Before RIDEUKBMX we had Invert magazine. It ran from 1989 until September 1992. Invert changed it’s name and became Ride BMX Magazine, fast forward almost 25 years and we are here today.
Tim Ruck, owner of The Boarding House store in Exeter graced the cover of issue 7, April 1991 with a glorious 1 foot X up. 22 years later his team rider Harry Mills-Wakely is covering issue 177 with the same trick. BMX moves pretty fast, but many tricks will never die. We gave Tim a shout this week to catch up on his cover and talk about Harry’s.

“The only good thing about BMX, is doing it.”

Hey Tim, it’s been 22 years since your 1 footed X up cover on Invert magazine (now Ride UK). How did that cover come about, where are you and who shot it?
I had gone up to Slades Farm in Poole to shoot a bike test on a Mongoose Hooligan complete for Invert mag, and whilst we were there Mark Noble (owner/editor) mentioned they hadn’t a cover shot yet for that issue, did I want to shoot one with him? Uh, yeah!! Mark the pro even had me change my T-shirt to add a splash of colour! So, it’s not my bike in the shot. I did not ride shiny completes in the 90’s. Ragged but dialled – yes, shiny – most definitely, no.

Your man Harry clinched the cover of our most recent issue, 177 doing the same trick but out of a rail. How did you feel when seeing this for the first time?
Stoked! He’d mentioned he might be getting the cover, doing a 1-foot X, which made me laugh, so I told him about mine being the same . . . if a fly out of a bowl can be considered the same as coming off the end of a rail . . .

Tim with a wallride at Decoy. He’s still out there killing it. Photo by Death.

Back in 1991 did you guys ride much street, it seemed in those days everyone kind of rode everything?
Oh yeah, loads of sprocket grinds, wall-rides, drops, did a sprocket glance off a rail once . . . we all rode most things, street, old BMX tracks, what ramps and parks there were around . . . I stopped riding flat in about ’85 though . . . . .

In 22 years of BMX what has changed the most, and is it for good or bad do you think?
Bike technology. For the better obvs. But you know, as I said to my mate Alex Leech the other day; the only good thing about BMX, is doing it. He says it would sound better as ‘the best thing about BMX’, but, either way eh!

And finally Tim, do you still have that copy of Invert?
Sure do bey! Although I had to search the bugger out for the pic.

No cup of Tea for Tim, only apples will do. Mug shot by Mrs Ruck.