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2013 Baum Bandit

Handcrafted titanium race frame. Currently the only one of its kind in existence.


It came time for me to source a new race frame, and not wanting to ride something "like everyone else" I decided to go the custom route.

I was originally planning on going custom CrMo, but upon talking to the frame builder, I decided to upgrade to Ti in order to make the frame really stand out at the races.
As the lifetime of Ti far exceeds that of Al, I decided to also attempt to "future proof" my investment by specifying features that I thought might make it into BMX in the coming years.
First amongst these features was a 1.5" head tube to accommodate forks with tapered steerers (which are prevalent in both MTB and road).Next up was a PressFit 30 bottom bracket as I can see BMX moving on from the current 24mm CrMo spindles to the lighter/stiffer 30mm Al spindles used in MTB/Road.Finally, as we are already seeing axle diameters change, I went for fully adjustable and replaceable dropouts so that over the life of the frame I can upgrade my wheels by simply machining new slider plates.
The finish is all natural Ti.  But instead of leaving it raw as is common, I chose to have the frame taken to a high polish and then selectively sand and bead blasted to "stencil" the brand and model designations on the frame.
I honestly thought this frame would weigh more than your typical Al race frame, but less than that of a CrMo frame.  So to say I was surprised by the final weight of approx 2lb 15oz (1330g) is an understatement.
Parts List<
Frame: Baum Bandit
Fork: Supercross SLT 20mm
Headset: Chris King Tapered Inset
Stem: Thomson Elite BMX
Bars: Supercross Fox Yeah! (6 back, 2 up)
Grips: Odi Ruffian (w' flanges)
Brake Lever: SRAM XX Hydraulic Disc
Brake Caliper: SRAM XX Hydraulic Disc
Cranks: Rhythm Pro
Chainring: Rennen 41t
Bottom Bracket: SRAM Press Fit 30 (w/ Enduro HollowTech II adaptors)
Seat Clamp: Crank Bothers
Seat Post: Thomson Masterpiece 31.6mm x 350mm
Seat: Tioga D-Spyder S-Spec
Rim (Front): Alienation Deviant
Rim (Rear): Alienation Skylark
Hub (Front): Stealth Pro 20mm
Hub (Rear): Stealth Pro Disc 15mm w/ SRAM 140mm rotor and 15t sprocket
Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray
Tyres: Maxxis DTH foldable 1.75
Tubes: ITS Race Lite