Mike Aitken

Mike Aitken is an American BMX rider from Utah, regarded as one of the most stylish trails and dirt riders of the 2000s. He was long associated with S&M Bikes and Fit Bike Co, and his section in Fit Life (2007) is considered one of the best trails parts ever filmed. In October 2008 he suffered a severe brain injury in a crash, and his long recovery and return to riding became one of the most followed stories in BMX.

Early life and background

Aitken grew up in Utah and started riding BMX in the 1990s. Salt Lake City and the surrounding area had an active dirt jumping scene, and he came up riding trails and local parks. By the late 1990s he was competing in amateur dirt contests and attracting attention for how high and how smoothly he jumped.

He turned professional around the turn of the 2000s and was picked up by S&M Bikes, the Californian company known for its hard-riding team, and then by Fit Bike Co, the sister brand that S&M launched with Robbie Morales.

Career

Aitken's career ran at full pace from the early 2000s to 2008. He entered dirt contests and did well, but his reputation was built on video and photographs rather than results. He was one of the riders who made trails riding a style in its own right, separate from contest dirt jumping, and his parts for S&M and Fit showed a rider who looked relaxed on jumps that most people found terrifying.

Fit released signature frames and parts carrying his name, and they were among the company's most popular products. His part in Fit Life, the Fit team video of 2007, was the high point of his filming career. It combined trails, park and dirt and showed a rider at the peak of his ability, with tricks done higher, slower and more cleanly than almost anyone else.

In September 2008, Aitken crashed during the dirt contest at the Dew Tour. He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was placed in a coma. The BMX community responded with fundraising and support, and his recovery was followed closely across magazines and websites. He had to relearn basic skills before he could think about riding again.

He did return to riding. He was back on a bike by 2009, first on gentle terrain and later on trails and park, and his comeback was documented in Fit videos and on the web. His opening section in Stew Johnson's Anthem II (2010) was one of the most praised parts of its year. He has remained involved with Fit and with the trails scene since, riding at a level that few people expected after his injury.

Riding style

Aitken's style is the reason riders remember him. His jumping was high and unhurried. Where many dirt riders of the period threw tricks as fast as possible, he would boost a jump, hold a tabletop or an X-up at the top of the arc, and bring it back with time to spare. Everything looked dialled, even the big 360s and the variations he added to them.

He was also a complete rider. His park riding carried the same style as his trails riding, with carving lines, high airs and clean lip tricks, and he could ride street when a video called for it. But trails were his home, and the quiet, flowing way he rode them set the standard for a generation of trails riders.

Video parts and notable moments

Aitken's career is documented through S&M and Fit videos and through magazine coverage. Notable parts and moments include:

• Parts in S&M and Fit Bike Co team videos in the early and mid 2000s.
• Fit Life (2007), his defining section and one of the most praised trails parts in BMX video history.
• Signature frames and parts with Fit Bike Co.
• The September 2008 crash and the recovery that followed, documented in Fit videos and web coverage.
• His return to riding trails and park in the years after his injury.

Legacy and influence

Aitken's influence on trails riding is about style. He showed that going high and slow, with tricks held and landings smooth, could be more impressive than going fast and throwing as much as possible. Trails riders of the 2010s and 2020s often cite him as the reference for how jumping should look.

His story after 2008 has a different kind of influence. His injury was a reminder of the risks in BMX, and the community's response showed how closely knit the sport is. His recovery and return to riding have been a source of motivation for riders dealing with injury of their own.

Within the brands he rode for, he is part of the core identity of Fit Bike Co alongside riders such as Van Homan and Chase Hawk, and his name remains attached to the products and the era that made the brand.

Related

• Fit Bike Co
• S&M Bikes
• Fit Life
• Trails
• Dirt jumping
• Tabletop
• Van Homan
• Chase Hawk