cruiser revolution

Cro-mo continues its racing comeback

27 07 2012

Back in March, we talked about the comeback that chromoly race forks were experiencing in the race community. Now with more and more people switching to chromoly forks, it seems like the a trend is starting to develop towards chromoly race frames.

Sure, chromoly frames have always been available from the industry stalwarts, S&M and Standard. But beyond those two companies the choices for “steel is real” advocates was noticeably slim.

That’s beginning to change.

In a recent Vintage BMX forum thread, a reader was showing off his SSquared chromoly cruiser prototype frame and said,

Now that they made this first cromo frame for me; I think it has reenergized their desire to do a full cromo run.

Which is pretty compelling when you consider that SSquared is one of the more popular race companies at the moment…they obviously think there is a market for these frames.

Other big names in the race community, like Supercross and MCS have also had cromo frames in their lineups for some time now (the Bolt and Speedfreak respectively) despite the widespread use of aluminum frames in the race community.

And as further evidence of the chromoly trend, there are rumblings that GT and Mongoose are also testing out Chromoly race bikes.

Looks like we might have a cro-mo resurgence on our hands in the next few years. I for one am kinda looking forward to it.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: Chromoly BMX race forks, Chromoly BMX race frames, Cro-mo BMX race frames, GT Bicycles, MCS Speedfreak, Mongoose bicycles, S&M bikes, SSquared, SSquared chromoly frame, Standard Bykes, steel is real BMX, Supercross Bolt
Categories : New products, New School, Old School, Racing

Tested: Mechanix gloves

19 07 2012

While not made with cycling in mind, I have been noticing that a lot of riders have been singing the praises of Mechanix gloves on different forums and websites.

So I decided to put them to the test.

Mechanix gloves, if you’re not familar with them, are an all-round glove made for mechanics. They’re designed to be durable but still thin enough to afford mechanics the ability to work on machinery, small parts, etc. without taking their gloves off.

But do they work for BMX?

I took them to a Thursday night race at the local track to find out.

How did they compare to the regular name-brand gloves that I usually wear?

Very well.

The gloves were very comfortable. They didn’t feel hot (despite the record temps that day) and were thin enough to give a great feel for the grip and lever.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to test their ability to withstand a crash (because I kept it rubber side down that night) but I really got the sense it would take a lot to tear these gloves…they looked like they could stand up to a lot of abuse.

In the looks department you can’t really go wrong either…the ones I tried kinda reminded me of old school Oakley gloves…and they’re available in just about any color or color combo you can think of. Matching them to your current gear definitely shouldn’t be a problem.

Would I recommend them? Heck yeah.

They stack up easily with any of the big-name gloves out there right now. And you can get them at most auto/hardware type stores at considerably lower price then you would pay for “riding-specific” gloves.

If you’re in the market for gloves, Mechanix gloves are definitely worth checking out.

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: bmx racing, gloves for mechanics, Mechanix gloves, Mechanix gloves for bike riding, name brand cycling gloves, Oakley gloves
Categories : New products, Racing

Didn’t Coca-Cola get the memo?

18 07 2012

Coca-Cola made a bit of a splash recently with their sponsorship of Olympic contender, Sam Willoughby.

Of course, Sam’s been getting a lot of hype recently as he is one of the favorites to not only podium but possibly get the gold in the games.

Coke’s been using Sam’s image in a lot of advertising lately so you would think they would be hip to the nuances of the whole BMX thing by now.

That’s why I was a bit surprised to see this poster in my neighborhood convenience store.

“Go for the Gold” it says, along with a prominent Olympic logo and the image of a BMXer either riding street (or dirt I suppose) on a bike with pegs!

Is the marketing department over at Coke unaware that there are different types of BMX riding?

Sure, there were rumors a while back that freestyle might make it into the Olympics but that hasn’t panned out. Now here we are a couple weeks out for the Olympics and we have a Coke ad with a street rider “Going for the Gold”.

Part of me thinks I should just let this slide and just be happy that BMX is getting some play from a major company. On the flip-side, however, I’m little ticked off that they could get it so wrong with this ad.

Maybe this will all change if Sam does get the Gold medal this summer.

Somehow I doubt it.

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: BMX in Coca-Cola ad, bmx racing, BMX racing in Olympics, Coca Cola, Coca Cola sponsership of Sam Willoughby, freestyle bmx, Sam Willoughby, street riding
Categories : goofiness, Racing, shenanigans, street, Trails/Jumping

Wayne Keller killing it

9 07 2012

Straight out of Florida and the creative mind of Wayne Keller, we’ve got a brand new edit that Wayne describes as “random footage of same old stuff in a new year.”

I think you’ll agree that description doesn’t quite do it justice. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have a smile on your face and ready to go ride after watching this.

For more on Wayne, check out his blog, carrot-bag.blogspot.com

And for more on the bike he’s riding, check out Tribute Bikes.

Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: 24" BMX, 24" BMX cruiser Skatepark, 24" BMX cruiser street, carrot bag, Florida, Tribute bikes, Tribute Bikes BMX cruiser, Wayne Keller
Categories : Flatland, New School, shenanigans, Skatepark, street

It ain’t over till it’s over

4 07 2012

This has got to be one of the most spectacular race finishes I have ever seen.

At the Kingston BMX Provincial Qualifier this past weekend, Michael Morris crashed hard over the last jump (watching it from the sidelines it looked like he would be down for the count) but in a split second he bounced back up, grabbed his bike (that is now spinning in front of him) and ran across the finish line…for the win!

As you can imagine the place went bananas!

Check it out.

Kudos to Debbie Meighen Albrough for the great camera work!

Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: bmx racing, Debbie Meighen Albrough, Kingston BMX, Michael Morris, Spectacular BMX race finish
Categories : New School, Racing, Trails/Jumping

Is tubeless the next big thing in BMX?

29 06 2012

Alienation, taking a cue from the MTB world, is bringing a tubeless tire system to BMX later this year.

Called the Tubeless Compatible System (TCS) Tire and Rim system, this looks like it could be a game-changer if it lives up to the hype it’s starting to generate.

The benefits? A drastic reduction in flats and…according to Alienation…a quick way to drop a pound off your bike.

For some proof of how flats could be a thing of the past with the setup, check out this video:

It looks like the icepick doesn’t stand a chance of causing a flat with the sealant doing its job in the TCS system.

In terms of weight-savings, Zach Taylor of Alienation broke it down in a recent Vintage BMX thread with the following example:

…you’re not only cutting weight in the tubes, but the rims as well. Our Runaway rim is roughly 425 grams whereas the Malice TCS rim is 325 grams. An average tube is 115 to 120 grams. That is 100g + 100g + 115g + 115g = 430 grams (454 grams to a pound) savings. Our 20 x 1.85 TCS Graffiti tire which is as wide as a popular 20×1.95 is only 430 grams. That is another 70 grams savings x 2. We can pull a pound off most if not all bikes with our system.

Sounds like they may really have something here.

No word yet if a 24 inch versions will be made available but if this tire and rim system starts getting traction, I’m sure we’ll see one (or more) in very short order.

For more details on the Alienation TCS system, check out the TCS page on the Alienation site or the writeup/podcast on BMXNews.

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Tags: Alienation tubeless, Alientation, TCS Tire and Rim System, Tubeless Compatible System
Categories : New products, New School, Racing, street

Cool pics from Mongoose…just be KOS

27 06 2012

Mongoose posted some cool cruiser-related pics on their Facebook feed today including this one by Mongoose rider Chris Akrigg letting loose on his KOS Kruiser.

Classic style on a classic bike.

Chris is well known in the MTB world for his big, creative moves. Kinda makes you wonder why Mongoose hasn’t set him up with one of the Mongoose Thrive 24s (previously discussed on CR last year). I think you’d really see Chris go off on one of those bikes…

Mongoose also posted this great vintage ad for the Mongoose Two/Four, with the caption, “The original Kos Kruiser. Did you miss it?”

So cool.

Probably the coolest pic of the day though is the one featuring the custom Kos Kruiser they built for Jeff ‘Kos’ Kosmala’s wife, Vicky. It’s painted pink in recognition of Vicky’s battle with breast cancer and her successful recovery.

So stoked on this. Nice work Mongoose.

Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: Chris Akrigg, Jeff Kosmala, Mongoose, Mongoose KOS Kruiser, Mongoose Thrive 24, Mongoose Two/Four, Vic Kruiser, Vicky Kosmala
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School, Racing, Trails/Jumping

A piece of your action

20 06 2012

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.)

Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: BMX Action, Dirt Jumping on a 24" BMX, Greenlake trails, Liquid bicycles, Mike Lawless, Motley Crue, Pat Joubert, Piece of your action, Seattle
Categories : New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Is a Slurpee a performance enhancer?

15 06 2012

Who would’ve thunk it…the humble Slurpee might just be the edge you need if you find yourself racing this summer on an especially hot day.

In a study that was reported on first in the New York Times, researchers found:

young male recreational athletes who drank a syrup-flavored ice slurry [like a slurpee] just before running on a treadmill in hot room could keep going for an average of 50 minutes before they had to stop. When they drank only syrup-flavored cold water, they could run for an average of 40 minutes.

The senior investigator, Paul Laursen, said the effect is short-lived. According to Laursen:

It would not even begin to last long enough to run a marathon or do a century (100-mile) bike ride, for example. But it would be perfect for a sport like tennis or for a 5- or 10-kilometer race.

Could it be effective then for a BMX racing then?

I think it might.

While not part of the study, the nature of BMX racing with it’s need for short-bursts of energy, recovery and then some more short-bursts of energy seems to make it a good fit for the kind of sport where the type of cooling provided by a Slurpee might pay off in increased performance.

Laursen found ice slurries were beneficial because it lowered brain temperature more effectively than cold water. He also reasoned that:

slurries might also effectively cool the body before exercise. The advantage… is that they are even colder than ice — 30 degrees Fahrenheit — an effect that occurs when sugary water is swirled with crushed ice.

Very interesting!

I’d love to test this out…if only there was a 7-11 close to my local track! Maybe I’ll throw a Freezie or two in the cooler and see if it has a similar effect.

Anybody racing this weekend with a 7-11 nearby?

I would love to hear whether or not it had an effect on your performance. And if anybody gives you a hard time for gulping a Slurpee…tell ’em you’re doing it for science!