I can stare at early 80s-era BMX magazine photos like this all day long.
Back in the day I used to dream of getting the full-factory ride like all the legends that filled the pages of BMX Action and BMX Plus.
Two of the “factory hot shots” of the time were Jeff Bottema and Toby Henderson.
Here they are, looking as factory as can be, getting some serious boost and tucking in behind the seat for extra style points.
Classic BMX goodness.
Wow, hard to believe that this little blog is still going strong after 5 great years!
So cool to think back to how the cruiser scene (and this site) has developed over the years…whether it’s the new bikes or new cruiser-specific aftermarket parts…the growing numbers of people switching over to big-wheeled BMXs…former riders “getting back on the horse” after following CR for a while…the great (and often funny) comments, discussions and messages…it’s all pretty awesome.
Thanks for rolling with me for all these years.
Cheers everybody.
BMX racing needs a breath of fresh air and I think events like the upcoming Helltrack event being held at The Lumberyard bike park might be just the way to do that.
What is the Helltrack event you ask?
Well, according to the Helltrack website, it’s:
…a multi-lap obstacle race with 7 riders going head to head that combines indoor and outdoor features, a cereal bowl, pallets, bikes, beer, jumps, UCI Bro Barriers, Carnage, good times, and …race classes for everyone and for all types of bikes.
Sounds pretty freaking awesome to me!
A welcome departure from the standard, far-to-serious-for-its-own-good atmosphere that most big races have.
And unlike a UCI event, you probably wouldn’t be looked down if you raced in jeans (See: Cru Jones: the UCI doesn’t like your type).
Now, we just need to get an event at all the big indoor bike parks (like Ray’s MTB, Joyride 150, etc.) so more people can take part in the tomfoolery.
Can’t wait to see the video highlights of this event.
The movie Rad, a cult classic for BMXers of all stripes, was way ahead of it’s time in some ways.
(Watching the story of the small-town kid with dreams of racing in the big race is a rite of passage for most riders.)
Sure, the racing depicted was a bit wack but that sorta added to the movie’s charm.
Now looking back, it’s interesting to see how prophetic it was.
The giant start hill of Helltrack looks like it might have been the inspiration for the big starting hills of today’s SX tracks.
Mongoose bikes were “going to be in every department store across the nation” (can’t remember the exact line)….which seemed ridiculous at the time but now ,of course, you can visit any Wal-Mart and pick up a Mongoose bicycle.
And the way the big corporate interests would try to stamp down the energetic upstart/hometown kid, Cru Jones, from making a go of it.
Who could forget, Cru, the rider in the hockey helmet and jeans (before the big final, when he finally gets some proper racing duds) practicing and then racing against the “factory hot-shots”.
Now it seems like the UCI is ready to pull a similar move on riders that have the audacity to show up for a race in jeans.
According to the new UCI rule book:
The following items are not permitted for BMX pants:
– One piece skin suits
– Tight fitted pants that needs to be stretched in order to cover
the legs
– Lycra pants
– Track and Field pants /jogging pants
– Road/Track cycling pants
– Denim / Jeans
It just seems like a step too far.
Jeans have been part of the “first race day” uniform of just about every BMX racer (minus the hockey helmet) since the sport began.
Is nothing sacred anymore?
Back in 2012, Gundars Osis dropped one of the better race videos in recent memory. (See Gundars Osis takes a hot lap.)
Tightly edited and filmed at a fairly technical track by Kaspars Garda, it just made you want to grab the bike and take a few hot laps yourself.
Well, the two guys have teamed up again to put out another great video.
This time, Gundars Osis (riding his BMX cruiser) pits himself against Matiss Karro (riding a motocross bike) on a BMX track.
Will Gundars be able to hold his own vs. the MX rider?
Check out the video to find out.
The guys at DK Bicycles have also been busy updating their cruiser offerings for 2014 and that hard work was on display in their Interbike booth.
The Cygnus got a bit of an update in the geo department…with a slightly higher bottom bracket and longer top tube (I think) to bring it more in line with today’s modern freestyle cruisers.
A new 24″ model, called The Sprinter, has also been added to the lineup as their more affordable race-ready option. (This replaces the Sentry 24.)
Finally, for 2014 the Elite Series cruiser has been made better than ever (if you recall,the 2013 DK Elite Series Cruiser did not disappoint). The Elite Series now comes fully loaded with Box and Promax components, including special edition X2 Carbon forks with 20mm hubs. I’m not usually a fan of carbon forks but the Elite Series they had on display (albeit the 20″ version) looked super mean.
And because only the 20″ version was on display, I’ve dug around and found a picture of said 24 for your viewing pleasure through the magic of television…I mean, the internet.
Update: Jesse Klein (from DK) came through with the high-res image above to replace the blurry one I had here originally.
Check out their new catalog for the rest of the details, specs, etc. on the 2014 DK lineup.
It’s September and that means, in addition to the classic Earth, Wind & Fire song, “September” constantly playing in my head, the bicycle industry’s annual show ‘n’ tell called Interbike is just mere weeks away.
Like in years past, I’ll be cruising the aisles of Interbike checking out what’s new and happening in cruisers and bigger-wheeled BMX bikes.
Last year, some new complete bikes debuted that really caught my attention.
Bikes like the Stolen Saint XLT
and the DK Elite Series Cruiser really stood out.
But walking the tradeshow floor is only part of the comprehensive investigation this hard-working BMX journalist will be providing.
In 2012, I went out and pounded the pavement to see if I could find the information that you just couldn’t find in the kiosks at the show.
That desire to get the inside story took me to one of the pools on the Strip where Maxim magazine’s Hometown Hotties were holding court.
It was there that I heard that the 2013 models would be bigger in the front and have tighter back ends.
Who knew you would learn about chain-stay length at a Vegas Pool?
Of course, it’s important to get the local perspective on things.
And there is no better place to do that than at the annual 4130 Sin Series ride (scheduled to go down on the Friday of Interbike Week this year).
Rolling with good peeps, like Vegas locals Mike Leonard and Chris Fox (pictured below with me (Ed) after the ride…thanks again for lending me a bike Chris!)
…and catching up with out-of-town visitors like Randy Franklin, this is the event that brings it all home.
Even though I’m excited to see what the bike industry has cooked up for 2014, it’s important to remember that bike riding is still all about getting together with your friends and having fun…and that’s what the 4130 Sin Series ride is all about.
Looking forward to some good times in Vegas.
On again and off again, running hot and cold on cruisers, it’s an ongoing theme with BMX Plus magazine.
One minute they’re showing some love for cruisers, the next they’re running a cover story called “Cruising into Oblivion: The Death of the 24“.
The BMX world’s longest running magazine can be a cruel mistress.
It’s enough to make a grown man cry.
Now in the latest issue (September), it looks like Plus is trying to kickstart the love affair again.
With a coverline that calls September “The Big Issue” and “Race and Freestyle Cruisers put to the test” getting top billing you just know something’s up.
Inside the magazine, they have–be still my heart–a freestyle cruiser shootout!
Granted, we suggested that they do this way back in 2010 but it’s nice to see it finally happening.
The DK Cygnus, the Sunday Model-C and Stolen Saint are all reviewed, complete with some pretty good riding shots.
On the race side of things, Plus takes the Redline Proline 24 out for a test drive. A solid review with, again, some good riding shots.
To cap things off and round out the big wheel bonanza, there is a DK ad on the backcover, featuring its Sentry 24.
Will this renewed love for the cruiser last this time?
I guess we’ll have to watch the newstand to find out.
Todd Lyons has been busy.
With all the cool new rides for 2014 that he has been showing sneak peeks of …it’s sometimes hard to keep up.
This one definitely caught our attention though.
It’s the classic SE PK Ripper, supersized.
A mix of old school and new school (with a pronounced lean toward the old school), this 26-inch PK Ripper features Floval tubing, a looptail rear end and diamond dropouts.
Top it off with a polished frame, classic SE blue components and…wait for it…Oakley B-1B grips in a custom SE colorway(!)
An eye-catcher for sure!
Looking forward to checking this one out up close at Interbike.
Here’s the specs:
| TOP TUBE, ACTUAL | 22.2″ | |||||||
| SEAT TUBE | 15″ | |||||||
| SEAT TUBE ANGLE | 73° | |||||||
| HEAD TUBE ANGLE | 71° | |||||||
| CHAINSTAY | 17.4″ | |||||||
| WHEELBASE | 42″ | |||||||
| BOTTOM BRACKET HEIGHT | 11.8″ | |||||||
| SEAT POST DIAMETER | 27.2mm | |||||||
Crazy Al Cayne caught up with GT Bicycles product manager, Jason Halverson recently at Trumbull BMX to get the inside line on the new Interceptor 24 from GT.
I was stoked to see Al’s bike check post because my interest has been piqued ever since the ads started appearing in PULL magazine touting the “100% Chromoly” Interceptor Race Line.
Turns out that GT has taken some elements of its freestyle frames, like the dropouts and the larger downtube, and worked them into the Interceptor. This is In addition to design tweaks to reduce flex and keep it race-ready. All in an effort to make a bike that’s equally at home at the track and the trails.
With S&M and Standard pretty much cornering the chromoly race frame market, it’s cool to see a mainline race brand re-embrace its roots and put out a quality chromoly race bike.
What do you think?
Check out http://www.BMXHOOD.com for more pictures and details from Al Cayne and the Interceptor 24.
cruiser revolution 