Trickstuff unveiled a production ready version of their hydraulic gyro at Crankworx Innsbruck. A gyro disconnects the brake hose under the stem so that trick ferrets doing barspins and tailwhips can rotate to their heart's content without getting tangled cables. Though now most famous for their brakes, one of Trickstuff's first products was their Trixer gyro.
Unfortunately, as with most hydraulic gyros, it wasn't the most reliable product and as the company grew and started selling products worldwide, they started to struggle to meet them requests for services and replacement seals. The new version is supposed to be a lot more reliable while still being low friction enough for the demands of slopestyle riders.
Some bikes (such as the YT Play this gyro was built on) have these steerer tube holes drilled in, ready for a gyro. If you don't have them you can drill them in yourself or Trickstuff will also offer a mount that fits under a headset.
This has been a bit of a passion project for Trickstuff and they've apparently gone way over budget in designing it, but they just wanted a product that worked. The original prototype had seven seals and was a bit of a beast, but they've managed to slim it down for the production version while still keeping it reliable. The gyro is designed to run with Shimano or SRAM brakes, and it can also run with Magura but apparently the set up is a bit more tricky. The gyro can also run with DOT fluid or mineral oil
It's a two piece design with the top half in stainless steel and the bottom half anodised aluminum. This is one product that Trickstuff don't make in house in Freiburg, Germany, but they use nearby manufacturers who have advanced enough CNC machines. It has also been tested using a rig developed by the turbo and rocket engine department at the local university.
Get used to seeing this gyro more and more, Trickstuff are hoping the product is so good they can convince enough top slopestyle riders to run it that they get all three spots on the podium in Crankworx Whistler. The gyro will be on sale either in local distributors or direct from Trickstuff in a few months for €189, riders may also have to buy a connection kit that costs €19.90. Yes, that's a lot more than wrapping a long hose underneath your stem, but it's also a lot cleaner and can be spun infinitely in both directions.
Also spotted on the bike was this left hand bottom braket cup called the NoGo that can be stuffed with o-rings to slow down the cranks spinning. Why would you want to do that? Well, if you're throwing big tricks you want to know your cranks are in the same place you left them before you land. The NoGO can take up to five o-rings and will pretty much lock out the crank if desired, this one had two in and stopped turning after less than a rotation when spun hard.
More info here.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZahZu9KoZa8
Fluid Rotary Joints (the industrial version of this) are really tough to engineer at this size (formerly an engineer at rotary joint design firm), and doesn't surprise me they wen;t over budget to find a solution.
youtu.be/bADVKJlvvGc
Fantastic prank idea.
www.vocalbmx.com/shop/vice-drs-upgrade-kit
or wrap an old tube around the spindle against the bearing...
Serious question.
They dont need too much power on course, but i find it easier to control speed precisely with a hydraulic brake, plus its better for tailtaps etc... in a skatepark