Recently you might of seen some shiny new bar ends appearing on more and more riders bikes. Everything from etched logos to swirl designs… well this is likely the work of HARD ENDS. We thought it would be worth sitting down with Connor Danzelman, the mastermind behind these shiny new and learn a bit more about the brand and what’s to come.
At the end of the day you don’t want to have to use tools to change your grips!
Ride: So… let’s start off with what’s on everyone’s minds… What is Hard Ends and where did the idea come from?
Connor: Hard Ends is a small BMX component brand where everything is designed, machined and assembled in the depths of Devon, UK. It started from me just wanting to make some bar ends for myself on a lunch break that lasts longer than two weeks like your standard rubber ones do and being fortunate enough to have the equipment at my disposal to make it happen. One set turned into a few more for local guys but machining them by hand is pretty time consuming so before long they’re running on CNC machines and I’m creating an Instagram for them!
R: Sounds like you’re fixing a problem quite a few riders might have. This can only come from firsthand experience in BMX. How long have you been riding for?
C: I’ve been riding and around BMX for the last 19 years (man that makes me sound old!). From being a kid at the skatepark working in my local bike shop (-shout out to The Boarding House) driving around the UK to every jam or late night session within 150 miles of Devon, and onto trips around the world with the OTG boys to ride, film and sample the local beers!
R: And what about these days? Not many people are surrounded by CNC machines on their lunch breaks haha.
C: These days I’m still pedaling, travelling and filming but spend my 9-5 working in the motorsport industry surrounded by CNC machines and one Harrison manual lathe which is where it all started. Between this and some time in the aircraft industry I’ve acquired a pretty good understanding of materials and machining processes that’s been a massive part of getting Hard Ends to where it is now.
R: When were the first pair made? Have they changed much since that first set, or were you pretty adamant with what you wanted before you started?
C: The first set as you see them now I machined by hand last July, with the first small CNC batch coming around August I think. I did experiment with a couple different fixing styles previously, things like the bolt through the centre with two wedges or rubber that expands when you tighten them up but I really just wanted to keep things as simple, lightweight and strong as possible and settled on the single piece with the seals as the final result. At the end of the day you don’t want to have to use tools to change your grips!
It started from me just wanting to make some bar ends for myself on a lunch break that lasts longer than two weeks
R: You said that it’s already grown from hand machining to CNC machining. Can you see it growing from this, or are you happy with how things are?
C: The fact that it has grown this much already is mental; I’m just a guy who likes riding bikes and wants to make quality parts that look good. There’s no big end goal or grand plan, it just feels really good to be contributing to a scene that’s been a massive part of my life for so long, and there’s nothing that gets you more stoked than turning up at a park and someone is running your parts on their bike, or catching them in a clip online somewhere!
R: What else can we expect from HARD ENDS?
C: There’s definitely a couple more things that I’d like to make, the stems are in their V2 form and a small batch are on bikes for testing which is still crazy to me.
R: I’ve seen you’ve done a few sets with other shops, crews and brands via your custom bar end option, will this be an available option when the stems come out too? Maybe topcaps?
C: Yeah, the laser engraving opens up the opportunity to add whatever you want onto your bike without the need for a set up cost or minimum order quantity. It’s a really cool way to have something completely unique or a matching emblem that everyone in your crew or team has on their bike. I’ve been really lucky enough to work with some awesome brands like Protec, Buddy MFG and Pentra on colabs so far and I’m excited to see what comes in the future.
I think that the customisation aspect will stay with the bar ends and keep the stems looking really clean, I do like the idea of doing top caps but that’s something that I’ll be looking into down the line possibly.
R: Where is best for people to keep up with you and all things HARD ENDS?
C: The Hard Ends Instagram is the spot to check out all of the custom design orders, fancy machine work and clips from the guys with parts on their bikes.
R: …and lastly, if anyone wants to pick up a pair and support Hard Ends, where are they available?
C: There’s the Hard Ends website of course, but also there’s a few UK shops stocking them now which is great! You can find them at Silk Cycles (Exeter), Dead Sailor (Penzance), Backyard BMX (Hastings) and Alans BMX (Wigan). With hopefully more coming too!
R: Anyone you’d like to thank or shoutout?
C: I’ve had some great help already from so many people with this, so I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that has passed on knowledge, given me connections, helped out in any way and to those who run a set of Hard Ends!
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