“CODY, SERIOUSLY, WE’RE TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, HERE. SHOW OFF.” Ryan Mense, Cody Curry (airborne), and Cole Money of the BMX group North of Ten.

There is something unique about BMX bikes. Put anyone on one and the first thing they are liable to do is try a trick, fall down, repeat, and limp away 20 minutes later. Unless by some small chance you nail the trick, then you end up on the internet.

The website Northoften.net was started by rider Ryan Mense as a platform to showcase the unique style of riding going on, as the name suggests, north of Highway 10.

“It just started as a bored project,” says Mense. “It’s lasted a lot longer than I ever could have imagined.”

Despite being down for over a year on several occasions, the website continues to thrive in one form or another. “I always knew it would come back, it just took some time,” says Mense of the last outage.

Since then the site has turned into the main stomping ground for BMX riders across northern Wisconsin. And after surfing the site for even a few minutes you can’t help but feel motivated to ride. 

“Reading a BMX magazine today is like reading Vogue,” says rider Kristof White. It is quickly apparent that the site aims are definitely not set on the eyes of corporate BMX sponsors and more rooted in friendship. “Things like the X-Games are a tool to sell products,” says White. “North Of Ten is just kind of a group of friends who ride bikes and don’t have cell phones.”

Regardless of intent, the site has recently caught the attention of the BMX world at large, largely through a recent video of rider Erik Elstran which to date has been viewed more than 25,000 times. With unrepentant modesty Elstran attributes the video’s success to the fact that he’s “always liked to watch weird types of riding.”

    “It’s the way he rides every day so it seemed normal at the time,” says Mense of Elstran’s success.

More than exhibiting a fresh style of riding, it seems to be agreed upon that the website reflects a relatively unique mindset in BMX. “There’s not much creativity in organized sports,” says White. “This is kind of a big inside joke.” 

Whereas mainstream BMX puts most of its emphasis on competition standings, Elstran and White agree that they largely view them as an excuse to be with friends and “push yourself to do something new.” And describing their ideal day of riding, all of the riders I talked to agreed that it was largely composed of riding familiar spots with friends, maybe learning something new, and eating copious amounts of food.  

There is something to be said for casting aside the desire for corporate sponsorship and focusing on the community built around riding. “Our scene is closer through North Of Ten,” says Elstran.

With the area’s unfortunate lack of places to ride, Mense said the community of riders become the focal point. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to ride without the people here.” A sentiment that seems to be agreed upon among those with bruised shins, mid-limp away from a crashed bike.