November | 2015 | cruiser revolution

The champs are here

30 11 2015

Well, the Grands have come and gone.

A record-breaking moto count, an exciting Pro Spectacular, and — be still my heart — an-honest-to-goodness water jump.

A weekend for which dreams were made.

OK, I’m laying it on a little thick.

By now you’ve probably learned who the #1 Pro is (in the Men’s/Women’s and Vet classes).

Let’s talk about who came out on top in the Big Wheel classes.

Jason Carnes, a long-standing figure in the race scene, proved that he still had the chops to earn himself a title…in this case, the #1 Cruiser plate.

An Austin local, he might be more well-known these days for driving the Redline Rig around North America and coaching Flight School clinics, but this title shows the 40-something big guy still has some gas in the proverbial tank.

Olivia Armstrong, is the other Cruiser Champ of the weekend.

After a breakthrough season in 2014, where she earned the #1 Cruiser (Girls) title for the first time, Olivia has continued her winning ways.

This weekend was no different with Olivia going on to win the title again!

Back-to-back titles…if this doesn’t put her comp on notice I don’t know what will.

A tip of the visor to our two champions!

(Pics: BMXNews)

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: #1 cruiser rider, #1 cruiser title, BMX Water Jump, Jason Carnes, Olivia Armstrong, Redline bicycles, USA BMX Grand Nationals, USA BMX Grands
Categories : New School, Racing

Ain’t it Grand(s)?

26 11 2015

You might think, based on my previous post 2 things you must do before the Grands; that this weekend’s big race in Oklahoma isn’t something that I’m that big on.

In one way, that’s kinda true…I think your “biking dollar” could go a lot further with just about any other kind of biking trip.

But on the other hand?

The Grands has been such an important part of BMX…for so long…that’s it’s hard not to be at least kinda into it.

Beyond the obvious attention-grabbing classes…the Pros and the older am classes…what I’m really interested in in seeing (via video) is the “older” Cruiser classes.

As most of you know, if you’re racking up in something like 41-45 Cruiser…you’re in the jungle baby…and there’s a real chance you’re gonna die*…if you’re not at the top of your game and laying down some serious horsepower.

(And speaking of “in the jungle”…apparently there’s a water jump this year!)

So a tip of the visor to all those riders competing this weekend.

Good luck and good gates!

*not really dying, obviously.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: BMX Cruiser, BMX cruiser racing, BMX Water Jump, USA BMX Grand Nationals, USA BMX Grands, You're in the jungle
Categories : New School, Racing

2 things you must do before the Grands

19 11 2015

Here we are.

A week before the USA BMX Grand Nationals.

There’s already been the obligatory top ten list of things to do before the Grands article on another media outlet.

Videos popping up to get people hyped.

So…what are (in my opinion) the top 2 things to do before you attend the Grands?

Reconsider
Head to Cleveland and ride Rays MTB* instead.

Don’t get me wrong…I’m as big a fan of BMX racing as the next guy.

But when you start to run the numbers a bit, the “bang for buck”, or more appropriately “bang per lap” does not add up.

Budgeting…what is it now?…$50 per class? You’re paying a pretty hefty premium for your less than handful of laps around the track.

Compare that with riding at a bike park like Rays*…you can ride all freaking day for under $30. Your energy will run out before your time will.

What’s that you say?

It’s about “the experience” you say.

Hmm….so you’re traveling to the Grands to see some BMX stars?

Well, friends any number of BMX stars make their way down to the bike parks…you just never know who’s going to be there. That’s not to mention the local rippers and riders that regularly make the roadtrip to shred.

Want to score some good deals on bike parts? If the selection of bike parts on the display at the bike park doesn’t satisfy you…why not order some Black Friday deals from Dans or Empire back to your hotel room? C’mon now.

Speaking of which…riding at Rays helps you score a 1/2 price room at couple of hotels in Cleveland (other bike parks have similar deals). Haven’t seen a listing on BMXHotels.com that’s as economical as that.

And the Saturday night Pro Championship?

Well, I guess you might miss out on that.

But since you’re in Cleveland, that means you can make your way out to a Cavaliars game…and while he may not have Sam W‘s winning smile, LeBron definitely knows how to get some airtime.

In the end, it’s up to you.

This is just my modest proposal.

Save some bucks and have more time/fun on your bike?

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

*Yes, there other great bike parks in other cities (check out this post for a list of most of them) …I chose Rays for simplicity’s sake)

Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: Black Friday, Cleveland Cavaliars, LeBron, Ray's MTB, Sam Willoughby, USA BMX Grand Nationals, USA BMX Grands
Categories : Racing, Tomfoolery

Macneil just wants to cruise

17 11 2015

Even though we’ve already documented that 26″ cruisers were having a moment…and their moment in the sun seemed to have some legs…it was a bit of surprise to see that Macneil Bikes had — in a pretty low-key way — reintroduced a 26″ cruiser into their lineup.

Bike nerds (like myself ) might remember that none other than BMX legend Jay Miron used to rock a version of this before he decided to hang up his riding shoes and 540 tailwhips.

To make matters further intriguing, Macneil not only re-introduced their 26″ cruiser but they’ve also brought a 29″ to market as well. Hey now!

Based on their promo vid, I wouldn’t say they had hard-core shredding in mind with this cruiser but it’s worth noting that it does feature a full cro-mo frame, fork and bars…so it will definitely handle some abuse.

A nice choice for some mellow cruising and curb hopping.

(Click on over to the Macneil site for full specs on the 26″ and 29″ cruisers.)

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Tags: 26 inch BMX cruiser, Jay Miron, Macneil cruiser
Categories : New products, New School

Tailwhipping while shaving, in zero gravity

12 11 2015

Every so often you’ll see BMX show up in a mainstream commercial.

Often it’s a fleeting image or sequence but it still catches your attention…often with a thought to yourself, “Hey, that’s cool…”

Other times, the use of BMX in the ad leaves you scratching your head.

You might remember that ad that featured SE racer Miki libata as a “BMX Mom” racing to the supermarket.

That was a bit random.

Well, I think this new commercial from Philips might fall into that camp.

Check out freestyler Kotaro Tanaka attempting to shave while freestyling (…the one-handed tailwhip was a nice touch) in a zero-gravity plane.

What?!

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Tags: BMX commercials, Kotaro Tanaka, Miki libata, Philips
Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, New School

Well, look who’s 7…

10 11 2015

This week we hit the 7-year mark for this little blog about big-wheeled bikes.

There’s been so many good memories, conversations and friendships that have come out of this website.

I can’t thank everyone enough for all the support over last seven years.

The time has really flown by…but I have to say, I’m really enjoying the ride.

Cheers everybody!

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: 7-year anniversay
Categories : Uncategorized

26″ Skyway T/A is alright for wheelies

6 11 2015

News and “sneak peek” shots of the 26″ Skyway T/A continue to show up on the various social media feeds.

Here’s a nice shot of it that I spotted earlier today (on Ed Ferri’s feed, I believe).

We’ve also got word on what the geometry is (at least for now, in the prototype stages).

At the moment, we’re looking at the following:

Top tube: 22.69″
Head angle: 71.5°
Seat angle: 70.5°
Chain stay: 17″
Bottom bracket: 11.72″

According to this video (that also just got posted in the last day or so), this geo gives it a “race-y” feel…and also apparently, makes it quite easy to wheelie.