Kilian Roth

In the constellation of modern street BMX, where noise often eclipses nuance, Kilian Roth is an anomaly. He doesn’t shout for attention. He doesn’t chase theatrics. He simply rides — with a kind of deliberate, architectural precision that makes fellow riders stop mid-scroll and mumble, “Wait… what did he just do?”. Hailing from a small town in South Germany, Kilian Roth grew up far from the glitz of action sports capitals — but that distance only sharpened his focus. Like many riders who come from quiet places, he learned early how to turn scarcity into creativity.  By the time he migrated into Europe’s street-riding consciousness, he’d already developed the thing every serious rider covets and few possess: style.

Kilian has carved out a reputation not just as a rider, but as a craftsman of street BMX — someone who uses rails, ledges, gaps and urban geometry not as obstacles, but as canvases for his singular fusion of technical precision and smooth flow. In an era where virality often overshadows craft and precision, Kilian Roth feels like a compass — pointing BMX to authenticity, creativity, and the deeply personal act of seeing a city not for what it is, but for what it could be. 

For those of us that don’t know you, can you introduce yourself.

My name is Kilian Roth, I’m 29 years old, living in Ravensburg, South Germany. That’s me!

Talk us through your journey in BMX?

When I was a kid, my older brother was really into skateboarding, I would tag along with him to the local skatepark and give it a go but to be honest I really sucked at it. I was terrible. At the same time I was fascinated by some of the guys riding BMX there so one day I went home, told my parents about it and on my 11th birthday, I received a BMX bike. At first, I was mostly into park riding, but over time, I shifted more towards street riding.

I think around 2011, a good friend from my hometown knew a guy who was shooting photos for magazines back then. He told him, “Hey, there’s this young kid in my town — might be worth taking some photos with him.” So one day we all drove to Stuttgart to shoot — everything went super well and one of the photos ended up as a double-pager in the Freedombmx magazine. That was pretty surreal for me as a 15-year-old kid. And I think that’s really where it all started. And it’s crazy to think that I was wearing a shirt with a massive CULT logo on it, and a few years later I ended up riding for that company — and I still do today. Pretty crazy how small moments can end up changing your whole life.

To be honest it’s all been a surreal blur. I’m lucky to live this life. 
 

 Average day in your hometown?

It took me a while to learn to take care of myself, but I’ve really put an emphasis on that as the years go on – I’m not the youngest anymore. I like to start the day waking up early, do some stretching, go for a run in the forest. Then I’ll come home for a proper breakfast, porridge with good fruits and nuts is the key… After that it depends if it’s a work day or not, either work for a few hours or handle some random tasks. After lunch, I’ll go ride – either street for a few hours or the local skatepark or hop in the car to try and check out new spots. Weekends are dedicated to filming missions and going a little further afield.

Describe your local scene.

It’s pretty small, in terms of a city we’re nowhere near the size of Berlin or Cologne for example but for a city of our size, it’s pretty good, it keeps getting better every year – there’s always someone new showing up to the local park which is nice to see more people motivated to ride.

Where do you like to ride at home?

Both street and park I would say, but people that know me know there’s one specific rail I like to ride at – it’s a perfect flat bar, about twelve metres long, slightly curved in a quiet area. It’s just the perfect spot to try new things or just switch off and zone in for a couple of hours. It’s never a bad day riding there.

And favourite places outside of Germany or on trips?

I live really close to Switzerland and recently we have been doing a lot of weekend trips there. The architecture and raw concrete make it amazing for spots, even tiny towns in the middle of nowhere you can find perfect set ups – Switzerland definitely ranks pretty high on my list. London as well is great, I’ve been there quite a few times to film – it’s always a good time and the amount of good spots there is unreal.

Any favourite trips?

Japan, big shout out to Bruno for inviting me on that one. We went there a few years ago and I would take any chance to go back there again. 

What have you been working on recently?

Most of the major video projects I’ve worked on over the past few years just got released. Between a couple of trip edits and a frame promo for Cult, my main focus was the “QUANTUM” part. And as the saying goes, once one video is done, the next one begins. So I’ve been keeping myself busy and filming as much as possible for whatever comes next.

What have been some of the projects you have been involved in over the past few years that you have been the most proud of?

Probably the most proud I’ve been is the “QUANTUM” video – a lot of work, time and effort went into it and I’m super stoked as how it turned out. A big thank you once again to Rich Forne for all the time and work he put into this project – it would never have been possible without him. When we started filming for it, we had no idea where it would lead. There was no company behind it, which on one hand was nice because there were no deadlines or anything, but on the other hand it made organizing trips a lot harder. Rich made it possible for me to tag along on a few trips for other brands as a photographer, which in turn gave me the opportunity to film some clips with him. The whole thing felt more like a self-funded project. So I’m even more stoked that it found its place and ended up being released through Vans. Thanks to Alex Valentino for making it happen.

Another project I definitely don’t want to forget is the Endless – ZONES video! I’m super stoked to be part of it. Being in the mix with all these amazing riders feels surreal! Big shoutout to Eisa & Tonash at this point!

Any specific crews you ride with?

No specific crews really, but I like to go on trips with one of my homies Marius as he has a similar riding style I would say. And he’s always down to explore for new spots. He’s left foot forward and I’m right foot forward so it’s a good mix as he prefers certain spots and I prefer others. It’s good to go on trips with him and push myself.

How important to you is the relationship between the rider and the filmer, like with you and Rich?

Rich has such an amazing vision, he’s easy to work with and knows exactly how to make it look good. He’s really quick as well, he’s always ready. That makes a massive difference for the rider, in my opinion. It’s everything.

Your style of riding has transitioned more into big setups recently  - when and why did the switch happen?

To be honest, I don’t really know how that happened… A few years ago, I used to ride a bit more technically than I do now – especially when filming for a video part. I guess that’s simply my way of evolving. 
 

You are renowned for your spot selection, how do you approach that?

For me, it’s more about finding the perfect spot rather than trying the perfect trick on a spot. The spot dictates the trick for me.

How do you feel about the BMX scene in Germany?

The German scene feels really strong right now, there are tons of events happening every year. Sometimes, It feels bigger than ever. There’s a lot of talented newcomers and crews popping up all over the place, it’s really cool.

What and who inspires you in BMX?

Riding itself. I really appreciate the creativity and the freedom to express yourself in BMX. There’s too many individuals to name, everyone has their own unique style – I respect and get inspired by anyone that pushes their limits and has their own style.

And outside of riding? What gets you fired up? What are your interests?

I grew up close to the Alps and still live in that region so I have always been really into mountain sports and activities. I’m a big fan of snowboarding, especially street snowboarding and seeing the spots they ride is really intense, the set ups are incredible and I feel has a lot of crossover with BMX – it gets me fired up to ride. Benny Urban is a name I really looked up-to when I was younger, I met him the other week on a trip to Innsbruck - that was really cool.

Outside of that, I’ve really gotten into photography over the past few years. I was even lucky enough to join a few trips to shoot – like the Vans Unfiltered Trip to South Africa or a few of the European trips for “FREAK”, but I still see it more as a Hobby. I also think it’s a nice balance to riding and something that combines really well with it. Every now and then, I use analogue cameras, but I mostly shoot digital. I always enjoy seeing great riding photos or magazines - not just BMX, skateboarding as well.

Favourite Vans shoe to Ride in?

100% Slips Ons. Always. Black with white sole.

Any last words? A message for the internet? A message to your former self?

Thanks to my family, friends and sponsors. Always stay true to yourself, chase what you really want and never let anyone tell you it’s not possible. It’s all possible.