One you stop worrying about how tall they are you realise they are safer and have a bigger margin for error. The jump is a different story. Hitting a jump at 35 miles per hour terrifies me
Dean Johnstone
Age
49yrs
Location
Lived in Bristol for last twenty years. Moved there specifically to ride BMX.
Bike
Macneil Whitton 21tt and 14 Back end. Been riding the same frame for over 9 years now love it. Just bought another from one of the frames from Doug Cain. Pestered him for 9 years to sell it to me as it has hardly been ridden. Dont like newer frames with removable brake mounts as they come slack. G-sport hubs, profiles, 25 wide bars and a dirt tyre on the front.
Tell us about your early days in BMX, where did you ride? did you enter contests?
Lived in Carlisle’ and was part of an amazing scene. Rode with Pepi Winder, Steve McIntosh, Andrew Harrison and Shaun Ruddick. Had no clue until years later that we were part of an amazing scene.
Mainly rode Carlisle streets. Pepi had a quartepie and Trick ramp. We also had a freestlye club with ramps that we would go to once a week Even got to ride Livingston back in 1985.
Competed in the Northern Regionals in 1984 and 1985. Would always come in the top three in the 14 to 15’s age group on both ramps and flat. When it came to Nationals i would generally place about 20th.
I was competing against people like Jason Lunn and Jason Hassel. Very good riders who had access to great skateparks. Alan Sibley rode in the same age group as me and would place in the top three also
Even made the final and got an 8th at Holeshot in either 84 or 85 in the 14 to 15’s age group.
You had some time away from bmx during the late 80’s/early 90’s What happened and how did you come back to riding?
Quit BMX the first time in 1987. Nobody really wanted me to ride. Friends would make fun of me, girlfriends would laugh at me and people at work were never nice about BMX. I sadly let that influence me and stopped riding.
I went to University in Farnborough in 1990 and they had a halfpipe outside the sports centre. It was taken down three weeks after i moved there but it was enough to make me realise that i wanted to ride again.
Between 1987 and 1992 when I started riding again I did so many things – Jogging, mountain biking, boogie boarding, snowboarding weightlifting and bodybuilding, fell walking and finally played Rugby Union for two years whilst at University. I played in the front row and really enjoyed being part of a team. The social life connected to Rugby was amazing and the team organised all the parties.
I enjoyed doing different stuff but nothing ever quite as exciting as BMX.
During my last term at University I got another BMX and started getting the train to Southsea and was gripped by BMX once again. I was now 22 yrs old and refused to be influenced by others anymore. BMX was brilliant and i was finally old enough not to care what anyone else thought.
After uni I moved back to Carlisle. I was the only rider and the nearest ramp or skatepark was in Livingston – 96 miles away.
I would ride ride about twice a month whenever i could afford to travel.
Worked two summers in America in 1993 and 1994. Travelled for a month after finishing work riding skateparks. Rode one in Rockport, Rampage in Iowa, the P I T and finally finished of my summer by watching Hoffmans competition in Oklahoma.
By the time I was 28 yrs old I decided that I wanted to move away from home and live in a place where I could ride BMX as much as I wanted. I figured if I did not do it soon I would end up being to old to ride.
I lived in and managed skatePark called Agroverts in Dewsbury for one year. Full on miniramp complex. Amazing year. Rode ever single day and progressed so much.
I had always said to myself that if the job in the skatepark did not work out i would move to Bristol. Left the skatepark and moved to Bristol in 1999.
Three weeks after moving to Bristol the original owner of skate and ride sold the skatepark. The new owners set about changing the layout. I did a deal that if I helped build, I could ride for free for every hour I worked. I got to ride free for one year and once again ride almost everyday of the year.
I had gone from riding twice a month for five years to riding everyday for two years. I was progressing all the time. After riding so much I decided to compete again. After living in a mini ramp complex the year before I was totally drawn to spine riding. I won competitions B group spine in 2000 and 2001.
After riding spine for almost two years I was getting bored so was naturally drawn to vert. I had always been able to ride quarter pipes so it seemed logical. Vert involved older riders and I got to ride with Mike Seward and Scary Boy. In, 2002 it was time to step up to A Group. I got a third in vert and a 5th on spine in a packed class. I nosed picked a back wall 3.5 ft back that day so was totally buzzing.
Stepping up to A group meant I had to try and step up my riding. Unfortunately I tore the cartilage in my knee. When I recovered from the operation I then broke both my feet at once. It was time to stop competing again. Skate and ride closed later that year.
No vert meant less involvement from older riders. I started riding the local concrete instead. I hated it at first as you don’t want to fall in concrete. Eventually I learnt that you just ride it differently. You can still go fast and high, you just have to do tricks where you are confident you won’t fall. Having rode the skatepark so much and now the concrete I was part of a younger scene. Some decent riders like Marlboro Pete, Craig Stevens, Boff and the Taunton boys.
One day I heard a rumour that a new indoor park was opening (Motion). I went down to check it out. After talking to the owner briefly I knew he needed some guidance in what to build. We went on a roadtrip to three decent skateparks. Worcester, Stratford on Avon and then Birmingham. He got the plans from Eggy at Worcester and Motion was opened. Did a deal once again helped out with the building and got to ride as much as I wanted for a year.
That year was 2007. Rode as part of that scene until it closed in 2014. I did BMX beginner lessons for about a year. People still come up to me now and ask if I did lessons. If they are still riding it makes me smile. As I was getting older all the locals were getting younger.
Having an indoor park meant lots of progression again. Youngsters can be a little up there own arse if you don’t have the 100,% latest stuff they consider fashionable so thankfully I found the Old Fools.
Since then I’ve rode as much as possible in the last twenty years.
Where do you ride now?
Mainly Bristol, we are very lucky, there are 7 concrete parks, two sets of trails, and a racetrack. The only thing we are currently missing is a good indoor park. I was quite gutted when Skate and Ride closed, that was replaced by Motion which also closed. Luckily Cardiff is only 40 miles away so i ride ever Wednesday during the winter.
A couple of the concretes are floodlit so I can ride more than once a week in the winter if it not raining. The summer is about riding trails as much as I can. We have an awesome set of trails called Pumpy. The best trails I have ever ridden. about ten minutes from where i work. There is also another set of trails called Pencils which is very near where I live.
How often do you ride?
Once to twice a week in the winter and as much as possible in the summer. Some weeks I will try and ride every single day. Even if it’s only for 20 minutes. If I ride a lot progression comes more naturally
Over the years you’ve rode pretty much everything from tech to park to vert. Has this variety helped keep bmx fresh for you?
I love BMX and my favourite thing to ride is big quarterpipes. Unfortunately there are not big quartepipes everywhere!
Riding everything came out of wanting to ride. You have to adapt your riding if you want to ride more. Mini ramps, spines, Concrete parks, Vert, racing and trails. Trails is the thing that excites me the most this last few years. Big technical jumps about ten minutes from where I work so very accessible.
If we had a big vert local i would probably ride that on a regular basis as well. The nearest ramp is 50 miles away so not as accessible as I would like. Vert has so many variables when the ramp is outside. The position of the sun, the wind and the rain all affect it massively so I don’t want to travel 50 miles to find i cant ride.
You’ve also been part of many different scenes over the years. Tell us a little about this and how being part of all these different scenes has helped you as a rider?
We had a really good scene in Carlisle and BMX Beat was filmed there. We had a freestyle club with ramps and Pepi had a quarterpipe and trick ramp. Being so young I did not really appreciate what we had.
When I started riding again the next 5 years were mainly just riding solo. Travelling to places like Wakefield and seeing Hoffmans competition in Oklahoma helped to keep me motivated.
A defining point for me was going on my first Old Fools Trip to Souhtsea, Bournemouth and Southampton in 2010, I finally got to ride with people my own age and people I admired. After having rode solo for so long then having been part of a mainly younger scene you wonder if your riding is any good.
Gary Forstyh did a report with pictures on the trip. He wrote something which really helped me find my place where i belonged in BMX. It said” Bristol Dean was going high on the vert ramp. You wouldn’t have thought so by talking to him in the bar the night before what a dark horse”.
The Old Fools led to an invite to the Woodward Reunion which was just like being on an Old Fools Trip but in America. Finally along came Ride on BMX which once again was very similar to an Old Fools trip but happened more than once a year.
Do you mostly Ride Solo or in a crew?
I mainly ride solo. I am very lucky that i have a set of trails, a pump track and a concrete park all within two miles cycling distance from my house. The riding solo bit comes out of just wanting to ride when and where I want. One of my favourite things is arriving at a skatepark that is totally empty. I can do whatever tricks i want and mess around with lines and transfers.
I am also part of three crews. The Cardiff over 40’S BMX’ers. I get to ride the best skatepark around and really enjoy being part of that crew. They are my age and enthusiastic to ride. We also get to go on roadtrips which i really enjoy.
I am also part of the Pumpy trails crew. The jumps are big and technical so not something you can really ride on your own due to the size of them. Also if you want to ride at some trails you need to help out with the digging and become part of the crew. During my travels to America a lot of people go out there way to help me. Letting me put my tent in thier yards and showing me all the local best spots to ride.
The Nor Cal crew deserve a mention. They let me stop in their team room and I am a honorary member of that crew. In 2012 i went out to America for 6 weeks and only had to pay for two nights accommodation the whole time i was there. I am both amazed and thankful that they don’t mind helping me out.
You are the only person I know who has rode the mega ramp! How did that happen?
The first visit to the Woodward Reunion involved a showing of Matt Hoffmans big air film before it was released to the general public.
The second visit involved access to a go on the Mega Ramp. I had no real desire to ride it and went along purely to watch. Andy Shohara who had got me the initial invite was blastin 7 ft out the top. We had been riding together a few times in the last few years and I was riding as good if not better than him at that time. I knew as soon as i saw him do it that I was capable.
I did not have a full face hemet. One was lent to me by some guy that was collecting signatures – it fitted perfectly. I pedalled off the top without having to do the jump and did a 4 ft air. When the session was finished I was sitting in my car feeling a little flat as the adrenalin had gone. Hugo Gonzalez tapped on my window. We chatted for a bit and he told me that I had a big pair of balls. It was hard to believe that the crazyiest BMXer with the biggest pair of balls from the early 80’s was giving me respect!
My third visit to Woodward and second go on the Mega the year after there was a 75 ft long 8ft wide roller that had been engineered so some skateboard kid could do a 1080. I did not have to jump the Mega again but could get all the speed I needed on the pump bump. I jumped from 4 ft to 12ft.
Bearing in mind i had probably not gone much over 8ft out the top of a ramp before I was totally buzzing. As I went to leave Woodward at the end of the weekend I was approached by Dave Voelker who told me that he really enjoyed watching me ride this weekend. Once again someone I totally admired giving me respect.
Riding the big quaterpipe is not really scary. It’s a 25 ft transition plus 2 ft of vert. There is no way you are going to miss that on the way down. No matter how much speed you approach it with, when you go out of the top you wish you were going faster.
The physical size of it means you slow down as you go up it. It’s the same with the big verts. One you stop worrying about how tall they are you realise they are safer and have a bigger margin for error. The jump is a different story. Hitting a jump at 35 miles per hour terrifies me.
The first time we got to ride it they were all coming up short – Nyquist. Birdwell, Chulo. These are some of the best jumpers in the world and it took about 45 mins for someone to finally clear it. Once one person had cleared it the rest of them started.
Hoffman was Hoffman. He ignored the 55ft and 65 ft and went straight to the 75 footer. He came up about ten feet short and blew the ACL in his Knee and had to hobble round with a cane for the rest of the weekend!
2013 the rollover had gone. I tried as hard as I could but was just not able to clear the jump. I still did a 10 ft air but was disappointed that I had gone lower. If the rollover had been there i knew i could have gone higher that i had ever before.
2014 I was so frustrated that I did not make it the year before. I jumped on to the deck once and then went to the big rollin at the top. I convinced myself that all in had to do was attack it and not bottle out.
I did not bottle out but it did not go as planned. I had 100psi in the tyres from riding vert that morning. The worst bit of advice I was given was don’t pull up the front wheel as you leave the lip. I approached the jump with far too much speed and did not pull up on the front wheel.
As soon as I left the lip I realised I had no real control. The front wheel started to dip. Once it dipped so far I had to get rid of the bike and try and superman through the air. I landed at 70ft. A 70ft launch at 35 miles per hour minus the bike. I broke the front on my fullface helmet, dislocated and broke two of the fingers on my hand and had water on the knee for 10 weeks. If I had pulled up on the front wheel I probably would have made it but landed low as i was going far too fast.
The Mega Ramp started at 1.00pm and by 1.10 pm my weekends riding was all over. As I was flying home on the Monday night and it was Saturday i just decided to tuff it out and wait until i got home to get fixed. Two operations and six months later i was finally fixed.
2015 Went back and had another go. Could not really over come the fear of the jump and did about a 10 ft air again. Anything lower than 12ft was a disappointment.
2016 was the last time I had a go. I had been riding so well that year I was sure that I was finally ready to conquer the jump. On the Thursday before the reunion I was lucky enough to run in to Keith Treanor, Clint Miller and Brian Castillo. We rode at Alga Norte Skatepark and there was a massive bowl with some steps that you needed to carve around to make it work. Clint Millar did it like it was nothing. The next thing I know I plucked up the courage to do it then started finally blasting out the bowl.
I did another mad transfer that day and probably rode the best I had ever rode. My confidence was sky high. Unfortunately the next day at Woodward I fell off and smashed my face in to the floor. I made the tooth at the front go black and now have a false one in its place. All the confidence that i had been building all these years was gone. I reluctantly still gave it everything the next day but that little extra percent I needed just was not there.
I almost cleared the jump and clipped my back wheel on the last few feet. I did a 13 ft air and got a big smile and a thumbs up from Mat Hoffman. After all I had been through I was happy to have gone higher and walk away in one piece.
Would you like to ride it again?
Yes I would love to have one final go and finally clear the jump. Without even trying the arial would be higher than 13 ft due to the extra speed from the clean landing. My airs on quarter pipes have always been stronger that my jumping. In the last two years i have rode so many trails and done so much jumping that it has finally caught up to the point that I think i am finally ready to clear the jump.
You’ve also spent some time racing bmx. Tell us how that happened and are you going to do any more?
I started racing in the winter of 2012. After seeing the speed the riders had to hit the Mega Ramp jump with I realised i had never experienced hitting a jump at full speed. Racing was the obvious answer. The riders were pedalling flat out at the first jump. It took me 45 minutes to pluck up the courage to clear the first jump but I finally understood what it was like to hit a jump at full speed.
I rode my first full season at Bristol, 2013, on my freestyle bike without the pegs. I did well and managed to come second overall in the Bristol over 30’s class.
2014 I was not able to race because of the Mega ramp crash. In the winter of 2014 I finally bought a race bike. Most of the race was based on who made it to the first doubles in the lead. The freestyle bike was at a disadvantage due to the gearing. Once I was on the Racebike I stated either winning or coming second in every race.
Unfortunately when you start doing well people become more competitive. The rider who had been winning previously all the time before felt threatened so decided to crash into me when I went to past him. I didn’t think much of it until we got to the finish and he told me it would happen again if I tried to pass him. Because I am stubborn I refused to be intimidated or back down to him.
I carried on racing for the rest of the season but I had been waiting on rotator cuff surgery for a few years and they finally had an operation slot for me. I was unable to finish that race season. My final year of racing in 2016 I believe that the previous winner was banned for similar behaviour at the Nationals or injured as there was no way he would ever admit the truth. I figured I would try win the whole season then retire.
I won the first half of the year then unfortunately another rider who I beat lost the plot and started screaming at me and insisting I got in his way. I finally realised that racing and competition brought out the worst in people. We were only racing at club level and people were behaving like it was the Olympics or their life was over if they got beat.
Even though I was leading I decided to retire from racing in the middle of that season. My jumping had improved and I and proved to myself that I could win. We were only racing at club level and people were behaving like utter morons. I could only see it getting worse if I went from club to regional or national Level.
You are always enthusiastic for a road trip or traveling long distances to a session. Do you think it’s important to make the effort to visit new spots and experience different scenes?
The Old Fools, The Woodward Reunion and then finally Ride On BMX finally gave me a place where I felt I belonged in BMX. I try and get to every session I can. I am riding with people I admire and respect and the sessions are always fun. It also helps to push me a little and helps me to progress. It’s always important to ride different places, new spots and experience new scenes especially with other older riders.
What part does social media play on your riding and motivation?
It has really helped with my motivation and riding. At first i was able to find out where all the sessions and riding jams were. I was turned on to the Old Fools BMX, this led on to the Woodward Reunion, then finally Ride on BMX. I finally had a place in BMX that probably would not have happened without Social Media.
Social Media really helped me keep in contact people in America and other people on the Ride on BMX site.
What do you love about modern BMX?
The bikes are brilliant. Low maintenance and strong without being heavy. There are way more skateparks and trails to ride than when I was growing up. Far more opportunities.
What do you dislike about modern BMX?
Manual rolls (Front and back) and one foot high ledges or rails. Modern riders seem to do very little else, I appreciate the skill involved but it’s a bit like watching paint dry .
Who do you look to for influence these days?
Two riders really stand out for me Alan Sibley and Stevie Devine.
Alan is about the same age as me and still progressing at a rate of knotts. Watching him progress and be so enthusiastic about BMX makes me realise there is no reason that I cant do the same. His interview made me realise that I had to start taking a little better care of myself if i wanted to ride for as long as possible.
Stevie Devine is a brilliant rider. I will see stuff at skateparks that i want to do and sometimes it might take months for me to pluck up the courage. The very first time we go somewhere he will do it in the first session. He inspires me to go for it a bit more and pluck up the courage sooner rather than later.
Injuries?
I have had six operations in the last 23 years. Thats an average of one every four years. Pin in my elbow, cartilage removed from my knee, a foot operation, two operations on my hand and finally rotator cuff surgery. Every time i have had an operation i have recovered fully so they don’t really phase me that much anymore.
The cartilage I had removed from the knee finally started causing me problems 15 years later when the bones in legs started grinding against each other in my right knee. Luckily I was able to find the solution myself and I inject my own knee twice every year with Synvisc one. It fills up the synovial sack in my knee and stops the bones rubbing together anymore.
It cost me less than £400 a year to have a knee that works and i can safely do it twice a year for the rest of my life.In the last four years Ihave smashed my face in to the floor 3 times. I made my tooth go black and knocked myself out twice due to face planting. The last face plant scared me a little it took 6 weeks for my neck and back to fully recover. This led to me finally wearing a full face helmet every time I ride.
Do you always pad up?
I always wear a helmet, gloves and elasticated bandages on my feet. I always wear knee pads with shorts and strangely only wear elbow pads when I ride indoors.
Do you do any exercise or stretching to help with BMX fitness and/or injury prevention?
No I don’t. I do cycle a total 40 miles to work every week. I figure that distance plus regular BMX riding keeps me fit. I gave up drinking beer last August as well as it was starting to make me fat. Being fat won’t help me ride BMX.
What do you miss about the BMX scene of times gone by?
The main thing I miss is Skate and Ride. A skatepark that was open 7 days a week with an awesome vert, spine, jump box and vert walls. I only got to ride vert for two years on a regular basis before it closed. Would love to ride vert on a regular basis once again.
What’s next for you?
Ride as much as possible for as long as I can. Realistically I have between 5 to 10 years left and I would love to keep progressing. The summers are all about the trails and jumping. The winter is all about decent indoor parks. Hoping to get back on the 360’s again this year. There is a massive jump down the trails I would like to spin.
The other thing I would like to do is film a section so I have something to look back on when I am older that makes me smile. As I ride mainly solo I need to be creative to make this happen,
Any last words?
I need to mention some more people in America that went out there way to be nice to me. Dave Smith gave me a key to his house and let me stay after arrival and departure for 10 years in a row. Andy Shohara Steve Perelta, Mike Lenkowski in SanDiego. The whole NorCal Crew, Oscar Gonzalez let me camp every year next to the 7 ft mini in his yard originally from the SanJose Ramp Club. Squirrel, Andreas Wenzel in Fresno. MauriceMeyer and the Curb dogs. They would organise a ride over the Golden gate Bridge everytime I came to San Francisco.
So many people going out their way to be nice to me. During the last ten years I have met friends who are real good photographers. Dave Smith, Marizu, Denny ( It was his vid BCR on the VCR that made me want to be in Bristol),Dennis, Paul Turner (the main digger at Pumpy who started riding again after he spotted me riding at the Deaner about 15 yrs ago)..All these photographers have taken pictures that look better than it feels to me. Real skill.
I follow a band called the Jumps in Bristol made up of decent old Bristol riders. Paul brown and Del. I have been really lucky to meet so many good people through BMX.
I knew BMX was amazing at 15 yrs old which is probably why I still love it and am still progressing at almost 50 years old. Yet I still quit at 17 yrs old. Don’t listen to other people, trust your instincts. BMX is the best thing that ever happened to me.