Stumbled across this video and thought I would share.
It’s a cool look at the 2010 Firemans Holiday Cruze, hosted by Firemans Texas Cruzer.
Austin has a healthy cruiser scene and this video shows its residents know that you don’t have to be busting out crazy moves to have a good time on your bike.
Fireman’s Cruze from EggMasterDuke on Vimeo.
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)
Got the latest issue of Pull magazine from USA BMX today.
Pull magazine covers are typically yawners but this month they did something interesting.
Working with Team Redman, they piled the Redman team into the company car to recreate an iconic 1978 Bicycle Motocross Action magazine cover.
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?
Gunslinger Bicycles doesn’t get the same level of hype as some of the other big race frame companies but what they lack in hype is certainly made up for in some innovative ideas in frame design.
For instance, their 3-position adjustable rear dropouts.
A quick adjustment on the dropouts and you can make a significant change to how your bike handles.
According to the Gunslinger website, each frame
feature[s] 3 position adjustable rear dropouts, that allow you to tune the frame head angle and bottom bracket height to match your riding style.
Making a change to how your bike handles takes essentially no time at all. This simple adjustment in the dropout alters both the bottom bracket height and head angle.
Want a slower head angle for more stability in the turns? No problem. Want a more responsive ride? Just raise the bottom bracket slightly.
Definitely some innovative thinking on Gunslinger’s part and something well worth checking out if you take racing seriously.
You can find out more by checking out the Gunslinger Bicycles site or MyBikeStand.com (the latter has a great review on their site…and it’s where I borrowed this picture from).
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.
If you were on the Cruiser Revolution Facebook page over the Christmas holidays, you’re already in the loop on this.
If you weren’t, let me give you the scoop.
Back in 1982, Skyway came out with the T/A frame. T/A stood for “Totally Aerodynamic” and featured teardrop-shaped tubing that made it an instant classic.
It was widely available as a 20″ and Skyway was said to have produced thousands over the years that it was available.
However, despite the 20’s popularity, Skyway decided to only produce a 24″ version in limited quantities. You pretty much had to be a factory rider like Richie “The Avalanche” Anderson to get a hold of one of these puppies.
This kind of exclusivity has made them a much sought-after item for collectors. You either had to be extremely lucky or have deep pockets to get a hold of one of the 24″ Skyway T/As. (Being as hot as Eva Gabrielle didn’t hurt either.)
But now PlanetBMX and Skyway are working together to bring a 24″ Skyway to the masses. It’s going to stay true to the original classic design but have a few modern elements thrown into the mix.
Check out the specs:
I just love the look of these frames…especially the chrome ones. Throw on some black Tuffs and some skinwall tires and you’ve got a serious looking machine on your hands.
Just spotted this rare frame in a thread on BMXmuseum: the Homeless Fatty 24.
That’s right….Homeless Bikes made a 24.
Word has it that this frame, featured in a Ride BMX ad in August 1995, is one of the (only) three manufactured. (That’s it leaning against the car.)
Talk about a once in a lifetime find.
For more on this frame, check out the thread on BMXmuseum.
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.
While I was cruising the booths at interbike, a few random things caught my eye. No real rhyme or reason to them but things you might be interested in.
The return of the Redline Forklifter Plate
Spotted this in the Redline booth. It looks pretty similar to the old Forklifter plates that RL Osborn used to sport on his bike (like in the opening sequence of Rad).
Tioga’s “is this taking things to far?” new pedals
Spotted these at the Tioga booth. I’d be a little nervous about riding these puppies. (What I was hoping to find in the Tioga booth is news that they would be offering the Powerblock tires in 24 X 1.95…alas, no such luck.)
New kicks from 5-Ten
Although I’m something of a flat pedal purist when it comes to racing, I do like the added edge that sticky shoes like 5-Ten provide. Wandering by the 5-Ten booth I noticed that they’ve stepped things up this year with cool half-cab and high-top styles.
Pryme knee/shin guards
Not sure if these are new or not but I really liked how streamlined they were. They looked like a good option to wear under jeans at the local bike/skatepark.
Cruiser Candy
I got pretty excited when I spotted this van at the show. Probably because I was hoping to fill my pockets with cruiser-shaped candy. Unfortunately (at least for me anyway) Cruiser Candy is a business focused on the beach cruiser market. I consoled myself with one of the complimentary beers that some of the booths were offering to “guests”.
That headline is a bit of a rhetorical question because, from the looks of things, it’s incredibly stacked. I just finished reading Scott Burright’s post on 30plusbmx on that class at the NBL Grands and it’s no joke.
According to Scott:
40-44 cruiser at the final NBL Grands was epic. 59 riders showed up to do battle in one of the most competitive classes in the sport. The title would come down to who was able to make it through to the main event. The class had eighths, so this would be no easy task.
Check out Scott’s writeup for all the details but suffice it to say the main was a pressure cooker for the guys who made it because it was anyone’s race to win. The talent in the class is deep:
Words cannot describe how hard and competitive this class has become. There are seriously 25-30 guys who can make mains at any given national.
With the NBL and ABA uniting under the USABMX banner next year, it looks like the level of riding is going to get that much more competitive. Tough if you’re one of the competitors but awesome if you want to watch some closely fought races.
cruiser revolution 
