Does Anyone Remember.....

[Dano]

Z rims?? Is that what they were called? they were a bendable rim that bent when you landed on them and to get them back into shape you threw them in the freezer- I traded a kid for some when I was like 12 and put them on one of my bikes-

Why the heck did I just think of that?

Too much coffee.

damn

[FSSS]

Does anyone remember Z rims??

Back in my teens, I had a Z rim built around a fixie hub.

Fixie BMX... not a good idea.

[steef]

I ran Z-rims for a few years, inbetween bouts with racing on 20x1 3/8"s. mmm, flexi rims.

[Danimal]

I had z-rims I think, on my old school Haro Freestyle. They flexed and automatically bounced back into shape. Don't ever remember that they had to be frozen in order to get their shape again. Maybe the ones I had were not Z's. But they ran me about $300.00 back in like '83.

[Tex]

I had a pair of the graphite Z's, they didn't flex as much. As a result, once when I cased a jump, I broke the rim all the way through it. I remember I wouldn't tell my Dad, because I spent "so much money on them" and I kept right on riding them. Not real safe.

[steef]

The freezer trick was an urban legend.

[manual63]

The freezer trick was an urban legend.

Yeah, that one has been around for years. I can't believe people still actually believe this one. Oh well.....I would like to beat the kid that started it.....:scream:

[Tex]

As I recall, the freezer/dish washer myth wasn't for Z rims, but for Skyway Mags. I never tried it, I always figured it was a load.

[flombe]

Were Z rims those nylon composites that laced up with regular spokes (i.e. not a mag)? Never had them but know some peole that did (BD)!

[steef]

Dishwashers aren't just for wheels anymore.:banana:
http://www.waza.net/bmx/joke/dishwasher.jpg
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[Dano]

I thought the skyways (2's?) were a regular mag- I recently saw a pair at a shop- they must still make them!?

[Beau]

Skyway Tuff II's are mags. Z-rims are plastic rims with spokes. I ahve a set of each!:banana:

[berrywise]

If you want your own pair you can pick up a set on Ebay right now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ACS-Z-RIM-wheel-set-Sunshine-hub-Old-School-BMX_W0QQitemZ7184208650QQcategoryZ64644QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Now if want to pick up a true classic. Bid on this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pre-serial-Hutch-XL24-Cruiser-BMX-not-Redline-GT_W0QQitemZ7184015589QQcategoryZ98082QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem

[steef]

Lavender :D (http://cgi.ebay.com/Purple-lavender-ACS-Z-rims-bullseye-old-bmx-freestyle_W0QQitemZ7186953995QQcategoryZ64644QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemhttp://cgi.ebay.com/Purple-lavender-ACS-Z-rims-bullseye-old-bmx-freestyle_W0QQitemZ7186953995QQcategoryZ64644QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

I saw a hutch 24 at a party in august. unlocked...
http://www2.bitstream.net/%7Enakroach/image/bikes/hutch24.jpg

[berrywise]

My roommate just brought home a Predator with a pair of ACS Z-rims on it. I'm gonna have to style this thing out.

[manual63]

Skyway still makes the Tuff II's and I guess they started making the Graphite ones again. I saw that they even make Tuff wheels with 14mm axles now. For those of you who don't know, 14mm axles are pretty much standard on all modern dirt jump/steet BMX bikes. They are much stronger when mounting pegs on them and grinding rails and such.

Z-Rims were made by ACS. ACS is still around and singlespeeders know about their Claws freewheel. They made Nylon one that were super flexy and later graphite ones that easily cracked.

All plastic based wheels had a few similar issues. The most obvious was that they flexed way too much, especially one sideloads, like a miami hopper....:). The other issue is the tire bead. They could not have a very good inset for the tire bead to go into, so tires easily unseated and the tube came out and sometimes a big BOOM! happened.

I think it was sometime in the mid 80's that 48 spoke wheels came out. That was a revolution. Many riders had reservations about running and aluminum spoked wheel at first, but they were so much lighter and stiffer, that by the late 90's, no one ran Z-Rims or Mags (like Tuff II's) any more. By the late 80's, double walled 48 spoke rims came out. Then not long after triple chamber rims, which are like Rhyno Lite's today. Within a span of about 6 or so years, freestyle BMX made huge advancements in the sport of cycling. Much of the stuff used today on mountain bikes, especially freeride stuff, was created/invented in the mid - late 80's and early 90's.

I can say the one thing mountian biking gave to BMX that made it a lot better, V-Brakes. I hated those lame sidepull brakes we used. When BMX bike started running V-Brakes, it was so much nicer. Oh, the aheadset was another one. It goes both ways I guess......:)

[steef]

The joys of Z-rims:

http://www.osbmx.com/tampines/buffjump.jpeg

It looks like Buffy has about 16+ inches of suspension there in his knees. :D

[Tony M]

You guys are giving me flashbacks! I had a hutch that came with steel 48s that I put on every bike I owned thereafter. They were indestructable but weighed more than most of the frames I put them on.

TM