BMX Brand
Animal Bikes
Animal Bikes is a New York BMX parts brand founded in 2000 by Ralph Sinisi, known for pegs and street parts and for the videos Can I Eat and All Day.
Updated 2 min read494 words
Animal Bikes is a BMX parts brand from the New York City area, founded in 2000 by Ralph Sinisi. It makes pegs, hubs, sprockets, handlebars, grips and clothing aimed squarely at street riding, and its videos Can I Eat and All Day are two of the most influential street videos ever made.
History
Ralph Sinisi was part of the East Coast street scene of the late 1990s, a time when street riding was growing into a discipline of its own, as described in Rise of street riding. He started Animal in 2000 with a small range of parts and clothing. From the beginning the brand was tied to a specific place. Its riders rode the ledges, banks and spots of New York City, and the brand's imagery came from the city rather than from skateparks or contests.
The videos made the brand. Can I Eat, filmed by Bob Scerbo, came out in the early 2000s and showed the Animal team riding New York in a raw, handheld style with no polish. All Day followed in the mid 2000s and is often named alongside it as one of the best street videos of the decade. Both videos spread the idea of street riding as a daily practice built around spots and lines, rather than a list of tricks.
Animal has stayed independent and focused on parts and softgoods. It remains active and still releases web videos and edits featuring a team that has turned over several times while keeping the same approach.
Products
Animal's range is built for street. Pegs have always been central, and the brand's sprockets and grips are some of the most recognisable parts in BMX.
| Product | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Light pegs | Pegs | The brand's classic steel peg |
| Hamilton pegs | Pegs | Signature peg for Steven Hamilton |
| Butcher pegs | Pegs | Heavier duty steel peg |
| Jump Off bars | Handlebars | Long running bar model |
| Edwin grips | Grips | Signature grip for Edwin DeLaRosa |
| GLH | Tyres | Street tyre |
| Animal sprocket | Sprocket | Classic design with the brand logo |
The brand also sells chains, hubs, seats and a large range of clothing.
Team and riders
Animal's team has been a who's who of East Coast street riding. Riders associated with the brand have included:
- Edwin DeLaRosa
- Vinnie Sammon
- Tyrone Williams
- Steven Hamilton
- Lino Gonzalez
- Jeff Kocsis
- Tom White
- Nigel Sylvester, early in his career
- Bob Scerbo, who filmed the brand's videos
Influence
Animal defined the look and attitude of New York street riding and exported it to the rest of the world. Its videos set a template: real spots, grainy footage, riders who looked like they belonged on the streets they rode. The brand made pegs the signature tool of street riding and sold the idea that a BMX company could be about one city and one discipline. Many of the street brands that followed, from Cult to BSD, owe something to the approach Animal established.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Animal Bikes
Who founded Animal Bikes?
Ralph Sinisi, a street rider from the New York City area, founded Animal in 2000.
What videos did Animal make?
Animal's best known videos are Can I Eat and All Day, both filmed largely on the streets of New York and both regarded as landmarks of street riding.
Does Animal make frames?
Animal is primarily a parts and softgoods brand. It is best known for pegs, sprockets, bars, grips and tyres rather than frames or complete bikes.
Related articles
Can I Eat?
Can I Eat? is Animal Bikes' 2004 full-length video, filmed by Bob Scerbo, which captured New York City street riding and defined East Coast street style.
4 min readAll Day
All Day is a 2006 Animal Bikes DVD filmed by Bob Scerbo, following Can I Eat? with raw New York street riding from Edwin DeLaRosa, Tom White and the team.
3 min readEdwin De La Rosa
Edwin De La Rosa is a New York City street rider long associated with Animal Bikes whose Can I Eat part and pegless approach shaped modern street riding.
4 min readNigel Sylvester
Nigel Sylvester is a BMX street rider from Queens, New York, known for the GO video series, Nike and Jordan Brand collaborations and mainstream crossover.
4 min readPegs
Pegs are cylindrical metal or plastic tubes bolted to the axle of a BMX wheel so a rider can stand on them or grind along ledges and rails.
3 min readStreet
Street BMX is the discipline of riding urban architecture such as ledges, rails, stairs and banks, with video parts rather than contests as the main measure.
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