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!





Is FitBikeCo tripping?

3 06 2019

In some ways this was unexpected…but in other ways, perfectly in line with S&M Bikes/FitBikeCo style antics.

When overbuilt frames were a thing, S&M responded with the Heavy as Fuck frame. When things veered in the other direction, the Light  as Fuck frame came into being.

Now with 26″ BMX cruisers having an extended moment in the sun….partly helped along by the #BikeLife movement….the folks at The Building, specifically FitBikeCo are set to introduce the 26″ Tripper later this summer.

And yes, if you think they’re trolling SE and Todd Lyons a bit here….well, I can’t speak for FitBikeCo, but signs point to yes, that seems to be happening.

 

From the name, an obvious takeoff of the iconic “PK Ripper“…to the colorways “Stu Blue” and Gloss Black with Gold Anno…you know what  style they’re trying to evoke.

 

 

Heck, Dougie Darrah even has the iconic OM BMX skid on lock already!

 

I guess it was only a matter of time for Chris Moeller to cook this up, given the success of their Pounding Beer forks (another SE sendup)

I’m kinda curious to see how Todd Lyons is going to respond to this…are we gonna see some dust ups between the two of them?

Similar to the old “run-ins” Chris Moeller and Harry Leary used to have back in the 80s ?

I’m looking forward to finding out.





First look: S&M 29″ Pounding Beer forks

9 08 2018

As surprising as it is to see a 29″ fork from S&M Bikes, this is legit!

Apparently despite the popularity of 29″ cruisers from SE Bikes, 29″ replacement forks are hard to come by.

Sensing a market opportunity, the guys at S&M stepped in (stepped up?) to answer the call. Sporting  similar styling and a name that’s reminiscent (or at least rhymes) with the iconic “Landing Gear” this is now available for order from Planet BMX.

Dubbed the “Pounding Beer” fork, it’s a bit tongue in cheek…but would you expect anything less from S&M?

Available in white, black or chrome-plated.

 

 

 





The Beast was released

22 05 2017

Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast…for the number of times I saw footage and mentions of the new SE Beastmode cruiser this weekend was truly off the chart.

If somehow you were away from your social media feeds this weekend, here’s the lowdown.

SE hooked up with NFL player Marshawn Lynch to collaborate on the new Beastmode cruiser.

They debuted the new bike on the #OAKLANDRIDEOUT.

If all the clips and mentions that popped up on the weekend are any indication, the debut was a success.

Marshawn was in attendence, Todd Lyons and the #cyclesquadmaniacs were up to their usual antics…and it looks like people were stoked!

But social media isn’t the only place the Beastmode cruiser and the Oakland Rideout got attention.

The mainstream media also jumped on the bandwagon!

Heck, I even saw footage on HLN this morning!

No doubt about it, the world heard that the Beast was released this weekend.

 





Wall Street Journal writes piece on wheelies

5 05 2017

If you’ve keep up on your social media these past few days, you’ve probably already seen it…the Wall Street Journal wrote an article covering BMX, “Bike Life” and Wheelies in a piece called, “The BMX Bikes Getting Teens Back on Two Wheels — or One”.

SE Big Rippers and rrdblocks get a lot of play, as well as some commentary from Todd Lyons.

Apparently SE Bikes  (and BMX bikes in general) are seeing a sales spike over the last couple years.

That’s definitely good news! I don’t know if it’s “go-go 80s good” but it bodes well for our little piece of the cycling universe.

In other, semi-related news this week, SE also dropped some sneak peeks of the 3(!) colorways of the new 2018 So Cal Flyer.

I gotta say, I’m kinda digging the middle one…it has that Mike Buff/BMX Action trick team vibe that really takes me down memory lane.

I’m not so sure about the Killer Bees/Stryper colorway…but yellow and gold ano are definitely retro-fabulous, so I’m sure they will still get a segment of the old school heads with that version.

The blue one? Classic. Hard to go wrong there.

All in all, a good week for SE and “mainstream” coverage of BMX in general.

Hopefully, we’ll see more of this.





Spring Fling Sneak Peeks

3 04 2017

The annual “Spring Fling” happened down in Florida this past weekend and from all indications it looked like it was off the hook (Do people still say that?).

In addition to bringing together a bunch of rowdy BMXers, it was also where quite a few 2018 sneak peeks went down.

SE bikesTodd Lyons brought a bunch of cruisers from their yet-to-be-released lineup and he wasn’t shy about showing them off.

Some bikes have changed in size for 2018, like the Mike Buff Looptail…which now rolls out with 29″ wheels…

…and the Stu Thomsen STR…which is now in a available in a 26″ version.

The Cycle Squad Maniacs were on hand showcasing the new eye-popping SE Factory Squad threads. (You’re not going to miss this race kit!)

Todd Lyons and rrdblocks also showcased the wheelie proficiency of the new Big Flyers (available in two different colorways).

I think I’m most stoked on the STR-26…or maybe it’s just that picture of Stompin’ Stu roosting on it!





Souping up the SE STR-29

5 11 2016

The SE STR-29 turned our heads from the very first time we spotted it.

A classic 20″ frame, reimagined as a 29″ complete….it was one cool looking bike…and as Stompin’ Stu (the ST in STR) demonstrated, a more-than-capable wheelie machine.

However, as cool as it looks out of the box, it’s always interesting to see how someone customizes their bike to suit their tastes.

Yet we just haven’t seen much of that to this point with the STR-29. Actually of all the ones I’ve seen, they’ve been bone-stock.

But that all changed this week.

SE shared a picture in their social media feeds of Clyde Akers STR-29…and he definitely souped it up.

str-29-clyde-akers

With fresh paint, a liberal sprinkling of gold ano and larger tire* in the front…you definitely have a fresh take on the original factory-version STR-29.

Love me some gold ano!

 

*shucks, it’s not a tanwall

 

(All pics: SE Bikes)





HB crew tries out the 24″ Quad Freestyle

2 09 2016

Huntington Beach (HB), California has been an iconic flatland spot since the glory days of Martin Aparijo and Woody Itson busting out cherrypickers for the magazines.

Today, that spirit still lives on.

Every Tuesday, a crew of old school flatlanders meet up to bust out some flatland moves.

Apparently an SE 24″ Quadangle Freestyle ended up there for one of these sessions and the crew ended up busting out some quality flatland on it.

Check it.





First look: 2017 SE 26” PK Ripper Looptail

27 07 2016

The 2017 SE 26″ PK Ripper Looptail sure ticks off all the “retro-fabulous” buttons.

This limited edition cruiser sports a “black sparkle” colorway that’s designed to dazzle in the sun and is chock-full of old-school goodies, including:

  • Cowboy Cut forks
  • “Super Big Honkin” Cruiser bars
  • Redline Flight cranks & sprocket
  • Vee Tire Co x SE Racing Cub tanwall tires.

All in all, pretty cool.

Did I mention the full padset?

I told you this one had all the retro credentials.

2017 26” PK Ripper Looptail(Picture: SE Bikes)





First look: 2017 SE Floval Flyer

20 07 2016

The SE Floval Flyer has been a perennial favorite around here since we first tested the flagship race cruiser from SE so many years ago.

And with new SE models slowly being rolled out, we’ve been waiting anxiously to see what the 2017 model would look like.

Well, the pictures are out and it looks great.

There’s definitely some shiny goodness here.

2017 SE Floval Flyer

Weighing in at a more-than-respectable 22.7 lbs…this complete looks ready to race.

The bike is kitted it out with Alienation rims, Tioga Powerblock tires, Promax brakes & stem, and a lightweight Pivotal seat/seatpost setup.

Built around built around a 6066 aluminum frame (with the distinctive “floval”  bi-oval downtube), internally-machined integrated head tube and 3D-forged dropouts…it’s hard to go wrong here.

2017 SE Floval Flyer front closeup

And if you’re wondering about the decals over the welds…they’re under the clear coat. They’re not going anywhere.

List price is $699 (US).

Time to start bugging your SE dealer.

(All pics: SE Bikes)