FM release new GT Bumpers
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Looks like FM are coming for TFL's market share on decent bumpers.
Using the same material (UHMWPE), FM just dropped some posts about the new bumpers and from what it seems they look remarkably better than the factory ones.There was speculation that the new Factory Team was going to possibly result in something like this since a handful of them had a pretty decent insider understanding of how B.A.N.G s are made. The material was publicly known but the R&D wasn't so I wonder if FM got to skip some steps to get that dialled in manufacturing process.
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@lia Cheaper too . . . if they can manufacture them faster than TFL and keep them in stock, they'll for sure be very competitive. Right now, they have 7 colors in stock ready to ship.
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My GT Bangs arrived earlier in the week. They look like they might provide a few millimeters of extra clearance to the stock and BASH bumpers. I have the BASH on now. I plan on switching to the BANGs this weekend and comparing the three bumpers while they are all off, to see if I am right. The GT clearance is so bad, I am willing to pay extra for even a few mm.
Also, there are actually many variations possible for UHMW (it is a class of PE plastics). So, there is also a chance that these aren't as good of a formulation for that just right amount of slipperiness.
We will have to wait until people start getting their hands on these and comparing them to know for sure how they all stack up.
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An admission their original bumpers weren't good enough?
I prefer my metal float plates 🤘 -
I tried to compare the Stock vs BASH vs BANG for a GT. The BASH made it hard b/c of how the front bumper is designed with clips in the back instead of a full slide.
On Flat with the board off, pushing the nose down to the ground, the angle of the board is basically the same. The BASH was worn down, and so I think the BANG is just a touch better. The point of contact for all the bumpers is around the handle, but appears to be a further back on the BANG.
The front of the BANG provides a lot more clearance, but that is only helpful in a situation of rapidly increasing angle. Anything else, and the point of contact will be near the handle.
The BANG handle is rounded out, the FM handle is on a slight angle, and the BASH is pretty squared off. The BANG wins here by a lot.
Of the three, I definitely think the BANG is the best. I wouldn't have minded them pushing the clearance just a touch more. But, it could be that they tried and it just wasn't strong enough.
I'm definitely interested in any reviews from people who buy the FM UHMW bumpers. From what I can see in the video, I do not think I would buy them over the BANGs.
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@biell I had really good experience with Bangs on my XR's and I was lucky enough to snag a set of black and white Bangs for my GT, they were sold out of black and tiffany.
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@lemur Yeah, I missed out on the first drop of flat black and the tiffany swirl too. But, in the second round I snagged the white swirl. That is what I have on the board now.
Based on my first nudges, I expect them to hold up well. My XR has a tiffany swirl from the OG batch. I plan to replace them when I VESC those rails, but could probably make another year on them if I wanted to. BANGs last.
