TDS 2015

I've done a blog on the TDS race before, but I just had a blast at TDS 2015, so I thought I'd do a blog on this years race.

Every year TDS (the dirty sanchez) race gets larger and larger, with more spectators, sponsors, and surprises. This year was the biggest, and by far the craziest.

So TDS is an enduro race, which if you don't know what that is it's a race in which you ride down a hill from point A to B and its timed. Then you have to climb back up to the top for 5 other runs. The climbing time is not counted but it drains you of energy, so you have to endure the race. Enduro races have all different numbers of stages, TDS had 11 this year, more then any previous year. A lot more pro racers also raced this year.

A lot of sponsors and bike companies came to the race to support their riders. Redbull, Pinkbike, Cannondale and more had tents up and full mechanic setups for the racers. Of all the 11 runs, all were different trail combos and made for a tricky race. It was really hard to make up for lost time but some racers were able to. The mountain has a 600 vertical ft climb that had to be climbed 10 times over the span of 2 days. By the end of the second day, riders were really bonked and tired. Most fell asleep or left before the after party was over.

For one of the stages, riders had to ride through 4 of these massive wallrides that were all painted with sponsors logos and rad designs.

The first day was very rainy and mucky, providing a challenge for riders, but the second day the sun came out and the dirt was prime.

Finally after 11 grueling runs, the results were in, Jerome Clementz' from France took the overall title at this years comp.

Retro BMX

I recently had the chance to inherit a vintage Gt BMX bike. I'm pretty stoked on how old but original bike is. I will go into some of the techniques I used to make this bike look nice.

 

This is a GT racer bike from around the late 80's-early 90's

This bike features some all of the original parts and was the BMX bike to have of its time. While we view it as inferiour and low tech today, it was ahead of its time and innovative in its way. Upon getting the bike, I noticed there was some moderate rust action on the frame, bars, fork and and cranks. This rust was on the parts that were chrome plated. I had heard that using diet coke works as a solvent for rust and so I thought I'd give it a shot

The above picture is what was claimed to be the result of using coke. I wasn't sure if it was gonna work or not, but as soon as I poured some coke on a piece of foil and scrubbed the frame, the rust came off instantly! It was so quick and now the chrome plated parts look great, just as they did when it was bought in some spots. I reccomend this technique to anyone trying to remove rust from chrome plated things.

Old BMX bikes were originally not used for trick riding or freestyle. In the beggining these bikes were used for racing. BMX actually stands for bicycle motocross. These bikes were meant for riding dirt tracks at high speeds alongside other bmx racers.

A film called "BMX Bandits" was filmed in the late 80's and was a hollywood film about kids riding bmx bikes. Nicole Kidman first stared in this movie. The stylish outfits and gear that was worn back then would look ridiclous on today's world.

Noggin Protectors

In the world of bikes there are are many different ways to roll in style while protecting your head. I will go over some of the basic different styles of lids.

The"Commoner" helmet

This helmet is the helmet most of us own and/or use. If you wanna look like you ride a bike under $500, then wear one of these. These helmets have a basic visor and have lots of vents to cool you off when pedaling your cheap bike up a hill gets exhausting. Also, the colors come off of the back of a 2001 iMac.

The "100+ miles per day" helmet

If you own a $5K+ road bike and you enjoy espresso and spandex, this is the helmet for you. These carbon helmets will complement all the carbon things in your life, such as your bike, and your burnt toast. You might look like an alien on a bike, but who cares when your life goals are aerodynamics.

The "I ride at ski resorts" helmet

 If you like riding 40 pound downhill bikes and would rather pay 60 bucks a day to get picked up by a ski lift then walk up the hill, this helmet is for you. These protect your head when you crash going fast down rocky trails, because after all, you are riding a motorcycle without a motor down a big hill.

The "I ride bike jumps" helmet

These little helmets are for people who ride big dirt jumps and those who throw down big tricks. Even if you cant do any tricks or jumps, you can still look like you do when you are cruising down the street. Many of these helmets come in an array of different colors and designs.

The "I ride BMX" helmet*

If you spend your time in a skatepark or on the streets riding your BMX, this type of headwear will make you look stylish while NOT protecting you at all whatsoever. So many BMX riders don't wear helmets, and you may look cooler... well until this happens

This dude is in for a rough time without a helmet

Cassette VS Freecoaster hub

In the BMX world there are 2 main types of hubs you can buy. Cassette and Freecoaster.

What are Hubs?
Hubs are the cylindrical parts of wheels that connect the spokes to the rim that fit on the frame.

 Rear Hubs are different then front hubs because the back wheel has a gear on it that makes it possible for the bike to be pedaled. When you pedal, it turns the gear which turns the rear wheel, making the bike go forward. Below, you can see one of the hubs has a gear on it, this is the rear hub.

 

So here's the big difference between the two types of hubs:

Cassette Hubs

These hubs are the more common of the two. These hubs are found on 95 percent of bikes. As you know, you can coast on a bike without pedaling, where the cranks don't move but the wheel moves freely. Try and coast backwards though, and you'll find that the hub wont allow you to coast, and this makes your pedals go in reverse (the opposite of you pedaling forward) but unlike pedaling forward, you don't engage the hub so you only have momentum to take you. In BMX terms, when you are riding backwards in tricks, you have to follow the path of the pedals and control your speed by controlling how fast your pedals go. This can be tricky and difficult for riders at first and requires more skill. A distinct way to tell if you have a cassette hub is if you hear the clicky noise when you are coasting. 

Freecoaster Hubs

These hubs are similar to Cassette hubs but have a few major differences. when pedaling forward and coasting forward, the freecoaster is the same as a cassette hub, except there is no clicky noise, it is silent. When trying to coast backwards though, you'll find that you can actually coast backwards without pedaling. This makes riding backwards in BMX trick riding easy and less complex. 

Which hub to use?

It's really all personal preference and what feels better to you. I've ridden both hubs and I prefer using a cassette hub.

Here's some freecoaster riding so you can see how it looks;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARqWi2MDvEE