Early 1 1/8th clamp on redneck

[SaMAlex]

Heres a little something I have finally got round to doing.

In 1997 I got a 24” Challenger Cruiser from S&M. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use a challenger stem or a redneck. I ended up using a challenger stem on the cruiser but I took a redneck as well, just in case. The redneck I had was from the box of warrantee returns. It was fine but one of the stem bolts was stuck and the owner had been given a new one. I sorted out the stuck stem bolt quite soon after but didn’t do anything more with the stem.

I have been starting to think about giving my 24” Challenger a face-lift. I want to take off the challenger stem and use a redneck so I gave the old ‘warrantee return’ stem a bit of a clean up. It had a few knocks to it so I sanded down the worst of it and got it re anodised.

Its nice cos its one of the very first clamp on rednecks. The corners are all very sharp; they were rounded off on later rednecks. Also, this one is straight across at the back of the clamp. The first ones hit underneath if you used a gyro, so on later ones they rounded the back of the clamp so it would clear.

Nothing revolutionary here, just quite nice.

[oberonspacefruit]

would never have noticed, but a nice story nonetheless.

[darkersomeday]

nice there dude,

i actually prefer the looks of the sharp edged ones,

would that be "gyro-unfriendly redneck"?

was the ano expensive?

[SaMAlex]

Ha ha. Gyro and Knee unfriendly redneck!

I get alot of anodising done at my work. Its usually not much stuff and we get charged a minimum order of �50 for the anodising run. This means that I can put a few of my own things in the box and it wont cost anyone any more. Great, as long as I want Black or deep blue cos that is what we usually get done.

[YGT]

I have one of those,
in fact I think I have one of the absolute first ones.... I remeber just when S&M finally made them available.

the only downside is I completly reshaped mine the first week I got it.
I took the red anodizing off straight away, ground out the underside for a gyro, and rounded the edges to make it more flatland freindly ....

Then about a year or so later S&M updated there model with those changes and a longer fork clamp bolt section.

The most noticeable thing was the bolts on the redneck, I cant remeber how many times I sat in the bike shop and used to hear "pings" from bolts exploding on bikes just sitting in the store.

[SaMAlex]

Longer fork bolt secton? That rings a bell. I remember being at a radlands contest and Ian Morris had one of the first OS Dirtbikes. The stem kept slipping on the forks so that must have been a reason for that change.

I have heard a few people say snapping things about redneck bolts. They seem to snap rather than stretch. They always came with a second set of bolts (I think they still do) but Im not sure if the second set are the spares of the same, or different material bolts.

Bicycle Union Adam spend ages rounding off all the corners of his sharp redneck stem. I think of that every time I see a sharp one.

[generallee]

Nice story alex - I really need a redneck for my Holmes build - anyone got a 1.1/8" early one spare?

[teamsano]

my first redneck suffered from really short bolts and i stripped the main body of the stem, luckily bsd got it sorted for me with some helicoils, longer bolts, and a new anodise job.

[SaMAlex]

I went riding with Geoff Cain on saturday (at Epic). He cracked me up. His normal "rider" BMX is now what might be considered to be a mid classic, and it had this type of redneck on it! I might take some pics of his bike and pretend its a mid school "build" Ive just put together!

[generallee]

Oh Geoffs bike - that thing is brilliant - DK General Lee first gen frame, early redneck stem, fluffy toy brake plate, its fantastic. Get a pic up!

[SaMAlex]

Dont forget the PE hubs! Its class!

[dialledbikes]

I bought one of my best mates one of those stems for his birthday back in 1997.  He only had a Ruption Chogger (his first BMX bike ever at the age of 26) and he couldn't ride that well (bit like me really!) but he really had a good time trying.  We just to go down to Brighton or Slough track every weekend and tried riding the trails at places like Cuckfield (built by the lads from Powerhouse in Haywards Heath).  I don't see him much these days as he lives down in Kent, but I know he's still got that Ruption tucked away in his garage.  I'll have to persuade him to get back on it again soon.

[Capt Canuck]

did S&M make a 1 inch threadless red neck? 

[harris]

they sure did 

[YGT]

but i dont think it was 1" , was it?

[harris]

stupid fork stem .24mm hole

[SaMAlex]

did S&M make a 1 inch threadless red neck? 

They made a "1 inch" redneck and also the race shape stem. The first race shape stem was call the menstural stem, then it was called the challenger stem when it changed to oversized.

Like Harris said, it was slightly under 1" (although I think he means 24mm, not 0.24mm)

[SaMAlex]

I found a couple more earlyish rednecks and thought Id add them to the story.

The one on the right is an early 'sharp' 1 1/8th redneck with gyro tabs (GFR). You can see the cutout curve at the back to give the gyro clearance (as well as the gyro tabs).

The one on the left is a newer version of the same thing. Its got the rounded off corners making it a little easier on the knee. Also, on the newer one the stem clamp bolts are opposing but on the early one they both bolt from the same side.

Sorry the older one is such a mess. It was anodised red but it did my head in cos I was using it on a painted red frame and all I could see when I rode it was the clash in colours. I tried to paint it black with enamel paint but it all bubbled up and went mad. I think that is why I got the newer black one!

[teamsano]

tbh i'm certain the race stem was different to the menstrual stem.
the race stem was all machined out, and in the 90's it would be something i wouldnt have ridden, whereas the menstrual version was like the 'pre machined' version.

[SaMAlex]

the "race stem" might well have been machined out. I think the menstrual was the same as the challenger stem. I had them both, the menstrual in 1" and the challenger in 1 1/8th and I think they were the same. I could be wrong tho.

[dialledbikes]

I also remember having something called an Enduro Stem which I think was supposed to be a Challenger bottom bit and Redneck top bit (or something like that).

[teamsano]

the "race stem" might well have been machined out. I think the menstrual was the same as the challenger stem. I had them both, the menstrual in 1" and the challenger in 1 1/8th and I think they were the same. I could be wrong tho.

check the pics in your scans from bmxgrind alex, compare the menstrual in black to the gold challenger, you can make out its machined away.

[SaMAlex]

Gogo, you are right and I am wrong!!! The Menstrual stem DIDNT have the cut away underneath that the challenger stem has got. Im sure the 1" clamp on stem I had (with a Menstrual engraved top plate) did have the cut away, but maybe it was a 1" challenger stem all along.

My biggest Sorrys to ya Gogo, you ARE the man!

[teamsano]

  no worries alex, maybe you had a challenger stem with just the menstrual top?

 i'm just surprised i remembered such trivialities!

[SaMAlex]

no worries alex, maybe you had a challenger stem with just the menstrual top?

 i'm just surprised i remembered such trivialities!

Yeah, I think I prob had a challenger lower with a menstrual top.... or I just forgot about the lack of cutout on it.

We all have so much BMX knowlage jammed into our heads. Imagine if we had been doing something useful for the last 15 or 20 years. We would be a right clever bunch!