Most dirt jumping pictures have similar backdrops…trees, mounds of dirt…in Henderson, Nevada the backdrop is a little different.
This local spot, the Monkey Face jump, kinda has an ugly name, but it sure makes up for it with its beautiful scenery.
Tribute Bikes rider, Mike Leonard blasts one out at the Monkey Face for your viewing pleasure. Sal Alvarado, behind the lens, captures the moment for posterity.
You’ll sometimes hear people say that 24s aren’t built or designed for serious riding.
A load of bollocks in my view but an opinion that is pretty common in some circles.
If you want some evidence of how out of step that type of thinking is, especially with modern-day 24s, check out this picture posted today on the Sunday Bikes site.
Riding at House Park in Austin, TX, Jim Cielencki hits this tricky feature where you have to take off early and pull out far enough to clear the bars. And just to keep things interesting, it narrows at the top and goes over-vert!
Clearly, 24s like the Sunday Wave-C that Jim is riding are capable of much more than liquor store runs (like some people will lead you to believe).
Modern-day 24s can go anywhere!
(Mike Gonzalez photo)
Never a slouch in the riding department, Sunday Bike’s Jim Cielencki has busted out a couple of really good pics in the past few weeks.
The first one that caught my attention is one taken at the Fun, Fun, Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.
According to the caption that ran with the photo (taken by Sandy Carson) on the ESPN site, “This was one of the first flairs he has done on a 24″ bike in a few years, but he got it done with ease.”
No kidding.
The second is this carve on what looks like an almost impossible tranny (complete with skate stoppers at the bottom!).
Jim gets it done.
Great pics all around.
Not only do they show the high level that Jim’s riding at but also the versatility (and durability!) of the Wave C he’s doing these tricks on.
Hope to see more pics* like this.
*(and video…hint, hint)
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.
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)
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.
Sure, many of us are still dealing with old man winter…counting the days till spring gets here so we can get back outside for some serious riding time.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel, though.
The days are already starting to get a bit longer.
And word has it that down in Florida, guys like Wayne Keller are already breaking out their lawnmowers.
That means spring can’t be far behind.
As I’ve said before, Free Agent doesn’t get a lot of hype for its freestyle/trails-oriented 24inchers.
Which is a bit of shame really because for around $400 (US) you get a full cro-mo frame, fork and handlebar along with a pretty respectable parts package on the new Free Agent Ratio 24.
Geometry
In terms of geometry, Free Agent has pretty much stuck with what they used in last year’s Devil 24.
That being:
All in all, not too far out from what you would expect on a bike like this (although they could’ve gone a little shorter on the chainstay).
What they could’ve done better
Given that most companies have adopted the new “standard” of a higher bottom bracket height, it’s a bit surprising that Free Agent stuck with the more race-oriented 12″ bottom bracket height for this year’s model.
Furthermore, the stock handlebar is a sub-6inch offering. While I give them points for spec’ing it in full cro-mo, the trend is decidedly taller these days.
Who might be best suited to this bike
Given the more traditional, race-style geometry (and the full cro-mo construction) this might be a great trails bike for the racer who wants to have a strong bike he can thrash on while keeping his race machine in good shape for the track. The ride should be very similar to a race cruiser so switching back and forth would be a cinch.
Or, if you’re a rider that just prefers more traditional 24″ geometry, this bike is a great option for hitting the trails or skatepark. A well-spec’ed full cro-mo bike at this price point is hard to beat.
Can you believe it?
Cruiser Revolution hit the three-year mark this month.
Three great years of talking 24″ BMX.
Whether it’s sharing stories of guys getting back into BMX on a 24inch bike, checking out the latest bikes and parts, finding out what other riders are doing or just the random goofiness that pops up here from time to time…it’s great to be on this ride with you.
They say that time flies when you’re having fun and I guess it’s true in this case.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
I really appreciate all the great comments, discussion and general awesomeness from all the great people I’ve gotten to know through this blog.
Cheers to you.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the year ahead.
Received an email from Cullen (aka CMC) recently that simply said,
“Nice to see some smooth low-key brakeless 24″ riding”
with a link to this Daniel Ziller video:
Vodpod videos no longer available.Kinda makes you want to drop what you’re doing and go ride, doesn’t it?
cruiser revolution 
