Stranger has been ON IT in the web video department so I bunched up their latest in one post. From Jake Muras to Nick Owens to Eli Platt there's some nibbling and some bangering and more. Give them a watch and stay up to date on Stranger's channel for more.

Sigh. So much hype. How could you possibly live up to it? And how could you possibly surpass it? It's like Stew Johnson and the list of riders recruited to grace the sequel to Anthem are on another level. Not human. I saw the trailer, I heard the hype, I knew what to expect, yet still the bangers hit me like a brick wall. And the crashes... Dear lord, the crashes. It is at this point that you know Anthem II meant a LOT to the riders involved. For every brutal fall a rider took, he didn't get a big bonus or even a guarantee of medical bill help or something... What did he get? He got a taste of what it is like to be a legend and be a part of a legendary film. For some people, that is so beyond money it doesn't even compete. Do I even need to write any more now? I guess so...

Anthem II comes in a cool little case that features 2 discs filled to the brim. Disc 1 contains Anthem II, the focus of this review, and Anthem: Home of the Brave (the original). Disc 2 contains "1201" and "Lights Out" by Scum, "1999" by Trend, "Tweekers" by P.U.S.H., "Soil" by Ryan Brennan, and "One-Footed Dead Sailor" by FBM... All classic videos that you want in your collection so you can kill a whole flock of birds with one easy stone here. Unforunately, I am only reviewing Anthem II in essence of time.

There is a very brief introduction that drops the names of the legends in this video and a couple of shots to set the mood, build the anticipation even more, and pretty much get you ready. And then before you know it, your foot is in the door of the Mike Aitken section. Each rider has their corresponding sponsor in the bottom right corner of the screen. Not sure if it's the sponsor that helped pay for filming/traveling or something but it's a cool little gesture to demonstrate the diverse riders coming from all different places.

In case you don't follow BMX, Mike Aitken has been recovering from a major head injury that saw him in a hospital and barely able to operate one side of his body for months. He has since recovered enough to get back on the bike and start riding with his trademark style, but he's not 100% yet. The footage in this video is form before the accident and Aitken's riding nearly brings a tear to my eye. You can see the older footage stand out amongt the newer footage as the bars get bigger and bigger. Haha. Most of the video was filmed within the past few years but some is older footage, age having nothing to do with quality. His banger is epic and shot very well. First angle was amazing.

Brian Yeagle. Brian Yell-gle. I knew he was epic at the trails and concrete skateparks but didn't expect him to be so bone deth. I guess in the spirit of Anthem he had to go big... And go big he did. Yeagle put a ton of good spots down and probably held the title of most creative rider in this video. He rides pool tranny like it's meant to be ridden. I don't mean perfect pool tranny; I mean that super tiny, super vert, sketchy pool tranny that most people won't touch.

The first friends section (of two) is great because when you're Stew Johnson you have a lot of amazing friends. Friends like Tony Cardona, Kevin Porter, Kareem Williams, Albie Bennett, the Corts, Chester Blacksmith, Gary Young, Van Homan, Jimmy Levan, and more. It literally speaks for itself. The second friends section is just as amazing so remember to watch both of them in this video. I know in some DVDs a friends section is an instant skip, but this isn't one of those DVDs.

I have been a fan of Give D! since its inception, and good ole Dirt Ron has always held a special place in my heart. A special place full of candy bars, front brake tricks, and mustaches. It also consists of really clean 540s and barspins that, I can't explain why but, are really weird. Then on to a legend who was a legend long before this video, Brian Foster. Being a very good BMX racer, Brian knows just which line to take to gain what kind of speed at the trails and hits them perfectly with style from head to toe every time.

Mark Mulville! One of the most exciting trail riders to watch. Super stylish but at the same time SUPER technical. The master of combo tricks. He's like a video game. Take any combination of x-ups, tables, turndowns, ETs, one or no-footers, one or no-handers, cans, nacs, supermans, barspins, 360s, and more and that's what his airs are like. His last combo is just insane... First time all those tricks put together in one air? Probably.

Eli Platt. Where has he been? Apparently, hot hiding since he does work in the streets here. Chase Hawk footage. I feel like this video would be seriously missing something without some clips of Mr. Hawk. If you're going to have a list as deep as this, might as well hit the bottom of the ocean.

Next up, Clint Reynolds. Heard of him? Neither have I. And if you answered yes than you probably think I'm an idiot (not far from the truth) but what do you expect? Clint has serious bike control that you can tell comes from hours of riding trails. He even does half barspins and continues riding (and doing tricks!) with the bars backwards. Another epic banger. Think Tom Dugan SoCal edit but narrower (kinda).

Stop! Doyle time. Most people won't think of Chris Doyle at first when they think of legendary riders because he lives that low profile life but when you see footage of him there is no doubt in your mind. He truly helped shape BMX into the amazing thing it is today. Aside from the expected epic trails footage, Chris has a slew of great street clips. It's funny how good he is at street when he's most well known for smooth, stylish trails riding. His tailwhips are so clean and I would say this is definitely Chris Doyle's best section ever.

Geoff Slattery. Dear lord, didn't anybody advise against the first clip he attempted? Right foot = obliterated. I love Geoff. First it was his This Is United part. Now this. They're both so epic I don't even know what to do with myself. As much as his huge, gnarly clips impress me, I may have liked his brick wall slider most. Sliders are sick.

And then... It happens... As much as you enjoyed the other sections, in the back of your head this is what you were thinking of the entire time. Sean Burns. I've already penned in Anthem II for my 2011 Nora Cup Video of the Year prediction, and the video part award hands down goes to Sean Burns. If anybody is useful for promoting the quality of a product, it's Sean Burns. You know he isn't riding a single thing he doesn't trust on his bicycle. The stuff he does doesn't permit it. I'm so speechless after watching his section. I really can't say anything for it. Just get it and watch it. If they doubled the price and only gave you Sean Burns' section it still might be worth the money...

Then, if you dare, you can watch the crashes. And just as I said for This Is United, I think this section should be donated to the Athlete Recovery Fund. People need to see this! Within it I think you witness Kareem Williams trying to 360 the universe, but I'm assuming he never got it as I never saw that clip. Now... Take a sigh of relief. Phew! Enjoy the credits if you choose to and feel enlightened. Next step, get ya pedalin' on!

Brian Tunney, the ESPN BMX blogger, did an article about why pros stop riding professionally and an interview on Anthony Napolitan's growing professional career. Ironic! Both are great though. Check the links below...

Leaving the Pro Lifestyle (Ian Schwartz and Eli Platt references)

Anthony Napolitan on Red Bull (and how Twitter is quicker than the industry heads, heh!)

And here's a shout out to another great blog (actually a magazine) RIDEbmx. This dude is more stoked than I am!!!

Subrosa released the ever-popular new product flip book... or look book... whatever you call it.

Regardless, I love what they got. Subrosa seems to be bettering their completes each year. Some companies kind of sit on there complete bicycles and just pump out the same BS as last year, but Subrosa seems to be trying to make the bicycle fir the consumer market better each year. More diversity, an awesome range of low to high end bicycles, and even colors! Sort of. Red, as opposted to simply black and white. I still love it!

I ulpoaded some of the odd pages (riders and the new fixed gear bicycle, so hot) for your viewing pleasure here, but to see the bicycles click the link above to view the whole "book"...

Eli Platt has steered away from professional riding to focus on education, dropping Subrosa and Shadow sponsors.

A respected choice amongst many, especially from his former sponsors, Eli is going to get back to the books and see where he wants to go from his original ideas of majoring in Philosophy. A thinker. I love it!

Read the words from Eli and his sponsors from rideBMX below to learn more about the situation...

"Maturity reigns supreme over here. I first heard that Eli had
decided to leave the Pro life when I was in Taiwan, so I called Sher
when I got home to confirm, talked about asking some questions for the
site, then was whisked off to the East Coast for a few more days. When
I got back, I sent the questions off and in the meantime, the rumor
spread. But now we're here to fill in the blanks with answers from both
Ryan Sher and Eli himself.

As for my personal opinion, Eli was one of my top five favorite
dudes to see ride lately, so I'm a bit bummed that I won't be seeing
too much of him anymore. But, there's more to life than BMX, you know?
Well, sometimes'

Interview With Eli Platt'

I feel like I can simply ask, ' What's up with all this?' and
you'll explain everything. But, is there any truth to the rumors have
it that you quit both Subrosa, Shadow, and BMX all together?

Yes to all but the last. I recently told Ryan and Ronnie that I thought
it was time for me to move on. I simply have other goals that I feel
demand my entire attention, and being a pro BMX rider is not something
I feel like I can do half-heartedly. I see that as essentially ripping
off my friends. They deserve a team member that is as committed as they
are, and I'm just not sure I can do that anymore. I respect everyone at
Subrosa and Shadow too much to not give them my all, and there are too
many people out there that could serve them well and would love the
opportunities I have enjoyed.

I've been a huge fan of your riding for a long time, so I'm
pretty bummed to hear that you've decided not to ride anymore. Have you
chosen to step back from riding professionally, or are you just over
riding completely?

Thanks a ton, and as the above suggests, I am certainly not done
riding. I am just placing it on the back burner, while I move things
that have been back there for a while up to the front. In doing that, I
am not sure how my riding will be affected, and I don't want to worry
about it being worthy of the resources of my friends.



Did you come to this conclusion gradually or was it a sudden thing?

I certainly came to the decision gradually. I always knew that I would
head back to school. Recently, I have really begun to crave that
environment again, and I am increasingly anxious to get back. I knew it
was time to move on when I started hoping it would rain so I could not
feel bad about chilling and reading, instead of being out on the bike.
In returning to school I want to give it my undivided attention. I made
it through once with BMX on the brain, and I'm just not willing to do
that again.

How did the conversation with Sher and Bonner go?

Absolutely as easy as the subject of conversation could allow. As I
hope has become apparent, those guys are friends first. They are both
such good people. I really lucked out in being involved with them.



What are your plans for the future?

Back to school. Honestly, the exact path is not clear at this point. My
first degree is in Philosophy, but I've had bit of a falling out with
it as a field of study. However, I do think it is an incredible
foundation. Now I just need to build upon it.



Anything else you'd like to add?

More than anything right now I am filled with a sense of gratitude. I
never would have seen the realization of so many dreams if it weren't
for the people that helped me along the way. Pro bike riders are
seriously nothing without so many people behind them. Talent is
everywhere, but good people to push some to the forefront are rare. In
my own small case, I am so grateful to Mark Corbitt, Chad Shack, Jim
C., Dave Jacobs, Rich Hirsch, everyone who has ever taken a photo of
me, and, of course, Ryan and Ronnie and everyone at Sparky's. I've met
some of the most amazing people along the way. I am really just humbled
by it all.

An Interview With Ryan Sher'

Did Eli quitting both Shadow and Subrosa catch you off guard?

It definitely did. Although I had always knew that at some point he
would like to return to school. I just didn't think it would be so soon.

In some sense, it's pretty odd for someone to give up the ' dream' of being a pro rider. What are your thoughts on it?

I'm beyond happy for Eli! I don't think he's giving up his dream at
all. I think his dream just keeps evolving as he grows. I think it
shows the strong character Eli has to giving up something that was
going so well in his life and to start a new chapter. If his dream ever
evolves back into being a pro rider, we'll be here to support him again.

Where does this leave you guys with the Subrosa team video?

Well, it's in just about the same place. It's going to be a tour video,
we are still going to be going on all the trips, we'll just get to
bring some of The Skeleton Crew riders with us on the trips. We have
some footage of Eli from our Colombia trip that will certainly surface
somewhere.

What about Eli's signature frame, the Armada?

We still have a few Armada V2's in stock. We'll continue to sell them
until they're gone. Now it'll be a collectors item to remember one of
the baddest riders in BMX! We'll add another frame to replace it when
we have our new rider.

The Subrosa team is pretty small, so with Eli bouncing, are
you looking for another Pro dude? Possibly bumping up one of the
Skeleton crew?

Yeah, now we'll be adding to the Subrosa team. We had be planning on
making the team bigger this year anyway, it'll just be a little sooner.
We want to do it soon, so the rider can start coming on trips filming
with us for the video, and start designing a frame. Our goal with The
Skeleton Crew is to give them an opportunity to work their way up the
ranks and onto the pro team, so it could possibly be one of them as
well. I think we'll be bumping a rider up, and adding a new one.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks to Eli for being a part of Subrosa from day one."

GOOD LUCK ELI!!!