Model C gets coverage in Complex mag

16 08 2011

An interview that Sunday Bikes’ Jim Cielencki did recently with Complex magazine has just come out.  And while the intent of the article was to talk about  the 2011 Model-C Pro, Jim also took the opportunity to talk about the history of the Model-C, the geometry and the different models available in the Sunday lineup (including the Wave-C).

Explaining how he convinces people to give the Model-C a try, Jim says:

I feel like a drug dealer, because when someone goes ‘oh, there’s the 24,’ I put it in their hands and they ride it, and most people have judged it and they’ve discounted it or have a negative opinion of it, but they ride it and they understand. Because there’s never been anything like this. They don’t have anything to go off of. They get on and they go ‘Oh, OK, I get it’.

Great to see some mainstream coverage of what’s going on in the world of 24″ BMX. Check it out here.

(Bonus info: The interview was done by Russ Bengtson, the guy behind the hugely entertaining, but now defunct, SPRFLS blog.)





Take it to the bridge

21 06 2011

If there’s a camera and a bridge nearby, Trent Brocker will knock out a great photo.

It’s no lie.

For more proof, check out the photo in this post.





Pitch perfect: S&M 24″ Pitchforks

27 05 2011

It’s fitting that a bike company that makes such sweet bike parts would end up with a picture of its forks looking like candy.

S&M 24″ Pitchforks: sweet like candy (from the S&M Bikes Facebook page).





Craig Kundig: part of 24″ BMX history

20 05 2011

When I think back to the early days of BMX cruisers, one of the first people that comes to mind is Scot “The OM” Breithaupt.

But others played a role too.

Craig Kundig, for one.

Craig helped lead the way towards making 24″ bikes “the standard” for BMX cruisers, replacing the 26″ versions that were more prevalent at the time.

Craig Kundig: part of 24" BMX history

Check out this excerpt from the ABA, when he was a 2004 ABA Hall of Fame nominee:

In a way, all cruiser racers have Craig Kundig to thank for the creation of the class they race. For it was Kundig, as owner of RRS (Riverside Redlands Schwinn), who put one of his fastest amateur team members on a 24 inch bike that quickly put the 26 inch beach-cruisers to bed and created the industry standard of 24 inch wheels on a cruiser. (Of course, it helped when that rider — Joe Claveau, went on to become ABA National No.1 Cruiser rider.) That year was 1981. Around that same time, Craig Kundig was also running the infamous Corona BMX track–still talked about today as THEE gnarliest track in all of BMX.

Craig also had some pretty innovative ideas (for the time) when it came to frame design which he incorporated into his own RRS frames. Just check out this ad:

Today, Craig is still going strong in the bike industry, running the Cyclery USA bike shop.

(Above pic from the Press-Enterprise)





Who’s that at Walnut Creek?

27 01 2011

Bobby Parker knows I love a good tabletop photo.

That’s why I was so stoked to see this in my in-box the other day.

While he may be partially hidden behind the tree leaves, nothing obscures the radness of the table.

Bobby Parker table at Walnut Creek, Texas

Bonus info: It’s Bobby’s birthday today!





BMX Plus! sends an early Valentine

6 01 2011

Oh BMX Plus!, it’s been nearly a year already….

Back in your April 2010 issue, you ran a cover story on the “Death of the 24.” A surprising turn of events given that you showed so much love for the cruiser in months prior to that article.

I won’t deny it. It stung a little.

Since then, it’s seems you have been on a non-stop campaign to bring the love back. There was the 10-page race cruiser shootout… a nice gesture.

And mentions of 24s in the different buyer’s guides.

But it seems forced.

Now your February issue hits the stands and I find a 3-page test on the SE Floval Flyer.

Is this an early Valentine, perhaps?

If it is, I appreciate the effort, but…

They’re still something we need to do, to bury the hatchet.

Remember the freestyle cruiser shootout I suggested before?

Run that and we can put this whole thing behind us.

 

*Off-topic but somewhat-related news*

SE recently announced the signing of #1 Pro Cruiser champ, Barry Nobles to its team for 2011.

Got to admire the versatility of a rider that backflips the Pro Section in the Pro Cruiser main during the 09 ABA Grands (why didn’t anyone capture this on video?) and follows it up with a #1 title the following year.





Shedding some light on The Lantern Ride

1 12 2010

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.





Turning things up with a turndown

12 11 2010

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).





Custom parts make a one-of-a-kind ride

28 10 2010

If you’re on Sunday Bike’s Facebook feed, you may have caught this video of Wayne Keller riding his local skatepark.

What you may not know, besides tearing up the skateparks, Wayne also has a thing for repurposing, remachining and generally customizing his parts for his ride.

Check out his stem.  He carved the top off and engraved “Dork” on it. The cool paint job on both the stem and the sprocket are trick too.

His hubs are also attention-getting…painted in a “can’t miss this” orange.

To keep things fresh, Wayne’s redoing his bike at the moment and ditching the lime green and orange. He’s changing a bunch of his parts to different shades of grey.

Check out Wayne’s blog, carrot-bag.blogspot.com/ for more updates on the constantly evolving look of his Model-C.

Great to see  people  customizing their rides and making them their own.





Specialized steps it up with the P24

27 10 2010

As you may recall from a previous post, where Specialized debuted the new P24 at Sea Otter, Specialized has reentered the BMX world.

And it looks like they’re serious about it this time.

The P24, which we featured a prototype of  earlier, has been out for a little while now and it looks like they’ve done a good job of spec’ing out this complete bike. Its got great geometry, Reynolds cro-mo construction (with a 21.6 top tube) and nice, big 7 1/2″ X 29″  bars. The components also look solid and it’s a fairly light at the 26 pound mark.

Buddy's personal P24 with Cruiser Revolution stickers

How does it ride?

As luck would have it, cruiserrevolution.com reader, Buddy,  recently picked  up a P24 for himself and shared his thoughts on it.

His first impressions?

Manuals like crazy….Went to our trails today,what a blast, like a rocket…

When asked how it compares to other bikes he’s ridden:

It feels better than any of those bikes to me. I think it’s mostly the size and geometry fits me very well, perfect, (I’m 6 feet tall).

Based on the specs (and Buddy’s feedback), I think we may have another contender to consider when shopping for a new complete.