26 inch cruisers are having a moment

16 09 2014

Walking around the displays at Interbike, it’s hard not to think that 26″ freestyle cruisers are  having their moment in the sun right now.

With Subrosa deciding to add the 26″ Malum to their lineup this year.

subrosa malum interbike

To the Fairdale Taj with it’s retro design cues.

Fairdale Taj 2015 InterbikeInside scoop: Fairdale has plans in the works to offer a chrome version of the frame & fork later this year…and maybe a chrome version of the complete after that. (Hot damn!)

To Volume, who has been down with the 26″ for some time now…in this case, the Hessian.

Volume 2015But the 26″ that really caught my attention was the Stolen Zeke XLT.

Following the same nomenclature as their 24″ models, the Zeke XLT is a full cro-mo version of the tri-moly 26″ Zeke that turned heads at last year’s Interbike show.

Zeke XLT ttSporting a cool matte black with blue colorway, the display model was shown with disc brakes. While 990-style brakes come standard on the Zeke XLT, the display model was outfitted with the disc brakes to show that the bike was “disc ready” and could be switched over if so desired.

Zeke XLT side

Certainly some great options in the 26″ side of things.

I  wonder if the increasing popularity of 26″ bikes will prompt We The People to bring back the 26″ Champ cruiser…not that I would want their 24″ offering, the Atlas, to disappear.

More Interbike coverage to follow.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

WTP debuts 2015 Atlas at Interbike

15 09 2014

This year’s Interbike show saw a much smaller BMX presence than in year’s past.

Notable no-shows for this year’s show included S&M, DK, GT and Redline. (DK opted to showcase its 2015 lineup in-house at DK HQ.)

With that being said, there was still plenty to check out at this year’s show.

A refreshing change this year was We the People (WTP) and their decision to locate their booth in the heart of the “BMX zone” of the show. Last year’s booth was located a fair distance from the other BMX vendors…I remember asking people for directions to the booth. Perhaps this is a reflection of their recent switch to a new distributor and more positive moves in the future.

Another good thing to see from WTP is their decision to keep the Atlas 24 in their lineup for 2015.

Retaining essentially the same “trails-y” geometry as the 2014 Atlas, it now sports a black and red ano colorway that looks great up close. It unfortunately loses the limited edition tanwall tires it sported in 2014, but it still looks like a  well-spec’d ride.

WTP 2015 Atlas 2015More Interbike coverage to follow, keep your eye out for more posts all this week.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Viva Las Vegas

9 09 2014

If all goes to plan,  I should be touching down in Las Vegas just as you read this just ahead of this year’s Interbike tradeshow.

Looking forward to seeing all the new stuff in store for 2015 (and catching up with some good peeps along the way).

Keep your eyes on the Facebook page and Twitter for updates during the show.

Full recap the following week.

las vegas


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Categories : New products

On the road again: Austin, Texas

5 09 2014

By the time you read this I should be touching down in Austin, Texas.

Looking forward to a little downtime before the big bicycle industry shindig called Interbike.

(If you’re an Austinite and you’re curious why some oddball is suddenly peppering you with questions about your cruiser…sorry, that’s probably me).

Next week, Interbike.

texas forever

 


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Thinking ahead to Interbike

28 08 2014

With less than two weeks to go until Interbike, the bicycle industry’s biggest shindig, I find myself musing about what’s going to be on display this year.

Thought Bubble

I suspect the 26″ cruiser is going to be grabbing a bit of the limelight this year, given the recent sneak peeks of the Fairdale Taj and the Subrosa Malum.

Stolen also turned some heads last year with their 26″ Zeke (and their impressive showing off 24″ completes and aftermarket 24″ parts).  What will they have up their sleeve this year?

Will the 22″ wheel movement continue to grow legs? Felt made the first foray of the big bike companies into the 22″ world with their 22″ complete. I heard rumblings from other company reps that they were thinking about doing the same thing…will 2015 be the model year when this happens?

On the race side of the equation…will companies finally make a push with the OS20 (over-sized 20) bikes? The rumour mill has been steady that different companies have been looking at trying this concept out…maybe this year they will see the light of day.

Interbike press

There’s plenty more that I want to check out at this year’s Interbike show…this is just off the top of my head.

What are you interested in seeing?

 


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Are these tan tradeshow models available?

23 05 2014

It’s been almost a year since we spotted the tan tradeshow models of Kenda’s popular Kranium and Small Block Eight tires at Interbike.

Each of these tan models showed up on a complete bicycle from one of the bigger bike companies.

The Kranium on the Free Agent Ratio.

The Small Block Eight on the We The People Atlas.

In both cases, the tan walls added that “special little something” to the bikes to make them that little bit cooler.

You would think that with more and more tanwall tires showing up as stock on new completes that they would soon find their way to the aftermarket.

No cigar my friends.

I’m not sure why Kenda is holding back on these.

Are they just giving us a little eye candy at Interbike and then leaving us high and dry when we want to pick up these tan models after the show?

Has it all been one drawn-out tease?

It sure seems that way.

Interbike booth

 Hey look, road bikes!

 


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, shenanigans, Tomfoolery, Uncategorized

Stolen releases the 26 inch Zeke bike

9 05 2014

From checking out the prototype at Interbike, to getting news it would be released in the spring, to this week when it finally arrived in bike shops and online retailers (like Dan’s Comp), the 26-inch Stolen Zeke bike has been on our radar.

And its definitely been worth the wait!

2014-ZEKEComplementing Stolen’s 24-inch offerings, this bike is set up ready to shred.

Check out these specs:

  • 74.5° head tube
  • 72° seat tube
  • 22.25” top tube
  • 16.1” chain stay
  • 12.5” seat tube height
  • 13.8” bottom bracket height 

The deets:

  • Chromoly main frame and chromoly fork w/ one-piece steerer
  • Semi-sealed cassette w/ double wall Revolver rims
  • STLN 26×2.2“ tires
  • Aftermarket MOB cranks
  •  6.75” handlebars, TIG welded
  • Stratos top load stem

From what I understand, a lot of these are already spoken for…so if the Zeke is something you’re into, contact your Stolen dealer today to see if they have one in stock. (Dan’s seems to have some for the time being too.)


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

Stolen Gold frame & fork all built up

15 04 2014

The 24″ Stolen Gold frame and fork caught our eye for the first time at Interbike last year.  Since then, we haven’t heard too much about it.

That is, till last week when Stolen shared a pic of a Gold frame & fork all built up (check the Cruiser Revolution Facebook page if you missed it).

Stolen also sent a few pics to the Cruiser Revolution in-box, so here’s a couple more for your viewing pleasure.

Donnie Bothman Stolen Gold Build

Donnie Bothman is responsible for this build…and wow, does it ever look nice.

I’m looking forward to seeing more Gold builds in the future!

Stolen Gold rearCheck the Stolen Bike Co site for all the specs, colors, etc.

 


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A little tan never hurt anyone

16 10 2013

Well, it looks like the old skinwall tire is back again.

Sort of.

These days it’s more likely to be called “tan wall.”

And I couldn’t be happier to see it make its long-awaited return.

I’ve joked in previous posts that I’m on a one-man crusade to save the skinwall.

Whether it’s references to tire manufacturers getting skin in the game, asking if it’s time to show some skin again or showing some skin in Utah…I got a thing for the old school-ly look of the skin or tan wall tire.

At Interbike this year you could see the tanwall making it’s presence known on some of the new completes.

From the We The People Atlas 24

To the Free Agent Ratio

To the Stolen Saint XLT

The smooth style of the tan wall was out there getting noticed.

Heck, Stolen is even offering a tan wall tire as an aftermarket option.

It looks like for 2014, sporting some tan might be the way to go.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Old School

Sin Series ride: finishing on a high note

27 09 2013

Just as I had suspected, the annual Friday night ride with the 4130 Sin Series crew was one of the highlights of Interbike week.

Catching up with old friends, making new ones and going for an exhilarating ride through the streets of Las Vegas is something that never fails to put a smile on my face.

4130 Sin Series selfieWith Mike Leonard on the whistle (that’s him in the extreme closeup above) we took off from the Fremont Street area, up to the Las Vegas Sign and then onto a final run through the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip.

4130 Vegas SignGotta love the “We are the champions” pose of Patrick Thomas in this photo (in front, bike in the air)…it just shows the stoke factor of these events.

So much fun.

Thanks for having me along for the ride guys.

(Pics: Mike Leonard)


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Categories : New School, Old School, shenanigans, street, Tomfoolery

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