Should BMX reduce its carbon footprint?

30 11 2011

If you caught the footage from the ABA Grandnationals this past weekend, you no doubt caught AA Pro Denzel Stein‘s scary crash caused by his carbon forks snapping.

Truth be told, I’ve never really been a fan of carbon forks and things like this are not making me any more comfortable.

Die-hard carbon fork fans claim that carbon is stronger than chromoly but you never seem to see this level of catastrophic failure with a steel fork.

And the lightness argument? The gap between a good-quality chromoly race fork and a carbon fork is so small these days it hardly seems worth it from a safety and price perspective (carbon forks are generally the more expensive than other types of forks).

Word on the street is that some how an insert/sleeve to strengthen the steer tube was  not installed. That’s all well and good but if this kind of thing gets overlooked on a top pro’s bike…how many average joes are riding similar setups (without the insert/sleeve)? Seriously, it’s not worth the risk.

Ironically up until this year, Denzel was often seen running chromoly S&M forks on his factory Redline whip.

Did he make the switch due to pressure from his sponsor? Or maybe to cash in on co-sponsorship money? I wonder if he’s rethinking his decision and whether it was worth it.


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Categories : New School, Racing, Trails/Jumping, Uncategorized

Movember: bringing back the BMX ‘stache

24 11 2011

BMX has lost a lot of things over the years.

Knobby tires.

Padsets.

The Jofa mouth guard.

But you know what else BMX has lost?  The BMX moustache.

That’s right. There was a time when race bikes were chromoly and BMX racers rocked ‘staches.

Back in the day, the legend Perry “PK Ripper” Kramer, intimidated his competition and broke the hearts the hearts of trophy girls everywhere with his moustachioed swagger.

Later, Hollywood Mike Miranda would bring his All-American moustache to the silver screen with memorable scenes in the movie Rad (“Hollywood Mike Miranda makes his second dramatic exit of the day”)

Thankfully, the Movember fundraiser is in full swing and guys everywhere are growing  moustaches to raise awareness and funds for men’s health.  I’ve joined the cause and I’m donating my upper lip to the cause for the 30 days.

My moustache has already caused a few sideways glances at work, and some outright laughter when I’ve gone riding at the trails but it’s all for a good cause, to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer. Which as many of you know, affected one of the icons of our sport, Stu Thomsen, in recent years.

If you’d like to support me in raising funds for this great cause (and bring a little moustachioed swagger back to BMX) you can donate to my campaign via this link:  http://mobro.co/EdVandermolen.

Any support would be greatly appreciated.  (Be sure to check out the Ron Burgundy and Tom Selleck tomfoolery on my Movember page as well.)


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Categories : goofiness, New School, Old School, Racing, Rad, Tomfoolery, Trails

3 years and counting…still going strong

22 11 2011

Can you believe it?

Cruiser Revolution hit the three-year mark this month.

Three great years of talking 24″ BMX.

Whether it’s sharing stories of guys getting back into BMX on a 24inch bike, checking out the latest bikes and parts, finding out what other riders are doing or just the random goofiness that pops up here from time to time…it’s great to be on this ride with you.

They say that time flies when you’re having fun and I guess it’s true in this case.

Thanks to everyone for their support.

I really appreciate all the great comments, discussion and general awesomeness from all the great people I’ve gotten to know through this blog.

Cheers to you.

Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the year ahead.


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Categories : Flatland, goofiness, New products, New School, Old School, Racing, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

New InDust Cuatro 24 looks interesting

21 11 2011

Just spotted this in a Ridemonkey thread tonight….CMC‘s new InDust Cuatro 24 prototype build.

Made by Stout Bikes in Texas, and billed as “a 24 inch BMX frame with aggressive geometry built for the aggressive rider”, this looks like one serious shredding machine.

Frame specs (according to the Ridemonkey thread, may not be final):

  • 22 3/8″ top tube
  • 14 3/8″ chain stay (slammed)
  • 13″ (approx.) bottom bracket
  • 74-74.5 degree head angle (not confirmed)
  • 4130 chromoly

Not sure what the plans are for a production run of these but I’m definitely interested in hearing more about this frame.

If you want to find out more about the InDust Cuarto, check out the InDust site or the related Ridemonkey thread.


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

Tested: Immortis Bucket Bars

8 11 2011

I received a pair of Immortis Bike Company’s 4-piece Bucket Bars a while back and for a variety of reasons wasn’t able to ride them right away.

When I finally got them on my bike to give them a test drive, I was pretty stoked. These are some cool looking handlebars!  From the distinctive 4-piece design to the heavy metal looking font on the cross-bar sticker, they have a look all their own.

Immortis Bucket Bars have a distinctive 4-piece design

In fact, right after installing them I asked my girlfriend, “How do they look?”  She glanced over and simply said, “Metal”. (She may have even flashed the horns at that point…).  They do kind of remind me a Flying V guitar for some reason so maybe she’s on to something.

I took them out for a spin and immediately noticed the flatter sweep to the bars in comparison to other bars I’ve ridden lately.  It took a few minutes to get used to but after a few minutes I didn’t notice it all.

Out on the trails

A couple days later, I took them out for a session at the Don Valley trails. The bars come stock at a cut-to-fit width of 32″. I typically run 28″ wide bars so I cut them down to that width to better compare them with other bars I’ve tried.

The bars felt great.  They had a solid feel and were easy to get used to. It didn’t take long before I was carving turns at high speed and hitting all my favorite lines in the jumps and rollers.

Slicing through a high-speed turn was a cinch with the Bucket Bars

If you’re looking for high-quality, cool looking bars that are made in the USA…these are definitely handlebars that you should check out.

Technical specs:

  • Rise: 6″
  • Backsweep 10 degrees
  • Upsweep: 2.5 degrees
  • Material:  Cro-mo

(4″ and 8″ rise versions are also available.)

For more on information on Immortis and their line of handlebars, check out their website at www.immortisbmx.com.

Special thanks to Michael Moran for shooting the photos.


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

A brake cable for weight weenies

2 11 2011

Just when you thought there’s nothing left on your bike that can be made lighter, Odyssey has gone out and developed a lighter brake cable.

That’s right, kids.

Wait.

Kids don’t ride brakes these days.

Anyway, back to what I was saying.

Odyssey has come out with a brake cable, called the Race Linear Slic Kable,  that’s 37% lighter than other brake cables.

How you ask? They’ve taken their popular Linear Slic Kable housing and replaced the steel linear wire with an aluminum one.

I’m extremely curious to see how durable these cables are.

Will they stand up? It’s hard to say right now…they’re still pretty new. But I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough, especially when weight-conscious racers get wind of these.

I do like the added trick factor of the color-coated inner wires and ball ends though (something not available on the regular Linear Kables).

For more on the Race Race Linear Slic Kable, check out the Odyssey Daily Word on it.


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Categories : New products, New School, Racing

Is a two-speed BMX bike just too much?

28 10 2011

Pictures have surfaced recently (on BMXmania and Vintage BMX) of Barry Nobles running a 2-speed at the recent Chula Vista SX race.

Granted, this isn’t the first time 2-speeds have been tried.

Back in the 80s, the Browning 2-speed enjoyed some short-lived popularity but was quickly abandoned due to reliability issues.

I’m not sure how I feel about this development. While it’s cool in a whiz-bang, “maybe it will work this time” kinda of way, it doesn’t feel like BMX to me.

Maybe I’m becoming a curmudgeon in my old age.

But isn’t part of the attraction of this sport the simplicity of the bikes? The race community has already adapted clips, if multi-speed bikes are next, are we just a few years from spandex skinsuits and paved tracks?


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Categories : goofiness, New products, New School, Racing

Jim C. talks frame building with ESPN

25 10 2011

ESPN ran a great post on the weekend featuring Jim C. from Sunday Bikes talking about Sunday’s philosophy on frame building and the reasons why they approach it the way that they do.

It’s an in-depth look at how they work with their partners to create frames with innovative features like wave tubing, hollow dropouts with twice the strength of regular dropouts and their famous 41 thermal treatment that helps keep the frame light but yet incredibly strong.

There’s tons more in the article, so be sure to check it out here.

A Sunday post is always a good excuse to run a pic of Jim C. airing out on his 24.  Bonus pic of Jim at the Sunday office.  (Source: ESPN. Sandy Carson pics)


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

People of Walmart…your 24″ is here

19 10 2011

Less than a decade ago, if you were looking for serious, non-race 24″ cruiser your choices were few and far between.

If you wanted a 24″ bike that would take some abuse, it usually meant you were riding either a Haro Backtrail 24 or the DK General Lee.

Today, you may have noticed (especially if you’re a regular reader of this site) that the choices for non-race 24″ cruisers are a little deeper.  And perhaps fittingly, those two old workhorses, the Backtrail and the General Lee were dropped from their respective company’s lineups.

But just like those ol’ Duke Boys in a car chase with Roscoe P. Coltrane, the General Lee was a bike that couldn’t be kept down. It’s resurfaced, albeit in a slightly different incarnation and to some sometimes heated BMX forum discussion in, of all places, Walmart!

Do Bo and Luke Duke know what happened to the General Lee?

Word on the street is that Huffy bought out DK and, in addition to their higher-end bikes and parts, they are offering a small lineup of race and freestyle bikes in Walmart.

This version of the General Lee is  hi-ten steel with Chro-mo 3-piece cranks…a far cry of it’s original completely Chro-mo version…but priced accordingly, at $179 (US).

Some people are burning up the forums saying this is a travesty.

I dunno. Remember the Subrosa Salvador 24 from last year? That was a hi-ten bike with chro-mo cranks priced at $404! That to me, was  more of an outrage. At least this bike is priced appropriately and sold in a place that makes sense.

Would Uncle Jesse approve?

I can see a Dad picking one of these up, at the same time he’s picking out a first bike for his son or daughter. Who knows, after jumping  curb cuts, popping a few wheelies and just having fun on his $179 bike, he’ll decide to upgrade to something a little better at his local bike shop. And there he’ll see a brand he recognizes but be something much better suited to heavy-duty riding.

What do you think about DK bikes showing up at Walmart?

Something good?

Or something bad?

For complete specs, check out Walmart’s page.

For more info on all the Dukes of Hazzard references in this post, click here.


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

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

13 10 2011

(Headline best said with a monster truck announcer voice.)

Lots of Sunday news in the past couple weeks, it’s hard to know where to begin.

So let’s just dive right in with the top 3 things going on at Sunday (if you’re a 24″ rider)…

1) Sunday recently debuted the 2012 version of their popular Model-C complete. Off the top, I’m pretty stoked on the refinements to the frame geometry. They’ve increased the top tube length to 22″ (yes!) and tightened the rear end to 14.625″. Lots of people have been asking for a longer top tube on the complete, so it’s great to see it finally becoming available.

Parts- wise, you can’t complain either. Odyssey parts including Quadrant rims, Mike Aitken tires, Monolever, and Twisted PC pedals are all standard on this bike. Throw in Sunday parts like the Sabretooth sprocket and Freeze stem and you’ve got one good-looking complete.

Check out Jim C. shredding this Austin ditch on the new complete for proof that this bike is no slouch.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

2) Sunday also recently posted a bike check of Jim’s recently built up Vapor Blue Wave-C.

This is one sweet looking ride!

It’s loaded with Sunday and Odyssey components and gives you a good idea of what a high-end, custom-built 24″ Sunday might  look like (and also how deep the Odyssey and Sunday product lines are). Check it out here. The guard dog named Monty is a nice touch too….gotta get me one of those.

3) If you’re an eagle-eyed reader, you may have noticed that both the Model-C complete and Jim C’s personal ride are sporting the new Sunday Freeze stem.

It’s no coincidence. Jim Cielencki  and Alex Magallan have been using the Freeze stem since February.

Feature-wise, the stem’s top cap is a 6061-T6 aluminum forging (for additional reinforcement in the bar clamping area)  with a  cast aluminum body. It has a 34mm rise (to maximize bar height) and a length of 52mm.   This is a good-looking stem.

That’s all well and good but I have you seen what the price is on this stem? $29.95! For a stem that can hold up to all the abuse Jim C. and other Sunday team riders can throw at it.

That got my attention immediately.

If you’re in the market for a top-load stem, this should probably be on your short-list of choices.

For more on what’s new at Sunday, check ’em out at sundaybikes.com


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

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