Friday, May 1, 2009

Light Street

I'm pretty stoked (on being pumped) about the new bmxfeed layout, and not just because this blog somehow occupied two of the four "most popular" spots last week. So thanks to whomever of you keeps reading despite the sporadic updates—I promise I haven't been clicking on my own links over and over and over again. Figure I should save that particular tactic until I really need it.

Anyway, out in the real world, which is being overrun by pollen and swine flu as we speak, the weight savings beat goes on. Take Odyssey, for example. They might not be able to re-invent the wheel, but they sure can keep messing around with parts of it. This time it's the spokes, allowing you to save a whopping ounce per wheel.

(I can hear you already, so don't even say it. OK, go ahead. I'll even say it with you: "BUT IT'S ROTATING WEIGHT!!!" Hallelujah!)

What confuses me more than anything is the admonition that these spokes are intended for racing and "light street." I Googled "light street" and got this, none of which seems to apply. What is "light street," exactly? No grinding? What about 360s? Or tailwhips? Is it a weight thing? I suppose the best way to figure it out is to build a wheelset with these spokes. If you don't break them, congratulations, you're riding light street. Which means you're a pussy.


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Somehow I find it hard to believe that any Snafu product would be forced to return by 'popular demand'. Also, McGoo himself is on Twitter. Follow at your own risk.

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I think I'm going to risk it and unrestrict the comments again. Enjoy your weekend.

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20 comments:

Anonymous said...

An ounce is a lot of weed

Anonymous said...

ANONYMOUS is posting!!!! haha

How long until everything is "race" worthy?

Although a lot of the "freestyle" stuff is lighter than the "race" stuff. Just look at those scary carbon fiber forks people have on their race bikes. Director forks are lighter and MUCH stronger. And did I mention over $100 cheaper? Also handlebars as well. Many "freestyle" bars are lighter than specific "race" bars. Odd to me. Seats too. "Freestyle" seats are cheaper and lighter than "race" seats as well...

chris stauffer said...

Y'all should man up, dig more, build muscle and ride 40 pound bikes again. Afterall, real men ride heavy bikes. Try to tell me I'm wrong. You won't.

Anonymous said...

You know why riders aren't getting big anymore? It's because the industry itself is encouraging everyone to be wussies, by narrowing the choices of what parts that people want to and in turn forcing everyone to run 'lite wait' race parts that lasts only a few months.

This in turn would force riders to replace it again and again with the same inferior parts designed not to withstand ALL types of riding, since there aren't any choice.

You don't see much 48s rims and hubs anymore, and all forks and frames only to be used with integrated headsets that you to replace every 6 months or so because it was originally designed for road bike wussies.

This will continually feed the industry by sustaining them with a steady supply of lite wait idiots willing to part with their money, since it's 'normal' to replace these items, which isn't safe for the type of riding that they do.

Where's the fine line between 'light street' and race? What
stopping them from trying tricks that are 'true street', since freestyle and learning tricks (and falling) has no definig line between what's hard.

Odyssey is as guilty as all of the other BMX companies taking advantage of naive, stupid dumb kids that get their money from their parents to get the newest lighest parts that gets lighter and more dangerous each passing year.

Stop giving in to their marketing bullshit and think twice before you spend your money on parts designed originally for race use and inferior to any other type of riding.

There was a man from Sheffield who used to preach about the safety and importance of having strong bike parts, sadly that man is no more since he joined 'them'.

SPRFLS is our only hope.

the wask said...

Light street is a fine bicycle shop located in beautiful Bodymore Murdaland.

410.


That's all I've got.

matthew smith said...

glad you un restricted the comments.
i hated using my aim to comment

Bailey said...

why is everyone acting like butted spokes are a new thing?

Anonymous said...

some industry guy joined 'them'? is THEM making a comeback. I always wanted an "i smoked out troy mcmurray" shit.

Anonymous is back, hating... said...

It's official. "Light street" is the new buzz word. If there was a company that will start a new trend it will be Odyssey.

They started the light weight but 'strong' forks trend. The colorway trend, the cutout stem trend and the plastic pedals trend.

Now it's "Light street" Etch that onto your toptubes fellas...

Word verification: slyness (really)

Russ said...

Butted spokes aren't a new thing at all. But these are presented as BMX-specific butted spokes—for racers, no less. Which is a pretty small market at this point, I believe. It just struck me as somewhat disingenuous.

Anonymous said...

"There was a man from Sheffield who used to preach about the safety and importance of having strong bike parts, sadly that man is no more since he joined 'them'. "

everyone has a price... Jim Bauer said it right here...

«... we bought GSport so we can have George and his brand.»

He did not JOIN THEM... they PURCHASED HIM!

Sad!

DBZ said...

An ounce of blow costs $700 from the Mexican mafia in Portland.

I have 2004 S&M Race forks on my current bike. They look like old Solid forks in comparison to all the waffer shit out there right now.

Russ said...

Saw the new Fit Hawk V2 frame is 4.2 pounds. If my math is correct, that's four pounds, 3.2 ounces. According to the ever-accurate Dan's website, the S&M .38 Special race frame is four pounds, 4.8 ounces.

Are we men or mice? (Or Devo?)

Anonymous said...

Wait... Are those G-sport spokes that George rejected?!?!?!

George doesn't want to be a part of Odyssey's marketing nonsense and refuse to put his brand name on it and voila: "LIGHT STREET!"

Anonymous said...

how many of the commenters are BGers?

Anonymous said...

"why is everyone acting like butted spokes are a new thing?"

They're not. But these are 'BMX specific' butted spokes... and are 'racing specific' or street riders with more vags than balls, and there's no stopping everyone else to run these so they can join into their dickless 'light street' brigade.

Shit, these pussies don't have enough balls anyway to fit into their tight pants...

gsport george said...

Perhaps it isnt clear that these spokes are in ADDITION to our existing options as regards spokes. We arent "...narrowing the choices..." or "...force(ing) riders to replace it again and again with the same inferior parts designed not to withstand ALL types of riding, since there aren't any choice(s)..."

Other brands do butted spokes but simply give no guidance as to what they are appropriate for. We made butted spokes, tested them, and when harsher street riders broke them and more race trails orientated riders liked them, decided that this was the way to go..

I "sold out" to Odyssey in order to work with a bunch of really nice guys on a much wider variety of products with a decent budget, rather than sitting on my arse at home skint and unable to afford to do much in terms of new product... Being part of Odyssey and helping to get bikes down to a relatively good weight while still being very strong and durable isnt something I feel the need to appologise for...
Anyone critisising this who isnt themselves sitting in a malarial swamp nursing sick aids-ridden babies for no money, can suck my balls...

George

digahole said...

Yeah George. Fire up.

I'm with you. What's the point of engineering part that comes out for street riders, when they are only one part of the sport - that would be exactly the same as engineering every part that came out for racers.

Anyway, half the kids I see at my local park wouldn't weigh as much as my right leg. They ain't breaking anything.

sam stanfield said...

thats xactly right stauffer! im fucking so sick of this lightweight bullshit someone is gonna die one of these days and a company will go under due to the settlement theyll have to pay out to the family of the victim. this shit is sickening. my first bike weighed 35 pounds. 2nd was 30, then 28 and now im around 24. i rode with a kid the other day who's rig was 21. he 3'd a 6 stair and literally snapped the bb out from under the frame. he rode away but with 3 less teeth and a dent in the crossbar. one ounce is not a way to save weight. companies are becoming so concerned with these scene fucks that WILL NOT be around in 10 years bc theyre burned out since they needed the lightest bike possible to learn every trick possible that everyone else is doing. i just thope that one of these days very very soon (s&m, fit, premium, etc etc) will realize that you cannot run a 3 pound frame and expect it to last more than the time it takes me to shit and go through readers digest. o well, im glad i still have my CREATURE frame and KICK ASS FORKS. circa 2000.

Anonymous said...

why weren't wombolts marketed as extremely light park and beware of street?