It’s a great read. Jim talks about Sunday Bikes, moves he’s pioneered, his influences, past trips and even a little bit on 24″ riding.

In the interview, Jim says,

“I’ve always been into riding tight set ups and trying to ride the 24″ in tight set ups is even better. “ 

You don’t need any more evidence than the  pic above, with a perfectly executed fufanu on a super tight quarter.

But that’s not to say that Jim doesn’t also like to go big.

Check out this big bank to wall ride (also from the interview).

For the full interview, check out  Ride BMX.

(All pictures above by Andrew Brady, Ride BMX)

Taking advantage of it’s dirt-oriented geometry, Buddy is having a blast putting his new Liquid build through its paces at the many dirt spots Austin has to offer.

Check out this shot by his friend Octavio at “The Nut”.

Radness.

And while it will probably never be an Oprah Book Club Selection, I think this a book that you’ll still want to check out.

Tracking the evolution of BMX bikes from the 70s to the modern day, it’s cool reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of BMX technology, and also how in many ways, we have stayed more or less true to the original designs from back in the day.

There are also cool one-off bikes, like Woody Itson’s gold-plated Hutch Trick Star.

And in the “modern era”, some of Jim Bauer’s cool custom projects.

24″ BMX gets some love too.

Whether it’s an OG Patterson cruiser, a 2009 S&M 24″ 38 Special or an early SE Floval Flyer…Rad Rides has got that covered too.

Overall, I’m pretty impressed by this book.

Just thumbing through the pages, I find myself constantly stopping and poring over each cool ride.

If you have any roots at all in BMX, you gotta check this book out.

Y’know, it’s been a while since we’ve had some good action shots on the site…

Bobby Parker (from Sunday/Full Factory) comes through with some great pictures from a session at Marble Falls/Cottonwood Shores, Texas.

Check out this sweet one-foot tabe by Bobby…

And this rad shot of his friend Luke airing out (and the spooky looking area around the park)

To see out more pics from this fun looking session, go to the Full Factory Facebook page and look for Marble Falls/Cottonwood Shores session.

However, with this new batch they have switched things up a bit.

The frames now feature the O.G. Lowrider decal set (like the old 20″ Dirt Bikes sported for a time) and are available in black and green.

They look badass.

It’s hard to imagine a more iconic BMX grip from back in the day.

Back before Oakley made a name for itself with its high-end sunglasses, goggles and “lifestyle” gear, the company was known primarily for making motocross and BMX grips.

And one of it’s most popular grips of the era (in the 80s) was the Oakley B1-B grip.

Sought after by old school collectors, they’re now going for top dollar (especially if they’re in mint condition).

You would think that with such a following, Oakley would consider getting back into the grip game. If only for them to cash in on some of the nostalgia for old school BMX these days.

In fact, there’s even been petitions to bring back the  B-1B and other Oakley grips of that era.

But Oakley so far has resisted calls to dive back into making grips.

Granted they have offered limited runs of the Oakley B-1B in recent years…however, unless you were an industry insider or had an “in” you were out of luck.

As fan of the B1-B that always kinda bummed me out.

Imagine my surprise then, when flipping through Dirt magazine, that I see a Charge Bikes ad that included a grip that looked remarkably similar to the B-1B, the Charge Bikes Griddle Grip.

The grips feature small cutout shield logos molded in thin krayton and bonded to lightweight contrasting plastic core.  According to UK-based Charge Bikes, this is supposed to offer, “great texture and feel in all conditions, feeling soft and comfortable with or without gloves”.

Sounds pretty good to me.

And even though I haven’t tried them yet, I’m kinda ready to give them a go based on looks alone.

As an added bonus, while the B-1B grips had soft ends that tended to rip fairly quickly…the Griddle grips have color-matched  low profile plastic end caps to keep things looking good, even after you drop your bike.

This grip may be the answer to my jonesing for that old school B-1B grip feel.

Now all I have to do is track down a place that sells them.

Without a doubt, there was some controversy over whether or not this was a good idea.

Well, love it or hate it…it looks like DK Bicycles is continuing to build on its relationship with Walmart.

On a roadtrip to Ray’s MTB a week ago, we stopped in at a Walmart and I was shocked to stumble on to this…an aisle endcap stocked with DK parts and accessories.

While clearly not super high-end, I was pleasantly surprised that what was on offer was, for the most part, okay-quality (especially in light of what’s usually available at mass-market stores).

It actually kind of blows my mind a bit that you can now walk into a Walmart (in the U.S.) and pick up a DK Random Wrench.

Who would have thunk it?

Good geometry, components and price make for one attractive package and the Saint is starting to get some buzz going because of it.

To build on that buzz and to highlight  how well it rides, Stolen got  their team riders, Sean Morr and JJ Anderwald to cruise around Venice Beach and throw down a few tricks.

Looks like the Saint is ready to go whether you’re riding street or skatepark.

Check it.

Sure, BMX has always been a bit trend-driven. From Swatch watches and neon colors in the 80s to the flannel shirt and beanies of street riders today…BMXers have always had a look.

That being said, I never thought I would see the day that a freestyler, like Matthias Dandois ,would have a full-blown fashion spread in GQ magazine rocking, amongst other things, $2500 suits!

Well that day has come, as you can see by this picture.

And racers aren’t being shy about jumping on the fashion bandwagon either.

Check out this picture of Elite Women’s racer, Miki Iibata posing in decidedly non race apparel (I’m pretty sure those heels aren’t compatible with her clipless pedals!)

Miki Ibata

I’m wondering, is this part of a broader trend?

Are BMXers now considered..<cough, cough>…fashionable?

For instance, their 3-position adjustable rear dropouts.

A quick adjustment on the dropouts and you can make a significant change to how your bike handles.

According to the Gunslinger website, each frame

feature[s] 3 position adjustable rear dropouts, that allow you to tune the frame head angle and bottom bracket height to match your riding style.

Making a change to how your bike handles takes essentially no time at all. This simple adjustment in the dropout alters both the bottom bracket height and head angle.

Want a slower head angle for more stability in the turns? No problem. Want a more responsive ride? Just raise the bottom bracket slightly.

Definitely some innovative thinking on Gunslinger’s part and something well worth checking out if you take racing seriously.

You can find out more by checking out the Gunslinger Bicycles site or MyBikeStand.com (the latter has a great review on their site…and it’s where I borrowed this picture from).