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Elvis

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  1. Do you have a link or something for those rims/hubs?
  2. I've heard of some people going through them every couple of months, so no, your story is not exceptional. I replace them when they get bent or shark toothed, and on the latter I'm pretty good at avoiding that by keeping my chains minty fresh.
  3. For cost/value I just run some $25 Deores. Pauls are great, however, if you need the extra adjustment range. I understand various companies are working on brakes with longer adjustment areas, but we probably won't see them before next year.
  4. I've recovered at least a couple of stolen bikes at the track. Kids will show up there with the bikes some months after they're stolen on a non-race-day to "just ride." I call the cops. I'm kind of like a superhero BMX crimefighter.
  5. Ah, I admire your passion, but I'm thinking you're pointing in the wrong direction here. While most of my dealing's with ABA, I've not had any terrible problem being heard. And with that while I agree the Olympics Supercross proposal isn't what you & I deal with in our world, it has some merit in keeping BMX racing in the spotlight. Those people aren't getting those contracts because of the lack of spotlight, so it only follows that exceptional circumstance are required to provide exceptional outcome. If you want to grow BMX, you're doing the right thing, just keep bringing people out to the track. That other stuff will fall in line soon enough.
  6. Roughly stated, no: Flex is good. Gran Prix motorcycle racing does a better job of demonstrating this, because it's gone through a pretty broad transition from flexy to super-stiff to controlled flex in the past decades. But long story short being you need some flex since flex implies strength. Think of ramming your fingers into something: If they weren't flexed they'd break (ditto airplane wings). But more to the point riders expect some flex and for that matter think a dead-stiff frame feels "dull" or "dead" to them. You can't see the flex as they go by, it's a very subtle thing, but it's there. Watch as people get in the gate and get ready to snap, and watch chains droop, that's all frame flex. Where, when, and how flexes I'm not the go-to guy, you'd need a real frame designer for that one. (I've been out of pocket, sorry about the delay in getting back to you.)
  7. ^^^ well now wait a minute here. Aluminum is aluminum, the numbers attached to it show the method of creating it, but 6061 T6 doesn't know if it's going over a doubles or the mountains, which does, in its own way bring up the following point(s): Material is inert, it's how the material is _applied_ which makes a difference. So you have to lay out a bike frame to make the best use of the material so as to provide the best experience for the rider. Which is to say all bike frames flex, it's expected. The flex has a lot to do with the perception of ride quality. Watch somebody getting in the gate and their bottom bracket move and then tell me there's no flexing. Anyway, super-stiff no-flex bikes have been shown to be rather disagreeable to the rider (The Diamonback Team Issue as a case in point). I'm licensed to inspect airplanes, have been for 20+ years now, and actually spend quite a bit of my life in consideration of aluminum's properties. I do a lot of re-certification of airplanes rebuilt after an accident of whatever sort, if that helps with the picture. But anyway, aluminum it built to a standard and the particular aluminum selected is based upon that intersection of use and need. From there this turns into a long conversation, but I'll add that GT has built enough bikes where they've got it pretty much figured out. In fact there's plenty of standard literature of aluminum's properties to the point where surprises are pretty much past. If you follow the spec you should get what you design for. Getting back to the original, I would if buying a used aluminum bike look it over closely for cracks, which, really, you should do on any bike. A flaw of whatever type on an aluminum surface should be watched closely, as the material is less tolerant than, say, steel in suffering dents and whatnot. In the interest of further disclosure, I'm trying 4130 frames this year (Supercross) and like them.
  8. ^^ the guy who wrote that article, Jack Baruth, has a long-term and well known hardon for aluminum frames. He and I have argued about the material's propriety for BMX frames for some hours. I'd like to tell you he read what I wrote, realized he was wrong, and changed his position, but alas, not so. At the same time he'd like to say the same about me, so there you go (Internets! LOL!) The point being I've come to take the "aluminum is teh death" arguments with a grain of salt.
  9. 2000 is hardly an old bike, and I've put thousands of hours on aluminum frames with no problems. Airplanes are made of aluminum - and do a lot more flexing than a bike frame - and nobody talks about retiring that stuff after a year. Don't worry about it; go ride.
  10. So he can be a champion novice? Oh yeah, sponsors line up for that...... Yeah, y'all can race there. You can race at any ABA race. You won't be able to bring home a state plate from that race, obviously, but you can get some points since it's triple-point race. But dude, holding someone back as a novice is {some word}
  11. bikeguide forums had a really loooong thread on rebuilding freewheels, you can check over there for insight. Some of the old Suntours were rebuildable. Otherwise WD40, or you could try to spray it out with brake cleaner first. ACS recomends non-synthetic lube (3in1, specifically). But really, freewheels are so cheap and life is so short, why bother?
  12. An amazing bike; I never thought I'd get to see one. Thanks.
  13. Do sprints more than just ride. Add crunches and pushups (the latter if you don't have access to a gym). Do them to exhaustion, push yourself. End the day with stretches (start too, if you have the time). Jumping squats are good (look them up on web). Give yourself recovery time, say a day between each session, but when you do your session, go hard, just shy of puking. (If available, you could go to the track or skatepark on off days.) A week before your event quit training to get your body all rested up. Carbs in the morning, protein throughout the day, a least a gallon of water every. single. day. When you race, just keep in easy on yourself. Keep your mind relaxed.
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