Lots of great stuff in here, spanning Mongoose’s colorful 40-year history, everything from the origins of the Motomag, their early race team, the scooter phenomenon and McGoo’s tenure as the team manager/marketing manager (and the reasons behind his abrupt departure). I was especially stoked to see a segment on Jeff Kosmala and his signature KOS Kruiser–which Mongoose re-issued last year–and their collective impact on the cruiser class of that era.
Another great documentary from Mark Eaton. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Bonus info: Have you seen Mark Eaton’s section in Wheelies? It’s a perfect mix of flat and street. I must have watched that section a thousand times when that video was released. Check it out here.
I was immediately impressed by Stolen’s first foray into the 24″ world. It looked like they did their homework: tall-ish bars, double-wall rims, raised BB…all at great price (under $500, I believe).
Check out this video of Rick at Pat’s 605 Cyclery in Norwalk, CA giving the bike the once over (seriously, why don’t more bike shops do videos like this?).
If you’re looking to get a 24″ complete, the Stolen Saint is a great new option.
Back then I said (in the comments section) that having a single source supplier for all things 22″—Faction was the only company at the time offering 22″ stuff—would “hurt the cause”.
Now with companies like InDust offering 22″ frames and Standard building custom one-offs, the 22″ movement is starting to pick up some more momentum.
With this new prototype it looks like S&M is about to jump into the 22″ scene with both feet. And by doing so, it looks like the 22″ option suddenly has a whole new level of legitimacy.
Back in 1982, Skyway came out with the T/A frame. T/A stood for “Totally Aerodynamic” and featured teardrop-shaped tubing that made it an instant classic.
It was widely available as a 20″ and Skyway was said to have produced thousands over the years that it was available.
However, despite the 20’s popularity, Skyway decided to only produce a 24″ version in limited quantities. You pretty much had to be a factory rider like Richie “The Avalanche” Anderson to get a hold of one of these puppies.
This kind of exclusivity has made them a much sought-after item for collectors. You either had to be extremely lucky or have deep pockets to get a hold of one of the 24″ Skyway T/As. (Being as hot as Eva Gabrielle didn’t hurt either.)
But now PlanetBMX and Skyway are working together to bring a 24″ Skyway to the masses. It’s going to stay true to the original classic design but have a few modern elements thrown into the mix.
Check out the specs:
22″ top tube
Euro BB
1-1/8″ threadless headtube
V-brake mounts
Headtube angle- 73.5 degrees
Seat Tube angle- 73 degrees
Chainstay length- 15.4″ to 16.75″
BB Height- 12.3″
I just love the look of these frames…especially the chrome ones. Throw on some black Tuffs and some skinwall tires and you’ve got a serious looking machine on your hands.
So before we ring in the new year, let’s check out the top ten things that went down in 2011.
10. Sunday and S&M kicked off the year by introducing two of the most of the popular frames out there right now: the Sunday Wave-C and S&M 24″ Dirt Bike.
9. This was quickly followed by news that a lot of people had been waiting for: 24″ forks with front brake mounts. S&M was first to market with their 24 “Pitchforks with 990 mounts which was quickly followed by Sunday’s 24″ forks with 990 mounts (although they were testing prototypes much earlier).
8. Some great 24″ flatland vids surfaced almost immediately after from Joe Cicman and Danny Sirkin. (Could this be related somehow to #9?) Heck, even flatland legend Bobby Fisher surfaced a few months later riding flatland on a Sunday Model-C.
6. “Older” guys continued to make their presence felt in BMX on their 24″ bikes. From the older cruiser classes in racing to a skatepark rider proving that age is just a number it’s great to see that there is no age cut-off for having fun!
4. Mongoose, Stolen and InDust introduced new 24s to the scene. Great to see companies responding to the demand for bigger wheeled BMXs.
3. Cruiser Revolution celebrated its 3-year anniversary this year. A great milestone and a testament to the great cruiser community that is continuing to grow.
2. The 4130 rides. I was lucky enough to participate in the 4130 Sin Series ride in Las Vegas back in September and it was one of the best times I have ever had on my bike. Bombing the streets with a couple hundred of your fellow BMXers is something everyone has to do at least once.
1. Having a good time on your bike. Sure, it’s fun to debate the pros and cons of how tall your handlebars are, talk about the latest parts and comment on the latest video edit but when it comes right down to it, when you’re out there riding none of that really matters. Whether its with your bros, your kids or just by yourself, you can leave your worries behind and let the good times roll as soon as you step on those pedals.
Jon is 47-year old rider with great dirt jumping skills that only got into the BMX in his late 30s.
In this video, he not only provides some great dirt jumping tips, he even talks about why he prefers a 24″ bike over hard tail MTBs and 20″ BMX bikes. Definitely worth watching.
I guess with the awesome fall season we had, I shouldn’t complain.
Heck, I was still able to squeeze in one last trails session last Saturday (just days before December!) But the weather has finally turned and gotten colder. It looks like winter’s on its way and the trails are going to have to wait till spring.
Sure, sessions at indoor bike/skateparks will tide us folks in colder climes over till the warm weather hits….but there’s nothing quite like a fun, mellow session with your bros at some local trails, is there?
I dunno. Maybe I’m just starting to feel the effects of withdrawal or Seasonal Effective Disorder.
All I know is this picture of Buddy (that I came across on the ride indust site) made me think about all the fun times at the trails this past year.
Which is a bit of shame really because for around $400 (US) you get a full cro-mo frame, fork and handlebar along with a pretty respectable parts package on the new Free Agent Ratio 24.
Geometry
In terms of geometry, Free Agent has pretty much stuck with what they used in last year’s Devil 24.
That being:
74 degree head angle
72 degree seat angle
21.5″ top tube
15.2″ chainstay
All in all, not too far out from what you would expect on a bike like this (although they could’ve gone a little shorter on the chainstay).
What they could’ve done better
Given that most companies have adopted the new “standard” of a higher bottom bracket height, it’s a bit surprising that Free Agent stuck with the more race-oriented 12″ bottom bracket height for this year’s model.
Furthermore, the stock handlebar is a sub-6inch offering. While I give them points for spec’ing it in full cro-mo, the trend is decidedly taller these days.
Who might be best suited to this bike
Given the more traditional, race-style geometry (and the full cro-mo construction) this might be a great trails bike for the racer who wants to have a strong bike he can thrash on while keeping his race machine in good shape for the track. The ride should be very similar to a race cruiser so switching back and forth would be a cinch.
Or, if you’re a rider that just prefers more traditional 24″ geometry, this bike is a great option for hitting the trails or skatepark. A well-spec’ed full cro-mo bike at this price point is hard to beat.
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.)
cruiser revolution 
