ADB Magazine Celebrates 35 years

The fabulous Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine is celebrating 35 year in print. Founded by dirt bike addict Geoff Eldridge in 1975, the magazine has been a hugely influential in the off road motorcycling industry in Australia. The May 2010 issue features a 100 page “mini mag” with excerpts and images from the first issue to present day.

As a kid growing up riding dirt bikes from the age of five, ADB was everything to me. A whole magazine dedicated to the sport I loved, I couldn’t have wished for more! I would pore over pictures of my heroes and consume every word of it. When I was about 12, I was asked to be a junior ADB test rider and amongst other things I got to ride and rate the first ever Kawasaki KX60 that landed in Australia. Pretty heady stuff for a kid.

In 1993 the dirt biking community was shocked when we learned that founder and editor Geoff Eldridge was killed after hitting a “lost” 4WD whilst competing in an Enduro in America.

Personally I was stunned as I knew Geoff as a teenager and being young and naive I thought his lifestyle was pretty mega, riding bikes all day long and publishing his own mag. However I was rather terrified of him. Back in 1983, he called up my Dad and asked if I would like to be in a shoot for a Suzuki ad. Of course I said yes. After the shoot I was standing near a light box looking at some Polaroids and negs. From out of nowhere Geoff yelled at the top of his voice. ” Don’t you bloody well touch those!”

Thankfully the mag survived and has continued to grow and I learned that Geoff liked to yell a lot and it wasn’t just me. ADB is still a great mag and offer readers a good mix of features, technical articles, bike tests and doesn’t pull any punches. I suggest you subscribe today.

Long live ADB!

For those of you who did not not Geoff, here is a great piece about him.