After more than a year of ride testing and development the Tomahawk Stem is finally available at shops worldwide.

The Tomahawk is based around a list of front-load features that Chase Hawk requested and it is the first front-load stem to use convergent bolt axes for the front cap. This allows the stem to have the separate adjustability and “look” of a traditional four bolt front-loader, but with a smoother overall shape. It also eliminates the stresses associated with letting the bolt holes break through the outer face of the stem body. As a bonus, this means that the stem still looks “normal” when it is flipped to raise the handlebars.

You’ll also notice that the Tomahawk makes use of the steerer tube clamping design that is found in the Elementary stem. With this unique configuration the locking bolt for the fork’s steerer tube remains straight during tightening (rather than bending as the wedges rotate around the steerer). The stem’s fully internal clamp design also means that the back of the body can be bolt-free, and knee-friendly.

For the Tomahawk, we invested in full forging tools for the stem’s cap and body in order to maximize the strength of the material used. This stem was designed as a forging (rather than simply machining it) because forging improves a part’s strength by forming the ideal grain structure that is needed for a given shape. As a benefit, this process also means that we can offer the stem at a reasonable selling price.

• Front-load design
• Chase Hawk approved
• Converging front bolt axes eliminate typical through-hole stresses and improve the stem’s look when flipped
• Easily accessible internal clamping system
• Forged 6061-T6 aluminum maximizes strength and minimizes waste
• 53mm reach
• 9.5mm rise or 22.5mm when flipped
• 9.4 oz (266g)

Chase Hawk Bike Check (View Parts List, Photos by Devon Hutchins)

Broc Raiford’s a Louisiana youngin’ that’s sure to make some big moves in 2012. After meeting him at Texas Toast last year, his great attitude and natural talent earned him a spot on the team. This ODSY Vision marks Broc’s inaugural video part with us and he definitely delivered. Watch it above and then give him a quick shout on twitter @brocafloka.

Special thanks to Jon Rogers, Andrew Sanford, Chase Frickey and Brandon Gauthreaux for helping push the record button and hanging out!

It was a tough task but we gathered up all of our favorite clips from every ODSY Vision this year and mixed it all into one action packed edit. As an added bonus, we even threw in a few fresh clips we had been saving.

Thanks to all of our riders and guest filmers/editors for helping make this video series one of the best. It’s been a great year and if this recap wasn’t enough, hit up ODSYVISION.com to get full platter.

We are dedicated to improving our cable’s technical features, so we recently began selling all of our Linear Slic Kable® with our new K-Shield™ housing. This new design greatly improves the housing’s compression strength. To illustrate the difference we performed a test. As you can see, all “linear” cables are not created equal. The Odyssey Linear Slic Kable® with K-Shield™ has a compression strength that is nearly 70% greater than its nearest competitor. What this means for you is longer cable life and improved reliability.

When it comes to cables, don’t fall for the same old sales pitch. They’re not all the same. We know that you’ll appreciate the long life of these cables as much as we do. K-Shield™ is included on every Linear Slic Kable® that we make.

Linear Slic Kable® housing with K-Shield™

Our long history with brake cable innovation can be traced back to the launch of our first Slic Kables® and Gyro® Cables in 1986. Over the years we have continued to make improvements to size, fit and performance. We’ve gone on to release products like the BrakeLine Slic Kable® in 1998 with a special Teflon® coated inner-wire to greatly reduce cable friction. We also released the original Linear Slic Kable® in 2003, which went on to change the way that riders look at detanglers. This design used the first derailleur-based housing with a BMX-style inner wire, allowing riders to do a barspin or tailwhip without having to worry about the cable binding up. Since that time nearly every brand has followed in our footsteps, releasing their own “linear” cables, which in most cases are a design that is simply rebranded straight out of cable manufacturer’s catalog.

In 2008 we began to include volcano ferrules with every Linear Slic Kable that we sold. These specialty ferrules helped to prevent the housing from blowing out unexpectedly. In response, we would often hear from riders that they didn’t know why our cables were better, but for some reason they always seemed to last longer. Part of the reason, of course, was the use of volcano ferrules.

As time moved on we also saw a desire for a lighter cable, so we released our Race Linear Slic Kable® earlier this year. This design uses a special mix of aluminum compression wires to lighten the housing. We also heard a call for us to bring back the friction-free BrakeLine cable around the same time, so we launched the Linear SLS® Slic Kable® in 2011 as well.

Simplifying braking performance has been a priority for us from the beginning, so we recently created the Linear Quik Slic Kable® with an integrated cable hanger. The Quik Slic is available now as an OEM part on Sunday complete bikes and it will be offered for sale separately in early 2012.

• Odyssey Linear Slic Kable® (Diagram)
  The original BMX linear cable.
• Odyssey Race Linear Slic Kable® (Diagram)
  The original BMX linear cable with a housing that is approximately 37% lighter.
• Linear Slic Kable® (Diagram)
  The original BMX linear cable with a specially coated inner wire for ultra low friction.
• Odyssey Quik Slic Kable®
  The original BMX linear cable with an integrated cable, hanger and straddle unit for a tool-free configuration that also allows for better brake modulation. Patent pending.

We have an extra special ODSY Vision for you guys this month. Mike Aitken and Tom Dugan hop into the Trans AM and travel through Idaho and Montana to hit up some concrete treasures.

Filmed and Edited by Joe Rich.

Our R Series forks are available now:

• Fully redesigned.
• Laboratory tested and team proven.
• New, custom, seamless, tapered, butted and specially formed leg tube shaping for improved grind and guard clearance.
• All-new steerer tube design improves fatigue strength and includes a built-in, integrated, lower headset seat race.
• New, optimized, 4mm dropout shape for grind and peg clearance.
• Updated 7075-T6 pre-load bolt, US Pat. No. 7,591,474
• Proven 41-Thermal® processed 4130 chromoly
• Legendary lifetime replacement warranty
• R-32 offset (traditional) or R-25 offset (steep)
• Freestyle (F-25) version with R-25 offset and U-brake bosses
• 3/8” axle slots only
• Starting at 1lb 15.2oz (885 grams)

Our 41-Thermal® forks quickly established a reputation for strength and quality when we originally introduced them in 1999, and they have since gone on to change the standards that all forks are judged by.

Unlike ordinary heat-treatments, which are often merely an after-thought, the 41-Thermal® process encompasses all stages of production, and includes our own joint preparation controls, refined welding techniques, and the post-weld heat-treatment system that we originally pioneered and continue to refine and tweak to this day.

Other brands have tried to copy our designs (desperately attempting to reproduce some of the dimensional details and manufacturing steps that we first implemented), but a basic copy that’s made with no real understanding of the design principles used by the original will never be able to stand on the same playing field.

We recognized long ago that the bicycle industry’s standard testing methods are a poor representation of how a BMX fork is used during its lifespan. In response, our forks are mounted in an integrated headset at the correct head tube angle during lab testing – just as they would be used on a bike. The testing protocol then calls for a fatigue test where the fork is subjected to 4000 Newtons (or 900 pounds) of force, repeatedly, for multiple days on end.

At 2,000,000 cycles our new R-Series 41-Thermal® forks were still intact. With days of use on the record, a long line of other products waiting for the testing machine, and costs quickly mounting, we finally opted to turn it off. (In future tests, our proprietary testing rig will be included to multiply the load so we can finally take every fork to failure. You can count on an update to be posted here).

We also ran more forks using this protocol, both to see how other brands compare to ours and to silence the riders and critics who often try to say that “all forks are the same”.

As you can see, the wide variations in the test results show just how inaccurate and off-base it is to suggest that “all forks are the same”. It is also worth noting that the only design that came close to the R-Series fork in this test weighs over 4 ounces more and it still broke.

Our Lincoln Stem is available now and here’s a quick promo featuring Gary Young. Him, Aaron, Eric, Jim C and a whole slew of other riders have been running this stem for quite some time now. To get one on your bike, hit up your local shops and favorite mail orders.

• Top-load design
• Industrial chain link plates create a reinforced top cap hinge, eliminating the need for traditional bolt holes that can weaken the stem body in this area
• Angled top cap provides room for interior part configuration and simplifies assembly
• Internal clamping system, easily accessed via hole in stem body
• Forged 6061-T6 aluminum maximizes strength and minimizes waste
• 53mm reach
• 25mm rise or 7mm when flipped
• 9.8 oz (278g)

Once upon a time in New Mexico, a handful of dudes in a giant van drove and flew thousands of miles in search of the perfect rail. With Jeff Z as the trusty tour guide, they discovered plenty of setups in a little sleepy town found in the state’s northern mountains. Justin Simpson, Gary Young, Sean Sexton and George Boyd were all aboard for the mission. Sean had the misfortune of piercing a giant hole in his knee within what was probably only 15 minutes of getting out of the van so he’s a little MIA in this video. Fortunately, our TM and all around shredder Jim Bauer was on hand to score some extra clips and annihilate the longest rail in sight. This is our latest ODSY Vision. Enjoy.

Make sure to pick up a copy of the latest Ride BMX to see even more photos and coverage.

Defgrip has a disposed gallery up as well that’s filled with behind the scene shots that Jim Bauer took.

Our new Thunderbolt cranks are shipping now. Some aesthetic updates to the previous Twombolt crank should be immediately clear, but the biggest improvements have been made in the manufacturing stages.

Unlike ordinary heat-treatments, which are often merely an after-thought, The 41-Thermal® process encompasses all stages of production, and includes our own joint preparation controls, refined welding techniques (now visible in the crank’s larger weld beads), and of course, in the post-weld heat-treatment system that we originally pioneered in 1999 and continue to refine and tweak to this day.

• Laboratory tested and team proven
• Updated open-ended spindle cap
• New wedge cluster band with greater flexibility
• Never-Wobble crank arm and spindle interface guarantee
• 41-Thermal® lifetime replacement warranty against bending, cracking and breaking
• US Pat. Nos. 7,267,030, 7,523,684, 7,523,685, and/or 7,770,492
• 1 lb. 11.8 oz. (788g)
• 175 or 180mm
• RHD or LHD
• Available now in Black, White and Limited Edition Colors

For the first time, we have decided to share how we lab test our cranks…

Our proprietary Stampy testing rig is designed to mount the cranks in a way that is as true to real riding conditions as possible. All of the cranks are mounted in bottom bracket bearings with spacer tubes and arm spacers, just as they would be on a bike. To test the arms, special high-strength spindles are used in place of pedal spindles, which are then loaded directly on the centerline of the pedal.

The standard lab testing machine only applies a load of up to 2000N (or 450lbs) in this test. For most bicycles this would be fine, but BMX obviously requires much more. To push it beyond the normal requirements, the Stampy arm has been designed to magnify the applied load by utilizing a simple lever. This unique rig design can take the test load up to half a ton per cycle.

In the video you can get an understanding of how 4000 Newtons, or 900 pounds of force per pedal, can flex and bend a crankset. Many cranks deform so heavily that if you were riding them on a bike they wouldn’t clear the chainstays any more. To put it in perspective, this is the amount of force that a 180 pound rider would apply to the pedals if they were to hit 10g’s on impact.

As you have come to expect, we continue to take development and engineering seriously. As such, we’ve made massive gains in strength without adding a single ounce of material to the original product’s design. While lab testing allows you to quantify a product’s performance, replicating it in the real world is just as critical. This is why our team riders rode the Thunderbolt cranks for well over a year before they were ever available in stores.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special product testing video and we’re confident that you’ll appreciate the Thunderbolt as much as we do.

Thanks.

Hello and welcome to our latest installment of ODSY Vision. Eric Lichtenberger was up to bat this month and he decided to play around with a bunch of random ramp pieces we had laying around in the warehouse. We banged this out over a weekend so it’s short and sweet. YEEEEEEWWW!!!

Shout out to Veesh over at YawnBMX.com for some of the ramp bits.

This month’s ODSY Vision is coming a little late but it’s a hefty one. We gathered up our favorite San Diego crew (Gary Young, Tom Perry, Dirt Ron, Kyle Hart & Hoang Tran) and told them to get in the Van. We then drove north and proceeded to hit up the multitude of concrete parks along the way, making new friends here and there and throwing tabes just about everywhere.

A common complaint people seem to have is they “never” have anything to ride. They have few local spots and after a while, they have the tendency of getting stale and boring. If you’ve ever found yourself in this predicament, then perhaps this month’s ODSY Vision might help inspire you to take a different approach to the old quest of finding spots. Adam Banton will be your tour guide and if you haven’t done so already, add him on Facebook and Twitter.

Here’s a batch of clips Adam fired out last fall while we were visiting him in SLC. We had been slightly worried these clips would get old but it’s safe to say that Adam’s unique style will always bring a breath of fresh air. Enjoy!

For this episode of ODSY Vision, we bring to you our favorite clips from the Texas Toast Jam and a quick trip with George Boyd. He lives a few hours north of Austin so we met up with him a couple days prior and filmed a handful of clips along the drive.

Thanks to everyone who flew, drove, walked and pedaled to the Texas Toast Jam. You guys helped make it a good time with plenty of fun in the sun. Hope to see everyone again next year!

For a full, comprehensive look at the Texas Toast Jam, make sure to click HERE to view all of the photo galleries and videos we have gathered of the event.

Veesh from YawnBMX.com hooked us up with this quick preview of the dirt course we have over at the Texas Toast Jam. Chase Hawk, Tom Dugan, Jim Bauer, Clint Reynolds and James Nutter all get some camera loving while testing out the 8 pack.

Ahoy Mateys! Hold on to ye britches, wiggle ye peg legs n’ cast ye eyes on this month’s ODSY Vision. Cap’n Chase Hawk and Cap’n Sean Sexton be anchored they ships to ye Cayman Islands! They be scoured for lines in the olde Black Pearl, walked the planks with the scallywag stingrays and sailed the seas on boogie rigs in thou treacherous wave pool.

Walter Pieringer be behind magical box of moving portraits and he return with buried treasures. Shiver me timbers, this be a golden flick to watch!

Scrawl on Chase’s and Sean’s internet vessels on ye olde Twitter: @ChaseHawk512 and @sean_sexton.

For this month’s ODSY Vision, we grabbed a handful of paint buckets and recruited Flatware‘s Terry Adams to put together a little piece of art for us. Don’t let his finesse fool you though, the technique used makes this quite possibly one of the most difficult paintings ever done. Watch and enjoy!

Bookmark Terry’s website, fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Eric Lichtenberger stopped by to spruce up his bike with our new Matte Kelly Green color kit. We heard rumors that he can disassemble and re-assemble a complete bike in under 30 seconds and I guess it was true! Here’s video proof / documentation.

Follow Eric on Twitter @ericlichtenberg!

For this month’s ODSY Vision, we present to you… Mr. Gary Young!

Follow him on Twitter @GaryBYoung.

We went down to San Diego recently to meet up with Dirt Ron, Hoang Tran, Tom Perry and Kyle Hart. We delivered our new shirts and they delivered the goods. Watch this video to check out a chill session we had in one of San Diego’s many ditches.

These shirts are AVAILABLE NOW! To get a closer look at the shirts, hit up the flipbook and then call your local shops / mailorders to get some! If you live in the US, you can also buy it from our online store.

Aaron Ross and Tom Dugan recently went to Korea and brought back some good memories with them. From sitting through the rain, getting “X-ed” out of spots, sitting through more rain and not knowing what they were getting into at dinner, this travel log sums it all up.

Filmed / Edited by Walter Pieringer.

Terry Adams and Aaron Ross go golfing…

2011 is upon us and here’s some new fire to kick off the new year from just about all the dudes in the Odyssey family. In this edit, you’ll find Hoang Tran, Gary Young, Terry Adams, Tom Dugan, Aaron Ross, Eric Lichtenberger, Adam Banton, Matt Beringer, Tom Perry, Matthias Dandois, Jimmy Levan, KC Badger, Justin Simpson, Chase Hawk, Sean Sexton and even a couple clips of Mike Aitken! Sit back and enjoy!

Here’s a quick little video promo for Adam Banton’s signature grip. These guys utilize a new rubber compound that allows the grip to be softer without sacrificing durability. They’re available now so get your hands on a pair!

Aaron Ross’ signature tire has been available for a while now but we decided to put together this little video of him talking about the process and inspiration for it. A little over a year ago, we held a contest encouraging you guys to chime in and send us a phrase or saying that you think Aaron might like. There were 3 winners overall and their phrase ended up on the tire! Along with the 3 winners, there’s a bunch of other stuff that Aaron wanted on there too so when you get one in your hands, make sure to spend some time reading it all on the threads and sidewall.

Clocking in at 2.35″, Aaron’s tire is the fattest we have available. You can get it in Black, Tanwall or Orange. If 2.35″ is too wide for your liking, don’t worry, they’re also available in 2.1″ sizes. Hit up your local shops and mail orders to get a pair!