goofiness | cruiser revolution

Welcome to the BMX Jungle

31 08 2016

Guns N’ Roses are out on tour this summer and putting on some great shows.

(I saw the Toronto stop and the guys kicked ass!)

It’s great that the band was able to finally put their differences aside and get out there in front of their fans.

Now if you’re anything like me, one of the first stops when you enter a concert venue is to check out the tour shirts at the merch table.

In Toronto, they had some OK stuff…but in other cities…well, I think they got some waaay cooler stuff.

Specifically, Los Angeles.

Peep this tour shirt.

And the back is not too shabby either.

The graphic has a bit of a 4130 Subway Series feel to it…which seems fitting given the locale.

All and all, pretty cool.

Slash’s love of BMX is well documented so its only fitting that they have incorporated it into their tour shirts in the birthplace of BMX.

Now, my only question…was the bike Slash riding in this video the inspiration for the shirt?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB7bPGESATg

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Tags: 4130 Subway Series, GNR, Guns and Roses, Slash, Welcome to the Jungle
Categories : goofiness, Old School, Racing

Duff in the buff?

18 02 2016

We first laid on eyes on The Simpson/CULT Duffman cruiser back in 2013.

It was head-turner for a number of reasons:

It was a CULT cruiser…CULT is usually all about the 20″
It was bright orange…with Duffman graphics
It was 6061 Aluminum (unusual for a CULT bike)
It was a freakin’ Duffman cruiser!

A rad collab bike to be sure.

But as we all know…a nice complete…while cool in its own right, will never be cooler than a custom bike built to a rider’s specifications.

And while many riders will use color for that custom look…BMX Museum member, audiosquare, went the opposite route.

He just didn’t dig the stock orange color.

So he stripped it right down.

Now, it sports a clean aluminum look.

And it totally changed the personality of the bike.

Nice job audiosquare.

Check out more pictures of audiosquare’s Duffman cruiser on BMXMuseum.com.

Bonus content:

This video seems fitting now, no?

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: 24" Duffman Cruiser, 30 bucks an hour, Cult BMX, Cult Duffman cruiser, Oh yeah, The Simpsons and CULT collab
Categories : goofiness, New School, shenanigans, Tomfoolery

Merry Christmas!

23 12 2015

Just wanted to take a moment to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

I’m winding things down for a couple days at Cruiser Revolution HQ and taking some time to celebrate the festive season with family and friends.

I hope you have the chance to do the same.

If you’re anything like me…that means breaking out the Christmas sweater and grabbing a mug of holiday cheer.

Fingers crossed, at least a few of us will see some bike-related goodies under the tree!

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Tags: Christmas
Categories : goofiness

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

Turbo Kid takes you back to the future

3 09 2015

Imagine thumbing through the shelves of dusty old VHS tapes at a video store back in the 80s, stopping at one with a super hero and a BMX bike on the cover. You smile, grab it, and stroll off knowing you’re in for some cheesy…but oh so fun…entertainment.

If you can go back and put yourself back in that headspace, well then my friend, you’re probably going to love Turbo Kid.

Billed as a post-apocalyptic love story set in an alternate version of 1997, it has one retro nod after another.

(Let’s just say hearing “Thunder in your heart” within the first few minutes made me extremely giddy.)

The movie follows the tale of an orphaned teenage forager who, along with his female-robot companion, must fight an evil warlord who controls the only water supply. The evil warlord is played perfectly — which in this case, is completely over the top — by Michael Ironside (who I remember fondly from movies in the 80s and 90s as a biker gang member or some other villian).

Of course there’s plenty of riding throughout the movie as it seems bikes are the only form of transportation in this world. I found myself squinting to make out all the details of the bikes…someone paid a lot of attention to make sure they looked sufficiently retro. (I got a kick out of seeing “Special thanks to Skyway Wheels” in the credits.)

Another nod to the past is the location itself. The movie is a Canada-New Zealand co-production shot in rural Quebec.

Yes, just like the most famous BMX movie to precede it, Turbo Kid was shot in Canada. It’s enough to make a Canuck BMXer a little teary-eyed.

Program notes:

There’s quite a bit of Kill Bill-style bloody gore in this movie so it might not be suitable for younger kids.
This movie is on a limited run in most places. Catch it if you can! (Otherwise you can get it on Vimeo)

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: BMX Movies, Michael Ironside, Rad, Retro BMX, Skyway wheels, Thunder in your heart, Turbo Kid
Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, Old School, shenanigans

Is this the summer of the BMX movie?

15 07 2015

It’s starting to feel like the 80s all over again.

Remember when Rad and BMX Bandits were on the big screen? Those were heady times…filled with so much promise. It seemed like BMX had made it…at least to the big screen. (Heck, even Nicole Kidman appeared in BMX Bandits!)

Little did we know how long the drought between BMX movies would prove to be.

However, this summer seems to be where things really start to change.

The long anticipated Heroes of Dirt — with a whole slew of BMX cameos — is now making its way around the US, getting hype and generating positive reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLdaaQCCuFU

Following that we have instances where BMX plays a prominent role in more mainstream movies.

The Strongest Man comes to mind. A little off-beat in the storyline department, to be sure, but still pretty interesting nonetheless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK20g6CNg-k

Then we have Turbo Kid.

Sort of a mashup between Mad Max and BMX Bandits from the look of it.

This one almost feels like it should be on VHS in a dusty remainder bin in an old movie rental place…and I mean that in the best possible sense. This has a retro vibe that I kinda dig.

All this leads me to believe that we are at the beginning stages of an honest-to-goodness wave of BMX movies…and I couldn’t be more stoked about it!

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: BMX Bandits, Heroes of Dirt, Nicole Kidman, Rad, The Strongest Man, Turbo Kid
Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, New products, New School, Old School, Trails/Jumping

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.

A pretty random race through the city quickly ensues.

Check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=75&v=2f7Ad-XpbnY

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: BMX racing commercial, Mika libata, SE Racing, SoftBank
Categories : goofiness, Racing, shenanigans

Michael Strahan was a BMXer

18 02 2015

File this under “Stars–They’re just like us!”

Michael Strahan, in an ESPN program called “A Football life” (which aired a year or so ago) devoted part of an interview to talk about his BMX roots. Specifically, how as kid he dreamed of getting a Kuwahara Laserlite bike…and how he mowed lawn after lawn until he saved up enough to get one.

Better known for his football and TV career, the program goes on, at some length, about him and his bike.

He still has the bike…and won’t part with it. He does say it is too small for him now. Which begs the question, why hasn’t someone from Kuwahara contacted him and sent him a 24″ Kuwahara? I’m sure he would be stoked to get a modern-day version of his beloved Kuwahara…and have it be in a size that he could actually ride. Seems like a simple way to get some good mainstream publicity for Kuwahara…and BMX in general.

Check out the full broadcast below: