Age is just a number

12 10 2011

While we’ve featured (really) old guys who ride before, by and large they’ve been racers.

That got me thinking about the freestyle/park guys…

Are the freestyle/park guys going to be able to hang when they start hitting 50?

Well, it looks likes I got my answer.

Check out this park rider, pushing 60, and still out there getting rad!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

I especially like crossbar pad he’s rocking. (Told ya they were making a comeback.)





Bobby Fisher resurfaces on a Model-C

8 10 2011

Back in the 90s, Bobby Fisher made a name for himself with a style of riding that combined the technical aspects of flatland with a creative street element that was awesome to watch.

A regular in videos and magazines of that era, Bobby has now slipped out of the limelight for the most part.

Bobby’s still going strong though. ESPN recently caught up with him and found out that he’s still riding but now balancing that with running the family tire business and other aspects of day-to-day life.

What’s interesting though is that Bobby’s made the jump to a 24inch bike, specifically the Sunday Model-C.

Asked about the transition from a 20″ to a 24″, Bobby said,

The transition was actually easy. The Model C feels just like a 20-inch but with bigger wheels. I commute by bike quite a bit so I was stoked to be able to ride BMX more often.

But Bobby’s doing more than just commuting. As these pictures from ESPN show, Bobby is still tearing things up.

In flatland:

and street:

Whether it’s running  the family business or sticking with the types of riding  most fun to him (and what made him famous) Bobby has stayed true to his roots.

It’s great to see that Bobby has managed to keep his love for BMX going despite all his other responsibilities. And now that he’s doing it on a 24″ bike, I couldn’t be more stoked.

**If you’re not familar with Bobby Fisher, check out this clip from Style Cats back when Bobby was a key part of the Standard army. No doubt this cat’s got style.

Click here for the full interview.





The UK has the right idea

4 10 2011

Spotted this sweet pumptrack vid on a VintageBMX thread today.

Talk about an awesome setup!

Word has it that these tracks are popping up all over the UK….and they’re paid for by the local city councils!

Not only that, you can get a decent cup of tea there too…maybe it’s time for a visit.





US-made BMX frames on the upswing

1 10 2011

Brian Tunney over at ESPN just posted a great article about The resurgence of US-made BMX frames.

It talks about how the gap is starting to close price-wise between US-made frames and frames made overseas. With the growing costs of both international shipping and production in Taiwan (where most BMX frames are produced) the price advantage that Taiwan had over the US, for many years now, might be a thing of the past.

In the article, Tunney was surprised to learn that:

...between the rising costs of steel on top of stricter overseas regulations and increased shipping costs, the price gap between a US-made frame and an overseas frame is shrinking.

That’s pretty incredible, but check out this statement:

In some cases, a US-made frame such as an S&M might even be cheaper than a Taiwan-produced frame…

Who would have thunk it?

Could we see a return to something similar to the 80s when most premier BMX frames were made in the US?

Looks like it might very well happen.





This is real street riding

28 09 2011

Every so often a video appears on the scene that’s so mind blowing, so ground breaking, so epic…it changes everything.

This is one of those times.

“Hell yeah, put that on your list of cool shit you saw today” – Jesse Miller





Sin City…4130 style

23 09 2011

After a week in Vegas, checking out the latest and greatest  at interbike, celebrating the top riders in the sport at the Nora Cup Awards and just taking in the spectacle of the Strip…it felt there was something missing from my interbike experience.

Sure flashy new bikes and parts are cool but BMX is so much more than that. It’s that feeling you get when you get a group of riders together and have a good ride or session.

Thankfully the 4130 crew, together with Vegas local Micheal Leonard, brought the L.A.-based 4130 Subway Series ride to Las Vegas to coincide with interbike.  Renamed the 4130 Sin City Series ride, 200 plus riders made it out to take part in what would become an epic ride.   Everyone was smiling and having a good time…old school, new school, race or street rider…it didn’t matter. It was a celebration of BMX in it’s purest form.

That good feeling you get when a good group of riders gets together to ride?

The 4130 rides have that in spades.

I’m still hyped on the ride a week later.

So much fun.

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Random interbike finds

22 09 2011

While I was cruising the booths at interbike, a few random things caught my eye. No real rhyme or reason to them but things you might be interested in.

The return of the Redline Forklifter Plate

Spotted this in the Redline booth. It looks pretty similar to the old Forklifter plates that RL Osborn used to sport on his bike (like in the opening sequence of Rad).

Tioga’s “is this taking things to far?” new pedals

Spotted these at the Tioga booth. I’d be a little nervous about riding these puppies. (What I was hoping to find in the Tioga booth is news that they would be offering the Powerblock tires in 24 X 1.95…alas, no such luck.)

New kicks from 5-Ten

Although I’m something of a flat pedal purist when it comes to racing, I do like the added edge that sticky shoes like 5-Ten provide.  Wandering by the 5-Ten booth I noticed that they’ve stepped things up this year with cool half-cab and high-top styles.

Pryme knee/shin guards

Not sure if these are new or not but I really liked how streamlined they were. They looked like a good option to wear under jeans at the local bike/skatepark.

Cruiser Candy

I got pretty excited when I spotted this van at the show. Probably because I was hoping to fill my pockets with cruiser-shaped candy. Unfortunately (at least for me anyway) Cruiser Candy is a business focused on the beach cruiser market. I consoled myself with one of the complimentary beers that some of the booths were offering to “guests”.





Cruising the booths at interbike

20 09 2011

You’ve probably already checked out the interbike coverage from Ride and Vital BMX already but you and I both know they’ve left out what you’re really looking for…what’s new in 24″ BMX news.

Good thing Cruiser Revolution was there this year to bring you the highlights that you were really looking for.

Free Agent

An updated colorway and the addition of Sinz forks are all new for the Free Agent Limo 24 in 2012. I’m seeing more and more Free Agents at the track, so this could be a big seller when these drop in stores.

Redline

It seems that Redline’s reputation for out-of-the-box ready race machines remains intact. While the Project 79 bike got a lot of hype (I got the impression that a 24″ version isn’t on the horizon anytime soon) the old workhorses, the 24″ Flight and 24″ Proline look as good as ever with some updated colorways and component tweaks.

SE Racing

While I was hoping to see the updated Floval Flyer (it wasn’t on display for some reason) SE had a number of cruisers to check out. My particular favorite looks-wise was the OM Flyer. For real, this thing is beautiful. A vision in chrome goodness (it even sports chrome valve caps!).

Sunday

Sunday didn’t have a booth this year but I chatted with Jim C. after the Nora Cup awards and got the lowdown on what’s new at Sunday for 2012. The Model-C complete will be sporting a 22″ top tube with a great parts package. Check out this web edit for all the details.

We the People

According to the rep I spoke to, WTP dropped the 24″ for the lineup because “it wasn’t doing what we wanted it to in the market place”.  Sad really, considering WTP’s legacy of great 24″ bikes. Perhaps if they actually promoted their 24″ bike…say with a web edit or a picture of someone riding it…. they would’ve achieved the sales they were looking for. (See Where’s the promotion?” ) But who am I to say? Perhaps not marketing is the new marketing. What’s replacing it is their new 26″ Champ bike. If you’re a BMX Museum regular you will see the not-so-subtle design nods to the classic Champion frames from back in the day.

Stolen

Stolen is new on the 24″ scene for 2012 with a good first effort called the Saint. It comes complete with 7.25″ bars and double-wall rims.

DK Bicycles

DK seems to have a lot on the go these days 24″ wise. They’ve updated their popular Sentry cruiser with a 22″ top tube, their freestyle-oriented Cygnus is looking sharp and their long-awaited 24″ Professional frame (with the higher than usual bottom bracket) will be dropping in about a month. Their Evolution rims are also looking dope. Check out this clip of Trevor Gay explaining, with Brian Hunt‘s “help”, all the features and colors available in the Evolution rim.

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It would be a sin to miss it

14 09 2011

By the time you read this, I’ll be in Sin City (Las Vegas) checking out all the new 2012 stuff on display at Interbike. It’s going to be a busy week.  Tons of stuff to check out and people to meet. And while I’d love to say that I’ll be “reporting live”, I’ll probably just put it all together in a recap next week.

I’m also planning on hitting the the Nora Cup Awards. Drew Bezanson (who rides at Joyride, my local bike park) is up for another award so I’ll be cheering him on.

On Friday, the Vegas edition of the 4130 Subway Series goes down. It’s going be nuts. (Now I just have to borrow a bike so I can participate!)

More details next week.





How stacked is the 40-44 cruiser class?

12 09 2011

That headline is a bit of a rhetorical question because, from the looks of things, it’s incredibly stacked. I just finished reading Scott Burright’s post on 30plusbmx on that class at the NBL Grands and it’s no joke.

According to Scott:

40-44 cruiser at the final NBL Grands was epic. 59 riders showed up to do battle in one of the most competitive classes in the sport. The title would come down to who was able to make it through to the main event.  The class had eighths, so this would be no easy task.

Check out Scott’s writeup for all the details but suffice it to say the main was a pressure cooker for the guys who made it because it was anyone’s race to win.  The talent in the class is deep:

Words cannot describe how hard and competitive this class has become. There are seriously 25-30 guys who can make mains at any given national.

With the NBL and ABA uniting under the USABMX banner next year, it looks like the level of riding is going to get that much more competitive. Tough if you’re one of the competitors but awesome if you want to watch some closely fought races.