"NIGEL SYLVESTER ON ADVANCING BMX WITHOUT FITTING IN"

[dude...]

Nigel Sylvester might be BMX's most recognizable figure, but his life and career are anything but typical of the sport. From starting his own clothing line to putting out videos featuring French Montana, the BMX pro has carved out a personal brand within a culture that values staying insular. In this VICE Sports exclusive, we follow Nigel across the country to see where he came from and where the sport is taking him next. Catch Part 1 and Part 2 later this month on VICE Sports.

https://sports.vice.com/video/nigel-sylvester-on-advancing-bmx-without-fitting-in-trailer

[Allah]

It would be great if Vice did an Epicly Later'd style series for BMXers, so this is slightly encouraging. Sadly I doubt this will happen but if it did features on Edwin, Hamdog, Ruben, Van, Joe Rich and maybe a contemporary street assassin like Dak or Garrett Reynolds would be the way to go. Or perhaps bona fide nutcases would make for more interesting viewing (Gabe Brooks, Sean Burns), I dunno.

Nigel's a decent rider (although a whole host of street stunters are way more interesting to watch) but I am fed up with the boring narrative we have to hear every few months. I also don't feel like he's advancing BMX very much, other than maybe giving it a bit more exposure to the mainstream.   

[locomotive]

Yeah he fits in more with rappers. Maybe he will drop a mix tape and we will never have to watch him bmx again. I would be fine with that

[Brooklynrider]

Nigel is NYC's biggest embarrassment.

[mattywatty]

Does anyone remember in 2006 when he was just a guy riding a teal Fly Pantera that did a downside whip on a picnic table in the Animal All Day video?

[dude...]

hes good at riding, but his outlook on life is warped. bmx needs more high end boutique clothing brands...um does it?

[locomotive]

hes good at riding, but his outlook on life is warped. bmx needs more high end boutique clothing brands...um does it?

lol anyone that rides knows how clothes get owned during a riding session. Unless you just sit on your bike(i.e Nigel) or a millionaire it's pointless/stupid to try to look "fly" while riding

[dude...]

hes good at riding, but his outlook on life is warped. bmx needs more high end boutique clothing brands...um does it?

lol anyone that rides knows how clothes get owned during a riding session. Unless you just sit on your bike(i.e Nigel) or a millionaire it's pointless/stupid to try to look "fly" while riding

add to that his designs are super generic anyway, plus the super awkward instagram onslaught, its just cringey. peep games as bad for it too (though at least their range is slightly more diverse).

[dude...]

also worth mentioning thats despite being good at riding, hes been doing pretty much the same stuff for the last 5 years (which coincidently fits in with the whole new york/new jersey street riding style) which is hardly advancing bmx

[Prodigal Son]

Did you guys see that putting in work video of Nigel? That was awesome.

[dude...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ4iFlvfRj4

great riding, but pharell williams? seriously? if nige and pharell are kickin it on the reg, then that explains why pyradice is so fruity #billionaireboyzklub

[LuckyLuke]

Hes too old to be really pushing the sport from a riding perspective. So all the power to him to push bmx from a business stand point if he has the right connections.

[Prodigal Son]

Maybe if he put out videos like that regularly he could get a better response from BMX. I suspect the core of BMX is not his demographic though.

[LeonLikesToRock]

The thing I don't get is that he is saying that he isn't a typical BMXer? I don't quite get that. Does he mean he doesn't look like the vert riders that pushed the sport into the main stream (Hoffman and Mirra) or that he doesn't look like a typical street rider? I get it if he is going for the latter but I'm pretty sure 'dude from the East Coast with pegs and no brakes' is the image of a street rider and has been for years.

[dude...]

its all just marketing blurbs to make him seem edgy, i think theyre playin on the fact hes a pro with corporate sponsors, but hes not a ramp rat.

its not really unique though, edwin was on red bull for years but he was totally chill about it. he was in the same situation, street rider from new york who started at the bottom and managed to make it big, and id say without a doubt that edwin has had waaay more influence on bmx style etc than nigel

maybe nigel is just one of those people who takes himself super seriously