Sean Burns

Sean Burns is an American BMX street rider from Pembroke, Massachusetts, known for roof drops, big gaps to flat ground, fast lines and hard slams. He has been filmed since the late 1990s, rode for Metal Bikes in the 2000s and is closely associated with the Bone Deth crew and brand. DIG BMX has described him as a traditional street rider in every sense, and he is one of the most recognisable figures in raw, unpolished street riding.

Early life and background

Burns grew up in Pembroke, a town south of Boston in Massachusetts. By his own account he became obsessed with BMX magazines in the mid 1990s, reading them over and over, and DIG in particular shaped how he saw riding. He was born in the early 1980s, around 1983 based on his own recollection of being 16 in 1999.

His early riding included time on trails, which gave him a comfort in the air that later showed up in his street riding. Around 2000 he met Ryan Worcester, a hard-charging New England street rider who became his biggest early influence. Burns has also named riders such as Jimmy Levan, Josh Stricker and Van Homan as people whose styles he looked up to.

Career

Burns came up through the East Coast street scene in the early 2000s rather than through contests. His first magazine photo was a Metal Bikes advert in DIG, shot in 2002 at the Volcano Banks in Boston. That connection to Metal Bikes, the brand associated with Jimmy Levan, defined the first part of his career, and he later helped Levan organise raw footage from the Metal era.

By the mid 2000s Burns was a regular in BMX print media, with DIG cover appearances around 2006 and 2007. In August 2008 the components brand éclat announced him as a new team rider. At the time his other sponsors were listed as Metal Bikes, Bone Deth, DuFFs shoes, Kill City jeans, Whipperman chains and a local bike shop.

Bone Deth

Bone Deth is the name most closely tied to Burns. It began as a crew of riders around 2001 and, according to retailer histories of the brand, started producing its own hard parts around 2010, later covering frames, bars, hubs and clothing. Burns runs the company, and a 2016 DIG setup feature showed him on a Bone Deth frame, bars and hubs. Bone Deth also produced video content, with a Bone Deth DVD in the works around 2007 and 2008.

The brand's look and attitude, with dark artwork, a heavy metal influence and a do-it-yourself spirit, mirror Burns's own image. He is almost as well known for his leather jackets as for his riding.

Riding style

Burns rides street the way it was ridden before skatepark-style tricks took over street videos. His riding is built on:

• Roof drops and big drops to flat. He is known for jumping off rooftops and ledges and landing on flat ground, which is hard on the body and the bike.
• Speed. He rides fast between spots and into obstacles, and his lines often look out of control in a way that is part of the appeal.
• Big gaps and simple tricks. Rather than stacking technical combinations, he picks large, dangerous obstacles and rides them in a direct way.
• Slams. His willingness to fall hard and get back up is part of his reputation. His slams are as much a part of his footage as his makes.

This approach places him in the tradition of the hammer street riders of the late 1990s and 2000s, with an emphasis on commitment over polish. Many riders see him as a link between the early 2000s East Coast street scene and the DIY, crew-based culture that grew in the web edit era.

Video parts and media

Burns's career has been built more on photos, crew videos and web content than on contests. Notable media includes:

• Footage in Metal Bikes videos and edits during the 2000s, including the Metal video Dead Bang, which was finished around 2007. Much of his raw Metal footage later surfaced in the Metal Bikes Lost Tapes (1999 to 2006), released through DIG in 2015.
• A full part in Stew Johnson's Anthem II (2010), one of the most discussed sections in the video and a nominee for video part of the year.
• Sections in Bone Deth's own DVDs, including The Dirty Sniff and Too Fast For Food, after work on a first Bone Deth DVD began around 2007 and 2008.
• DIG magazine cover appearances in the mid 2000s.
• A feature-length DIG podcast interview recorded in 2016, covering his trail riding beginnings, his Metal years and running Bone Deth.

Release years for the Bone Deth DVDs are not well documented, because records of crew and brand releases from this period are incomplete.

Legacy and influence

Burns is admired for staying consistent. Street riding moved through phases of technical ledge riding, rail combinations and Instagram clips, but his style stayed rooted in the raw approach he learned in the early 2000s. In a widely shared Complex ranking of the best BMX riders, he was placed near the top for having his own direction in riding.

He has also used his profile to speak out against racism, misogyny and homophobia in BMX, particularly in online spaces. Combined with running an independent brand, this has made him a respected voice in the core street scene.

For riders interested in the history of street riding, Burns is a good example of how the rise of street riding produced not only technical innovators but also riders whose influence came from attitude, commitment and choice of spot.

Sponsors

Sponsor history drawn from contemporary announcements and interviews (not a list of current sponsors):

Sponsor	Type	Period
Metal Bikes	Bikes and frames	2000s (in Metal adverts from around 2002 to 2008)
Bone Deth	Crew and brand (he runs it)	Around 2001 to present
éclat	Components	From 2008
DuFFs	Shoes	Around 2008