Friday, January 16, 2009

Immodest Proposal?

So, I've been giving some more thought to this whole Project: Complete I talked about yesterday. And after looking at it in the light of day following a good night's sleep, I'm not sure whether it's even a good idea. For me, at least. And for a number of reasons.

I guess the main one is that I already know the answer to the big question: Of course a complete will be good enough for me. It's like asking whether I could play basketball in a pair of $40 Converse instead of Air Jordans. Of course I could. I'm not a professional. I'm not even a has-been. I'm more like a never-was. I ride for fun. I don't Luc-E kinked ledges, I don't ride Posh, and the next flair I do will be my first. Would it be weird getting used to an entirely new bike? Sure, especially if it was shorter than what I'm used to. But I have no doubt that I would get used to it.

Then again, maybe that's reason enough to do it? It'll be a good way to see—at least for me—how many choices are just made because there are choices, and whether there are any that are truly important. (I'm not talking about things like hardened steel pegs over slidy aluminum ones—I'm talking minute differences in toptube length and handlebar sweep/width and type of grips and tires). If someone replaced your 20.6" or 20.75" frame with a 20.5" tomorrow, would you even notice? And assuming you did, how long would it take you to get used to the change? How many of the choices that you agonize over are entirely insignificant?

Again, I'm pretty sure I know the answer. The average rider—not referring to skill level here—chooses parts primarily by reputation and image. The questions, in no particular order, are "will this hold up?," "how much does this cost?," and "what will people think when they see me running/rocking this?" That last might be the most important, which is why BMX parts are marketed more like limited-edition sneakers or high-end denim than, you know, bike parts. Somehow I think Lance Armstrong worries more about whether his bars fit than whether they're cool or not (although he did almost break Twitter asking whether he should run black or yellow hoods).

Sometimes I think skateboarding got it right. They picked a size and a shape and ran with it. Only the graphics change. Maybe all the BMX companies should get together, decide on a headtube angle, a seattube angle, a bottom bracket standard (!), a pair of chainstay lengths and three toptube sizes. Pick some tubing, and place a huge order with Giant. All individual companies would have to do is come up with names, pick "colorways" and design sticker sets. One massive order would cut prices, and anyone would be able to ride any company's frame. Simple, right?

I realize this runs counter to lots of things I've said before. That's just how I roll.

••••••••••

As for the purveyance of said bicycle, I've done a lot of thinking on that, too. (Helped along by anonymous, no doubt.) And I think I absolutely have to buy it. That way I'm not beholden to anyone, and there's no chance of getting a ringer: "Wait, why does this $500 Kink complete weigh 22 pounds?" Still, I'm not sure what to get, and suggestions are still welcome. (Verde? FBM? WTP? MirraCo? Giant? Kink?) I'd post a poll, but a) I don't have a clue how to do it, and b) I don't have enough of a readership. Not that I'm not thankful for each and every one of you. Well, except anonymous. You're a dick.

••••••••••


78 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pick a bike you like. That's what you would do if you weren't doing this as an "experiment", right? You were considering a frame... you would have gotten the one you liked the best. Pick your favorite complete and ride it. For what its worth (nothing), I really want you to go through with this. I think it would be pretty cool. Keep up the good work you are doing. The blog is great.

Stephen said...

I mentioned the skateboardification of BMX in another post.

Maybe it makes sense, but then again, it is sort of what I like about BMX. In theory, I could buy some tubing and make my own frame. I guess I could buy some wood and make my own skateboard, but fuck that for now.

Anonymous said...

i think the method would be a great idea, just because it's so anti-NY.

It'll be interesting to see how you fare with the wide bar situation--i rode bigger bars for a few months because that's all they had at the local shop, but felt much better when i went back to bob bars.

Anonymous said...

hmmm. the second to final paragraph i do not agree with. bmx is a different animal entirely to skateboarding with resepct to size issues. more muscle groups are intrisincally involved, and a bad sizing choice can = pain on the riders part.

whilst i understand that the current trend of ever wider bars may be governed by the volatile laws of "trendies" im going to enjoy it despite the volatility, as it affords me a choice that makes my riding comfortable and makes the experience even better. would i still ride? probably (if my back didnt give out) i would ride a 21 inch if i had to, and smaller, but i would suffer for it.

im 6"3 with longer than usual legs which means i have a bigger "stoop" so along with a longer possible top tube( i also run my bars forward enough to be borderline unfashionable), i want the bottom bracket to be low and the bars to be high (and wide - the same as my shoulders) to counteract this effect.

whilst you may be the luxurious position of being able to ride 20.5 (i can but i get back pain within 20 minutes) not every rider can, and some of us look very carefully at geometry. so espousing half baked one size (or three or whatever) fits all ideas leaves alot of riders out in the cold

Russ said...

It could be five sizes. 21.5", 21", 20.5", 20" and 19.5". It's mostly the in-between sizes (20.689472991!) that I don't understand.

And wide bars, sure, but if you run wider than 28", either you're Shawn Bradley or you're a moron.

Loop said...

I agree with this idea in principle with the exception of a few important points:

The whole not taking the stickers off or trimming the bars thing is silly: You are allowed to customise the bike otherwise, by that logic, you also cannot move the bars from the postion there were in when you buy it.

You are allowed to add, remove or replace parts but not upgrade them: Most completes will not come with four pegs, you are allowed to remove you brake if you want to.

The idea is that these bikes are all you need but you can shape them to fit your life.

BUT you cannot change any part for another unless you have broken/worn out the original. This will be no fun if you wear out the tyres really quickly or snap the chain in the first month and can't change it for a new one.

Think of it as 'hoe long will this bike last in the real world' rather than 'how close to stock can I keep this.'

This should be about spending as little money as possible to gain the ride you want: Not in a skinflint kind of way but as if you're a kid who's saved all his pocket money to buy a bike that will last him properly.

(Trimming the bars doesn't count as I assume you have a saw or pipepipe cutter, could borrow one or get the shop to trim them for you, for free..).

Bailey said...

In response to bman:

When it comes to sizing in bmx, there is not much thought that goes into actual "fit", like that of a road or mountain bike. The reason that they have made bike fitting a science in mountain and road is to achieve maximum possible efficiency, while in bmx, sizing has always been a preference.

say someone riding road has average length legs and long arms and/or torso: They would PROBABLY ride an average size frame, but swap the stock stem out for a longer one.

On a bmx bike, where most of the time is spent standing up, and more often than not putting yourself in awkward, out of the ordinary positions, stem length probably has more to do with how you ride, rather than with how you are shaped. People who do lots of tech tricks and nose manual things generally have a shorter stem, while people who ride faster or do more trails oriented riding have a longer stem, for stability.

what i am trying to get at is that the geometry of a bmx bike will have little effect on anything other than how it feels. The pain from riding has more to do with falling and abusing your body than having the "wrong" size bike.

I like having choices, but if BMX starts to get as expensive as other forms of cycling, i am all for standardization, because it WILL make it cheaper.

Anonymous said...

I think you should go with a Giant if only to piss people off. Maybe the Mosh and Alienation stuff will work even though there is no street cred. I promise to help you out with a replacement when your complete shits the bed.

Unknown said...

If you saw that flat white/aqua Verde you would buy it, the thing looks amazing.

Anonymous said...

I vote "ney" on the skateboardifacation of BMX. I dont want to see a reality TV show on MTV about Taj and his dog nor do I want BMX to become all regulated and boring. If we had the rules of toptube sizes and chainstay legnths ect ect earlier, we wouldnt have all the frame choices we have now. As much as I dont like seeing someone riding a Killdorado frame it was that person's choice to ride that. Regulation of BMX frames would keep progression from happening. Plus, I really want to have a frame with a toptube legnth of 20.666 haha.

Russ said...

Loop: Agreed that the sticker/bar thing is a bit silly, but I'll probably stick with it for a little while at first. The stickers just because I want this to be a COMPLETELY stock bike, and the bars just to see whether I'd actually like something other than what I'm used to (uncut Scerbos, at the moment).

As for parts, I'll definitely keep it all stock for a while (once again, just to see how everything works out of the box), but I will change things if they fail, or seem like they're about to. There's no way I'm going to fix a chain every week if it starts breaking on a regular basis—I'm stubborn, but not that stubborn. And if parts DO break, I'll probably upgrade them (provided I haven't already given the bike to Goodwill or thrown it in front of a train).

If all goes well (and even if it doesn't) perhaps the bike will wind up being some sort of contest prize somewhere down the line.

(I've also eased my sticker stance only to the point that two additions will be allowed: a sticker from whatever mailorder/shop I get the bike from, and a SPRFLS sticker.)

Anonymous said...

i have more skateboarding friends than biking friends and some of which have come up and moved out to the coast to do bigger and better things, and what I have to say is this. Don't think for a minute that in general skaters don't geek out about deck width, tightness of trucks, size of wheels, etc. Plus if you want to talk about how riders who "think" one size is superior to them, skaters do the same thing. I've seen a skater snap a 10 minute old deck because "the pop wasn't there". That is probably all mental as well.

All in all I'm not trying to bash you, just give my knowledge. I personally have ran hand me down parts all my life... I don't even know my frame size and i love it!

gsport george said...

Skateboards DO come in different sizes. Never mind longboards and stuff, even "normal" decks come in different lengths and widths.

Then you have the fact that you can stand anywhere on a deck, so your feet arent tied in to one position like your hands and feet are on a bike.

Then you have the fact that there probably arent many skaters who want to be able to skate trails on the same board they use for street and ramps/park.

When I skated in the late 80s you could still buy copers and rails and "tail-bones" etc, now everyone slides on the wood. Does that mean we should put an end to pegs and brakes now and assume that this is the right way to go?

I cant do that. I ride my bike TO the skatepark (sometimes), and brakes mean I can do the journey in probably half the time it would be brakeless.

As long as humans come in such wildly differing sizes there will be a genuine need for different sized frames and bars etc.

Obviously having top tube lengths every sixteenth of an inch is pretty crazy, but it is equally crazy to pick an integer. If a frame co does reasonable size steps, then it hardly seems a problem. Nobody does any significant research into geometry with a scientific methodology so the only way it improves is by trial and error in an evolutionary kind of way. Certainly modern geometry is a massive improvement over the geometry of the 80s and 90s. Have we reached the optimum? Well that is a subjective call, and as long as people keep getting taller and heavier it seems likely that we should want the geometry to keep adapting.

Sure modern completes are good. But so are modern tellys, cars, dvd players, computers, hats, boobs, fridges, phones, kittens, toilets etc etc etc. It is the nature of our species to keep TRYING to improve things, and while it is laudable to rail against the things that arguably arent an improvement, to rail against progress itself is SPRFLS.. (see what I did there?).

*goes back to trying to make up new BB sizes just to be obtuse*

George

Anonymous said...

I think you're losing the plot with the sizing thing. Say you are comparing stems for superfluousness. One stem is new because it's a different size or has a different rise, another has a new clamping system that doesn't offer any real advantages, but keeps the same length and rise as every other. Which one actually makes a difference to the feel of your bike?

Seems to me like most of the frames out there in peculiar sizes are signature ones. Why would you want to companies to conform to a standard in sizing? BMXers don't come in specific 6" graduations in height you see. Quite frankly I can't understand why it would even bother you, unless you've got something against seeing more than one decimal place when you're scanning through Dans' catalogue. I don't know you though, perhaps you have really bad OCD?

Also take into account that some of these odd sizes may be to compensate for other variables in frame design, such as BB height, while keeping the feeling of a certain size frame intact.

No offense guy, you have some really good points, but I think complaining about frame sizing makes little to no sense. No one is asking you to go out and buy their new frame because it has a 0.0347" longer headtube, they're just offering more options, and producing exactly what they (or their team riders) want.

Also, I'm 6'5" and I'm gonna continue to run 28"-plus bars you butt pirate.

Anonymous said...

DISSERTATION FIGHT!!!

yodagt said...

you should pick a khe complete because it is every thing you hate super light,low stand over,tiny seat need i go on i would like to see you get a khe.

Russ said...

Maybe what I'm really against toptube length in general. It's a pretty arbitrary (and useless) measurement when it comes to BMX bikes. Especially given different headtube and seattube angles, and the fact that no one ever sits down.

To quote Indiana Jones, "I don't know, I'm making this up as I go." Also, "The Nazis have discovered Tannis!"

Unknown said...

Two of my friends bought kink completes this past year. One killed the cranks and the other bent the bars, all within a few days. Granted, they're not particularly gentle on bikes, but the aftermarket parts held up fine.

Anonymous said...

"BMXing is not a crime"

Anonymous said...

Bailey,

I've gotta back up B man. My previous bike was 20.5" with low/wide (6.5" x 28" I think) bars. I bought a new complete that was 20.75" and had 7.75" x 24" bars. The new frame gave me just enough leg room and the taller bars were MUCH better, but the width was off. I replaced them with lumberjacks (this was before everyone was riding wide bars) and it was perfect.

I'm 6'3" tall and have a 6'5" wingspan. I'm not sure if a 21.5" frame or a 22" frame would be again more comfortable. But, there is something to trying to size a frame to your body.

The funny thing I notice is my wife, who's a foot shorter than I am, gravitates to the biggest BMX bikes she can find. Because she still sees them as transportation. My local shop got one of the new WTP cruisers in and she's in love with it. Except for the seat, which she thinks is dumb.

Anonymous said...

Russ, I agree that some of the frame sizing is all preference, but there is something to the idea that there is a size that goes with height. It's not an absolute but a good rule of thumb for thinking about what you could need.

I rode a Shaman years ago and was fine. I bought a 20.6" frame to try something longer but it felt weird so I picked up a 20" frame and it the setup with all the parts from the 20.6" feels really good. But maybe 20.25 would feel better? Then it gets back to what you're saying about looks and it becomes all preference.

Anonymous said...

I think you're right Russ. I rode a 20.3 Sputnic Stratocaster for 2 years and on Christmas I switched to a 20.75 Fit Dak and I really couldn't feel much of a difference and the little things I did feel felt normal after one day

Anonymous said...

you should buy a KINK and coalition parts. and buy some hell on earth clothes.


bob form rochester

Loop said...

For the isues that you're talking about you'd be etter off comparing bmx frames to skateboard trucks rather than decks.

Like frames, then are a shedload of truck companies all producing a tight range of products all based on the same dimensions, of similar weights and you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart at first look.

Also, with all this talk of completes, how come Hoffman get no love? Surely they are as bmx as they come? You could also look at the 'high end' Mongoose bikes.

Perhaps it would be interesting to see how a bike from a company you would have ridden as a kid would stand up now? What brands were you riding when you first got into bmx?

Russ said...

I'm old, so my first complete BMX bike was a Schwinn Predator with mags—the one I'm riding in my avatar, in fact. That was 1983 or so. Sometime after that I got a Hutch Trick Star from a kid whose mom had run it over with her car (forks were trashed, frame survived). Then I went back to a Schwinn (the warranty replacement from the first one).

Then bikes came and went pretty fast. A couple Haros, a couple Bullys, a couple GTs, an MCS Styler. Finally, around '95 or so, I got an S&M Dirt Bike.

Anonymous said...

Chainstay length is more noticable, I switched from a 21" Autopilot (13.25) to a 21" Stricker (14+) and while I don't randomly wild out and loop as often, I all but lost 540s for a few months, the back end just felt way sluggish. I never understood the wide bars for "larger people," it should be the opposite since if you are a big guy you don't need the extra leverage wide bars give you. Here is my new BB design GSPORT George - a typical American bearing in an Aluminum shell, all pressed into a giant bearing that is pressed into the frame, so one bearing can fail and you won't even know! Genius!

Loop said...

Ah bugger.. I guess maybe a Haro then? The new Forum completes look real nice.

What sort of budget are you setting yourself. Are you going for the best completes money can buy or the most commonly bought completes?

Russ said...

I think I'm looking to stay in the $450-500 range. I'm warming to the idea of buying one of the ready-made brakeless street bikes—the Kink Liberty, the FBM Marauder, the Verde Cadet, the WTP Envy, the Fit STR Signature, the MirraCo Wall Street—since that's closest to the setup I ride now. Of those, I'm leaning towards a Marauder.

Russ said...

The Stolen Sinner is another strong possibility. It's under $400, under 26 pounds, and is a 20.75". The complete bike is cheaper than many current frames. Amazing.

Anonymous said...

BMX parts ARE marketed like bike parts. Road racers buy new bikes every year just because; Campagnolo's new cluster goes up to 11. I'm sure Downhill MTB riders are waiting for the new (100+mm adjustable preload & dampening with lockout) fork to drop. They have more colors of anodizing too, or they used to. And what about fixed gear? If that ain't the same as "sneaker and high-end jeans" I don't what is...

Anonymous said...

Beau - Next time you're on your bike, put your hands so that your pinkies are roughly the parallel with your nipples. That'll probably be on your crossbar. That's what riding "normal" sized bars is like for me.

It's not so much about extra leverage, it's more about keeping my arms in a comfortable position with my hands roughly shoulder width apart.

Russ said...

The Sinner is the new frontrunner for a variety of reasons (longer than the Liberty or Marauder, cheaper than a whole mess of frames, probably lighter than my current bike). And if no one else has/can get it, I'll just order one from Dan's.

Anonymous said...

and it's made in china

Russ said...

I'll be sure to lick it.

Anonymous said...

That's what she said.

Bailey said...

edward jones:

I am honestly not trying to sound snobby, and when it comes down to it, all i am is another set of letters on the internet, but what you said pretty much proves my point. you like your bike to be set up a certain way, and it happens to somewhat relate to your size, but i know people that are a foot shorter than you that ride a bigger bike than you, and i have a friend that is about the same size as you (tall/long arms), but rides narrow bars. As a side note, Lumberjacks weren't released until well after the big-bar trend started as Odyssey's entry into that market.

I see where you are coming from, but alot more goes into the process of a legitimate fitting process than height and length of arms. You have to take into consideration all sorts of angles, the Q factor, and other measurements that are worthless, if not unheard of, for most BMXers to consider. With BMX there is no way to scientifically quantify any thing. Everybody has drastically different approaches to how they ride and what they like to ride. Like i said, as long as our choices remain economically viable, I am all for it, but if lead testing starts to drive the prices of our expensive children's bicycles into the stratosphere, it might be time for some standardization of sorts.

Bottom line is, it's cool that you have a wife that likes bikes.

Bailey said...

And to Russ,

I think if you have trouble deciding on the right complete, you should just narrow down your choices to your few top favorites, assign each one a number, and roll some dice.

I like the Stolens and Kinks the most (especially because, from what I hear, the margins Kinks sell for are SUPER good for the industry)

Anonymous said...

wtp completes are very good ,way better then fits,giant,.....
except the lacing of the wheels

Anonymous said...

Bailey - No offense taken. I've been fitted for a bike twice, I know what's involved, but given that the option isn't open for BMX I'm left with trial and error. Could I go back to a 20.5" frame with low, wide bars? Yeah (the one upside is that frame is from the before time when a person with big feet who runs pegs could put the feet in a normal position on the pedals due to a decent sized rear end) I could also ride a M mountain bike frame, even though I'm an XL.

I guess what I'm saying is some of us out here actually do try to size our parts to our bodies instead of being driven by the endless trends (fwiw, Lumberjacks weren't the first huge bars, but they were pretty early on, well before every company had 8+ x 28" bars and before every 12 year old began running them).

Also, my wife is awesome. She's the one who talked me into getting a new BMX bike after 7 years without one.

Jake said...

One of the local 14 year old hot-shots here just got the Stolen Sinner with the freecoaster and no brakes. It took him a couple of days to sort it out but now he's already progressing from what he was able to do on his old whatever rattle-can used parts bike he was on before. It's a very nice bike from what I know. I ended up going with a Redline 7.1 XL for myself because I was replacing a Bully Brawler complete that weighed .1 ounces less than my Smart Car does. I priced the parts and wussed out on over a grand for something to learn how to ride on. I figure the Redline is capable of more than I'll ever be able to do, and for me, Redline was big back when I didn't have the luxury of a decent (or any) BMX bike.

Oh yeah, all hail Mrs. George!

Anonymous said...

bailey i understand your point about alot of it being preferences (i.e. 5 foot kids running long bikes - for whatever reason)and there is no precise science to fitting a bmx bike to a person, because when you are standing up on a bike all the time your position is never constant. however short frames WILL give me backache that has nothing to with falling off. yes its impossible to quantify but for some people this is a real consideration when buying a frame.

Anonymous said...

that will stop the evolution of the bmx, and that is bad because bikes as a whole are getting better and better.

Anonymous said...

http://www.khebikes.com/khebikes_flat_ti.jpg

Anonymous said...

Skateboarding has hardly picked a size. There's different lengths, widths and concaves; And that's just the deck.

Bailey said...

Right right. Im not denying that a big person could get a back ache from riding a runt bike haha. It would probably be similar to me riding a Razor scooter.

newrider3 said...

If you can find one, I think the best complete bike to test would be a 2008 DK Six Pack. It was pretty much the cheapest bike you could get with a full chromo frame, fork and bars. But they discontinued them for '09.

Unknown said...

Russ, according to Kink's website, the Liberty is 25lbs and 7oz.

A better option is the Kink Apex.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Kink-Apex-Complete-Bike-BMX-Black-20-Free-Shipping_W0QQitemZ300286434015QQihZ020QQcategoryZ98082QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Kink is out of stock or I would have gotten 1 through the shop I help out with. I got mine from the same seller as I linked you to for $580 shipped. Parts are way better than the Liberty. And you could sell the brakes and probally make $40 from them and that would get you almost down to your price range you were aiming for.

Only possible weak point are the cranks, gaudy pinch bolt 2 pc wonders, but most likely all the bikes in your price range got gaudy pinch bolt wonders.

I did a bunch of research on bikes around the $600 price range and the Apex by Far was the best, mainly because it comes spec'd with Odyssey parts as where others have just some random Taiwan OEM book stuff with XXXXX companys name on it with no warranty, etc etc.

I plan on leaving my Apex stock till something breaks.

Anonymous said...

haro forum intro lite or intro lowlow because lets face it, some kid isn't gonna study the market this much, so pick what there.

Russ said...

I think the cranks (and maybe the pedals) are what frighten me the most. In my generally non-distinguished career of breaking things, that's generally what's suffered the most.

And I don't know—I'd like to see how a mostly generic-equipped "street" bike holds up to actual (if geriatric) street riding. Which is why I'm thinking Sinner/Liberty/Marauder. The Envy and that Verde with the removable mounts/guide are almost too good (and too expensive). I feel like I should set a $550 ceiling. That would actually enable me to make one or two changes on the Sinner, even, if that's the one I chose.

This whole thing is just continuously evolving. I hope to decide on a bike next week for sure. (Bashguard Subrosa?)

Anonymous said...

Pretty lame if you don't buy from one of the NYC BMX shops. Why are you above the average consumer and think you shouldn't have to pay full retail?

Anonymous said...

i'm saying go with the giant. it's dialed as hell.

Anonymous said...

if i ever see someone being fittted for a bmx punches will be delivered. twice.

G.S.GUCCILIFE said...

RUss,one of your next posts should be retro vs new.Like,buy a SKYWAY STREETBEAT and a complete from FLYBIKES.TFA is down to sponsor something like that,im sure.......

word verification. SCRABL

Josh said...

Go with the Stolen. I just got back into riding a couple of years ago after about a 5 year hiatus. I looked at various completes for weeks trying to decide on the best bang for the buck and always came back to the Stolen line. I actually ended up building a bike from the ground up but still question today whether I would have been better off sticking with a complete and pocketing the extra $800. Like you said, with what I do on a bike, a complete is more than adequate.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty impressed with the amount of comments. Must be on the trail of a good idea I'd say Russ.

Good luck

Anonymous said...

Why's everyone acting like this "experiment" is genius? He's buying a fucking complete bike, 100s of thousands of people do it every year and don't make it out to be some life changing event.

Anonymous said...

i would say that some of those people had a life changing experience. small kids first bike? hobo gets a free bike somehow and sells it for crack? young person gets bike and gets around town for less expensive and earth friendly manner?

pick the bike that least suits you. your picking your old bike, of course you'll like it. and it will likely do you well, i think by picking the same tt size and then everything you would dislike most about a bike( khe anchor stem/bar, low slug) would really see how well you adapt, and if it makes anything easier or worse.

Russ said...

I don't think I ever said it would be a "life-changing event," anonymous. I thought it would be interesting to write about, that's all. Sort of a long-term test. And I figured I'd ask interested parties for their input. Why read this blog if you hate it? Your life must really suck.

I think I'm going to disable anonymous commenting soon, if that's possible.

Anonymous said...

"I think I'm going to disable anonymous commenting soon, if that's possible."

Do it, I'm a douche...

Anonymous said...

the metal site has no anonymous

Smitty said...

62 comments prior to mine, and none about the video...Next time you run a "Folding Bike Test", I'm expecting someone to get hurt in a hilarious way.

Anonymous said...

Russ, If you can hold out till May 1st when the 2010 Kink complete's drop. I'll hook up a killer deal for you

Anonymous said...

^ Kink sucks, Ron Bonner is a rider, and Subrosa/Sputnic/Shadow KILLS

Ron Bonner saved BMX

Anonymous said...

Giant.

Anonymous said...

space butthole

G.S.GUCCILIFE said...

BMX DUANE PETERS!!!!!!!




LMAOOOOO!!!

GOOD ONE!

bk said...

whoever's shooting junk = bmx's duane.

Anonymous said...

Jimmy hasn't earned a Duane Peters-esque status, nor has any real BMXer that i can think of. this sport just isn't like that (as much as some want it to be). the aging BMXer is always gonna be more average white guy and less fading gutter punk. give Sean Burns a meth habit and twenty years then you might be onto something but until then the Jimmy Levan comparison will remain funny but untrue.

bk said...

with Duane, once his moment in the sun expired, he got more into drugs, music and diving down stairs. he still skates 20 years later, but he's doing basically the same shit without progressing. all the tweakers in BMX just stopped riding, for the most part.

Anonymous said...

Unrelated: Watch Wild Hogs and substitute bmx for motorcycles.

Anonymous said...

I worked at a bar that used to bring shows in and we had US bombs play one night. Duane did more coke than anyone i've ever seen and then drank almost 3 full bottles of Captain Morgans by himself. He sang the 2nd set laying on the ground.
That dude is an animal!!!

bk said...

i booked the bombs last year on super bowl sunday. caught duane doing some type of substance in a bathroom stall. anytime he tried talking to me, i couldn't understand half of what he was saying. thought he was pissing in a bush in the "vip" area but his quote was "the dick is in the cup". he also argued with me about bikers being fags and wanted me to take him to a pool in february.

Josh said...

Mike Hoder = the next Duane Peters of BMX. It's almost all there: 1)Lots of talent yet hasn't contributed anything to BMX in years, 2) drug habit (have you seen that guy's methed out chicklets?), makes no sense whenever he opens his mouth, 3) has resorted to stupid, homemade-looking neck tattoos for attention, 4) spends time in jail for generally acting like an asshole, and 5) is quickly fading from anyone's radar into a complete "never was."

Anonymous said...

"he still skates 20 years later, but he's doing basically the same shit without progressing. all the tweakers in BMX just stopped riding, for the most part."

There are plenty of old heads that keep riding, they just don't have signature shoes or get paid like "washed up" skaters

Anonymous said...

"Russ, If you can hold out till May 1st when the 2010 Kink complete's drop. I'll hook up a killer deal for you"

Ha. Leave it to Kink to slobber your nuts with the free bike offer. Why don't you raise the margins on your China made turds and stop under cutting everyone.

Anonymous said...

Russ, beware the stolen completes under $550. The '08 sinner/wrap came with a faux 3pc. BB/crank (a 1pc. loose bearing cup pressed into the mid. BB shell), which results in a nice bent pedal feel from the get go, I suppose it's not an issue if you're gonna go chainless though. Other than that, the sprocket that wouldn't stay in place and the single wall rims it's not a bad ride, and it comes with a steel seat post.
I'm not trying to talk you out of it (I'm sure all the completes under 500 have similar issues), I just want to keep you injury free so you can keep up the posts.
Peace in the middle east

Russ said...

^^ That's alarming.

Anonymous said...

"Ha. Leave it to Kink to slobber your nuts with the free bike offer. Why don't you raise the margins on your China made turds and stop under cutting everyone."
Geez, ya think this person is in the industry and bitter?