourne while doing a working holiday. He got me into flatland and was always a great friend- we had some great times back in those days hanging out and riding with the rest of the Melbourne crew at the exhibition centre (before the IMAX spot). We always pick up where we left off from last time – hanging out and having fun! Namito and his family showed us a fantastic time while we were in Kyoto as well as introducing me to some of his friends – crazy guys!
Namito stills rides almost every day, although he now focuses on street riding – check out the links below:
Namito and friend Hanawa riding flat a few years ago.
Trailer of the flatland DVD ‘The Discovery’ by Hanawa (F#ck flatland) – the DVD is awesome! Would love to see it in the shop, show us Aussie flatlanders some Japanese style!
Kyoto 4 Life edit – K4L is Kyoto’s own street riding crew, started by Shuhei Kawamoto – who hopefully will be coming to visit Australia next year some time!
KYOTO 4 LIFE 2011 street riding from SHUHEI KAWAMOTO on Vimeo.
The BMX scene in Kyoto is unlike anywhere else I have seen, it is a very close-knit scene where everyone catches up to ride and hang out regularly. The Hang Out BMX Shop is the coolest BMX shop you’re ever likely to find, it is a small rider-owned business which was started by Buuyoung San some 12 years ago! Buuyoung actively promotes the growth of the sport no matter which discipline. His son, Rim recently won the Japan junior freestyle comp! Buuyoung also stocks Magic Fruits BMX parts, which are some of the highest quality parts available.
The Hangout BMX Shop
The Hangout/K4L crew took me out for a boys night while we were there, what a fun night – what cool dudes! Good crew, good times, yakitori and Japanese beer. Apparently I was even talking Japanese in my sleep afterwards!
Another rider-owned business to check out if you are ever in Kyoto is Takiro San’s Okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza), which is a pancake/omelette style pizza which you cook at your own table. Takiro (sorry if spelling wrong mate) is an awesome guy and a very talented flatlander to boot!
From Kyoto we also did day trips to Nara (which has deer which roam free around the city and are highly reveered), and Osaka (which has what has to be the worlds best aquarium!
I tried to do my bit for Aussie tourism in convincing the guys to head down under for a holiday, so you never know! The boys were all checking out Newcircle and Freestyle Now, Namito was commenting that it was good to see the scene here has grown since he was was living here.
We had a fantastic time in Japan, I wish I had taken my bike – in fact I wish I was still there and not having to run off to work in half an hour.. Oh well, I can daydream about our next holiday! If you ever get over to Japan, definitely put Kyoto on the list of cities to visit – it is a stunning city full of history, awesome food, stunning temples and shrines, a great BMX scene with some of the nicest people and coolest dudes you could ever meet!
Cheers everyone
Joel Clarke
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The BMX world lost a Dirt Jumping icon today when Dane Searls passed away from a non-riding related accident.
Condolences, best wishes and prayers to all of Dane’s family and close knit crew at this hard time. The BMX world mourns with you.
Dane was one of the baddest dirt jumpers ever with style for miles.
Rest in Peace.
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Our homie out in China doing shows, Jason Plourde is a beast. You’ll probably remember his MEGATRON combo from a little while back, well now word is he’s combing a bunch of other decade type stuff to go in there as well. Jay’s a motivated dude so you know his stuff’s gonna be tight when he drops it in an edit…
He recently got a set of the Odyssey Frequency G 1.75″ K-Lyte’s to bust out on… you can tell he’s stoked.
And in case you missed MEGATRON…
Jason Plourde August 2011 from FermeTaGueulePisRide on Vimeo.
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Some of the 2012 Colony range have dropped back into stock, CLICK on the images below for more info…
We now have…
Colony Jam Circle bars in Black, White and Red Storm
Colony Jam Circle Pegs now also in Polished along with Black, Purple and Gold
Colony Cube forks in Black or Purple
Colony Colonial Cranks 160mm in black
Colony TLD Stems in Black, Purple, Red, Blue and Gold!
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Brett Dighton and Shane Badman have been hard at it again – this time sorting demos for H2 Insurance Solutions for a launch party they recently had.
It was a super mellow evening with a DJ on hand, skaters and the flatland display to keep things moving along.
If you haven’t heard of H2 Insurance, they’re the guys who insure a lot of out there events, more recently they did Travis Pastrana’s, Nitro Circus that recently came through Brisbane and they also do Monster Truck events. Jason Holmes is the man, so give him a call if you need some advice on getting covered for an event.
MASSIVE thanks to the guys at H2 Insurance Solutions!
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Massive SALE happening on our range of handlebars!!
* Colony Deja Vu bars (Simon O’Brien signature) – $49.99
* Colony Jam Circle bars – $69.99
* Colony V2 Cube bars (Shane Badman signature) – $59.99
* Odyssey Flatware Bayou bars (Terry Adams signature) – $99.99
* OG Caramel 3 bar – $109.99
* St Martin Evo bar – $79.99
Shipping is capped at $10 per bar while stocks last!!
You can check them out in the store by clicking here
Fresh in…
WeThePeople Royal V3 cranks in 165mm and 170mm in black (suits regular or nano sprockets)
Odyssey Frequency G in WHITE (1.75″)
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Brett Dighton who has been super active putting out a lot of quality edits over the past year or so got involved with Shane Badman to do some demos for Cycling Australia and a Bike Show they had recently organised in Brisbane.
An awesome weekend with the flatland demos drawing some pretty decent crowds and both riders throwing down with what they had. Brett was on it with his super flowing style and was pulling combos everywhere.
Thanks to all the guys at the Bike & Lifestyle Show and Cycling Australia for making it happen!
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Long-time St Martin rider, Jason Forde recently put his new ride together decked out with St Martin goodies from their 2012 line. Holding it all together is Alex Jumelin’s signature frame, The Foot Jam
A dope ride for sure… and if you’ve seen Jason Forde ride, you know he’s the business – The Green Mile represent.
You can check the rest of the St Martin 2012 range in the store here.
You can check Jay’s blog, One Wheel Motion by clicking here now!
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