Brits using drone technology to get faster

27 05 2015

Well, it looks like drones aren’t just for filming freestyle edits anymore.

Great Britain’s BMX Racing Team is using technology — usually seen in drone aircraft — to give them an edge going into the Rio Olympic Games.

According to bbc.com,

The technology, first developed for unmanned aircraft, uses a camera and sensor system to monitor speed and trajectory of a rider from the moment they exit the start gate and travel across jumps through a course.

The game-changer in all this is capturing an element of a race that couldn’t be measured previously.

liam-phillips

According to Liam Phillips (in the same bbc.com article),

It measures speed across a jump which has been impossible until now.

In a sport where victory can be measured in seconds (or 100ths of a second) this could definitely make a difference in terms of training and race prep.

Kinda cool from a techie/nerdy perspective.

I wonder if other countries will “jump on” (sorry, couldn’t help it) similar techie training techniques.


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Categories : New products, New School, Racing

Friday frivolity: racing to the supermarket

22 05 2015

It’s always cool to see BMX racing get some mainstream attention.

Well, most of the time anyway.

This time it’s a bit of a head-scratcher.

I came across this interesting commercial for Japan’s SoftBank recently and thought I’d post it up.

It features SE racer/model, Miki libata as a “BMX Mom” who is pitted against an “MTB Mom” to get to the supermarket to get a deal advertised in a flyer.

MTB Mom vs BMX MomA pretty random race through the city quickly ensues.

Check it out.


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Categories : goofiness, Racing, shenanigans

Gary Turner releasing line of 26″ frames

20 05 2015

The man responsible for building one of the most well-known brands in BMX, GT Bicycles, is returning to bike biz (as Gary Turner BMX) with a limited run of vintage-style 26″ cruisers.

Each frame set will be chrome plated with “old style” Gary Turner BMX chrome stickers. Price for frame, fork and handlebar will be $800 (US) and the run will be limited to only 100 frames.

Here’s a “spy shot” from the Gary Turner Facebook page.

gary turner frame shot

Plans are also in the works for 24″ and 20″ frame sets at a later date.

Pretty cool to see one of the icons of the sport returning to the industry he helped create.

Here’s a lookback at an ad with Gary in his heyday.

gary turner gtThe Gary Turner online store, www.garyturnerbmx.com, will be taking orders for the 26″ cruiser sets on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 8am PST.

And if you’re in Corona California on August 9, swing by Pole Position Raceway. Gary will be hosting a vintage bike show and launch party for the new frames. A 26″ Limited Edition frame set will be given away as a “best in show prize” at the event.


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Behold…the non-race race jersey

13 05 2015

Here’s an interesting development.

Freestyle-oriented companies producing BMX racing jerseys!

Sure, back in the 90s a number of dirt jumpers (e.g., Shaun Butler) could be seen sporting race jerseys but that trend seems to have fallen away in the modern era.

shaun butler ride coverHowever, things might be trending back that way…if a couple of recent product offerings are any indication.

The first notable instance of this was the limited run of Empire BMX race jerseys. These babies sold out quickly and (from what I understand) there are plans to make more.

And now more recently, the Shadow Conspiracy Contender jersey.

A jersey “inspired by BMX racing” but with enough “street-wise styling” to not scare off the street riders.

I, for one, am digging the look of these jerseys and hope that this type of thing continues.

Yet it still makes me wonder…who’s going to be next to jump on this bandwagon?


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Lairdframe’s eye-catching 24″ frame

7 05 2015

Lairdframe has been building its reputation on building quality, custom one-off frames.

To this point, most of these custom frames I have seen have been 20″ in size. It’s to be expected, given that’s the biggest market.

I’ve always been stoked on how they look and the build quality.

With that being said, I was pretty stoked to spot this custom 24-inch(!) Lairdframe build over on BMXMuseum.

Lairdframe Eye of Providence 24Definitely a new school build, this bike is certainly an eye-catcher.

Peep the specs:

  • Headtube angle: 74.5 degrees
  • Seattube angle: 71 degrees
  • Toptube length: 21.75″
  • Chain stay 14.375″
  • Bottom bracket height: 13.625″
  • Stand over height: 9.375″

All I can say is, “Wow!”

I sure hope we’ll see more 24″ custom frames like this from Lairdframe.

For the rest of the deets (and more pictures of the bike), check out the BMXMuseum profile .

For more on Mike Laird and Lairdframe, have a look at this FatBMX writeup and Lairdframe.com.

 


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School