Category Archives: Must Watch edits!

Here is where you can find the best, must watch edits!

Must Watch – Chad Johnston / S&M “Hot Dogs” Section!

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I don’t know if it’s just me or has the level gone up a notch or ten this year. It’s not normal that I give a video part section a Must watch. But it’s Chad Johnston, and in my eyes we don’t see enough Chad. Not only one of the most inspirational riders, but look what he has done for riders such as Martti Kuoppa, Viki Gomez, and countless others.

Chad hits it hard in the Long Beach underground in this S&M “Hot Dogs” Section, from the opening backwards elbow glide on the forks at 00:16 to double footed karl BB bar flip out I’m literally having the feeling of watching one of his intrikat videos for the first time.

00:27: pegless undertaker with a wild wheel stand lawnmower type ride out! This might be one of the moves of the year already! It’s april!!!

00:33: Bars regular bar twist to bars backwards nose ET nose to set up Scarlo squeak whips to double karl bar flip out! WTF!!!

00:53: Scarlo squeak to chick whip double footed karl to 360 BB flip out!

1:17: Seat stand megaspin to xft pedal megaspin step over one foot pedal manual pedal death to blender, bare in mind no pegs! Absolutely insane, and like a fine wine Chad just keeps getting better and better. Beyond stoked, contender for edit of the year? Let’s discuss this one in the comments, pure flatland at it’s best! Look out for an interview soon right here on FM!

Must Watch – Dane Beardsley / This and that

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From the opening xft 180 bunny hop jump back to regular stance backwards manual across the Newport Beach riding spot I was glued to this one from Dane Beardsley. A rider I feel like is totally overlooked by the flatland scene, and a rider with a lot of depth in his riding. As always with “Must Watch” videos I like to highlight what stood out for me with some detail about what is going on also.

00:27: Bars backwards whiplash to forward karl/one handed karl in circles kick one handed backwards half hiker backwards karl freak squeak scuff whiplash to hitch whiplash out! Absolutely amazing, and I really like how Dane mixed some old tricks and made them new, such as the freak squeak, and having down a lot of one handed karl lines I know how difficult that one handed karl in circles to one handed karl backwards hitch is….

00:51: Half boomerang step same foot xft backwards fork wheelie to x-ft backwards hitch x-ft backwards half hiker fork wheelie shove it switch handed forkwhewlie to double backwards crackpacker walk around back jump forwards karl out to pedals. No one does this stuff, refreshing!

1:47: Multiple backwards x-handed whiplashes to regular backwards whiplashes, unreal bike control right here!

2:10: And the ender, half lash to multiple forward rope opposite side walk around to two footed backyard dropped down to opposite half lash out!

I get the real sense that Dane is literally playing on his bike, I have always been a fan of the quirky ride-ins and ride in’s he does, and the fact it really does look like he’s having fun. (no pun intended!). Top stuff!

Must Watch – Mateus Beckmann / Flatland Street 2018

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It is not too often that you get a rider that is a savage in both flatland and street nowadays, with the way modern day street riding has become this may become a trend that happens more frequently. Case in point is this new fire edit from Brazilian shredder, Mateus Beckmann! A few years I was raving about this rider on the site and it seemed no one was either taking notice or feeling it, but now….

Mateus’ clips in this stand up if you a die hard street rider or die hard flatlander, so much so that i will share this with my street friends which I wouldn’t normally do…
As with Must Watch edits I like to real down what I liked and for the purposes of this edit I will separate them..

Street clips! (yes in a skatepark)

00:20: 180 to backlash whopper out up 3-4 stair.
00:53: Opposite ice grind whopper out on second ledge set up.
1:25: Opposite pegs 180 gap to next ledge opposite backwards pegs 180 out!
1:40: Big 360 down stairs to manual to 180 down next set of stairs, both stairs a 5-6 set!

Flat clips!

00:41: Double bar rocket manual jump to pedal 5 g-turn rollback whopper 180 out.
2:14: Possibly my favourite flat line of the edit. Xft backwards one handed spinning steam shove-it to regular foot spinning one handed fork wheelie and the ride out!
2:43: Mid line foot jam whip backwards manual hop bar out, next mix of the old and the contemporary!
5:02: The banger of the edit is perfect! 180 to backlash whopper to rocket manual bar to whopper out!

My end point is if you are Garrett Reynolds you can be amazed by this, if you are Martti Kuoppa you can be amazed by this, Mateus Beckmann is a beast! What a start to the week, I hope the rest of the BMX world take notice of this kid!

Must Watch – Mates Tuček / Freestyle Kolbenka 2017-2018

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There is a new beast emerging from the Czech republic scene, Mates Tuček has been on the verge for a couple of years now. You see moments and think, this guy can make it at the very top level. After riding with Mates for a week last year at the Battle in the Rockies contest I have no doubt. From what I have seen Mates is one of the most skilled riders in the game right now, and he’s doing something I really like a lot. He’s learning everyone’s tricks, but… then he’s putting his own twist on them, something I recall Moto Sasaki used to do.

Whilst this edit wasn’t my favourite for the music choice, I did enjoy the sheer quality of what he is doing. And truthfully I don’t think Mates is not doing this with the intent to get a “Must Watch” and that’s one of the things I really liked about him, he doesn’t even realise how good he is. There is a wonderful charm, and innocence to his riding, that I really admire in this day and age where people message me with “Here’s my Must watch edit” Mates is just doing his thing and we can all learn a lot from this guy.

At 7:25 long, you definitely need to grab a cuppa, yeah I know that’s my catchphrase so why not use it huh? Without highlighting everything, here are some the standouts in my couple of watches, but I know I will going back over this again and again. This edit deserves you attention!

1:17: One footed teakettle hand round the back jump over to xft steam off the same foot, amazing technicality and originality.

2:09: Tea Kettle to xft halfpacker bar flip xft halfpacker jump to crackpacker, difficulty level off the chart.

2:38: Guillotine seat grab turbine pivot crack!

3:14: One of my Personal favourites, xft karl one handed step one handed to crack, this is next level. The art of switching and pivoting without the hand is so difficult and one I appreciate a lot from having similar ideas, blown away with this one!

4:31: Not even sure what we call this one, like a side hang 5 karl position all tweaked up to xft halfpacker, Mates skill base is opening up some highly creative lines.

7:10: Tea kettle xft halfpacker step back xft one handed to crackpacker! This move right here is one of the wildest moves we will see all year and he makes it look easy! If Mates can get some support, this guy can become the next big sensation in flatland. March is proving to be a great month for edits!

Must Watch – Sebastian Grubinger / Believe in a Wheel

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BELIEVE IN A WHEEL from HERESY BMX on Vimeo.

I’m a big fan of Sebastian Grubinger’s riding, who isn’t I hear you say… I am also a big fan of riders taking a concept or style and pushing as far as they can. We start the week off here at Flatmattersonline with a banger with a nice message from the man himself:

“Ever since I started riding winter has always been my most progressive time of the year. Very much looking forward to a big change in my life this year in May, I started to go out in December to work on some tricks I had in mind for a while. This year’s Austrian winter wasn’t too bad and temperatures around 0°C or wet floor couldn’t slow down my motivation. Early February the list of ideas was worked off.
For sure, there are always more ideas, more lists,… this never ends. But there are also more winters … and I’ll be out again, whatever conditions, and believe in a wheel.”

From the opening clip at 00:33, the pivot backwards ice cream round opposite side to backwards backyard up two footed pedal backwards manual to degroot undertaker right across the floor at the legendary Heldenplatz in Vienna. A spot that is deep in the history of flatland with the Michael Sommer videos and of course Sebastian, Alexis Desolneux, Trickstar videos and many others. The first clip to any edit is so important, and in my mind can make or break a video part, this delivers and whets the appetite.

Moving on, there’s some experimental ideas thrown in between what I thought were the bangers. Namely the nothing jump on the backwards backyard at 00:58. Always a treat to see riders not afraid to try something new and be different.

At 1:06, one of the best clips of the edit in my first few watches, I literally screamed “Oh yeah!!!” whilst I watched the final straddle-roni exit. The line is a pivot backwards ice cream round opposite side two footed backwards backyard straddle-roni exit out, which had a nice warm up fro what was to come at 00:49. This is years and years of riding to layer the moves and control like this, I feel we have been blessed this past week with firstly Akira Okamura’s amazing part and now Sebastian’s, yet they so different.

2:08, this line much like the 1:06. I screamed “Wow!” and I am pretty sure you will do too, absolutely beautifully crafted from the opening half lash forward g-roll backwards opposite ice cream backwards backyard to degroot undertaker out! So good, shit that might be my favourite line. This is true highly crafted flatland right here.

The level and energy is building on every clip, the speed and execution of the line at 2:54 is jaw dropping. Backwards facing manual to double backwards backyard walk around degroot undertaker out!

It keeps getting better and I love how Sebastian is layering these lines as he builds his skill base, you can almost see what’s coming yet its unvisited territory and the final line at 3:14 kind of left with a feeling of what is to come in the future. All laced to a surprise Motorhead track that I would never have guessed would fit Sebastian’s riding style, flatland is full of surprises and that is one of the many things that keep us all going. Love that Sebastian battled the elements to get this done, zero degrees and look what is going down.
Back to watch this one again!

Must Watch – Akira Okamura / JYU BMX

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It’s that time of year where banging edits are few and far between, no one wants to let the cat out the bag too early. Akira Okamura chimes to his own beat, and boy did this edit hit me hard from the get go.

Laced to a flowing Libro track, Akira hits us with a whole bunch of new moves and that signature style we all love. From the opening line at 00:04 hopping rocket style to xft backwards peg wheelie cranked into inside switch-b he had my attention, no long drawn out intro straight to the point.

The two footed dump truck jump two footed ice cream at 00:36 is a perfect switch that I don’t recall seeing like that, execution top notch! I’m glued to this wondering what is up next, and then BOOM a couple of lines later!

My favourite of the edit, 180 backwards two footed bunny hop body twist with a quick x-up one hand to gliding junkyard at 1:16, absolutely beautiful! Let’s discuss the rest on the site there is so much detail to take in, what’s your favourite line? In a week where politics in BMX threatens to split us apart, this is a welcome edit! Thank you Akira! Wow!

Must Watch – James McGraw / New Style

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NEW STYLE from James McGraw on Vimeo.

At the age of 48 years old, the original Scooter King James McGraw continues to progress and digs deep for his latest edit entitled “New Style”. James has been promising this was going to be his best edit yet and he delivers, two combos stand out for me include the inside switch b pivot g-roll spinning gerator body varial to inside spinning switch b back to xft peg wheelie back to inside switch b body pivot to spinning gerator body varial to spinning inside switch b at the 1:03 mark. The excitement is genuine, and I love his passion for flatland. When you ride with the man that passion is contagious and fuels the session.

The second combo that stood out for me is at the 1:45 mark, inside switch b dumped into ice cream to two footed backyard pivot spinning g-roll kick inside b back to xft peg wheelie pivot spinning g-roll spinning gerator body varial back to that sick scuffless spinning inside switch b. If James can match this level of difficulty in the contest arena he will knocking on the door, James has been sweating over a “Must Watch” for years and I’m happy to finally say the man well and truly deserves it. Go watch the edit for the rest, I just highlighted my favourites. James is an inspiration to us, riding better than ever at 48! Think about that, thank you for sharing this one James!

Must Watch – Jean William Prevost / Made in Shenzhen

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Made in Shenzhen from IGI BMX on Vimeo.

This edit/documentary struck a real chord with me, here we have a man at the top of his game, Jean William Prevost and he has the humbleness to say something like, “Hey I am going to show everyone where I came from and how I got to where I am right now”. I always hear people say, what edit would you show people to say, this is flatland. Right now, I would show them this, the mix of narrative insight, amazing editing skills, and the killer riding tick all the boxes. Dub does what he does with great responsibility, and the forklift grabbing the tyre one handed at the 6:01 mark is flat out incredible not to mention everything he does. This is a great addition to the flatland culture, thank you Dub!

Must Watch – James White / Critical Beatdown

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Critical beatdown from James White on Vimeo.

James White is like flatland royalty, so when you see on Facebook that the man is dropping a new edit with a classic Dorkin’ reference to boot you know it’s going to be good. This one hit me in a different way than previous “Me summer 2016 bits” and “The adventures of James White on the wheels of steel” did, James hit a spot that I feel has been missing in flatland edits over the past few years despite regularly posting on instagram these lines remain fresh.

The emotion I got out of watching this was like a Dorkin’ part watched for the first time with no idea what’s going to go down, mixing all the the flatland eras James has gone through into a 3:38 edit and have this real hype quality that James seems to always have. And the major factor James always seems to communicate is that this was pure fun and returns t the feeling of watching a video part we used to pay for back in the day…

As always with Must watch edits I like to talk about what stood out to me:

– The backwards xft peg wheelie full scuffless gerator body varial at 00:43.

– The triple two footed and dump truck walkarounds at 1:21 and 1:46. This is years of riding to get these so smooth, amazing control!

– The no handed sliding hitchhiker (what do you call that?) to no handed pivot out at 2:26, creating something new out something old. Pure class.

– Full body varial back wheel sliding half lash at 2:53 in the wet no less.

– My favourite line of the edit without a doubt, the whiplash body varial whiplash out at 3:12 is one of the best tricks of the year hands down!

– And the ender, is pure skills. Opposite dump pivot xft backwards ice cream pivot regular dump out at 3:23.

Hitting the rewind again, great stuff from Whiteski!

Must Watch! – Master Of Creativity Top 5 Final edit

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Like Martti Kuoppa, the visionary of the Master of Creativity said yesterday on his podcast with Scott O’Brien. MOC is a different kind of riding from contest riding, and rather than consistency, riders are killing themselves for a trick they might only land once and try to capture it! The top 5 level was off the chart, I wanted to highlight what I liked about each entry.

Sietse Van Berkel: 1:55 locked in his original side packer position, Sietse takes the pedal steam standing on the top tube one handed to new levels. Absolutely incredible, go back and look at the balance point!

Sakis Doumas: I like what Sakis did here, here’s my banger and thats it! And wow, what a banger it was. Hitch dark side to knee fudegpacker, and considering the difficulty coming off the knees in that position, relatively clean exiting out! Much respect Sakis!

Lee Musselwhite: Without question I think this is Lee’s best work yet, really stoked he stepped up for the MOC finals. My personal favourite’s were the Phoenix body varial to fork wheelie at 1:10 and the backwards flail boomerang to no handed backwards crack that follows! Absolutely amazing!

Owen Bohn: Owen’s ender has had us all talking, the lawn to bike flip one handed at 00;38, executed so clean! I am excited for this guy’s future, and on a personal level the opening whip round to crack pivot hang ten pivot xft steam all in one motion was beautiful, one of the lines of the year! Respect Owen!

John Yull: Despite some bike troubles, John Yull still dug deep for the MOC Finals and continued his amazing level throughout the competition and much like Scott O’Brien said yesterday on his podcast. He dedicated his year to this event, and it showed. My favourite clips were the foot jam decade frame stand manual to stemade at 00:26, the no handed decade to opposite decade at 00:18 followed by switch foot one handed perverted rolaid that follows! Congratulations to John Yull for taking the win in the most progressive contest of the year, and all the finalists for progressing our art form so much, you can’t put a price on that….