Harry Main Explains

[dude...]

http://www.vitalbmx.com/features/Harry-Main-Explains,5727

pretty humourous all of this, harry main all upset because the core bmx brands whove been around for years and are in it for the good times wont respect his monster energy fuelled skatepark jockeying and being a billboard for rocker mini bmx, so now hes going to follow the eastern/ezra model cutting out shops and distros. good plan.

might as well just quit riding and get into gym life and body suppliments like spinner and all the other washed up comp jocks, i mean ex pro extreme athletes

[LukeTom]

He goes on and on about how shops are damaging the BMX industry because they are selling expensive parts (which they mark up) and how making online direct sales will get more kids into riding, but at the same time he doesn't mention how these shops are also a hub for the scene of an area. Clearly he cares so much about the scene; he takes enough money out of it to buy himself a new R8

[Prodigal Son]

I'm glad that almost all sections of bmx are still alive. The street shit still seems most prevalent. No one is man enough to ride vert anymore. The tv skatepark shit still lives though if Harry Main can sell bikes through Amazon and eBay.

[DontcallmeKenneth]

Doesn't he own a r8 or a gtr? Gotta have get the money to pay for those thangs

[dude...]

he put his name on those rocker mini bmxes ffs. im sure theyre made by the same people responsible for ukbikeco/amity/mafia bikes. cash in by ripping off kids then fuck off when they realise your parts are shit

[dude...]

remember when he used to post on here, before he got his signature khe complete?

[Dr. Steve Brule]

I remember when he was posting here, some other guy local to his area shut him down saying about how him and his mates had gone around knocking on doors saying they were collecting for charity but keeping all the cash.

edit: I actually read the article, jesus christ. I'm not surprised someone has done the direct sales thing as it is huge in the MTB / Road market (Canyon / Rose / YT etc) but my god he's arrogant about it. Maybe 12 year olds have a different view than me.

[MEAT]

he doesn't mention how these shops are also a hub for the scene of an area.

Still though?.... not convinced.

[Sasha]

Scrap the entire interview and replace it with "I'll do owt for a fiver" and it's still very much the same.

[JFax]

I tend to cringe when I hear about people talking about BMX companies and teams. If the conversation between Vans and Harry went as he said it seems a bit childish. Its just money and sponsorship, why would you have to build a core team and feel used etc, its just business.

If I was a company and had a sponsored riders where one guy is doing his own thing but is still being noticed and showcasing my product while I dont pay him much for it, then what is the problem for me? Can still have a core team and sponsor other riders.

Anyway, let him do his own thing. Ezra and those guys didnt break the industry, are they even still around? Think KHE is somewhat trying to do the same thing. If/when it fails for him in the future he will have a slightly harder time getting new sponsors.

[LukeTom]

he doesn't mention how these shops are also a hub for the scene of an area.

Still though?.... not convinced.

I still think bike shops are an important part of the BMX industry, perhaps its an antiquated view and perhaps not the 'hub' but an integral part. I know bike shops which sponsor jams etc. not to mention that from where I am, they sell probably 50% of the completes to kids (which tend to last much longer than the internet brought ones). Maybe we are moving away from this, but I still think it is somewhat important to retain. Certainly more important than jumping on the internet cash cow like Mr. Main has done.

[streetStreet]

cut the shops out and you'll need a credit card

how many youngsters have one?

[Danno]

He can do what he wants, the core group of riders see straight through it and complete sales were dropping before Mafia spawned from the Amity Bike Co shit show anyway.

What I find frustrating is his explanation that 'a bike costs probably a third of the price of what they think it costs, that they can buy it from me for that price' - that's fucking bullshit! Mafia are adding their markup onto there and his royalty too. It's almost like he is trying to paint himself as a patron saint of cheap BMX for kids, when they are doing no different than the distros and stores themselves by adding margin on to operate as a business.

I think a better explanation is needed for the kids who read that and think that shops are out to screw them - it's covered pretty well in an article by The Union but I'm not sure that demographic will ever read it.

[manwe]

what an incoherent bunch of bollocks. i went into this having respect for harry main's riding, if not for his mark webb-lite image, but it took about two paragraphs for him to prove himself a rambling idiot.

the uk already has the shittiest bmx image there is, if he wants to make it even worse that's on his conscience.

i'd personally rather bmx was a sport of elitist luddites that are down for life than the hallmark of chavs before they can afford their first mopeds.

[Danno]

Perfect:

http://youtu.be/ewrkZgWx2Us