https://www.khebikes.com/

7 Clues That Brian Foster Should Have Known "BF-it" Was Going Down, But Didn’t

"For the month before it was released, a lot people were acting weird." - BF

30 Jun 2015

BRIAN FOSTER BMX 7RANDOM RD

Brian Foster: at home, June 2015 - Photo by Rob Dolecki

By Rob Dolecki

It’s been a couple of years since BF-IT premiered at Austin’s Texas Toast weekend in 2012 (and now you can watch it online HERE). One thing that the average person outside FIT’s inner circles may not know about the amazing Stew Johnson production is that until the moment it premiered, the documentary was supposed to be a secret from Mr. Foster. And it wasn’t an easy secret to keep. “For as big of a production as it was, and with as many people who knew about it, consciously I didn’t get any inclination about it until a week before,” Brian recalls. “Subconsciously, though, I knew a lot of weird things were happening.” Read on for some random accidental and unintentional hints given in the months leading up to the BF-IT premiere that were oh-so-close to tipping him off to what was in the works, straight from BF himself:

https://shop.digbmx.com/collections/all-clothing

1. Over the years, Glenn Milligan and I had talked about doing a documentary when we were on road trips, but we just didn’t know who would pay for it. Probably six months before "BF-it" came out, Glenn sent me a text, “Are you doing a documentary?” I replied, “No?” In the meantime, someone kind of knew he was asking about it, and sent a text to Glenn saying that I didn’t know about it and to shut up. He replied back to me in about ten minutes, and said, “Oh, never mind.” Since we had talked about it in the past, it wasn’t out of left field, and it didn’t click.

2. I have a box with all my old photos, and when I first started Instagram I went to that box, and just started peeling photos off the top. They were the photos that were used in the documentary, which were just put back on top. To me, they were just the photos on top. I started posting pictures, and everyone at FIT thought I knew about it, since they were the ones in the documentary.

3. When my DIG Legends Issue interview came out, there was a photo of my first trophy and the Nike Pool Best Trick trophy together, and a few from when I was a little kid. (ed. note: the documentary was originally supposed to come out before the Legends Issue was released, but was held up for a few months until after the issue came out.) I was confused on where they came from. It was one of those things where I thought, maybe I gave them to someone or something. Luckily, if I paid attention more I might have known.

BRIAN FOSTER BMX TROPHIES RD

The photo in question- Brian's first BMX trophy from 1981, and the Nike Pool Best Trick trophy in 2011. Three decades of BF-awesomeness.

4. For the month before it was released, a lot people were acting weird. My wife and I were in Long Island with Jen’s family, and Timmy (Strelecki, Brian's brother-in-law) was also in Long Island visiting, and just shaded off one day for a few hours while everyone was waiting for him so we could eat dinner. I thought that was kind of rude he just shaded off without saying anything. Everyone was being real cool about it. Everyone but me knew why. He actually was doing an interview with Keith Terra for the video (it ended up not getting used in the documentary). There were a lot of interactions with people that made me think, “That was odd.” It all made sense once the video came out.

5. I’ve been with my wife Jen for 25 years, and I’m pretty in tune with her. I just knew something was up and I didn’t know what it was. It was literally like, maybe she’s sleeping with someone? She finally told me something was going on but she didn’t want to ruin it for me.

6. Going to Austin for Texas Toast (the weekend of the premiere), I knew something was going on. But I didn’t go out of my way to get more information. I honestly didn’t know if it was a five-minute web video, and we were watching it in a bar; I had no idea. I showed up at the airport, and the whole two or three days before the event, at least five or six times someone would come up to me and say, “I heard about this, and I can’t wait to see it.” I’d be like, “Uh, I’m not supposed to know about it.” And they would freak out, and thought they ruined the surprise. I’d then say, “It’s fine, I kind of know what’s going on, but I don’t really know, and I’m not trying to find out.”

7. The entire FIT team is staying at Stew’ house. Stew was holed up in his bedroom finishing up the documentary. They got me a hotel. I’m kind of like, “The whole team is staying at Stew’s house; why don’t I just stay at Stew’s too? Why are we getting a hotel room just for me? I can sleep on the couch; I don’t need my own room.” It was kind of a headache; there was a rental car now, and I’d have to meet people for dinner. But the whole time was like, “You can’t be at Stew’s house.” I actually stopped by one day, and everyone kind of met me in the front yard, because they didn’t want me to go in the house.

BRIAN FOSTER 7RANDOM BMX

The more things change... young BF with some big bars on his whip. Photo courtesy of Brian Foster's box of old photos.

A few other random facts-

- A lot of the old pictures shown in the documentary I had never seen before, like the ones at Cyclecraft, painting the bikes. I was like, “Where the hell did you get this stuff?”

- Same with some of the Super-8 footage when I was a kid. I knew it existed, and probably last saw it on a projector when I was ten. There is one of my grandmother on an XR-70; it was hilarious. What was she doing riding around on a motorcycle? I now have all that on disc.

- When there is a documentary on yourself being produced and know about it, do you want to have a hand in the direction of it? I’m kind of glad that I didn’t. There are so many different ways you can do it. I’m super psyched on how it turned out. We could tell stories all day, and it could be five hours long. It would have been a headache in deciding what to include and what not to include.

Related Video

BF-IT: The Story of Brian Foster

Online Premiere Of The Full Documentary - More Info

Previous

Soundtrack - Sean Burns Mixtape

Down and Dirty Death to Disco

Next

Brian Foster - Setups

Two years old and still kickin'...

Related Content

CHRIS STAUFFER BMX PA RD 1

Re Print: Stauffer's got nothing to offer?

Looking back and catching up with a true trail riding pioneer

4 Jun 2015
2014 TRA Double Cross Photo Gallery
2014 TRA Double Cross Photo Gallery
2014 TRA Double Cross Photo Gallery
2014 TRA Double Cross Photo Gallery

2014 TRA Double Cross Photo Gallery

Who Needs Goofy Carbon Fiber And Clipless pedals?

7 Oct 2014
Nutter Trails BMX shark bite PA 08 RD

Re Print: When Nutter Got Bit By A Shark

“It was just one of those things"

26 Feb 2015
bf-screens
Play Button

BF-IT Online Release Trailer

One of the best BMX documentaries ever is coming to DIG...

25 Jun 2015
Keith Terra - 20 Years of Posh Photo Gallery
Keith Terra - 20 Years of Posh Photo Gallery
Keith Terra - 20 Years of Posh Photo Gallery
Keith Terra - 20 Years of Posh Photo Gallery

Keith Terra - 20 Years of Posh Photo Gallery

" I feel honored that I’ve been welcomed into this scene with open arms..."

12 Jun 2015
DIG legends screen grab
Play Button

DIG LEGENDS TRAILER 2012

Joe Rich, Ruben Alcantara, Van Homan, Brian Foster

1 Oct 2014
Jay LONERGAN BMX BERMRAOST POSH RD

Re Print: Jay Lonegran - Over 30 and Still In The Woods

A dedicated soul who has found something more to BMX than just doing tricks on a bike...

5 Mar 2015
MIKE SAAVEDRA BMX INTRVW PAVIA-2

Mike Saavedra - Breaking Bad

"I was put to sleep without knowing if I would wake up with one less leg."

5 Jan 2015
BRIAN FOSTER BMX SETUPS RD 8

Brian Foster - Setups

Two years old and still kickin'...

2 Jul 2015
Matty-Aquizap-winter-2010

"Feel My Chest Muscles I’m a Trail Builder"

A closer look at the Credence DVD

25 Mar 2015
soundtrack -anthem use 1

Soundtrack - VHS Classics - Anthem, Home Of The Brave

Heavy tuneage from the School of Stew Johnson...

29 Mar 2015
Nrkjfj Xh67 Ihqdefault
Play Button

'F-it' Full Video

Flashback to Fit's first full-length...

2 Jan 2015
https://bmxdirect.asia/

Latest Content

I3onl Qxqu5ohqdefault
Play Button

BOTTLE KIDS | 'THE DOOR'

East to West

2 Jan 2026
K3nh7 T8wg K4hqdefault
Play Button
Y Hvbz UV Ft Mohqdefault
Play Button

Johnny Raekes - “No Love”

crank flip and double bar extraordinaire

31 Dec 2025
B2t4 RIF0xhkhqdefault
Play Button

Between Two Berms

PA clay

31 Dec 2025
9o Ve E24 F E Ahqdefault
Play Button

Alex Donnachie -'UNEDITED' Raw Video - BSD

43 minutes of BTS

31 Dec 2025
TGN Je Ioqvhshqdefault
Play Button

RENATO RANCSO RAW CUT

BATTLE AFTER BATTLE

30 Dec 2025
9y083 B6nptchqdefault
Play Button

Silent Issue 9 Cover Shoot

Behind-The-Scenes

29 Dec 2025
Oo U Vg Q Ax X Uhqdefault
Play Button

Brad Gibbs - Work Bmx - 2025

Pittsburgh region

27 Dec 2025
LA En Y66ghohqdefault
Play Button
AC Zw5y3 P Vbkhqdefault
Play Button

THE BIG FAT DIG BMX QUIZ OF THE YEAR

32 Riders - 8 Team Captains - 1 Fathead

25 Dec 2025
Z ZHGK Cn MXQ8hqdefault
Play Button

ADRIAN VARELA - JUST ENOUGH

Sunday shredder's ender section

24 Dec 2025
9y G Mlz9 CL8hqdefault
Play Button

DOOMED | 'DIGITAL VALIDATION'

14+ minutes!

24 Dec 2025

DIG Partner stores

More Dig This

Khe leader

PRODUCTIVITY - KHE 2026 COMPLETE BIKES

Something for everyone.

5 Dec 2025
25 photo comp web leader

THE 2025 DIG PHOTO COMP IS NOW LIVE!

OVER $1000 WORTH OF PRIZES UP FOR GRABS

10 Nov 2025
Battleinthe Streets 92

REPO: Battle In The Streets Jam - Vancouver

"one rider walked away with the $1000 cash prize"

27 Oct 2025
IMG 2986

Inside KHE Bikes - 44 years of BMX history with Thomas Göring

“I didn’t have a proper cutting machine at the time, so I hand-cut each peg. They all ended up different lengths.”

24 Oct 2025
Dig motobunka collection square Recovered

THE DIG X MOTO-BUNKA COLLECTION

An all new collaboration with Japan's finest

22 Oct 2025
VANS ODYSSEY 2025 COLLECTION FF RAMP 003

"The inspiration was right in front of our eyes" The story behind the Vans X Odyssey 40 Year Collab

An interview with Nuno Oliveira (Odyssey) and Justin Villano (Vans)

25 Sep 2025
07 2025 Huffy Sledgehammer Launch Project 132

Product Drop: HUFFY Sledgehammer frame

Huffy returns to BMX...

22 Sep 2025
Team kevin peraza boh winner 2025

BATTLE OF HASTING 2025 - TEAM PERAZA TAKES THE WIN

Results, Livestream re-runs, DIG Highlights & more

27 Aug 2025
Dig book cover mock better CROP

DIG - THIS BIKE COULD BE YOUR LIFE - "DOCUMENTING OVER 30 YEARS of D.I.Y. BMX CULTURE" PRE-ORDER NOW OPEN

An all new photo book from DIG focusing on our magazine history and the rise of the mid-school

1 Aug 2025
Thumbnail 2

Product Drop - ODYSSEY '85 Splatter kit

Nord, Walsh stems and Hazard lite rims

29 Jul 2025
Shirt swell k0150m back

Product Drop - KINK 2025 APPAREL

For Fall/Winter

23 Jul 2025
Big boyd black

Product Drop - ODYSSEY BIG BOYD RIMS

Boyd Hilder signature BIG BOYD rims in Black and Coffee.

11 Jun 2025