A Belated Happy Holidays!

Sorry for the lack of updates, Happy Holidays message, etc. I got hit with a nasty case of food poisoning on Christmas...of all days! Brutal is the only way I can explain it! Needless to say, I have been laid up since Monday, finally took down some real food again today and getting some strength back. Hoping to be back on the bike by the weekend.

Hope everyone had a nice Holiday! Have a happy, healthy New Year! I'm psyched for 2012, July will be the 10 Year Anniversary of TYRANT...damn time has flown by! I have a lot of things planned, hoping to make the majority of them a reality. Thanks for all the support this year, especially all of you who have made the online store a success ordering shirts and hoodies. Onward to 2012!

Finally Riding Willi!

After months of waiting we finally got some riding in at Willimantic....thought it didn't come without some work! Bry and I hit up the park Thursday morning and it was pretty wet. We swept the place for a solid hour until it was rideable. We got a pretty solid session in before the place got too crowded and we hit the road. Thursday night it rained like hell, but Friday morning Steve and I went back with a broom and leaf blower to conquer the water. We spent an hour and a half or so drying the place out before getting on the bikes. Friday ended up being a great session. We had the place to ourselves for 2 hours before 5 others showed up. It stayed that dead until we were beat and took off around 2. The park is really good, all kinds of lines. This is def the new "go to" park!

Willimantic Photos: CLICK HERE

Slowin' Down

Sadly, the riding has begun to slow down due to the cold. Sorry for the lack of updates. Hit up our FACEBOOK PAGE for day to day updates, photos, and other random BS. Winter arrives Thursday at 12:30am, ouch!

Guilford: 12/17/11

No photos, just a lot of riding. We had a crew of 5 guys getting rad at Guilford. Good times for sure!

Back to the Streets

With Haven gone, no other local indoor parks, and it dark by 4:40 we're heading back to the streets. Gotta get some riding in before the snow comes. Steve, Mike B., and I put in a few hours of pedaling last night since Tuesday night Jay's Ramp was cancelled. We had a good time hitting up all the usual M-Town spots and 35º wasn't all that bad to ride in. I had planned to put a grind box and kicker for wall rides in the P1ss Tunnel, but the town is still locking it up. Lame!

Willimantic Bust!

I was out the door into 28 degree temps to go ride the new Willimantic Skatepark bright and early Tuesday. I arrived at the park around 9 and there were dirt piles everywhere along with a backhoe and some dump trucks. I thought nothing of the guys working and went to grab my bike. No sooner than my tires touched the ground I get hollered at by one of the dump truck operators. I made my way over to hear him out and wasn't psyched to hear, "Parks closed until Spring. Can't ride here." Awesome! So I dragged myself out of bed and braved the frost to get shut out...what a drag! Fortunately, the Fat Trax guys I was supposed to meet up with still had motivation and upon calling them they said we should make our way to the Dayville Park. It ended up being a fun,brisk session after all. Once the sun was high in the sky the 30 degree temps weren't that bad. Hello Winter!

Willimantic Photos: CLICK HERE

Jay's Ramp: 12/6

Another Tuesday at Jay's ramp. I rode a bunch last night, this is all I have to show for the session...

Jingle Jam

We had big plans to get rad at the Southwick Trails yesterday, but Jack Frost almost iced us over! When our 9 man crew arrived at the trails at 11:30am the place was frosted and sloppy. Thanks to some grunt work and a quick run to Ocean State Job Lot for brooms, the place was running in an hour or so. It ended up being a great day, 26 riders showed up and gave it hell one last time before the Winter sets in. Good times everyone, thanks for making it out and thanks to the young locals for dealing with us once again over running the place.

Southwick Photos: CLICK HERE

Guilford in December

We had a late day session at Guilford yesterday, the first time I've ever ridden that park in December in the 8 years it's been open! Usually we're dealing with bitter cold temps and crap weather by now!! Anyway, met some new peeps, pulled some old tricks on the new bike, and had a great time. Love it while it lasts, the snow is coming!

Guilford Photos: CLICK HERE

Dudes, Bikes, and Pizza!

The usual Tuesday session at Jay's ramp...dudes, bikes, and pizza!

Jay's Ramp: CLICK HERE

Looking Back...

I was digging through an old bin of stickers today and randomly found this kick a$$ photo of Steve from a solid 8-10 years ago at CT's. Awesome!

Southwick: 11/27/11

We had a crew head up to Southwick today and it was a pretty epic session!...despite Matt Lucas' bike throwing, flash smashing antics! There are a bunch of teenage locals digging their faces off tuning up the currents lines and building new one. Kinda an odd time of year to be putting in so much work, but hell....the place looks and rides great! Sounds like we'll be headed back up there again next weekend.

Southwick Photos: CLICK HERE

HOLIDAZE SALE!

All tees and hoodies are $4.00 off and FREE shipping until Monday! Get on it!!

500 Likes

In honor of reaching the 500 "Likes" mark on our Facebook page the TYRANT Winter Caps are on sale for $5.00 with FREE SHIPPING till midnight. Get on it!!!

Colors

Black $5.00 USD Ash Gray $5.00 USD Light Gray $5.00 USD Military Green $5.00 USD

Cement Park Sunday

Another Sunday, another awesome session! I'll let the photos do the talking...

CLICK HERE

Frigid Friday Session

Steve and I hit up the Deep River Park for a few hours today...

Jays Ramp: 11/15/11

Another Tuesday session at Jay's Ramp. Dudes, bikes, pizza and good times as usual!

Jay's Ramp B&W Photos: CLICK HERE

Sunset Ranch Jam: 11/13/11

20+ riders from 4 states playing in the dirt all day! Super fun time and one hell of a send off to the 2011 trails season. Another fine day at the Ranch!

Jam photos: CLICK HERE

Schmidt showing up the street kids by jumping a 12' double into a Hang 5 lander!

MA/RI Road Tripping

Steve and I had the day off today so we decided to adventure West to Mass. and Rhode Island. Our first stop was Dick Maul's Bike Shop in Halifax, MA. Talk about legendary! Maul's is a household name in the BMX world and have been keeping it real for damn near forever....30+ years!!! We hit up the Hingham Skatepark mid-day and it was windy!...but that didn't stop Steve from laying out some tables in the 7' end of the bowl. The park is small, but the bowl alone is worth the drive to the park. So nice!! On our way back toward CT we hit up Circuit BMX. Again, another amazing BMX shop...which is swiftly becoming a household name in the BMX scene. Vic is running a rad operation over there in Pawtucket! We ended the day at the Owen Bell Park in Killingly dodging random spurts of rain. All in all we drove 250+ miles and only rode 2-2.5 hours max, but it was well worth it. Good times for sure!

MA/RI Road Trip Photos: CLICK HERE

Jay's After the Storm

After a week of no power due to Winter Storm Alfred, we made our way back to Jay's tonight. New local, Mike Brennan, hopped in with Steve and I to head out to the ramp. It was a typical laid back Tuesday night session...dudes, bikes, pizzas, and the ramp. I'm hoping these sessions keep up throughout the Winter! Always a good times at Jays!!

Jay's Ramp Photos: CLICK HERE

MY FOOT...YOUR MOUTH!

I typically avoid ranting and I usually keep my cool...but this one hit the right nerve. Congrats to you, whether you are a kid or adult...you pissed me off!

This is an anonymous comment I received on my "Boston Bound" post an hour ago...

"another shitty article about shitty riders doing shitty tricks. same shit, different day. this website sucks and none of you our ever getting sponsored"

Let me break it down for you pal...

1. Leaving an anonymous comment just screams out "I'm a huge pu$$y!"

2. It's a blog...not a newspaper. It's called a post, not an article!

3. Love the repetition of the word sh1t! Your vocabulary is obviously SH1Tty, you couldn't come up with better adjectives to dis me?!?

4. I can care less what you think of me, TYRANT, and/or our friends. I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it to the grave...we ride bikes cause it is fun, not to show boat...impress anyone...qualify for the X-GAYmes...or any other BS!

5. "Sh1tty tricks"? Sorry you don't see any triple tail whips, quadruple barspins or whatever lame a$$, box jump monkey, foam pit junkie garbage tweens are throwing down these days. Don't get me wrong, the evolution of the sport is mind blowing...but it's not for me...and not what TYRANT is about. (see #4 above!)

6. "our ever getting sponsored"? It's ARE...not OUR!! You're really showing us how incompetent you are!!! Secondly, I'm 31 years old...damn right I'm never getting sponsored! I ride cause it keeps me young at heart, allows me to socialize/meet amazing new friends, and once again...wait for it...it's FUN! Kids nowadays need to take off their blinders and realize there is more to BMX than getting some free grips and a hand job from a company owner!

7. Plain and simple, you don't like the site...don't ever come back!

Rant over!
If you'd like to talk shit in person please feel free to come and chat anytime. I'd love to hear you out and see if your balls are as big in person!

Boston Bound

I was heading up to Boston to pick up T from Logan at 8:45pm so I figured I'd make a day out of it. I got in touch with Tabler & Fabler Tony Long and he offered me up the opportunity to cruise Boston street with he and his friend Chip. After meeting the guys around 1 we hit up Harvard for some banks and wallrides. Sean Burns and some of the Bone Deth crew were already at the spot getting rad. It's always cool riding with new peeps at foreign spots...especially after seeing that new Burns Osiris edit filmed around Boston (and Providence). Tony, Chip and I made our way to a pool after Harvard and Tony was blasting tables in the 12ft end. I'm not gonna lie, I sat there and watched with my tail between my legs. I wasn't about to session that place without my helmet! I'd scramble my brain for sure!! I parted ways with the guys around 3 and made my way over to the Winthrop Skatepark for a solid hour session. All in all an awesome day in Boston. Really looking forward to getting back up here soon!

This dude!

Hump Day Sesh

Steve randomly had the day off from work so we hit up the Norwich and Baltic Skateparks. Of course, we were psyched to ride Norwich cause there would be no kids around...and 1/2 hour after we got there the school across the street got released on a half day. Sh1t luck at it's finest! To avoid the mob of tweens we made our way to the Baltic Park. Steve was getting rad with the place all to himself and our little buddy (who's name I still don't know) who seeks us out at Baltic was around. The little dude is all of 3 feet tall and he was shredding on my 22" Deuce Deuce with Perfect 10 bars...too funny! We hooked him up with some stickers and a TYRANT beanie and he was psyched. Awesome day for sure!!

Hump Day Photos: CLICK HERE

HAPPY HELLOWEEN!

Stick It to 'Em!

The huge (bumper) stickers are in, as well as the head tube sized star ones. Hit me up and get some!

Trails Before the Snow

Today was nuts, plain and simple! We headed up to Sunset Ranch bright and early to get some runs in...anticipating possible snow this afternoon. We rode for 4 hours and it started to flurry a bit...so I jumped on my phone to check the weather. By that point Connectciut was all blue on the dopple and 2" had already fallen. We beat feet real quick and adventured home to the snowy tundra! Thanks to Chris for letting us come ride the trails so many times, especially when we're not locals and have put in very little dig/maintenance time at all. Looking forward to 2012 at Sunset Ranch!

Trails Photos: CLICK HERE

Tagged Winter Caps

The "Tagged" Winter caps are in stock and available for online ordering...or hit me up in person! $8.00 to keep your head warm as the cold begins to bear down on us.

(Military Green not pictured)

Colors

Black $8.00    Ash Gray $8.00    Light Gray $8.00    Military Green $8.00

Quiet at Jays

Wow, what a difference a week makes! Jay's was infested last Tuesday and a ghost town last night. The guys got in some decent runs then spent the remainder of the evening tearing down the over vert extension and cleaning up the ramp. I have a feeling there are gonna be some rad ramp changes forthcoming...we'll see. The highlight of the night was surely one of Jay's employees hopping on his bike and carving the ramp. This guy was 63, smoking a cigarette, wearing a Members Only jacket, and in white flip flops and socks. Now that's coming original! Eat your heart out scenesters!!

Jay's Ramp Photos: CLICK HERE

Watch out Dew Tour...he's been training!

Tables and Fables in CT

Tony Long, the man behind Tables and Fables, made is way down with a huge crew yesterday. The guys rolled in 4 cars deep, we were totally surprised! We spent most of the day at the snake run then hit up the Wethersfield before dark. Def a good time when out of staters make their way down to check out our spots. Looking forward to their next trip down before the snow.

Sunday with T&F Photos: CLICK HERE

Tony Long text book table lesson at dusk

CCNS Donut Derby

Continuing on my kick of attending various cycling events outside of the BMX world I hit up the CCNS Donut Derby this morning. Long story short...it's a 21 mile race - 7X a 3 mile loop - with one hell of a climb each lap. For every donut the riders eat during the race they get 2 minutes deducted from their overall time. Man, some people threw down! 12 donuts, 11 donuts....and no puking. Such a fun event!

Donut Derby Photos: CLICK HERE

Bill from Pedal Power giving it hell 1.25 miles and 1 donut in...

Winter Caps

The winter caps will be available the first week of November. Get psyched on these, cause it's gonna get cold!

Jay's Ramp Mega Session

We've been riding Jay's private indoor mini for 10 years and the sessions have always been pretty low key. Last night broke the mold...10 riders showed up and the session was off the hook. More tricks went down in the first 20 minutes than have in the past 10 years! It was cool to see Brandon Begin and Stevie Churchill riding the ramp. Hell, those two were in preschool when Jay started building the ramp and he's 20 years their senior...old enough to be their dad! Looking forward to more sessions throughout the cold, dark season.

Jay's Ramp Photos: CLICK HERE

NYC Runnin'

New friends Derek and Scottish Steve made their way up from NYC to ride with Steve, Bry and I yesterday. First stop, the snake run. It rained for 2 straight days at the end of last week, and the leaves have been falling in mass amounts...there was no way I thought we'd be able to ride. To my surprise the run really wasn't that bad and 30 minutes of broom and rake action had the place pretty mint. It was a fun afternoon taking bomber runs, sessioning individual sections of the run, and chilling with friends. In the late afternoon we made our way down to the Guilford Skatepark. By then everyone was pretty tired, but we cruised for an hour or so and called it a day. Derek and Steve jumped on 95 to head back to NYC and we headed back North. Super fun day!

Check out Derek and Steve's work!

Snake Run/Guilford Photos: CLICK HERE

Mansfield Cross

I switched it up a bit today. Instead of the typical weekend BMX action I headed out to Mansfield to check out a few guys I knew give it hell in the 9am Cat. 4 cyclocross race. After a slow start, my buddy Matt Lolli (Ghostship / Twin Six & Pedal Power employee) worked his way through the pack taking the lead with 1.5 laps to go, say 2ish miles. Matt, on a single speed no less, held off the 3 chasing competitors all the way to the line and earned himself an 11 second victory. Dave D., former CCNS teammate of mine, edged out another rider at the line to take 3rd. To my surprise, Chad Allen's dad Jeff was racing with the 4's and rode a hell of a race. He could easily be racing Masters, but he held his own with the youngin's. All in all a great day of cross action. Looking forward to the upcoming Silk City and Chesire Cross races!

Mansfield Cross Photos: CLICK HERE

Lunch Session: Deep River

Bry and I met up with Chris P. down at the Deep River Park yesterday at noon. The park was empty and the weather was perfect, an ideal session. Chris was getting rad with some pedal grinds and Bry was getting tech on the jersey barrier with fufs and pedal stall to 270's. I was analyzing the size of the park and I'm figuring it's about the same size as the allotted space for the East Haddam Park. With any luck, that park will be just as fun as Deep River!

Lunch Session Photos: CLICK HERE

Newi/Plainville

I headed over to the Newington Park for a bit yesterday. It was just one kid and I and I was taking turns riding and hiding in the shade as it was hot as hell and bright and sunny there. I posted a photo to the TYRANT Facebook page and within 30 minutes 5 riders showed up. We ended up riding Newi, Plainville, and the Farmington Park. I had no intentions of even riding at all yesterday and it turned into a fun full day sesh. Thanks for coming out guys, good times for sure!

Newi/Plainville Photos: CLICK HERE

Matt Lucas bringing his track style to the pre fab ramps

Gnarwich & Baltic

Bry and I met up with a few guys out at Norwich to get rad on a Friday. The park was empty and it was a super low key session. Seth Bernard pulled the longest ice pick grind I've ever seen in person and Bry was getting his bar spins dialed in. After GNARwich we hit up Baltic for a bit. Love that hip...that's all I gotta say. Fun session, chill locals, great way to pass a Friday!

Norwich/Baltic Photos: CLICK HERE

The Hoods of Crompton

I stopped by the Cromwell Skatepark before dark last night to snap some photos of Ryan Staron and Jake Lineberry. Flairs, tailwhips, barspins....the usual high flying antics of those 2. The highlight of the night was def the doubles mini ramp runs including synchronized flairs. Madness!

Crompton Photos: CLICK HERE

R.I.P. Haven Skatepark

I received at text from Kat at Haven this morning letting me know the park is closing for good. I'm not gonna lie, a tear came to my eye! So many amazing sessions over the past several years, so many new friends made, and so much fun had. Thanks to the folks at Haven for the memories, the park will be greatly missed!

Stay tuned for details, apparently there will be a last horrah get together in the very near future to celebrate Haven. All the ramps, metal, etc. are now for sale if anybody has any interest in opening their own park or warehouse.

I created a collection of all my Haven photos: CLICK HERE

Saturday on the Farm

We were supposed to have a crew hitting up the Baltic Park contest on Saturday, but it got rained out. Thanks to Matty Still, we got an offer to ride the Team EAST warehouse. Steve, Ryan Staron, Chris Piascik, and I headed due North immediately. As always, riding those ramps was an awesome time. Thanks again to Matty and Stan!

Saturday on the Farm Photos: CLICK HERE

Chris P. getting his fastplant and GRRR face on!

Going Big Again!

I haven't ordered bumper size stickers in years, time to go big again! A bunch of these 8.5" x 2.75" stickers will be here in a few weeks. Ideal for your top tube, car, trailer, local parks, etc. I'll be handing them out as usual, but if you want to buy in bulk they'll be 3 for $1.

Baltic Contest

There is a contest at the Baltic Skatepark on Saturday. We have a crew heading down to check it out, maybe a few will even compete. Hope to see some familiar faces there getting rad! Check it out...

RI Night Trip

Bry and I headed over to the Norwich Skatepark for a quick session prior to meeting up with Steve and road tripping to Rhode Island. Once we made it to RI we hit up the Pawtucket Skatepark for 45 minutes at dusk. The place was mobbed, but locked and we had to jump the fence...odd? Around 7 we made our way to Circuit for the FBM shindig. The Thousand Yard Stare movie sneak peek was awesome, looking forward to the full length video later this Fall. On our way home we hit up the Providence Skatepark and the place was empty. We got a solid 20 minutes in before riders and skaters appeared out of the darkness and the place was hopping at like 11 at night. The local riders were young and all super flowy. So rad watching those kids shred that park going 100 mph and boosting everything! All in all it was a kick a$$ evening trip, especially for a Tuesday.

RI Night Trip Photos: CLICK HERE

NEW Willimantic Skatepark

On the way home from the park trip Sunday Steve, Brandon and I took a detour through farm country over to the Willimantic Skatepark. Holy Hell, the park is huge! Not just a huge area, huge trannies too! So psyched for this place to open. Word on the street is 1.5-2 more months of work to go. Fingers crossed for a pre-Winter opening and a few sessions before the first snow!

Willimantic Skatepark Photos: CLICK HERE

Begin's Park Edit

Brandon Begin did some filming yesterday and cut this little edit. Good stuff!

Sunday Park Trip: 9/25/11

3 car loads of riders met at my place today and we rolled out to the Norwich Skatepark. Super fun session at the park with everyone feeding off one another and getting rad. We hit up Baltic next mid-afternoon and the place was a zoo. In between dodging scooters rats a few people were able to throw down some original lines. We finished up the day riding the Plainfield Skatepark. To our surprise a few car loads of the Haven locals showed up to ride as well as Brett and Shamus from Mass. After a solid park session we got in a little street time around the area and called it a night. Thanks for everyone that came out. Days like yesterday are the reason I'm 31 and still riding a little kids bike. No injuries, no sh1t talking, no 1-upping....just friends having fun riding bikes. That's what BMX is all about!!!

Sunday Trip Photos: CLICK HERE

Deep River Solo

Quickclips: Deep River from rideTYRANT.com on Vimeo.

Guilford Saturday Session

Steve and I hit up the Guilford Park on Saturday for an afternoon session. The Fall temps have arrived, it was a great 62 degree and sunny day. For the first time in a long time I have no photos to offer, I rode the whole damn time. Bring on the cool, manageable weather!

Dirt & West Nile

Steve and I hit up Chad's Trails for a quick session before dark last night. Steve put in a bunch of digging hours there over the past few weeks and wanted to hit up the new jumps he built. The place was still pretty damp and the mosquitoes were deadly, but it was nice to get back to Chad's....been a while. In addition to the new jumps, Chad is in the process of building a mega lander. I'm assuming there will be a huge wooden kicker to go along with it in the near future. Looks similar to one of The Lot big line set ups. Looking forward to the cooler temps, no bugs, and lots of trails!

Chad's Trails Photos: CLICK HERE

Back to Sunset Ranch

Steve and I adventured North to to Sunset Ranch in Hatfield, Mass for a little trails action. Chris, the trail boss, has been slaving keeping the place in mint condition...even after Irene a few weeks ago and 3 straight days of rain last week. The place has progressed a ton since we were up there last in June. After a little dirt action we hit up the Southwick Trails, which were totally flooded surprising us all. We back tracked 15 minutes to Agawam and ended up hitting up the local skatepark there. The place was infested with kids, but it had a fun layout and when we could get a clean line it was fun as hell!

Sunset Ranch Photos: CLICK HERE

Non-stop Rain!

Man, in the wake of Hurricane Irene we're now getting hosed with 3 straight days of rain. The CT River is flooding again and everything is saturated. The trails are going to need some insane maintenance after these past few weeks. Get out there are dig!!!

Ride Your Heart Out!

5 years ago this week Shawn Hebrank created this kick a$$ artwork for us. Back then the design was used for stickers, but I though it was about time I got it on a shirt...AVAILABLE NOW in the Online Store above.

Be sure to check out Shawn's other artwork on his website by clicking his name above or over the link in the right sidebar.

Post-Irene

Nothing new to report, it's been a slow week in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Fall is fast approaching, cool weather sessions are just around the corner. Psyched!!!

Come on Irene!

Steve and I hung up the bikes and got out the body boards today. We made our way down to Rhode Island in hopes of getting in on the high surf action. There was a mandatory evacuation and only town residents were being let into the area. We rolled up on the Westerly evacuation check point pretty convinced we'd be turned away by the cop, but a little fibbing and knowing people who have a house in town got us through. We hit up the surf near the Westerly Town beach for a solid hour or so and Steve's GF Melissa was snapping photos (I'll post them Monday). Eventually the State Police made the rounds and evacuated everyone from the beach. Nothing like a little pre-hurricane adventure!

Friday Full Pipe

Steve and I hit up the Norwich Skatepark for a little while Friday afternoon then went on a stealth mission to find a full pipe we had heard about. The place is in a pretty populated area, and the evening rush hour wasn't the most ideal time to be sneaking around places, but we made it happen. Despite the pipe being small, the place that it's located in is epic! Steve wasted no time in giving it hell in the rusty death pipe.

Full Pipe Friday Photos: CLICK HERE

EH, Wolcott, Falcon

Bry and I did a little day tripping and hit up the East Hampton Skatepark, the Wolcott Skatepark, and the Falcon BMX Track in Meriden. The weather was perfect, mid 70's and sunny! We did a ton of riding and I shot no photos...so here are some GoogleMaps photos of the locations as filler. Doing it all again tomorrow...Norwich, Baltic and Plainfield!