In the early 2000s, Ruben Alcantara was without a doubt the most influential freestyle BMX rider in the world. The Spanish native came to America and set the trends for future generations all over the globe. The modern BMX bike is an evolution of Ruben’s style. If Ruben did it, everyone else did too… except for the actual riding part: He was and is on his own level there.

Back in 2002 I was on a trip to Austin, TX shooting photos for Etnies. On one of the days we were shooting, Ruben showed up to the Terrible One ramp with a pink spray painted front wheel. Not just the wheel, the tire too. We laughed about it, but within days (probably hours) there were kids around town with the same style paintjob, right over the tire and everything (including, if I remember correctly, now Pro Chase Hawk). But Ruben rules, so if you’re going to copy anyone…