Lee Dennis has a sweet bike check of his blue wave Third Wave up on the Ride BMX site. Lee rides the strongest frame that we have available. You can’t beat Wave tubing, our hollow dropouts and 41 Thermal Heat-Treating. Just not possible. Follow this LINK to see his bike.
More Lee:
Lee Dennis Friend | Lee Dennis Vacation | Happy Leap Year!
Anyone remember this guy? Some of you will remember the frame, but probably no one will remember the color. This is one of the OG Sunday frame prototypes that we received in the fall of 2005. We had 6 different metallic colors made including purple, blue, yellow, red, green and gray. When the frame was released in May 2006 only the red, green and gray colors made it to store shelves. There was even plans to have 2 different rear ends lengths, but BMX had made the change to short rear end lengths by that point.
Sunday frames came out boasting some serious features that hadn’t been done before. They are the only frames to use Odyssey’s proven 41-Thermal heat-treating process which makes Sunday frames some of the strongest frames out there.
The OG frame was the first to use hollow dropouts as a way to improve strength, but not increase the weight. Other companies were trying to make their bikes lighter by thinning out the dropouts, but doing that decreases the strength tremendously. Our dropout width was 8mm, but it was completely hollow in the center except for some support structures that prevented crushing. The hollow dropout doubled the strength, but still retained the weight of a normal dropout.
There are so many features going on with this frame that aren’t as obvious as hollow dropouts. It has post-weld machining of the bottom bracket and headtube, so your bearings fit perfectly every time. The brake mounts are angled to straighten out cable routing thus improving brake performance. Notice, we eliminate the sandwich on the top tube at the seat tube to keep side to side stiffness at its best. There’s more frame feature info on the last photo.
Compare the soon to be release Third Wave frame to this OG frame. Nearly every feature is still there, but yet we’ve improved upon them. There’s Wave tubing used for the top tube and down tube. Chain tensioners have been added to the dropout to keep your wheel in place. The new cable channel and removable mounts improve the looks of their frame, but still has the same quality braking. Things are just getting better and better. Look for more Flashback Fridays in the future.
First Sunday frame prototype in blue color that was never released.
Prototype sample stickers for clarification purposes only.
Welded on gyro tabs and no waves on any of the tubes.
Better view of the down tube. No waves.
The OG frame was the first frame with hollow dropouts.
We made samples in 14.25" rear end. Look how long the wishbone is!
Last year, we showed you the inside of a Wave down tube. Now, with the soon to be released Third Wave (just over 3 weeks away), we are showing you the cross-section of the Wave down tube and our new Wave top tube. These top and down tubes are custom drawn tubing shapes that are formed using the same manufacturing steps as a traditional, seamless, round bicycle tubes. The difference is that we’ve put the shape’s contour design to work for you. The tubes are drawn into shape with strategically formed Waves that run along the entire length of the tube. Now, if you’re not familiar with the functional purpose of the Waves, they’re designed to make the frame more resistant to the accidental denting damage that can occur when you’re riding. While no bicycle tube is “dent proof”, these tubes have been engineered to withstand more abuse than a traditional round tube. After all, once a tube has been dented during riding, the strength of the frame’s front end has been compromised. And it doesn’t matter whether the dent is on the top tube or down tube. Included in the cross-section is the Cable Channel which can be found on the underside of the top tube. The Cable Channel is used to partially hide the brake cable, and it also allows for the attachment point of the pressure fit cable guide. For more info about how this cable guide works, follow this link. Choose wisely!
For even more info check out our recent “Enter the Wave” ad.
Here’s a small sneak peek of the new Sunday frame line up for 2010. Aaron Ross’ Funday frame has been given some new features and a watermelon theme. You can hear more about the Funday frame on it’s very own Twitter page. Ever since the Third Wave was shown at the 2009 Interbike show last fall, all we’ve heard is how psyched people were for it. We took the Second Wave and some how improved it’s strength. Lastly, we’d like to introduce the newest edition to our line up called the Forecaster. It’s designed with tech street riders in mind. These should all be available sometime in May. Check the site tomorrow for all the specs and features of the Funday, Third Wave and Forecaster frames.
Eric Lichtenberger had a bike check of his Third Wave prototype a few days ago, but we didn’t get to show you close ups of the Wave on the toptube. The photos aren’t the best, but you will notice a bunch of scratches and dings, but no major dents. The idea behind the Wave toptube is the same as the one for the downtube. Each small Wave is stronger and stiffer than a non-waved tube, it’s easier to dent a larger tube then a smaller one. We’ve been doing the Wave downtube since 2007 and it’s been proven countless times. If you dent either one then you significantly decrease the strength of the front end. The Wave toptube will only be offered on next spring’s Third Wave frame. Look for more photos of the Wave downtube including the cable channel on the underside next week!
Sunday introduced the Wave downtube at Interbike in 2007. This unique feature quickly became a centerpiece in our goal of bringing riders a frame that’s both strong and light. Surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t notice the Wave when we initially showed it at Interbike, and to this day some riders STILL haven’t noticed it. There are also riders out there that are unaware of how well the tube design really works. However, with that said, I have heard countless stories from Sunday frame owners about what their Wave downtubes have been through. It’s understood that the tube won’t take “everything” thrown at it (after all, it’s still just made of 4130 chromoly), but it will take a lot of the abuse that ordinary round tubes won’t, and once the downtube of a frame has been damaged, it’s only a matter of time before a new frame will be needed. At this point it’s been over two years since we began testing the original prototypes, so I figured that it was time to show some photos of what a Wave downtube looks like on the inside.
