Speaking of...

Speaking of the whole 'light bikes' thing, "Impurity Bikes" have taken the mantle for "The scariest stem I've ever seen":





"Designed to be the lightest BMX stem out there at 180g"

I'd just like you, the reader, to take the time to check out the video of Shaun Hadlington taking one for the team. Now, although that's the front end entirely coming off, it's a fairly accurate representation of what would happen if you snapped a stem. That classic no time to think, "Oh dear" style of crash where one minute you're fine and the next you're really not.

I really hope this whole thing is a massive joke - the way they've done the descriptions on their site would suggest it is, but there is a lot of work going into this hoax if it is one. Riding videos, team bios ("Favourite trick: Footjam whips and barspins"), product shots, etc. I still sincerely hope it is a joke though.

Go here to check out all their products (Including a 3.9lb steel frame. No mention of butted tubing. Frightening.). I hoped with UKBikeCo seemingly not being around any more (if rumours are to be believed) we could achieve some sort of equilibrium with companies where product quality and strength became integral to design, but apparently that's still not on the cards.

Russ, I hope you're reading this somewhere...

Ha.

Remember my post a day or two ago about light frames? Well, Mankind have a new frame called the 'Mellow'. From TCU...

This is Björn “Bommel” Mager`s new signature Mankind Frame. The Mellow Frame is a tribute to
Mellowpark in Berlin, where Björn started and grew up riding. The frame is full heat treated and
weights 2,05kg/4,48lbs (21,0tt). Further it features removable u-brake mounts and brake guides,
integrated seat clamp, new MK bridges on chain & seat stays and CNCed MK logo on the head tube.
The Mellow frame comes in 20,5tt, 20,8tt, 21,0tt and in five colours.
Material: Full heat treated 4130 chromoly Sanko Japanese tubing
Lengths: 20,5tt, 20,8tt, 21,0tt
TT: ø 34.9mm x 1.1t*0.8t*1.1t. DT: ø 34.0mm x 1.2t*0.9t*1.2t
SS: ø19.0mm x 1.0t*0.7t*1.0t. CS: ø 19.0mm x 1.0t.
CS-Length: 13,75” slammed, to 14,25“.
Seat tube: fluted single butt (1.5t*1.1t). 71°. Length: 225mm
Head tube: Full Heat treated. 74.5°. Int. Headset. Rem. gyro tabs.
BB: Full Heat treated Mid Size BB. Height: 35mm/1,38” above axel line.
Dropouts: Heat treated lasercut, 5mm, 4130 chromoly, 14mm slots.
Sink cuts on inside. Angled end caps with vent holes.
U-Brake: Removable U-Brake mounts and cable stopper / holder.
Weight: 2.05 kg / 4.48 lbs for 21.0tt
Colors: Translucent green, pearl blue, matt, black, white, purple

Dudes...

I'm effectively going to have to call time on people making any form of edit, especially an awesome one like this, that features people running Tanwall Odyssey tyres. This ban is going to be in effect until I get a pair. It may sound harsh, but it's the only way.



From ESPN.

No thanks!

Nope, I'll take my standard bike please, not the quick-released foldable version...
(Video from Ride)


Fair play to Shaun for utterly ruining himself with that floor, then getting up straight away. This isn't football.



In other news...

Making friends with the homeless:



Not making friends with your landlord. (Via Defgrip)

Making the most of old footage:


People answering questions:

Levi's® Clip of the Week: Nathan Williams Bio... - More BMX Videos

A man shows the world the Worlds:



Another man got a new bike:



And I rode an amazing skatepark and hit my heels. Again.

The end!

That video everyone else is posting.

Yep, it's that one. Click here to read that interview, and click... well... play to watch the video. Do it!

Airik Elstracular Spectacular from North of Ten on Vimeo.

Joe Cox photo site...

Joe Cox had an old blogspot site up before to put up new photographic work, but is putting it in his new photography site instead? Might have the history wrong on that, but the old blog was cool and the new site's even better. Joe's got a rad photographic style that isn't the boring, generic, lighting-by-numbers look that everyone's going for today. Definitely a fan, some stand-out photos in there.



Seen over on Mutiny.

"That was pretty scary..."

Lloyd's thrown up another day edit thing over on Streetphire. Some cool stuff:

Untitled from lloyd wright on Vimeo.

Sunsets and Sodas

More Beringer content over there, video day-in-the-life. I wish embedded Quicktime files worked better on my laptop.

"N.B.D."

The skate media world is all about the NBD, or "Never Been Done", who's nemesis is the ABD ("Already Been Done" for those who couldn't keep up). Well, despite London being rinsed media wise, Robbie Maddison pulled an NBD last night. Go here for that. Worst angles ever, but that's still pretty ridiculous...

EDIT: Better vid.



Red Bull built a replica of Tower Bridge in his back garden just to try it out first, much like they built him a replica of the Arc de Triomphe (Or however it's spelt) in his back garden for his New Years Eve jump last year. Here's the old jump for comparison's sake:

Make that 3...

Pic via Homer via The Make.

Robin Fenlon (Namedrop?) sent me a message to say that not only were Vinnie and Jason victims of frame death, but Orchid's newest rider Mr. Shaun "Finally got sponsored" Hadlington snapped his frame at NASS too. People need to start making stronger stuff again! Like Chris Harrison said in his interview with Mark Noble:

"I honestly think that at the moment, anything below four and a half pounds is a bit ridiculous for what is being marketed as a street frame or even a semi-robust frame for everyday usage. Maybe frames will become disposable like skateboards where people only expect them to last a few months before switching it up for the latest thing? I certainly hope not though. The consumer is to blame in a sense, as they are ultimately demanding lighter parts, and then companies obviously answer this demand and end up producing three and a half pound frames that are not fit for purpose. I think as an industry we have a responsibility by the rider to educate them and to make sure they are aware of the limitations of frame design. It's better than letting a consumer buy a badly designed frame and have them find out the hard way through personal injury."