BMX Rider
Corey Martinez
Corey Martinez is an American BMX street rider known for his style and lines, with landmark parts in Animal's Can I Eat? (2004) and United's Still United.
Updated 5 min read1,047 words
Corey Martinez is an American BMX rider best known for street riding, with a smooth, stylish approach and an eye for creative lines through spots. His section in Animal Bikes' 2004 video Can I Eat? made his name, and he is closely associated with the bike brand United, for whom he filmed a major part in the 2016 team video Still United, and with the parts brand Cinema. His nickname, Machinez, has also been used as the name of his signature product line.
Early life
Martinez started riding as a kid after getting a bike as a present, and like many street riders he learned by riding whatever was around his neighbourhood. He is usually described as being from Nashville, Tennessee, and one rider profile gives Nashville as his birthplace. An older UK newspaper report described him as from Decatur, Alabama, so the exact details of his early life vary between sources.
By his late teens and early twenties he was filming for videos and getting noticed for the way he rode rather than for any single trick.
Career
Martinez built his career mainly through video parts and team trips rather than contest results. That path is typical of street riders who came up in the 2000s, when full-length videos were the main way to build a reputation, and it carried on as the sport moved from DVDs towards the web edit era.
Can I Eat?
Martinez's breakthrough came with his section in Can I Eat?, the second full-length video from New York parts brand Animal Bikes, released in 2004 after the brand's first video, Animal (2002). Filmed and edited by Bob Scerbo, Can I Eat? captured raw East Coast street riding, and Martinez's section, cut to "Layla", sits just before Edwin DeLaRosa's closing part. The section helped establish him as one of the leading young street riders of the time. See Can I Eat? for the full video.
United
United became his main bike sponsor and the brand most linked to his name. He has had several signature frames with United, along with signature bars and complete bikes carrying his name. In a 2018 interview he mentioned plans for a limited edition frame under the name "T-Nez", and he has said he is particular about details such as dropouts and will modify frames to suit his preferences.
His biggest project with the brand was Still United, released in March 2016 and filmed and edited by Peter Adam. He and teammate Nathan Williams spent roughly two years filming for it, travelling to around ten countries. It came out on DVD and as a download, at a time when many brands had moved away from full-length physical releases, and it showed Martinez still riding at a high level more than a decade after Can I Eat?.
X Games Real BMX
In 2018 Martinez and filmer Peter Adam won gold in the X Games Real BMX contest, in which riders submit a video part filmed on street spots rather than riding a live course. It is his best-known contest result. He has also ridden live X Games street events, though without the same success.
Cinema
Martinez has also been a long-time Cinema rider. Cinema made him a signature stem, the Martinez Stem, featured in its Signature Sessions series in December 2019, and released his web video Keepin' ON in late 2022.
Riding style
Martinez is known for style first. He picks unusual ways through a spot and links tricks together so that a clip feels like one continuous line rather than a set of separate moves. That approach is often described as steezy, a slang term for riding with obvious style and ease.
His street riding takes in rails, ledges and banks, and coverage of his riding often highlights classic moves such as sprocket grinds alongside peg grinds like the feeble. He has also ridden park and transition, and his comfort on ramps feeds into how he uses banks and quarters found in the street.
Setup
A 2018 feature on his bike gives a useful snapshot of how he sets up for street:
| Component | Choice (2018) |
|---|---|
| Frame | United signature model, around 20.8 inch top tube |
| Rear hub | Freecoaster with plastic hub guards |
| Cranks | 165 mm, shorter than many riders |
| Pegs | Cinema pegs, around 4.3 inch |
| Tyres | 2.25 inch |
He has said he prefers shorter cranks for foot position and pedal clearance on grinds. The freecoaster suits his riding, since it lets him roll backwards out of tricks without the pedals turning. Setups change over time, so treat this as a historic example rather than his current bike.
Video parts and contest results
Commonly cited highlights include:
- His section in Animal's Can I Eat? (2004), placed just before the closing part.
- His part in United's Still United (2016).
- Gold in the X Games Real BMX video contest (2018), with filmer Peter Adam.
- Signature frames, bars and complete bikes with United.
- Cinema web videos, including Keepin' ON (2022).
- Years of team trip edits and magazine coverage through the 2010s.
Some profiles describe him as an X Games gold medallist. That gold was in the 2018 Real BMX video contest, not a live street or park final. Some profiles also credit him with NORA Cup Street Rider of the Year awards, but these could not be confirmed against published results, so they are not listed here as fact. See NORA Cup for that event.
Legacy
Martinez is part of a generation of street riders whose influence came through style and video work rather than contest wins. His Can I Eat? section put him among the defining East Coast street riders of the 2000s, and his later United and Cinema work extended that into the 2010s and 2020s. His United signature bikes put his preferences in the hands of everyday riders, and his parts show how much a sense of flow and line choice can matter in street riding, even without the biggest or most technical trick on a spot.
Sponsors
Notable sponsors over the years include United and Cinema, both of which have produced signature parts for him. Other sponsors appear in coverage at different times. Check current brand team pages for an up-to-date list.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Corey Martinez
Who does Corey Martinez ride for?
He has been a long-time United rider, with signature frames, bars and complete bikes, and he has also been supported by Cinema, which has made signature parts for him. Check the brands' own team pages for his current sponsors.
What is the Machinez nickname?
Machinez is a nickname for Corey Martinez that has also been used as the name of his signature parts with United. He has said it was what Animal founder Ralph Sinisi called him, and that United's Ian Morris passed it on.
What video is Corey Martinez known for?
His section in Animal's Can I Eat? (2004), placed just before Edwin DeLaRosa's closing part, made his name. He later had a major part in United's Still United (2016) and won gold in the X Games Real BMX video contest in 2018.
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