Freestyle | cruiser revolution

Live after death: 24s aren’t done yet

2 03 2010

“The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Mark Twain

Despite showing love for the cruiser in recent issues, BMX Plus! seems to have now sounded the death knell for the cruiser in their April 2010 issue in an article called Cruising into Oblivion: The Death of the 24.

It’s actually kind of amusing however when you take a look at this sensationalist article in relation to the rest of the magazine. For instance, Redline has again seen fit to place a two-page ad for a cruiser in the magazine. And this time it is their top-of-the-line Flight Pro 24! I’m going to go out on a limb and say there must be some kind of market for 24s to justify that kind of advertising.

And in their mailbag section, a reader writes in about racing Cruiser for two years, “…One thing led to another, and now I race a 24-inch Haro…”.

Are big ads and actual reader feedback not clear enough signs for Plus! that cruisers are alive and well?

Guys like Danny Caluag, Barry Nobles and George Goodall (who is featured prominently in the Redline ad) are also keeping excitement alive in the National race scene.

And completely ignored by the article is the explosion in popularity of modern trails/park 24s…which I don’t have to convince you of, if you’re a regular visitor to this site.

The death of the 24?

Hardly.

We’re just getting started.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: 24-inch Haro cruiser, Barry Nobles, BMX Plus!, Danny Caluag, George Goodall, Iron Maiden Live after Death, Mark Twain, Redline bicycles, Redline BMX cruiser, Redline Flight Pro 24, trails park 24s
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School, Racing, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

…and now for the complete picture

25 02 2010

It’s here!

Probably the most widely (and wildly) anticipated 24″ complete has hit North America’s shores.

Sunday’s Model-C frame made waves in the 24/cruiser world last year… and now that it’s available as an affordable, well-spec’d complete…well, let’s just say these things are going to go like hotcakes!

Most of the major mail order companies are in stock, so if you’ve been looking at picking one up, here’s your chance. Just don’t wait too long…trust me on that one.

(The Sunday Model-C complete as shown at Interbike.)

Comments : 10 Comments »
Tags: 24" cruiser, Sunday Model-C complete, Sunday Model-C complete bike
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, street, Trails/Jumping

Old school indoor BMX racing in Toronto

22 02 2010

If you were a BMX kid in the 80s you probably remember the old school style of indoor racing with concrete floors, wooden jumps and smooth stadium tires.

Nowadays if you’re lucky enough to have an indoor track to race at, you’re racing in dirt. Vintage BMX actually featured a thread on this topic recently and it seems that a lot of people remember the old school races and are hankering for them again. It certainly brought back memories for me…my first race was an old school indoor race like that.

But those days are long gone, right?

Maybe not!

Turns out Brent Smith, the guy behind the super fun Orangeville race series, does an annual race at the Toronto International Bicycle show. This year the organizers asked if he could do it again but this time without dirt. So Brent reached into his bag of tricks and decided to go way back and kick it old school! Flat turns, concrete floors and wooden jumps…this is going to be a total blast from the past. Clips aren’t going to help you here!

If you’re within driving distance of Toronto (March 5-7) you should make a point of making it out anyway ..not only is there wall-to-wall bicycle vendors but there’s a freestyle contest and flatland contest going on as well.

For more details on the race, check out the Facebook group, Toronto Bike Show MTB and BMX race and jump comps.

Legends Tinker Juarez and Jeff Kosmala tearing up an indoor track back in the day.

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: Brent Smith, Flatland contest, Indoor BMX racing, Jeff Kosmala, old school indoor BMX racing, Orangeville BMX race series, Tinker Juarez, Toronto, Toronto BMX Jam, Toronto International Bicycle Show, Vintage BMX, wooden jumps
Categories : Freestyle, Old School, Racing, Trails/Jumping

I love my bicycle

11 02 2010

…but flatlander Terry Adams takes things to a whole other level.

Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: BMX Valentine, flatland bmx, Flatlander Terry Adams, I love my bicycle, Terry Adams
Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, New School, Tomfoolery

Are shaved headtubes next for Model-Cs?

9 02 2010

Odyssey designer, Jim Bauer recently had a couple of bike checks posted on ESPN, including his tricked out Sunday Model-C.

Off the top, you’ll notice the tricked out, “Bauer-original” paint job and it’s brakeless setup. It’s also loaded with Odyssey and G-Sport components.

Sunday has been experimenting with a shaved headtube design and Jim’s ride has it! The headtube is slimmed down, with less of an hour-glass shape and the bearings of the internal headset are exposed.

Finally, a picture of the man with his bikes. That’s a Metal prototype on the right. This photo just begs for a caption that includes the phrase, “…from the wrong side of the tracks.”

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: Bauer original paint job, brakeless riding, ESPN, G-Sport, internal headset, Jim Bauer, Metal bikes, Odyssey BMX, shaved headtube, Sunday Model-C
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

Alienation now offers 24 inch rims

4 02 2010

Alienation BMX has joined the cruiser scene with a new 24 inch version of their jump/park/street Delinquent rim. They’re available in black, blue and red. Noticeably absent is a gold anodized version. Maybe that will come later.

Still, great to see another company recognizing the need for aftermarket components for all the 24 inch BMX bikes out there.

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: 24" BMX bikes, Alienation 24 inch Delinquent rims, Alienation BMX, anodized gold, jump, park, street
Categories : Freestyle, New products, street, Trails/Jumping

Showing some skin in Utah

17 01 2010

I’ve asked the question before…and I’ll probably ask it again…is it time to show some skin again?

The skinwall tire, once a staple in the BMX world has all but disappeared. This depresses me a bit because I think skinwalls really make a bike’s wheels “pop.”

That’s probably why I was so pleasantly surprised (and stoked) to see the Fit CR24 that Glenn from Utah has souped up. It’s a new school ride with some old school flava!

The shiny chrome and the skinwalls take me back to the Chrome Hutch Pro Racer I had as a kid. But it’s every bit the modern day 24…from the current geometry, to the taller handlebars to the translucent plastic pedals…this is one sweet ride.

It turns out everyone can get a piece of this retro-cool skinwall magic. Glen tells me that the tires are actually 1.95 Kenda K-rads that SE Bikes had made for their retro cruisers. You can order them through coloredtuffs.com. I linked to that page in my earlier skinwall post..back then I was under the impression that they were just generic knock-offs…now that I know that they’re K-rads…well, now I’m pretty tempted.

True, they’re a bit pricey but to finally get a good skinwall tire again…it might just be worth it.

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: Chrome Hutch Pro Racer, colored tuffs, Fit CR24, Kenda K-rad, SE Bikes, skinwall bmx tire
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School

Vert: the final frontier for cruisers?

8 01 2010

Cruisers have proven themselves at the trails, track, park and the street. They’ve also shown that they are more than capable flatland machines.

That’s why I find it a bit surprising that we haven’t seen more cruisers on vert. Pictures and web edits are few and far between.

But I’ve done some digging…and this is what I came up with.

If you’re old school, you probably remember this BMX Action magazine cover, featuring R.L. Osborn and Eddie Fiola busting a couple of flatties on the T.O.L. ramp on some 24″ test bikes.

Then there was this picture of Joe Rich tearing up the Terrible One ramp on a Volume Sledgehammer. (I love this picture…awesome style.)

More recently, Ollie Sandles posted the following web edit of Peter Beer shredding a concrete bowl on his cruiser.

Will we see more photos and footage of cruisers on vert? I think it’s just a matter of time.

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: 24" test bikes, BMX Action magazine, BMX Cruiser, BMX cruisers vert riding, concrete bowl, cruiser flatland, cruisers on vert, Eddie Fiola, Joe Rich, Old School, Ollie Sandles, Peter Beer, RL Osborn, skatepark, street, T.O.L. ramp, Terrible One, Trails, Volume Sledgehammer
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School

Don’t look back in anger

3 01 2010

I had grand plans of posting this look back at 2009 on new year’s day..but a bunch of friends were heading down to Joyride 150 for a session so I opted to go riding instead. I figured you would understand.

What happened in 2009?

Let’s take a look at 10 things that made an impact on the 24″ BMX scene in 2009…

10. More choice, more parts Not only are more 24s available, more companies are stepping up with more parts like wheels, tires, etc. Being able to get decent-sized handlebars is nice too.

9. Custom frames Want to have a frame made to order? Companies like FBM and S&M made things easier and more affordable than ever this year

8. Back to the future Old school Pros showed that they still got it…look no further than icons Stu Thomsen and Greg Hill

7. Bike shops Even in era when online retailers seem to dominate, a well-stocked shop with knowledgeable owners and staff is something that just can’t be beat. If you have one nearby, consider yourself lucky.

6. Racing I started racing again in winter 08/09 (after giving it up as teenager) and I was surprised at how much fun I had. Tracks are a lot better now than back in the day and the scene more chill.

5. UK bike mags It seems like all the best mags are coming out of the UK now. The fact that Fastlane runs cruiser bike checks is pretty cool too.

4. Video parts 2009 saw 24’s showing up more often in videos

3. Age is just a number Riders in their 40s are kicking ass on their 24s

2. Anything a 20″ can do… Today’s 24s can handle it all… it doesn’t matter if it’s the trails, track, park or flatland…a 24 can take care of business.

1. The Sunday Model-C This bike was everywhere this year…from the updated 24″ geometry to riders on Model-Cs taking things to the next level…Sunday shook things up in a big way this year.

What does 2010 have in store? I can’t wait to find out…

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