Joe Rich | cruiser revolution

T-1 memories: big air on a cruiser

8 06 2016

Dig BMX has been posting up interviews with some of the legendary riders that have shredded the T-1 ramp over the years.

The latest installment in the series is the master of flow, Ruben Alcantara.

Being a close friend of Joe Rich meant Ruben — on his annual trips from Malaga to Austin — had unlimited access to the ramp while he was in town.

When Dig asked him,

“What were some of the craziest riding sessions over the years?”

I was surprised to see this being his answer:

So many. I remember one that was super fun. Joe was riding a 26” cruiser and was going so high. It was such a good day.

Wow.

Now, I don’t have to tell you how much radness Ruben has seen (or been responsible for) over his riding career.

It’s pretty awesome to learn –from a cruiser rider’s perspective — that one of the most fun sessions, with two of the most legendary riders you can think of, on one of the most legendary riding spots, in one of the best BMX cities in the US…went down on a 26″ cruiser.

Who woulda thunk it.

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Tags: 26" cruiser, Austin, BMX cruisers vert riding, Dig BMX magazine, Joe Rich, Ruben Alcantara, T-1 ramp
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Skatepark

Dig & The Albion: keeping print relevant

17 10 2012

I had the opportunity to pick up a couple issues of The Albion during my recent trip to the west coast and I was frankly blown away by how good of a magazine it was.

Chock full of great interviews with legends like Bob Haro to modern-day shredders like Van Homan. And these were not the typical cookie cutter interviews so typical today…you can tell the guys behind The Albion are trying to raise the level of BMX journalism (if there is such a thing). Going a little deeper than just the surface stuff and giving you a real sense about the ‘whole person’ being interviewed and not just their persona they show to the BMX world.

Perhaps influenced by The Albion’s growing notoriety, DIG has really stepped up their game as well.

Their latest installment, #90, is called “The Legends” issue. Featuring four collectible covers, one each of: Brian Foster, Ruben Alcantara, Joe Rich, and Van Homan.

Like The Albion, this latest issue of Dig is filled with great interviews of the four legends on the cover, along with the “people, places, and events that have inspired and shaped BMX and [Dig] magazine since [the] first issue in 1993”. The magazine does a great job of both looking back and also capturing the energy of the current moment in BMX.

In a time when print seems to be looked on as something bordering on irrelevant — given the reach and immediacy of online and video — it’s good to see people putting the time and effort into the print medium and keeping it fresh, real and something that can still move and inspire us.

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Tags: BMX journalism, BMX magazines, Bob Haro, Brian Foster, Dig BMX magazine, Joe Rich, Ruben Alcantara, The Albion, Van Homan
Categories : Freestyle, New School, Old School, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Pumped up Volume Sledgehammer

9 12 2010

It looks like the guys at Volume are taking their popular 26″ Volume Sledgehammer in a new interesting direction.

While promoted as a bike for cruising around, it can still hold it’s own if you want to ride it a bit more aggressively (see previous posts of Buddy and Joe Rich shredding on Sledgehammers for proof).

What’s new for 2011

For 2011, Volume shortened the chainstays to 15.75″ and lengthened the top tube to 22″. From the looks of it, it seems like the new Sledgehammer is now being designed less for “cruising” and more for “serious” riding.

Another thing new for 2011?

A disc brake.

Not sure how I feel about this…seems a little too MTB for a bike like this. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of V-brakes either (which is what the ‘hammer came with in previous years).

And, I can’t believe I’m actually saying this (in this era of low top tubes)…it looks like the top tube/seat tube is too high…sure, it’s fine for just cruising around…but if you really want to ride this puppy…it seems like it would get in the way.

What do you think about the 2011 Sledgehammer?

I’d especially like to hear what you think about the disc brake.

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Tags: 2011 Volume Sledgehammer, Buddy, Joe Rich, Volume bikes, Volume Sledgehammer
Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Vert: the final frontier for cruisers?

8 01 2010

Cruisers have proven themselves at the trails, track, park and the street. They’ve also shown that they are more than capable flatland machines.

That’s why I find it a bit surprising that we haven’t seen more cruisers on vert. Pictures and web edits are few and far between.

But I’ve done some digging…and this is what I came up with.

If you’re old school, you probably remember this BMX Action magazine cover, featuring R.L. Osborn and Eddie Fiola busting a couple of flatties on the T.O.L. ramp on some 24″ test bikes.