I’ve checked out a few of Bunky Dunn‘s bike check/setup posts in the past and they’ve always got my attention.
Today, I caught this one will surfing through a thread at BMX Museum.
And like in the past, this one caught my attention…because it’s not every day that you come across a Green Sunday Wave C.
Definitely a cool looking green machine.
It’s no stranger to the streets…and rails…either.
Check out this clip for proof.
Radness.
Even though we’ve been blessed with warm fall weather (in most parts of North America at least) it’s just a matter of time before the really cold stuff starts to take hold.
And while the old standbys of indoor bike parks and heated parked garages are always good options during the winter…sometimes you’ve just got to keep it raw and have yourself a good ol’ fashioned street session.
But before you do that, you have to be prepared.
A big part of that preparation is…dressing in layers.
What layers you say?
Ant Bloch of Harvester Bikes has put together a video to highlight the essentials for winter street riding.
As Ant explains, you’ll want to make sure you have the following:
A solid list for sure…and given that Ant rides in Canadian winters…he’s got some real-world experience riding in the cold.
I can’t disagree with any of his suggestions but I would add one more item to the list: a moisture-wicking shirt.
Use it under (or as a replacement for) the long-sleeve shirt he mentioned to keep you less sweaty once the session really gets going. (I’ve started adding this to my cold weather-riding gear and it has really made a difference.)
So now that you’ve got your cold weather-riding gear sorted…don’t let a winter forecast get you down…get out there and get riding!
The SE Fat Ripper is a bit of an anomaly in the BMX world.
It has the look of a classic PK Ripper with floval tubing, looptail rear end, and Landing Gear forks…but then mixes it with 26 x 3.5” tires, 65mm wide rims, and disc brakes.
It was a headturner (and probably a headscratcher for some) from the time the first time a sneak peek was released.
But how does it ride?
Todd Lyons seems to have anticipated that question and has been pretty tireless with dropping pictures and clips of him riding this beast.
Now, apparently to silence all critics, Todd and SE have dropped an edit of TL shredding all manner of obstacles and terrain aboard the FAT Ripper. ( And, as a sidenote…can I mention how awesome it is to see a company rep shredding one of their big-wheeled bikes? This doesn’t happen enough.)
Sure looks like this thing can handle just about anything in its path.
Beyond walking the aisles of Interbike, checking out the new bikes, parts and trends of the show…one of the high points of the week is meeting up with the crew behind the 4130 Sin City Series ride for night of fun, rolling through the streets of Vegas.
I had to miss it last year (because I had to fly back early for a wedding) but I had my fingers crossed that the stars would align and I would be able to ride this year.
Well, the stars did align.
And, like he has in the past, Mike Leonard came through for me with a bike I could borrow for the night, along with a lift to the meetup spot.
(That’s Mike on the right…not sure why our skin looks like we’re under heat lamps..must be the Vegas lights.)
The group was smaller this year (I heard there was a race nearby that drew away a lot of people that would’ve participated) but it didn’t diminish the fun in the slightest.
It was good to catch up with Sal and Cactus, who I had rode with on previous rides.
The night was a blast…out in the elements, experiencing the crazy lights of the strip, the high fives of passersby and a good laugh with the other people on the ride.
Definitely a good time.
Let’s do it all again next year!
(All pics by Mike Leonard)
As mentioned in the previous post, I had made a beeline to the We The People (WTP) booth at Interbike because of earlier rumors that had said WTP was going to offer two cruisers in their lineup for 2016.
I was intrigued…and half-concerned…that they would change up the 24″ Atlas.
It turns out that the WTP folks decided to stick with a good thing and left the spec/geometry pretty much the same as last years…essentially a long, “trails-y”-feeling 24.
What has changed is the look of the WTP Atlas.
The black and red ano colorway of the 2015 has been dispensed with.
In its place?
A “bottle-green” (trans) green frame & fork, complimented with generous helpings of chrome and black, and rounded out with tanwall Kenda Small Block 8 tires.
This combo looks really nice.
Not much more to say about this bike, other than this is a real looker and ready to shred right out of the box.
If you’re someone that doesn’t like the higher BBs on other modern 24s…but want something more responsive than “traditional cruiser geometry”…this might be the bike you want to take another look at.
The specs/particulars:
Frame/fork and bars are full cro-mo.
Here’s one for the “what goes around, comes around” file.
Bash guards.
They enjoyed a brief moment in the sun back in the day when Bully frames came with them welded on and when GTs offered them as an add-on accessory…because they believed “bolt on [was] better.”
Heck, even Wade Nelson did a bit on them in Snakebite yesterday. Here’s an excerpt:
At the end of the 1980s, the BMX market had crashed, and was perhaps looking for the next gimmicky thing to sell more stuff. Suddenly it was of paramount importance that we have bashguards on our bikes.
And in an era before micro-gearing:
[O]ur giant sprockets…needed protection.
But about as abruptly as this “innovation” swept into the BMX marketplace, it was quickly ushered out.
Bashguards were already a footnote before the giant sprockets they were designed to protect were replaced by micro-gears.
Now it looks like a company is trying to bring them back.
BMX Grind claims,
BMX has seen attempts at this in the past, but nothing designed specifically for modern day grinds and whips, and nothing that lets you grind like this!
Hmm…really?
To their credit, BMX Grind has put out a video to promote their product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PzOJNwp994
Not sure how game-changing those grinds are….
It probably does protect your sprocket…But how many riders are going to going to be willing to bolt on 1.3 pound guard to do it? Sure, back in the day a heavy bike was a badge of honor, but today? Forget about it.
Then again, maybe I’m judging it too harshly.
Is the bashguard ready for a comeback? Let me know what you think.
(*I know this isn’t a cruiser topic per se, but as a “BMX Enthusiast” it’s something I still feel worth discussing.)
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.
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.
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.
I 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:
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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:
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.
cruiser revolution 
