24″ BMX on a budget

29 01 2009

I was in my local shop the other day and saw that they were clearing out ’08 DK General Lee 24s  for $200 and change. Not a bad deal when you think about it…for less than the price of a department store bike you can get a pretty decent entry-level trails cruiser…heck, my brother has a $200 seatpost on his mountain bike….this bike is steal when you consider what you’re getting.

dk-general-lee-24-orange-2008

If you’re thinking about making the move to a 24″, on a budget or just looking to invoke the spirit of those fun-loving Duke boys; tracking down one of these bad boys (while they’re still around) might be in your best interests.

And how can I write something about the General Lee without including this?


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Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, New products

Life moves pretty fast…

27 01 2009

…If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Even though I check out the Sunday! Bikes site on a semi-regular basis, this little post slipped by without me noticing till a couple of days ago.

cruiser revolution gets a mention on Sunday! site (Jan. 7th)

cruiser revolution gets a mention on Sunday! site (Jan. 7th)

Cruiser revolution gets a nice little plug at the bottom of the post.  (Thanks Jim!) What’s even better is that it gives me an excuse to run a pic of Jim Bauer putting the Model C through its paces at the DVS warehouse.

bauer-table-at-dvs

Nice flattie! I’m looking forward to seeing more pics like this.

Till next time America…


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Get your race fix on Go211.com

22 01 2009

Snow-bound race fans rejoice! Go211.com is broadcasting live at some big national races this winter…including this weekend’s ABA Sooner Nationals…you can watch live BMX action right on laptop.  Sign in takes about 60 seconds and then you are good to go…and you’ll have something to keep your mind off the snow outside.

Postscript:

I was going to post a vid of George Goodall kicking butt in the 41-45 class in Reno (who would of thought that class would be so competitive!) but it doesn’t seem to want to embed properly.  Anyway, check out go211.com…you won’t be disappointed.


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An army of giants take over the trails

21 01 2009

McGoo, an industry insider from way back in the day, has seen it all..from Martin Aparijo doing infinity rolls to street riders wearing girl jeans to everything in between….his ascerbic answers to dumb reader mail questions were one of the highlights of Ride magazine in its early days. McGoo is now the driving force over at SNAFU and has a pretty good take on things on the industry. I check out the SNAFU blog from time to time and noticed that they have  a little something on the new bike in their “test stable”: the Mirraco Icon 20Forty.

mirraco-icon-20forty

They’ve spec’d it out with all sorts of goodies like the new OLA sprocket and prototype Splitter stem in bronze ano. Squint and you’ll see them in the picture above.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the post is what he leaves till the end:

Mirraco isn’t the only progressive BMX company to offer a 24-inch trail/street bike for older and taller riders: Fit Bike Co., Subrosa and Haro also have two-fours in their quiver, and according to insiders at all these companies, they can’t keep ’em in stock. Does this mean an army of giants might take over the trails in 2009? Who knows. All we know for sure is this: 24-inch BMX bikes are fun to ride, and that’s good enough for us.

The italics are mine but I can’t help but share the sentiment… 2009 is going to be a big year for cruisers…there are just so many good options available now.  Older, taller riders (as well as everyone else) are starting to see how much fun they are to ride and are jumping on the bandwagon. Is an army of giants going to take over the trails in 2009? There very well might be…that is, when they are not taking over the streets, racetracks and skateparks.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Trails

Dude, it’s cold outside…

14 01 2009

Another day of the winter deep freeze, and I’m getting cabin fever…I’m looking at my bike leaning up against the wall and just wishing  I could just go out  and jump curbs or something.

In the meantime, here’s a little Volume Sledgehammer trailer that I stumbled across on YouTube that reminds me of better (I mean warmer) times:


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Categories : goofiness, New School

Wheel in the sky keeps on turning

9 01 2009

“Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin

I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow…”

-Journey

Flying is hassle enough these days and the airlines aren’t doing much to make it easier…especially when it comes to getting your bike around…United Airlines is charging $175 each way to take your bike on the plane. If you have golf clubs, skis, or any other number of cumbersome sports stuff around apparently you are welcomed aboard with open arms and a high five (well…at least no fee).

I remember back in the Go magazine days, Chris Moeller wrote something that said  if S&M ever made a flight bag he would label it S&M Camping Equipment to avoid paying a fee.  DK seems to have ran with that idea and come out with the DK Golf Bag.

dkgolfbag2

DK claims the DK Golf 4130 Flight Series (great name) will hold up to a 24″ cruiser.

Over on Vintage BMX, there’s an ongoing discussion on traveling with your bike, focusing mostly on the merits of the Ogio Monster Bag.  Lots of people on the thread seem to be singing its praises. I guess the proof is in the pudding when you see pics posted like this:

agio clayborn cruiser to go

That’s a Clayborn Pro Cruiser in there, ready for takeoff.

The thread also covers other options like hockey bags and carrying the wheels separate too. Other important tips are to use the skycaps (remembering to tip well) and dressing up a bit when you travel…this last piece of advice is mentioned repeatedly, so apparently it does help.

Dude, I can’t believe I just used Journey lyrics in this blog.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, Racing

Easy like sunday morning

6 01 2009

Sunday bikes just posted a pic the other day of some samples of the much anticipated Model-C frame.

modelcdsamples

Production colors are olive green and silver. Specs are as follows:

  • top tube length: 21.25″ and 21.75″
  • chain stay length 15″
  • head tube angle 75 degrees
  • seat tube angle 71 degreesi
  • bottom bracket height 13.75″

Special 24umph cruiser bars and Morning 24.1 forks will also be available to complement the frame. Release is scheduled for sometime in the spring.

I’m really looking forward to giving one of these frames a spin. According to Jim C. at Sunday these bikes are supposed to ride more like a 20″ and will be a lot more nimble/versatile than a traditional race cruiser.

sunday-cruiser-winter1

I don’t know what it is about this picture that stokes me out so much…is it the cool found terrain? the jaunty toque? Or memories of past mid-winter rides?

Who’s to say? Certainly seems more fun than just riding in a parking garage though.


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Happy new year!

1 01 2009

It’s a new year and a time for quiet reflection…an opportunity to put our differences aside and realize that we’re all in this crazy world together. Whether we’re out street riding or at the race track…it’s important to just chill and enjoy the camaraderie of  other riders.

Kinda like these laidback guys in the 35-39 cruiser class…

or these two crazy kids…

cru-and-lori

It’s 2009…just pretend like you’re in the lumberyard and go balls out!


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Categories : Racing, Rad, Tomfoolery