The latest BMX Videos, Products and News!
Rob Harris has been added to the Eclat squad! They just dropped the news along with a Bike Check that gives you a good look at his current Cult Hawk setup decked out top to bottom in Eclat parts. You can check out a ton of photos, a full parts list and more here — Eclat Welcomes Rob Harris + Bike Check
Eclat caught up with Shane Weston to take a closer look at his current setup he’s running. They dropped a fresh new Bike Check giving you a good look at what he’s running. In the Q&A, Shane also mentions that he has a new frame sponsor he will be announcing soon, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for that news to drop. Unfortunately the photos don’t give away enough for us to be able to tell just who that sponsor is. You can check out a bunch of photos, a full parts list (minus the frame) and more here — Shane Weston Bike Check
Here’s a little sneak preview that Eclat dropped online, giving us a look at their new BIOS Tripod seat and a Satin Oil Slick colored Tripod post. The seat won’t be out until later this year in October, but it looks real good. If you caught our Frostbike 2016 post from the Eclat booth, you might have noticed the Tripod seat base they had on display. The crew over there spent some time designing their own base which features some different ribs for increased strength and screws to hold the cover on nice and snug. Below are a few detailed photos giving you a closer look. Expect this one in BMX shops and mail-orders that carry Eclat worldwide later this year!
Curious what Devon Smillie is running for a setup? You can get a look at his current Fly Bikes Fuego setup decked out from top to bottom with Fly and Eclat parts over on the Eclat website. Get a look at a ton of photos, a full parts list and more here — Devon Smillie Bike Check
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It’s always a good day when a fresh Bruno Hoffmann BMX video surfaces online! Eclat just released this new promo video featuring Bruno putting his signature Predator Tires to good use! Amazing spots along with plenty of grinds and freecoaster action. Bruno brings the heat once again. Hit play and enjoy, then learn all about the tires right here!
“When Bruno Hoffmann came to us with an idea for a tire, we knew this was going to be one tough set of rubber built for the streets.
The ‘Predator Tire’ was build from Bruno’s need for a super tough, dependable tire that not only gripped like nothing else, but was also strong enough on the sidewalls to last heavy flat ledge sessions and resist the trauma that his blend of technical and burly riding can cause to a tire.
Constructed using the finest quality materials possible, the Predator Tire will be available in Bruno’s preferred size of 2.30” (58mm), which is what he considers “the perfect size” for street riding.
Available now worldwide in Black and Desert Tan, with more colours coming later this Summer…
Filmed by Felix Lukas.”
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Are you thinking it’s time to replace your BMX sprocket with something new? Have you taken a look at the new Alex Kennedy signature AK Guard sprocket from Eclat yet? This sprocket is CNC machined from 8mm thick 6061-T6 alloy with a 10mm thick replaceable nylon and fiberglass guard that helps keep the sprocket safe from wear and tear. The sprocket features plenty of details with multiple levels of machining on the actual sprocket, a sunken adapter for better chain alignment and two small embossed Eclat logos on the guard itself. The guard is held on by four small bolts making it so you can easily remove and replace the guard when you have worn it down. The AK Guard sprocket has a 24mm bore, with 22mm and 19mm adaptors included, comes in black and 25-tooth only, weighs in at 5.29 oz. and is available for about $54.99 through BMX shops and mail-orders that carry Eclat worldwide now.
A lot of detail to take in.
The sprocket, guard and four bolts to keep it all together.
You can see how the 4 bolts are held in place. Not much to see back here.
You can also run the sprocket without the guard if you so choose to do so!
There’s a lot of features that BMX frames and parts have that make them stronger, better looking, function better and more. There’s a lot of little things like butted tubing or heat-treating that we talk about quite a bit, but today we figured it would be cool to focus in on another feature that is almost taken for granted. That feature would be knurling. You can find knurling on your handlebars, stems, pedals and tires most commonly, but there are instances where we find it on hubs, pegs and more.
What is knurling? Knurling is a manufacturing process that is typically done with a lathe, where a pattern of straight, angled or crossed lines are cut or rolled into the material. In the case of a tire, it would be applied to the mold like grooves would be.
What does knurling do? Essentially knurling is done to improve the grip. For example, when you clamp your handlebars down with a stem, you can find knurling on the bars because if they were smooth it would have a much better chance of slipping. The knurling on the bars helps grip the bars to the metal of the stem, making it much less likely to slip, especially when you properly tighten the bolts down evenly. When it comes to something like pedals, it gives the soles of your shoes more to grab on to than if they were on a smooth surface with only pins to hold them in place.
The most common form of knurling can be found on handlebars and in some cases stems. Above are the Aaron Ross signature Boss bars from Odyssey and below that is the Geoff Slattery signature stem from Eclat that also features knurling. Not all BMX stems feature knurling, but all bars do. You can also see that the bars feature a cross style of knurling and the stem features straight lines. Two of the three most common forms of knurling on BMX parts
With the plastic pedals being very common on BMX bikes, anything that can be done to increase the traction is key. We frequently find knurling on plastic BMX pedals, along with molded pins which help to increase grip. Above are the Fly Bikes Ruben Pedals and the Shadow Conspiracy Ravager pedals for examples. The Ravager pedals feature a more aggressive pattern in comparison to the Ruben pedals.
Another common place we find knurling is on BMX tires. Above is a close look at Kink‘s Lyra tire which features knurling all over the knobs and onto the side. This helps give you more traction on slick concrete, dusty trails and smooth ramps.
Another place we find knurling from time to time are on BMX grips. Above is a close up look at the Matt Roe signature Roey grips from Fly Bikes that are based off the classic Tri Ame grips. There’s knurling all over each triangle to help prevent your hands from slipping as much.
Although it’s more of an aesthetic touch, many of the Eclat hubs feature knurling on their lock nuts. Above is their Kolbri hub which features knurling that also helps the hub hold in place on the dropouts of the frame.
Speaking of hubs, did you ever notice the knurling on some axle nut washers? Here’s a look at BSD‘s 14mm axle nuts and washers that feature straight knurling to help keep your wheel from slipping in the dropouts.
Although most BMX pegs are smooth because you want less resistance while grinding, flatland riders tend to run pegs with knurling because they do a lot of tricks while standing on them. Above is a look at the Quest BMX Turbine pegs that feature knurling for example.
So, that’s a bunch of examples of places we find knurling on a BMX bike, and there’s definitely other spots you can find knurling on when it comes to a BMX bike.
How is knurling done? Well, that’s where this rad video from S&M Bikes‘ owner Chris Moeller comes in. Below you can find a video of one of the lathes adding knurling to a set of bars they were making out in California. This is how they add knurling to metal products, but plastic and rubber is just added to the mold they pour the plastic or rubber into, so it’s not added with a machine like this.
So, that’s a detailed look into the sometimes overlooked and under appreciated knurling that you can find on a BMX bike. It’s in a lot of places, probably kept you from getting hurt more times than you can count and it even looks pretty damn rad if we may say! Big shout out to whoever invented knurling and everyone who applies it to their BMX products.
We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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If you have spent some time on Instagram looking through hashtags for different brands, there’s something that you most likely have seen a time or two. People who like to use their accounts to inform brands and their followers that they broke a part and that they now hate that brand because it failed to withstand the abuse they were putting it through. This is especially the case when it comes to complete BMX bikes that are usually the first bike for a rider. In fact, this really does apply to virtually any product you might bolt on to your bike… Did you catch our What Does A Warranty Cover? post? But today we’re going to talk a little bit about why an inexpensive complete BMX bike might break before a higher end bike would.
When it comes to complete BMX bikes in 2016 versus what they were five or 10 years ago, it’s like night and day in quality, but that doesn’t mean they’re indestructible. Like pretty much every piece of equipment you can buy, the saying “you get what you pay for” is really about as true as it gets. Most BMX brands that offer complete bikes have a pretty wide spectrum of prices on their bikes and that’s because they offer different levels of quality. Let’s take a look at an example below comparing an “entry level” complete bike with a “high end” complete bike…
Wethepeople Curse – $379.99
Frame: 4130 crmo down tube, 1020 hi-ten
Fork: SALT “AM 20” fork, 1020 hi-ten , 4130 crmo steerer, 28mm offset
Bars: 1020 hi-ten
Grips: WETHEPEOPLE “Arrow 146” Vex compound grips
Stem: SALT “PRO V2” top loading stem, 50mm reach
Headset: SALT “PRO” int. headset, sealed bearing
Gyro: no / holes for removable gyro tabs
Lever: SALT “AM” alloy brake lever
Brakes: SALT “AM” alloy u-brake rear
Cranks: SALT “Rookie” tubular 3pc crank crmo 170mm, 8 Spline
BB: SALT “MID” 19mm, press fit, sealed bearing
Pedals: ÉCLAT “Surge” nylon/fiberglass pedals
Chain: SALT “AM” chain, 510h type
Sprocket SALT “AM” steel 26t sprocket
Driver: 9t, 1pc cassette driver, sealed bearing
Front Hub: SALT “AM” alloy hub, loose ball 3/8”s axle, 36h
Rear Hub: SALT “AM” cassette hub, full sealed, 9t, 14mm axle, 36h
Hubguards: –
Front Rim: SALT “Valon” rim, straight single wall, 36h
Rear Rim: SALT “Valon” rim, straight single wall, 36h
Seat: WETHEPEOPLE “CURSE 20” pivotal seat
Seat Post: SALT “AM” pivotal seat post
Seat Clamp: SALT “AM” alloy seat clamp
Tires: SALT “Strike” 2.35″ front / “Strike” 2.2″ rear
Pegs: SALT “AM” steel pegs (1 pair)
Weight: 11.8kg (26lbs) w/o pegs & front brake
Wethepeople Envy – $1099.99
Frame: WETHEPEOPLE “Envy” frame, 4130 full sanko, tapered CS and SS, removable pivots & guides, intg. chain tensioner
Fork: WETHEPEOPLE “Envy” fork, full 4130 sanko with post liquid heat-treated, 1pc cnc steerer, 28mm offset
Bars: WETHEPEOPLE “Envy” bars full 4130 sanko, post liquid heat-treated, 25.4mm clamping
Grips: ÉCLAT “Filter” Vex compound grips
Stem: WETHEPEOPLE “Hydra” cnc alloy top loading stem, 25.4mm clamp, 27mm rise, 50mm reach
Headset: SALTPLUS “Echo” int. headset, sealed bearing
Gyro: no / holes for removable gyro tabs
Lever: ÉCLAT “Sniper” hinged alloy brake lever, two finger version
Brakes: ÉCLAT “Unit” u-brake and bridge cable rear
Cranks: ÉCLAT “Spire” 2.5 pc crank, crmo, 170mm, 48T spline, 22mm spindle
BB: ÉCLAT “CNC” mid size, press fit, sealed bearing
Pedals: ÉCLAT “CONTRA” nylon/fiberglass pedals, removable pins
Chain: SALTPLUS “WARLOCK” halflink chain
Sprocket ÉCLAT “Vent” 6016-T6 alloy, cnc, 26t sprocket
Driver: 9t, 1pc free-coaster driver, RSD
Front Hub: ÉCLAT “Pulse” hub, 3/8s” female bolts, 36h
Rear Hub: ÉCLAT “Cortex” freecoaster hub, sb, 9T, 14mm hollow axle, 36h
Front Rim: ECLAT “Bondi V2” straight double wall rim, 36h, flash welded
Rear Rim: ECLAT “Bondi V2” straight double wall rim, 36h, flash welded
Seat: ÉCLAT “Oz V2” thick padded pivotal seat
Seat Post: WETHEPEOPLE 3D forged alloy pivotal seat post 200mm
Seat Clamp: integratedseat clamp
Tires: WETHEPEOPLE “Stickin” 2.4″ front/ 2.3″ rear
Weight: 11.6kg (25.5lbs) w/o pegs & brakes
Note: We’re just using these bikes as examples and in no way are we saying you will break these bikes faster than another brand or that certain bikes or parts won’t last for a long time. We’re just looking at it from a broad standpoint to explain why one bike is designed to be more durable than another and why one bike can cost less than another. Wethepeople make some amazing bikes for all levels from entry level to high end and that’s why we chose to use their bikes as an example. What we talk about can be applied to any BMX brand.
Alright, so, we’re going to compare two bikes on very different spectrums to make this a little easier to understand. Above are two bikes from Wethepeople that are on two completely different spectrums on price and quality. Both bikes look great to the untrained eye, but when you are familiar with materials and processes, you begin to see where things are different.
Let’s start out with the frames. The Curse is made with a 4130 chromoly down tube and 1020 hi-ten steel. That means that everything but the down tube is steel. The Envy is Sanko 4130 chromoly tubing from front to back. What’s the difference? Strength and weight. 4130 chromoly tubing is stronger and much lighter than hi-ten steel. So, if you were to put the same rider on both bikes and do the same style of riding, the Curse would be much more likely to fail before the Envy frame. But that’s not the only difference, Wethepeople have added tapered tubing, removable brake guides and a number of other features that add to the overall cost of producing the Envy frame.
Next, we can compare the forks and bars. The Curse features a 4130 steerer tube, and 1020 hi-ten steel legs and full 1020 hi-ten steel bars. On the other side, the Envy features full 4130 chromoly on both. The Envy fork and bars are also heat-treated which is a process that, by heating and cooling the chromoly, makes the material even stronger. You can learn about heat-treating here: What Is 4130 Chromoly and Heat-Treating
The cranks on both bikes are 4130 chromoly, right? True, but there’s big differences in the two cranks. The Curse features 3-piece tubular chromoly arms with an 8-spline spindle with pinch bolts. The Envy cranks are 2.5-piece chromoly arms with a 22mm, 48-spline spindle. So, first off we can assume the cranks on the Envy are much lighter because they only require one bolt to keep both arms tight on the cranks, where the Curse cranks feature two bolts to hold the cranks on to the spindle, and 2 bolts to pinch the arms on to the spindle to keep them in place tight. The Envy cranks are 22mm, 48-spline versus the 19mm, 8-spline on the Curse. The larger spindle is stronger and having 48-splines make it harder for you to strip out the splines.
Which cranks would you be more likely to break if you were to put the same rider through the same riding on both? The cranks on the Curse would have a much higher chance of breaking. This is one of those differences that helps keep the Curse’s price much lower than the Envy.
Now, let’s compare the wheels. The Curse features an unsealed front hub with a sealed 9-tooth cassette hub in the back, both laced to single wall rims that are likely pinned versus welded. The Envy features sealed hubs front and back, a freecoaster hub in the rear and double wall, flash welded rims. Once more, when you put the same rider, doing the same style of riding on these wheels and you’re much more likely to see the Curse’s wheels blowing out, hopping and out of true because they are of a lesser quality. Also, with the popularity of freecoaster hubs and the fact that they’re more technical than a cassette hub, they come with a more premium price as well.
When you compare the remaining parts of the bikes against each other, you will find terms like “CNC machined”, “heat-treated” and “sealed” on the Envy, where you won’t find those things on the Curse. Also, if you look at the brands for the parts that are available on both bikes, you can find a few different names. Wethepeople, Eclat, Salt and Salt Plus are all brands under the Wemakethings company. Wethepeople and Eclat are the brands premium products that are higher quality with better materials and different processes applied to them to create stronger, more reliable products. Salt and Salt Plus are sub brands that they have created that feature products that are more inexpensive and don’t feature all the same bells and whistles that you can find on the higher quality Wethepeople and Eclat parts.
The differences in the quality of materials and processes to create these products are what creates such a gap in prices. The Curse would be a great entry level bike for somebody just getting into BMX, where the Envy is a bike that’s designed for the rider that has been riding BMX already, and wants a bike they can get for a great price that’s going to hold up to more advanced riding and tricks that is comparable to if they built a completely custom bike with high quality after market parts.
One thing we should also note is that typically you will find warranty options on higher quality products that cover bending and breaking (not necessarily on complete bikes unless they utilize aftermarket components like the Envy), but you won’t find them on lower end bikes.
This can be applied to every single BMX brand that produce complete BMX bikes whether it be Fit Bike Co., Cult, Flybikes, Volume Bikes, Colony, Subrosa, Kink, Haro, Stolen, United, Verde, etc. The more expensive the bike, the higher the quality the materials and components being used on the bike.
So, to come back around full circle to where we started. The reason why your complete BMX bike is broken is most likely due to the level of riding being done on the bike is harder than the quality it was designed for. Single wall rims will bend easier than double wall rims, 1020 steel is more likely to crack and break than 4130 chromoly.
Is it the brands fault these products break? Unfortunately it reflects bad on them, but it’s not their fault and quite honestly most times out of 10 they shouldn’t be responsible for replacing a part unless it’s due to a manufacturers defect. When we say manufacturer defects, we mean poor welds that are already cracked or cracked easily, defective materials, bent tubing, dented tubing, etc. that wasn’t caused by you because of riding. I highly suggest you check out the What Does A Warranty Cover? piece we did that explains what is typically covered when it come to warranties.
No single BMX product is indestructible and regardless of just how high quality the materials, how perfect the welds and design is… There will always be a way to break it. Whether you’re dropping a 5 stair out on the streets, coming down heavy from blasting a huge air over a box jump, grinding rails and ledges, casing a landing, throwing your bike after a trick doesn’t work out… Bikes break. Just know that going on Instagram to tell all your followers that you snapped your cranks on your $375 complete bike because you dropped a huge stair set 10 times, on top of all the other riding you probably did before that, and that brand sucks because they won’t give you new ones is because you paid for a product that wasn’t designed to take that kind of abuse.
This doesn’t even get into if your bike isn’t properly assembled or maintained, which can lead to a ton of problems that cause your bike to fail early as well. Check out this video on How To Build A Complete BMX Bike out of the Box.
Hopefully this helps people understand that you definitely get what you pay for when buying a BMX bike.
