Jump to content

MatthewRaymer

V.I.P. Member
  • Posts

    24
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

MatthewRaymer last won the day on November 18 2017

MatthewRaymer had the most liked content!

Reputation

12 Good

About MatthewRaymer

  • Rank
    Newbie
    Newbie

Previous Fields

  • Spam Bot Control
    Array

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Array

Recent Profile Visitors

2,027 profile views
  1. I remember John George driving me and Cash Matthews and Mark Carlton to a race @ Yarnell in the summer of '76. On the way into the track he pointed at a 90 degree turn that looked like it dropped off a cliff and said "that was the original Yarnell but it was too dangerous." Is this a pic of that corner? Can't remember my race results from that day, but I do remember it being the most fun I ever had on a BMX track.
  2. Awesome build - and I am diggin' that number plate!
  3. Heck of a find - the original Webco frame was always my favorite.
  4. Thanks Elaine for giving some kids from Shawnee, OK a chance to tell their story in BMX News. Your publication was a very big deal to us and we pored over it just like we did later with BMX Action.
  5. Cool article. I got to ride a 22" Yess at the Grands a few years ago. Rode it around the pits and it felt GREAT - super stable. Felt like a kid again! I believe they are still making it as a custom order frame.
  6. What a legacy. He probably had no idea about the impact of that footage when he was filming that day. Thank you Bruce, and RIP.
  7. Had a chance to go to the Grands and check out the new model from Yess, the MX-Y (AKA Showstopper). An evolutionary frame design that eliminates the seat-stay opening (to loop the belt through) on previous models. And check out the built in tensioner called the belt bumper, which guides the belt onto the lower rear cog teeth under high-torque situations. This allows you to run the belt at a lower tension for more efficiency, which could create a performance advantage over the chain. Additional testing needs to be done to make that determination.
  8. http://www.bmxnews.com/2017/11/uci-clears-way-belt-drive-2018/
  9. Drew Motley makes BMX history at the 2016 Grands! http://blog.gatescarbondrive.com/?p=10172
  10. Here is the polycarbonate sprocket that I mentioned. It's designed for low mileage pavement bikes, so it might not work for BMX racing. But it certainly is trick! I wonder if the friction would be reduced because of the slick tooth profile surface, giving an added performance boost!
  11. Yess does not have an exclusive. But I can not say enough about the Yess craftsmanship and quality. Bill and Renny Husada are true artists when it comes to bmx frame design and manufacturing. And just really good people in general. When I used the word bulletproof I meant bulletproof in its current configuration on a Yess frame. My description, not Gates. Yes, chain drive can operate without precision and stiffness, but it will not operate as efficiently. The Yess/Gates combo is about maximizing your drive train efficiency to give you an advantage out of the gate and down the first straight. You are correct about the polycarbonate being glass-filled. The Gates poly sprockets and cogs are intended for the low-end, like my beach cruiser. But from a design standpoint they are just so trick that I would like to see them in a test on a race bike. When we did the test in Vancouver, Gates did not send a rep to be there cause I don't think they had a lot of confidence in their product for BMX racing. Even my wife admitted to me recently that she did not think it would work properly. So now I have decided, why not keep trying different things and it might be OK. Who knows, the polycarbonate sprockets/cogs might test well and improve performance even more. I guess we will soon see if the BMX racing community accepts and demands this product. Thanks for your input.
  12. Not directly affiliated with Gates or Yess. It just gnawed at me over the years that my belt drive system from the 90's did not work out like I had hoped. But I saw a press release in late 2013 that said Gates was introducing some shorter belt lengths, did some calculations, and determined that it was (coincidentally) the correct length for a BMX bike. So I contacted Gates, then found an elite rider who agreed to test it (he prefers to remain anonymous), and the elite rider had an industry contact who brought Yess into the picture. Our first test was January 23, 2015 in Vancouver at the Abbotsford indoor. Since then the system has been tested thoroughly, and Yess is now offering complete bikes (a 20" and 24") with Gates Carbon Drive, and I believe they also offer a "rolling chassis" where you add your own components.
  13. Gates manufactures, supplies, and has patented the entire drive train - belt, front sprocket, and rear cog. Gates is the global leader in power transmission belts, with annual revenue of $3 billion. The Centertrack design is bicycle-specific and they used their significant resources to develop it with the help of Avid-founder Wayne Lumpkin. Like any company, Gates is going to protect their intellectual property so that they can insure the quality of their product. And, of course, they are entitled to receive all the revenue from the patented design they created. I designed a belt drive system back in the 90's that used a generic belt, front sprocket, and rear cog. I had a lot of issues with belt slippage, even after I added a patented belt tensioning device. So, unfortunately, generic is not going to work when it comes to belt drive for cycling. But thanks to Gates and their obsession with design and quality, we now have their bulletproof CDX system with Centertrack, which resolves any and all issues of previous attempts at bicycle belt drive. And they continue to work to improve their product and have some really cool stuff in the pipeline that MIGHT make it's way to BMX. One innovation that I have been using on my beach cruiser is a molded polycarbonate front sprocket - and this is no Addick's sprocket. It's super tough, super light, and could reduce friction and improve performance even more. There is also a molded polycarbonate rear cog that has a steel center where it mounts to the hub - it looks like they are wrapping up the testing on that, so it's almost ready. And they have a 2.0 version of the belt coming out soon that is even more durable/stronger than the current CDX belt.
  14. I guess we will have to agree to disagree. Chains definitely lose their efficiency over time. Their peak efficiency is when you take them out of the box. After that the plates, bushings, and pins start to wear, and dirt or moisture can clog or corrode the links. That decreases efficiency even if you constantly clean and lubricate your chain. The belt is proven to have a much lower wear rate, so its efficiency remains more consistent over time. And no lube required - maintenance consists of hosing it off when needed. To me, that makes the chain inferior. I like the idea of the 1-piece sprocket. But since the BMX racing market is so small, not sure if that's going to be a priority for Gates.
  15. There is still slack, based on the inherent condition of stacked tolerances between the fit of the spider, chain ring, and chain ring bolts. Those components have fairly loose tolerances, which makes them easy to fit together regardless of what manufacturer made which part. This creates the impossible situation of having a perfectly true (round) front gear in relation to the crank spindle. This is entirely the reason why traditional chains have a "tight spot" and "loose spot". You might not see it as much with a belt, but it's there. And since the belt system relies on a higher degree of precision to perform correctly, it is entirely relevant that one considers those factors. One way to solve that would be a one-piece sprocket, back-spaced to provide correct chain alignment with today's outboard BB's...which I am unaware of any company making those. And if they did, it would create less flexibility and more effort for a rider to change front gears. Yes, the belt drive system will have these stacked tolerances from the spider, belt ring, and belt ring bolts, just like chain drive. But the belt does not have a hundred connection points like the links on a chain, and those connection points also have these stacked tolerances. That is what creates the slack in a chain which creates the lag time when you crank out of the gate or stop/start pedalling. And those tolerances between each chain link get worse over time. Every other component on a BMX race bike has been innovated over the years, and now, finally, we have the opportunity to replace the 1880's chain drive technology with this 21st-century drive train. Gates has covered every angle, and this product is the real deal.
×