Ride the lightning

31 03 2023

Is your ride missing a little zip? Or maybe what it really needs is a little more zap.

Oh zap!

Indeed, BMX today, in general, needs more zap.

What in God’s green earth am I talking about, you say? Well, I’m talking about the veritable lightning in a bottle that the iconic Zap Pads brought to an 80s-era BMX bike.

If you were a kid in the golden years of BMX and tore out pages of the mighty BMX Action magazine to hang on your wall….well, you probably had one or two Zap Pad ads featuring a steely-eyed, all business Greg Hill staring back at you with his Zap Pad adorned GT (and later years a GHP).

Yes, you too young grommet. You could be like “The Businessman” Greg Hill and be as fast as lightning out on the track.

Or least look good trying.

Some of that Zap Pad magic…that lightning in a bottle, or should I say pad set, recently starting re-aappearing on retro-fab completes like the SE OM Flyer.

Later, the Fit CR-29, would also sport that familiar Zap Pad-esque lighting bolt as well.

Pretty flashy, huh?

So flashy you would think they would be offered as an after market padset, right?

Surprisingly, they were only sold as part of the bike…not separately.

What a letdown!

But like a bolt of lightning…..

One day I came across a post with a picture of the City Grounds X SE Bikes Collab Big Ripper.

Like the OM Flyer and Fit CR29, it too sported a Zap Pad-like pad set.

When I posted a comment saying to the effect, “Sigh, I wish these pads were offered separately”….I was shocked to see a reply moments later, saying yes, yes, these pads are actually available separately.

Hot damn!

It didn’t take long for more my order for the SE Bikes SE X CG Padset to go in!

Couldn’t be more stoked to get ahold of these.

I’ll finally be able to ride the lightning!

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GT puts the CRU in their new cruiser

27 10 2021

The nostalgia wave celebrating the movie RAD is in overdrive these days. Everyone from Etnies to Mongoose to Flite to you-name-it seems to have a marketing tie-in. And why not? RAD is a classic and something even the most hard-core of BMXers has a soft spot for.

The latest company to get on the Helltrack train is GT.

GT appears to have decided to really put the CRU in cruiser for this new bike and they showcased it this past weekend at the 3-day Classic BMX Festival the Frogtown Classic in Angel Camp, California.

With “RAD SERIES GT” on the the downtube , “CRU” in that iconic typeface on the fork and the CRU Jones-inspired pad set you know they’re really trying to pull on your heart strings for your favorite cheesy BMX movie.

Along with the classic touches, GT added some modern touches to this throwback cruiser. Peep the disc brake and comfy saddle to keep things safe and comfortable for rad dads flaunting their ride as they cruise the neighborhood.

Word on the street that these bikes are supposed to become available some time in December. I’m not sure how ambitious that is with supply chains being what they are but hey, just like in RAD, sometimes the hometown boy (or new bike buyer) has his day.





Dyno delivers with the Pro Compe 24

29 09 2020

Selling out almost immediately when it hit shops this summer, the Dyno Pro Compe 24 is just what the doctor (and Dyno fans like myself) have ordered.

When Dyno made a comeback as a 29incher last year I was stoked but also a bit bummed that it wasn’t available as a 24.

Of course, as we reported then, there was rumors already afoot that if the 29″ version proved popular that a 24″ incarnation would follow. I was cautiously optimistic that it would happen…but like a scorned lover I had been burned by big promises from bike companies before and I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high.

Turns out, GT/Dyno were true to their word and the 24″ version of the Dyno did appear this year. And what a 24″ Dyno it is!

It harkens back to the year of our Lord, Lord Voelker. Inspired by the year 1987 when Voelker turned pro on Dyno and carved a path through the freestyle scene with big burly tricks and street moves that still inspire today.

It hits all the right style points too and it’s complemented by all the modern touches that make it a capable shredder for 24″ riders today.

Spec-wise, you can tell this 24″ is ready for more than cruising the beach:

  • Head tube angle:  74.5 degrees
  • Seat tube angle:    71 degrees
  • Top tube length:    22″
  • Chain stay length: 15.6″
  • Bottom Bracket:    13.92″

With that being said, I’m curious why GT wouldn’t have spec’ed it out with a slightly shorter chainstay. (To compare, the Stolen Saint 24 comes in at 15″ and the Sunday Model C shorter still).

Onto the looks department,  the classic 80s look is in full force: Pretzel bars, Power Series cranks, Dyno forks and Mallet stem. Heck, there’s even a Dyno pad set and pegs thrown in for good measure.

Of course, no bike worthy of the Lord would be nothing less than full 4130 Cro-mo, which this bike is.

All in all, I’m pretty stoked on this 24″ Dyno.

Now we just need to see more stock in the stores, maybe a new colorway or two and……maybe, just maybe, a full blown modern-day edit of Voelker shredding one of these in his classic Voelker fashion.  GT/Dyno….let’s make this happen!





90s-era BMX shirts at Urban Outfitters

14 01 2019

Have 90s-era BMX t-shirts finally crossed the rubicon into hipster fashion?

Signs are pointing to yes.

Reports are coming out saying that Urban Outfitters stores are now stocking shirts from GT, Dyno, Mongoose and Schwinn.

I first spotted them on Brian Tunney’s Instagram:

Apparently they are put out by a company called ourlegendsauthentic.

Will they be hit with hipster millennials who were kids when these brands/logos were big?

Tough to say.

For myself, I used to sweat some of the earlier Dyno designs…the fish shoes, tragically hip shirt, etc.

 


If those designs start showing up…well, this aging Gen-Xer might be elbowing those hipster millennials out of the way for some new shirts.

 

(B&W pics: vintage-bmx-ads.blogspot.com)





First look: 2017 GT Performer Pro 26

21 07 2016

It may be “throwback thursday” but the 2017 GT Performer Pro 26 looks much more than just a mere throwback…it’s the classic GT Performer re-imagined as modern-day 26″ cruiser.

BMXUnion.com got the sneak peek of the 2017 GT lineup earlier this week and part of that lineup is this super-sized version of the GT Performer.

performer-24-gt-bicycles-2017-bmx-bike-blue

Available in blue or white, it features a full cro-mo frame, fork and handlebar.

performer-24-gt-bicycles-2017-bmx-bike-whiteAnd while it has been updated with modern touches like 990-style brakes and a threadless headset there are still plenty of retro nods to keep the old schoolers happy.

Such notables include the classic Power Series cranks…

performer-24-gt-bicycles-2017-bmx-bike-cranks

…and the iconic pierced seat tube and platform.

performer-24-gt-bicycles-2017-bmx-bike-seat-stayThe mohawk hubs are also a nice touch and add to the old school look of the bike.

performer-24-gt-bicycles-2017-bmx-bike-front-hubTop it all off with some 8os throwback graphics and you’ve got one cool looking ride.

If I was being nit-picky I would say I kinda wish they would’ve run a caliper brake on the back of the fork …Eddie Fiola-style…to round out the look.

But that’s an easy fix.

Face it, if you’re the old school type that would be interested in the Performer Pro…you’ve probably got an old Dia-Compe MX-1000 kicking around the garage anyway.

All in all, a cool “retro-inspired” bike from GT.

(All pics: BMXUnion.com)





Greg Hill has still got it…

16 11 2008

greg-hill

Back in the day, Greg Hill was the man in Pro BMX Racing. #1 plates, magazine covers, sports cars he lived the BMX dream. Outspoken, fast as the lightening on his lightening zap pads, he was the guy me and thousands of other BMX kids looked up to. He seemed larger than life at the time. Through the years, he left racing and got more involved in the industry side of things. In 1993, Greg and Harry Leary (another old school Pro) had a controversial interview in Ride magazine that basically called out the industry, and Chris Moeller (of S&M bikes) in particular, which made them look out-of-touch and a bit like crotchety old men. Despite this, Greg Hill has (and continues to) do a lot for the sport. He’s still an icon. That’s why I was kinda of stoked to stumble across this little gem on youtube…Greg Hill doing it for GHP and just smoking the 41-45 cruiser class.

And for all you young whippersnappers without any roots, maybe you should read this.