Mike has been rocking the BalHogs grip strip on his down tube for quite a while now, and he’s been utilizing it to come up with some rather unique maneuvers. Mainly for mobbing down hill with his feet off the pedals and ass tucked behind the seat. Hanging so far back off the bike. Head over to the BalHogs webstore and pick one up while they’re still around, I know I can’t wait to slap one on my whip.
Here’s a couple of the photos that Bryan Dempler took while we were hanging out, riding bikes on the beach yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out how dense and smooth the sand close to the water actually was. Not quite concrete, but a hell of a lot easier than trying to do tricks on grass. This summer I plan on doing plenty of riding in this newly discovered playground, wearing nothing but shorts & shoes.
Photo Credit : Bryan Dempler
Yesterday my roommates and I rode our bikes out to the beach, while the sun was shining and there was a break in the rain. I spent most of the day riding along the shoreline, utilizing the hard packed sand to do tricks in the thin glass water. I’ll have more pics of the day up in a bit, but for now this photo of my bike will have to suffice.
Here’s a sneak peek at a little something the guys over at GRIME have cooking up. I don’t want to say too much just yet. I’ll leave it to them to fill you in with the details. But from what I’ve seen they look solid, and they feel great. Bar height seems to continue to rise, and I don’t know where it’ll end up. What do yo think, how high is too high?
Here’s a look at some of the footage I shot of Mike Schmitt filming for Shredwell 2 on Day 1 of his stay in San Francisco. Mike can shred just about anything, and is always looking for innovative ways of riding spots. Check out more below.
The days of the “Keo spin” being the epitome of Fixed Freestyle is quickly fading, and is being replaced with a new age of fixed tricks. Riders have begun to push not only what can be done on these bikes, but their design as well. The classic trick list of Keos and bigspins have been replaced with feebles and barspins. I miss the days of popping up no hand wheelies, doing pole jams, and spending all night riding something as simple as a basketball court with my friends. The only thing I won’t miss are flats, but besides that, What do you miss most about riding track bikes?
I remember going through tubes, and entire patch kits on the daily when I ran 700’s, but as rare of an event it is riding 26’s, flat tires are an inevitable part of riding bikes. Flats are the easiest way to put a damper on your day, and completely ruin a session. And with daylight savings in full effect, the amount of usable light to film with is dramatically shortened. Making it hard to get in a full days work unless you’re up and ready early enough to catch the good light. Here’s a screenshot of Mike fixing a flat from coming up short on an up rail. When is the last time you found yourself w/ a flat?