Straitline's Prototype Hydraulic Gyro - Interbike 2011

Sep 16, 2011
by Mike Levy  
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Straitline's Generation 2 Hydraulic Gyro:

McCaul,Montgomery and Chase talk about the new Straitline Gyro

by home-team
Views: 9,981    Faves: 36    Comments: 9


We showed you the first version of Straitline's prototype hydraulic gyro when Mike Montgomery was using it at the Jump Ship comp in June, but they have been working on it hard since then to fine tune the design. Not only does this second generation model have a cleaner look to it, but it also uses new seals that allow it to spin roughly 50% easier than the first version.

photo

Straitline prototype gyro details:
• Allows rider to spin the handlebar without tangling the rear hydraulic brake line
• Second generation prototype uses revised sealing that offers roughly 50% less drag
• In testing with Cam McCaul, Brandon Semenuk, Casey Groves and Mike Montgomery

As of right now the Straitline gyro is still in the testing stages, but if they can come up with a sealing system that retains the brake's feel at the lever, the issue that has plagued other designs in the past, then they will be really on to something. Straitline says that they are happy with how the second generation version is performing, a good sign that riders may be able to purchase the production version in the future. Stay tuned, we'll have the first look when the time comes.

photo

Visit the Straitline website to see their entire lineup.


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64 Comments
  • 92 1
 Can't barspin or whip... don't need it. Wink
Will be great for those that can though... and also those who pretend they can
  • 36 0
 Just get one so you look like you can! It's what all the cool kids are doing now-a-days.
  • 10 0
 I love all of the top comments arent about the gyro its about cam and ADHD Razz .
I love straitline in all.
but a couple hundred bucks for a hydraulic gyro. like isnt that a bit over the top?
man its bad enough for the average joe just trying to get into mtbing.
  • 3 0
 if it was easy then everyone would be doing it and it would be cheap. if these guys have busted their asses and nailed the design then ofcourse its going to be a little exxy at first. this is not something that everyone is going to be using or necessary for most.
  • 3 3
 why not just run a rear mechanical disc brake (Avid BB-7 is very good) and a decent quality BMX gyro (i.e Odyssey Gyro GTX R) : BMX riders have no problems with them!

you don't need a hydro disc on a slopestyle bike surely??
  • 1 0
 looks like a great product for what its meant for. obviously its not going to be cheap, but the only people that are going to want a product like this are people that can do multiple barspins/tailwhips, and those are probably the same people that dont mind throwing down some money for a product like this. personally, right now im just running my front brake hose through my head tube and ive got an extra long rear brake cable, that setup is doing fine for me for now, but who knows, these will probably be a lot cheaper in the future and definitely worth some thought.
  • 1 0
 i am bettign that this one wont leak.. the reason i haven bought one so far..
  • 21 0
 Cam McCaul can not sit still, so funny.
  • 8 0
 he's such a child.....:P
  • 13 0
 Evolution fine tuned our behaviour in several extremes. We needed berry pickers and mammoth hunters to survive for millions of years. Do you think Cam would be a berry picker or mammoth hunter LOL!!! Mammoth hunters are now diagnosed ADHD, so they can sit still in school with stimulant medications. That's right, we give stimulants to ADHD people because they are too bored with the regular world to sit still. Under stress, they get in the zone and function with exceptional clarity. Adrenalin is like natural speed.
  • 6 0
 @nigsworks, It's even funnier after reading your comment first, then watching it at work without sound
  • 2 1
 oh hell no, if somebody with ADHD were given stimulants, they shoot of to the fucking moon! now with depressants...
  • 2 0
 beca262, as someone with ADHD, and as a mental health therapist, people with ADHD are given stimulants. When the brain is activated, the body calms down. Most people with ADHD are thrill seekers, as the rush allows them to focus. I take Concerta which is long acting Ritalin. Ritalin is medical speed. I feel MUCH calmer with it than without.
  • 1 0
 i have ADHD as well and it is true that when put under stress and well as the possiblilty of "thrill seeking" (or as my friends call it "death defying stunts"), your mind does function more clearly. That is why when studying or trying to focus my mind on something while sitting still, i take breaks to go ride my bike as it uses up extra energy and allows my adrenaline to pump up, giving me mental clarity. as for cam, im pretty sure he has natural talent and then the death defying stunts that help him Razz
  • 2 0
 @willie1 - you sent me back to school on this one - i was reading lots of "substance" articles on wiki and feeling all smart but i didn't know ADHDs nature, it find it slightly odd that stimulants actually calm ppl with ADHD down. my bad. cheers!
  • 11 0
 Go to GREECE - my friend from there tell me their moms and grandmoms have been making GYROS for years and they dont cost more than a couple of bucks to make. She said she'd bring me two tomorrow. I had no idea she knew anything about pump tracks either.
  • 4 2
 lol what? straitline gyros or some nasty rip off? theres more than 2 bucks of material there let alone the final product!
  • 3 1
 its not hard to make a gyro, but it is hard to make a HYDRAULIC gyro for people that use mtbs with HYDRAULIC brakes and NOT cable ones Smile
  • 15 0
 Its was a joke guys, gyros are a type of greek food lol

Not sure what hes talking about with the pump track though...
  • 2 0
 lol A GYRO IS LIKE A GREEK TACO, if ur going to reaaally simplify it.
  • 3 0
 right ive not been to greece Frown i didnt know that was a food :L
  • 4 1
 Mabye, You could make a spline interface between the hydra's lower extremity and the upper side of the upper headset bearing race. What do you think?
  • 1 1
 By the sounds of it...most people don't even know why a gyro is and with nothing more than a pretty picture of only the compenent, they never will. A video of a working gyro would be helpful - best if it's the hydraulic one but who knows if it really works yet...
  • 1 0
 Well Mikes been riding one for the past three months, Cam rode one at district ride, so it obviously works. pay attention to the video
  • 4 1
 $$$? Small but complicated. How much could it cost?
  • 6 1
 Infinity billion dollars!!!!! I would guess 150.00usd
  • 3 1
 I still dont get how the gyro things work
  • 24 1
 With magic rainbows
  • 8 0
 f*ckin' gyro's, how do they work?
  • 7 2
 i think it has something to do with magnets...
  • 1 0
 Well the easiest way to explain is using a bmx gyro... Basically it's a large bearing that has 4 spots to hook the cables to, 2 up top two down low. The upper cable splits a bit down the cable to 2 as does the lower cable. In terms of the hydrolic version it will probly be a sealed unit that you have to add fluid into and hook up the lines and then spin away...
  • 3 2
 Magnets, are you mad, its a sealed hydraulic cylinder that has a swivel point, its the same as an hydraulic brake using a lever plunger to apply pressure to the sealed brake line.
  • 5 0
 that was obviously a joke, bigfoot.
  • 3 0
 I'm a hydraulic mechanic for the oilfield and it's basically based off a unit called the rotary seal.. It's got channel made of seals on the inside and the seals seal against the inside "tube" of the body. The fluid would most likely go down the back side into this channel and out the front of the outer tube. Very confusing but all in all based off of bigger hydraulic systems. Like a backhoe
  • 5 1
 The entertainment is endless with pinkbike comments. Does anyone actually read. The guy up top said moms and grandmoms have been making gyros for years and people still beleive it!
  • 2 0
 I thought the term "Gyro" was trademarked by Odyssey in this application...
  • 1 0
 Maybe the fact that its hydraulic is enough to break the patent or trademark or whatever.
  • 2 0
 bet cam was rockng a fat beat in his head
  • 1 0
 too bad interbike didn't coincide with deadmau5. they just played the cosmopolitan. the show rocked
  • 2 0
 i dont understand this concept one bit.
  • 3 1
 I want one now I can work past the fade feel on the brake.
  • 1 0
 wtf are you on about?
  • 4 0
 He's saying he doesn't care if their perfected yet, he wants one, and will deal with the problems.
  • 1 0
 brake fade and spongy lever feel are two completely different things. and i'm not even being anal on this one...
  • 1 0
 Fade, spongy, I'm sure its not that bad on the prototype if you have some of the sickest riders running them on some of the craziest slope style course know to man. They don't want them being sent back like the Trickstuff Trixer and the Atomlab ones that pretty much never worked. Strsitline has a reputation to up hold they would never put out a product that wasn't the best.
  • 2 0
 "they would never put out a product that wasn't the best"

The SSC stem, just saying....
  • 1 0
 wooow pretty cool i think iam gowing to try this nrew part out veary intrsted in it
  • 1 0
 If i spent a day with those guys Im sure I would end up in hospital due to a heart attack from laughing...
  • 1 0
 Just make a solid 100 bucks.. You'll sell more then don't up the price too much please!
  • 1 0
 when can I buy this gyro?
  • 1 0
 So when will this be available to purchase?
  • 2 1
 Wouldn't it make sense to just make the bottom half a Headset cup...?
  • 4 0
 From an engineering standpoint, yeah... But what slopestyle rider/dirt jumper/other freerider wants to pull out a mallet and remover every time it needs to be serviced? Given the history hydro gryo's have had, it's not worth the risk just yet.

They've got my vote. Supporting them now means better products in the future, when I will know how to barspin/tailwhip!
  • 1 0
 I always thought it was mounted just like a headset spacer...
  • 1 0
 That's exactly what it is
  • 1 0
 Why does it need to be bolted to a rigid part of the bike? Am I missing something?

Also, I'd like to see it cut in half, see what it looks like.
  • 1 0
 Yes, but you must fix the lower part of the gyro, to prevent it from moving around... just like on bmx bikes.
  • 1 0
 they have defied physics! good on straightline son
  • 1 0
 "If you had a helmet bag on your head..." hahah I love it Razz
  • 1 0
 looks really taxed
  • 1 0
 where can i buy it?
  • 1 2
 Hopefully it works better then my tr!xer! haha
  • 1 0
 what do you think of your trixer? Is it good for the price, or it's not worth it?
  • 1 1
 It worked alright for a start and then it leaked so much it had to be bled every second day... So I don't think it's worth a cent ha







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