Have you seen that new iPhone. Why does Apple insist on taking all of my money. If you're an Apple nerd, you know exacty what I'm talking about.

It feels like I've been either sitting on airplanes or tied to a computer all year long, so today I said forget it all and went to the Cary park. We have great weather for December so there was no excuse not to be riding. About 40 minutes into the session someone pointed out that my rear tire was going flat, and then I somehow tweaked my back running down a ramp. So hear I am, back on the computer wondering where I left the tire irons. Happy New Year!

If you get any good presents, post it in your Profile so we can all be jealous. And if you get a PlayStation 3, you are my new best friend.

After spending 14 years in Califorina it's taking me a while to accept winter again. I was in California yesterday and it was 80. It's 35 in NC today. When I was growing up in Illinois the temperature never mattered. All we cared was about moisture. If the ground was dry, you rode your bike. I'm getting weak.

I stumbled across this video on YouTube that every old schooler will love, but cringe at the same time. The old days... If you remember RL and Wilton, watch this.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b6MwgR3Gr0

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Here's a little interview you can do with your self in your "About Me" section of your Profile. Just copy and paste it into the About Me section and then type your answers in between the questions. Make sure to copy the HTML code too, but feel free to put different questions in there. The more the better.

<br>
<br><strong>What is your favorite type of riding and why?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What’s your favorite spot and why?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What trick that haunts you?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What is your dream spot?</strong><br>
<br><strong>Who are your favorite riders?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What’s your favorite BMX video?</strong><br>
<br><strong>When I’m not riding, I like to:</strong><br>
<br><strong>Bands I’m into: </strong><br>
<br><strong>Girls think I am:</strong><br>
<br><strong>My parents think BMX is:</strong><br>
<br><strong>What is something you would change about BMX?</strong><br>
<br><strong>Do you shoot photos or video? If yes, why?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What makes you learn new tricks?</strong><br>
<br><strong>What keeps you doing your old tricks?</strong><br>

FYI, if you're a video maker, you can convert your Quicktimes to Flash before uploading them to Vital BMX for a boost in quality. We can take any and every type of video format, but for those who want to tweak them bit, go with 450 x337 px size, no skin, and set the Encoding to Custom>Medium>500. If you care...

Just got back home to NC from a weekend photo shoot in Los Angeles. Good time, great weather, and got to catch up with a lot of old friends. Spent all day Monday at Vital BMX HQ and got a lot done. There is a crew in that office working hard every day to make this site better and better. In case you didn't know, there are also Vital Skate and Vital MX communities, so check those two out if you're into four wheels or motors. Otherwise, stay right here on Vital BMX, because we've got a lot of good stuff in the works.

We've got a video contest running on VitalBMX, so if you've got some footage, this is your chance to shine. Get your tapes together and you could win some new Hoffman Bikes products. Click here to see the details.

The Video section of VitalBMX is ready for you to post all of your riding videos. The process is really easy. Just login and then hit the "Post a Video" button on the video page. Even if you've posted your riding videos somewhere else, you can post them here, too, so riders can find tons of great riding in one place. Thanks--Mark

I have to admit that I’m a sucker for travel. Maybe it was my parents packing the family in the car for vacations that got me hooked, I don’t know. I’ve been traveling for BMX for so long that if I’m not at the airport every couple of weeks, something feels wrong. Right now I’m on a trip in Shanghai, China for a contest at the world’s largest skatepark. I got to come out here last year, too, and it is amazing. After 22 hours of flying yesterday, we showed up, checked into a great hotel, and now it’s the battle against jetlag. I’ve got a good Internet connection here, so I’ll be in touch.

I just got home from Interbike in Las Vegas. I only did 2 days at the show for a change, but the place was packed with good products and tons of pros. I'll be getting plenty of Interbike content headed your way sooon. If FedEx manages to find my house today with a plane ticket and a visa, I'll be headed to Shanghai, China on Monday for an event at the world's largest skatepark. The other BMXers on the trip are supposed to be Mat Hoffman, Koji Kraft, Dennis McCoy, and Joe Rich. It's going to be a fun trip. 

I'm always stoked when I find something cool that a member has in their Profile. A nice bike, good riding photos, videos, etc. If you’ve got something you think should be a Must See or a Featured Setup, let me know. I don’t want to miss anything good, and neither does anyone else.

Things are rolling along better than I could have hoped for here on VitalBMX. Word is getting out about the site and more riders are joining up every day. The bugs in the system are being exterminated daily, but let me know if you experience any glitch we should know about. Trust me, they drive me just as crazy as they drive you.

If you’ve already set up a Profile on VitalBMX, don’t be bashful. This is your spot to show off photos of you, your bike, your friends, your girlfriend—whatever. The more people posting photos and blog entries, the more fun you can have jumping around the site. Hit “Community Search” and you will be surprised who you can find out there. And the photos members have been posting have been awesome.

We’ve got a lot more stories and videos in the works, too, so expect to see new goods sprouting up on Vital all the time. If you have an idea for a story, drop me a line. This is your site as much as it is mine.

If you’re new to Vital, here are some of the stories that were posted earlier that you don’t want to miss.

The Lightest Freestyle Bike in the World
Two-pounds and $1,500. You need to see this Eastern machine.

Mirra Talks Mirraco
A video interview with Dave about his new company and the future, plus some great riding clips.

Double Ditch Jam ’06
The photos and videos in this story will blow you away. You have to see the slam photo and video. (Click here to see the story )

Brian Kachinsky Interview
A modern day street warrior with a college degree.

Pool Sharks
Justin Kosman got inside the mind of a true pool shark, and there are tons of photos to go along with it.

Higher Education with Justin Simpson
If your English teacher can do tricks like these, please send me their number.

Taj Talks Life After T-1
An interesting story and some great action photos.

There is a lot more cool stuff around VitalBMX, and more items are being added to our Product Guide every day. Spend some time, look around—you’ll like what you see.

Just got home from San Jose Dew Tour. Luckily no airplane drama since today was 9/11. Good trip, the contest was amazing, and I spent all my money at the Apple store in SF. Only put in one late night—Mike Vincent is a bad influence. Whether you are into big contests or not, go to the video section and watch The Scotty Cranmer Show . He is amazing.

The progress happening on VitalBMX has been amazing. Not only are all of you coming through with great photos, profiles, etc., but the programmers behind the scenes have been going nuts, too. The Community Search has really kicked things into gear, and there are more improvements on the way (easier photo and video uploads, easy-to-navigate forums, etc.). Thanks to everyone who has put together a profile—the more profiles on the site, the more fun it is to bounce from one person to the next to see what’s going on in BMX land. If you’ve got friends who haven’t gotten a VitalBMX profile yet, tell them to sign up so your scene is fully represented.

Also, if you’ve got a contest or jam coming up, let me know so we can get the info posted. The New Mexico Double Ditch Jam is featured on Vital right now with some great photos and video. If you’ve got an idea for doing something like that, keep me in the loop.

Photos have been rolling in like crazy, but I'd love to get more photos of your bikes. Good ones may wind up in the Featured Setups, and great ones might get something good in the mail. You never know...

Things are going well, and the programmers are working to make things even better. A "Search" function for members is in the works, along with more tweaks to make Vital even better. If you have ideas let me know. And go check out Crandall's profile--nice tattoos, and the first nac-nac we’ve seen on the site yet.

We are officially up and running. Thanks to everyone who has been visiting and registering—the traffic has been great. Keep the photos coming—it’s going to be hard to top Kip’s stuff, but you never know. Here’s a quick note about the Product Guide. We are continually updating it with new items so if you’re looking for something that’s not there, check back soon. If you are a company wondering how to get stuff into the Product Guide, it’s very simple. Shoot me an e-mail and we’ll get it worked out. Thanks

It is 12:23 AM August 14th, and there are less than 10 hours until VitalBMX officially launches. The last few months have been intense while we worked to get everything dialed. We've had server issues over the last couple of days, which put the brakes on a few things, but everything will be good to go in the morning. If you're just visiting for the first time, click that "Log-In" button on the top right of the screen to get a free account. That's right, it's free, so you have nothing to lose, and an entire world of BMX to gain. Okay, I'm rambling, so that's it until tomorrow. Let the fun begin.