Tom Dugan: Odyssey DGN V2 Stem

Dugan rides like speed and height will solve most problems, and he is often right. Few riders make going outrageously high look so natural. There is real style underneath the full-send approach, which is why his clips have stayed memorable. Transition riding looks simple until you watch someone use the whole ramp properly. Speed has to be carried instead of manufactured at the last second, the bike needs to stay composed and the rider has to know exactly where the landing is before leaving the coping. Going high is one thing. Going high with shape, control and enough speed for the next wall is another. That is why a clean transition clip can be more memorable than something packed with extra tricks. The rider is working with the ramp rather than fighting it. When that timing is right, even a familiar line looks bigger, faster and far better than it has any right to. The good thing about Tom Dugan is that the riding never feels like it was designed by a marketing meeting. It looks like somebody spending years working out what they enjoy, what suits them and how they want the bike to move. That is normally where the most memorable BMX comes from.

Odyssey DGN V2 Stem. Stout body, six-bolt layout, bigger bolt heads and Odyssey's contoured clamping surface to keep the bars where you left them. More of the setup: Odyssey Grandstand V2 PC Pedals, Odyssey Dugan Tyre, and Fit Bike Co. Dugan Bars. A stem looks like a small block holding the bars, but it controls an important part of the cockpit. Reach, rise and whether it is front load or top load all change where the bars sit and how the front of the bike feels. Riders notice those little differences because the hands are connected to the bike through them every second. A signature stem normally reflects a position the rider has settled on after plenty of trial and error. That is useful context, not a rule. Compare it with what you already ride and decide whether you actually want the bars higher, lower, closer or further away before changing the setup. The smart way to look at this range is as a group of options, not a costume. Pick the piece that makes sense for your bike and ignore the rest if it does not. Tom Dugan arrived at this setup through years of riding. You are allowed to arrive somewhere different. Watch: The Hell Are You DUGAN?! Hero image: Odyssey BMX.