Tag Archives: Effraim Catlow

The 2019 Flatmattersonline Year End Award Nominees Announced!

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As we roll into my 12th year of running Flatmattersonline, and now my 6th year of running the Flatmattersonline Year End Awards. The feeling and concept of why I started the site, and why I started hosting the awards with multiple categories remain the same. This was a chance I felt to showcase the many talents flatland has to offer via My vote (editorial) and your vote (reader vote) and not just focus on one rider.

Here are the nominees for the Editorial Vote and Reader Vote, 2019 Flatmatters Year End Awards. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated, and thank you flatland as always!

* Please note: There were a couple of ties, so there are 6 nominees in some categories…

Effraim Catlow.
11 years and counting / Flatmattersonline.

Editorial Vote:

Rider of the Year

Matthias Dandois
Owen Bohn
Dominik Nekolny
Kio Hayakawa
James White

Edit of the Year:

Dane Beardsley / that and this 2019
Matthias Dandois / Taking Hawaii
Pedro Melo / Nice Nice Very Nice
James White / Eye of the Tiger
Michele Maiolani / Straight Ahead
Regenerations / Short Film

Most Progressive Rider

Ryo Katagiri
James White
Owen Bohn
Kio Hayakawa
Jean William Prevost

Outstanding Contribution

Alex Jumelin
Irina Sadovnik
Nick Watts
Martti Kuoppa
Flatbible

Line of The Year:

Ryo Katagiri: Regenerations Video. 9:57:
Body Varial two footed backyard pivot gliding lard yard pivot switch foot peg wheelie carved in circles wind into switch handed backwards spinning switch -b to gliding opposite switch b to xft two footed trump truck Degroot undertaker out.

James White: Eye of the Tiger. 2:13.
Switch foot head grab peg wheelie into one handed switch foot peg wheelie pivot to head grab ant rider to head grab one handed rope on the right foot undertaker headtube pivot out.

Dane Beardsley: This and that 2019. 2:03,
Dump truck jump round to backwards rolling ice cream to rope then into backwards straddle come out opposite side g-roll to ice cream back regular rope back to straddle back opposite g-roll to ice cream jump to peg wheelie bar flip out!

Matthias Dandois: Hawaii. 2:03.
Whips into opposite spinning fork wheelie and casually bar scoots into backwards spinning one footed halfpacker on his opposite side with one foot under the chainring/BB into left sided halfpacker.

Pedro Melo: Nice Nice Very Nice. 1:11.
One footed spinning hitch to steam.

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Readers Vote.

Rider of the Year.

Kio Hayakawa
Matthias Dandois
Dominik Nekolny
Matthieu Bonnecuelle
Owen Bohn

Edit of the Year.

Pedro Melo / Nice Nice very nice!
Matthias Dandois / Hawaii
Mateus Beckmann / Flat Street
Dane Beardsley / that and this 2019
Jeff Desroche / After the accident 2

Most Progressive Rider.

Kio Hayakawa
Matthieu Bonnecuelle
James White
Jean William Prevost
Pedro Melo
Matthias Dandois

Contest Run of Year.

Ryo Katagiri – Fise Hiroshima Round 1
Dominik Nekolny UCI World Championship Final
Matthieu Bonnecuelle UCI World Championship Final
Irina Sadovnik UCI World Championship Final
Moto Sasaki Fise Chengdu Finals

Breakthrough Rider.

Kio Hayakawa
Irina Sadovnik
Matthieu Bonnecuelle
Nick Watts
Benjamin Hudson

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO VOTE!

Year end award winners announced:
Wednesday 15th January.

Flat Snitches: Episode 2 / The Gadget Whip

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What a response, we got from the first episode of FlatSnitches. Myself and Pete are super stoked and humbled by all the feedback. FS is a labour of love dedicated to being an educational resource on the history of trick inventions for flatlanders spanning across all generations of our artform.
What we realised after the first episode is that these are episodes that can be updated as useful information (“art of facts as Pete calls it) comes forward. This wasn’t something we considered when we started FS.
We had numerous riders, for example reach out with further information about Jesse Puente doing the Plasticman after we published the first article. Articles can be updated much like tricks are, you get a refresh every so often and learn more about tricks you love to do on the daily.

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Episode 7: How to Mega Spin

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Welcome back to episode 7 of how to flatland, this episode I teach you how to mega spin. A back wheel trick invented by the one and only, Kevin Jones.

This trick I feel is all about your set up, and as you will see in the video. The importance of the balancing leg swinging into the direction you spin. If you stand on the peg with your left foot like me, your swinging leg will be your right foot. If you spin the opposite direction, vive versa.

Learn the swinging motion and to control the bike with one stiff, two scuff, three scuff as shown in the video. Once you have those dialled, then move on and try and add more scuffs, paying attention to the fact the more you scuff the faster the spin goes.

If you have a brake, the only time you really would even think about using it is on the rideout. But bear in my mind if you are spinning quickly and lock the brake, you will spin even faster. Thats another variation right there.

Tips:

Focus on the swinging leg going into the spin.

Learn the 1,2,3 scuffing technique.

Learn to use your scuffing foot as straight as possible, this helps control the bike a lot more,

To ride out, slow the spin down and spot your pedals. I set up my pedals right foot forward so the pedal is easily reachable when it is time to ride out.

The mega spin is a fun one to learn, this trick is all about the entry to it and getting into the spin as quickly as possible.

Have learn learning this one, and let me know in the comments any problems you are having, or if this helped.

Enjoy flatland.

Throwback Thursdays – Carhartt Flatland Jam 2001

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This weeks TBT is dedicated to the Carhartt flatland jam that went down at the Jugendpark in Koln, Germany. Featuring so much amazing riding still to this day from the likes of Hiroya Morizaki, James White, Phil Dolan, Alexis Desolneux, yours truly Effraim Catlow, Chad Degroot, Lee Musselwhite, Matti Rose, Frank Lucas, Michael Sommer, Michael Steingraeber​ and many more., Throwback gold today on Flatmattersonline​ this morning. I took a lot out of watching this one back and sure you will do too!

Repo: The 2019 One Love Jam

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Text: Effraim.
Photos: Effraim, Juan Lopez, Bobby Carter.

The 9th annual One Love Jam in Newport Beach, California was lived up to all the hype I have heard over the years. We were staying around an hour away in Corona, and I believe it was James McGraw who said “it will be sunny at the beach Effraim”. I remember thinking “yeah yeah, that’s not going to happen”, low and beyond we arrive at picture perfect Newport Beach and the sunshine is booming, girls in bikinis everywhere, hockey players, and a fast smooth newly resurfaced riding spot which is large enough to hold 120 riders pretty comfortably with a California beach backdrop.

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San Francisco Trip – Part 2

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Yesterday was the first dry day of my trip to San Francisco. Dylan Worsley from We Bicycles arrived in the morning, and myself, Pete and Dylan headed from Fremont to San Fran by BART. 40 minutes later, we were at Embarcadero and the Clocktower is across the road. The ground was still really wet from and early morning shower, Pete has the Clocktower on lock down and has a let blower, squeechie, and to my suggestion added a towel to the fix to get the riding spot dry.

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Repo: San Francisco Trip Part 1

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Good morning everyone!

As many of you will know, Pete Brandt who happens to be my child hero growing up organised a go fund me page to get me out to the One Love jam in Newport Beach, California this weekend. When I was younger, my parents took me to San Francisco on holiday and I always loved the place and everything about it, so much character in this city. So as you can imagine I am still pinching myself that I am actually here. I can’t thank Pete, his wife Karissa, and everyone who donated to help me get here.
I arrived into San Francisco on Monday, after an 11 hour flight and almost three hours in the customs line I was pretty tired, but also pretty excited to get riding and make the most of this dream trip out here.

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Flatmattersonline: How to Foot Jam Tailwhip

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It’s been a while with the flatland how to series, yesterday was my first day out in San Francisco and what better time to get the first how to of the year done. Today I teach you how to foot jam tail whip.
This trick is all about commitment, and getting your head over the stem and bar area whilst kicking the frame round and keeping the bike straight. I’ve broken this how to into four steps, hope this helps anyone trying to learn this trick. It’s useful trick to learn as leads to show much, like every trick in flatland there are no boundaries other than what you out on yourself. Get learning and drop me a message and let me know how you get on.

Episode 5: How to BMX Flatland / How to Peg Wheelie

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It’s been a couple of weeks since our last how to….

How are you all getting on so far? Have you learnt all the how to’s so far, if you have… Well done you’ve been putting the work in!

Today it’s time to teach the peg wheelie.

Steps to learn:

If you learnt the backwards peg wheelie I taught in Episode 4 whatever you foot you stand on the peg with, go with that foot. My prominent foot is left foot, with right foot my balance foot.

Take one push off or pedal, straight line.

-Use your standing peg foot as close to the dropout as possible, this helps with the bikes stability.

– Start with your arms bent, pull up straighten arms.

– Your balance foot will swing back and forth as you work out the balance point.

– Try and keep the front wheel just a few inches off the ground. Don’t pull the front end up too hard, you will flip off the back of the bike.

– Try not to touch any brakes on this trick, I use my thumb on the bar as shown in the video.

– Set yourself a target, one parking space, two parking spaces. Have some fun with it.

Guest rider: Ben Walton.

Let me know how you are getting on in the comments section…

Enjoy flatland and building your skills!

Who will be the 2018 Flatmattersonline Rider of the Year?

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The exclusive content here on Flatmattersonline keeps coming. Whilst I was out at the annual Battle in the Rockies contest a few weeks back, I caught up with some riders to ask them who they thought was the Rider of the Year as a prelude to the up and coming FM year and awards that will be open to vote from 17th December.