Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Weave The Apocalypse

The weather outside has gotten frightful. I rode downtown earlier in a hoodie and my trusty old Blacken hat and was chilled to the bone. Winter might not be here quite yet, but it's coming. Fast. The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train, and that train is the Polar Express. Hopefully without Tom Hanks.

But I'm not here to talk about the weather. Tragically not much has really caught my eye since the last time I posted, but there are a few things:

Tioga D-Spyder pedals. Look, I have nothing against Tioga. I love the Comp III (although it's disappointing that it's no longer available in skinwall), and if they made a 20" tension disk wheel I'd totally ride one. But the D-Spyder is a little disturbing for two reasons: 1) Why release a $100 pedal when the majority of riders are switching to $15 plastic jobs? 2) What's with the spider motif? Seems sort of juvenile (no, not that Juvenile), and juveniles won't be dropping $100 on a set of pedals. Then again, I suppose there are some flush Uncle Fester types out there who need the right pedals to match their Widowmaker sprockets. They're probably the same people who buy Fetish frames and do their clothes shopping at Hot Topic.

Fit four-piece bars. It's one of the worst-kept secrets in BMX: Edwin Delarosa rides Bob bars sometimes. And it's hard to see this as anything but a way to get Ed back on Fit bars. Look at the specs—the Fit four-piecers are nearly identical to Bobs. The only difference is that the Fits have three degrees less backsweep. According to the blog, several team riders requested them. Who, Nate Hanson? (Aesthetically they're different—the Fits have a conventional crossbar—but heck, even the stickers are similar.) SPRFLS indeed.

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53 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ive always and will always hate 4 piece bars.

Anonymous said...

bob bars look the best

CMcMahon said...

Actually, Castillo Bars look the best.

Anonymous said...

the fit and bob bars don't look like each other though, how can they be the "same"?

Anonymous said...

They have eerily similar geometry.

I'm not against the fit 4 piece bars. I'd ride them. But for now I'm happy with my Bobs.

bk said...

i'm more into tioga's flask pedals: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/imgWrapper.aspx?img=/pe/PE407C10SIL__916_ALOY.jpg&type=3

wade said...

What would be rad, but will never happen, is if the riders / consumers just were not having redundant (rdndnt?) parts.
So, if we use bars as an example: was it five years ago that the Northwest trails guys started riding "un-cut" Slam Bars again? (Maybe they always were, but were suddenly getting press for it). OK. Cool. Then no one gets to release their version unless there is something substantively different about them. Colour doesn't count. graphics don't count. Butted-bars were the next step, so they are allowed. Heat treating counts. Maybe holes under the grips count?* But nobody gets away with superficial /sprfls / redndnt copies. The new product section in the print magazines would thin right out.
That would be rad.
So keep calling companies out, Russ. But ALL of them.
And if you feel like there are slim pickings right now, NER, shift your focus to marketing (like with the Tioga tires), because this practice is, by definition / essentially superfluous.

*the holes in my MacNeil bars actually seem to help keep the grips from throttling, I swear

-btw, just wait for it - somebody is going to do a kneesaver-style four-piece soon. The late-80s Haros still look pretty clean.

Brandon Sakelarides said...

actually to beg to differ the old(er) bob bars did not have 11 degrees of backsweep, but 8 like the fits. so yes, clone copies.

Brandon Sakelarides said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brandon Sakelarides said...

all major mail orders agree.

http://www.empirebmx.com/catalog/showdetail2.aspx?id=1003015&ret=catalog.aspx

http://www.danscomp.com/362044.php?cat=PARTS

http://staff-bmx.com/store/bars/animal_scerboLT_n.html

http://www.albes.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2126

Anonymous said...

I actually like these. The market has a serious lack of 4pc bars. So many of them are just Slam clones. I've wanted some decent 4pc bars for a while, but I've been wary of Scerbos. I've heard way too many stories of them bending/breaking. I'm betting these are going to be a bit stronger. I trust bars made by S&M a bit more than ones made by Animal...

I'm getting some eventually.

Anonymous said...

the Bob bars have a grip tube and is also the cross bar. they are more like the old GT four-piece bars than the new Fit bars. the Fits look more like Standard Strip bars or Castillo bars, only bigger. these are totally different from Bob bars.

-jonathan

Never Met The Gooch said...

Will Taubin. Neighborhood Superheros.



Saw Smif 'n Wessun once it was.. interesting.

Anonymous said...

I keep expecting one of the links to be meatspin.

You clearly disappoint me.

Anonymous said...

check the 'dowhill' forum on MTBR in a few day/weeks and I can guarantee these spider-pedals will be a hot topic. sick! cool! sweet! awesome!!

Anonymous said...

id say those spider pedals are more for people who race, and i dont know how many racers use plastic pedals

and your sayign you never heard or a parent buying their young kids anything they want?

Anonymous said...

i thought for sure that you'd have had a post about the Cory Nastazio interviews that have made their way around the web. maybe you're just afraid to because you're secretly one of those "gay BMXers" he's heard about. haha. or how about the "day in the life of Mike Spinner" vid and all the hate it generated on The Come Up when the Nasty remarks went by almost uncontested. the mentality of the younger riders is at an all time low.

Anonymous said...

Jonathan-nothing was said about the new Fit bars looking like Bob bars. Here's the quote so you don't get confused by all the other words that surround it. "Look at the specs—the Fit four-piecers are nearly identical to Bobs." Note the word 'specs'.

Smitty said...

Why don't we leave Nasty for another day and keep it on pedals and bars?

Has Tioga ever made a pedal that could be deemed a "hit" in the BMX marketplace? Not that I can remember, but they keep on tryin'. Clearly, these pedals are aimed at the Freeride crowd. Platform pedals are what you want to rock* in that scene. Too bad that Tioga can't leave well enough alone and just sell it to Freeride, instead of coming across as clueless about the current state of BMX.

IMO, the BMX product that Tioga got right in this millenium was the Comp 3 Grip. Nobody else liked it, apparently, so it shows you what I know. Shout out to Turbo Todd, who gave them the idea.

*Ironic Usage.

Anonymous said...

they look a lot like the FBM four piece dinner box bars FBM made a while back, i loved them.

Russ said...

I actually haven't watched any of the Nasty vids or the Spinner day-in-the-life thing. Trying to focus on products here.

Anonymous said...

How are the Fit bars superfluous when they don't have specs or construction identical to the ever-bendy Bobs?

Is wanting 4-piece bars with less backsweep a preference to be simply dismissed?

Anonymous said...

Four-piece bars have always had less backsweep than two-piece bars.

As previously stated, the first two versions of Bob bars (and the GT bars they're molded after) had 8 degrees sweep, same as the Fit four-piece.

I'm glad they went to 11 degrees back, I've been waiting for a four-piece with some nice back sweep.

Anonymous said...

*pays homage to Will Taubin by painting ENTIRE bike gold*

Josh said...

I agree with what a couple people have said. They may be SPRFLS but there is a current lack of four-piece bars on the market so I'll take what I can get. Anything is better then another 8" x 28" Slam clone with different stickers. I have had Bob bars bend in the past so I'm also hoping that S&M/Fit inject a little toughness into their four-piecers. If so, then I'll definately give them a shot.

Anonymous said...

supposedly the Bob Lite's are stronger and as of yet we haven't had any complaints...which says a lot because most BMXers love to complain about shit. but it's a little funny that they made them lighter and that increased the strength.

Anonymous said...

That's because the new Bob bars are heat treated.

I bent a pair of Bob lights and got a near brand new pair off a friend for $25. Once I get some cash I might get either the new heat treated bobs, or the new fits. Most likely Bobs because I like the backsweep. But then again, the fits have a classic 4 piece style. Oh well, I'll need to get new pedals, tires, and spokes before any of that happens.

Anonymous said...

friday quiz:

why is this blog dead now?
a> you have aids
b> there is nothing else to bitch about
c> yankee doodle dandee

Anonymous said...

Not to go too far off topic but, what the hell ever happened to your FAQ post? Will it ever be done?

Anonymous said...

this blog is deadddddddd

Anonymous said...

I feel like buying nikes after watching garret's part. Any comments on that?

Anonymous said...

weave us an update on the nike video, we know you want to!

Anonymous said...

if Russ were here to comment on the recent video release that gave pubescent boys around the globe a genuine reason to be up all night, locked & loaded onto their computers (and not just the usuall annonomys, keyboard courage induced hating) he might have said something about how Nike has once again bought their way into the lives of yet another sport with their claim of geniune love for it and it’s athletes. after all, if they didn’t love it sssooo much why would they be putting so much time, effort and money into it? big contests to support the riders, lots of ads to support the industry, the commemorative Freestylin’ book to support the old school and now this video to support their team. of course they really care, it’s so obvious, while all of us slightly older (and way more jaded) “veterens” of this industry know all too well that the second this market segment isn’t meeting their bottom line or dips even two percent they’ll be gone faster than Sarah Palin can lose all sense of credibility. he might also mention that even before the thing was released he found it funny that kids were already talking about how awesome Garrett Reynolds’ part was going to be and how Spinner shouldn’t have a part because he doesn’t have enough “style”. not one of those haters could quad-whip their way out of a damp sack but who needs tricks when you’ve got the right look, street cred and group mentality? he would probably have linked key words to random sites that may or may not have anything to do with the original word and might even have labeled it: you spin me right round, baby, right round like a top, baby, right round
but i may be way off base with this and have no business speaking on his behalf.

wade said...

tfa,
That's it. I need another world's fattest two-headed baby shirt. Or the gold Camaro shirt. I need to send you some money to support your rant of truth.
The kids. Have been bought. It's over.
And the elders blew it. Complicit.
CMPLCT?
A few short years ago, the culture was run by a group of about 100 people that were at the SCRAP BS finals in 93 / 94. This was good. But we blew it (collectively). Lots of reasons, but bottom line is that it is past tense now. No going back.
Russ, if you are stuck, I suggest that you broaden your scope away from products. There are bigger issues.

Anonymous said...

Do any of you old dudes even ride? Just curious.

Anonymous said...

UPDATE PLEASE!

Anonymous said...

i didnt' even watch the whole nike video

Anonymous said...

hey t.f.a., doesn't your store sell Nike?

Anonymous said...

GIVE UP ON THIS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh said...

Is it really over? I think the loyal deserve to know.

Anonymous said...

No company can master the power of the mighty Bobs

Anonymous said...

I miss everyday updates,Those were the day

Anonymous said...

days*

Anonymous said...

Annon 11:49

you'll never see me wearing a "Swoosh".

Anonymous said...

just because bike snob's ahving a week off doesn't mean you have too! come back! please!

Anonymous said...

let's try again. t.f.a., doesn't your store sell Nike?

Anonymous said...

i too miss the daily posts

Anonymous said...

stocking the store is a fine line of paying the bills and holding onto integrity. it would be almost imposible to sell only brands that i could support 100%. some companies are hard to deal with on a business level, some have bad shipping and some have an image/morality problem. as long as the products aren't such a load of crap that we question whether people may actually get hurt by using them we have to make a "people will simply buy the stuff somewhere else" call. believe me, there are a lot of brands that we won't sell, but seeing every other kid walk into our shop wearing 6.0s was a drag so when they approached us and asked us to become a dealer i caved. first thing they did was ask for my shoe size and i gave them the sizes of some of the other guys here. yeah, sounds hypocritical but the winters are cold up here and the heating bills are high...so is the nature of business.

Anonymous said...

it's good to know that you're involved with a company that "the second this market segment isn’t meeting their bottom line or dips even two percent they’ll be gone faster than Sarah Palin can lose all sense of credibility"

what's next, Famous Stars and Straps? Hugo Boss? Range Rover?

Anonymous said...

SPRFLS is dead...

:(

Smitty said...

Selling Nike in your shop ain't the worst thing ever. BMX has always been about selling the latest trendy item, from SE Wing Things, to Rad Pads, to Circuit Board number plates. If that thing is NKE 6.0 today, then so be it. When the kids quit asking for it, the shop owner will move on to another brand.

Anybody who thinks they know exactly how to run a bike shop has surely never done it.

Anonymous said...

Smitty,
thanks for getting it. like i've said, stocking a shop is a fine line between giving people what they want while upholding your integrity. Famous Stars & Straps is clearly crossing the line, haha...what the hell does that name even mean?

Anonymous said...

I wonder if George Ramirez requested some 4 piecers? Haven't been here in a minute.... this shits weak. This blog fell off.