Intro: Seb Hejna
Words and Photos: Ryan Van Kesteren
No one ever gets tired of products. Getting stoked from walking into BMX
shops and spending hours viewing the wall-to-wall options never gets old.
But, with the amount of product now available on the market, it’s difficult to sometimes know which products are worth parting with your well-earned cash for. We’re lucky enough to be the first people to be sent the new products and prototypes from the UK’s various distribution companies to test and review for this exact reason. Product development has come a long way over the past few years and companies are able to spec things higher and choose a whole range of colours and finishes to make their products stand out in a busy market. We make a point of trying to review a whole range of parts, not just from different companies but also parts aimed at different levels and styles of riding. One thing we do stand firm on though, is all the parts we review, are from reputable brands in the industry, that have BMX’s best interests at heart. You’ll see a host of different brands across our product pages and we’ll give our honest opinion on them all. If you don’t see the brands on our product reviews, and you’re unsure, then either contact us to ask advice or go into any BMX retail specialist and pick at their vast knowledge.
Check out the latest product to come through our door and Fresh out the Box.
Federal: Vice cranks
As soon as you set eyes on the new Federal Vice cranks, you can tell they are strong as f***. They’ve been built to handle abuse from the bottom up. Starting with the 24mm spindle, which is 2mm thicker than tradition spindles and makes the cranks noticeably stiffer, especially if you’re in the game of doing big street drops. The spindle has also been machined out, to keep the cranks light.
Naturally, the extra spindle width slightly affects the bottom bracket, as the centre race is thinner, but that’s a small price to pay for the extra rigidity.
The Second feature is the box shaped arms, which have been designed to withstand crank arm grinds and even make them feel more stable.
The good thing about 24mm cranks is they come with a full bottom bracket. So even though they cost a little more than other cranks on the market, you get a lot for your money.
SPECS:
Spindle: 24mm hollow, 48 splined
Material: 4130 Chromoly heat treated arms and spindle
Drive Side: Left/Right hand compatible
Bottom Bracket: 24mm Mid bottom bracket bearings and spacers
Colours: Matt Black, Chrome and Raw
Weight: 934g / 32.9oz
Price: Matt Black £159.99 / Chrome & Raw £164.9
Odyssey: Tom Dugan Stem
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