Freestyle | cruiser revolution

T-1 memories: big air on a cruiser

8 06 2016

Dig BMX has been posting up interviews with some of the legendary riders that have shredded the T-1 ramp over the years.

The latest installment in the series is the master of flow, Ruben Alcantara.

Being a close friend of Joe Rich meant Ruben — on his annual trips from Malaga to Austin — had unlimited access to the ramp while he was in town.

When Dig asked him,

“What were some of the craziest riding sessions over the years?”

I was surprised to see this being his answer:

So many. I remember one that was super fun. Joe was riding a 26” cruiser and was going so high. It was such a good day.

Wow.

Now, I don’t have to tell you how much radness Ruben has seen (or been responsible for) over his riding career.

It’s pretty awesome to learn –from a cruiser rider’s perspective — that one of the most fun sessions, with two of the most legendary riders you can think of, on one of the most legendary riding spots, in one of the best BMX cities in the US…went down on a 26″ cruiser.

Who woulda thunk it.

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Tags: 26" cruiser, Austin, BMX cruisers vert riding, Dig BMX magazine, Joe Rich, Ruben Alcantara, T-1 ramp
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Skatepark

26″ Morales flatland frame…I kid you not

2 06 2016

Well, this seems like one from left field…

A 26″ Morales flatland frame.

Yes, you read that right.

A frame just like the one Jesse Puente is riding on this 90s-era cover of Ride magazine …but in a 26″ model!

A BMX Museum member named GTeaser posted it up yesterday on one of the Museum’s forums.

According to GTeaser,

This frame was custom built by Craig Turner of Gary Turner BMX (GT Bicycles) and I must say, they did a flawless job. Craig is also currently constructing a 26″ Kore replica, zero offset, flatland fork to complete the frameset. I even had an ORIGINAL Morales cable hanger welded in that came from Bob’s warehouse. The frame/fork are 100% 4130 Chro-mo.

If the next thought you have after reading the above paragraph is,

“I wonder what Bob Morales thinks about this?”

Well, then my friend we are on the same wavelength.

But not to worry — at least according to GTeaser — Bob has given his blessing:

The project has had the full support of Bob Morales himself. I have been in contact with him during the entirety of the project and he expressly warranted me permission to use the Morales name. To the best of my knowledge this is the only 26″ Morales out there. This is a cruiser with cruiser geometry and is obviously not a purpose built flatland frame.

Pretty interesting.

Would love to see someone like Joe Cicman trying some modern-day flatland moves on this thing.

Looking forward to seeing this once it’s back from the chrome shop and all built up.

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: 26" Morales flatland frame, Bob Morales, Gary Turner, Jesse Puente, Joe Cicman, Kore zero offset fork, Morales flatland frame, Ride Magazine
Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, New products, Old School

When worlds collide

26 05 2016

SE has done a great job of promoting its 26″ Fat Ripper. They’ve even gone so far as to drop an edit of Todd Lyons — letting his freak flag fly — riding one in a wild web edit.

More recently, they’ve teamed up with BMX legend, Mike Buff, to release a Mike Buff tribute PK Ripper.

It’s a real looker…and certainly evokes the look of the early days of BMX, a time when Buff and RL ruled the freestyle scene.

Now, just to mix things up a little….

Buff and SE took a Fat Ripper and customized it to give it the look of the Mike Buff tribute PK Ripper.

The result?

Pretty fresh.

(Frankly, the only way this could be more eye-catching would be if they somehow figured out a way to make some Fat 26″ TUFF Wheels!)

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: 26" Skyway Tuff Wheel, Mike Buff, SE Fat Ripper, Todd Lyons
Categories : Freestyle, New products, Old School

Rocco’s rad 24″ Altruiste frame

20 05 2016

I spotted @roccoq86 ‘s cool-looking 24 on Instagram this past weekend and I was instantly intrigued.

It was from a company that I hadn’t heard of before…Altruiste Bikes.

I decided I (we) needed to find out more about this frame.

I hit up Gabo from Altruiste and he gave me the lowdown.

Gabo has known Rocco for close to 10 years. Rocco used to ride for Doberman Bikes, a company that Gabo used to work for back in the day.

According to Gabo,

When he contacted me for a new frame, he already knew what he wanted; something very similar to what he was riding with a few geometry tweaks. The most important being the super short chainstays at 13.9”.

The geo that inspired this frame was already very new-school. We simply pushed it a bit further. It’s much lower, to help with tricks, and I think that in terms of feel it’s much closer to a 24”MTB than a bmx cruiser, and I think that’s where Rocco is most comfortable.

Geo/specs

Head angle: 74
Seat tube angle: 71
Top tube: 22”
Chainstay length: 13.9”
BB height: 12.65”
BB Drop: -8mm
Stack: 440.5mm
Reach: 438.5mm
Weight :4.75 lbs

The front end also got some special attention to increase strength/durability. Gabo says,

The large 44mm headtube is pretty cool, too. The 44mm headtube allows you to use a pressfit heaset with larger bearings for a stronger, more rigid front end. You can also get 44mm (or ”ZeroStack”) headsets in different stack heights to modify the geometry.

Pretty cool.

Rocco shreds on this frame so that increased strength in the front end is probably needed!

Gabo built up three of these frame (one being Rocco’s) so if you’re interested…you might want to hit up Altruiste, right quick.

As an added incentive, keep in mind that Altruiste Bikes is a Canadian company…so if you’re buying with American funds…you’ll get a sweet deal with the current exchange rates.

(Pics: roccoq86, @wrathofphil & altruiste_bikes)

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: Altruiste Bikes, Custom 24inch cruiser, Dirtjumping, roccoq86, Tailwhip
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Whip out Wednesday?

4 05 2016

Granted #whipitwednesday is probably always going to be front and center on Wednesdays…but taking another peek at this clip (from a few years back) I think we could make the case for #whipoutwednesday.

Jared Swafford with a smith grind to whip out aboard Jim C’s Wave-C.

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Tags: Jared Swafford, Jim C., Sunday Wave-C
Categories : Freestyle, New School, shenanigans, Skatepark

Subrosa/Slayer collaboration cruiser

30 04 2016

We’ve seen quite a few collaboration bikes over the years but this type of collaboration just feels so right….Subrosa and Slayer!

Subrosa has teamed up with Slayer to produce a line of bikes that includes a 26″ cruiser.

These bikes have been designed with a look to represent the band –and its fans — as well as set up to hold up to some old-fashioned radness (to a degree, though…the frame on the cruiser is tri-moly).

In terms of geometry/frame specs, the Slayer 26 features:

Head Angle: 72 degrees
Seat Angle: 73 degrees
Top tube: 22″
Chain stay: 16.5″
Stand over: 14.75″
Bottom bracket height: not disclosed at press time

I’m digging on the graphics and colorway though.

Watch for these to drop some time in October.

For more on the Subrosa/Slayer collaboration, check out their issu lookbook.

(All pics: Subrosa)

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: Reign in blood, Slayer, Subrosa, Subrosa Slayer cruiser, Subrosa X Slayer collaboration
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

Lairdframe celebrates its 200th frame

21 04 2016

Mike Laird made a name for myself as a BMX Pro but these days he spends most of his time making high-end custom frames that bear his name.

And those frames might just end up having a bigger impact on the riding community than his pro career ever did.

Still riding at a high level but retired from the contest scene, Mike has turned his attention to building the best custom frames he can for all types of riders.

We’ve featured a couple of Lairdframes in the past and have always been blown away.

Now with the milestone of the 200th frame reached (with a special one-off for himself)…it’s a good time to check out this video Mike put together a few months ago.

It walks through the journey Mike took from getting into riding, turning Pro and transitioning into a custom frame builder.

Check it out.

https://vimeo.com/141268107

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Tags: Custom cruiser, Lairdframe, Mike Laird
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

Can’t get over this over-crankslide

12 04 2016

Hard to believe this clip was put out way back in ’09.

I’m still pretty stoked on it though.

Jim Cielencki with an over-crankslide on the OG Sunday Model-C.

So much goodness!

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A post shared by Fast Eddie (@darealcruiserrevolution)

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Tags: Jim C., Jim Cielencki, Sunday Model-C
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Skatepark, street

Jim Cielencki’s new jam

28 03 2016

Jim Cielencki, one of the BMX world’s most creative and influential riders has been keeping a bit of a low profile since saying “see ya” to Sunday Bikes (back in 2014).

Of course, his legacy in 24″ BMX lives on in the ground-breaking Sunday Model-C and the progressive 24″ riding he helped champion.

Jim was always out there seeing what was possible.

Now, Jim’s taking that same sort of thinking to his current passion, running.

Rather than run the same training route everyday, Jim has taken it upon himself to run every street in Buffalo, NY.

Not only that, he’s documenting all the cool things he encounters along the way in an addictive (to me anyway) Instagram account called Mile by Mile: Buffalo.