Kevin Jones (BMX rider)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Jones is a freestyle BMX
rider. Raised in York, Pennsylvania
, at age 11 he started riding BMX and began BMX racing
in 1982. Though successful, he abruptly quit, as he enjoyed dirt jumping
more than racing.
In 1983, Jones' interest in breakdancing peaked. He formed a troupe with fellow BMXers Mark Eaton, Mike Daily, Jamie McKulik and Dale Mitzel, calling themselves the Cardboard Lords. By April 1985 they had won numerous local competitions, including a York cable show called The Great York Talent Hunt. However, breakdancing's popularity was waning, and Jones drifted back to BMX. Around that time, Daily introduced Jones to his freestyle team, the Plywood Hoods. Daily also showed Jones the modern freestyle BMX bike. Jones bought a similar bike for himself, realizing that the additions of components such as pegs for standing and cable detangling rotors permitted a variety of more daring tricks.
In Austin
, Texas
, 1987, Jones entered his 3rd AFA Masters contest, debuting four of his own tricks, the "Locomotive, the Trolley, the "Standup Infinity Roll", and the Elephant Glide. Months later at the velodrome
in Carson
, California
, Jones had an amazing, flawless run, debuting another new trick called the Dump Truck
where he turned the bike upside down while riding a wheelie from the rear pegs.
Around this time, fellow Plywood Hood member & film maker Mark Eaton would release the first of a series of freestyle BMX videos named Dorkin' In York. The Dorkin videos, as they would become known as, captured equal parts of flatland, ramps, and street riding. The series would continue on for years to come, showcasing the latest tricks from Jones and the rest of the Plywood Hoods, as well as coverage from major contests and some more private jams and practice sessions. Eaton recently released the entire series in a DVD
boxset titled Dorkin' in York - The Complete DVD Collection.
in December of 1988 Kevin invented & pulled off the first ever "Hitch Hiker", a trick where the rider stands on the 2 front pegs, with the bike upside down in front, rolling on the front wheel, and the rider holding the back tire in his hand. This was one of the first 2 footed rolling tricks to be introduced to BMX Flatland, and the beginning of what is now considered to be modern-day flatland.
In 1990, the Kudos
granola bar company hired Jones to endorse its product on national television. That same year, Jones toured with the Wilkerson Airlines bike company. However, after these thrusts into the national spotlight, Jones became more reclusive. Aside from the installments of the Dorkin'" series, Jones had virtually disappeared from the BMX scene.
In 1991 Kevin was riding with Chase Gouin on an average of 10hrs/day, and they were setting out to master every trick both "switch" & "regular", on a quest to be able to link any trick into any other trick.
, Jones still rides, but has never re-entered the contest scene, nor has he toured for a major bike manufacturer.
Early in 2006 Kevin Jones was seen (via animated .gifs online) performing some familiar flatland tricks, on a modified frontwheel drive bicycle. Jones then further modified the hub and made it a "freewheel unibike." There is a video of him riding the second generation freewheel version of it on his MySpace
page. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=28675778
In August 2006, it was announced that Jones was making a new version of the legendary "Big Daddy" frame, for Hoffman bikes, and had rejoined the freestyle team. This new version is now called the "Strowler."
Freestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX is a synonym for BMX stunt riding, a sport branch that hails from extreme sports. It consists of six disciplines: street, park, vert, trails, dirt and flatland .-History:...
rider. Raised in York, Pennsylvania
York, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, at age 11 he started riding BMX and began BMX racing
BMX racing
BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks. The track usually small a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of...
in 1982. Though successful, he abruptly quit, as he enjoyed dirt jumping
Dirt Jumping
Dirt jumping is one of the names given to the practice of riding bikes over cement type jumps of dirt or soil and becoming airborne. The idea is that after riding over the 'take off' the rider will become momentarily airborne, and aim to land on the 'landing'.Dirt jumping can be done on almost...
more than racing.
In 1983, Jones' interest in breakdancing peaked. He formed a troupe with fellow BMXers Mark Eaton, Mike Daily, Jamie McKulik and Dale Mitzel, calling themselves the Cardboard Lords. By April 1985 they had won numerous local competitions, including a York cable show called The Great York Talent Hunt. However, breakdancing's popularity was waning, and Jones drifted back to BMX. Around that time, Daily introduced Jones to his freestyle team, the Plywood Hoods. Daily also showed Jones the modern freestyle BMX bike. Jones bought a similar bike for himself, realizing that the additions of components such as pegs for standing and cable detangling rotors permitted a variety of more daring tricks.
Flatland career
In November, 1986, Jones entered the AFA Veladrome Finals as an expert. He turned heads with some new innovative tricks like the "Hang glider Boomerang", the "Chicken Hook Switch", and the "Insanity Roll". in the following months, Kevin focused his riding toward inventing new tricks to measure up to what he assumed to be the "norm", and continued to practice hard for their next competition in Austin, TX.In Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 1987, Jones entered his 3rd AFA Masters contest, debuting four of his own tricks, the "Locomotive, the Trolley, the "Standup Infinity Roll", and the Elephant Glide. Months later at the velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
in Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Jones had an amazing, flawless run, debuting another new trick called the Dump Truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
where he turned the bike upside down while riding a wheelie from the rear pegs.
Around this time, fellow Plywood Hood member & film maker Mark Eaton would release the first of a series of freestyle BMX videos named Dorkin' In York. The Dorkin videos, as they would become known as, captured equal parts of flatland, ramps, and street riding. The series would continue on for years to come, showcasing the latest tricks from Jones and the rest of the Plywood Hoods, as well as coverage from major contests and some more private jams and practice sessions. Eaton recently released the entire series in a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
boxset titled Dorkin' in York - The Complete DVD Collection.
in December of 1988 Kevin invented & pulled off the first ever "Hitch Hiker", a trick where the rider stands on the 2 front pegs, with the bike upside down in front, rolling on the front wheel, and the rider holding the back tire in his hand. This was one of the first 2 footed rolling tricks to be introduced to BMX Flatland, and the beginning of what is now considered to be modern-day flatland.
In 1990, the Kudos
Kudos (granola bar)
Kudos is a 1.07 oz milk chocolate granola cereal bar produced by Mars, Incorporated. It is currently offered in four varieties: M&Ms, chocolate chip, Snickers, and peanut butter....
granola bar company hired Jones to endorse its product on national television. That same year, Jones toured with the Wilkerson Airlines bike company. However, after these thrusts into the national spotlight, Jones became more reclusive. Aside from the installments of the Dorkin'" series, Jones had virtually disappeared from the BMX scene.
In 1991 Kevin was riding with Chase Gouin on an average of 10hrs/day, and they were setting out to master every trick both "switch" & "regular", on a quest to be able to link any trick into any other trick.
, Jones still rides, but has never re-entered the contest scene, nor has he toured for a major bike manufacturer.
Early in 2006 Kevin Jones was seen (via animated .gifs online) performing some familiar flatland tricks, on a modified frontwheel drive bicycle. Jones then further modified the hub and made it a "freewheel unibike." There is a video of him riding the second generation freewheel version of it on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=28675778
In August 2006, it was announced that Jones was making a new version of the legendary "Big Daddy" frame, for Hoffman bikes, and had rejoined the freestyle team. This new version is now called the "Strowler."