Just when you start thinking, “Where’s a good action shot when you need one?”
Pat Joubert comes through with two great shots of him tearing things up on his Liquid.
Check out this great shot (taken a secret location) by Mike Lawless.
Or this one by Pat’s friend Jeff. Serious air time at the public Greenlake trails in Seattle.
So rad.
(By the way, the whole time I was typing this I had Piece of your Action by Motley Crue playing in my head.)
Ride BMX just posted their Friday Interview with Jim Cielencki of Sunday Bikes.
It’s a great read. Jim talks about Sunday Bikes, moves he’s pioneered, his influences, past trips and even a little bit on 24″ riding.
In the interview, Jim says,
“I’ve always been into riding tight set ups and trying to ride the 24″ in tight set ups is even better. ”
You don’t need any more evidence than the pic above, with a perfectly executed fufanu on a super tight quarter.
But that’s not to say that Jim doesn’t also like to go big.
Check out this big bank to wall ride (also from the interview).
For the full interview, check out Ride BMX.
(All pictures above by Andrew Brady, Ride BMX)
Buddy from Austin (Texas) recently picked up on one of the last Liquid frames (word has it they’re sold out now) and he is already putting it to good use.
Taking advantage of it’s dirt-oriented geometry, Buddy is having a blast putting his new Liquid build through its paces at the many dirt spots Austin has to offer.
Check out this shot by his friend Octavio at “The Nut”.
Radness.
I recently picked up a super cool book called, Rad Rides: The Best BMX Bikes Of All Time (Intercity, Gavin Lucas & Stuart Robinson).
And while it will probably never be an Oprah Book Club Selection, I think this a book that you’ll still want to check out.
Tracking the evolution of BMX bikes from the 70s to the modern day, it’s cool reminder of how far we’ve come in terms of BMX technology, and also how in many ways, we have stayed more or less true to the original designs from back in the day.
There are also cool one-off bikes, like Woody Itson’s gold-plated Hutch Trick Star.
And in the “modern era”, some of Jim Bauer’s cool custom projects.
24″ BMX gets some love too.
Whether it’s an OG Patterson cruiser, a 2009 S&M 24″ 38 Special or an early SE Floval Flyer…Rad Rides has got that covered too.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed by this book.
Just thumbing through the pages, I find myself constantly stopping and poring over each cool ride.
If you have any roots at all in BMX, you gotta check this book out.
The guys at S&M have been busy lately, releasing a new batch of 24″ Dirt Bike frames to the public.
However, with this new batch they have switched things up a bit.
The frames now feature the O.G. Lowrider decal set (like the old 20″ Dirt Bikes sported for a time) and are available in black and green.
They look badass.
A while back we talked about DK’s foray into the mainstream with their entry-level line of bikes at Walmart.
Without a doubt, there was some controversy over whether or not this was a good idea.
Well, love it or hate it…it looks like DK Bicycles is continuing to build on its relationship with Walmart.
On a roadtrip to Ray’s MTB a week ago, we stopped in at a Walmart and I was shocked to stumble on to this…an aisle endcap stocked with DK parts and accessories.
While clearly not super high-end, I was pleasantly surprised that what was on offer was, for the most part, okay-quality (especially in light of what’s usually available at mass-market stores).
It actually kind of blows my mind a bit that you can now walk into a Walmart (in the U.S.) and pick up a DK Random Wrench.
Who would have thunk it?
I always find it interesting to see where Cruiser Revolution stickers will turn up.
I was especially amused to see one show up in this picture (found the other day on BMX Museum).
Turns out Rockabilly Jay from S&M put up his beloved custom 22″ TT 38 Special for sale on eBay and he used this promo picture to advertise it.
(Eagle-eyed readers will notice that this is the same bike we featured way back in 2010 on Cruiser Revolution.)
Before you ask, I’m not sure who the model/rider is…but I will say she has excellent taste in knee/shin protection.
Seat posts have been getting the shaft in the modern BMX era. In recent years, seat posts have disappeared nearly as fast as brakes on a new school street bike.
But is the tide starting to turn?
Here and there you will see someone rocking their seat posts proudly…still low by old school standards but higher than what’s been the norm (which for a long time has meant slammed).
Perhaps it’s time to take a poll and find out where you (and your seat post) stand on this issue.
Just before celebrating my birthday this past weekend I came across a great article that talks about riding when you’re getting older.
It was called Your Bike Doesn’t Know How Old You Are.
The article builds the case for that old saying that “you’re only as old as you feel”. While admitting that some decline in our athletic prowess is inevitable, how much is still very much open for debate. The author says,
…the central governor theory of fatigue…what you think and your mental attitude have as much bearing on your performance on any given day as the freshness of your legs. During my conversation with Dr. Tim Noakes, the theory’s greatest champion, he’d explained how “miles in the head” counted more than “miles in the legs” when it came to performance.
Granted this is a “roadie” example but I think you can extrapolate this bit of theory to performance on a BMX bike as well.
There’s no need to hang up the BMX bike because you’re getting older. Sure, it’s a good idea to avoid trying things that are over your head (and avoid landing on your head!) but BMX is something you can do well into your golden years.
Sure, you may have to deal with people giving you hard time for riding BMX when you should have — in their eyes — graduated to something more “appropriate”…but remember, you’re having more fun then they are. The article’s author sums it up best by saying:
Age isn’t something you need to fix, of course. But sometimes our attitude about it is. Don’t let either limit what you can do.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
One of my favorite riding pics...slicing through a high speed turn in the Don Valley
(Michael Moran behind the lens)
One of my best riding experiences this past year was riding Ray’s MTB bike park in Cleveland, Ohio.
To put it simply, Ray’s MTB rocks! So much to ride and a welcome relief to dealing with the colder riding months.
So what’s the story behind Ray’s?
A couple days ago I stumbled upon this video interview with Ray Petro (the Ray in Ray’s MTB) where he explains some of the back story of how Ray’s came to be. What I found most interesting is learning how the expansion to Milwaukee almost put Ray in the position of having to close the legendary bike park’s doors for good.
Great interview. Check it out.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
cruiser revolution 