Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Koala

Koala Trails: On a marsupial mission to become one of the dopest trail spots in California.

Keep an eye on your friendly neighborhood dirt-jumping blog for updates!

Photo: Potato Grande

Sunday, April 26, 2009

So, I finally received the new prototype cruiser frames. Those of you that have been following this thread know that it's been a long process, but it feels great to finally have my dream frame!! The basic idea was to design a more progressive 24" wheeled bmx cruiser frame with updated geometry similar to most of the 20" bmx frames on the market today... with the goal of making the perfect frame for big, fast trails.

I know Sunday has just came out with the Model C. It's cool that they are actually taking the cruiser seriously, and I would love to try one, but it just seems like they didn't get it right. They kept the same bottom bracket rise from a 20 and put it on 24s, putting the bb height at 13.75. That is insanely high. There aren't even any 26" wheeled dirt jumping bikes with that high of a bottom bracket. It might feel alright for street and some park, but it seems like it would be crazy sketch on trails. I just think they ignored a whole section of riders who have been doing bmx type riding on bigger wheels for years (the mtbers) that actually have some good experience and ideas on what may be the best geometry for 24s. But maybe I'm wrong. Like I said, I would love to try one.

The weight on our prototype frames is right at five and a half pounds. There are few little things I want to do to make it even lighter for the production run (still tentative at this point). The geo on mine is as follows:

TT - 22.3 (fits like a 21" TT 20)
CS - 14.25
BB - 12.75
HA - 74
SA - 71.5
ST - 9

WCH is getting the other frame. The geo is similar, but his has a 21.9 TT, 12.5 BB, and a 73.5 HA.

I have only been on mine for a few days now, but so far it feels great! It really does feel like riding a 20 inch. Except that you also get the rotating mass stability from the bigger wheels. It definitely has more pop and nimbleness than a normal cruiser frame. And no toe buzz on x-ups. I'm pretty sure it really is my dream bike!

Edited: For some more info.

Friday, April 24, 2009

R.I.P.

Well, the palms, slash hives, slash knolls, slash one of the coolest trails spots ever sculpted officially went the way of the plow yesterday. Sucks. Here are a few shots we've collected over the past year or so of Eliot, Brett, and Andrew... a.k.a. the dirt artists. And here's a video they shot awhile back out at the trails. RIP.