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5 BMX Innovations We Love

November 29, 2016

5-bmx-innovations-we-love

Over the course of the past few weeks The Merged have been putting out different Top 5 lists for different products. For example they released their Top 5 Pegs today that was pretty interesting. Looking at those lists, it got us thinking about all of the different innovations that we have seen in BMX over the past 15ish years that we really love. There is no denying that there has been A LOT of innovation making bikes lighter, stronger and look a hell of a lot better over the years. There has also been a lot of things done to simplify the process of working on your bike, which is always a perk. You can pretty much build a bike up with a allen key and a 17mm socket these days. That wasn’t always the case. With that, we decided to take a look at a few items in particular we have a lot of appreciation for.

mutiny-bikes-2017-obscura-bmx-frame-head-tube

Integrated Head Tube and Press Fit Bottom Brackets

If you have been riding BMX for more than 10 years, there’s no doubt that you have a great appreciation for the Integrated head tube and press fit bottom brackets. Prior to that, you had to pound in your own headset cups and bottom bracket bearing cups, which usually also used unsealed bearings. This was a pain in the ass and an extra unnecessary step. We’re sure some of you are having a flashback of a cracked headset cup, followed by 100 little silver ball bearings bouncing around on the floor. Once S&M Bikes introduced the Integrated headtube and brands ditched the American bottom bracket bearings for Mid and Spanish sizes, life got a whole lot easier. Drop the headset in place and tighten it down or give the bottom bracket bearing a push into the frame and you’re good to go. Less work, cleaner look and overall more reliable product. That is why we love this innovation.

american-bmx-headset-bearings
sunday-headset-hblu_5133

Thanks to integrated head tubes, we have far fewer parts to deal with when it comes to headsets. Bottom brackets also looked similar to the old headsets if you were wondering, too.

wethepeople-bmx-message-frame-holomatic-spectral-silver-dropouts

Integrated Chain Tensioners

Over the years we have seen A LOT of innovation in the chain tensioner department. When they were initially introduced, they were these over built, adaptors that were essentially a combination of a washer, bolt, plate and nut that pulled it together. Now days we have the integrated chain tensioner that runs directly through the dropouts. Not only is this a 100 times cleaner and lighter, it’s simple. Simply grab your allen key and adjust in and out to where you want your axle to sit in the dropout. How couldn’t you love this innovation?

bmx-chain-tensioner

Talk about simplified…. Fewer parts, less weight… So much cleaner!

eclat-bmx-bios-tripod-seat-post-bottom

Pivotal & Tripod Seats

Now, this is one of those innovations that might not necessarily appeal to everyone. We still see the railed seat and brands like Relic have even released a new railed seat recently. However, the majority of us are running Pivotal or Tripod seats, eliminating the need to battle it out with the railed seat post guts that were notorious for being a big pain in the ass to get set in place initially. Not only are they easier to install, but Pivotal and Tripod seats are lighter and look cleaner, too. Both systems use different designs, but both use one bolt to hold it all together and eliminated all the small parts that railed seats use. This is another one of those innovations that saved some time and frustration… So we love it.

bmx-seat-post-railed

The old railed seat posts essentially took two plates and one or two bolts to sandwich the rails of the seat. This is a look at the Snafu posts that came in a number of colors, but still were a whole bunch of fun to dial in.

how-to-install-shadow-conspiracy-interlock-bmx-chain

Half-Link Chain

The Half-Link… This is one of those pieces I think there is a love / hate relationship. Some people love how it allows them to get their rear wheel in the exact spot thanks to the shorter links and others claim they are weaker and break easier (depending on the chain). However, having that shorter link has been an innovation that has made its mark on BMX and is undoubtably loved. Whether you’re using a full half-link chain or a regular size chain with one half-link to get the benefits of that adjustability, it has made life a little easier… Except working on chains are still a bit of a pain and messy.

proper-bmx-select-drive-side-hub-guard-bmx-side

Hub Guards

Hub guards is one of those innovations that we have seen a lot of focus on in the past few years. Once street riding and grinding really took off and people were tearing the shit out of their hubs and spokes, it was a no brainer that there needed to be a guard to help resist all the damage. Over the years we have seen a number of different styles like G-Sport’s plastic guard that you could tie to your spokes with zip ties or shoe laces to the more modern style guards that replace your hardware and slide onto the axle. Whether you’re using a plastic or full chromoly guard, there’s a good chance that little guard has saved you a lot of time, money and hassle by having less spokes to repair and extending the life of your hub.

g-sport-bmx-bike

While looking for old photos of the original G-Sport hub guards, we stumbled across an old bike check George French did from around 2004 that had some prototypes of the guards, which have been modified a bunch over the years and are still available. This bike also has the old headset and bottom bracket, railed seat and more. This also has a number of creative / concept ideas that George was working on for G-Sport at the time. Either way, bikes now days look A LOT cleaner and are a lot lighter.

That’s 5 innovations in BMX we love. Did we miss any that you love? Let us know in the comments below!

How To Install A Shadow Conspiracy Interlock Chain

August 17, 2016

It’s not rocket science, but it’s sure not a breeze. Here’s How To Install A Shadow Conspiracy Interlock Chain.

There’s no doubt that most of you have either ran or have seen one of The Shadow Conspiracy‘s Interlock chains. It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular halflink BMX chains in the world and it’s also the original halflink chain. One thing we’ve heard a bunch over the years is people wondering just how to install a Shadow Conspiracy Interlock Chain… Well, here’s a short but sweet video that The Shadow Conspiracy dropped online to give you some guidance.

“Need some tips and tricks on the proper way to install your Shadow Interlock BMX chain? From the V2 to the Supreme, the correct installation will help insure your chain runs smoother and lasts longer. As with anything, consult the instructions that come with your Shadow Interlock chain first and if you have any questions or concerns, contact your local bike shop.

Music:
Chop Juggler
“No More Time”
Diggasmic EP
” – Shadow Conspiracy

Installing one of Shadow’s Interlock chains can be a little tricky and you definitely want to install it properly or you’re going to have a bad time. Hopefully this video gives you a better idea on just how to install this BMX chain. If done properly, you won’t be worrying about your chain blowing out any time soon since these have been proven to be stronger than most other chains after stress testing. Pretty interesting, right?

Want to know the story of the first Interlock Chain and how it all came to be? Drawing Board: Shadow Conspiracy Interlock Chain

What do you think? Have any questions? We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Shadow Conspiracy Now Offering Lifetime Warranty On Interlock Supreme Chain

July 11, 2016

shadow-conspiracy-interlock-supreme-bmx-chain-lifetime-warranty

The Shadow Conspiracy have announced that their Interlock Supreme half-link BMX Chain now comes with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. What does that lifetime warranty mean exactly? Well, it’s pretty clear and can be explained below. That lifetime warranty makes the higher $54.99 – $64.99 price tag seem not so bad.

“We are proud to announce the Shadow Interlock Supreme chain now offers a LIFETIME WARRANTY to the original owner against all defects in materials and workmanship as well as bending, cracking, or breaking while

    under normal riding conditions

.

The Interlock Supreme chain has undergone years of extensive tests and revisions. From rugged machine testing to brutal real world testing with our in house Disaster Squad and the Shadow Pro Team, Shadow is confident to offer the first BMX chain with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. The proven strength and quality design clearly shows that the Interlock Supreme chain is the best chain on the market and the last chain you will need to buy.

If the Shadow Interlock Supreme chain breaks during it’s lifespan, Shadow will replace it at no additional charge. This warranty does not include damage to the product caused by installation error, misuse, or negligence.”

If you need more information, you should check out The Shadow Conspiracy’s Warranty Page.

[Read more…]

Shadow Conspiracy – The Best BMX Chains Ever Made

July 11, 2016

There’s no denying that when it comes to BMX chains, the crew at The Shadow Conspiracy have been innovators when it comes to the half-link chain, which has become increasingly popular with a number of brands also offering their own version. Today they released two videos to give you some insight into the strength and design process of their popular Interlock V2 and their Interlock Supreme chains that you have undoubtably seen during one of your sessions with friends or have owned or currently own. Above is the stress test video and below is a video showing how they make the chain, which is real interesting to see.

Even better? The Shadow Conspiracy have enough confidence in their new Interlock Supreme chain, that they are now offering a LIFETIME WARRANTY to the original owner against all defects in materials and workmanship as well as bending, cracking, or breaking while under normal riding conditions. Learn more right here.

“From the original Interlock half-link chain that changed BMX drivetrains forever in 2003, Shadow has always had one goal, to create the best BMX chains ever made. 13 years later and we can confidently say we have done that.

The custom, interlocking plate design of the Shadow Interlock system, coupled with heat treated, mushroomed pins allow our chains to test highest of any chain on the market. Need proof? Check out the video above and see how the Interlock Supreme and Interlock V2 crush the competition in machine testing.

Music:
Dub AT
“A Bright Weekend”
Creative Quest
http://cultclassicrecords.bandcamp.com
”

“Want to know why Shadow’s Interlock chains are the strongest? Watch our Form and Function video giving you the run down of the technology found within each of our Interlock chains. From the omni-directional design that prevents your chain plates from getting caught on missed grinds to the cold forged, 3D offset plates of the Interlock Supreme chain for extra protection, our years of research and development will make sure you keep riding without issue.

Filmed and edited by Ryan Chadwick

Music:
Esbe
“Day by Day”
Blooms day
http://cultclassicrecords.bandcamp.com
”



Product: The Shadow Conspiracy – Supreme Interlock Chain – Out Now

March 31, 2015

shadow-conspiracy-supreme-interlock-chain-colors

Here’s some news for those of you who have been patiently waiting… The Shadow Conspiracy’s new Supreme Interlock Chain is now available worldwide. This chain uses Shadow’s new proprietary forging process that makes the chain stronger and more durable than the original Interlock chain with a 1500kgs tensile strength. This 1/8″ half-link chain features extra wide mushroomed pins and hardened rollers to increase the strength even more. The Supreme Interlock chain comes with 98 links and 2 master pins, color options of black, copper, silver and natural with a weight of 11.1 oz. (72 links) and is compatible with small 8-tooth drivers and larger sizes!

This chain is available worldwide through all shops and mail-orders that carry The Shadow Conspiracy now for around $54.99.

You can find out more about The Shadow Conspiracy and their products by visiting their website — TheShadowConspiracy.com

[Read more…]

Product: The Shadow Conspiracy – Interlock Supreme Chain

December 11, 2014

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Head over to The Shadow Conspiracy website to take a closer look at their new Interlock Supreme chain that will be given a limited release December 13th! This explains some of the details of what makes the chain special and so strong! We definitely want to get our hands on one of these! Check it out right here!

[Read more…]



Shadow Conspiracy – Supreme Interlock Chain Limited Release Date Change

December 2, 2014

new

We announced the other week that The Shadow Conspiracy would be doing a small, limited run of their Supreme Interlock chains to some of their U.S shops and mail-orders. Today they announced the release date would be pushed back to December 13th due to shipping issues. One more week of anticipation…

“RELEASE DATE CHANGED
Due to delays of our inbound container that were beyond our control, the date will now be December 13th for the Supreme Chain Early Release.
What’s one more week wait to for the best chain on the planet?
”

Learn more about the chain and where it will be available on December 13th right here!

[Read more…]

Product: The Shadow Conspiracy – Interlock Supreme Chain – Limited Release

November 18, 2014

The Shadow Conspiracy Supreme Chain BMX

After a few years, a lot of development and tooling to make it more affordable… The Supreme Interlock chain from The Shadow Conspiracy will have a LIMITED release and will only be available through a select group of dealers! Check out more on the chain and where to get it below!

“Finally, the moment we have all been waiting for. A special production of Interlock Supreme chains will be released on Saturday, December 13th.
These will only be available through a select group of dealers in the USA and only on December 6th. The first run will be a total of 300 chains in silver and will be distributed to our top dealers for your purchasing pleasure. The time has come to get your hands on the category smashing Interlock Supreme chain but only if you act fast!
Pushing the limits is an understatement when it comes to the Interlock Supreme chain. The original and best half-link chain that just got better. Using forging, a manufacturing process that has never been applied to a BMX chain before, we we’re able to implement a completely unique plate and pin design to help eliminate all weak points and arguably create the strongest BMX chain ever.
Have a problem breaking chain links? Our new proprietary forging process allows us to condense the metal used in the chain plate to create the stiffest and hardest chain plate possible. Along with extra wide mushroomed pins and hardened rollers, this chain tested at an incredible tensile strength of 1500 kgs and higher! You can now ride in confidence knowing you have the best technology to keep you rollin’ .
– 1/8″ size, includes 98 links and 2 master pins
– Compatible with 8T driver and up
– Weight: 11.1 oz. @ 72 links
”

Check out the full list of shops that will receive this limited run after the jump!
[Read more…]



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