Detangler

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The detangler is an invention for the Freestyle BMX bicycle allowing the handlebars to turn a complete 360° rotation without the brake cables getting tangled up. It is commonly called the Gyro. The trademark for the term "Gyro" is owned by Odyssey BMX, of Cerritos, California. "SST oryg" is another common manufacturer of detangler systems.

A detangler is usually only used for the rear brake. The front brake cable can be routed through the stem, via a hollow stem bolt known as a Pott's mod bolt, and fork steer tube to avoid the tangling problem.

[edit] How it works

From the brake lever the single cable is split into two parts, each of the ends of the cable are fed either side of a disc which sits around the steerer tube of the fork.

The disc is joined to another similar disc below it by means of a lip, allowing full rotation about each other.

The lower disc also has two cables fed from it, which are mounted on the frame joining into one cable further down, then being fed into the brake.

There is also a second variation of the system. Instead of using splitters for the upper and lower cables, two cables (dual cables) run from the brake lever to the detangler and two more run to the brakes.

[edit] Gyro advantages

Cables do not get tangled which allows bike tricks such as the tailwhip or barspins to be performed.

If a dual-cable set up is used, the brakes can be adjusted more precisely.

When set up properly, detanglers give better performance and reliability than a single cable.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Gyro disadvantages

Due to the increased number of components, flexing parts make the brake not be as sharp as with a single cable.

Dual Cables decreases the flexing, but can give a rigid feel that some people do not like.

It is slightly heavier and more expensive than a conventional configuration.