With Todd Lyons leading the charge, SE Bikes has managed to bridge the distance between old school and new school…offering bikes that appeal to the rider looking to relive his youth to the young rider just getting into BMX. They’ve also hooked up with some cool companies to put out limited-edition bikes that are definitely some of the coolest looking bikes out there.
You’d think that with so much on his plate as SE’s brand manager (and so many years in the sport), the guy would become jaded or burnt out. But that’s not the case. When you take a look at his posts and his riding shots, you can tell he feels like a kid in a candy store…because he might just have the best job in BMX.
The Giant Method 24 doesn’t get a lot of attention but if you’re looking for a well-spec’d, roomy bike for trails this could be the ticket. Featuring a a 22 inch top tube, this is probably one of the longest production 24s out there (not counting pure race bikes).
It features a traditional low bottom bracket and a slightly mellow 73 degree head angle, so it’s going to feel good dirt jumping but less so at the skatepark. It would also make a good race bike if you’re not to obsessed with how much your bike weighs.
This pic was “borrowed” from ridemonkey.com…it’s someone that goes by Cru Jones…no, not that Cru Jones…showing what the Method 24 is capable of in the dirt.
For 2010, Giant has dispensed with the cool tan & bronze look for something that looks a bit reminscent of the new 2010 Redline race bikes. Not sure what the thinking was behind that….while this look might be ok at the track, it looks a little bit too much for the trails…where I have feeling that a bike like this would see more action. No word on if the geometry has changed…Giant seems to have removed the specifications tab from their bike pages and I can’t seem to find the 2010 information anywhere else.
In somewhat related news: you may have seen the news that Giant is dropping some heavy hitters from their team, including Taj, Corey Bohan and Heath Pinter. It’s tough to see such talented riders losing their sponsorships so I’m hoping they find the support they need to keep riding and stay part of the scene. Giant’s Chris Arriga has gone on record that there will be a 2010 BMX program at Giant, complete with a team, in the new year but so far no details have been given.
I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about a GT product. Their bikes, especially their race bikes of the last few years, have been kind of ugly and seem like like yesterday’s news when compared to other bikes.
Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this video explaining the new 2010 GT prototype cruiser. The old ultrabox design is gone in favor of a trick, oval-tubed modern look…this bike looks fast.
And while I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable riding a bike with non chro-mo forks, I think this frame might pique more than a few racers interest* in the new year.
*Now they just have to take that level of innovation and come out with a 24 that you can take to the trails.
Head Tube: 75 degrees
Seat Tube: 70 degrees
Top Tube: 22″
Chain Stay: 15″
BB Height: 14″
Standover: 6″
If you look closely, you’ll notice some very distinctive forks on this setup…there’s an extra 2″ on the fork leg. A definite nod to old school Bottema forks.
The process
Bam had been shopping around for a custom builder but found most of his options were too expensive or too limited in geometry options. He decided to give FBM a call, although I think he was a little apprehensive given John Paul Roger’s recent comments about cruisers in an article in DIG magazine (he called them goofy, etc.) Despite his initial concerns, FBM was on board with the build.
Bam said:
The FBM plan gives you an online form to check the available options, they offer to do anything you want, then some discussion, send them half of the money, then they send you a drawing to approve. The price includes shipping and it didn’t cost extra for a 24″ model. They send photos of the process as it happens.
According to Bam, FBM’s custom prices are some of the best/lowest out there. He took the time to check out a bunch of different builders, so I believe him.
ESPN just posted a great interview with Jim C. from Sunday Bikes talking about their new line of complete bikes. There’s some good stuff about the Model-C, including details about the components and pricing:
The 24″ Model-C complete retails for about $550 and comes with a full chromoly frame, fork and bars. There’s eight different Odyssey parts including V3 cassette hub, Aitken 24-inch tires and EVO II brakes amongst others. The best part is it carries over the same proven geometry of the Model-C frame, fork and bars.
He also talks about why Sunday decided to go with a complete 24:
We decided to do the 24-inch complete because people mostly believed the geometry worked, but they weren’t willing to spend the money to find out. A shop could now let someone try it out, see that it works and be able to afford it without spending too much money.
Probably the best/funniest part of the interview is this part:
Riders have it good today. They could be getting an orange GT with curved toptube and three-spoke mags like we did back in the ’90s. No wonder why kids started skateboarding back then, the learning curve on one of those was terrible.
No word yet on what the top tube length will be on the Model-C complete, but more info is supposed to be on the way next week. I guess I’ll continue to keep my fingers crossed that it will be the 21.75″ size.
Maybe I’m in a reflective mood today but I was thinking about We the People and how they’ve been putting out some great 24″ completes over the years.
2007 Unified
Their first 24″ bike (I think)…black with a grey fade paint job. It featured nods to the past, like a National Pro style frame gusset and looptail rear stays but the ride is every bit the modern cruiser. I’m still riding one of these today (albeit with a few mods). Great bike.
2008 Unified
Similar to the 2007 model, WTP steps it up with gold components to give it even more of a classic old school feel. Essentially the same geometry. I really like the look of this bike (but I’m a sucker for gold components).
2009 Avenue
Big departure from the classic black and gold look. The gusset is gone and it drops some weight. Geometry still pretty similar. Some compromises in parts–like steel bars–but still a lot of bike for the money.
2010 Avenue
The bottom bracket gets raised, the bars get taller and the gold components return. WTP joins Sunday, Fit and others with updated geometry aimed at providing a 20″ freestyle feel to a 24″ bike. This model may tempt a few people contemplating buying a Sunday Model-C complete (given that Sunday’s looking at a spring release).
Limited edition models
We the People has also done some limited edition bikes for companies such as Carhartt. These are are really cool…lots of retro-styling combined with new school technology.
Walking down Spadina avenue in downtown Toronto I was absentmindedly checking out store windows when I saw something that made me do a double take. There it was, parked in the corner of some random hipster sneaker store, a 26″ looptail PK Ripper! The bike is half-white and half-black…not sure if this was done as some sort of social commentary but it is definitely distinctive!
The bike is a collaboration between SE and The Hundreds streetwear clothing company. Not a bike to use for hard-core thrashing but for sheer retro-awesome coolness it is off the charts! With only 300 made, this is one to hang on your wall and make your friends jealous.
I spent a lot of time on the road this summer with my bike and that’s made me think about investing in a bike rack. Although I can fit a lot into my car, extended trips with gear, bike(s) luggage and a traveling companion can make for tight quarters in my sensible hatchback.
That’s why I got a little giddy when I saw this bike rack in an interbike article on ESPN.com. A hybrid between a hitch and trunk rack, the Thule Raceway Platform looks it might give you the best of both worlds. It’s not on the Thule site yet, so there isn’t a lot to go on in the way of specs and pricing. It does however seem to give you the benefits of a hitch mount: like a platform and quick and easy access without the hassle and expense of installing a hitch mount.
This will definitely something I’m going to be checking out in the new year.
I’ve been geeking out for the past day or so over all the BMX coverage from interbike. There’s way too much to cover in a single post but suffice it to say there is a lot of stuff to check out (check out Vital BMX or bmxfeed for the full scoop).
Another interesting thing to come out of interbike…Macneil is switching to 7/8″ (22.2 mm) seat tubes on their bikes. For those of you that started riding after the mid 90s, that means a change back to the size that used to be standard on most BMX bikes. I guess that sort of thing is inevitable with more and more companies going to smaller tubing and so many people running their seats slammed. As someone that still runs a bit of seatpost I’m not sure if I’m all that stoked on this latest development. Of course, Russ at SPRFLS has a lot more to say on this.