Shoes becoming old hat for Mihelich

Photo by Joe Rich BMXer Taj Mihelich has become and integral part of Austin's BMX scene. Related Stories: • Pedaling influence • What makes a BMX bike a BMX bike? • Empire BMX: a place to buy, hang out

The third signature shoe for Austin BMXer Taj Mihelich comes out in January.

Buy a pair of "Roscoes" and maybe you'll be able to tailspin just like him.

Then again, maybe not.

The shoe, made by Etnies, comes in all black, brown with orange highlights, or navy with army green highlights. It looks simple, but features a grippy sole and a high-tech gel insole designed to provide support. It will sell in bike shops and shoe stores for about $70.

Mihelich, the rider behind the footwear, veteran of many a BMX magazine cover, partners with fellow BMXer Joe Rich to run Terrible One (or T1), an Austin-based distributor of BMX components, frames and clothing that sells to vendors all over the world. Terrible One also hosts the occasional concert, putting on shows at the Ritz on Sixth Street and at its own headquarters, 1809 E. Sixth St., where the mammoth backyard bike ramp is transformed into a concert venue. T1 has its own BMX video coming out this month.

The 50-foot-wide, 12-foot-tall ramp behind T1 is where Mihelich puts in plenty of time, living for the moments when he can string together a flowing series of tricks. He also likes to ride Ninth Street.

"At this point it's kind of just part of me," Mihelich said. "It's that combination of doing something physical and creative and you get to use everything in one place, everything you have in your mind. It's really easy to compare it to feelings people have when they play good music -- kind of that state where everything comes together."

Mihelich, 31, started riding 20 years ago. Tired of cold weather, he moved to Austin from Michigan in 1992 and quickly became immersed in the BMX scene. He turned pro in 1994, finally making a living off his BMX habit.

A veteran of the first three X-Games, Mihelich took fourth place in the 2004 BMX World Championships in Germany. He didn't get to finish another competition in England, where he made an unplanned visit to the hospital after wiping out during the "best trick" category of a competition. "There was a tree off the side of a ramp. I tried to jump off the ramp and kind of do a wall tap or stall on the tree and jump back on to the ramp. I missed the tree and fell flat on my back from pretty high up," he says.

Nothing broken, but there was a trip to the hospital and some serious swelling.