This next article was originally produced for welshside bmx, but was just too popular not to get a second featuring on here – So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen… The James Hitchcox Interview!
1) What’s up with “James Hitchcox”?
I am a 32 year old guy that loves bikes and has ridden them for as long as i can remember. BMX in so many ways has guided my life into what it is today. From normal kid at Harrow skate park age 12 to sponsored rider, to BMX sales rep, to BMX distro and company owner. I never thought I would be where I am today.
2) What is your first memory of BMX?
I remember being taken to ally pally for the national motor cycle show with my dad and coming home with a Raliegh RMX which was a 16″ BMX bike in red with white stickers.
3) What was it like growing up in “Harrow” (London, UK)?
It was great and still is, perfect place to get about anywhere, all the major airports are close by M1 north M40 and M25 are all within 15 mins so travelling is easy. 15mins on the train and you are in the centre of London. Free skatepark 1 mile from my house, dirt jumps up the road, street spots in town, I live with Pro skateboarders so there is always something going on, life is good!
4) What’s the current situation with Harrow skatepark?
Myself and a couple of other people have started up the Harrow skate park user group to try and keep the skate park going for as long as possible, it was destined to be built upon last year, but except for the credit crunch the land was never sold and the plans all were cancelled, then we raised some money and with the help from the council and fearless ramps we have a new 5 1/2 foot mini spine ramp and 4 foot 90 degree hipped mini, it brings so many more people to the park now that has been built.
5) You’ve excelled at more than just BMX alone… Tell us a little more about your other past-times?
I started skateboarding in about 1988 at Harrow park and tried my best at it but for me it didn’t give me the speed or thrill I was after like a bike did. So I soon changed to BMX, Also the BMX was a way-easier way of getting around from place to place, as I wasn’t old enough to drive. I rode motorbikes from the age of 6 and started school boy motocross and enduros till the age of 16. I passed my bike and car tested as soon as I could and have had many different bikes and vans, Last year I did about 10 track days at a few different tracks but the drive for that has gone for me and I don’t feel like racing is my thing – I don’t care if I win or loose, it’s just nice to open it up and see what the modern day sports bikes can do, they can give you so much confidence in what they can let you do. Not like bikes of old with bad brakes poor power and minimal traction.
6) You’ve been world renowned as a sponsored rider… What’s your history with sponsors?
It’s been pretty simple really – Custom riders hooked up the Standard Byke Co deal and I still ride for them now. I rode for DC shoes for 10 years and Odyssey for 7 years. Now it’s just Standard byke co, they have always stuck to what they said they wanted to do, which is build American made bikes , I love the fact they haven’t sold out and gone to Asia when a lot of other bike companies have. I’ve seen too many riders over the years thinking they are a real big deal and that they deserve huge pay cheques for what they do, Brand loyalty has gone right out the window with most up and coming riders, it’s a real shame I think, my respect for riders that change brand sponsors so flippantly as they change their socks goes down every time.
7) Riding for Standard Byke Company would be a dream come true for a lot of riders! – Briefly talk us through the day you got hooked-up on the Standard Bykes Army? And what it ment to you?
I guess this has 2 parts to this story, firstly mason at custom riders asked me and phil dolan if we wanted to ride for sbc after the KOC contest in 1997 where i did pretty good. i was over the moon as i was already riding a STA500 and it was my favourite company. 2 years later i got a call from mark noble at Ride magazine saying that rick moliterno and the usa standard team were coming to europe to do a tour and make a video and that i should try and hook up with them to show them around, so thats what i did. Had a night mare calling them as cell phones in those days were rare and we were trying to meet up for a few days. When we did meet up we all got on really well. And the end result was the euro trip video standard made, what people don’t know is that glen pp milligan lost half the tapes in the airport on the way back to the usa, so a lot of the riding that got done was never on the video. That is it really myself and rick have been friend ever since, I’ve had riding trips in the states and been to standard country many times, and rick has been to the uk a handful of times as well.
8) BMX has really given you an oppourtunity to travel! – Tell us the story behind “Props Megatour” (one of the biggest videos of the time-period)…
this was a real turn around point in my life. I was working in a motorcycle workshop busting my balls trying to prove myself and the bosses were taking the piss and promising me stuff and never came though with any of it. Odyssey UK asked me if I wanted to go on the mega tour and I couldn’t wait. My then girlfriends parents were moving to Australia just after that and invited me to go out there for a few weeks as well, this was around November/December and they couldn’t let me have the time of, so I quite my job, I went on the mega tour for 2 weeks, then stayed at Ricks for 2 weeks came home for 1 day sold my car washed my clothes and jumped on a plane to OZ to go ride out there ,hung out for 2 weeks with my then GF and her family that didn’t really like me, then stayed with Linsey brown for 2 weeks in Melbourne and did the extreme games where I got 8th in street. I came back to the uk after being away for 2 months, had xmas and new years and asked around for jobs and odyssey were changing things up a bit and needed a sales rep as they were starting padded cell distro, and I went straight in to that job. It all worked out really nicely!
9) It’s not just videos and dvds your reputable from, You’ve also had a lot of magazine coverage… Funnily enough “Issue 33 (Feb/March) 1998” was my first copy of ride – It was also the issue you had a cover-shot… Can you tell us the story please?
It was all down to Paul Roberts (aka grot bags), at the time he was doing a lot for ride mag and we were riding loads together as he lived a couple of miles from me, we were riding street in london and shooting pics for my interview and we turned up at st pauls were there use to be a huge white ledge running down the side of these steps with a rail next to it – The drop was about 30 feet to flat so if you went over it would be broken bones time I recon. Anyway i did a manual down it and paul took the shot, next thing i know its on the cover, to be honest i really wasnt pleased how it came out, it was all out of focus and at night, but oh well it is what it is.
10) The X-Games?
check out Question 8. Also i can remember partying with stephen murray, nasty and dave osato in a bar somewhere… Just going nuts! I did a 720 in the contest and murray said to me that was rad james i wish i could do them? i was like shut up you got them. Any way we done slapping each other on the back and carried on getting shit faced, Stay strong big guy. PS i remember not taking it serious at all and did a back roll tail whip in my run and everyone cracked up and the commentator asked me to do it again for a laugh, so i did, i love making people laugh and smile its better than being a skatepark clone that does all the same tricks!
11) What’s the most memorable advert campaign you’ve seen used by a BMX brand?
Any thing with new tricks in catches my eye… It’s not an advert, but the cover of dig is amazing with ben hucke doing a can can invert hand plant on a concrete set-up!
12) Who is your favourite riders of all-time?
Dave osato
13) Ever meet anyone famous?
jonny vagas
14) On a local level; who’s coming up that deserves a mention?
akin hucules walker from watford.
15) What type of injuries have you sustained from riding?
scared up face from forks snapping, broken wrists, broken ribs, knees are knackered and need cleaning out, ankles rolled, swellbows, knocked out… One of the strangest ones is when i hit the back of my head on concrete, no helmet and my arms lifted above my head with out me telling them what to do… I had pins and needles from my shoulders to my fingertips, it was real scary . they came down after about a minute.
16) When it’s time to slam… How do you deal with injuries?
I never think its time to slam? If and when I do get hurt I just get on with things that i’m able to do. I’m really not a fan of wasting time.
17) How many hours a week do you currently put into your riding?
maybe in between 8 to 10 hours a week depends on the weather really.
18) What tricks are you currently working on? And how has your riding-style changed?
now there is a spine mini at my local park im working on building up some tricks on that, its always something that the harrow locals missed growing up going to contests we always were rubbish at spine contests as we never had one to ride.
19) What’s your dream trick?
540 tailwhip nose pick or toothpick to nose pick.
20) What does the future hold?
future? working on zeal bmx and alone bike company and trying to build those companies.
21) Any final words, shout-outs, etc?
big thanks the all the brands im involved in, zeal, alone, standard, mankind, superstar, st martin, focale44, sputnic, bsd, metal. all the team riders, all the shops for supporting them, kevin sparrow and Aaron bellerby for working with me on grafics and alone bmx. Girl friend for being supportive, Thanks to them all.
Questions by: CWS
