In 1990 Alden Olmsted’s life changed forever when he dropped out of college to start his own BMX bicycle company, Homestead Bicycles. After finding a shop in Tennessee to fabricate bikes to his design specs and using all his grandparents college money, he ordered 50 frames and set out to promote his fledgling brand. What began with such promise would run into reality when after selling 30 bikes, he attempted to request the remaining 20 but was told the shop had gone out of business. With no money and no additional bikes, Alden was forced to put his dream of Homestead Bicycles to bed and move on with his life.

Fast forward 23 years later when one of his original Homestead bikes surfaced on a BMX collector website, stoking the curiosity of an online community into just what happened to Homestead and that mysterious green frame from the 90’s. Encouraged by the newfound interest in the brand, an older Alden sets out on a path of discovery to find the people who were impacted and inspired by his unique bikes.

30 Bikes The Book is part indie-film journal, part small town kid makes good, and part cautionary tale. It’s Alden’s gift to anyone following a dream or wanting to make a film, a hopeful and humorous tale about BMX, low-budget filmmaking, and following one’s dreams despite the most challenging obstacles.

Non-Fiction, 160 pages

Author Biography

Alden Olmsted is a California-born filmmaker and graphic artist, and founder of Homestead Bicycles. Under his Drive Fast, Take Chances Production Co. Alden has produced or directed five films including 30 Bikes: The Story of Homestead Bicycles (2020) and The Story of Jug Handle (2013), and acted as director of photography on Unprotected (2018) and Dysconnected (2022).He recently completed the PBS documentary A Wild Independence (2021), writing, narrating and directing the story of his father John Olmsted’s ambitious wheelchair nature trail in Nevada City, CA.

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