Here it is, the Eastern Titanium Grim Reaper. The controversial freestyle BMX frame is the lightest of its kind in the world, and it’s made completely of 6Al-4V titanium. The chromoly version of the Grim Reaper was the catalyst of many flame wars in the BMX community, with its weight-relieved design and relatively light weight and the titanium version of this further entrenches the two camps that either love its innovation or lambaste it for its perceived dangers of breaking.

:: Eastern Titanium Grim Reaper - click on image to enlarge ::

Whatever anyone thinks of it, the Titanium Grim Reaper is a site to behold and an intriguing experience to actually handle. It’s lighter than most handlebars, and the welding work is pure artistry. But how strong is it? I’m not sure - according to Eastern, it can handle whatever kind of riding you can dish out, yet it has no warranty against breaking or denting. Sort of a contradiction in logic, since Eastern generally stands behind their frames with a very strong warranty. Either way, this is BMX history that will be remembered, as this particular frame is no longer being produced, and from what Eastern tells me, there will be no more. What’s the fate for this one? I don’t know yet, but it sure is one heck of a conversation piece.

:: Closeup view of bottom bracket - click on image to enlarge ::

Old school BMX bikes have become the collectible muscle cars of bicycles. There are now several message forums dedicated to the old school collector, be it freestyle or race bikes. One of the newest sites to emerge is Table Top BMX, which is owned and operated by Jason Kraig and Ty Babcox - BMX collectors well known among old schoolers.

Why do I like a new site so much? Because this one is different - it has experienced explosive growth and rapid development along the way. The community is great, and to top it all off, TTBMX just opened an online store that’s filled with many NOS parts us collectors need. I would rather not deal with unknown Ebay sellers, and this is perfect. The prices are right, and more importantly, the product descriptions are accurate. That’s what we need, and my latest CW ZX Pro project has been almost completely fulfilled by the TTBMX online store. More on that build later, for now, check out Table Top BMX - even if you’re not into BMX collecting, there’s a lot of memories in that site.