Chase Hawk

Chase Hawk is an American BMX rider from Austin, Texas, regarded as one of the most stylish transition riders in the sport. He is known for high, smooth riding in bowls, on quarterpipes and on trails, and for a long association with Cult, the brand he has ridden for since its launch in 2010. His riding is often held up as the standard for how park riding should look.

Early life and background

Hawk grew up in Austin, Texas, and started riding BMX as a child. Austin has one of the strongest riding scenes in the United States, built around a network of trails, public parks and the Empire BMX shop, which has supported local riders for decades. He came up riding the city's trails and bowls alongside an older generation of Austin riders, and that environment shaped his style before he ever appeared in a video.

He began attracting attention in the mid 2000s as a teenager, first through magazine photos and web clips and then through brand videos.

Career

Hawk turned professional in the mid 2000s and was picked up by Fit Bike Co, the brand run by Robbie Morales. He appeared in Fit videos and web content and quickly became one of the team's most recognisable riders, noted for riding transition at a level of control that stood out even on a team known for talent.

Around 2010 Morales left Fit to launch Cult, and Hawk went with him as one of the brand's founding riders, alongside Dakota Roche and others. He has been with Cult since. The company has released signature frames and parts carrying his name, and he has appeared in its videos, including Talk Is Cheap (2013), and in its ongoing web output.

Hawk has never been primarily a contest rider, though he has competed in park and bowl events and in video-based contests. His standing comes from video parts, from photographs and from his reputation among riders as someone who rides better in person than on film. He has remained based in Austin and is a fixture at the city's events, including the Texas Toast Jam, which brings riders from around the world to Austin's parks and trails.

Through the 2010s and 2020s he has continued to film, travel and ride at a high level, and he has become one of the most respected figures in the park and trails scenes.

Riding style

Hawk's riding is about height, speed and shape. He carves bowls and quarterpipes fast, boosts well above the coping and holds tricks such as turndowns, tabletops, X-ups and can-cans at the top of the air before bringing them back with time to spare. His body position in the air is a big part of the appeal: tricks are fully extended and clearly shaped rather than rushed.

He favours flow over density. A typical Hawk line in a bowl links several walls and corners with an air on each, rather than stopping to set up for a single hard trick. On trails his approach is the same: high, smooth jumping with tricks that look effortless.

He rides fast and uses speed to make simple tricks look spectacular, in the tradition of riders such as Mike Aitken and Ruben Alcantara, both of whom are often mentioned alongside him as influences on modern transition style.

Video parts and notable moments

Hawk's career is documented through brand videos and web content. Notable parts and moments include:

• Appearances in Fit Bike Co videos and web edits in the late 2000s.
• Becoming a founding rider of Cult in 2010.
• A section in Cult's Talk Is Cheap (2012).
• Numerous Cult web videos and travel edits through the 2010s and 2020s.
• Signature frames and parts with Cult.
• Regular appearances at the Texas Toast Jam and other Austin events.

Legacy and influence

Hawk's influence is on what good park riding looks like. In a period when contest park riding became focused on flips and multiple rotations, he kept the emphasis on height, shape and flow, and showed that a rider could be considered among the best in the world on those terms. Younger transition riders frequently name him as the rider they try to emulate.

He is also central to the identity of Cult. As a founding rider who has stayed with the brand for more than a decade, he represents its continuity, and his signature products have been among its best known.

Finally, he is one of the riders who kept Austin at the centre of American BMX. His presence, along with Empire BMX and events such as the Texas Toast Jam, has made the city a destination for riders and a reference point for the trails and transition scenes.

Related

• Cult
• Fit Bike Co
• Talk Is Cheap
• Park
• Trails
• Texas Toast Jam
• Dakota Roche
• Mike Aitken