BMX Action July 1982

I will just come out and say it, I freaking love this cover. Classic BMX shot from Bob Osborn. To bad the rest of the magazine was kind of weak. I can't knock it too hard, they where giving the Murray X20c six and half pages of coverage in this issue. The rest of the issue seemed to suffer from it. Old Bob must have really been trying to get all of Murray's advertising money. All in all though, rather bland issue.

I guess I still liked it due to the fact that I had one of those Murray bikes. And to tell the truth, it was a pretty cool bike. Nice little build for the price. Real Dia Compe brakes, nice Array rims, ACS hubs, Elina seat. Murray did a good job with the component specs. Helped also that they had it covered in stickers with all the cool key words. "Full Chrome Moly." "Track Certified." "Team" I would like to see the sales numbers of these bikes from 1982 and 1983. I am sure it was crazy high.

I wonder if that is the same bank from the cover shot? Nice little trick of camera angle. Even if it was, at 12 years old, I didn't really care. I just wanted one of those number plates.

Good old cruiser class. The 24's looked so big and clunky from around this time. It is really cool how the geometry has changed and that class has gotten so fast. Pro cruiser is scary to watch sometimes, guys are crazy fast on these bikes. Jeff Bottema;s green forks stood out real well at the race track, eh, they didn't need that color to stand out. They did that on their own.

Tales from the "messy" workbench.

Most of the time I try and keep a pretty clean and organized workbench. But that is not always the case when things just kinda happen. Garage sales, blown hot tub motors, multiply bike projects, broken toy trucks, there is always something going on. It is quite a chore to keep it clean and somewhat organized. The messiness is what brought on this "Tales from the workbench" post. From chaos comes order, or something like that.

One thing that I truly hate is working on brakes. It can be one of the most irritating things ever. Especially the 990 brakes that have been so popular with BMX bikes for the past couple of decades. Stringing and setting those cables is such a pain in the ass. One thing I have kept on hand for doing brakes is my trusty Hozan C-356 "forth hand" tool. This thing is a life saver. Pulling cables and setting hanger position is so easy with this thing. Really good also for installing zip ties extra tight. A must have for any workbench.

Good old shiny Hozan C-356. I have had you forever, and you even still have the original spring. You rule. Yes, that is Fry back there missing a head.

Another thing I have to have is a good set of tire levers. None of these plastic, break all the time cheap ones. Hell no. The only way to go is a good metal set. These are so good for taking off tight tires on high walled rims. Plus you won't have to worry about losing an eye when you snap a plastic one. I think these are called Steel Core by Soma. I picked them up here. Rivendell site.

Lots of times there is some kind of project that I am working on so there is always random parts on the workbench. I am getting ready to start a build of a King bike that I have been meaning to get going. Here is one of the second generation stems that where produced for King Bikes. The Tie Fighter is keeping guard over it.

Another shot of the same stem. These where good looking stems. Much better than the first run that where a huge block of aluminum. Much cleaner looking stem. This was right before the switch over to 1 1/8" stem made their way into BMX.

Take a spin, lay in the cool grass.

Some days it is just best to go for a spin and lay in some cool grass. Then, repeat.


going for a spin from edward koenning on Vimeo.

Bmx Plus March 1983

Lots of goodies in this issue. Great cover shot of Greg Hill with enough seat post sticking out that it needed two stickers. Still classic style from one of the era's faster racers. 

You know it is going to be a good issue when they have a section dedicated to just crashes and they used this their lead off image. Such a great capture. I looked at it and all all thought of was "Wow. One piece cranks." I am such a bike dork.

This is the section that sparked my interest in freestyle. There was something cool about seeing these guys doing stuff on a bike that I could probably do. And the fact that I didn't need to go to a BMX track to ride was a big plus. What I would give to have those slides today. Would make some really nice posters. Dig that picture of Fiola at Lakewood Skatepark.

Another page from the same article. It looks like that full pipe air is not going to turn out well for Jeff Watson. Knowing how big that pipe was, that landing could not have been nice. Although, those spongy old Tuff 1's probably absorbed most to the shock from the landing.

Doctor Who--The Hungry Earth trailer.

Here are some updated pictures. The first is an old Silurian. The second has what appears to be a new Silurian on the left and a Sea Devil on the right.

Doctor Who-Amy's Choice trailer and new clips.

This episode looks really good, in a creepy, not wanting to fall asleep kind of way.

Random links for the week.

Just a few random links and videos from the week. 

Paul Dateh top 40 mashup.

Ben Ward has been posting about this place for a while now. I need to try it out. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM Doughnuts.

The Empire Strikes Back original trailer. Wow! I really freaked out when I was little and this came out. Then Burger King had previews for the movie and their special Star Wars glasses. Double wow!

And this one has been making the rounds today. Slayer goes to church.

Race day and a new(old) trick.

We went to a slot car track the other day to play with some of the race cars. The little one was so good at it. He had pretty good control and he hardly crashed. I on the other hand was all over the track. He was is the yellow car in case you where wondering.

You know I am laughing because he has now passed me about ten times. 

Had a few little runs on the ramp the other day. I was happy to learn nose picks on the slant wall. They are actually pretty easy and quite fun to do.

Freestylin' July 1985

This was such a good issue of Freesylin' magazine. So many good pictures and articles. And the coverage from that Del Mar contest was so crazy. It also looked like it might have been the starting point for the world take over by Skyway. Their riders were all over this issue.

Two Skyway riders on the cover. Not bad. You know, as soon as everyone saw those orange Tuff Wheels on Scotty Freeman's bike, they were going to go out and get a set. I opted for the lavender.

Objective Rad? Sure. Vector Bars might have been cool (I had a set or two), but every set I had and I think every set everyone else had cracked. And as much of a game changer as the "Rotor" was in the BMX industry, you would have thought they could have used something better than an exhaust c-clamp as a cable stop. Good for them for only letting this go for a short time and coming out with that headset cup that had the stop built into it.

 

Del Mar Skatepark  was always such a cool looking place. With it's crazy long snake run, and all of the different bowls. Bummer it was kinda of the younger stepbrother to the Pipeline Skatepark. I wish it would have gotten more coverage before they bulldozed it. Did Jeff Carroll land in that frame stand, or did he go back to the pedals before landing?

Classic Hugo Gonzales. This is the reason I would set up 3 foot tall pieces of plywood by a ditch and learned 360's over them. Hugo is the man!

Random pics this week.

Here are a few random shots from the commute to and from work this week.

Here is the hill at 281 and San Pedro. I just would like to say that I really hate this climb.

I did find a new ditch on the way in. Looks like a good set up. Need to get the BMX bike and go check it out.

Random crossbar shot. I have a bad habit of pulling my hands in and putting my thumb over on the handle bars. Not good. Easy way to break a bone. 

And of course when your cyclometer reaches this point, you know you need to snap a quick pic. 720! Some of you will get it.

Random play Thursday.

Here is a random play list for today. I am keeping at 10 for now.

Blues Music---G Love & Special Sauce

Waiting Room---Fugazi

Elected---Alice Cooper

Look back and laugh---Minor Threat

Halloween---Dead Kennedys

Shake Your Rump---Beastie Boys

Kaw liga---Hank Williams

Early American---Sonic Youth

Ambush---Sepultura

Blind---Face to Face

And two more to finish your day. Jane's flat out rules.

Hold on for the ride. Zi8 test footage.

Here are two quick clips I shot yesterday on the way to lunch. Camera was mounted to a mini tripod that was hand held. Footage is not too shaky. There is a moment in the first clip where I switch hands and everything gets a little crazy. Not bad for a first test. I need to try it will one of those homemade glide cam things with the ball joint in it. That is supposed to make the footage much more fluid like.

Clip one. Gets a little shaky at around 19 seconds.


One handed tripod Zi8 test. from edward koenning on Vimeo.

Clip two is about the same. shaky at first. Smooths out towards the end.

One handed tripod Zi8 test. from edward koenning on Vimeo.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I could use one of these right about now!

BMX Freestyler : Coming May 6th 2010 "The King of Freestyle"

edward koenning has sent you a link to a blog:

http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2010/05/coming-may-6th-2010-king-of-freestyle.html

Blog: BMX Freestyler
Post: Coming May 6th 2010 "The King of Freestyle"
Link: http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2010/05/coming-may-6th-2010-king-of-freestyle.html

Posted via email from edward's posterous

TTT(Triple Tuesday)

Terrible Tuesday Tarantula? I really doubt this post will have much to about spiders belonging to the Theraphosidae family. In fact, it might have more to do with TTT bike stems and Ambrosio. And not Ambrosio salad. Wait. What? I am just rambling. It is more about having a few(lots) of minutes to waste and have a break. Tuesday Time Therapy? Triple Tardy Tangent? Tandy's Terrible Tailor? You get the idea. See what you can come up with. And away we go..........

Been getting some good riding in in the morning and on the way home after work. Miles are adding up quick. I would like to hit 400 miles this month, but we will see how that goes. Here are the numbers for the past 3 rides.

Av.-13.7, Dst.-13.95, Odo.-657.1, Mx.-24.5, Tm.-1.00.43

Av.-15.8, Dst.-14.38, Odo.-671.5, Mx.-32.5, Tm.-0.54.13

Av.-13.2, Dst.-13.95, Odo.-685.4, Mx.-24.0, Tm.-1.03.00

There is some consistency there. Two rides to work are both coming in at 13.95 miles. I must really follow the same line every morning. 13.95 two days in a row. HA! That makes it 42.28 miles down, 357.72 more to go.

Saw this on the way on this morning. Gotta make sure that pavement gets watered.

And for my Tuesday Time Tarry. Enjoy a little Totally Rad Show.

See what you can come up with for your TTT. Have fun and stay classy San Antonio. 

Magazine Monday BMX Plus Sept. 1981

I was and still am a fan of the Rad Galleries in BMX Plus. Always good photos in there. And these are no exception. Anytime there is a photo of a rider doing a "roost" I get just a little giddy. BMX around this time was really trying to be like motocross. And these shots often made it into magazines. And I will not lie, I was seen doing these all over our neighborhood and front yard. Much to the horror of my dad.  Good times.

Toby Henderson and Tim Judge. Style for miles.

Bob Haro and Bob Morales. Quarter pipe demo. It is really funny to see this shot and that ramp. Two six foot quarter pipes back to back with a little deck in the middle. Looks like a perfect spine ramp to me. I am sure Bob Haro could have pulled a tailwhip over that. That guy was the best.

I only have one thing to say about this shot. BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!

It's May!

Time for a lot of time outside. The dogs have been extra frisky lately for some reason. Must be the up coming heat. It isn't even that hot yet. Crazy dogs.

Here is a quick clip of my dog Obi. You should go and follow him on Twitter. @obiweinerkenobi

Ah, yes. With the heat comes the play. We like to play in the water. Jonas gets such a kick out of the sprinklers and his little pool. He just loves it.