More After Hours

You might have seen this over at Bike Jerks a few days ago; and now-and-again we share a little of our after hours activities. But we couldn't help but repost it here. Enjoy.

Inside Velocity USA

As you may or may not know, the Velocity guys are my homies and some of the best folks in the bike industry.

They do it all so right, they sponsor tons of events and riders, make great product (with the A23 being my current favorite), and the customer service is always amazing. Whenever my hard earned dollars are spent on rims, I look to Velocity first because I know I'm not likely to have an issue, and if I do, they'll fix the hell out of it without any hassle.

Matt sent over these photos of Ryan (dude who manages the wheel building) shredding on the ramps that they keep setup in their warehouse for after hours sessions.







Indoor skatepark.

So jealous.

Stolen: Ryan's IRO

STOLEN TONIGHT!

The unfortunate reality is that we live in a world where some people believe that it's ok to take and steal rather than to save and earn what's theirs. Just a few hours ago, Ryan the manager of The Wheel Department here at Velocity, had the bike pictured above stolen. 

It is a black IRO fixie, built up on tie-dyed Deep V's, yes you read that correctly, tie-dyed; with a Brooks saddle and IRO crank, also features a Schwinn Predator sticker on the top tube. The wheels alone make this bike impossible to hide. 

Once again, the bike was stolen from the Red Jet Cafe tonight, 10-31-11, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please let Ryan know if you see it. Email him at ryan (at) velocityusa.com.  He also adds, please beat the person riding the bike mercilessly!

2.

Around a year ago we discovered a rather alarming fact... that Ryan and JBolt are distant cousins. With that reality, it only seems appropriate to have our first 2 for 1 'because we ride' posts. So today we will be showcasing Jbolt and Ryan's BMX bikes.


First I give you JBolt's write up:

I've ridden bmx for about 13 years. This is the first bmx bike that I've bought new as a frame and built up complete. As a 13 year old with no source of income (other than trying to get money out of mom or dad) I always bought, traded for, or got handed down used parts from the other
riders who were a few years older and had jobs and money. Around 4 years ago I was feeling a little loose with the money I had around Christmas time and decided to upgrade from my mid 90's S&M Holmes to something new. I took a trip down to Albe's on the east side of the state and spent like $550 on a frame, cranks, and headset I built this FBM with all new parts (so that I can eventually restore the piece of modern bmx history that is the S&M Holmes). It's by far the best feeling bmx bike I've had, even though with a 21.125 in. top tube its still too small.

* Frame: FBM - Deployer 21.125” t.t.
* Fork: Odyssey - Dirt Fork
* Stem: Odyssey - Elementary
* Headset: Kink
* Bars: FBM - Big Apes
* Cranks: Profile with gun drilled hollow spindle
* Sprocket: Fly 25t
* Pedals: 1 Odyssey pc and 1 Eastern pc
* Saddle: Fly with Haro post (cut to about an inch long) and Fit clamp
* Brake / Lever: Odyssey
* Tires: Fly and Maxxis
* And a couple of pegs.

Tied all together with Velocity P-35’s laced with DT Swiss spokes to the Velocity BMX hubs.

Bolt also wanted to make sure that his favorite BMX video was posted with this...

FBM Albert St. from FBM BMX on Vimeo.

Now for Ryan's...

Yah, I'm getting older and even though the little crashes hurt more than they did in my younger days I continue to ride BMX. Why? Because it's FUN!! I'll be at the skate park tonight getting schooled by kids that weren't even born when I graduated from high school. Being the old guy at a skate park has its advantages though. I can take it easy, flow around the park, and watch the incredible progression of kids that ride.

There are definitely shredders in every town but it's the social aspect of the parks and trails that teach today's youth to be good people. They learn respect, encouragement, dedication, and how to take some ribbing from their peers. There are also obvious physical benefits from getting your ass off the couch and heading to the trails for a day of digging and riding. So what I'm saying is BMX is awesome and young or old, all you have to do is ride. Here's a look at my bike.


*Frame. Fly Luna (20.6 TT)
*Cranks. Profile Race
*Tiers. Odyssey PLYTE Rear and Maxxis Holy Roller Front.
*Stem. Primo Pro
*Chain Ring. Odyssey 30T
*Bars. FBM
*HS. Verde Integrated
*Saddle. Odyssey
*Brakes. Primo
*wheels. Velocity P-35s Tubeless. Yes I said tubeless. We rolled the P-35 in 20" for testing and it's working out rather well. They are wide, light, and since they were designed as a tubeless mountain rim I thought I'd give it a try. I used the same application on my 20" that we use for the mountain wheels and presto, tubeless BMX.

_

That's right, you heard right 20-inch P35's - tubeless.

Mind = Blown.

We've got a few of them instock also, offered in just a rim or complete as a wheelset.

Specs on the wheelset:

Front Wheel:
Rim - 20" P35
Hub - Velocity BMX front hub
Spokes/Nipples - DT Swiss Champion 3x, DT Swiss Brass Nipples
Weight - 830 grams or 1 pound 13.27 oz.

Rear Wheel:
Rim - 20" P35
Hub - Velocity BMX rear hub
Spokes/Nipples - DT Swiss Champion 3x, DT Swiss Brass Nipples
Weight - 1022 grams or 2 pounds 4.04 oz

P35 20" Rim Spec:
Colors available - black and white
Drillings available - 36 hole
Weight - 390 grams or 13.75 oz.

Contact your local bike shop for pricing.

na...na... 'Na-ga.... Colnago!

This past winter, as we were dreaming of morning spring rides and warm summers, the head of our wheel department began to piece together a bit of a masterpiece. Slowly but surely, gathering the frame and parts of what became a beautiful complete bike.

That bike now graces us for today's '...because we ride.' Ryan's 'Nago, [some call the Lamborghini a Lambo' and being a work of Italian craftsmanship that it is, why not shorten it?]. Ok, fine... Colnago. Here's Ryan's write up:

I have needed a new road bike for some time now and this past winter it happened. The stars aligned and the deal of a lifetime fell into my lap. It came in the form of a Colnago Dream B Stay with a Flash carbon fork and Campy headset. A SRAM Force group makes the thing go and stop with the prototype A-23 wheelset makes it feel like a Colnago should. I owe a great deal of gratitude to all that helped make this bike a reality. You know who you are.

On a side note… How many people do you know with an Italian BB chaser in their tool box? Well, Paul Van Wesep has one and I’m glad he does.

because Ryan rides.

A little busy here today, so not much of a write up on Ryan's bike. But it's a sweet one never the less. Today's '...because we ride' is Ryan's Custom Cramer 29er:

Frame – Custom 29er dedicated single speed designed and built by Mark Cramer. The tubing is True Temper (OX Platinum).

Fork – Vicious Cycles

Brakes – Avid Juicy 7

Wheels – Red P-35s laced to Velocity single speed rear and light disc front. Set up for tubeless application.

Stem – Truvativ Team

Cranks – Truvativ Stylo SS

Bar – Salsa Pro Moto (the widest one I could find)

Post – Ritchey Pro

Saddle – FSA SLK

Thanks to Mark Cramer for the best mountain bike I have ever owned. I will never get rid of this bike!!

_

We'll leave you with a video that went around Velocity from one of Ryan's friends over at the Da' Snot Rocket blog.