26 inch Stolen Zeke lands this March

4 02 2014

Ever since the debut of the prototype 26″ Zeke freestyle cruiser from Stolen Bikes (back in September) we’ve been waiting on news of its release.

Well, we just got word the other day that the Zeke is landing in March!

Details on final specs and geometry are still under wraps but I expect that stuff should be available pretty soon (hopefully along with some sneak peeks).

(Above: the prototype Zeke at Interbike)

And, as an added bonus if you’re a 26″ aficionado, Stolen will also be releasing a 26″ version of its 2.2 Joint tires to the public at the same time.

MTB badass Carter Holland is currently sporting a set on his bike and if they’ll stand up to his hardcore riding I think they might just stand up to anything.

26 in Joint tires

Watch for more updates as the month progresses.





SE collaborates with Travis Barker

17 01 2014

SE Bikes is teaming up with drummer Travis Barker to put out a special project, the 2015 TB x Famous Stars and Straps Big Ripper bike.  Famous Stars and Straps  is a clothing and accessory line created by Barker.

SE Bikes X FAMOUS STARS AND STRAPS X Travis BarkerBarker is no stranger to BMX, or to riding SE bikes, as we learned last year (Travis Barker rolls on a SE Big Ripper).

Nice to see him get involved with a project like this.

2015 SE TB Famous Stars and Straps Big RipperLooks pretty cool.

Available this summer.





Top ten of 2013

31 12 2013

As the sun goes down on 2013, let’s take a look at some of the most notable cruiser news items of the past year.

10. “Duffman man says…oh yeah!”…in one of the most surprising collaborations in recent memory, CULT teamed up with the Simpsons to put out the The Simpsons/CULT Duffman Cruiser.

9. The 22 inch wheel continued to show legs…S&M rolled out a 22” version of its popular ATF frame (in addition to a new 24” option) and FELT introduced a 22” entry-level complete.

8. Don’t call it a comeback…but then again maybe you should…We the People returned to the 24” scene with the trails-y Atlas 24. Subrosa also came back with the DTT TTWOFOUR frame. Liquid Bikes debuted a new american-made Feedback V2 frame.

(Wayne Keller testing the Subrosa DTT TTWO FOUR frame)

7. The tanwall tire also made an impressive return…showing up on completes from We The People and Free Agent, in addition to an aftermarket tire from Stolen. Hopefully this trend will continue in 2014 with more aftermarket options.

6. BMX Plus put the spotlight on cruisers is a big way in their September issue.

5. Still alive at five. Cruiser Revolution hit the 5-year mark. So stoked to still be going strong after all these years!

4. Austin, Texas might just be the cruiser capital of North America. After visiting in the spring, I can confirm the rumors are true…Austin is definitely a place where cruiser is king.

3. Sunday continued to spread the word about new school 24s. Whether its Bobby Parker promoting #TwoFourTuesday, or Sunday featuring 24” riders in their FB feed, Sunday was reppin’.

2. Stolen Bikes’ strong showing at Interbike…with a solid lineup of completes, frames, aftermarket parts and the debut of a 26” model…Stolen showed everyone that they mean business when it comes to cruisers.

1. And just like in 2012, some of the best moments of 2013 were captured in video. Whether it was the “BMX vs. MX” Gundars Osis edit, Brandon Brown’s race edit, Peter Ulbrich bowl riding on a Big Ripper, or the technical wizardy of Joe Cicman and Danny Sarkin flatlanding on Sunday Wave-Cs…there were some great edits to get stoked on.

Happy New Year!





Trail testing the prototype Liquid frame

20 12 2013

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty stoked to see Liquid Bikes back in the game with the release of the Feedback V2 frame.

To remind everyone but how well Liquid frames handle in the dirt, Liquid’s Jeremy Combs posted some old footage of  himself riding  the Koala Trails on a prototype Liquid Feedback frame.

So rad.





Liquid releases Feedback V2 frame

9 12 2013

After a bit of a hiatus, Liquid Bikes has returned to the 24″ BMX scene with an updated version of its super popular Feedback frame.

Dubbed the Feedback V2, this frame is now being made in the USA by Solid BMX. It maintains the same proven geometry, but is lighter, stiffer and perhaps even cooler than the previous incarnation, in that it now features custom laser-cut bridges between the stays.

According to Liquid, the Feedback V2,

features newly designed chain stays that improve tire/sprocket clearance and stiffen the rear end compared to the previous version – all while keeping one of the shortest chain stay lengths in the 24″ market.

That’s in addition to some of the longest top-tube size options available: take your pick of a 22″ or 22.3″ top tube. Perfect for the taller rider…which, let’s face it, makes up a lion share of the 24″ BMX demographic.

Liquid Feedback V2 frame

Color choices for the Feedback V2 are Root Beer (trans-brown), Raw with clear coat and Satin Black.

Specs:                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Top Tube: 22″ or 22.3″
Bottom Bracket height: 12.7″
Chain Stay: 14.25″
Head Angle: 74 degrees
Seat Angle: 72 degrees

Other notables:
30 tooth max sprocket clearance
2.3″ rear tire clearance
Double butted top and down tubes
Externally butted seat tube
Custom laser cut seat stay and chain stay bridges
Non-removable u-brake mounts
Weight: 5 lbs

Check out liquid-bikes.com, which has also undergone a bit of a refresh, for the rest of the particulars.

Liquid Bikes website

Stoked to see Liquid back on the scene with some fresh gear.





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.





Liquid Bikes teases with pic of new frame

30 10 2013

Solid Bikes posted a picture a couple of days ago that had some people buzzing about whether or not they were producing a 22″ frame.

Turns out the frame in the picture was none other than the Solid Bikes-produced prototype of the new 24″ Liquid Bikes frame.

new Liquid 24in frame built by SolidI’ve been looking forward to getting a closer look at this frame ever since I heard that a new Liquid frame was on the way.

Hopefully this means that we are getting real close to this frame becoming available to the public.

For more early pics of the Liquid prototype frame, check out this previous post from back in June.

And if you’re wondering if this frame can hold up to some serious riding…check out this clip of the trails that Liquid Bikes owner, Jeremy Combs regularly rides at (and a few quick clips of the new frame in action).





A little tan never hurt anyone

16 10 2013

Well, it looks like the old skinwall tire is back again.

Sort of.

These days it’s more likely to be called “tan wall.”

And I couldn’t be happier to see it make its long-awaited return.

I’ve joked in previous posts that I’m on a one-man crusade to save the skinwall.

Whether it’s references to tire manufacturers getting skin in the game, asking if it’s time to show some skin again or showing some skin in Utah…I got a thing for the old school-ly look of the skin or tan wall tire.

At Interbike this year you could see the tanwall making it’s presence known on some of the new completes.

From the We The People Atlas 24

To the Free Agent Ratio

To the Stolen Saint XLT

The smooth style of the tan wall was out there getting noticed.

Heck, Stolen is even offering a tan wall tire as an aftermarket option.

It looks like for 2014, sporting some tan might be the way to go.





More from the Interbike photo album

27 09 2013

Here’s some more highlights of the different cruisers on display.

Volume brought out their new 26″ Hessian.

Volume Hessian front

Free Agent gave its Ratio 24 a new cool looking colorway.

Free Agent Ratio front

We The People debuted their new Atlas 24.

WTP Atlas

Subrosa showed off their new 24″ DTT frame & fork.

Subrosa DTT 24 stock

Sunday also had their Model-C complete on display.

However, my photo of it is a little blurry so if you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

Sunday Model C

In terms of race stuff, there was some race cruiser stuff on display (in addition to the DK stuff previously covered) but not nearly as much as the freestyle-oriented stuff.  For a look at the race side of things at Interbike, check out BMX News and Vintage BMX.





Meanwhile over at the DK booth

26 09 2013

The guys at DK Bicycles have also been busy updating their cruiser offerings for 2014 and that hard work was on display in their Interbike booth.

The Cygnus got a bit of an update in the geo department…with a slightly higher bottom bracket and longer top tube (I think) to bring it more in line with today’s modern freestyle cruisers.

DK Cygnus

A new 24″ model, called The Sprinter, has also been added to the lineup as their more affordable race-ready option. (This replaces the Sentry 24.)

DK Sprinter

Finally, for 2014 the Elite Series cruiser has been made better than ever (if you recall,the 2013 DK Elite Series Cruiser did not disappoint).  The Elite Series now comes fully loaded with Box and Promax components, including special edition X2 Carbon forks with 20mm hubs.  I’m not usually a fan of carbon forks but the Elite Series they had on display (albeit the 20″ version) looked super mean.

And because only the 20″ version was on display, I’ve dug around and found a picture of said 24 for your viewing pleasure through the magic of television…I mean, the internet.

14_ELITE_CRUISER2Update: Jesse Klein (from DK) came through with the high-res image above to replace the blurry one I had here originally.

Check out their new catalog for the rest of the  details, specs, etc. on the 2014 DK lineup.