BMX in the polar vortex

23 01 2014

If you’re not in one of the sunshine states right now, you’re probably dealing with the record low temps of this unbelievably cold winter.

It’s what weather forecaster types call the polar vortex.

It’s enough to drive a BMX enthusiast crazy.

Sure, there are a few options to cope.

If you’re near an indoor bike park, you’re just a short drive a way from your much needed riding fix. This is probably the best of the cold weather options…if you live in the right area.

Another option is finding an enclosed parking garage..this limits the type of riding you can do…think flatland, sprints, maybe some low-key street…but it’s still riding, right?

Or maybe it’s time to look old man winter in the eye and say to hell with it…suit up in some cold weather gear and pop some wheelies in the snow! Like rrdblocks does in this pic that originally ran on the SE Bikes FB page.  Sometimes you have to take a stand.

snow wheelie


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New School, Old School, Tomfoolery

Send me an angel? New movie gets Rad

3 01 2014

It’s perhaps one of the oddest pop-cultural references to the movie RAD in recent memory.

In a new movie called Coffee Town (out now on pay-per-view)  a character  experiments with a recreational pharmaceutical and finds himself in a place “where love can only be expressed by BMX freestyle”…that is, the dance scene from the movie RAD. You know, the one that embedded the song Send me an angel into your memory banks like every BMX kid that came of age in the 80s.

Truly weird and cool at the same time.

Bonus info: Gabe Weed did the “stunt work” for this clip.

Rad dance scene redux


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, goofiness, Old School, Rad, Tomfoolery

TwoFourFlat 5: ya better sit down for this

25 11 2013

TwoFourFlat 5 dropped over the weekend, and even though it’s been almost a year since #4, it has definitely been worth the wait!

The TwoFourFlat videos, perennial favorites around here, are produced by Joe Cicman and Danny Sirkin  and showcase super dialed flatland riding on 24″ (and sometimes bigger) wheeled bikes.

danny sarkin twofourflat5

This time they’re rolling on Sunday Wave-Cs and have made what I think is their best video to date. Tightly edited, with awesome flatland riding and a perfect background track to tie it all together, this edit is a definite “must-see”.

And, as a bit of bonus, Joe and Danny round the video off with clips of solid riding by some friends and a good outtakes section as well.

Check it.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New School

TwoFourFlat 5 set to drop soon

18 11 2013

Flatland fiends rejoice!

Joe Cicman sent a note about a week ago with news that another installment of the video series, TwoFourFlat was being filmed and would be released very soon.

TwoFourFlat Joe Cicman

Joe  teams up with Danny Sirkin again in this fifth installment, for what promises to be another must-see video.

Looking forward to this!

(Check out the trailer below.)


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New School, Tomfoolery

Still alive at five

13 11 2013

Wow, hard to believe that this little blog is still going strong after 5 great years!

So cool to think back to how the cruiser scene (and this site) has developed over the years…whether it’s the new bikes or new cruiser-specific aftermarket parts…the growing numbers of people switching over to big-wheeled BMXs…former riders “getting back on the horse” after following CR for a while…the great (and often funny) comments, discussions and messages…it’s all pretty awesome.

zeronine 5

Thanks for rolling with me for all these years.

Cheers everybody.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, goofiness, New products, New School, Old School, Racing, shenanigans, Skatepark, street, Tomfoolery, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Friday video rewind

11 10 2013

The work week is almost over and it’s time to get in the right frame of mind for the weekend.

I think this Wayne Keller edit (from 2012) is just the ticket.

Chock full of rad riding and a super fun vibe.

What more could you ask for?

Have a good weekend everybody!


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New School, shenanigans, Skatepark

The deets on the Subrosa DTT TTWOFOUR

5 06 2013

By Ed Vandermolen

At long last, the frame that we first learned about from Wayne Keller ,way back in January,  looks to be a reality.

Up until now we had to make do with spy photos and a couple of action shots of Wayne torture testing the frame.

But Subrosa has now decided to let the cat out of the bag and posted pictures and specs on their website of the DTT TTWOFOUR.

Subrosa DTT TTWOFOUR Front view

And while it may have an old school-looking double top tube, it definitely sports modern freestyle geometry.

We’re talking a steep head tube, short rear triangle, long top tube and a high bottom bracket.

Subrosa DTT TTWOFOUR

Here are the highlights:

  • Top Tube: 22″
  • Chain Stay: 14.75″ (14.5″ fully slammed)
  • Head Tube: 75º, CNC machined, drilled for gyro tabs
  • Seat Tube: 71º, internally butted
  • Standover height: 10.5.”
  • BB Height: 13.25″
  • Dropouts: 4mm thick for 14mm axle
  • Low profile, removable brake mounts
  • Integrated seat clamp w/ replaceable nut and bolt
  • Material: 4130 Sanko chromoly, double butted down tube, straight-gauge tapered top tubes and chain stays
  • Weight: 5.6 lbs.
  • Color: black

Subrosa is definitely making a statement with this frame.

No word yet on pricing but if the specs are any indication, I think this frame will be getting a lot of attention.

What do you think?


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Volume Hessian 26: coming this summer

29 05 2013

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).

Volume Hessian 26

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.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New products, New School, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

The secret to a good BMX name? It’s the S

24 04 2013

In an article called The 50 Greatest BMX Logos, which ran in Complex magazine a couple of years ago, Taj Mihelich said,

There is definitely some connection between lightning and BMX. You can find lightning bolts on all kinds of BMX imagery. I think that maybe the very bones of BMX, chromoly steel, can only be created by a direct lightning strike.

This connection is especially true of BMX images from the 80s but still seems to noticeable to a certain extent today.

In a similar fashion, BMX is made up of a disproportionate number of brands that start with the letter “S”.

Maybe it’s due to the sport getting it’s start with kids riding Schwinn Sting Rays but it’s a little crazy how long the list is when you start to think about it.

Superman-Images

Just off the top of my head, there is:

  • SE
  • Skyway
  • S&M
  • Standard
  • Sunday
  • Stolen
  • Supercross
  • Speed
  • Solid
  • Staats
  • Subrosa

Even in my own personal stable, I also see the effects of this trend…I have, over the past couple of years, been on  S&M, Sunday, SE, and Standard bikes.

S&M jersey with lightening bolts

I guess if you’re looking to start a BMX brand some time in the future, stack the odds in your favor with a name that starts with “S”…and maybe throw in some lightning bolts into the logo for good measure.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, goofiness, Racing, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Good times at the Toronto BMX Jam

6 03 2013

It’s been a couple days and I’m still riding the high from another great Toronto BMX Jam.

An annual tradition for me (and many other riders), it’s become amongst other things: a chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, shop for deals on parts (it’s partnered with the Toronto International Bicycle Show) and….oh yeah…check out some awesome riding.

Despite local favorite, Drew Bezanson, being unable to ride due to injury sustained earlier in the week riding Joyride 150, there was still a whole field of riders just killing it all week long (as you can see from the video).

Joe Cicman of TwoFourFlat fame was also in the house riding in the flatland comp (on his 20″). We had a chance to chat briefly and it sounds like the next installment of the TwoFourFlat series is going to be one worth waiting for! Can’t wait.

And even though weather was freezing over the weekend, the Toronto BMX Jam also means that spring is just around the corner and that always seems to be the icing on the cake. The weather forecast is already calling for warmer temps by the end of the week.

Good times.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New products, New School, Skatepark, street

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