I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but in the last couple of weeks a number of fashion/glamour pictures of riders have surfaced.
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?
Looking at this picture, I can’t help but wonder if some intern at the local architectural firm mixed up the blueprints for the new church with the ones for the town’s new skatepark.
Seat posts have been getting the shaft in the modern BMX era. In recent years, seat posts have disappeared nearly as fast as brakes on a new school street bike.
But is the tide starting to turn?
Here and there you will see someone rocking their seat posts proudly…still low by old school standards but higher than what’s been the norm (which for a long time has meant slammed).
Perhaps it’s time to take a poll and find out where you (and your seat post) stand on this issue.
In the lead up to the 2012 Olympics, racers, along with the companies and countries they represent, are pulling out all the stops to give themselves the edge going into the big event.
Cruiser Revolution has uncovered some top-secret spy photos of a racer (nationality unknown) using the cloak of invisibility.
Check out this photo taken at a top-secret training facility in remote area somewhere in Nevada. The red bike is clearly being piloted by an invisible man!
Rumors have been circulating in the smoke-filled backrooms of the BMX industry about how long this technology has been in the works.
No one knows for sure.
But this undated photo clearly shows the unnamed rider piloting an early-90s model Haro. It also highlights how far the technology has come–in the present day — as the cloak of invisibility, in this iteration, clearly can’t quite cover the rider’s 100% cotton riding attire.
Where will we “see” the invisible rider next?
Again, no one knows for sure.
But it may be sooner than we think.
Check out this photo that ABC News confirms was taken from their special doppler radar satellite orbiting Chula Vista, California this weekend. Satellite coordinates indicate it was taken just outside the Olympic Training Center.
There’s a thread going on right now over on Vintage BMX discussing the pros and cons on installing rear fenders on race cruisers.
Yes my friends….fenders.
Turns out GHP racer Todd Parry is running a carbon fiber (?!) fender on his race cruiser to avoid “being sucked in between the tire and the seat”.
And while the different sanctioning bodies tend to frown on these kind of things, it appears that track operators are letting the use of fenders slide.
So before we ring in the new year, let’s check out the top ten things that went down in 2011.
10. Sunday and S&M kicked off the year by introducing two of the most of the popular frames out there right now: the Sunday Wave-C and S&M 24″ Dirt Bike.
9. This was quickly followed by news that a lot of people had been waiting for: 24″ forks with front brake mounts. S&M was first to market with their 24 “Pitchforks with 990 mounts which was quickly followed by Sunday’s 24″ forks with 990 mounts (although they were testing prototypes much earlier).
8. Some great 24″ flatland vids surfaced almost immediately after from Joe Cicman and Danny Sirkin. (Could this be related somehow to #9?) Heck, even flatland legend Bobby Fisher surfaced a few months later riding flatland on a Sunday Model-C.
6. “Older” guys continued to make their presence felt in BMX on their 24″ bikes. From the older cruiser classes in racing to a skatepark rider proving that age is just a number it’s great to see that there is no age cut-off for having fun!
4. Mongoose, Stolen and InDust introduced new 24s to the scene. Great to see companies responding to the demand for bigger wheeled BMXs.
3. Cruiser Revolution celebrated its 3-year anniversary this year. A great milestone and a testament to the great cruiser community that is continuing to grow.
2. The 4130 rides. I was lucky enough to participate in the 4130 Sin Series ride in Las Vegas back in September and it was one of the best times I have ever had on my bike. Bombing the streets with a couple hundred of your fellow BMXers is something everyone has to do at least once.
1. Having a good time on your bike. Sure, it’s fun to debate the pros and cons of how tall your handlebars are, talk about the latest parts and comment on the latest video edit but when it comes right down to it, when you’re out there riding none of that really matters. Whether its with your bros, your kids or just by yourself, you can leave your worries behind and let the good times roll as soon as you step on those pedals.
For many of us this means having a beer or two with some good friends.
But what happens when you reach for a cold one and realize that you can’t find the bottle opener? (And you’re drinking the good stuff without the twist-off caps..)
And racers aren’t being shy about jumping on the fashion bandwagon either.
