News Author Archive

News of the Vandero 2 accidentally popped up on Bikeguide a few weeks ago.

The hub should be available in mid 2007.

Details:

The Vandero 2 is over three ounces lighter than the original Vandero, with only a minimal change in the suggested retail price. Employing G-Sport axle technology, this is essentially a mix of the Vandero and the Marmoset. What’s the difference? The Marmoset has a stronger axle, bigger bearings and uses the highest quality materials available. The Vandero 2 is a more affordable alternative that will also be incorporated into many of our factory built wheels.

– 17mm 7075-T6 helicoiled aluminum axle
– 3/8″ G-Sport axle bolts with 17mm wrench flats (sold separately)
– 2014-T6 forged Vandero hub shell (36-H only)
– 7075-T6 collars
– 8.5 ounces (weight includes all hardware)
– Black and Limited Editions

More from Interbike…The brakes should be available in late November if everything stays on schedule. My guess at a retail price is around 35-40 dollars. This is subject to change though.

EVO II

The natural progression of the original Evolver brake. This revision still allows for a seemingly limitless amount of cable installation options, while remaining equally powerful as a front OR rear wheel brake. The Evo II is built from the original Evolver forging blanks, but it lowers the stack height, lightens the weight, and adds a few new valuable set-up options – like a machined aluminum straddle hanger and pre-cut straddle cable lengths to simplify installation.

You asked for it. We made it.

– Arms are forged prior to machining for strength and durability.
– Flush surfaces with the lowest possible stack height (just under 21 mm)
– Front or rear wheel use
– A-Brake Pads
– Two sets of springs (hard/soft)
– Spring tension indicators
– Modular cable hardware for multiple set-up options
– Pre-cut straddle cable length to simplify installation (regular Evolver knarps/cable lugs also included)
– New straddle hanger
– Black and Limited Editions
– 6.7 ounces (weight includes brake pads and hardware)

The Six Million Dollar Man was an amusing sci-fi show from the 1970’s that starred Lee Majors.

The Million Dollar Sprocket got its name because the prototypes were ridiculously expensive. Fortunately, the production versions are actually quite affordable. As of this writing it should be around 50 dollars for the sprocket.

This is a guard sprocket, with an secondary bolt-on guard (optional). It’s designed to meet the demands of team riders like Matt Beringer, Adam Banton and our own R&D man, Ben Ward. Depending on the frame being used, the sprocket can usually be run with the integrated guard facing inward or outward, according to your personal preference.

– 7075-T6 sprocket
– 6061-T6 optional bolt-on guard
– 25, 28 and 30-T
– 5.5 ounces without guard (28-T)
– 9.0 ounces with guard (28-T)
– 15/16″ spindle hole with 19mm adapter
– Black, Polished, Limited Editions

The MDS should be availble toward the end of the year if everything stays on schedule.

I’m a little late with the post, sorry.

Here’s the pictures and info on the Director Fork. You may also notice the following new items in the photos of Ben Ward’s bike; “Par” Ends, Million Dollar Sprocket, Classic Stem, PLyte Path Tires, Vandero 2 (with G-Sport Axle Technology), 17mm G-Sport 3/8″ Axle Bolts, etc.

Aaron Ross is also on the Director Fork, so check his bike out if you see him riding.

Availability for the fork looks like late Spring 2007.

2007 Classic Race and Classic Dirt Forks are in stores now.

We’ll post info on more of the new products later this week.

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41-Thermal Director Fork

The Director Fork throws traditional construction methods out the window, giving us the lightest and strongest fork we’ve ever tested. Placing the fork’s proprietary integrated dropouts on the same axis as the leg makes them virtually indestructible when compared to ordinary 4-6mm plate designs. Furthermore, the fork’s exclusive steerer tube and leg junction is significantly stronger than the ordinary tube-to-tube methods that have been used for decades. This new junction design reduces stress in this critical area, and contributes substantially to the fork’s lighter overall weight.

With a strength-to-weight ratio that is unparalleled, the Director Fork is designed to handle the impacts of every style of riding. Light enough to race, and strong enough for trails, street, park and vert.

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– 1 lb. 15 oz. (uncut 170mm steerer tube with pre-load bolt installed)
– Butted and tapered “direct” legs fully eliminate rail and grind hang-ups
– Hollow, integrated leg dropouts are stronger than traditional designs by a massive margin
– Steerer tube and leg joint is significantly stronger than conventional designs
– New flush-mount, cable friendly, 7075 pre-load bolt
– Rustproof finishing prior to powdercoating
– 3/8” axle slots only
– Traditional axle offset and steering geometry
– Optional brake mounts
– Black, Limited Editions
– US and Foreign Patents Pending

I’ll post details on some of the new products on Monday.

Thanks for being patient.

Chris

NOTE: Director Fork info should be up around 3-4 PM Pacific Time (if not sooner).

Here’s the info on the new forks. This is the first top-to-bottom redesign since 2003.

New legs. New dropouts. New steerer tubes. New pre-load bolts.

Easily our best forks to date.

The 2007 Dirt Fork has gone on an 8 ounce diet and is now lighter than the 2006 Race Fork. The 2007 Race Fork sheds 4 ounces and hovers in the 2 pound range. We are also happy to announce the introduction of the new Freestyle Fork. Adam Banton and a few others have used this basic configuration for the last few years. It’s a Race steerer tube and legs combined with Dirt Fork dropouts and brake mounts.

The 07 Race and Dirt Forks are shipping to distributors now. Freestyle Forks and info on the Flatland Forks with be available soon. Thanks for reading.

***NOTE: DIRT AND RACE FORKS WILL BE AT SHOPS IN 2-3 WEEKS***

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The 2007 41-Thermal forks are the lightest and strongest traditional-style* forks we’ve ever made. Thanks to our commitment to using the best technology available, the strength and durability of our forks has been improved by a significant margin – while keeping the product’s overall weight to its absolute minimum. Manufactured at an all-new, precision dedicated facility for 2007, the 41-Thermal process itself has also been refined to thoroughly maximize performance.

41-Thermal products have been guaranteed for life since 1999 because we know how durable they are. We proudly stand behind them because eight years of continuous laboratory and real-world testing doesn’t lie. If you ever damage a 41-Thermal product while you’re riding, simply send it back and it will be replaced by one of the quickest and most reliable product warranty services in BMX.

Race Fork Classic

– 2 lbs. 1 oz. (uncut 170mm steerer tube with pre-load bolt installed)
– Butted and tapered legs with improved rail/grind clearance
– 4mm tapered “Race” dropouts with optimal peg mounting clearance
– “Race” steerer tube with redesigned crown junction
– 3/8” axle slot
– New flush-mount, cable friendly, 7075 pre-load bolt
– Rustproof finishing prior to powdercoating
– Black, Red, Grey, White, Limited Editions
– Available now

Dirt Fork Classic

– 2 lbs. 3 oz. (uncut 170mm steerer tube with pre-load bolt installed)
– Butted and tapered legs with improved rail clearance
– 5mm tapered “Dirt” dropouts with optimal peg mounting clearance
– Thicker “Dirt” steerer tube with redesigned crown junction
– 3/8” or 14mm axle slots
– New flush-mount, cable friendly, 7075 pre-load bolt
– Rustproof finishing prior to powdercoating
– Black, Red, Grey, White, Limited Editions
– Available now

Freestyle Fork Classic

– 2 lbs. 2.5 oz. (uncut 170mm steerer tube with pre-load bolt installed)
– Butted and tapered legs with improved rail clearance
– 5mm tapered “Dirt” dropouts with optimal peg mounting clearance
– “Race” steerer tube with front cable groove and redesigned crown junction
– 3/8” axle slots
– New flush-mount, cable friendly, 7075 pre-load bolt
– U-Brake mounts
– Rustproof finishing prior to powdercoating
– Black, Red, Grey, White, Limited Editions
– Available soon

Flatland Fork Classic

– Re-designed for 2007. Info coming soon.

7075-T6 Pre-load Bolt

Totally re-designed. Made to match the threading system in the Classic Forks. Incredibly short and light, the bolt is now as flush with the upper surface of the stem as possible. The bolt’s “smile” through-hole and offset dual 8 and 6mm hex-key slots greatly simplify the task of adjusting the headset, fork and front brake cables. The cable lug easily passes through the bolt’s opening.

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*Traditional-style? Classic? Our “other” new fork may be on display at Interbike. Stop by the booth if you’re going to Vegas.

***NOTE: DIRT AND RACE FORKS WILL BE AT SHOPS IN 2-3 WEEKS***

ELEMENTARY V2 (Part 1)

The Elementary Stem has been out for well over a year now, and with thousands more people running it we thought it was worth checking to see if there was room to make it even better. The few warrantied stems we have had back have shown that the only thing that could really cause a problem was if the stem was being run with the bolt a little too loose. Through analysis testing we’ve found that running the stem this way can impede the wedge’s ability to transmit torsional loads properly. This in turn has resulted in a very small number of stems where the U-frame has been damaged or twisted slightly, and a replacement has been needed (and happily provided, obviously). Because this situation is so rare, we probably could have let this slide or maybe just updated the instructions to encourage people to be more aware of the bolt’s tightness; however, we instead realized that there was a simple way to eliminate this problem and improve the torsional strength of the stem without adding any weight…Groovy wedges!

So the new Elementaries that will begin shipping within the next two weeks will have these little grooves in the center wedges that interlock with corresponding ribs on the front and back wedges. We found this increases the torsional strength enormously, even when slightly loose. This improvement also helps to keep the wedges aligned more evenly during installation, which can help to provide for a better overall assembly.

Note: The first shipment of V2 stems will be black without tabs, with the other versions to follow soon.

Thanks for reading.

We proudly stand behind all of the products that we design and sell. If you have a question about any Odyssey or G-Sport products, you are encouraged to contact us directly so that we can assist you.

Please go here: https://www.odysseybmx.com/contact/index.php

We’re all pleased to welcome Ben Ward as Odyssey’s newest R&D employee. Ben will be working with us to take our new products from the concept stages through to full on production. As a long time Portland resident, he’ll have to adjust to the constant sunshine and terrible traffic. I recommend sunglasses of some kind, and a Sirius satellite radio.

Be sure to say “hi” to Ben if you see him at your local skatepark.

Thanks for reading.

— Chris

PS: Jim Bauer will take you on a virtual tour of the Odyssey office via the Ride US website. Head over to bmxonline and check out “Wednesday’s How To”.

The Elementary Stem patent was published by the United States Patent Office on October 18, 2005. The assignment number is 6,955,371. Getting approval is a loooooong process. It’s usually close to two years. This is George French’s first U.S. patent, and there are certainly more to follow.

A lot of people worked on this product to make it a reality. In addition to all of the development hours put in by both George and myself, there was also the time invested by Jim Bauer and our team riders; Adam Banton, Jimmy LeVan, Gary Young and Jim Cielencki.

This is a great time to say, “thanks” to everyone. It’s hard to believe that Jim B. and George were using the prototypes back in the spring of 2003…Our latest poster in Ride (US) has incredible photos that show the stem being put to use by Jimmy LeVan and Jim Cielencki.

In closing, as you might expect, there’s obviously even more in store for the Elementary Stem in 2006. We’ll post the information here as it becomes available.

Thanks for reading.

— Chris

chrisc@odysseybmx.com

I found this photo when I was cleaning my office last week (for the first time in 5 years). This is Brian Blyther during the “warm up” session at one of the 1988 2-Hip King of Vert comps.

Try to ignore the poor quality of the image. I was a 13 year old using an all manual Konica Camera with a broken light meter.