BMX Parts.

Mankind grips Today I visited the Child BMX Store in Stockholm in an attempt to get a new pair of grips to replace those terrible odyssey thumbtack grips that I reviewed earlier. As you can see I settled on the Mankind grips (No idea what the model name is) but they come in a 140mm width and feature a soft material with a very interesting pattern that has give, but not a squishy feeling like many mushroom style grips that seem to be flooding the market. The pattern is definitely the key part to this grip as it features a wrap around section of mushroom style section, but latticed into box sections so the pattern alternates within the wrap. I haven't ridden them long enough to judge how long they last, but then again .... I didn't choose these grips for longevity, I chose them for how they feel and handle.

I can't bothered to travel there today (sorry). I did all the A halls yesterday and had planned on continuing onto the B halls (1-5) today. But feeling a little under the weather today so I am going to book another night at the hotel and do some sightseeing in Munich today. Hopefully I can get some new Internet also.

I had enough of the eurobike for today and went home. We the people had some very nice complete street bikes etc ..... But after going through exhibit halls A1 to A7 I was pooped and bike blind ..... There is still halls B1 to B5 I haven't gone through yet ......... If I stick around tomorrow I will have a look through them.

Redline carbon race bike ....

Redline race bike chain tensioner

GT WTF? GT bikes were looking REALLY SHODDY this year. While some people may not like GT, I generally do as they offer a wide spectrum of bikes for all price ranges. But this year it was evident that cost cutting had taken place as some bits were just awful and the pro stuff didn't impress either. Below is the retro 26" performer which was a joke. The platform was huuuuuge and featured dodgy seat stays from the 1995 year model which were really out of place with the 1984 model they were trying to recreate and again the decals were terrible and we're meant to look like the 1984 model but it would appear they hired some mong to do this bike as it was just embarrassing (especially the size of the fork dropouts) I did see a dirt BMX complete from GT that had interesting dropouts, but again they half assed and just looked super cheap.

Can't say this year is very impressive. It's really hard to see any innovation this year and branding on bicycles has become silly. Not enjoying this.

Smart bikes (A2)

Smart bikes (A2)

Smart bikes (A2) Definitely one of the best new brands displayed in A2 ..... Amazing hydro formed tubes and blue sky thinking.

Yess we can't. I don't know much about racing, appart from shaving my legs still seems wrong no matter how metro the world is becoming. I am not sure if this is the same as the old British racing company from the 80's and while I was dumbfounded reading all the tech specs and other poor sales information. I must say that this frame did have a lot of small details such as the hydro formed tubing which shows someone at some point has really sat down and said, how can I improve this design rather than just trying to improve on a stock frame. Not my cuppa tea, but did like the small details.

Just saw a tandem with a bromton rear end and a folding frame .... Seriously who really needs a folding tandem?

Tange (Arena A1) This was one of my favourite companies showcasing last year. They didn't disappoint this year either, with such creations. While other companies here try to shock or draw Ttention to their products by whatever means possible, Tange take a very retro base in which their brand was founded on. But gives it a modern take that gives it real sense of honesty rather n just another cash the retro market. I really rate Tange's detailing.

Eurobike starts tomorrow (31st August 2011) I hope to be there, and as usual .... If there is anything new or impressive I will try and post it up etc. However be pre warned my Internet connection is pants. So keep ya head on the look out.

I was very impressed with this concept I found online today. Obviously it's not designed for flatland, but you have to admire the sheer simplicity of such a concept that allows kinetic energy to self inflation and regulate tire pressure. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/81926444/pumptire-self-inflating-bicycle-tire?ref=live

Nankai versus Bluesix (Totally Nuts!) I recently recieved a set of new Titanium axle nuts from www.Bluesixbikes.com and thought I would write a few words about them. Until this point I had always used Nankai axle nuts as they were some of the lightest and used a 14mm hex socket which allows me to carry less weight in tools. Aswell as ensuring my socket can fit in a greater amount of pegs. Nankai Specs : 3/8" axle hole (26 tpi) Weight : 11 grams Socket head : 14mm Contact Diameter Area : 19.65mm Thread Depth : 9.65mm Material : Steel Bluesix Bikes Spec : 3/8" axle hole (26 tpi) Weight : 9 grams Socket head : 17mm Contact Diameter Area : 22.25mm Thread Depth : 10.5mm Material : Titanium Now I havent tested the Bluesix nuts, as quite franky their would be no point and very hard to measure. So is Titaium axle nuts a good investment? Well thats up to each individual, but as you can see there is very little weight seperating the two. So I will list the advantages as I see it (based on 4 axle nuts) Nankai Pluses : Steel Material / threads is less likely to bond to an axle Smaller socket head (aka less weight in carrying tools) Possability to use on slimmer pegs Cheaper price Bluesix Pluses : Greater surface contact Less weight (allbeit 3 grams per nut) Greater axle contact - both in axle depth and diameter More material (hopefully reducing the risk of the axle nut cracking) Now as you can they both have their pluses and minuses. But most noticeably I think is the price. I think Nankai nuts go for around 1 or 2 dollars each, while Bluesix sell for approx 14 dollars each (The Bluesix nuts do also come with an alloy washer - aswell as a bunch of different colours). So personally I believe what you are paying for with the ti nuts is not so much weight, but maybe a greater amount of strength. Whatever your thoughts ... its good to have choices.

Yesterday, I wrote a review regarding the very short Flatware Thumb Tack grips which only had an effective grip area of 95mm (in American terms thats 3 and something inches). Well from the replies I read, it begged the question has Flatware found its market niche? I have always liked Odyssey parts and in the past 10 or so years Odyssey have really stepped up the game through inovative design, great warranties and large advances in the use and development of materials (such as heattreating etc). But while I had great hopes for Flatware, has it become the bastard child of a brand we have all great respect for? The Chase Tire : The first modern day product we saw being ported over to flatware was the Chase Gouin tire. Now there is no doubt this is a good product and refinements have helped it stay on top of its game for a number of years. But when its widely reported that the person who's name is on it (Chase Gouin) still prefers to use original ACS RL Edge tires which one could argue is more than just an inspiration for The Chase tire, its pretty much a direct copy. But why is it that with all the advancements in technology and perfect samples still available to be able to duplicate such that its still not a perfect copy? The Chase Bar : Again this is meant to have drawn very similar inspiration from the Peregrine Q bar. Albeit with a MTF look. Unfortuantly numerous amounts of these bars have failed causing a potentially dangerous situation due to the nature of the weakspot. And while Flatware has taken steps to ensure this error is rectafied, it hasnt seemed to find a way to issue a product recall or taken steps to notify customers of ways to identify batches of the model that could contain such. The Terry Adams Bar : I am sure its a great bar, but why is it just the Chase bar with different geometry? And they brothers from a different mother? or could this be a case of certain riders knowing what they like in terms of size etc .... but leaving the rest up to the designers to finish off. The Terry Adams Grip : Again, the same as the bar ... the grip is almost identical to the thumb tack grip but a different size and removed flanges. Do such changes really get consumers ecited by remixes of products that are basically copies of other products that dont live up to the standard of the original? The Vandero 2 Hub (Flatware edition) : Originally, Another great product where the street version of the hub from Odyssey has been ported over to Flatware. And while I dont doubt it is a great product for the market it was originally intended for (Odyssey - street / trails / park etc .... ) does a flatland hub really need such an emphasis on axle strength ? I mean, the original Vandero 1 hub was originally based on a pretty much a Suzue sealed hub. It featured a standard 3/8" axle and large sealed bearings. However with the introduction of the Vandero 2 hub. It was improved for street riders by adding a larger alloy internal axle, and reducing bearing size. This put greater emphasis onto axle strength and reduced the empahsis on bearing load since dirt and park riders dont have such priority as flatlanders in this area (side load). But while there is no doubt that this is a good product that meets the intended purpouse for the market originally intended. Has flatware released a product to the same design quality we have come to expect from its big brother owner - Odyssey? The G Coaster : Now this has been the product thats been spoken about for more years than anything And while its never been released or mentioned as a flatware product, it does ask why not? These are the sort of inovations and products we want to see. And while we have seen pictures of prototypes etc, it almost feels like this will never materialize. The sad part is, this is one of the only products where Odyssey (or Gsport) has taken the same attitude it is renowned for by saying "How can we redesign this" on a product that can be specifically used by flatlanders. In fact I would go as so far to say its a one of the most defining products used across the board specifically in Flatland. The Flatware forks : There is no doubt these are loved by many. And the nice thing is, while it may have a Flatware decal on it ..... in my mind its a Odyssey designed product for flatland that was devolped originally by Odyssey and ported over. But 1 question remains ... since porting the forks over to the Flatware brand and small changes have been made under the Flatware flag ..... Many consumers have complained about the forks mounts being welded in too far causing problems when trying to install certain brakes. Its interesting that such oversights again have only seemed to appeared after its been part of the flatware range. Conclusion : I think Odyssey is one of the absolute best brands in BMX, but I am really starting to question the value of their sister company. "Flatware". As while its nice to have remakes of classic parts (RL edge tires, Jive grips etc) it really does beg the question will we ever see the same sort of innovative design and concept ideas implemented to flatware products as we have come to expect from Odyssey? Personally I think Flatware needs to step up its game, or hand itself back over to Odyssey.