The 24s may not get the same love as the 20s in the BMX section of Interbike but there was still plenty to check out this year.
Stolen featured the chrome version of their Saint XLT. The geometry has been tweaked/improved this year so an already great bike has gotten even better.
We The People showcased another favorite, the 24″ Atlas. The added “Wow” factor of the candy apple red paint job for 2017 was in full effect. Looking good.
Haro also got in the act with their entry-level Downtown 24. Those look-at-me green tires are hard to miss.
SE showcased the metallic red version of their lineup mainstay, the So Cal Flyer.
Free Agent featured two 24″ cruisers. The entry-level race cruiser, the Ambush 24.
And their more freestyle-y 24″ Ratio.
By the way, I would love to see the Ratio get a bit more of an update –beyond the cosmetic — in the future. (Those bars are looking mighty short for one thing.)
Sadly Redline wasn’t at the show (I was hoping to check out the Asset 24 and the updated PL-26) and GT didn’t feature a 24.
But GT did have something else that was super cool to check out.
Here’s one for the “what goes around, comes around” file.
Bash guards.
They enjoyed a brief moment in the sun back in the day when Bully frames came with them welded on and when GTs offered them as an add-on accessory…because they believed “bolt on [was] better.”
Heck, even Wade Nelson did a bit on them in Snakebite yesterday. Here’s an excerpt:
At the end of the 1980s, the BMX market had crashed, and was perhaps looking for the next gimmicky thing to sell more stuff. Suddenly it was of paramount importance that we have bashguards on our bikes.
And in an era before micro-gearing:
[O]ur giant sprockets…needed protection.
But about as abruptly as this “innovation” swept into the BMX marketplace, it was quickly ushered out.
Bashguards were already a footnote before the giant sprockets they were designed to protect were replaced by micro-gears.
Now it looks like a company is trying to bring them back.
BMX has seen attempts at this in the past, but nothing designed specifically for modern day grinds and whips, and nothing that lets you grind like this!
Hmm…really?
To their credit, BMX Grind has put out a video to promote their product.
Not sure how game-changing those grinds are….
It probably does protect your sprocket…But how many riders are going to going to be willing to bolt on 1.3 pound guard to do it? Sure, back in the day a heavy bike was a badge of honor, but today? Forget about it.
Then again, maybe I’m judging it too harshly.
Is the bashguard ready for a comeback? Let me know what you think.
(*I know this isn’t a cruiser topic per se, but as a “BMX Enthusiast” it’s something I still feel worth discussing.)
The man responsible for building one of the most well-known brands in BMX, GT Bicycles, is returning to bike biz (as Gary Turner BMX) with a limited run of vintage-style 26″ cruisers.
Each frame set will be chrome plated with “old style” Gary Turner BMX chrome stickers. Price for frame, fork and handlebar will be $800 (US) and the run will be limited to only 100 frames.
Plans are also in the works for 24″ and 20″ frame sets at a later date.
Pretty cool to see one of the icons of the sport returning to the industry he helped create.
Here’s a lookback at an ad with Gary in his heyday.
The Gary Turner online store, www.garyturnerbmx.com, will be taking orders for the 26″ cruiser sets on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 8am PST.
And if you’re in Corona California on August 9, swing by Pole Position Raceway. Gary will be hosting a vintage bike show and launch party for the new frames. A 26″ Limited Edition frame set will be given away as a “best in show prize” at the event.
Wonder if this will prompt USA BMX or the UCI to make an announcement about this sort of thing…especially if the rumors are true regarding other companies working on their own versions of this.
BMX racers: wear “ballet shoes” (with clipless pedals) for competition
2) Ballerinas: wear tights
BMX racers: wear tights*
*Say what?
Yes, my friends it looks like the end is near. GT’s Joey Bradford rocked a pair of tights (!) to a Pro Cruiser win at the Gator Nationals on the weekend.
To some this might be called progression…to me, it’s another sign of the moto (or is it the mojo?) being sucked out of bicycle motocross.
I have to admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about a GT product. Their bikes, especially their race bikes of the last few years, have been kind of ugly and seem like like yesterday’s news when compared to other bikes.
Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across this video explaining the new 2010 GT prototype cruiser. The old ultrabox design is gone in favor of a trick, oval-tubed modern look…this bike looks fast.
And while I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable riding a bike with non chro-mo forks, I think this frame might pique more than a few racers interest* in the new year.
*Now they just have to take that level of innovation and come out with a 24 that you can take to the trails.
