I’m still undecided on where we legit say, this is old school, this is mid school. Perhaps 91-92? But, What I do know is one of the most underrated German riders, was this guy. Bernd Schneider, he has a while bunch of unique tricks and hideouts, and he stands out for it. Well worth taking notes on this run!
Author Archives: Effraim
Must Watch: Brandon Fenton/ Lashed Out
The whiplash road of progression in flatland, not many walk the walk.. Brandon Fenton is one of those guys, that’s taken the time to master the skill, commitment and balance point. Offloading a few years worth of variations, there’s numerous examples to highlight.
2:10: Just off a foot jam, how many backwards whiplashes Brandon can do, not to mention spot envy. 10 backwards whiplashes is so hard, backwards bar variation at 3:09 too!
2:44: Opposite side downside whiplashes might be one of the best looking flatland tricks ever, here Brandon makes it look easy…
4:36: Regular backwards whiplashes rebate to opposite backwards whiplashes.
5:30: Opposite whiplashes turbine no scuff to backwards whiplashes.
And many more like I said, the lonely road of whiplash progression seems few and far between in modern day flatland world. Loved this edit Brandon put together, a pure artist unlocking the codes and his technique is on point. Respect!
The Last Jam at Amsterdam Indoor Spot
The guys in Amsterdam organized a jam at their legendary indoor spot. Infamous for the Dez Maarsen videos over the years, the crew organised one last jam before the spot gets demolished soon. Juan Niables made the trip from Paris to hook up with the scene and celebrate the spot one last time. Well worth a watch, hope the Dutch guys find a new spot soon..
Rest in Peace Bill Freeman
Sad news today as we learn of the passing of Bill Freeman, the man behind the invention of the Cliffhanger in 1988. His impact on the riding community was immense, and his legacy will live on.
Those who knew Bill remember him not only for his contributions to the sport but also for the great times shared on rides and trips. I was lucky enough to interview Bill on a trip to California back in 2010, sharing his passion and insight on inventing such a staple move still to this day in flatland circles. (See video below)
Rest in Peace Bill. Photo Credit: Spike Jonze.Old School Sundays with Albert Retey
I regard Albert Retey as one of the all time flatland greats, and I have wanted to watch this run back for absolutely years. Big thank you to Thomas Fritcher for this upload. and many more as well from the Kenn, Trier Worlds in 1990.
Albert was hauling ass in this run and freestylin’ his way through it to boot, so much style and natural ability. Not to mention it’s been a while since an OSS post, so why not make it a good one huh?
Alexis Desolneux: The Lost Tapes
Johann Chan recently found old footage of Alexis Desolneux from a trip to Paris in 1994.
Alexis went on to become a pioneer in brakeless riding, so it was nice to re-visit this old (pre-brakeless) footage and re-cut it to music we listened to at the time.
Music: Reclamation by Fugazi.
Marton Szilagyi: Over 54 Part 1 & 2
Catching up on edits after the Flatmattersonline Year end awards, here are two beauties from Marton Szilagyi, aka OG Marton. This man does not age, and has one of the biggest trick bags in the game, always a treat to see what he’s up to. Well worth a watch!
THE 2024 FLATMATTERSONLINE YEAR AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
It is time to get into the winners of the 2024 Flatmattersonline Year End Awards. We had a record number of people voting this year, as well as some good suggestions for how the awards should be announced for next year. Congratulations to all the winners, and also everyone who was nominated.
I will be in touch with the winners soon for their contact details to send the medals out!!
Flatmatters!
READER CHOICE RIDER OF YEAR + CONTEST RUN OF THE YEAR + LINE OF THE YEAR + EDITORIAL CHOICE RIDER OF THE YEAR
YU KATAGIRI.
Yu Katagiri won the reader choice by a fair margin it’s fair to say. With around 60% voting for Yu, and you can see why.
He got my vote much like my vote for Nora Cup, because he’s pushing the sport and dropping brand new tricks and taking risks in his contest runs which is pushing the sport at the highest level.
This might not win contests all the time, but does win respect and he’s setting a standard now which is so promising for the future.
Not to mention when he does get it right, it’s something to experience in real life. Hence why many of you voted for his winning run at the Japanese championships in November! Jaw dropping perfection in signature snappy Yu Katagiri style.
And you can’t forget Yu dropping the no footed backwards spin levitating and jumping through to switch foot ice cream on the opposite side on Jimalog’s Umikaze edit, this move sent shock waves through the flatland scene. I haven’t seen a trick like that for years, this levitating line broke new ground, and physics for sure. Well deserved Line of the year!!
Congrats Yu for winning four awards in 2024, the future is so bright for Yu!
Hang 5 Podcast: Episode 50 with Gonzalo Bellanti
“For this episode, Francois sat down with a relatively less known shredder from Argentina. He has been riding for 20 years, first in the streets of Buenos Aires, honing his skills with fellow local riders. As his riding grew, so did the opportunities and he got to travel the world, do a residency in Abu Dhabi and now calls Melbourne home.We discuss his roots, the growth of the Argentinian scene, competing, living off your passion, travelling/working abroad, sharing spots, why he chose to go back to a 9-5 and how he still hit the UCI stops in 2024, and how he plan to do it again this year, the need for federation support, how he is learning tricks/links and so much more! Welcome to the life of Gonzalo Bellanti.”
Must Watch: Float/ A Flatland Film
Anthony Schneidewind at TS Visual Media put in hell of a lot of work into producing a flatland film together just over an hour long!! Mostly in like mix tape format with a few sections put together that I really enjoyed. The time flew by watching this, loved the Wright brothers part, Will Redd’s part at 39:46 with some unique turbine moves, death truck puppet turbines, locomotive turbines, and much more to boot, to mention all the amazing riders in between throwing a clip here and there.
The highlight without a doubt is Bruno Zebu’s part at 53:00, x-ft skills to pay the bills. His lines are absolutely ridiculous and just keep building, his pivot skills and generating speed mid pivot is something special, I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet.
I would say grab a cuppa, and jump on this one as soon as you can. It’s a great start to 2025!