A trio of Calgary cyclists hope to revitalize teh BMX culture in Calgary.

BMX riders have been tearing up the pavement for years but tend to be squeezed out of the limelight by their kick-flipping, rail-grinding, skateboarding peers.

Devon Rohl, Brad Hannaford and Matt Thomas are avid BMX bikers who are determined to change that trend and earn Calgary’s growing BMX community the recognition it deserves.

The trio has been riding most of their lives, with almost 60 years experience combined. They are currently in the process of opening a new speciality bike shop — BMX Gallery: 4130 — that aims to cater and appeal to Calgary’s BMX culture.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Rohl, 29, launched the Calgary BMX Riders Association last year, inspired by the Calgary Association of Skateboard Enthusiasts (CASE).

“It started because there’s no organization of BMX for census numbers in Calgary,” says Rohl, adding that CASE uses its numbers to ask for more skate parks from the city. “It would be to everybody’s benefit if there was a BMX one because there’s more numbers, more users.”

Hannaford, clarifies that the organization is separate from the Calgary BMX Association, which is a racing community.

“There’s an organized, sanctioned BMX track that is through the BMX association,” he says. “Devon’s is more a collective of riders.”

“It’s completely separated; it’s just for a voice,” Rohl says, adding he hopes it can be a way for the community to be recognized by the city.

“There’s been a few people that have gone to city meetings, and they’ve been doing that for 10 years, but after awhile, I guess nothing’s going to happen,” Rohl explains.

Hannaford says the lack of recognition could stem from the fact that bikes don’t stand out on the street as much as skateboards.

“Every kid has a skateboard. When you see kids on skateboards downtown, people just assume, ‘There’s some kids skateboarding, they’re trouble makers’,” he says. “People ride by on bikes and it’s not quite the same social stigma that skateboarding has developed, I guess.”

One of the biggest roadblocks facing the BMX community is a lack of parks. Shaw Millennium Park is one of the only such parks in the city and is often overcrowded. More parks would allow more riders to get involved in the sport.

“If you go to Millennium on any given Saturday, you may as well go home,” says Rohl.

“It’s basically a daycare,” adds Hannaford.

In the past, there have been disputes between skateboarders and BMX riders over park space, but lack of parks available means the two have to peacefully co-exist.

Despite frustrations and lack of recognition, the trio remains optimistic about the future of BMX in Calgary.

“BMX is starting to come to the forefront,” says Hannaford. “You almost see as many kids on bikes as you do on skateboards at the skate parks. It was never like that back in the day.”

As for the new shop, the trio is determined to give bikers in the city the resources they need and hope the new venture fills that void.

“I think everyone needed somewhere they could get their stuff from,” Thomas says. “We can do more for the scene too; throwing more events and stuff like that helps out at the same time.”