About 23FM

 

It's not easy writing about myself and how how 23FM came to be but I will try to tell a story of how and why an old ex pro BMX racer who was born in 1963 in Poole, Dorset came to create an online retail shop.

23FM isn't just a shop; it’s the result of my six-decade journey from outdoors obsessed kid to old man. From an early love of bikes and escape into the woodlands and heathland around where I grew up, I had a passion for anything you could do on dirt with two wheels, or four, if it was on a skateboard and involved transitions. These strong passions for the culture which was a blend of West Coast California and World Championship motocross grew into hobbies that would lead somewhere different than traditional employment. On leaving school I managed a stint as a fairly successful sponsored semi Pro MX rider, later a full on Pro BMX racer. I ran my own BMX Team, got my own sponsors, made bikes and raced all over the world. After retirement due to injury, and after a short spell living in the USA, I went on to work in publishing and ended up up to my eyes in some much loved BMX and MX magazines and wrote articles for them as well as the loved and respected, now lost in time "Dirt Magazine". which was an oulier in ushering a far more interesting era for MTB.  An earlier stint as ad manager for the magazines was a lucky turn that led to 8 years working with a heavy crew on Document Skateboard magazine. They were glory days. I also won the Bespoked Bike Show "Spirit of Cycling" award for my handmade "Tubal Cain" Tracker bicycle which a while later led me to resurrect my original brand MRD. Add in a bunch of other dead end but neccessary jobs and then a fruitful creative stint with David and Clare Hieatt at the award winning clothing brand "howies" in Wales and the scene was being set for a few of my own projects. I went on to publishing the BMX Magazine "The Albion". So with a pretty wide net of experience you get a taste of the ideas that shaped 23FM.

So why a shop? With a few ideas rattling around my head like spells in a witch's cauldron that had to be distilled and got out, 23FM was born. It showcases a  curated collection of brands of mine, each tied together by simplicity and authenticity. Beyond making great products, 23FM is about storytelling. Explore articles, interviews, along with my personal insights into BMX and recreational off road bicycle riding. 

23FM is home to in-house brands MRD, Ma's Bars, DEFM, Haxan, and Tubal Cain, as well as some curated products from my trusted friends. It’s  tucked out of the way of too many prying eyes as it's for a smaller group of cyclists  and dirt bikers who prefer the ride of the road less traveled—those with a different mindset than the herd with a love for things two-wheeled.

My passion for dirt and bicycles has always been rooted in the joy of bike riding and setting off on a journey. I love the rhyme and rhythms of BMX and the joyous pairing of bicycles and dirt on simple easy to work on push bikes that you can fix yourself. Through 23FM’s blogs, newsletter, and curated products, the shop will connect like minded enthusiasts and outdoors lovers with the craftsmanship, history, and passion of the biking world of mine that's maybe a little less obvious.

Here is a haven for a hardcore of dedicated, obsessive and educated by experience group of riders—whether they're BMX hammerheads, nibblers, peg smashers, single speed slashers, shin bashers or full-moon woods riders who just need to roll. It’s a place for outliers and adventure seekers alike to chuck a log on the fire and stay a while. As Roky Erikson and Tommy Hall of the 13th Floor elevators said so succinctly in 1959, "slip inside this house as you pass by." You don't need to knock.