TEXAS TINKERING: AARON & DUANE ROSS
STORY | JUSTIN ROESER
PHOTOGRAPHY | ALEX HARKEY
In a brisk nine months, Aaron Ross and his father, Duane Ross built their Remastered Meyers Manx in their family garage in Corpus Christi, Texas. However, the Ross’s spirit to fabricate, enjoy good ol’ fun, and “go big” is longstanding and multi-generational. “My grandfather, James Phillip Ross, was a certified Porsche Mechanic and went to the factory at a young age,” said Aaron. “He used to ride the Corpus dunes and trails in his own custom dune buggy in the ‘60s,” says Duane. “I remember his buggy used to pop wheelies.”
Whatever the Ross family envisioned— the Ross family built and had zero qualms about being their own guinea pigs. But for Aaron, it wasn’t all about four wheels and horsepower. The adrenaline rush of breaking into the unknown would propel him into a long career as one of the top BMX pros in the world.
Aaron left high school 11 days before the graduation ceremony to join the show Road Fools 14—a decision he never regretted. “That trip put me on the map. I rode so uniquely, so differently—that trip changed everything.” When he returned to Corpus Christi, he ran back into school, quickly snagged his diploma, and set out to conquer the BMX world.
By 2005, after turning pro at the age of 18, Aaron was couch surfing and making a measly $200 a month riding. He left Corpus Christi for Austin, Texas, signing a lease on an apartment with a group of talented, young, up-and-comers in the BMX industry. “A lot of people don’t know, but Austin is a global BMX Mecca” explained Aaron “Some of the top BMX and mail order companies are all based here.”
A nod to Austin’s BMX culture, the 9th Street BMX Park—a self-sustaining set of trails built by hand in 1992—lies in the heart of downtown, behind the very first Whole Foods, and remains a major hub for BMX riders worldwide. “Wherever there are hills, there are stairs; wherever there are stairs, there are rails and jumps,” Aaron said, describing why Austin’s terrain is ideal for riding.
Aaron’s love for riding began at age three when his dad promised to buy him a dirt bike if he learned to ride a bicycle. By age eight, he was keeping up with his dad’s weekly mountain biking crew, riding 10 to 12 miles daily. It wasn’t until he was 11 that he saw his first “flatland” BMX videos. “It was like breakdancing on a bike. For the first time, I had something to emulate, and once I had something to copy, it became a challenge.” This blend of dirt, mountain, street biking, and flatland trickery culminated in Aaron’s signature style. “I’d do a trick that everyone before me had done—just over a dirt jump. Before I did it, people thought it was the wrong application.”
4-year old Aaron on his first dirt bike
During his first five years as a pro, Aaron noticed other riders copying his style, but as he evolved into more technical riding, it became harder to imitate. “BMX is an art form. I think BMX and skateboarding are the hardest sports because you always have to evolve. When LeBron James entered the NBA scoring 25 points a game, ten years later, he’s still scoring 25 points per game. You can’t do that in BMX. It’s hard to stay relevant in this industry—you can’t put out the same video for 10 years straight.”
Much like Aaron, Duane Ross grew up pushing the limits. At age 11, he built his first pushcart dragster with his brother. “We put the steering knuckle in the front on the wrong side. When we turned left, the pushcart went right… well, that didn’t work,” Duane laughed.
Duane Ross (age 11) and his brother with their pushcart dragster
During a visit to Duane’s garage, we had the pleasure of seeing three different prototype jet packs he built—yes, jet packs. A friend who had been racing jet skis for decades showed Duane a video of a new-to-market jet pack he was interested in buying. When the first jet packs were released, they came with a hefty $10,000 price tag. But for around $500 in heavy-duty hoses, exhaust elbows, miscellaneous fasteners, and a week’s time, Duane built his first prototype jet pack. “When we got it in the water, we didn’t know what we were doing. We had no lessons at all on how to fly this thing— but we did!”
Duane’s mechanical expertise played a key role in helping Aaron complete their first Meyers Manx build. Starting with a fire-damaged $300 1973 VW Bug, they gave birth to a Meyers Manx. Some of Duane’s custom touches set their build apart. The rear lights are flush with the body, whereas most traditional Manxes retain the raised pedestal iconic to the VW Bug. He ran the brake and electrical lines through a PVC pipe inside the tunnel to conceal them and protect them from the elements. The fuel cap, sourced from an older Chevrolet truck, is fiberglassed into the side of the hood. “Ninety-nine percent of Manxes put the fuel cap on the hood. It’s definitely easier, but I was trying to make the car as clean as possible,” said Duane.
The first time Aaron saw his daughter crawl on the back wheel of their Manx from the rim to get in he thought he had the coolest car in the world. “It’s carefree, it’s fun, and it fits my personality. This weird, bright, dune buggy thing. I made a whole career out of bright colored BMX bikes!” exclaimed Aaron. The Ross’s Manx is getting full usage above and beyond the standard protocol, whether it’s delivering boxes or picking up the family Christmas tree. Aaron admits he has far more practical cars to do errands in, but they don’t bring the smiles or thumbs up the Manx gets when navigating around Austin. “I love cars that people think you shouldn’t be doing that with that car. I love ridiculous cars used in ridiculous ways and I think this car fits perfectly in Austin.”
The Ross’s Manx became a regular at Top Notch Burgers, an Austin staple made famous by 1993’s indie film Dazed and Confused which introduced the world to Matthew McConaughey (also a native of Texas.) Aaron and his longtime BMX friends Jed Rogers and Jim Bauer’s crew GRUPPECHAT host a monthly meet up at Top Notch, focusing on 1999 and older European cars. “It’s become a perfect meeting place for like-minded people to talk. We’ve had everyone from kids, teenagers to seniors—but who doesn’t love talking about cars while drinking a milkshake with family and friends?” says Aaron smiling.
For all the fun the Ross family will have building their next doodad, the process requires a tremendous amount of patience. There’s no instant gratification in fabrication—everything takes time, troubleshooting is inevitable, but the reward at the end of the journey is the ultimate fulfillment. Seeing multiple generations of the Ross family driving their Meyers Manx creations along the beach or to Top Notch to share some burger and fries together is priceless.
