I go to the park and watch kids learn new tricks while I lose old ones at about the same rate. I really only have about 4 tricks left…
Chad Eslick
Age?
I am 49 years young
Location?
Born, raised, and currently living and riding in the thriving metropolis of Polson, Montana (population roughly 5000)
Never stopped, New Starter or Comeback King?
Comeback King! sort of, I switched to mountain bikes for a bit in the early 90s but I’ve been back on the “little” bike for more than 20 years now.
Bike?
21“ top tube full Custom Pedal Drivin Cycle (shout out to Big Dave TCB!!) with a low bottom bracket, a slack head tube and a long back end (compared to the new stuff anyway)
Where do you ride?
Mostly my local park. 7th ave. skatepark, home of the infamous “dark helmet”
Do you mostly Ride Solo or in a crew?
I ride mostly solo, I’m probably most productive when the park is empty, my headphones are in and I can fly around without worrying about dodging anyone. I sometimes miss having a big crew of guys to ride with, but it ebbs and flows. We do a Jam every year that is getting pretty good, and is starting to attract quite a few riders, so that helps a lot.
Tell us little about how you got into BMX?
I started racing when the local bmx track opened in early ‘79 when I was 8 years old. I started “freestyling” in about ‘84. Continued racing and doing shows, graduated high school ‘89 and kept riding for a couple more years until my job turned into a career, and my girlfriend turned into a wife.
Switched to mountain bikes for a few years, fathered my son and tried to pretend I was a grown up for a few years until my marriage fell apart. Got back on the BMX bike about ‘98 or so and haven’t looked back.
Is it pretty remote where you live? If so is it hard to connect with other riders (especially now you’re a bit older)?
It’s a pretty small town, and Montana is pretty sparsely populated so there isn’t much of a scene, but we have a really good park in town and lots of good parks fairly close so the guys that do ride tend to visit quite a bit. I think social media makes connecting with other riders easier than it ever has been.
My scene is pretty dead right now, the guys I used to ride with everyday are all kind of on hiatus right now, but I’m not worried. No one ever actually quits, they’ll be back.
Does the weather make riding challenging in the winter?
Winter is the bane of my existence! Not so much the precipitation, we don’t really get too much snow anymore, but it gets pretty cold here and my arthritis is brutal.
How often do you ride?
It varies, I ride every day that the weather and my body lets me. I’ve been really lucky for the last month, so I’ve been riding almost every day.
What sort of riding do you prefer these days?
I really only ride concrete parks now, I would love to ride dirt, and we may have a new spot in the near future so I’m excited about that. I very rarely ride street, and I don’t seem to have the patience or talent for flatland anymore
Are there some tricks that you used to have on lock that you struggle with these days now that you’re older?
ALL of them?? I always say I go to the park and watch kids learn new tricks while I lose old ones at about the same rate. I really only have about 4 tricks left, and only keep those because I do them over and over every day.
Do you feel “cut off” from the rest of bmx? And what part does social media play on your riding and motivation?
I feel more connected to the rest of bmx more so than ever before! Growing up in Montana the only access to bmx we had was a few magazines every month and a 30 second Mountain Dew commercial once in a blue moon.
The only way you met other riders was at a race or contest, those were few and far between in those days. Social media has been a game changer. It’s amazing to be able to get on Instagram an see what your friends are doing or even send them a message anytime you want. I would say I meet 90% of my riding friends via social media.
You were involved (as a brand owner) in the business side of BMX. Tell us how that started and what happened to the business?
After my divorce, I was trying to buy a Bike shop and riding a lot of bmx again. I kept stripping the guts out of seatposts, so I came up with a “fixed” design and got one made for me. It worked well and people seemed to like it so I got a small batch made.
I had a few Ideas for other products and the Bike shop sale just wasn’t happening. It just snowballed from there. I had problems with manufacturers delivering product on time or not at all, but we were slowly getting that figured out until, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
I didn’t have insurance at the time, so the medical bills wiped me out financially. I tried to keep it going for a few years after that, but eventually had to shut it down.
Whats the story for you and injuries now that you’re an older dude?
I had a lot of Injuries when I was younger, and I broke my pelvis 5-6 years ago, but I really haven’t had any serious injuries since. What slows me down is just the aches and pains from the old injuries coming back to remind me how much I used to crash.
Do you always pad up?
I always wear a helmet now, but that’s about it. Just never was able to get comfortable wearing pads.
Do you do any exercise or stretching to help with BMX fitness and/or injury prevention?
I stretch a little every morning and workout everyday to try to stay in shape. For me it’s become essential. I don’t think I could continue to ride without the daily body maintenance.
Do you sometimes struggle for motivation to get out and ride?
I have a very hard time finding the motivation to ride when its cold. When it’s warm I don’t have a problem at all. During the summer I sometimes wake up early and have to wait impatiently for the sun to come up. I can’t wait to ride!
What about Eating and Booze? Do you try to watch these so you can keep on riding BMX?
I quit drinking almost a year ago, and I’ve been trying really hard to eat better, I’ve lost almost 30 pounds now and I can really tell the difference in my riding and energy level.
What do you miss about the BMX scene of times gone by?
Don’t really miss anything. For me bmx is better than it’s ever been. I do miss being young and industructible! I miss the endless amount of energy and lack of responsibility/worries of the early days, but that’s about it.
What don’t you miss about the BMX scene of times gone by?
I don’t miss threaded headsets, shitty brakes, stripped pegs, pounding in bearing cups and bent/broken forks!
What’s next for you?
More of the same! I’m really happy with my life right now and I’m a firm believer in “if it aint broke, don’t fix it.” So for now I’ll just keep riding as long as I’m able.
Any last words?
Thanks to you for doing this interview and Thanks to everyone that hits me up when they roll through town to ride!
