Haro continues to re-up the retro with their bike lineup…this time with the soon-to-be-released Group 1 RS2.
This 80s-inspired cruiser is going to be available in late summer in 24, 26 & 29 inch models.
To get the hype going, Haro team manager Joey Cobbs took the 24″ Group 1 RS2 for a ride and shared the results on Instagram and Facebook.
And despite being a race-style cruiser, Cobbs had no problem getting his shred on. In fact, it kinda reminded me of when the BMX Action test crew would take race cruisers and test them by taking them jumping and riding half pipes.
Cobbs was definitely in more of a “street session” mode vs. “snapping gates” mode with this ride.
Which makes these pictures so much more fun.
Hope to see more teaser shots (and maybe a video?…wink,wink; nudge, nudge) like this in the future for Haro’s new cruiser.
If you’re old school and/or a BMX nerd, seeing this cover probably brought back memories of this cover, shot by none other than icon-in-his-own-right Bob “Oz” Osborn.
Actually, the whole “flashback” feel seems to (unintentionally…I think) run throughout the rest of the magazine as well.
Flip to the center-spread and you’ll find a two-page ad for chromoly forks…. It’s like 1987 all over again! With month after month of ads featuring the latest and greatest carbon-fiber wonder fork, seeing an ad — a two-page one at that — for a chromoly fork seems quite out of the ordinary (but in my mind, definitely a refreshing change).
Then check out the back cover.
A Crupi ad featuring cruiser speed demon David Archibald promoting their cruiser lineup.
Seems like it was just yesterday that BMX Plus! ran an article talking about “The Death of the 24”. Now here we are, just a couple of years later and a major race company is buying up prime ad space to promote “the largest selection of cruiser frames and parts anywhere.” Seems like the rumors of the 24’s demise were greatly exaggerated…and the popularity of cruisers are just as strong as they ever were.
The longer I stay in this BMX game, the more I see things come and go…and then come back again. Anybody else have the same experience?
In a key plot point in the movie Rad, Cru Jones makes the life-changing decision to postpone taking his SATs to take part in the big race at Helltrack. He does it because he thinks he’s got a chance at winning against all the “factory hot shots”.
Did he make the right choice?
It seemed like the right idea at the time. Factory BMX racers seemed to have it all back in the 80s. Driving Porsches, international travel, BMX Action magazine covers…you name it. They were living the high life.
Winning the big race would be Cru’s ticket to living the dream.
But today? I’m not so sure skipping the SATs would’ve been the right choice.
Check out the check that Denzel Stein, Redline factory hotshot, is holding for a recent win…$1400.
Compare this with the check that Team Kachinsky (Brian Kachinsky, Corey Martinez, Sean Sexton and Will Stroud) is holding after a win at the recent Nike 6.0 contest…$14,000. (Sure it’s split 4 ways…but c’mon that’s a much sweeter payday.)
Today, he probably would’ve been wise to skip the race altogether and focus on perfecting his bicycle boogie skills.
If you spend any time at all on the BMX racing forums you’ll notice that inevitably, before long, the subject of “How to grow BMX” will come up. Another variation of this thread is “Why isn’t racing as popular as it was in the 80s?”
People will argue that you have to one thing or another…from doing presentations at local schools to embracing the whole Supercross track phenomenon.
The trouble is, none of things is doing much to grow the sport. Yet time after time the same ideas keep getting trotted out.
The solution might be simpler than the collective BMX racing community thinks.
Get a friend hooked on BMX.
Wasn’t it Chris Moeller who said back in the early 90s that the way to make BMX grow was to build up a bike and give it to a friend? (Actually, I’m not 100% sure on this quote but the research department is out on a patio somewhere right now enjoying a pint so let’s just go with it, ok?)
Matt Shelley got Malcolm hooked on BMX
Matt Shelley, from BMXActionOnline, employs a similar strategy. He chats up folks at the track, all the while with the agenda of getting them out racing.
Check out Matt’s latest success story:
I met Malcolm at the Fresno Nationals last year. His kid races 13 challenger. We got to talking and he loves bikes, but never considered BMX until he saw us gray beards having so much fun. I dropped some science on him and figured he would do what he will with the advice.
Fast forward to the start of this season… there he is with a craigslist bike, a license, turning hot laps, and getting a ton of encouragement from his son. He admits to having a long way to go (his gates are horrid, natch), but through sheer force of early (and maximum) participation–He is currently leading the state series in 50-54 cruiser!
Nice going Matt (and Malcolm)!
Could it be that easy?
I think so.
I’ve had a few instances myself where friends and friends of friends have approaching me and inquired about getting a bike. Usually it starts with, “I see how much fun you’re having…”
So if you’re concerned about “growing the sport”…talk to your friends about BMX…and build them a bike if you have spare parts lying around.
Spread the word and get your friends out riding. Once you do that, this “growing the sport” business will take care of itself.
A big part of his blog is digging up vintage BMX magazine pictures/spreads and commenting on them. I often find myself tripping down memory lane when I read one of his posts. I start remembering where I was when I saw or read it, how I devoured every word of the mag (keep in mind this was before the Internet) and how much it had an influence on me.
I was pretty stoked to see him pull out this gem recently. An awesome berm slide by RL Osborn from BMX Action‘s “24 Wars” cruiser shootout article.
I was pretty stoked on this spread too. Eddie Fiola with a perfect table top air (on vert!) and “The Culligan Man” doing a big jump on a race cruiser to see how it would hold up.
Most BMX magazines are, at best, hot and cold on cruisers. Not many are bold enough to put them on the cover. BMX Action did back in the day. These days? You’d be hard-pressed to find cruisers getting a mention, much less the cover.
That’s why it’s such a cool surprise to see BMXer magazine stepping up and putting George Goodall and Carly Dyar, the two national number one cruiser riders, on the cover.
Hope to see more teaser shots (and maybe a video?…wink,wink; nudge, nudge) like this in the future for Haro’s new cruiser.
