Editors : Matt Holmes, Mike Daly.
Matt Holmes, june 2003 : 2020bmxmag started back in 98. Basically it was a long time coming. There was no mag in Australia giving a voice to all of us or our riding. We had comps and riders as good as those overseas, but no way of getting much sponsorship, so with a kind of vision for the way it should be, 2020bmxmag was born.
It contains straight up Australian riding, dirt, street, vert and flat. Documented by the riders for the riders. No racing just riding, music, art and stuff that rocks.
Colin MacKay on the cover.
The average reader is an image-conscious male, aged from 12 to 17. They love and live the street culture, including the hip-hop and the punk music scenes. Their clothes show only the coolest logos and they spend most of their hard-earned pocket money on these trendy threads and/or rebuilding and updating their bikes. But that's not to say the readership is limited to just the hardcore street youth. As our research shows, we attract quite a broad reach of riders from all 20inch disciplines including: flat, dirt, vert and racers. We even inspire older generations of mountain bike riders who are eager to not only stay in touch with their roots but attempt to keep up. When looking for a voice for the bmx market you can't go past 2020.
Matt Holmes, february 2005 : It's just some marketing chick shit talk... One of the many reasons I parted ways with Emap and went back to publishing solo!
Out july 2002 (hiver australien).
I yet have to experience it but 2020 magazine gives me a good impression on the BMX scene over there. It seems like there is no difference between scenes from all the different continents. Riders search for the full pipes, they wear the right clothes, they love good riding sessions and they look out of the car windows and hope to spot a new rail.
With all the reports put together in one magazine you get the feeling that BMX is huge in Australia. That might not be the case but Matt Holmes did not have any problems filling an 68 page glossy mag with great pictures, interviews, news, a bike test, contest reports, product reviews and more. A full on Australian BMX mag that deserves your support.
Dave Freimuth interview.
February 2003. The new issue of 20/20 BMX Magazine comes with a free doublesided pull out wethepeople poster of Clint Millar and the new australian wethepeople rider Luke Weatherall.
Matt Holmes, june 2003 : I realised that there was no reason to have to answer to people that knew nothing about riding. Independent mag making is like riding, choose your goals, do it. And do it your way, but be prepared to work hard.
Mike Daly, may 2003 : We just published our first copy independently, we are pretty happy with it, its bigger with better printing and more pages. So things are definitely looking up.
The guy on the cover is called Adam Hough and he's riding a crazy pipe in Melbourne, this issue also has the following :
T1 world trip story
Clint Miller Interview
Brett Dighton Interview
Berlin full pipe story
Markus Wilke Interview
As a youngster becoming addicted to the 20inch experience in Australia, everything riding was defined by the likes of the magazines Freestylin', Go, BMX Plus, Invert, Ride BMX UK and eventually RideBMX. Styles, tricks, attitudes and pretty much everything was drawn from these imported mags. Australia is about as far away from the rest of the world as you can get (the 20inch world that is...) and any local publication (few and far between) was dominated by fluro coloured, nylon wearing racers. Although trying out the racing vibe, my first two motos were a gut wrenching affair involving abuse from marshals and DQ's due to x ups and flatties, of course then my bike was 'scrutineered' and that 'funny brake' thing, my gyro meant I wasn't allowed to race (I had taken off my pegs!). Fine, car parks, schoolyards and jumps would do me just fine... The years passed and the crew I rode with and all the people I met around the country made me realise that most of us were pretty much as good as some of the riders in the OS mags, yet none of us scored much more in the way of sponsorship beyond some free stickers, and if we were extremely lucky maybe cost price on some parts at a local store. Frustrating, yep, but then again it was pretty obvious we all rode for the love of it anyway, so whatever.
I guess it hit me harder once the odd US pro would come over and talk it up about the lifestyle and living to be made from riding. I knew I wasn't driven to become the best rider, more content to just ride with different faces and different places, so this whole mag thing became more and more apparent. Maybe, just maybe, if an Aus mag was out there, some of the amazing riders out here would have the chance to get the coverage which would in turn score them some kind of sponsorship and a chance to get overseas and have a shot at living the dream we grew up dreaming about.
I messed around with photocopied mags for a little bit, under the name of 'Abandon', sometimes 'Wreckless Abandon', whatever, it was cool but didn't really get beyond a tight little crew... So I dived headlong into learning how to do a mag, doing whatever I could do with a basic Mac (check LCII for old school Apple styles!), and any design company or mag company that would have me for experience. Moving from Adelaide to Melbourne I sponged every bit of info I could from anyone in the know, working for free to suss out stuff and make contacts. Working as a bike messenger got me in contact with so many crew in that industry. Slowly, the mag vibe started coming together, 2020vision became 2020bmxmagazine, and through endless favours, amazing amounts of trust and a few who pushed me to follow the dream, I somehow got a mag out after hours with just enough ads to go to a printer and managed to get a distributor to get it around the country... The distributor ripped me off pretty hard, a crap print job was assured and a lot of the countries big industry players fronted on paying and my visa card went way over the line. Still, it got by, got out there and got a lot of riders stoked. Round two was a little better, and the response from riders ruled, fuelled me to do it again, and again...
In search of some kind of backing and serious set up lead me to Sydney to hook up a deal with a major publisher in the most dodgy deal that has actually worked pretty well, I do some work for them and they take care of the business side of the mag. Complete freedom and less hassles, I even retain ownership of the title. Weird. Well, weird got weirder and although we got out 5 issues that stepped it up on anything done in the country, dealing with a large corporate company was always destined to become a twisted affair. Whether it was losing some control over the title or it was my inability to comprehend some guy in a suit letting me know his views on BMX, basically I had to jet and get it back to the real world. Although it seemed to me that I had just gone backwards a year or so, the industry of Australia, along with the riders had faith in the mag. So did the unstoppable Mike Daly who thus become a partner in the now fully legit company, now completely rider run and operated, like in the good old days...
Becoming independent again has its good and bad points, like anything. But more than anything, again it's back to being done solely by those who love what they do. The mag has become bigger, glossier and I hope pretty much world class on a shoestring budget with the help of the riders of Australia.
The last 5 years have taught me a lot and at times I wonder if I had known how much it would take out of me, would I have gone there? Still, I've seen riders from our shores go onto take on the world and hopefully the coverage they got in their early days made that difference. I may not ride all the comps anymore, but I do get to ride with all the crew I grew up with all over the country and stay in touch with all those that made a difference in my life. I've lived this riding deal too long to leave it alone. A mag gives a lot to a scene, to the riders that live the life and to those involved in creating it. I've also felt its wrath in how much it can take both financially and personally. Still, 2020 has grown and evolved alongside BMX in this country, and simply put, I'd be pretty lost without it. Hope you enjoy.
Issue 10, has a flame enveloped Lindsay Brown fuf'n his local, Knox bowl. He scores the major interview with good reason, he has ripped for longer than anyone in Aus and isn't slowing down. Act.Three, our rider run jam in the nations capital, A poster with Luke Fink. And Clint Millar takes us thru why Down Under is coming up, following the tales of the top Aus riders around the world today.
Issue 11 brings us Kym Grosser pegging a massive pool in Melbourne (and he has found 4 bigger rideable ones in the last 4 weeks...) on the cover and more pool shots inside than any other mag I reckon. Luke Parslow gets the major interview, there are 4 pullout posters and a truckload of mental riding in the biggest issue to date, including a comprehensive look at getting sponsored in Aus...
Colin MacKay flip turndown on the cover. Photo : Graeme Pereira.
Interview of the real Aggroman Eddie Roman.
Orchid shoes : the lodown from Mr Adams.
Bobby Carter, Tony Newton and Pete Majoinen interviews.
Get yourself a skatepark.
2020 vision.
Insight : Graeme Pereira.
Ballarat newest indoor park.
How to : curved wallride.
Ryan Guettler on the cover. Photo : Jamie Mahon.
2020 vision : Anyone superstitious ?
Haro's 25 years of freestyle : Bob Haro and Jim Ford interviewed by Bart de Jong.
Amsterdam's Flatground.
Michael Bielecki interview.
BMX Games.
Ryan Guettler interview.
Small town minds : Josh Ticks, Marcus J. Rowsell and Chris Matthews interviews.
Insight : Chris Polack.
Back to the Beast.
How to : x-up and 360.
2004 BMX Worlds.
Red Bull 3 Degrees.
DIY : Backyard ramps, ...
Luke Fink interview.
Rider owned operations.
How to disaster and 540 nosepick.
Issue 16 has our 1st DVD production, named Hindsight. Will get you guys a copy over. Some mental riding including Ryan Guettler interview, scene checks from around Aus and NZ, comp footage, Simon O'Briens Euro travels + Corey Bohan and Luke Weatherall bios.
Inside the mag we feature Australia’s number one vert rider, Matt Fairbairn, in an in depth interview. Heavy Metal Heroes 10 from Brisbane features heavily as does the recent McNeil tour down under. We travel across the Tasman to the southern hemispheres biggest comp of it’s kind, X-Air in New Zealand and uncover the myth of Greenville in the US from the Aussies who live, work and play there... 2020bmxmag’s Australian and New Zealand wide coverage is expanded with a state-by-state news section to keep you informed of what’s happening in your neck of the woods, plus our regulars include the latest in new bikes, accessories and gear, music and DVD reviews to suit all riders tastes and more. Plus there’s a Volume Bikes poster in the middle featuring Brendan Jones.
Stuart Dolley, manualling one of Melbourne's most pristine masonry constructions shot by Zach Musarsa, mistakenly credited wrong to ian.
A taste of the mag includes the Martial One World Ban jam, Shane Badman on the philosophy of riding, the BMX Games, Heavy Metal Heroes pt 11, Adelaide's 20X2 comp and the lowdown on the 3 new Australian designed signature frames from Clint Millar, Mike Daly and Daniel Wallis. Behind Bars profiles Ben Savage, Phil Johnston and Josh Willet proving that the underground is definitely coming up.
We review a stack of music to rip to and a heap of DVD's for when it's raining along with four bikes under a grand from Dragonfly, GT, Norco and KHE.
Australian We The People Nick Cooper on the cover. Picture shot by none other than Chris Polack.
Pullout poster of the entire australian & new zealand wtp team including Clint Millar, Pete Radivo, Nick Richardson, Nick Cooper & Dave Manconi. The poster also show cases the entire 2006 range from wethepeople including all the complete bikes, Millar Lite frame, Phoenix frame, Helium forks & bars as well as the new Pi cassette hub.
This magazine hit the stands september 26th around Australia.
Issue 19 comes with our second free DVD, Hindsight 2 gives you another hour and a half of Aussie BMX for free….. Also in this issue we have a Brad Grantham interview, the RedBull dirt jam, Eastern road trip, five rider jam stories, plus all the usual news, products, bikes and other good stuff...
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, may 2006 : Man, it has never been easier to make a cover. You're probably one of the 20 riders who did score a photo on the front of issue 20 of Australia's finest BMX mag. The mag simply sums up the Australian BMX freestyle scene and this issue has the following items:
008 20 Down: Blah, blah, blah
012 News and assorted happenings. Holy crap, BMX is getting busy. And there's a GT to win
028 State of the Union. East to the West to the North to the South and New Zealand
030 Reformist. Who siad we had minimal flatl coverage?
034 It's all about the 20. A truck load of 20 things.......
050 BMX Games 06. A few hundred riders rock park, flat, vert, spine and dirt.
058 From the streets. Adrian Galaz interview
064 Spinal Disorder. We ran a cool as hell comp at Old Parliament house
068 Behind Bars. Three rippers from the East Coast
074 Beats and Pieces. We watched some DVD's and listened to some CD's
076 Bike Check. Dragonfly, Wethepeople and Norco
078 New products. Keep you and your bike blinging.
082 Last Word. Hell Yeah!
2020 is a full colour magazine on glossy paper that covers BMX freestyle the way it should be covered. Since they're based down under it shows spots and riders that aren't always in the spotlight in the BMX media. That in itself makes 2020 an interesting read. It also makes you want to go there to check it out. FATBMX got listed as one of the 20 websites to waste time on. Thank you very much. In a list full of e-bay, google and myspace type of sites that was good to read. Summer's now officially over in Australia but the 2020 crew should have enough material to make another great issue.
www.safreestyle.com : Two versions this time, one for newsagents and one for subscribers/bike shops that has "BMX Vs Art, shit piss on my back champs". The "BMX V's Art" was originally supposed to say "Cunt Fuck". I can say it here, but on a magazine cover it's not cool. Although "shit piss on my back" is ok?
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, august 2006 : What I like about 2020 is the fact that every story in the magazine involves drinking. Yeah we had this contest and the night was fucking rockin'! It's basically what BMX freestyle is about anyway. You ride, you hang out with friends and you party. Issue 21 shows a bunch of Aussie news and assorted happenings, a reformist flatland story, got Dirt? trail jam report and also a Mean Streets battle. The paper is full colour and of great quality and so are the pics. Daniel Dunn gets an interview and the Ghetto jam has arrived down under (C-town). The Cromo Crown contest gets a report as does the Heavy Metal 13 comp listing 13 good things and 13 bad things that happened at HMH 13. If you like step by step photos of tricks so you can learn them you need to turn to page 66. That is if you want to learn a Hurricane. Anton Ayres from Brisbane gets the Bio which is called "Behind bars"in 2020 mag. Colin MacKay's friend Kenji Tsuruta also receives a full page in a sort of Bio thingy and so does Sydney's Troy Charlesworth. Check out the www.fatbmx.com ad on page 73 and that reminds me to remind them to send in that 160 pixel by 40 pixel 2020 banner for the FATBMX media section. Come on guys. Sounds, DVD reviews, premiers, find it on page 74/75. If you're hunting for a new complete bike, page 76 helps explain the Felt Mystic, Redline Mega X/XL and the Fit Team. 4 pages of products follow and then it's time for Last Run.
The cover features Alex Liiv ripping out a jump across a massive gap.
Elevation + Corey Bohan Interview.
Melbourne Underground.
R.I.P Wentforth Falls.
Zack Miner Interview.
21 Stickers Inside.
Clint Millar overtoothpick on the cover.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, january 2007 : 2020 is keeping me updated on what's happening in Australia at the moment and around this time of the year (their summer), that's a whole lot. Sitting behind the computer getting a magazine together while the rest of your friends are out riding is rough. Add to that a couple of weeks of hospital and head surgery and you understand that life wasn't pretty for editor Matt Holmes. But BMX is strong and is motivating. Matt's drive to finish the mag was bigger than anything else resulting in a fine issue of 2020. Inside you find Heavy Metal Heroes, a Nitai photo profile, Shreddin' lives article, Who the fuck is Alex LiIv, Bio's with Ron Rampton, Jed Mildon, Abelardo Vargas, Malcom Hanslow and Garreth Hedfield. Video and music reviews, how-to's, 2 pages of product reviews, 'zine lookback, photo section, news pages, spot checks and most Australian jam and contest reports. Yup, it covers the Australian BMX freestyle scene
Issue 24 of 2020 has our first flatland cover with Simon O'Brien whip hopping on his new signature StMartin frame. This issue has coverage from the BMX Games in Sydney, X-Air in Wellington and the HMH Spinal Disorder comp from Beenleigh in Brisbane. We check out Cam White's back yard jam in Canberra as well as local jams from Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. There are two interviews with Melbourne’s Troy Jackson and Brisbane’s Raphael Williams and a look at Nick Gascoine's photography. There are two scene reports from Cairns and Launceston, we check out the massive skatepark at Reefton on the south island of NZ and take an inside look at new Aussie company Tempered Bikes. Plus there’s all the usual news and info from the Aussie and NZ BMX scene.
- On The Road With Colony
- Shitlucks If You Got It, Bet It’ RoadTrip
- Mackay, Dillewaard & Boham Ride With Fuel TV RoadTrip
- The NewZealand Experience
- BMX 4 Life: Luke Wainman, Shaun Warren, Paul Moffat,…
- PMP Trails, Kevlar Tires & Lotsa Jams
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, june 2007 : The Southern Hemisphere is facing winter at the moment. Winter sucks. But 2020 magazine tries to help you get through it. The Australian BMX magazine just came out with their June issue. June is usually the start of summer for us, but not for the Australians. You can imagine that the June issue is packed with events that took place over the '06/'07 Aussie summer. It has Colony's NZ tour, the Morrisey-Crisp trip to X-air, a report on the PMP trails (so dialled), the Red Baron Challenge, Zombie Hop, Rignwood openings, Jay's Jam, Tim Hales day, Kurri Kurri comp, Erindale drunk/ride fest, O'Town report, Colonizing China report by Clint, Metro Jam in SIngapore, Cooma Breakout and much more. The Australians seem to be into jams don't they? When Dave Dillewaard, Colin MacKay and Corey Bohan visited home over the winter (their summer), they did a trip to film for FuelTV. Senad Grosic (Austria) joined them. The Shitluck van made it to Australia. Maybe not, but there was a Shitluck road trip with some white van and a trailer. Veggie oil? Forget it. More than a few riders get a Bio/interview in the June issue and of course the product page is there. 2020 covers the Australian scene well with the help of contributors all over the country. Issue number 25 costs Aus $ 8.95 or NZ $ 11.00.
Issue 26 of 2020bmxmagazine goes big with more pages than ever before and a massive WeThePeople pull out poster inside. Aside from the in-depth coverage and amazing photography of the Australian BMX scene, we profile some of the best up and coming riders from around the nation, take a look at the SA streets, run you through the art of wheel building and a whole lot more. Plus you can win a Haro Forum complete bike, a Sputnic Satellite frame and a pair of limited edition Rad issue Vans inside. 2020bmxmag is Australia's 20inch riders manual, proudly 100% rider owned and operated.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, november 2007 : It's nice to keep up with BMX worldwide and 2020 magazine fills us in on the latest BMX happenings over there in Australia. 2020 covers the jams, the contests and makes sure that everyone is up to date on the latest BMX news and products. Issue 26 has Sam on the cover and the shot was taken in New Zealand. For us it's easy to think that it's the same country since it's over there Down Under but I'm sure people get pissed off by that. Still, it's BMX and Kiwi's and Aussies do get along (which should be the case).
The Content list of issue 26:
-Red Bull Elevation - Canada. Aussies are good at riding dirt so whenever there is a dirt comp, Australia will be represented up front.
-David Rubinich reports about the Mt Barker Jam
-Globetrotter Fairbairn writes about the FISE
-BMX&SKATE. We're in this together article
-Brothers in arms. Damn right!
-South Australian original street riding by James Wade
-Daniel Kostakakis interview
-wethepeople pull-out poster
-Rutger Pauw shot the pics in the Scott Lacey Euro report
-There are BIO kind of things on Paul Robertson, Ben Miels, Beadle, Chris Harti, Josh Mete, Crystal Sheperd and Simon Wills
-LC hates a lot of things about making a video but still does it.
-Wheel building how-to
-Video reviews
-Bike Checks (new ones from GT, Norco, 2hip, Kuwahara).
-Product reviews
-The FATBMX Party on! ad
-Wall papar and much much more.
116 pages in total.
100% rider owned and operated and proudly produced entirely in Australia, 2020 is the result of riders not content with the status quo. No corporate dollars or suits, just plain hard work from a growing number of talented riders keen to see the Australian scene showcased in a format that communicates from one rider to another.
Now in 2008, 2020bmxmag has grown from a part time mission into a full time production that goes nationwide in Aus and New Zealand as well as other selected countries around the world.
Brendan Hansen on the cover.
2020 BMX mag issue 27 features coverage of the DK king of dirt from QLD, focal point road trip to the Halloween jam, Ryan Guettlers photoghraphy and a Chris “Danger”O’Donnel interview. There’s also stories from the multitude of jams that have been happening around the country, info on how to get a job in BMX, a look at Johnny Choppers unique bikes and parts, a interview with flatland rider Paul Chamberlain, sunshine coast scene report, plus all the regular news, rider profiles and new products. This issue also has giveaways from Mirra co, Tempered and a trip to the Newtons playground event in Bathurst up for grabs…
Matt Holmes, www.fatbmx.com, february 2008 : It's our biggest issue yet, and glossier thanks to me getting excited about the cover shot, one Brendan Hansen deep in the pipe. Inside, Focal Point comes onboard with their Melbourne to Sydney roadtrip. Ryan Guettler takes a step to the other side of the lens with a piece on his emerging photographic talent. Chris 'Danger' O'Donnell gets a much deserved interview, check the BMXGames results and see why. Every Jam that took place around the country (and NZ) gets a look in as we 'kick out the jams' (sing it with force ala Zac from RATM). The Sunshine Coast is scene checked along with a truckload of news, faces and all the usual coverage of the Australian and New Zealand scene. Plus theres the chance to win a Mirraco Black Pearl Ltd, a Tempered Treason frame and a trip to the upcoming Newtons Playground Festival.
www.2020bmxmag.com.au, april 2008 : Issue 28 is a packed one. With a stack of free stickers tucked away inside the banging wall ride cover thanks to Troy Jackson. But beyond the adhesives, it's full of 100% riding. We follow the Tempered crew on their first team roadtrip, bring a pictorial coverage of the recent BMX Games, hit up Cam Whites second annual Hill side Jam, get rolling with the crew at Imax for the 3053 jam and get personal with Forgotten's newest star, Josh Mete. Of course theres a truckload more from around our rocking country, New Zealand and even Fiji.
Mick Bayzand on the cover.
www.2020bmxmag.com.au, august 2008 : Issue 29 of 2020 is our biggest yet. 132 pages of home grown BMX goodness. Theres big time photo coverage of the massive Red Bull Dirt Pipe to the streets of Canberra with the Colony team, a well deserved interview with Mick Bayzand along with some grimey coverage of the Dirty Filthy Drain jam. Lots of faces, spaces and places from around this big ol' country. And theres a chance to win a Colony Hell Stallion frame inside. 2020bmxmag issue 29 is on sale around Australia and New Zealand from August 21st.
Bart de Jong, www.fatbmx.com, september 2008: Magazines sometimes have good competitions going on. For that alone you should pick up a copy, or better, get a subscription. In this issue of 2020 you can win a Colony Hell Stallion frame and they just announced the name of the winner of a Mirraco Black Pearl Limited! It is a bit of a lottery but you always win because by getting a subscription you receive 2020 BMX mag in the mail for a year. The coverage of the latest issue is about the RedBull Dirt Pipe where history was made. Mick Bayzand shows his mad skills in the 9-page interview. Dirty filthy drains get visited and shredded plus Chris Harti gets an interview in #29. Ben Clissold, Marnold, Richie, Alex Hiam, Blake Dowd and Dave van den Berg all receive Bio's. New products come from various companies, and if you're in need for some wallpaper you're in luck too as the issue can cover another square meter of you wall. Pretty much all the Australian jams and contests get covered by 2020 which makes it a magazine that you cannot live without if you want to keep updated on that scene.
