The ride’s the thing

5 07 2010

Two fun group rides are happening  in sunny California this weekend.

On Saturday, the July 4130 Subway Series event goes down in SoCal. Probably the biggest group ride of its kind in the U.S., it has attracted some big numbers during past outings, including heavy hitters like Todd Lyons, Greg Hill and Stu Thomsen.

Not sure what the route is, but I believe it starts in Hollywood somewhere. They’re raffling off a Liquid Feedback frame, so that’s a pretty good incentive to go.

On Sunday, Trent B., who goes by goride09 on this site, is hosting a ride in San Francisco.  It starts by the Clock Tower/ferry building and includes a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge as part of the route. He’s raffling off some BMX swag too, so if you’re in the area you should check it out. For more details, drop him an e-mail at chfrcka@yahoo.com



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Categories : New School, Old School, street, Tomfoolery

Sometimes I miss front brakes

28 06 2010

The recent comments about front brakes have got me thinking.

Is it time to put the front brakes back on?

It wasn’t too long ago that just about every freestyle rider rode front and rear brakes…now the pendulum has swung the other way with many riders seeing brakeless bikes as the new standard.

Have things gone too far?

Are we missing out by running just a rear brake or no brakes at all?

Before you answer, check out the videos below.

Exhibit A: Eben Fischer makes the case for front brakes.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Exhibit B:

Jay Miron, front brakes till the end.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Jay Miron Macneil DVD“, posted with vodpod


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Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School, street

The best coach/mechanic I could ask for

17 06 2010

One of the biggest influences on my “biking career” has to be my dear ol’ Dad. Since I first picked up a BMX, he’s been my go-to guy. From fixing my bike, driving me to races and displaying an incredible knack for bringing beat-up/broken bike parts back to life, he gave me the kind of support that no bike company sponsorship could provide.

When other fathers would get worked up at the track yelling at their kids, he would shake his head and say he was just glad we were having fun and going home in one piece.

He’s the guy who taught me to ride a bike in the first place.

I still remember him running alongside me, one hand on the seat post, encouraging me to “pedal, pedal.” I pedaled as fast as I could.  After a while I realized he wasn’t holding on anymore. I looked back and saw him standing there, a little nervous but with a slight smile on his face.

I kept pedaling.

It felt scary but so good at the same time. I was on my own but my Dad was still there if I needed him.

Some things never change.

Thanks Dad.

Vintage photo of my Dad working on my bike. (Check out how scrawny I was back then.)




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Categories : Old School, Racing, Tomfoolery

Cruisers & beer: a match made in heaven?

1 06 2010

This seems like such a great idea that I’m kind of surprised that someone hadn’t come up with it sooner.

A beer for cruiser riders.

Sure, you can buy a number of craft beers with ties to mountain biking or even an S&M bikes beer koozie, but a beer just for BMX cruiser riders? Now that something that  just warms my heart.

Greg Mundy of Fireman’s Texas Cruzers teamed with Brad Farbstein at Real Ale Brewing to create Fireman’s #4 Blonde.  And as a form of cross-promotion, Greg and Fireman are offering the Brewery Bike inspired by the beer.

Will this inspire more cruiser companies to pair up with breweries?

Hard to say…but if a  “Liquid Courage  brew” comes out any time soon, I’ll be contacting Liquid Bikes for royalties.


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Categories : goofiness, New products, Old School

It’s time to bring cro-mo back to racing

27 05 2010

Steel is real. It’s a refrain you’ll hear time and time again in the forums from die-hard cro-mo fans. And while there are cro-mo race options out there…like S&M, Supercross, Standard and CycleCraft, by and large, they are available in frame and fork only.

Why doesn’t anyone offer a cro-mo race complete?

Back in the day, a complete cro-mo race cruiser was easy to find. Not so anymore. Pure race machines are pretty much all aluminum these days.

Is it time to bring the complete cro-mo 24 race cruiser back?

I think so.

And there are a number of reasons why.

Versatility: Sure an aluminum bike might be fine for the track, pump track and light trails….but would you trust it anywhere else? Bigger trails? An impromptu session at the skatepark? Probably not. A cro-mo bike would let you ride in any of these situations with confidence. Sure, some people have a second bike for this very reason but many people do not have this luxury.

Better value: A good cro-mo bike can easily outlast an aluminum bike. With the way the economy is these days a bike that lasts just makes good sense. And if you’re a Dad just swinging a leg over a 24 for the first time (or after a long layoff from the sport) a little bit of the “give” that 4130 has will be welcome.  If your kid decides to quit racing and just ride trails and park? No problem, the cro-mo bike will take you to the park or trails in style.

Pent up demand: With such a vocal group on the internet forums, a good cro-mo race complete would probably sell like hotcakes.

While I don’t expect S&M to suddenly jump into the complete market, certainly the Fit CR24, with a couple of tweaks to the geometry (and maybe the components) could be offered as a race version (just as an example…not to pick on S&M/Fit). I think there’s a market out there and whoever decides to take the plunge will be pleasantly surprised.

It’s time for race bike manufacturers to get back to their roots…it’s time once again, to sell the metal.

David Frid knows steel is real. He rocks one of the nicest 38 Specials out there in the O-Cup race series.



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Categories : New School, Old School, Racing, street, Trails/Jumping

Scott Towne is not missing out

19 05 2010

Scott Towne needs no introduction. Holding down a slew of editorial positions at a number of BMX mags over the years, he’s been part of the BMX community for what seems like forever.  A bit out of the mainstream BMX spotlight at the moment he continues to ride his BMX and share his musings on his blog, the Deliverance Project.

I haven’t visited his blog in a while but after checking it out again it seems that Scott is still having a  good time on his bike and providing entertaining (and inspiring) words on his blog.

Take this post for instance.

It starts off with him rambling on about his new helmet but quickly changes to a comment about riding and how most everyday folks will never quite understand how satisfying it feels after a good session.

…rode until it was dark. I can’t describe how much satisfaction I get out of riding those jumps. Standing in line at the store to buy a couple beers afterward, dirty (probably more from mowing the lawn earlier) and soaked with sweat, with a big grin on my face. Each person I saw, all I could think was how much they were missing.*If only they knew what I had just finished doing. Not that they would be impressed with my riding, just that what I experienced had to be better than anything anyone else did on their Saturday evening. I wouldn’t trade it for anything…                                                                                                                                   * (italics mine)

Soaked with sweat with a big grin…who hasn’t been there after a good session?

Something so simple yet something that makes the everyday hum-drum bearable.

Scott Towne’s not missing out on the fun of riding and I hope you’re not either.

Photo from an interview that inthegnar.com did with Scott Towne a while ago.

Great pic of Scott having fun on his bike.


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Categories : New School, Old School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

The twin top tube makes a comeback

11 05 2010

Josh from Coyote Bicycles sent an email a while back about his new frame and I have to say it’s definitely one of the more interesting looking 24s coming on the scene.

Missing the era of twin-tube frames, like Torker, etc., Josh set about bringing it back…but this time with a more modern take on it . The result: a bike with a relatively quick head angle, short rear end, integrated headtube and mid bottom bracket.

Check out the specs:

  • 21.5″tt
  • 74 ht
  • 71 st
  • 12.5″ bb height
  • 14.25″-15.5″ chainstay
  • 14mm drop outs
  • 25.4 seat tube
  • 990 mounts

The only other twin top tube 24 offerings that I am aware of  are the Ambiente and the Brooklyn Machine Works Pooky. Ambiente may be out of business now so a twin top tube 24 is as a rare as it is cool.

If you want more info on Josh’s frame, drop him a line at info@coyotebicycles.com. You can also check out his site (which is still in development) at www.coyotebicycles.com or  his feature on bmxmuseum.com.

And for those of you thinking this frame would make an awesome Haro Master replica with the addition of some old school decals and paint, I was thinking the same thing. Just imagine if this guy with retro Nyquist 24 got a hold of this frame.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School

Is Accelerate the new RAD?

4 05 2010

Long a cult classic, RAD is both loved and hated by the BMX community. No matter what your opinion of the movie, if you’re a BMX rider you’ve seen this movie…probably more than once (in my case…probably more times than you can count). BMX Bandits, featuring a young Nicole Kidman, is pretty cheesy in its own right, but RAD took things to a whole other level.

Now over two decades later, another BMX movie is in the works: Accelerate. Will it live up (or stoop) to the standard set by RAD?  Too early to tell.  But I did read on their  site that Bill Allen who played Cru Jones in RAD will be appearing in the Accelerate movie. For a BMX geek like myself, that’s already enough reason to see the movie (just kidding…sort of). In the mean time, check out the trailer to get a taste for what will hit the big screen in 2011.


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Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School, Rad, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Rockabilly Jay’s S&M Dirt Bike cruiser

29 04 2010

Rockabilly Jay from West Coast Choppers recently sent in this great photo of his S&M Dirt Bike cruiser .

What a great combination of mid-school looks with modern parts and geometry! (That sticker on the forks is nice too.)

He says he’s been racing cruiser every week with a crew of five guys and having a blast doing it.

To see another one of Jay’s builds, check out this sweet custom SE Quadangle cruiser (featured last year on Cruiser Revolution).


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Categories : New products, New School, Old School, Racing

Ben Snowden hits the vert ramp on a 24

20 04 2010

Remember that post a while back where I asked whether Vert was the final frontier for cruisers? It looks like people are starting to cross that frontier.

The evidence?

One Ben Snowden killing it on the vert ramp on Jon Faure’s Model-C at the Old School BMX reunion.

(Special thanks to Jon for forwarding the pic)


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Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School

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