Holy Moeller!
S&M released a picture today (on their Facebook feed) of their new Dirt Bike cruiser.
And I have to say, it’s making me a little giddy…and super anxious to get the (ahem) dirt on the new 24, in terms of specs and geometry.
But along with my excitement, I also have a bunch of questions:
Is this a new and improved version of the Fit CR24 frame (RIP)?
Was the decision to make a 24 influenced by Rockabilly Jay’s Dirt Bike-inspired cruiser?
When, oh when, will this go into production?
It looks like the guys at Volume are taking their popular 26″ Volume Sledgehammer in a new interesting direction.
While promoted as a bike for cruising around, it can still hold it’s own if you want to ride it a bit more aggressively (see previous posts of Buddy and Joe Rich shredding on Sledgehammers for proof).
What’s new for 2011
For 2011, Volume shortened the chainstays to 15.75″ and lengthened the top tube to 22″. From the looks of it, it seems like the new Sledgehammer is now being designed less for “cruising” and more for “serious” riding.
Another thing new for 2011?
A disc brake.
Not sure how I feel about this…seems a little too MTB for a bike like this. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of V-brakes either (which is what the ‘hammer came with in previous years).
And, I can’t believe I’m actually saying this (in this era of low top tubes)…it looks like the top tube/seat tube is too high…sure, it’s fine for just cruising around…but if you really want to ride this puppy…it seems like it would get in the way.
What do you think about the 2011 Sledgehammer?
I’d especially like to hear what you think about the disc brake.
I’ve been a fan of Fastlane BMX magazine for a while now.
In an era when racing is all but ignored in the major mags, Fastlane is all about BMX racing.
Sure you can pick up a mag from one of the major U.S. sanctions, look at the token coverage in BMX Plus! or if you can deal with the erratic publishing schedule, find a BMX World (even though it reads like a brochure from the Department of Motor Vehicles). All in all, not great options.
To me , if you’re into racing (or need to be reminded of how fun racing is) Fastlane is the only mag worth buying. Stories are fun to read, there’s international coverage and great photos. It’s combination that’s tough to beat.
Fastlane doesn’t run hot and cold on 24s either…from cruiser bike checks to regular shots of cruiser riders, Fastlane isn’t afraid to show cruisers some love.
That’s why I was stoked to have the opportunity to write an article about cruisers in Fastlane #8.
(That’s yours truly banging elbows with my friend Carbon in the photo, top right.)
If you’ve ever wondered how I got hooked on the whole cruiser thing, this is something you’ll want to check out.
(Note: Fastlane is UK- based, so visit fastlanebmxmag.com for ordering info.)
With the days getting shorter, time at the trails can be at premium.
What’s a BMXer to do?
Buddy and his friends in Texas seem to have found the answer.
The Lantern Ride.
Once a week, they ride till ten at night. Everyone brings a lantern (hence the name, Lantern Ride) and hangs it in a tree.
The owner of Liquor bikes was there recently and shot this pic of Buddy airing out over the double. Sweet!
Super-cool idea and great way to extend your time at the trails. I know it’s already got me thinking about buying a lantern or two (and maybe some night vision goggles).
For more pics from the Lantern Ride, check out the Liquor Bikes site.
A scientific theory must be testable.
It must be possible in principle to prove it wrong.
Experiments are the sole judge of scientific truth.
Is it true that Liquid frames rule on the trails?
Check out this old photo of Jeremy from Liquid Bikes testing a Liquid Feedback frame prototype.
I think we have the scientific proof right here.
Science can be fun.
Dear Fit CR24,
We had a good run.
Two great years.
In 2009, you caught my eye with your old school chrome frame. (I later found out you sometimes sported a badass black finish too…something that just added to your allure.)
Underneath that old school flair though beat the heart of a feisty new-school cruiser.
You liked it when I played rough with you. Always coming back for more.
As the seasons changed, so did we.
You could tell there were new competitors for my attention.
Not one to back down, in 2010 you hiked your bottom bracket to keep my interest. You knew it was all about the ride and this change made things more interesting and fun. It looked like you and me were going to make things last.
Sure, there were things about you that irritated me. You constantly “gave me the gears” with your rear cassette, hub issues.
But we made it work.
Buying you a few new things at the bike shop seemed to keep things good between us.
I thought we were going to make 2011 the best year ever.
Then suddenly you were gone.
I looked through the Fit catalog hoping for a sign, a note, anything….just something saying where you had gone.
But there was nothing.
Now all I have are these pictures of you.
Sure, take the year off…find yourself.
But let’s meet up again…say at Interbike next year…and see if we can’t make this work again.
The classic tabletop never gets old.
At the trails, off a curb or at the skatepark…it’s all good.
Wayne Keller with a cool sequence shot of a skatepark table.
To see the tabletop sequence in action, check out the last few seconds of this vid.
The super-long hang five that starts the vid is pretty impressive too.
To see what else Wayne is getting up to check out his blog, carrot-bag.blogspot.com.
Hot damn!
Kory Drake with a clicked turndown.
Just a little inspiration for y’all as we head into the weekend.
Photo: Shelby Gibbs
For more info on Kory and how he sets up his ride, a Liquid 24″ , check out Liquid Bikes (where this photo ran first).
DK bicycles looks like it might be taking a cue from the world of 24″ freestyle bikes and raising the bottom bracket on its new 2011 race cruiser to 13″ (that’s at least an inch higher than a typical race 24 frame).
In a recent thread on Vintage BMX, a DK rep explained the reasoning behind the shift:
Cruisers have always been built with a ratio that was based off of 26″ bikes (which is what cruisers used to be) this bottom bracket is 13″…so check this out:
The professional frame has an 11.4″ bottom bracket height, that is with a 20″ wheel (so that means UNDER the drop out there is 10″ of wheel, plus the tire, since the other 10″ of the 20″ wheel is above the dropout and irrelevant to the bb height.). This cruiser has a 13″ bb height, so that is 1.6″ higher than the 20 inch professional, but with a 24″ wheel, there is 12″ plus the tire under the bottom bracket. That’s 2 inches more than the 20″ frame, so in actuality, this bottom bracket isnt that high, since its only 1.6″ higher than a frame that has 2″ less wheel under the bottom bracket.
According to the DK guys on the forum thread, the new 24 is supposed to handle great (with a 20″ feel) and be easy to manual.
Other specs on the 2011 DK race 24 are:
Certainly an interesting departure from your typical race cruiser geometry.
Will this be a game changer in the race community?
I’m pretty curious to see if other manufacturers follow suit.
Editor’s note: the BB height on the production model was lowered slightly to approximately 12.5″.
Seems like only yesterday that I started this little site about big wheeled BMXs.
Looking back, I’m stoked on how far it’s come.
Not a day goes by that I’m not learning something new or smiling (or laughing out loud) because someone posted a great comment.
You guys make it all worthwhile.
Cheers to you.
Update: A new picture courtesy of the “art department”, Andy D.
cruiser revolution 
