Peter Ulbrich spent some time out at the BMX track…but he wasn’t practicing gate starts and doing sprints.
He had a different type of riding in mind.
Then to keep things interesting, he goes for it without a chain.
The “Send me an Angel” soundtrack is a nice touch too. (Thanks to Cale Avery Schindler for the heads up on these.)
Ever since my Walnut Creek session aboard Buddy Sardenga’s old Volume Sledgehammer, I’ve been thinking about 26″ cruisers.
Following that session, I noticed Stephen Browning mentioned something about the new Volume Hessian 26 on the CR Facebook page, and my interest was piqued.
What does Volume have planned?
Word on the street is that Volume is retiring the much beloved Sledgehammer from its lineup and replacing it with the Hessian 26 (some time this summer).
No details yet on specs but it’s said to be similar in handling to the Sledgehammer but at a lower price point. The Volume site does say that it has “a shorter and wider rear end, allowing room for the fat 2.3” street tires”, so that’s a good sign.
In terms of parts, Volume has indicated that aftermarket parts, such as the Volume Staple top load stem, Demolition Trooper Nylon pedals, and the Odyssey Springfield brake system are all standard but has been tight-lipped about the rest of the parts assortment.
With big-wheel aficionados, like Trent Brocker, Buddy Sardenga and the TwoFourFlat crew of Joe Cicman and Danny Sirkin, all riding a 26″ Volume recently (and tearing things up in their own unique way on it) you know that this Volume will probably be a bike worth checking out.
I, for one, will be keeping my eyes peeled for its release.
By Ed Vandermolen
The Emer Swift is a bit of a departure from typical cruisers in that it has one of the shortest chain stay lengths available in a 24″.
Clocking in at tight 13.75″, I don’t think I have seen chain stays this short since the photos of the Greg Melms-designed frame that were floating around the internet in 2009.
The rest of the specs are:
If you’re into manuals this may be just the ticket.
To see it in action, check out this video of the Emer Swift cruiser getting a workout by Brixton Billy, Chico Hooke and Will Herman.
For more details on London-based Emer BMX company, visit their website, www.emerbmx.com
A while back we featured a picture of Jim Cielencki riding this tricky feature in House Park (in Austin). It was a pic that was originally posted on the Sunday Bikes site. In that post, we said that:
you have to take off early and pull out far enough to clear the bars. And just to keep things interesting, it narrows at the top and goes over-vert!
It all the makings of a rad shot and for that it certainly delivered.
To give you a better understanding of how truly rad this shot is, I took a pic of this feature from an another angle during my trip to Austin last week.
Looking at it from this angle, just makes it seem even sicker! Talk about a tight setup.
After hearing so many good things about Austin, Texas I finally made a trip out there to check it out for myself.
I was a little worried that my expectations were too high but it turns out that Austin really is a great place if you’re into BMX…and cruisers in particular.
Actually, Austin is a great place if you’re into bikes of any kind.
Unlike a lot of cities, Austin seems to go out of its way to promote bicycling. People bike everywhere and bike racks are plentiful….I don’t think I have ever seen bike racks set up in front of a bar before but in Austin that’s commonplace.
But as a BMXer, I was kinda blown away by how much BMX is part of the everyday fabric there.
Walking by a women’s clothing store downtown there was an immaculate old school Skyway T/A just sitting in the window as part of the display.
Go down to the 6th st., a bar and restaurant area, and you’ll see tricked-out 24s, like this Liquid, just locked up outside the restaurants.
Heck, you’ll even see cruisers hanging from the ceiling in some bars. Check this out:
Hop on one of the city buses and you’re likely to see a cruiser sitting on the bike rack.
And you would you believe that a local brewer has come out with a cruiser-themed beer? Yes, it’s true. In Austin you can pick up a Firemans 4.
A beer that was made to honor Austin’s own, Firemans Texas Cruiser bikes.
Add in great places to ride, like the 9th street trails…
…and Walnut Creek
and pair that with friendly, laid-back locals, it’s hard to go wrong.
Buddy (pictured above), not only shredded everything in sight at Walnut Creek but was also kind enough to let me borrow a bike and drive me out to the trails. Thanks man!
(I wish I could’ve captured a better shot of his riding but rest assured Buddy was taking care of business at Walnut Creek.)
If that weren’t enough, Austin’s live music scene is off the charts, not only is Austin home to multiple music festivals, but it’s also home to a record number of live music venues. Just walking around town you’re bound to find a musician or band that blows you away….it happened to me more than once on this trip.
And the food!
Austin is well-known for its food trucks, BBQ, tacos (which you can eat for every meal of the day)…you name it…you will find something that strikes your fancy here.
Do I need to say more?
Frankly, I’m just trying to figure out when I can go back.
Last year, Chris Ehlbeck sent in a photo of his Rasta Model-C.
It was a pretty rad bike back then, but Chris has made some updates to make his Rasta-inspired Sunday Model-C even cooler!
Check it out.
Here’s the parts breakdown:
Special mods: Chris designed the Rasta C decals and had them made by a local business.
By the time you read this, I’ll probably be somewhere between San Antonio and Austin, Texas (Have to see the Alamo after all).
I’m spending a week in Austin for a little R&R and to see the sights.
So if you happen across a guy (that resembles the dude in the photo below) asking for directions to 9th street, House Park or Empire BMX…that’s probably me.
If you have the inside line on some good BBQ, a good band playing or whatever…help a brother out and let me know in the comments below.
Any Austin recommendations are welcome.
S&M Bikes have been dropping hints recently about their latest prototypes: 22 and 24 inch versions of the popular ATF frame.
There’s some talk that the 22″ version may have a slacker head angle than the current 22″ Holmes frame and a longer top tube to make it more of a trails-y style frame.
No word yet on the specs of the 24″ model but I’m very interesting to see how it compares to the 24″ Dirt Bike.
Here’s a pic of the 22″ ATF prototype all built up:
Looking forward to hearing more about these two frames (especially the 24)!
In a city with a mayor that is infamous for his anti-cycling stance, is it any wonder that some Toronto bicycle riders would start to feel like outlaws?
It’s been said that if biking were outlawed only outlaws would ride.
What’s a cyclist to do in this type of environment?
Well, a group of bike-loving Toronto girls have joined together and started a gang.
There’s nothing more outlaw than a gang, right?
But this is no ordinary gang.
This gang uses its notoriety and snazzy matching jackets to promote the group’s…uh…I mean gang’s artistic endeavors, which more often than not, have a biking-influenced flavor to them.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Deadly Nightshades.
cruiser revolution 