https://us.bsdforever.com/collections/bsd-revolution/products/revolution-hub

The story behind the Metal Bikes Lost tapes

Why the early 2000's were such a ground breaking classic time for BMX...

27 Feb 2015

jimmy levan BMX office SEA 04 ED

Jimmy at home in the Metal office. Seattle 04. Photo by Ed Docherty

Words by Sean Burns

Jimmy Levan's mini DV tape organization is beyond pizza crust and bigjugs.com - In fact its scattered amongst probably four different cities and seven different people. Who knows which boxes of Huffy jerseys and Levan cardboard cut-outs they are mixed in between. Jimmy's life style has never been the norm; It is in fact far beyond the regular nine to fiver's imagination.

Even BMXers who travel the world and see much strangeness are baffled by Jimmy's ways. He's a non stop entertaining human being and I refer to people like him as 'cruisers' (Albie Bennett being the closest one to Jimmy I Know), cruising through life without any regard for consequence. Although Jimmy can get pretty paranoid about situations, (especially when he's creating some ridiculously obscure paranoia...) he still does not give a damn about anything, except for which blondie he can share a skin swindle with.

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

Jimmy Levan, X-up sweeper, Bellingham WA 2003. Photo by Ryan Worcester

All aboad the Metal team train. Circa 06. Photo by Sandy Carson

Sean Burns, Seattle 2003. Photo by Seth Holton

Burns - Dance of Death 2004. Photos by Ryan Worcester

Between Dead Bang getting done and starting on the Bone Deth DVD between 2007 and 2008, I helped Jimmy organize quite a bit of raw footage. Going through tapes he might not have ever known he still had or had even recorded. It started with me trying to organize all my Dead Bang footage, which a lot was lost due to lack of organization. One clip I strived to find through out all of Jimmy's jungle of a room was a scorpion grind crash in which I had smashed my face, hair line fracturing my eye socket. The tape was never found, but during that desperate search I came across a few videos of the J-Man eating some ass.. but that's a whole different story only to be shared by Jimmy himself. I recently logged all the tapes that had ended up in my hands and found some interesting clips. Dating from 1999 to 2006. All solid years for Metal Bikes. From classic Metal riders like Ryan Metro, to probably the first ever Metal road trip with Jimmy, Sandy Carson, Mike Lausman and Mike Griffin. A lot of these names many new-boy riders will not even recognize.

caleb ruecker BMX POR 03 RMB

Caleb Ruecker from DIG 38, 2004. Oppo feeble, Portland. Photo by Matt Brown

Sean burns BMX hopover 2006 JA

Sean Burns - Boston 07 - DIG59. Photo by Jeff Allen

The early 2000's were such a ground breaking classic time for BMX. Bikes were starting to change drastically and guys like Bob Scerbo were riding and doing tricks nobody had ever seen. When an issue of DIG came out in those years, you sat down and read the entire thing start to finish. That's how interesting BMX was at the time. Can you even get a teenager to read an article these days without watching the newest X-Games street pro doing a million rail tricks on instagram in between the reading? Probably not... and that is part of the reason that era of mid school is so classic now. Maybe I am just getting old but that time period left a huge mark. You might be able to get a slight glimpse of it in this Metal Lost Tapes video. At least if you were born before 1990 it will bring back some of that 'classic feel' that BMX gave to you.

Related Video

Metal Bikes Lost Tapes: 1999-2006

Jimmy Levan's mini DV tape organization is beyond pizza crust and bigjugs.com - More Info

Metal BIKES DIG Print Advert Archive: 2002-2008

  • metal dig25 jimmy 02
  • metal dig27 stripper 03
  • metal dig28 burns 03
  • metal dig38 metro 04
  • metal dig39 seth 04
  • metal dig40 party 04
  • metal dig41 metro 04
  • metal dig42 burns 04
  • metal dig43 smokerdave 04
  • metal dig47 caleb 05
  • metal dig48 bauer 05
  • metal dig55 burns 06
  • metal dig58 seth 06
  • metal dig67 burns 08

of 14

Previous

Re Print: When Nutter Got Bit By A Shark

“It was just one of those things"

Next

Soundtrack - VHS Classics - BMX Inferno

Listen again to a classic BMX video soundtrack that is as eclectic as it is iconic...

Related Content

LEE SULTEMEIER BMX EMPIRE

Homeless Trash - Under Your Influence

Stew Johnson on a classic Austin video and his favourite section of all time…

16 Oct 2014
Bone-Deth-48
Play Button

Bone Deth PH 48's Torture Testing

48 spoke danger...

24 Jan 2015
BMX videos vhs

Where's The Love? The Disposable Age of BMX

Stuart Fenton talks of fickle times in BMX and dreams of a VHS resurrection

17 Feb 2015
BoneDeth BMX Bikes AW-2

The Bikes of Bone Deth

Rock N Roll Freestyle Machines

4 Feb 2015
metal bikes lost screen
Play Button

Metal Bikes Lost Tapes: 1999-2006

Jimmy Levan's mini DV tape organization is beyond pizza crust and bigjugs.com

27 Feb 2015
Bonedeth-14

Psychomania Slime Babes and a Bone Deth Weekend

A final slice of slime on toast in Texas

26 Oct 2014
Stew Johnson bmx aggro man AW

Re-Print: The Eddie Roman Influence

Stew Johnson reflects on 3 of his all time favorite videos, and the man behind them...

30 Oct 2014
DIG Legends BMX alternative 2

Re Print: Alternative Legends of the DIG era

Featuring Josh Stricker, Jimmy Levan, Paul Buchanan and Taj Mihelich

4 Dec 2014
HOLY FIT VAN STEW 1

VAN HOMAN HAS SAVED US AGAIN

Seven Facts About Van Homan’s Holy Fit and Criminal Mischief Sections You Probably Don’t Know

5 Sep 2014
http://www.divisionbrand.com/news/

Latest Content

R Pc8mf Wp VB0hqdefault
Play Button

CHRIS JAMES - BEHIND THE CLIP

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!

10 Sep 2025
Project xtras thumb corey
Play Button

COREY WALSH - PROJECT X-tras

"Welcome to the fucking van!"

10 Sep 2025
IHQV00wjcc8hqdefault
Play Button

'CANADAMERICA' - JERSEY CREW

Breaking Borders

9 Sep 2025
CZD Wuf Bb Y Wwhqdefault
Play Button

FINALS - DIG HIGHLIGHTS - BATTLE OF HASTINGS 2025

"I'm gonna let 'em go and see what happens"

8 Sep 2025
B Dnti8e Xst Qhqdefault
Play Button

VANS 'BEST TRICK' X DIG - BATTLE OF HASTINGS

The madness continues...

7 Sep 2025
Boh 2025 thumbnail park 2
Play Button

MONSTER ENERGY 'PARK SESSION' X DIG - BATTLE OF HASTINGS

"i got nervous, I was like... oh no!" - Daniel Sandoval

7 Sep 2025
373 Dzrg A Woghqdefault
Play Button

BOH FINALS Live Stream - Source BMX - Battle of Hastings 2025

Live from Hastings at 5pm UK time / 9am PST

7 Sep 2025
2
Play Button

BEACH JAM 'BEST TRICK' X DIG - BATTLE OF HASTINGS 2025

"that trick has lived in the foam pit for over 10 years" - Ryan Nyquist

6 Sep 2025
Wy5 TMWC At L Mhqdefault
Play Button

BOH Best Trick Live Stream - Source BMX - Battle of Hastings 2025

Live from Hastings at 6pm UK time/ 10am PST

6 Sep 2025
C1bw L3rc I Mhqdefault
Play Button

BOH Park Session Live Stream - Source BMX - Battle of Hastings 2025

Live from Hastings at 4pm UK time / 8am PST

6 Sep 2025
D473a XA h H0hqdefault
Play Button

BOH Best Trick Beach Jam Live Stream - Source BMX - Battle of Hastings 2025

Live from Hastings at 6pm UK Time / 10am PST

5 Sep 2025
Ura Fu Gu8 Vp Ihqdefault
Play Button

BOTTLE KIDS | 'PIT CREW'

Chris Kerrigan, Mikey Andrew, Ison Bogosian, Riley Smith, Mike Brown, Stephen August, Diego Bravo, and more.

4 Sep 2025

DIG Partner stores

More Dig This

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
LOW Street station Saturday Jarvis 1 copy

MONSTER ENERGY 'CASH UP' 2025 - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Another Year - New Locations - Even More Jams!

26 May 2025
Street station graphic

STREET STATION RETURNS for 2025

"Not your average BMX jam"

26 May 2025
Vans 11 27 21 014 Bruno Gap wall

BRUNO HOFFMANN INTERVIEW - 'FOREIGN'

"I think the scene is doing good..."

21 Apr 2025
RIXIN BIG APPLE ANGLE RAW ON WHITE 2500

PRODUCTIVITY - RIXIN Big Apple Frame

Billy Perry's signature frame - Built around what he needed.

8 Apr 2025
Rad teaser

Rad Day 2025

Anniversary movie screenings and RAD documentary release.

18 Mar 2025
Expert Top 3 Roll On crop

REPO: Keeping it local at the UK 'ROLL ON' Flatland Jam

"My desire was to give something back" – Mike O'Connell

5 Mar 2025
Snow Fight – Naoki Gaman2

20 Tips For Surviving Simple Session 2025

Check yourself before you wreck yourself!

20 Feb 2025