My new WTP Envy self destructs while doing 110 km/h on the 417!

I was pretty jazzed about picking up my new BMX. My handlebars still had not arrived, so I decided that I didn't feel like waiting another day or two and went ahead and picked up the bike anyway. I got Jose to leave the stock WTP Envy bars on.
The bike looks pretty sweet. Feels very light and very solid. We'll see.

Some kid at Joe Mamma's thought it looked nice but wondered out loud why some dude in a suit and tie was buying a BMX.

"You don't look like a BMX rider."

Ouch. I thought about messing with him and being witty, but I have a pretty sarcastic dry wit that I usually try to deliver deadpan. It would have been funny, but not in real time. It would have been funny the next day when I told the story of the awkward scene I caused by messing with some kid at the local bike shop. So I muttered something about getting back into sports or whatever and minded my own business.

(Note to self: don't wear a suit to the local skatepark.)

Here's a couple pics of some new bike goodness.





So, Jose at Joe Mamma's gave me a pretty good deal and I was generally feeling pretty psyched as I cranked up the minivan to 110 km/h and turned up the radio. Head bobbing, fingers tapping, and stealing loving glances over my shoulder of the sweet new bike nestled snugly behind my seat every 45 seconds or so.

PING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap! WTF?! My first thought was that a piece of metal had flown up and nailed my windshield or window frame. That sucks. But my detective skills told me that my deduction was off. That sound wasn't outside the van. It was inside the van. INSIDE THE VAN! Like the horror movie where the super hot baby-sitter chick is on the phone to the cops and they're all like, "We traced the number. It's coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!" Oh no! (so, yeah, for the sake of the metaphor, I am the super hot baby-sitter chick) So, I know something is up. And I stop taking loving glances over my shoulder. I just drive home and wait to get out and see what is up. I'm bummed, but still hopeful it isn't something bad.

Integrated seatpost clamp my ass! That thing busted itself off! Like right off. Check out the carnage below:



I call Joe Mamma's but they're closed. I leave a message. I'm not bitter. It's just a stupid seat post clamp and I'll get a new one. I don't think we need to involve the warranty police or send the frame away to Taiwan for visual inspection. Let's all just relax and move on.

Holding the broken clamp in my hand, I am shocked at how light and flimsy it seems. That does it. I want a cool seat post clamp now. And I want it to be a white one. And it should definitely be made out of something thicker than loose leaf paper.



And just like that, I'm not nearly as concerned with really light weight components.

What kind of kid's bike did I buy?

Well, after much research, my bike of choice for the BMXperiment of 2010 will be a We The People Envy. I sought out opinions and this bike seems like it should fit the bill as a dirtjumper/park bike. (I'll replace the WTP official photo that you see here with an actual photo of my bike when I pick it up this week.)

But after further research, it appears that riding a factory complete makes you less cool. Since I don't want to dilute the process, I've decided to customize the bike a little bit. I'm swapping out the bars and fork for Odyssey components. From what I've read, Odyssey components are quite trendy and sure to make the bike appear even cooler. If this doesn't work and I don't progress quickly enough, I'll just buy a custom frame and consider going brakeless. If I can't decide, I'll seek out opinions on a PinkBike forum to reconfirm the rules of cool.

Seriously though, I just thought the new white forks/bars would look trick. Yes, I'm shallow. Don't judge me!

Here's a list of the components:

FRAME: Envy 2.0 Full Sanko CrMo, 20.75"TT / 13.22"CS / 75°HT
FORK: Odyssey Classic Race
BARS: Odyssey Aaron Ross Spacebars
GRIPS: wethepeople "All Day Grips" Mike Brennan signature
STEM: wethepeople "Supreme" Stem
HEADSET: Salt Int. Headset sealed bearing
LEVER: éclat "Swift" Brakelever
BRAKES: éclat "Unit" U-brake
CRANKS: éclat "Tibia" 2pc Crank
BB: Salt Mid Size BB sealed bearing
PEDALS: éclat "Surge" PC Pedals
CHAIN: Salt Half-link Chain
SPROCKET: wethepeople "Supreme Sprocket" 25T
DRIVER: 9T 1-piece cassette driver, sealed bearing
FRONT HUB: Salt PRO Bolt sealed 3/8´s 36H, female axle, alloy cones
REAR HUB: Salt Cassette 9T sealed bearing / polymer bearing
FRONT RIM: éclat “Bondi“ double wall rim welded 36H, convex sidew.
REAR RIM: éclat “Bondi” double wall rim welded 36H, straight sidew.
SEAT: éclat "Gonzo" Pivotal Seat
SEAT POST: éclat "Torch" Pivotal Seatpost, 3D forged alloy, 75mm
SEAT CLAMP: integreated slim steel seatclamp
TIRES: wtp "Feelin" 2.25" front / wtp "Feelin" 2.1" rear
WEIGHT: 10.18kg (22.443lb) <- this should be about right with the lighter fork/bars and with the brakes added.


Here is what I was riding back in the good old days:
Redline RL-20 in Radberry with chrome stays. Sweet. Circa 1986. It could use a longer seatpost though...