Trails | cruiser revolution

2011 We The People Avenger 24″ preview

30 07 2010

We The People is back for 2011 with an update to the Avenger 24″. It was called the Avenue in previous years but it had a mid-season name change in 2010 to the Avenger.

Right of the bat, you’ll notice the look has changed to a cleaner glossy-red finish, right down to the cranks (a nice touch) with stripped-down graphics that are a bit on the basic, ho-hum side.

Notables include a new top-loading stem, 7″ bars, Odyssey tires, and double-wall rims.

However, a bit of a disappointment is the 21.25″ top tube/15.23″ chain stay dimensions. I would have really liked to have seen a longer top-tube and a slightly tighter chain stay length.

All in all though, if you can get past the shorter top-tube, this is looks like it could be one of the better completes out there for the new year.

My apologies for the blurry picture.

It was the best I could find at the current time. I will link to a better image once it becomes available.

Update: We The People has posted an online version of their 2011 catalog.

Comments : 19 Comments »
Tags: 2011 We The People Avenger 24", Odyssey tires, top-loading stem, We The People, We The People Avenger, We The People Avenue
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Another Liquid rider at the trails

21 07 2010

Is the Liquid Feedback the go-to 24″ for trails this year?

All signs point to yes.

Erik Hortsch puts his new Liquid through its paces in this Vimeo video edit.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Erik Hortsch new Liquid, posted with vodpod

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: 24" trails bike, Erik Hortsch, Liquid Bikes, Liquid Feedback frame, Trails
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

DMR gets some skin in the game

20 07 2010

Summer’s here and people are showing more skin.

Your bike should be no different.

Ready to take the plunge and rock the skinwall tire?

A good option might be the DMR Supermoto, available in wire and kevlar. Technically a MTB dirt jumping tire, it seems like it would be a great option for a 24″ BMX. 2.1 inches wide with a low profile it would be at home at skateparks, trails and race tracks. It’s relatively lightweight too.

Not sure how widely available this tire is in North America (DMR is based out of the UK) but their site shows both U.S. and Canada distribution so you should be able to get it if your bike shop deals with one of the listed distributors.

For more on my one-man crusade to bring back the skinwall tire, check out Is it time to show some skin again? and Showing some skin in Utah.

Update: The 24″ version of this tire is available in wire only. The 26″ version is available in both wire and kevlar.

Comments : 13 Comments »
Tags: 24" BMX, bring back the skinwall tire, DMR, DMR Supermoto, is it time to show some skin again?, MTB dirt jumping, Showing some skin in Utah
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School, Racing, Trails, 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.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: having fun a BMX bike, inthegnar, Scott Towne, The Deliverance Project
Categories : New School, Old School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Like father, like son

13 05 2010

…or may be it’s the other way around?

Jon Faure’s been working on a video featuring him riding with his son and how getting a 24 (his Sunday Model-C) helped make it all possible.

Should be a great video. After all, you don’t see too many father-son trains flowing through Woodward West…unless the Faures are in the house that is.

Clearly Jon is raising his son right, just check out his table manners.

Like son, like father?

Jon shows the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Jon Faure, Like father, like son, Sunday Model-C, tabletop jumps, Woodward West
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

A backyard pumptrack revisited

7 05 2010

As you may remember, I was pretty stoked on Jason G’s backyard pumptrack when I first saw a video of it on vimeo. Well, it’s a new season and Jason has been putting in some time making it even better.

He’s got a regular Thursday night session going on (as you can see below) and he’s already planning on adding to it and changing things up. So far he’s the only cruiser rider in the group for the Thursday night session but I suspect that won’t be for long.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “back yard pumptrack early season sesh…“, posted with vodpod

Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: backyard pumptrack, BMX Cruiser, cruiser rider, pump track
Categories : Trails, Trails/Jumping

Specialized debuts new P24 at Sea Otter

5 05 2010

Specialized is jumping back into the BMX scene with its new P-series of bikes. On display at the recent Sea Otter MTB event, the P24 model looks like it took its influence from some of the current crop of 24s that have entered the market in the last year or so.

It’s built with Reynolds tubing and has next-to-no graphics (although that might be due to it being in the prototype stages). And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, that’s a Sunday fork that was being used to build up the bike for testing.

Here’s a more close up look:

One of my first thoughts when I came across this was…why debut this at Sea Otter? A MTB event? It’s a BMX bike after all. Then after thinking about it for a while, it seemed to make more sense.

Whenever I’m riding somewhere that has a lot of riders with “urban/DJ” MTBs, there always seems to be a questions and interest regarding my 24. Many seem unaware of the 24″ BMX option.

Maybe MTBers are the great cross-over market for 24s…if reading the ads for Urban DJ bikes are any indication, it just might be. Almost to the one, the ads will say something like, “BMX-inspired” or “BMX-style” in describing the bike and the components. Maybe the answer for the people reading these ads is to actually get a BMX bike.

Specialized might be on to something with this approach.

For more on the Specialized P24, check out Bikerumor and Sicklines.

Comments : 17 Comments »
Tags: 24" jump bike, MTB, MTBers, Reynolds tubing, Sea Otter, Specialized P-series, Specialized P24, Sunday fork, Urban DJ bikes
Categories : New products, New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

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.

Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: Accelerate BMX movie, Bill Allen, BMX Bandits, BMX geek, BMX rider, Cru Jones, Nicole Kidman, Rad movie
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School, Rad, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

At the trails, every day is earth day

23 04 2010

*Warning- Borderline hippy post*

I hit the trails after work today and had a good session with a couple of MTBers that were there. Between runs we were chatting and it struck me that despite all the media hype about caring for the planet, the green movement, etc. I couldn’t have been more aware of and in tune with nature then I was right then.

We were talking about which trees were leaning more than usual, which ones had fallen and how it felt good to be back out in the dirt after a long winter. We took a few more runs. Afterward we could hear someone aways off ripping through the trails on one of those obnoxiously loud motorized mini-bikes. One of the MTBers started yelling at him to get off the trails because he was wrecking them.

Looking around you could see why it bothered him so much…all around groomed jumps, pump lines…hours of collective sweat and effort…and this guy is chewing up trails that so many people rode and put in so much time to maintain.

In a roundabout way, what I’m trying to say is a day at the trails is perfect way to get in touch with what I think was the original intent of Earth Day. You can’t ride trails and not be aware of the environment.

Whether it’s keeping the place clear of garbage and debris, working together to fix a section, trimming tree branches or just yelling at guy for not being respectful of the trails…it’s all about showing love for the dirt (earth) and all it gives to us.

My friend Glen has been riding and building trails for as long as I’ve known him (which is a very long time). Nice tuck at the Glenridge trails in St. Catharines, Ontario.