Ryan Nyquist to Compete at MTB and BMX in 2016 - Video

Feb 4, 2016
by Pinkbike Staff  


bigquotesI've been riding and competing in BMX for over 20 years and I still love it just as much today and I did when I started. But for me, riding has always been about pushing myself to achieve new goals, and MTB is another way to challenge myself and progress my riding. - Ryan Nyquist

Ryan participated in select MTB events in 2015 when he noted his interest was piqued by both the similarities and the differences between dirt jumping and BMX. Ryan will continue to ride BMX competitively, but will now commit officially to a competitive MTB schedule as well.

bigquotesWhen you think BMX you think Ryan Nyquist, and that's never going to change. But if he's looking for an extra challenge, we're thrilled to have him involved in just another branch of the family with Haro MTB. We know he'll bring the same excitement to the MTB world that he still does today on the BMX side. - Joe Hawk, COO of Haro Bikes

A household name in both BMX dirt and park, Ryan Nyquist started riding at the age of three and competed in his first BMX freestyle competition when he was 16. Competing in his first X Games at the age of 18, Nyquist has been a BMX legend ever since. By 2003, he had won every major dirt competition – X Games, Gravity Games, Vans Triple Crown, and the King of Dirt. 2016 will mark Ryan’s 20th year with Haro BMX.

Haro Bikes has been world renowned as a leader in the BMX market for more than 35 years. Haro entered the mountain bike market in 1988 and has recently begun to make a significant name for itself in the industry—often employing disruptive tactics to do so. Haro MTB maintains that mountain biking should be done for the sport, rather than for the status, and aims to offer products that allow its consumers to do so without overspending.

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158 Comments
  • 152 1
 Ryan! run away while you still can! 650B! fat bikes! carbon fiber! ENDURO!!! you dont know what you're getting into! it's too late for us!! save yourself!!!!!
  • 37 7
 Ah yes! Bmx and skateboards, so basic yet so fun. Mtb - same thrills just costs more
  • 5 0
 Deadbeat you are dead on correct sir
  • 12 3
 26" is the new BMX?
  • 2 5
 I vote for him to go to Rampage.
  • 1 0
 HA! lol so true.
  • 2 4
 You know...I cant say with 100% certainty, but..... I think you might have just won pinbike...
  • 1 0
 @Rider656: Hope so I out grew my bmx 14 yrs. ago
  • 66 1
 Man I feel old. Like many of us I'm sure, I remember watching Ryan 20 years ago along with Dave Mirra, Tim "fuzzy" Hall, T.J. Lavin etc... Glad to see he is still shredding, I wonder what ever happened to the rest of those guys?
  • 10 0
 Yeah how sick was that time, the era of expandable youth, expandable 2, dig, seek and destroy. I used to crank those on the vhs then shred the streets 5km my local skate park, shred streets back towards local dirt jumps, skip homework and assignments and go riding, ahh the day's.
  • 11 1
 Heard he's going to 1080 on mtb and smoke Semen and Reader.
  • 19 2
 that era can be summed up in 2 words: Mountain Dew.
  • 16 1
 Let us not forget Stephen Murray #staystrong
  • 10 0
 Mid school bmx was such a great time. I was completely immersed in it, I didn't even touch a mtb through my teenage years. Taj, Joe Rich, Brian Castillo, Mike Escamilla, Ruben..... list goes on and on. Loved watching these guys go huge and progress bike riding. Many still ride, some don't. Great to see Nyquist still at it, and loving those suicide truck driver's- watching that takes me back.
  • 19 0
 @chyu He's gonna smoke semen?!
  • 4 13
flag Murraybmx (Feb 4, 2016 at 5:27) (Below Threshold)
 Dave Mirra is a serious tri-athlete now. My least favorite type of bike rider.....: (
  • 12 0
 He's a machine though. Gotta respect it. He burned out ... can't say I blame him, sometimes when something gets to be your job for so long, you loose passion. However, I saw some ramps going up on his instagram.... Dave Mirra got a lot of crap for the video games and success, I get it, but he might be the most talented bike handler there has ever been.
  • 9 1
 @zeenohagen What's a vhs?
  • 5 1
 @Rdot84 Its like a betamax, but better!
  • 8 0
 I remember those days. Back when there was no internet and we waited breathlessly for the new issues of BMX plus to hit newsstands or the new Props VHS videos drop every couple months. I remember the first Xgames, where the guys doing single backflips considered groundbreaking stuff. So many names from back then. Nyquist, Mirra, Hoffman, Lavin, Foster Bros, Jay Miron, Dennis McCoy, Joey Garcia, Fuzzy Hall, etc. And even flatland guys like Trevor Myer and Chad Degroot were big.
  • 3 0
 Right? @sino428 I remember going to the grocery store with my dad just praying that the freshest issue would be out... When that would happen it would make my whole week, I'd read the magazine cover to cover countless times. Worlds apart from today, where on a slow day at work I check Pinkbike after a few hours and think "bummer, nothing new?"
  • 1 0
 @DARKSTAR63 - for us it sucked because the bike mags weren't heavily circulated where I lived. It wasn't carried in the local grocery or convenience stores. The only place that had it was the mega news stand in the mall. So we always had to wait until someone was able to hitch a ride to the mall.
  • 1 0
 Yea, luckily for me the local grocery store carried BMXplus. But if you were lucky enough to the to the mall (over an hour away) the had RideBMX, and those were awesome. I still have them all, maybe five years worth, like 96/97-2001ish. @sino428
  • 2 0
 @DARKSTAR63 - Yes, we had RideBMX too. That was also only available at the mall. I don't have any of that old stuff anymore. I know the magazine are gone but I would not be surprised if the old props vids were still in a box somewhere at my parents house (they don't throw anything away).
  • 2 0
 I gotta jump in here! Mid-school BMX was and still is my favorite era of BMX. Who remembers Dave Youngs part in Nowhere Fast? Or the still relevant Van Homan in Criminal Mischief? Troy McMurray is my favorite rider from that era. And who can forget the old FBM videos like Albert Street? When Lou eats the light bulbs? Classic!

Speaking of old issues of RideBMX, I was looking on the classifieds of BMX Museum yesterday ans someone was selling a whole mess of back issues from that very era, was that you Darkstar63?
  • 4 0
 Troy McMurray was great, he rode brakeless when that wasn't the norm and it was bonkers. I used to have a poster of Brian Castillo doing a tail whip off a curb and that blew minds... now that's pretty much pre-requisite to be pro. Speaking of whips ... Taj's downsides, especially out of wall rides ..... I just don't get the same feeling watching the new school guys. It's too overly tech, too much like skating. @spencer666 That wasn't me, Ill never sell !
  • 2 0
 Anyone know what happened to DMC? That guy was my hero back in the day...one of the only guys to continue shredding well into his 30s (which is ANCIENT for BMX.)
  • 4 0
 @Johnny-Leavy - shredding well into his 30's? Try well into his late 40's. Guy took a bronze in the xgames 2 years ago.

xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/athletes/3012824/dennis-mccoy

xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/video/11039205/dennis-mccoy-scores-8366-run-1-bmx-vert
  • 3 0
 Troy McMurray WAS the reason I took my brakes off! My buddy still has his S&M Sabbath, Troys signature model. I rode a 2Hip Pork back then too. 48lbs of pure street goodness! Damn do I miss those days.

Taj's downsides are a work of art. The definition of style!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNbnagk2NAk
  • 1 0
 No shit?! Huh...that's sweet!
  • 1 0
 One my favorite shots of DMC was on a two page spread from BMXPlus! where he was 8' over a box in his back yard, twisting out a can-can lookback 360. Wish I could find that shot again.
  • 2 0
 If you were born post 1995 you can be excused for not knowing but you've probably seen one. Vhs is video home system the technology to watch things on demand before dvd. The smaller ones did sound only before the cd haha. When dvds became the norm the quality in picture and sound was a massive step up, also no having to rewind before watching again haha.
  • 1 0
 @zeenohagen Swoosh.... Totally over your head. I was born in 84, but thank you for your keen insight into the world of outdated media.
  • 2 0
 @clint026 @mattsavage Mirra has been just been announced dead. Hard time for the BMX and MTB community with the recent days. We can all be thankful for how much McGarry and Mirra achieved in their short lives.
  • 1 0
 Holy fuck!!!! That can't be.
  • 1 0
 When Jonny-a posted that I honestly thought it was a bad joke because mattsavage said he was a triathlete. God damn what awful news.
  • 1 0
 damn ... thats awful
  • 1 0
 I remember riding with Dave up Woodward Camp back in 01-03. I was an Inliner, but watching Dave destroy the Cloud 9 mini was always fun.
  • 1 0
 Total bummer.
  • 2 0
 R.I.P Dave Mirra. Frown (
  • 2 0
 Absolutely gut wrenching to hear about todays events with Dave, a true legend... RIP
  • 2 0
 Holy shit. How awful. And for it to happen today of all days is just plain weird as hell. First having Nyquist as the big story on biking (he and Mirra have a long and complicated history), and then all our reminiscing about 1990's BMX on top of it. Too f*cking weird.

I'd also highly recommend the documentary called Pro Town: Greenville that came out a few years back. Great story about how Greenville basically became the mecca of BMX freestyle which was due in large part to Mirra and Nyquist.
  • 1 0
 Greenville PD "apparent self inflicted gunshot wound" around 4pm today
  • 1 0
 What The hell.. i just went on a binge of watching old dave mire videos because of this thread. What a crazy coincidence
  • 1 7
flag dingdong2 (Feb 4, 2016 at 19:23) (Below Threshold)
 I bet you feel like a real douche now.
  • 1 7
flag dingdong2 (Feb 4, 2016 at 19:24) (Below Threshold)
 I bet you also feel like a douche now.
  • 2 0
 Haha as you may have experienced before sarcasm is hard to pick up in text. Just excited to give a youngster a lesson about how cool things once were and how awesome things are now haha.
  • 1 0
 @spencer666: No - if I remember correctly, he was riding ramps in his backyard. I *think* the setup was a 9ft vert half with either a 7 or 8 ft box in the middle (kind of like a mini with a street spine but BIGGER.) He was twisted like the photo you posted, but it was in a 360, high as f*ck over that box.
  • 1 0
 Mid School BMX was my prime! When I grew up racing ABA and dirt jumping. Anyone remember the Foster brothers? Alan and Brian, Brian had the sickest table tops back in the day!
  • 2 0
 i do. matter of fact, Alan came through my town and stopped at our local trails and rode with us for a few hours. i think he was on schwinn at the time. i was about 17 or 18 so i was just getting past the fanboy "promance" stage, but it was still fun running trains with a pro on trails i built. then we all went to TGI Fridays afterwards. good times, goooooooood times.
  • 1 0
 Yea definitely. I mentioned them in my first post in this thread way back up top. I always remember them riding for schwinn too.
  • 1 0
 Back in '94 I went on a road trip with some chums to SoCal to an ABA National event, met the Foster Bros (had a signed MTB poster, don't know where that went), Fuzzy, Moeller, and Chad Harrington. Fast forward 20 years and now that I'm into MTB I REALLY miss that poster.
  • 1 0
 Dint forget Paul Osika! The Front End Master!!!
  • 20 5
 " interest was peaked" is incorrect. Unless of course you were saying his interest is declining after that moment- which clearly, it's not.

It's "piqued", Pinkbike Staff.

Piqued: stimulate (interest or curiosity).
"you have piqued my curiosity about the man"
synonyms: stimulate, arouse, rouse, provoke, whet, awaken, excite, kindle, stir, galvanize
"his curiosity was piqued"
  • 8 3
 Unfortunately, that is the state of journalism on the internet. However Pinkbike is MUCH better than most so cut them some slack. At least when they read your comment they will probably edit and correct their mistakes, which is more than I can say for most cut and paste internet based "journalists".
  • 5 0
 It's an easy mistake to make... just pointing it out to help everyone improve their writing skills. Not trying to slam them, really.
  • 10 1
 Thanks! Sometimes we miss things when it's a press release like this.
  • 15 0
 "After 20 years of riding kid's bikes and my wrists hurting, I thought I'd get some suspension". Joking, dudes a legend.
  • 20 6
 It's great that there's now an avenue for older guys to finish off their careers. Bigger wheels, bigger money, smaller moves.
  • 9 1
 Oh wait, for a second there, I thought you were talking about old DH guys going to Enduro.
  • 4 0
 Really good interview on the other channel where he talks about the differences www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/17-Questions-Ryan-Nyquist,30834/sspomer,2
Very humble and insightful, hope he does well!
  • 12 0
 20 years of dialling in that bar spin.
  • 3 0
 & still riding the seat high so he could squeeze it with his knees
  • 8 1
 excited to see nyquist doing bar spins again. I made it a goal to learn em when i was a kid and rode on a signature nyquist backtrail from haro. Still havent learned bar spins
  • 8 2
 Good especially considering that modern mtb slope style now almost identical to some bmx dirt events So I think that we will a lot of bmx pros in mtb and it will help to elevate our sport to new level somehow
  • 4 0
 Props to Nyquist; dude can shred. But did I blink and miss Haro making a name for themselves in MTB? Seems like I haven't seen anything about Haro MTB in a few years. What are these "disruptive tactics"? Anyway, I'd love to see Haro be a legit part of the market.
  • 2 0
 Haro has a decent line of Mountain bikes at the moment. Their Haro Shift trail bike has a fairly positive reception around it and their current Dirt Jump bikes (The Steel Reserve series) Look mint and well priced.
  • 1 0
 I'll 2nd that recommendation on the Steel Reserve. I was a lifelong bmxer and recently sold mine and picked up a Haro. It's amazing how easy it is to transition to a dj bike. A few noticeable difference but overall I like it a lot. I tried my buddy's bmx at a skatepark recently and it felt so odd compared to the 26.
  • 4 0
 So awesome. All hail the bar spin haha!! I remember watching Ryan shred at Xgames, watching it on an old VHS tape that I probably wore out from rewatching him and Dave Mirra ride street . It will be intresting to see how he does at slope comps, If i remember, he didnt do all that well last season at a few comps he entered? BUT i see this as a good thing, its a new dicipline to learn and if anything it shows the individuality of our sport. it lessens the notion of ( from bmx - be good at slope, from moto - be good at downhill) it shows we have natural stars in our ranks who show this is a defined sport in itself.

But that aside, Props Ry!! hope to see you shredding hard
  • 9 1
 Nyquist doesn't do barspins, he's a helicopter engine!
  • 6 0
 "I'm having such a hard time on a mountain bike getting used to it", quadruple barspin 720. Oh wow, really!?
  • 1 0
 You know... From time to time I also have a hard time with mountain biking... riding for more then a few hours, or this kinda thing. Barspin 720 though... Razz Razz Razz
  • 2 0
 I was thinking the same thing. For a guy who is still having a hard time adjusting the guy is already throwing some heavy tricks.
  • 4 1
 Notice how he trows the bars and just lets them spin...it allows him for multiple barspins with "ease", whereas the pros we normally see tend to catchand push the bars at every turn, making the barspins slower and harder to multiply! Interesting!
  • 1 0
 That's his style, bang the bars and let them spin, while he can enjoy the view Big Grin Ryan!!!
  • 1 0
 yes!! you are most likely replying to his seat being high and why he does. thank you!
  • 8 1
 such a legend
  • 6 0
 probably the highest seat on the FMB roster!
  • 2 0
 i believe he has it high not just because he is old school, but when you are doing barspins and suicide nohanders you can squeeze the seat with your knees.
  • 5 0
 Now we just need Bezanson and Baldock. That's when people will start to get worried.
  • 2 0
 I watched Ryan at the red bull elevation event in whistler a few yeas back , excited to see if he will make it into crankworks. wonder if Brendon will ever enter a bmx comp, He rips it on a bmx!
  • 14 0
 not taking anything away from Semenuks BMX skills, but pro bmxers are on a different level.
  • 1 0
 Yah , but you could only wish that a mountianbiker could transfer over to bmx, one day we might see it . where is that mutant kid who could do it all.
  • 1 0
 I had the chance to met Ryan back in 2009 at South Park here in Montreal
He was injured at the time so I never got to see him ride IRL
Yet I got the most epic signature from him, first off he handed me a poster of himself doing a whip on some qp
& then proceeded to add a huge markered in fart to his own person.
I can't wait to see he's perfected his now trademarked fart whips.
All the best, Amen
  • 1 0
 Great riding from Nyquist, as always. Let's hope he's lucky and the judges decide he is worthy of a podium place. Let's face it, some weenies will not dig the high seat and the brand of the bike, or the hair style.
Considering only a handful of riders have special tricks up their sleeves, it will be an interesting battle. Cannot wait!|
P.S. I like ranting Big Grin
  • 3 0
 that's awesome! I went the other way of the older guy trends. Downsized my wheels. Rode mtb bikes all my life and now I'm riding BMX park/street as a 33 year old.
  • 1 0
 I've been wondering for the last few years why more of these BMX O.G's haven't made the cross over. BMX is death to your knees. With todays bikes you can stretch out a little bit but still have a very functional jump bike. Give these O.G.'s a year to get used to the higher rolling speeds and slower rotations and what not... money. Been telling my buddy Joey G this for years. But he HATES it. LOL!. He's BMX through and through. He is riding MTB now though... one step at a time. LOL!
  • 4 0
 Haro Steel Reserve=Super Dope
  • 3 0
 (barspin) Is there (barspin) anything Nyquist (barspin) can't do (truck driver)?

Can't wait!!!

(Double truck)
  • 2 0
 anyone else noticed just what he is pulling of for someone who dosent really ride MTB.... THis guy could be pretty dangerous at events
  • 2 0
 Yeah posted this above, lots of interesting stuff. In particular how much harder he found 3's, how impressed he was that Reeder and Semenuk just show up and throw down big tricks on their 1st practice runs, and how Prime Line had the biggest drops and jumps he'd ever hit on a bike. Came across as a really down to earth guy, will be rooting for him for sure.
  • 3 0
 Reading these comments made me realize how old i have become!!! Yet i will forever be young!! #ridingmybikeforver
  • 1 0
 Thought we were goin to see him actually shredn on some trails in the (mountains)..cause you need mountains to mountain bike..know he can jump..wonder if he can actually shred in the mountains
  • 1 0
 He actually talks about that on the Vitalmtb video
  • 1 0
 That triple truck was sick. Gutted to see Mirra took his life but seeing NyQuist shredding on an mtb afterwards was weirdly awesome. They were both the man back in the day. Grew up on a bmx bike, legends.
  • 1 0
 Ryan's got some crazy tricks on his DJ few to none can do. I can't wait to see this legend bring some next level Bmx dirt tricks to the slope scene!
  • 1 0
 I just watch the video and absolutely awesome. I really love a outdoor activities and adventure www.adventurousactivitycompany.co.uk.
  • 2 0
 so we're getting in more spice in MTB .. huge props to him, and yay to us. Thanks Ryan.
  • 3 0
 Um, i've decided this is fucking cool...
  • 1 0
 He's a legend without doubt. Not convinced we really need more barspins in MTB- I hope he can bring some new tricks to the table like Rogatkin has since leaving BMX.
  • 1 0
 Watch out Rogatkin, there's a new crossover athlete in town. Nyquist is a beast of a rider...Pretty excited to see what he can bring to the table.
  • 1 0
 bar, bar back bar agin truck . i see some 2016 fmb podiums being occupied by a 40YO man
  • 1 0
 I wonder if any other big bmx pros have considered the move. Bezanson and Enarson have always gone big...
  • 1 0
 MTB in Greenville...GVegas...? Well, there's that sandy trap out by Falkland.
  • 1 1
 Hey anybody know what he uses on his mtb stem. Ive seen them before but don know what they're called. The thing that lets the bars go infinity around?
  • 1 0
 It's called a gyro. Looks like they've got hydraulic ones for MTB applications.
  • 1 0
 So I was looking and I have NO idea where to buy one do u know where I could.
  • 2 0
 Makes me happy I still have my Haro Plaza BMX bike.
  • 1 0
 Yea this is cool. Can't wait to see him at some mtb comps, will mix things up for sure
  • 1 0
 Dude is riding better than ever! Love how he has his seat up. Got to love his style. Every spin in that video was opposite.
  • 1 0
 BMX has no money in the sport. MTB does. its simple hes going where he can actually make money..
  • 2 0
 Wow. That was a lot of bar spins.
  • 1 0
 What's stopping from riding his 20" in comps? Is there a wheel size minimum rule?
  • 2 0
 Solid point- I reckon Nyquist would make it to the bottom of most if not all of the FMB courses on his bmx. Rampage on the other hand...
  • 1 0
 im thinking a Bmx is a stripped down jump bike. Absolute minimal machine to get in the way of tricks. Obviously not the bike for anything downhill.
  • 1 0
 Nyquist might be near the bottom, but would the top tier Bmx guys be near the top?
  • 2 0
 I'm not sure if it was in this video or the 17 questions video up on Vital right now but he mentioned the differences in how fast the bikes roll and how much more stable the bigger bikes are in the air. Based on what he said it seems a 20" would not be very at the speeds and size they go on slope courses.
  • 1 0
 That makes sense
  • 1 0
 Is there a minimum wheel size to compete in slopestyle? Otherwise, what's stopping him from riding his Bmx?
  • 1 0
 Can't wait to see what he can do for mtb. He's one of the ones I looked up to.
  • 1 0
 All around awesome dude. Seems like one of the most fun riders to be around.
  • 1 0
 Ryan has been a great ambassador for BMX and I'll be watching eveything he puts out. Would love to see him at a Rampage!
  • 1 0
 just read the post mentioning Dave Mirra, so googled Dave Mirra to see what he's doing now... wtf.
  • 1 0
 Can't believe that. Mira was such a hero growing up.
  • 1 0
 I think this is very good for Ryan, but will we ever see a tail whip out of him?
  • 2 0
 make him run a dual crown
  • 1 0
 niquist drinking game. take a shot for every bar spin he throws. WARNING: Death by alcohol poisoning is likely to occur
  • 1 0
 Anyone notice the novatec wheels but right as he zipped the bag there were spoon 32 wheels
  • 1 0
 3.6 bar to oppo-bar to bar... M'KAY
  • 1 1
 He ll barspin the shit out of every jump on mtb events! curious to see how he ll do and great to see him still shredding
  • 2 0
 my god the barspins
  • 1 0
 Cool video but where exactly was the mountain biking?
  • 1 0
 I must have missed it - who's his bike sponsor?
  • 1 0
 and so it begins like it did to us all...we have been waiting Ryan...
  • 2 0
 Rip Dave Mirra
  • 1 0
 That 360 1 footed table looked so good.
  • 1 0
 STOOOOKEEEED!!!!
  • 1 1
 those barspins are golden omg
  • 1 0
 YEAH BIKES !!!!
  • 1 1
 Dude is gonna brake down barriers like Kmart shotguns. He's a beast!
  • 1 0
 Still love that dude
  • 1 0
 Awesome
  • 1 0
 FMB world tour?
  • 8 9
 His riding is predictably boring on a bmx. Bars, 720,720 bars yawn.
  • 6 4
 Hairy, have some f*cking respect. Everyone uses the term O.G. Like they get it, Ryan has dominated two wheels since we had skip tooth sprockets( look it up dumbass).
  • 3 1
 I love how sarcasm doesn't exist on the Internet.
  • 3 0
 There is great demand for a sarcasm font.
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