To convince people that this is not a bad idea, the Brits have released this video which is full of Parkour/Free Running (there is a difference, one is concerned with efficiency, the other includes flourishes think racing v. riding trails).  Ok, it’s not full of it, it kinda uses it really poorly and it’s just a really bad ad.  I guess there’s always a possibility that when a new sport is being used to sell an old product it will be done wrong.  This is pretty high on the “it makes everything look lame” scale.

Still, after seeing Jake Kooser’s Redline strapped to the back of his Smart car, I can’t dismiss this abomination and a bike rack as not a viable mode of BMX transportation.

You see, for most of the existence of this site I’ve basically been able to poke fun at the easy target that was the truly ridiculous “advancements” of BMX as the freestyle industry marched head first towards making every bike look like an 80′s race machine.  But now we’re here and, yeah, I’m bored.  I mean, how often can I point out that there is a strength/weight correlation that you can only ignore for so long or make fun of how every bike looks the same or scream “we’re all gonna die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” while posting a picture of some part that’s been machined to within a picometer of its life?

Probably about as many times as I have.

But the thing is, without pushing those limits and making those thoroughly ridiculous parts, you never know where they are and you don’t get better, or you don’t get better faster.  Also, I find myself at a loss for content for this site, which makes the two people that read it very, very sad.

So, for me, please bring back the crazy parts that make little sense and bikes that endanger your life just by looking at them and ugly color schemes (thank you GT) and general ridiculousness.  I miss it.

My name is George and I don’t like Fit Bike Co.  I know I’ve hinted around at my dislike of them before, but I figure now is time for me to go into the how’s and whyfors.  Y’see, it’s not like I hate their products, which I think are of the exact same quality as every other product at whatever price point they’re competing in.  Let’s be honest, the most innovative thing Fit’s done is name a product line after closeted gay sex, other than that all of their stuff is pretty much just like everybody else’s stuff.

Nope, my problem was always Fit’s image.  In an industry where avoidance of the jock mentality has been fetishized to an almost idiotic point Fit’s image was almost the the very definition of the jock mentality (and, let’s be honest^2, the dirty little secret of BMX is that the “jock mentality” is actually “the average mentality of 16 year old boys” and this sport is lousy with 16 year old boys).  While other brands seemed to sell “ride our stuff and you’ll have fun,” Fit sold “ride our stuff and you’ll be cool.”  If BMX is high school, Fit was the captain of the football team, who was banging the head of the cheerleading squad, and her best friend…and they both knew and didn’t care.

The kids, of course, ate it up.  Speaking ill of Fit was/is verboten and to do so was to loose all credibility.  Fortunately I never had any credibility to start with.

It’s not the first time I’ve disliked a company for its image.  As metal as I am, I never wanted any old FBMs because I had no desire to roll around with upside down crosses all over my stuff.   I didn’t hate FBM, I just wasn’t really into rocking Satanic imagery (“But George,” you say, “don’t you listen to Slayer regularly?” Yeah, but when was the last time you saw me with a Slayer t-shirt on?)

It’s of course, not impossible for a company to change their image and have me move them from the “no” to the “yes” column.  I mean, I’m seriously considering an FBM Exodus, so Fit has a chance, especially since…

As everyone knows Robbie Morales ran screaming from the S&M World Domination Headquarters and took all of the Fit riders too young to have underarm hair with him.  The account I read (and I only read the one because, really, how much of a crap do I give?) was that Robbie wanted to start a new brand with all of the interchangeable street riders who give the young boys hard-ons younger riders from the team (because, as history has proven, people over 25 and people under 25 can not work together, ever).  He was basically trying to pull the same move he did with Edwin and Aitken back in the day, but with a new brand.  This was the cause of all of the acrimony between him and Moeller for the last year or so.

I thought they’d stay together for the kids money, but apparently Robbie’s gotta do what Robbie’s gotta do and so he bolted and is starting a new company, with a dumb name (“Cult,” really?) with all of the kids from the Fit team (even Chase “I’m riding Fit until I die” Hawk), leaving Fit with a team of, well people I actually give a shit about.  In other industries the question when someone pulls this off is “will the world care twice,” I can already answer that question.  Yes, because BMX’s memory is shorter than its seatposts.  The real question isn’t, “will the world care twice,” it’s, “how old can Robbie be and keep on with the trend whore business plan.”  I mean, Madonna’s pulled it off for 30 years, but with all due respect, Robbie’s not at all full of her GILFy goodness.  At some point you stop being “that hip older guy with your finger on the pulse of the industry,” and become “that weird old guy.”

You can only refresh Menudo so many times, it’ll be interesting to see how many Robbie can get away with.

2010 GT Bump

Stop

Just.  Stop.

Yeah, MacNeil. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to go back to the 22.2mm seat post/tube, but stop it already.  “Lighter and stronger” my ass, you’re talking grams of weight savings and if it’s lighter it’s weaker (that’s the way tubes work, if you decrease the diameter of a tube, you have to increase the wall thickness to keep the same strength, unless they’re using higher grade steel for the seat tube).  But, let’s call a spade a spade.  Unless other frame makers jump onto this idiocy, the only people selling 22.2mm posts will be MacNeil.  It’s not a lot of money, but times is hard, a few extra dollars per frame might add up to real money in the short term.

Maybe it’s not a naked money grab, maybe it’s just another case of a BMX company hoping that metallugical science will make up for the fact that modern BMX bike design is about aesthetics and scales above all (I’d like to head off anyone who says that the modern BMX bike evolved to a double diamond design because the triangle is nature’s most stable shape.  The triangle IS geometrically stable, but I’d like you to compare the front end of a bike from 5 years ago to the front end of a bike from today,  smaller tubing has resulted in a front quadrangle).

Who am I kidding, it’s probably both.

Jay Miron still remains my second all time favorite rider (behind Fiola, above Bestwick).  I hate to see that his latest trick is shark jumping.

How awesome is that?

Growing up, as I did, in Alabama in the 70s and 80s I remember seeing pictures of Dominguez, Fiola and Blyther battling it out a Del Mar and The Pipeline and I had.  Nothing.  Maybe familiarity breeds contempt.  Lord knows that the kids at the skateparks around here don’t even pretend like they’re looking after the space.  Maybe it’s because they’re stupid, maybe it’s because they’re kids.  Either way, what the county giveth the county can taketh away and DeShong might be on the short list for the latter.

Damn shame, but not surprising, if it’s true.

I won’t get into the massive logic holes in it, but I will point out this wacky fact.

Twenty inch bicycles are not for adults.

Oh, I mean, adults ride them, I’m rather fond of them.  But, the 20″ BMX bike was always meant to be for children.  In fact the 26 and 24 inch cruiser was designed specifically to keep older kids around and to give parents something to do.  Which is why I find it a little odd that among the other things that get fetishized by BMXers (being broke, “real” BMX, etc.) wheel size is on the list.  If it ain’t 20″ it doesn’t count for whatever reason.

OK, that’s fine, but since the 20″ wheel was for children making it the defining element of a “real” BMX bike pretty much means it will suck as adult transportation, at least it will for anyone larger than a child.  Worse, with the steepening head tubes and lowering top tubes are actually making them even less suitable for anything other than doing tricks on.

“But I ride my Killorado to school 30 miles, uphill, both ways…in the snow,” I hear you say.  Yeah, and I’m morbidly obese and I had ice cream last night.  Both of us did things that we probably shouldn’t have.  It goes without saying that just because you can do it doesn’t make it right. 

On a related note.  I’m thinking about a 21.24″ FBM Exodus frame.  It looks like a frame that a grown man can ride.  Now if I can only find a decently padded seat…

SOLIDSTEEL Johno & the Church Gap from Clint on Vimeo.

So, this video has made the BMX blog rounds.  A guy (almost) jumps the infamous Austin Church Gap, detonates his rear wheel and destroys his bars. 

Alright

So, in the last handful of years one of the best riders in the sport lost the use of his limbs, two people have died and one of the most influential of new school riders had a career defining accident (Aitken’s career is now seperated into “pre accident” and “post accident”).  After Aitken’s fall there was a lot of talk about helmets and safety gear in BMX.  That talk lasted for about two days, and now we have this.  Before jumping this massive gap, kid adjusts his baseball cap.

Alright, his choice I guess (and I have to laugh at all the people who say they hate freestyle MTBs because they’re the wrong tool for the job.  Fully suspended mountain bikes were designed from the ground up to handle massive gaps, but I digress).  Here’s the problem.  While not a lot of people are saying that this guy was an idiot for trying this in jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap, the few that have have received the oh so hardcore reaction of “BMX is dangerous!!!!” “You’re a communist!!!!!!” “That’s why my parents have insurance!!!!!”

I just don’t get why a large majority of BMXers seem to be, at best, apathetic about safety gear and a small, but extremely vocal, minority seem to not only be actively opposed to it, but offended by the very idea that anyone would suggest that wearing safety gear is a good idea.  Yeah, BMX is dangerous, (and, in fact two of my above examples either happened while safety gear was being worn or it wouldn’t have mattered anyway) but, sheesh, while other dangerous activities seek to mitigate the possibility of a horrible, painful death BMXers seem to want to increase it.  I can’t see NASCAR drivers screaming that they don’t want roll cages, but Lord forbid you suggest BMXers wear helmets.

Anyway, back to the video.  I’m glad the dude walked away…but he’s still an idiot.