20 August, 2009

Sweet Ride

My SE mountain bike has me all nostalgic for my youth. This BM Flyer (yeah, make the joke...) is really just a 29er upsized version of the old OM Flyer 24" that SE made for a few years. As a kid, I spent a lot of time tearing around, jumping over things, and generally wreaking havoc on various BMX bikes.

For me, the SE brand represented the most innovative and stylish bikes around. And they were usually among the most durable - I broke a LOT of bikes and parts back in the day. Actually cracked one of the early CroMo (strong stuff) CyclePro BMX frames IN HALF after only six months of riding.

I only owned one SE though - a PK Ripper. Eventually, it became too small, so off it went for something larger that I can't remember. What I do remember was that it was NOT an SE Quadrangle. I wanted one of those so badly, but cost was just astronomical and I tended to buy what I could find a deal on through the bike shop I worked for. Sadly, we weren't an SE dealer.

Poking around online I find a guy in CA who's had a custom, jumbo Quad built for himself. From the looks of the few photos online
it's pretty much authentic - except that instead of being a 20" wheel BMX bike, it's a full-size 26" mountain bike style! What a cool ride! I can't imagine the cost for this frame though. A handmade straight tube bike is one thing, but this beast is a complex maze of overlapping tubes and quirky angles. Nevertheless, it's WAY cool!

Whatever you're riding, it's a great time to be out there! I'm really enjoying tearing up the trails.

-Sean-

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