Stumbled across this video the other day and just had to post it.
Not only is it the first time that I’ve seen the Felt Brink in action, but Jay Ruff Sr has managed to combine two of my favorite things in one video: skatepark shredding and music from the RAD soundtrack.
Well done.
If you were on the Cruiser Revolution Facebook page over the Christmas holidays, you’re already in the loop on this.
If you weren’t, let me give you the scoop.
Back in 1982, Skyway came out with the T/A frame. T/A stood for “Totally Aerodynamic” and featured teardrop-shaped tubing that made it an instant classic.
It was widely available as a 20″ and Skyway was said to have produced thousands over the years that it was available.
However, despite the 20′s popularity, Skyway decided to only produce a 24″ version in limited quantities. You pretty much had to be a factory rider like Richie “The Avalanche” Anderson to get a hold of one of these puppies.
This kind of exclusivity has made them a much sought-after item for collectors. You either had to be extremely lucky or have deep pockets to get a hold of one of the 24″ Skyway T/As. (Being as hot as Eva Gabrielle didn’t hurt either.)
But now PlanetBMX and Skyway are working together to bring a 24″ Skyway to the masses. It’s going to stay true to the original classic design but have a few modern elements thrown into the mix.
Check out the specs:
I just love the look of these frames…especially the chrome ones. Throw on some black Tuffs and some skinwall tires and you’ve got a serious looking machine on your hands.
Just spotted this rare frame in a thread on BMXmuseum: the Homeless Fatty 24.
That’s right….Homeless Bikes made a 24.
Word has it that this frame, featured in a Ride BMX ad in August 1995, is one of the (only) three manufactured. (That’s it leaning against the car.)
Talk about a once in a lifetime find.
For more on this frame, check out the thread on BMXmuseum.
Wow, it seems like 2011 flew by.
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.
7. Low-rise traditional handlebars for cruisers dying off. The tall handlebar trend is firmly established in the freestyle end of 24″ bmx but it looks like it starting to take hold in racing too. MattyJo Shelley (of BMXActionOnline) tried it out on his race bike in a special guest post and he found taller bars had advantages for racing too.
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!
5. DK introduced a line of bikes in Wal-Mart, including a 24″ version of the General Lee. Is this good or bad for BMX? The jury is still out.
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.
Happy New Year!
If you’re new to dirt jumping or your skills are just a little rusty, Jon Faure has some pointers for you in his new video, “How to ride dirt jumps when you suck.”
Jon is 47-year old rider with great dirt jumping skills that only got into the BMX in his late 30s.
In this video, he not only provides some great dirt jumping tips, he even talks about why he prefers a 24″ bike over hard tail MTBs and 20″ BMX bikes. Definitely worth watching.
Check it out.
I went to a Supercross event a few years back and was impressed with how they started “the show”.
To kick things off they had:
It got me wondering why things like that hadn’t been incorporated into some of the bigger Nationals. Surely the ABA Grand Nationals, billed as the “greatest race on earth”, warrants this kind of treatment.
But year after year, it sames like just a slight variation of what’s gone on before. To be sure, the Grands is still a big deal and exciting to watch–if you’re into racing–but it lacks a certain “wow” factor.
Now compare clips of the Grands (or any other major race lately) to this clip of a recent race in St. Etienne, France.
This race has:
What else?
Stands packed with spectators.
This my friends, is what a National should look like.
(…and if we could add the Monster Energy girls into the mix…well, that couldn’t hurt either.)
I guess with the awesome fall season we had, I shouldn’t complain.
Heck, I was still able to squeeze in one last trails session last Saturday (just days before December!) But the weather has finally turned and gotten colder. It looks like winter’s on its way and the trails are going to have to wait till spring.
Sure, sessions at indoor bike/skateparks will tide us folks in colder climes over till the warm weather hits….but there’s nothing quite like a fun, mellow session with your bros at some local trails, is there?
I dunno. Maybe I’m just starting to feel the effects of withdrawal or Seasonal Effective Disorder.
All I know is this picture of Buddy (that I came across on the ride indust site) made me think about all the fun times at the trails this past year.
That, and it’s just so rad!
As I’ve said before, Free Agent doesn’t get a lot of hype for its freestyle/trails-oriented 24inchers.
Which is a bit of shame really because for around $400 (US) you get a full cro-mo frame, fork and handlebar along with a pretty respectable parts package on the new Free Agent Ratio 24.
Geometry
In terms of geometry, Free Agent has pretty much stuck with what they used in last year’s Devil 24.
That being:
All in all, not too far out from what you would expect on a bike like this (although they could’ve gone a little shorter on the chainstay).
What they could’ve done better
Given that most companies have adopted the new “standard” of a higher bottom bracket height, it’s a bit surprising that Free Agent stuck with the more race-oriented 12″ bottom bracket height for this year’s model.
Furthermore, the stock handlebar is a sub-6inch offering. While I give them points for spec’ing it in full cro-mo, the trend is decidedly taller these days.
Who might be best suited to this bike
Given the more traditional, race-style geometry (and the full cro-mo construction) this might be a great trails bike for the racer who wants to have a strong bike he can thrash on while keeping his race machine in good shape for the track. The ride should be very similar to a race cruiser so switching back and forth would be a cinch.
Or, if you’re a rider that just prefers more traditional 24″ geometry, this bike is a great option for hitting the trails or skatepark. A well-spec’ed full cro-mo bike at this price point is hard to beat.
If you caught the footage from the ABA Grandnationals this past weekend, you no doubt caught AA Pro Denzel Stein‘s scary crash caused by his carbon forks snapping.
Truth be told, I’ve never really been a fan of carbon forks and things like this are not making me any more comfortable.
Die-hard carbon fork fans claim that carbon is stronger than chromoly but you never seem to see this level of catastrophic failure with a steel fork.
And the lightness argument? The gap between a good-quality chromoly race fork and a carbon fork is so small these days it hardly seems worth it from a safety and price perspective (carbon forks are generally the more expensive than other types of forks).
Word on the street is that some how an insert/sleeve to strengthen the steer tube was not installed. That’s all well and good but if this kind of thing gets overlooked on a top pro’s bike…how many average joes are riding similar setups (without the insert/sleeve)? Seriously, it’s not worth the risk.
Ironically up until this year, Denzel was often seen running chromoly S&M forks on his factory Redline whip.
Did he make the switch due to pressure from his sponsor? Or maybe to cash in on co-sponsorship money? I wonder if he’s rethinking his decision and whether it was worth it.
Can you believe it?
Cruiser Revolution hit the three-year mark this month.
Three great years of talking 24″ BMX.
Whether it’s sharing stories of guys getting back into BMX on a 24inch bike, checking out the latest bikes and parts, finding out what other riders are doing or just the random goofiness that pops up here from time to time…it’s great to be on this ride with you.
They say that time flies when you’re having fun and I guess it’s true in this case.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
I really appreciate all the great comments, discussion and general awesomeness from all the great people I’ve gotten to know through this blog.
Cheers to you.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the year ahead.
