Signal BMX

Thank you, Superstar, for solving one of the biggest mysteries of our time—the difference between a new modern street frame and an ultra modern street frame:



I would have never figured it out otherwise. Darn new terminology. What I gather is this: The ultra modern frame has really short chainstays, an integrated seatpost clamp, fairly standard angles, and weighs less than five pounds. And while they say it's for pegless riders, they don't mean it. On the other hand, the new modern frame has really, really short chainstays, an integrated seatpost clamp, fairly standard angles (with the exception of a slightly lazy seattube), and weighs less than five pounds. And while they say it's "peg-compatible," they don't mean it. (Remember when the Metal Rebel Contender came out as a "pegless" frame and the thought was you could never run pegs on a sub-five frame? Uh-huh. Also, I feel like the Rebel Contender is sub-five pounds like Kevin Garnett is sub-seven feet. Ask someone if you have to.)

In related news, it seems that Superstar's motto of "Innovation, Technique, Simplicity." infringes on Standard's classic "Speed, Power, Technique." Sorry, but "Technique" belongs to Standard since they used it first—especially since it was already in a string of three words separated by commas. Not to mention I find it interesting that a company that installs integrated seatpost clamps in their toptubes has "Simplicity" as an identifying point at all. Maybe just cut it down to "Innovation." Although, hm, Standard has "innovation" in their header, and SE Racing has been using "BMX Innovations" since roughly 1975.

Hell guys, just start over.

Thank you, Superstar, for solving one of the biggest mysteries of our time—the difference between a new modern street frame and an ultra modern street frame:

I would have never figured it out otherwise. Darn new terminology. What I gather is this: The ultra modern frame has really short chainstays, an integrated seatpost clamp, fairly standard angles, and weighs less than five pounds. And while they say it’s for pegless riders, they don’t mean it. On the other hand, the new modern frame has really, really short chainstays, an integrated seatpost clamp, fairly standard angles (with the exception of a slightly lazy seattube), and weighs less than five pounds. And while they say it’s “peg-compatible,” they don’t mean it. (Remember when the Metal Rebel Contender came out as a “pegless” frame and the thought was you could never run pegs on a sub-five frame? Uh-huh. Also, I feel like the Rebel Contender is sub-five pounds like Kevin Garnett is sub-seven feet. Ask someone if you have to.)

In related news, it seems that Superstar’s motto of “Innovation, Technique, Simplicity.” infringes on Standard’s classic “Speed, Power, Technique.” Sorry, but “Technique” belongs to Standard since they used it first—especially since it was already in a string of three words separated by commas. Not to mention I find it interesting that a company that installs integrated seatpost clamps in their toptubes has “Simplicity” as an identifying point at all. Maybe just cut it down to “Innovation.” Although, hm, Standard has “innovation” in their header, and SE Racing has been using “BMX Innovations” since roughly 1975.

Hell guys, just start over.

Well, according to the Fit site this is a web ad, so I guess I’m just helping spread the virus. Meet the first official mention of the Fited. LT. Lower. Lighter. Stronger. Sigh.

*cue “hey it’s a signature frame what are you complaining about” comments*

It’s kind of weird, though. The more frames Fit puts out, the more they become like each other. Lower, lighter, etc. Not so sure whether I buy the ’stronger’ part. And another “traditional” double-diamond frame bites the big one.

BMX is reaching an intriguing point where the only people who will be able to afford new frames won’t want to ride them. I know I’m just a crotchety old man and everything, but I don’t think I’m the only person left who wants to be able to sit on their seat without having eight inches of seatpost showing. And with the ever-lowering toptubes and ever shortening-seatposts (see graph), we’re kind of running out of options here. Looks like this old guy will be sticking with his old frame for the forseeable future—I suppose I’ll have to make do with 5.5 pounds or whatever it is. Look, I’m all for making frames lighter, I’m just not sure whether it’s worth changing dimensions to do so.

Eventually, BMX will be entirely overrun with nub seatposts and frames with enough standover height so dudes can successfully ride in skirts (you know it’s coming) and seats themselves will pass on out of existence. Many years from now, there will be letters written to the BMXperts asking what the heck those padded butt antenna things were on people’s bikes in old videos like Animal and Turbulence. Quite frankly, I’m Tierrafied.

(I really wanna get into this whole trend more, but I gotta run. Sorry!)

Well, according to the Fit site this is a web ad, so I guess I'm just helping spread the virus. Meet the first official mention of the Fited. LT. Lower. Lighter. Stronger. Sigh.


*cue "hey it's a signature frame what are you complaining about" comments*

It's kind of weird, though. The more frames Fit puts out, the more they become like each other. Lower, lighter, etc. Not so sure whether I buy the 'stronger' part. And another "traditional" double-diamond frame bites the big one.

BMX is reaching an intriguing point where the only people who will be able to afford new frames won't want to ride them. I know I'm just a crotchety old man and everything, but I don't think I'm the only person left who wants to be able to sit on their seat without having eight inches of seatpost showing. And with the ever-lowering toptubes and ever shortening-seatposts (see graph), we're kind of running out of options here. Looks like this old guy will be sticking with his old frame for the forseeable future—I suppose I'll have to make do with 5.5 pounds or whatever it is. Look, I'm all for making frames lighter, I'm just not sure whether it's worth changing dimensions to do so.

Eventually, BMX will be entirely overrun with nub seatposts and frames with enough standover height so dudes can successfully ride in skirts (you know it's coming) and seats themselves will pass on out of existence. Many years from now, there will be letters written to the BMXperts asking what the heck those padded butt antenna things were on people's bikes in old videos like Animal and Turbulence. Quite frankly, I'm Tierrafied.

(I really wanna get into this whole trend more, but I gotta run. Sorry!)

Blame Nike and their downtown ACG event last night for my tardiness and lack of verbiage today. I’m normally not a fan of Heineken (or any other beer that comes in a green bottle—skunk city), but I’m willing to make exceptions when it’s free. Nigel Sylvester was there, so I suppose it was a business event.

Speaking of Nigel, MirraCo seems to have released a couple of wheelsets without anyone noticing. No wonder. Pretty standard stuff—I was hoping for a 32-spoke front, or some kind of proprietary cassette drive, not Rhino Lites and a looseball cassette. Oh well. It’s funny, when I look at that front wheel I can’t help but think “aw, people still run standard axle front hubs—how cute!” If the G-Sport Ratchet hub ever actually comes out, the same might be true for the back soon too.

Hm. I’m late, I’m incoherent, and I’m distracted by the first night of the NBA on TNT. I should probably just leave well enough alone.

Blame Nike and their downtown ACG event last night for my tardiness and lack of verbiage today. I'm normally not a fan of Heineken (or any other beer that comes in a green bottle—skunk city), but I'm willing to make exceptions when it's free. Nigel Sylvester was there, so I suppose it was a business event.

Speaking of Nigel, MirraCo seems to have released a couple of wheelsets without anyone noticing. No wonder. Pretty standard stuff—I was hoping for a 32-spoke front, or some kind of proprietary cassette drive, not Rhino Lites and a looseball cassette. Oh well. It's funny, when I look at that front wheel I can't help but think "aw, people still run standard axle front hubs—how cute!" If the G-Sport Ratchet hub ever actually comes out, the same might be true for the back soon too.

Hm. I'm late, I'm incoherent, and I'm distracted by the first night of the NBA on TNT. I should probably just leave well enough alone.

Hey, it's my 150th post! Never thought this day would come. Thanks to all the companies out there for keeping me entertained and all of y'all for continuing to read this crap. Hopefully the next 150 posts will be considerably better.

Not today, unfortunately.

Things are slow in this post-Interbike time. Fly has been having a "new products week" that has been nothing but new colors. Ooooh, a flat-black Pantera kit! Never would have thought of that. (If it's true innovation you're looking for, try the brown Campillo. Or better yet, the Karl Poynter Sunday.)

There's also a semi-new custom Standard cruiser over on the Standard blog (October 3). And in other news, RIDE says to drill holes in your bike.

When's spring?

Hey, it’s my 150th post! Never thought this day would come. Thanks to all the companies out there for keeping me entertained and all of y’all for continuing to read this crap. Hopefully the next 150 posts will be considerably better.

Not today, unfortunately.

Things are slow in this post-Interbike time. Fly has been having a “new products week” that has been nothing but new colors. Ooooh, a flat-black Pantera kit! Never would have thought of that. (If it’s true innovation you’re looking for, try the brown Campillo. Or better yet, the Karl Poynter Sunday.)

There’s also a semi-new custom Standard cruiser over on the Standard blog (October 3). And in other news, RIDE says to drill holes in your bike.

When’s spring?

Ah, the miracles of modern medicine. Went to bed around 1 last night, and for the first time in a week I wasn’t awakened by a fit of coughing and wheezing. (I was awakened by “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” around 8, but that’s a whole different story.) And I haven’t even started my antibiotic cycle yet! By this time next week, I expect to feel like a new man. I’m hoping for LeBron James. Or maybe Dennis Farina in Midnight Run.

Anyway, I don’t have much for you today. To tell you the truth, I’ve spent more time reading about Mike Aitken’s condition than I have scouring the interwebs for new products. I’ve been meaning to post something on the new Hoffman 32-spoke wheels actually, but it’s gonna have to wait.

(Something else I’ve been thinking about, though—with bars getting wider and wider and headtubes getting steeper and steeper, isn’t steering getting quicker and quicker? One of those Rich Hirsch Subrosas with Max Gaertig’s signature bars must be twitchier than Robin Williams on a coke binge.)

In closing, couldn’t Attila have found a better model? I mean, I thought the whole lightweight trend was just for the bikes:

Enjoy the weekend.

Ah, the miracles of modern medicine. Went to bed around 1 last night, and for the first time in a week I wasn't awakened by a fit of coughing and wheezing. (I was awakened by "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" around 8, but that's a whole different story.) And I haven't even started my antibiotic cycle yet! By this time next week, I expect to feel like a new man. I'm hoping for LeBron James. Or maybe Dennis Farina in Midnight Run.

Anyway, I don't have much for you today. To tell you the truth, I've spent more time reading about Mike Aitken's condition than I have scouring the interwebs for new products. I've been meaning to post something on the new Hoffman 32-spoke wheels actually, but it's gonna have to wait.

(Something else I've been thinking about, though—with bars getting wider and wider and headtubes getting steeper and steeper, isn't steering getting quicker and quicker? One of those Rich Hirsch Subrosas with Max Gaertig's signature bars must be twitchier than Robin Williams on a coke binge.)

In closing, couldn't Attila have found a better model? I mean, I thought the whole lightweight trend was just for the bikes:


Enjoy the weekend.