Using color for that custom look

7 06 2013

By Ed Vandermolen

Even though there seems to be an almost endless supply of color options these days (for both bikes and components) sometimes you run into a situation where, for whatever reason, your preferred color  is not offered as an option by the manufacturer.

What’s a rider to do?

For the enterprising sort, this is their opportunity to customize their ride and get the work done to make their bike something that really stands out from the crowd. Whether it’s rawing out a frame or getting a custom color, this is where a rider’s individuality can really shine.

I’ve come across a couple examples of this lately that really caught my eye.

The first one is Nic Galvan’s custom candy-apple red Sunday Model-C.  I spotted this from a distance at Austin’s 9th street trails and thought at first it might be a Trans-Red S&M Dirt Bike.  Upon closer inspection, and chatting with Nic, I learned that he had it custom painted. The picture doesn’t do it justice but this bike looked so cool!  A headturner for sure!

Nick's red Sunday

The second is Jesse Klein’s DK Professional V2 24. (Jesse actually works at DK so it’s kinda cool that he’s still looking for ways to add some “extra cool” to his rides.)

In addition to going for a custom yellow color, Jesse cut some vinyl to make some one-off DK logos, gave it a quick hit with a sandblaster, then some powder coat to essentially “brand” his bicycle (vs. the traditional frame stickers). You can read a bit more about the process in this thread on BMXMuseum. It looks so trick!

Jesse's custom yellow DK Professional V2

Here’s a shot of the complete bike.

Jesse Klein's custom DK Professional V2

Pretty stoked on these rides.

Hope to see more of this kind of customization in the future!

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The dirt on the new 24″ S&M Dirt Bike

22 12 2010

The S&M Dirt Bike is growing up.

Last week we learned that S&M was in the prototype stage in the development of the new 24″ version of the classic Dirt Bike.

We now have more dirt on the new frame, thanks to Jay at S&M.

The thinking behind the new Dirt Bike is that it will be a 24″ street/freestyle/all-around frame with a bit of retro style to it (it might even be offered in Chrome).

The geometry is similar to the Fit CR24, with a slightly lower bottom bracket.

Two protoypes are out for testing right now, a black one and red one. Final colors have yet to be decided.


The specs

Keep in mind this a prototype, so there is still some testing and tweaking to be done, and none of these specs are set in stone.

That being said, here’s what the current specs that are on the frames being tested:

  • 21.75” TT
  • 9.75” standover height
  • 74.5 headtube angle
  • 71 seat angle
  • 14.85” chain stay length (slammed)
  • 12.5” BB height

Other features

(Again, these are still subject to change)

  • Dirt Bike dropouts
  • Capped chain & seat stays
  • Mid BB
  • Engraved head tube with removable gyro tabs
  • 1.375 TT straight gauge .035 Supertherm
  • 1.5” butted DT Supertherm
  • 2.25″ tire clearance
  • .75” seat stays
  • .625” seat stay bridge
  • .875” chain stays
  • .75” chain stay bridge
  • Welded brake mounts
  • Built-in seat clamp

Works with either standard drive train or micro-drive.

What do you think?

There’s no release date yet for this puppy, but considering all the buzz that it’s generating, I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be picking one of these frames up when they become available.

What about you?

Now that you have a better idea of the specs and features, what are your thoughts on this frame?