Wins in your future with ESP Stems
July 15, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
The perfectly-dialed whip doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s a process of trial and error, and seeking out parts that are built with solid engineering, the best materials and by the most skilled craftsmen available.
The kind of thing you’d love to hear is: “These stems are hand-crafted by Trappist Monks, who have dedicated their lives to fashioning the most exquisite BMX components known to man or beast.”
Well, substitute “Trappist Monks” for “Marty Ehnat,” and you have the story of ESP BMX.
A long-standing history of quality and service, ESP has its roots in BMX of the 80s and 90s, and returned to the scene earlier this year with a line of three stems, as an opening salvo.
The products are absolutely beautiful, and top-drawer in every detail.
For today’s purposes, we’re talking about the “13,” the luckiest of choices you can make for your second-half-of-2011 moto-a-go-go.
Tipping the scales at 9.1oz, the 13 is dressed up in Polished 2024-T351 high strength aluminum to add some bling to your bar bangin. And like its fraternal twin, the “13r 232g” (a name only C-3PO, or a nuclear chemist, could love), has a reach of 53mm and a rise of 26.8mm.
And for the mini monkeys, ESP’s mini stem is the supreme commander of cool. One of the lightest mini stems on God’s green earth, at 120.5 grams, the 31mm length is perfect for the Sponge Bob crowd.
All of ESP’s products are USA-made and, as a “craft” product, supply is limited. You don’t have to be a mind-reader to figure out this thing has “buy it now” written all over it.
Product Spotlight is Presented by:
2011 TLD Helmets – Ultimate BMX Accessory
October 5, 2010 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
In their 2011 D3 Line, Troy Lee Designs has done something that we have not seen from a helmet maker for a long time – they’re offering a simple, black design. No crazy prints, or colors that can’t possibly go with any uniform. Just black. It’s black with a little carbon fiber attitude…it’s neutral, and will go with what you’re running. See the D3 Pinstripe Carbon Helmet, below.
The other model we are in love with is the “Sam Hill,” which reminds us of a time when we used to stick JT lightning bolts on our Bell Moto-III, to look like Bob Hannah. The Sam Hill (top) is a mega-updated version of that Hurricane look, with carbon fiber peeking out of the lightning bolts, blazing-fast red & white paint, and some of the trademark TLD graphic traffic ringing the bottom edge.
The Emily Post of attaining true factory spiffery calls for three uniforms for a national weekend (Friday practice/pre-race, Saturday and Sunday)…you need to accessorize those wardrobe changes with a trio of top-drawer skid lids. The good news is that, with the Pinstripe’s basic black, it can serve double duty with your Friday practice and Sunday race kits.
MSRP: $450
Available at:
“Wish We Thought of That” File: Cobra “No Tools” Tubes.
January 20, 2010 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors · Comments Off
True Story: With literally two minutes til the A Pro main at the Christmas Classic in Louisville, Logan Collins comes over to the finish line with terror in his eyes. Dad Robert Campbell is standing around shooting the bull with a bunch of us. Logan says, with surprising calm “blew a tire!”
Suddenly, in a moment inspired by watching too much NASCAR, seven people spring into motion. One is finding a tube, one is unbolting Logan’s rear wheel and popping the brakes, one is finding a pump (and the other four of us are standing around looking at the bike—like a union road crew). It all came together, in time for Logan to get third in the main. But if he were just Joe Novice, who knows?
Well, all the drama could be averted next time with a few of these bad boys close at hand. Fly Bikes out of Spain has spent the past two years developing a “no-tools” innertube. This invention does not require removal of the wheel, and comes in one strip that can easily be looped around the sick wheel, and fastened into place using a loop into which the valve stem gets inserted (see above). You may need a couple tire levers, and you’ll definitely need a pump, but the rest is a cakewalk, as shown in the video on their site.
We called a couple popular mail order vendors to see if they had them in stock (or had ever heard of them, for that matter), and the answer was zero-in stock and one on the case to get them in soon. Rumored retail is USD$8.99, but the convenience far outweighs any added cost. They are available in 20″, 24″ and 26″ sizes.
BMXNEWS will try to get our hands on some and bring you a more complete product spotlight on them in the coming weeks. How many inner tubes does it take to buy a Ferrari? We think the guys at Fly Bikes are about to find out.
