Edward Laforte

BIO:

Edward Laforte, mostly known as Wonka, is a pioneer to the FGFS and Fixed Gear scene as a whole. Based in Brooklyn, New York, he came up as a bike messenger around in the mid 2000s commuting on a fixed gear bike. As he ripped through the streets of New York for years, his antics were finally documented in 2008 and the video blew up in the fixed gear community. Haters and fans flocked to the video, and a whole new era of BMX influenced riding was about to be ushered in.

More and more clips of Wonka, this prodigy kid, popped up throughout the scene. Some videos posted by himself and many shared by John Prolly, the biggest influence in the scene at the time. GOrilla saw an opportunity with Ed and picked him up as one of their first team riders. Ed spent a year in Sweden to help design and produce the Kilroy frame.

Wonka would do tricks that were thought to be impossible on fixed gears. Grinding rails pegless, 180’s off stair sets, huge wallrides, and barspins off drops. Being friends with legendary BMX rider Edwin Delarosa, he was constantly inspired by the Skavenger New York BMX style.

After riding for GOrilla for a couple years, Ed started his own bicycle company alongside Mike Schmitt and Joey Krillz called Grime Bikes. This company would go on to become one of the most successful and influential brands in FGFS history. They would go on to create the first 26″ specific frame, the YOMANG!. Not just the bikes and parts, but the media, antics, and team dynamic would all contribute to making Grime legendary status.

Ed’s gritty riding was already established through his web edits and a Death Pedal 2 DVD part, but with his addition of pegs in 2010 it took his influence and riding to another level. Ed would pioneer 26″ riding with pegs and continue to push the sport to places that were thought to not be possible. He mastered the double peg to hopover, the hangover tooth, and would grind some of the biggest handrails to date.

During the Grime’s prime years in 2011, Ed and Mike would make the move to San Jose to be at the center of the FGFS world among the likes of Matt Reyes, Devon Lawson, Anthony Combs, and more. Ed would spend the next 3 years living in NorCal before moving back to New York after Grime’s dissipation in 2013.

In 2014, Ed hosted a competition called Harness the Gnarness, a street jam in Oakland, CA. With the help of other community figureheads, this street jam helped keep the scene alive during a time when it was beginning to fade out.

Ed would spend the next few years bouncing between locations including New York, Taiwan, Japan, and possibly other places. He slowly began to fade from the FGFS spotlight, but his impact is still felt and talked about to this day.

Signature Parts:

• SELLE SAN MARCO CONCOR SUPERCORSA: WONKA LTD EDT Saddle

• YNOT Wonka signature colorway

• Grime Medicine Man handlebars

Born: September 5th, 1989

Died: September 27th, 2024

Region: Brooklyn, NY, United States

Nickname(s): Wonka

Crew(s): Turf, WRAHW

Discipline(s): FGFS

Current Sponsor(s): n/a

Previous Sponsor(s): Master Bike Co, Concept Bikes, Capone, Grime Bikes, GOrilla, Sadio Bikes, Turf Bikes, iMiNUSD, YNOT Cycles, Chrome Industries, Chari & Co, San Marco