Product

ODYSSEY THUNDERBOLT CRANKS – REVIEW

Wombolts, Twombolts, Thunderbolts… The evolution of Odyssey cranks has been interesting to watch over the last ten years or so. The Odyssey Thunderbolt Cranks are the latest incarnation.

Odyssey have got it dialled. Their product design has to be among the best in BMX, they’ve pioneered several technologies and seem to hold more patents in their inventions than many other brands. It’s been said that Odyssey (and their family of GSPORT and Sunday) are at the forefront of BMX product design, and we wouldn’t really argue with that.

“The team riders tested the Odyssey Thunderbolt Cranks for over a year before they were made publicly available.”

Thunderbolt cranks are a 2 piece crank design. That means that one of the arms is permanently attached to the 22mm spindle. Odyssey guarantees this interface will never wobble. The other crank arm bolts onto the other end of the spindle over a ‘wedge cluster’. This is a cluster of metal wedges, held together by a piece of elastic, which sits on the spindle and allows you to tighten the crank arm into a very solid position without needing splines on the spindle. It’s a design aspect that had a few riders scratching their heads when it was first introduced, but we really can’t fault it.

Neither can the Odyssey team. Thunderbolts are tested HARD. Like the rest of the Odyssey products, they are designed with absolute strength in mind while also saving weight, thanks to their patented 41-Thermal heat treating process.

“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.” –Odyssey BMX

Important stuff, especially for cranks. We’ve all watched some gnarly street slayer doing a big drop and seen cranks somehow twist together, or even grimaced as a pedal / piece of crankarm flies off upon impact. Nobody needs that. That’s why these things are built strong, lab tested and team proven.

Thunderbolt cranks are available in 165, 170, 175 or 180mm, with either ‘Socket Drive’ or the regular sprocket interface, and also as Thunderbolt+, which is a complete package with a mid bottom bracket.

Odyssey’s team riders tested the Thunderbolts for over a year before they were made publicly available. All parts of the design were considered for durability – from the arms and spindle to the funky wedge cluster, it’s all carefully calculated, thoroughly tested, and guaranteed for a lifetime.