Am I Evel?

25 08 2015

I can’t decide if it’s just an odd coincidence or some kind of cosmic convergence that led me to catch the Evel Knievel doc, Being Evel, on the same day as Drew Bezanson’s epic video edit, Uncontainable, was being released.

It was definitely inspiring to watch both on the same day.

being evel 2

Knievel, the prototypical action sports star — and inspiration to every kid that launched himself off a makeshift ramp — and Bezanson, a modern-day action sports star, breaking new ground yet again.

We all owe Evel a debt of gratitude for blazing a trail for all of us that followed him…inspiring us to “give it a go”…whether that meant working everything out ahead of time or just sending it and seeing if the landing will work out.

Bezanson’s Uncontainable edit shows that legacy carries on…that we should always be testing the boundaries…like Evel showed us before, life is more than just existing, it’s meant to be lived.

Drew Bezansen performs a huge 360 Tail Whip during Red Bull Uncontainable in Truro, Canada on August 5th, 2015.

Haven’t see the videos yet?

Check ’em out below:

Uncontainable

Being Evel (to purchase)

Being Evel (trailer)

 


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Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School

Are you ready for the Truth?

21 08 2015

I got the heads up recently about a small rider-owned company called Truth BMX Products.

Based out of Maryland, the company has been around for just under a year and is run by two brothers, Eric and Tony Spears.

In addition to a pretty wide assortment of components, the company has some pretty cool 24″ race frames in their product lineup (with 26″ versions planned in the coming months).

Truth Blue

The specs for the PRO 24 Main Event frame are:

  • Top tube: 21.5″
  • Chainstay: 15.35″
  • Head Angle: 73.5 degrees
  • Seat Angle: 70 degrees

A Pro XL 24 frame is also available with a 22″ top tube (all other specs the same as above).

Truth Blk

All the frames are made out of 6061-T6 Aluminum.

Watch for these to become available in the next few weeks.

Check out truthbmxproducts.com for more details about frame colors, their parts lineup and a bunch of other race-y stuff.


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Update on that cool 24″ Lairdframe build

19 08 2015

You might recall, back in May, the eye-catching 24″ Lairdframe that I spotted over on BMX Museum.

With most of the customs coming out of Lairdframe’s highly regarded business being 20s, this new school 24 was definitely something that piqued my interest.

Well, the owner of this build, Jared Burak, just dropped me a line with an updated picture of his bike, after he made a few updates.

It looks great…a custom Lairdframe kitted out with good stuff from Tribute Bikes, Native Bikes, and Zodiac Engineering.

Lairdframe 24 update

Jared says Laird’s work is “highly recommended” and “quite affordable” when comparing it against the base prices at other custom frame-building companies (like S&M, Standard and FBM).

I have to say I’m pretty stoked on this build.

Fingers crossed we’ll see more new school 24s from Lairdframe in the future.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Skatepark, street, Trails/Jumping

Sneak Peek: 2016 Redline Race Cruisers

6 08 2015

The Asset 24 isn’t the only cruiser that Redline has revealed from their 2016 line, they’ve also provided details on their race cruisers as well.

Kicking of their race lineup is the entry-level MX-24. It features a 6061 Aluminum frame with ovalized anti-flex stays, Chromoly 3-piece cranks and Tioga Power Block tires. Available in grey or blue. A nice option for a newbie or casual racer.

2016 Redline MX24 BLUNext up is the Proline 24. I think of this one as the workhouse of the lineup.  A straight-forward race machine that gets the job done. Light & strong but without the hefty price tag of flashier race machines.  It features a 6061-T-6 alloy frame, sealed hubs and 100% Chromoly butted and tapered race fork .  It’s hard to go wrong with this bike.

2016 Redline Proline 24Finally, the Flight Pro 24.  Redline’s top-of-the-line race machine. It features  a frame with Redline’s proprietary  formed R7 tubing, press-fit BB -86, and Redline convertible dropouts.  This is complemented by high-end components like BOX Pro Carbon forks, Redline Flight 120 instant cassette hub with 15mm through axle, and tubeless compatible Alienation Malice rims. Not to mention the Redline Flight AL hollow forged Cranks with a 24mm chromoly spindle. This rig is kitted out. Race-ready (at the highest level), right out of the box.

2016 Redline flight pro 24
Definitely a solid lineup for 2016. Where ever you find yourself on the race spectrum, Redline has a race-ready complete to meet your needs.

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Sneak Peek: 2016 Redline Asset 24

4 08 2015

After surprising us last year with a bit of a stealthy debut, Redline has brought back their 24″ freestyle cruiser, the Asset 24, for 2016.

It’s nicely spec’d with a full cro-mo frame and some decent parts. It does look like some compromises were made in the components department — as can be expected in any complete — but nothing that would raise any immediate concerns when you wheel it out of the bike shop.

New for this year, is a gloss black paint job that fades to a matte black. This is offset by a nice looking pair of copper finish 3-piece cranks that add a little flair to the bike.

2016 Redline Asset24 BLKI would’ve liked to have seen a few more copper accents (say on the handlebar and/or the seatpost) but that’s an easy fix after you’ve been riding it for a while and decide to customize it to your particular tastes. (Check out the Redline site for the rest of the parts rundown.)

Geometry-wise, the Asset 24 boasts the following:

  • Top tube: 21.75″
  • Head Angle: 74.5 degrees
  • Seat Angle: 71 degrees
  • BB Height: 13″
  • Chain Stay: 15.5″

That geo puts it right in the ballpark of other heavy-hitters like the S&M ATF 24″.

All in all, a pretty solid package for $499.99 (US). I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more people rolling on these in the coming year.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Skatepark, street, Trails/Jumping

Tested: Odyssey Chase Hawk Tire 24″

30 07 2015

Since we learned about the introduction of the 24″ Chase Hawk tire from Odyssey, the anticipation surrounding them seemed to be sky high. We endured  teaser pictures on the OTX social media accounts, and waited patiently for them to arrive. Thankfully,the 24″ Chase Hawk tires are now out and available.

The question is…do the 24″ Chase Hawk tires live up to the hype?

Buddy Sardenga in Austin, Texas picked up a set to see.

chase hawk tires buddy test

What did he think?

Let’s find out.

Well, the first thing that I noticed about the tires are how quiet, fast, and grippy they are. I did like the Stolen Joint tires* but l could not run my front brake through the fork, they hit the cable.

*Buddy’s currently riding a chrome Stolen Saint XLT.

I ran [Tioga] Powerblocks for a bit since they came in 2.1 and were very cheap at 17 bucks…but they are very slow on concrete.

The Chase tires are a 2.2  [yet still] about the same size as the Powerblocks… but super fast and grip way better.

https://instagram.com/p/4sYZlGI_XZ/?taken-by=gremlinorange

So, how do they measure up riding street, park and dirt?

The tire is more of a slick for park and street and I was concerned about dirt riding with them.

I guess they did their research on that because I had no issues on the dirt.

Those little groves that come from the side provide very good traction even if things are not very well groomed.

Looks like the 24″ Chase Hawk tires do live up to the hype.  I think Buddy’s final thought on the tires sums it up best.

If you ride a 24, check them out for sure.

It appears Odyssey’s got a winner on their hands with the 24″ Chase Hawk tires.


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Sneak Peek: 2016 Subrosa Malum 26″

20 07 2015

Subrosa has updated the 26″ Malum for 2016 with a cool new look.

Originally introduced last year for their 2015 lineup, this year’s version has a unique look with a “salvaged rat rod rust paint” finish (that’s smooth to the touch) and colorful Baja seat.

In terms of the bike itself, it features a full Cromoly frame, fork and handlebar. (Which is always welcome to hear!)

2016 Subrosa Malum 26inch

It’s not to shabby in the parts department either.   The 26″ Malum comes complete with sealed female hubs, double-wall rims and a Shadow Interlock V2 chain.

Subrosa also recently dropped a video that highlights the specs of the new 26″ Malum.

Peep the list below for the rest of the specs:

  • Frame – 100% Seamless Chromoly w/ Ovalized DT – 72° HT / 73° ST / 22″ TT / 16.5″ CS / 14.75″ standover,  removable brake mounts
  • Fork – 100% Chromoly, Tapered Legs
  • Handlebars – 100% Cromoly 7″ rise / 12° backsweep / 1° upsweep / 29″ wide
  • Headset – Rant Sealed Integrated
  • Stem – Shadow Ravager Top Load
  • Front & Rear Rim – Rant 36H Double Wall Alloy
  • Front Hub – Rant 3/8″ Alloy Sealed Female Axle
  • Rear Hub – Rant 14mm Alloy Sealed female Cassette
  • Tires – Rant 2.20″
  • Cranks – Rant Chromoly 8 Spline 3-piece.
  • Bottom Bracket – Sealed Mid
  • Sprocket – Subrosa Shred alloy
  • Gearing – 25-11 Micro Gearing
  • Chain – Shadow Interlock v2
  • Pedals – Shadow Ravager Plastic
  • Brakes – Rant Alloy U-brakes
  • Seat/Post – Subrosa Baja mid pivotal

The complete bike weighs in at 30.5 lbs…not a featherweight for sure but definitely a ride that will stand up to any abuse you might throw at it.

Go bug your Subrosa dealer for availability and pricing.


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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.

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.

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!


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Categories : Freestyle, goofiness, New products, New School, Old School, Trails/Jumping

Sneak Peek: 2016 Sunday Model C

10 07 2015

Sunday Bikes just dropped a preview of their 2016 Bikes.

The 24″ Model C is still in the lineup and it looks like they have souped it up a little for the new model year.

The first thing that catches your eye is the frame…a rawed out, clear coat version of their flagship 24″ complete.

Also notable on this complete?

The much buzzed about 24″ Chase Hawk tires.

Yes, my friends they come standard on the 2016 Model C!

2016_INTL_Prebook_ModelC

According to Sunday, “updated and detailed bike pages [will be] up soon”…so watch for details on the complete spec breakdown in the next week or so.

Sunday dealers will also have the new lineup in stores in the next couple weeks so keep your eyes peeled.

(Pic credit: Sunday Bikes)


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Nikos Garyfallos shreds BluEnigma Bowl

30 06 2015

With Greece in the headlines so much over the last few days (for economic reasons), it was cool to receive a message from Nikos Garyfallos recently with some good news…specifically, some awesome riding facilities in Greece.

And not only that…Nikos included some great shots of himself shredding those spots on his custom cruiser.

Nikos Garyfallos cr

Nikos is a mechanical engineer by trade and also a long-time bike rider.

The place he’s riding at is the BluEnigma Hotel in the village of Apikia, on the island of Andros.

Nikos Garyfallos BW

Back in 2010, he set out to rejuvenate the family business (the hotel) and while doing so, added in elements of his own personality…namely, unique riding structures for BMX, MTB and Skateboarding.

(People staying at BluEnigma have full access to both the Enigma Bowl and Gratitude Trails.)

According to Nikos, the riding facilities have been set up be very flow-y with endless lines. Both look super dialed!

Definitely  a place I’d like to check out if/when I ever get out to that part of the world!


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