I want action

25 02 2015

Although I can get as bike-nerdy as the next guy looking at a custom-built bike, I think seeing that same bike doing what it is designed to do–in action–is that much cooler.

action graphicSo imagine how stoked I was to find a picture of the custom 26″ Trail Boss, that Chris Piascik had built by Standard Bykes, in this great action shot over at BMX Museum.

Chris Piascik tuck on 26in Trail BossA classic tuck for extra style points!

Hopefully we’ll more shots of this cool bike in action in the future.

Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have to get that dreadful I want action Poison tune out of my head.

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Categories : Freestyle, New School

Stop the presses: a 26″ custom Trail Boss

29 07 2014

Hot damn…this is one awesome looking bike.

Standard Bykes built up this custom 26″ Trail Boss for artist Chris Piascik and featured it a short while ago on their Facebook feed.

I’m actually kinda speechless about this bike, I’m digging on it so hard.

Chris Piascik's custom 26in Trail Boss(pic from Standard Bykes Facebook feed)

I don’t have all the particulars on it, geo-wise, but Standard has said in the comments regarding this bike that:

If we get a few guys into ordering these we’ll do a “stock” run of them…which means regular stock pricing!

Stock pricing? This bike is getting more tempting by the minute.

I have to stop looking at the picture.


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Categories : Freestyle, New products, New School

The scoop on the GT Interceptor 24

8 08 2013

Crazy Al Cayne caught up with GT Bicycles product manager, Jason Halverson recently at Trumbull BMX to get the inside line on the new Interceptor 24 from GT.

I was stoked to see Al’s bike check post because my interest has been piqued ever since the ads started appearing in PULL magazine touting the “100% Chromoly” Interceptor Race Line.

GT Interceptor 24

Turns out that GT has taken some elements of its freestyle frames, like the dropouts and the larger downtube, and worked them into the Interceptor.  This is In addition to design tweaks to reduce flex and keep it race-ready. All in an effort to make a bike that’s equally at home at the track and the trails.

GT Interceptor dropout

With S&M and Standard pretty much cornering the chromoly race frame market, it’s cool to see a mainline race brand re-embrace its roots and put out a quality chromoly race bike.

What do you think?

Check out http://www.BMXHOOD.com for more pictures and details from Al Cayne and the Interceptor 24.


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

The secret to a good BMX name? It’s the S

24 04 2013

In an article called The 50 Greatest BMX Logos, which ran in Complex magazine a couple of years ago, Taj Mihelich said,

There is definitely some connection between lightning and BMX. You can find lightning bolts on all kinds of BMX imagery. I think that maybe the very bones of BMX, chromoly steel, can only be created by a direct lightning strike.

This connection is especially true of BMX images from the 80s but still seems to noticeable to a certain extent today.

In a similar fashion, BMX is made up of a disproportionate number of brands that start with the letter “S”.

Maybe it’s due to the sport getting it’s start with kids riding Schwinn Sting Rays but it’s a little crazy how long the list is when you start to think about it.

Superman-Images

Just off the top of my head, there is:

  • SE
  • Skyway
  • S&M
  • Standard
  • Sunday
  • Stolen
  • Supercross
  • Speed
  • Solid
  • Staats
  • Subrosa

Even in my own personal stable, I also see the effects of this trend…I have, over the past couple of years, been on  S&M, Sunday, SE, and Standard bikes.

S&M jersey with lightening bolts

I guess if you’re looking to start a BMX brand some time in the future, stack the odds in your favor with a name that starts with “S”…and maybe throw in some lightning bolts into the logo for good measure.


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Categories : Flatland, Freestyle, goofiness, Racing, Skatepark, street, Trails, Trails/Jumping

Cro-mo continues its racing comeback

27 07 2012

Back in March, we talked about the comeback that chromoly race forks were experiencing in the race community. Now with more and more people switching to chromoly forks, it seems like the a trend is starting to develop towards chromoly race frames.

Sure, chromoly frames have always been available from the industry stalwarts, S&M and Standard. But beyond those two companies the choices for “steel is real” advocates was noticeably slim.

That’s beginning to change.

In a recent Vintage BMX forum thread, a reader was showing off his SSquared chromoly cruiser prototype frame and said,

Now that they made this first cromo frame for me; I think it has reenergized their desire to do a full cromo run.

Which is pretty compelling when you consider that SSquared is one of the more popular race companies at the moment…they obviously think there is a market for these frames.

Other big names in the race community, like Supercross and MCS have also had cromo frames in their lineups for some time now  (the Bolt and Speedfreak respectively) despite the widespread use of aluminum frames in the race community.

And as further evidence of the chromoly trend, there are rumblings that GT and Mongoose are also testing out Chromoly race bikes.

Looks like we might have a cro-mo resurgence on our hands in the next few years. I for one am kinda looking forward to it.


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Categories : New products, New School, Old School, Racing

Wanna lose a few inches this year?

7 02 2012

The 22″ wheel movement has suddenly taken an interesting turn with the news that S&M is testing a prototype frame and tires.

In 2010, I did a post called 22″ bike: could you lose a couple inches? that generated a bunch of discussion on the pros and cons of the wheel size.

Back then I said (in the comments section) that having a single source supplier for all things 22″—Faction was the only company at the time offering 22″ stuff—would “hurt the cause”.

Now with companies like InDust offering 22″ frames and Standard building custom one-offs,  the 22″ movement is starting to pick up some more momentum.

S&M is already offering 22″ forks as a custom option  but has shied away from manufacturing frames till now.

With this new prototype it looks like S&M is about to jump into the 22″ scene with both feet. And by doing so, it looks like the 22″ option suddenly has a whole new level of legitimacy.


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

Born in the USA

4 07 2011

It’s the 4th of July. In the U.S., that means a celebration of all things American.

On a day like today, even if you’re not American and celebrating Independence Day, you have to respect the companies that are still making a go of it in terms of manufacturing things in North America. And not just making a go of it, but putting out high quality products that are sought out by riders of every stripe.

Not taking anything away from those companies that design products in North America and have them manufactured elsewhere…in many ways, it’s often the better option for doing things.  But you have to respect those companies that choose to take the often harder road of keeping it all in house from start to finish.

You know the big names: S&M, Standard, FBM…their quality speaks for itself…and the smaller companies like Snap and Immortis that are garnering a reputation for themselves  through the pride they take in the craftsmanship of their products. You can find a pretty good listing of these companies on americanmadebmx.com.

So if you’re out celebrating today, raise a glass to the fine folks working hard, day after day, to produce American-made BMX products. Cheers guys!


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

It’s time to bring cro-mo back to racing

27 05 2010

Steel is real. It’s a refrain you’ll hear time and time again in the forums from die-hard cro-mo fans. And while there are cro-mo race options out there…like S&M, Supercross, Standard and CycleCraft, by and large, they are available in frame and fork only.

Why doesn’t anyone offer a cro-mo race complete?

Back in the day, a complete cro-mo race cruiser was easy to find. Not so anymore. Pure race machines are pretty much all aluminum these days.

Is it time to bring the complete cro-mo 24 race cruiser back?

I think so.

And there are a number of reasons why.

Versatility: Sure an aluminum bike might be fine for the track, pump track and light trails….but would you trust it anywhere else? Bigger trails? An impromptu session at the skatepark? Probably not. A cro-mo bike would let you ride in any of these situations with confidence. Sure, some people have a second bike for this very reason but many people do not have this luxury.

Better value: A good cro-mo bike can easily outlast an aluminum bike. With the way the economy is these days a bike that lasts just makes good sense. And if you’re a Dad just swinging a leg over a 24 for the first time (or after a long layoff from the sport) a little bit of the “give” that 4130 has will be welcome.  If your kid decides to quit racing and just ride trails and park? No problem, the cro-mo bike will take you to the park or trails in style.

Pent up demand: With such a vocal group on the internet forums, a good cro-mo race complete would probably sell like hotcakes.

While I don’t expect S&M to suddenly jump into the complete market, certainly the Fit CR24, with a couple of tweaks to the geometry (and maybe the components) could be offered as a race version (just as an example…not to pick on S&M/Fit). I think there’s a market out there and whoever decides to take the plunge will be pleasantly surprised.

It’s time for race bike manufacturers to get back to their roots…it’s time once again, to sell the metal.

David Frid knows steel is real. He rocks one of the nicest 38 Specials out there in the O-Cup race series.



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Categories : New School, Old School, Racing, street, Trails/Jumping

The devil is in the details

1 10 2009

Nothing says Shout at the Devil quite like sporting a Devil on your bike’s  headtube. This picture was taken from the NBL Grands photo gallery on the Standard Bykes site.

Part of me wants to believe these are the personal rides of Bruce Dickinson (of Iron Maiden).  A guy can dream can’t he?

standard shout at the devil


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Categories : goofiness, New School, Racing

Don’t mess with Rick Moliterno

19 03 2009

Rick Moliterno might be some kind of crime-fighting superhero by night in addition to his already full plate with Standard Bykes, Goodtimes Superstore, and still killing it on his bike.

According to this news story, a local kid had just been in Rick’s shop, Goodtimes, and had gone across the street to grab a sandwich at Wendy’s. The kid did not lock his bike up and it was promptly stolen by some 14-year deliquent. Rick’s girlfriend saw the theft go down and told Rick. Rick put on his shoes, grabbed his bike and gave chase.  Keep in mind that at this point the thief has a two-block head start and Rick is 30 years his senior. In most cases, that would mean that bike was long gone.  But not when you have a BMX legend giving chase. Rick got the bike back and gave the kid some advice I’m sure he’s not going to forget:

“Don’t steal bikes, especially BMX bikes.”

Seriously, I’m beginning to wonder if Rick might be Batman.

In somewhat related news, I’m pretty stoked on this Standard 125R cruiser I stumbled upon on flickr:

standard-125r-custom-paint

Drawing on the frame and then clear coating it, the sweet green bars and forks…this is a nice bike.


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Categories : New School, Tomfoolery