I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty stoked to see Liquid Bikes back in the game with the release of the Feedback V2 frame.
To remind everyone but how well Liquid frames handle in the dirt, Liquid’s Jeremy Combs posted some old footage of himself riding the Koala Trails on a prototype Liquid Feedback frame.
So rad.
After a bit of a hiatus, Liquid Bikes has returned to the 24″ BMX scene with an updated version of its super popular Feedback frame.
Dubbed the Feedback V2, this frame is now being made in the USA by Solid BMX. It maintains the same proven geometry, but is lighter, stiffer and perhaps even cooler than the previous incarnation, in that it now features custom laser-cut bridges between the stays.
According to Liquid, the Feedback V2,
features newly designed chain stays that improve tire/sprocket clearance and stiffen the rear end compared to the previous version – all while keeping one of the shortest chain stay lengths in the 24″ market.
That’s in addition to some of the longest top-tube size options available: take your pick of a 22″ or 22.3″ top tube. Perfect for the taller rider…which, let’s face it, makes up a lion share of the 24″ BMX demographic.
Color choices for the Feedback V2 are Root Beer (trans-brown), Raw with clear coat and Satin Black.
Specs: Top Tube: 22″ or 22.3″
Bottom Bracket height: 12.7″
Chain Stay: 14.25″
Head Angle: 74 degrees
Seat Angle: 72 degrees
Other notables:
30 tooth max sprocket clearance
2.3″ rear tire clearance
Double butted top and down tubes
Externally butted seat tube
Custom laser cut seat stay and chain stay bridges
Non-removable u-brake mounts
Weight: 5 lbs
Check out liquid-bikes.com, which has also undergone a bit of a refresh, for the rest of the particulars.
Stoked to see Liquid back on the scene with some fresh gear.
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.
Solid Bikes posted a picture a couple of days ago that had some people buzzing about whether or not they were producing a 22″ frame.
Turns out the frame in the picture was none other than the Solid Bikes-produced prototype of the new 24″ Liquid Bikes frame.
I’ve been looking forward to getting a closer look at this frame ever since I heard that a new Liquid frame was on the way.
Hopefully this means that we are getting real close to this frame becoming available to the public.
For more early pics of the Liquid prototype frame, check out this previous post from back in June.
And if you’re wondering if this frame can hold up to some serious riding…check out this clip of the trails that Liquid Bikes owner, Jeremy Combs regularly rides at (and a few quick clips of the new frame in action).
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 story behind Ray Petro and his wild idea to build an indoor bike park (so he’d have a place to ride in the winter) reads like a Hollywood movie.
To this day, I’m still surprised that someone hasn’t jumped at the chance to make a movie about it.
Thankfully, as Ray’s MTB celebrates its 10th anniversary this season, the story of how Ray took his dream and made it reality is getting shared by a number of mainstream media outlets.
One of them is Start UP , a new television series that looks into the experiences of American entrepreneurs. They caught up with Ray at the Milwaukee location and do a great job of capturing how Ray managed to pull it off. A truly inspiring story.
(Nice to see some Taj Mihelich riding in the clip too.)
Watch for the segment to air sometime soon on your local PBS station.
Another good feature done on Ray’s MTB was published recently by the Akron Beacon Journal. The article includes a good interview with Ray, pictures and a short video to round out the coverage.
If watching or reading these accounts doesn’t inspire you to follow your dreams, I don’t know what will.
So awesome.
(Note: headline best read aloud with a monster truck rally announcer voice.)
The guys over at Sunday Bikes have been sharing a bunch of pictures over the past few days of their flagship 24″ bike, the Model-C, popping up in cool places and situations.
First off was a pic of Bunky Dunn’s Model-C chilling at the ACL festival in Austin, Texas. Bunky helps set up music festivals but he always keeps his Model-C close at hand so he can get some shredding in. (Photo: Paulo Joaquim)
Another picture that surfaced was pucksnotdead shredding some trails on his Model C (Photo: triblaze /mikeyaskew13)
Then an early morning ramp session at House Park in Austin yielded these shots.
Model -Cs all-around.
Bobby Parker getting some.
Word has it that a group of 24″ riders were also going to session the Walnut Creek trails later in the day so my fingers are crossed hoping that we’re going to see even more 24″ radness from the Sunday/Austin crew.
The folks at Stolen Bikes had dropped a few teasers in the comments of the Countdown to Interbike post that they were going to have a lot of new cruiser stuff on display this year for Interbike. So, when I got to the show I was eager to check out their booth to see what the hype was about.
They weren’t kidding around.
But first, let’s take a look at their current lineup.
The mainstay in their lineup, the Saint, is still holding strong for 2014 but now comes in a rad Matte Retro Red…
…and a Matte Gum color.
Next up, the Saint XLT is also still in the lineup. It’s available in a Basic Black with polished components….
…and a super cool looking “Super Blue” version.
What’s new for this year?
Stolen has decided to get into the aftermarket end of the 24″ bike market.
In their booth, they had their new 24″ Gold frame & fork on display.
Available in Matte Black or Sandblasted Matte Raw, the frame features a 21.75″ top tube and the following specs:
Stolen is also offering 24″ Rebellion wheels as an aftermarket option. Sealed hubs, female axles and available in a range of colors, these look like a great way to trick out your ride when it comes time to replace your wheels.
But the 24″ parts goodness doesn’t stop there. Stolen is has also brought out some high-pressure (110 PSI) tires called Joint HP tires. They have a nice low profile design…and this is the part I love…they come in both a tan and white wall version!
A new 26″ complete
Finally, Stolen’s new 26″ Freestyle cruiser called the Zeke made its debut at the show. The frame has 100% chromoly tubes, a chromoly fork with a one-piece steerer, aftermarket MOB cranks, and a bunch of other good stuff.
It features a 22.5″ top tube and has the following specs:
(Update: these specs are not final…they’re being tweaked before production. See the comments section for more details.)
Here’s a side profile:
All in all, a great display of cruiser awesomeness from Stolen. Super stoked to see them step up their commitment to the big wheels of BMX!
cruiser revolution 