WHAT IS BLACK LOTUS?
Black Lotus is an Australian rider owned and Australian made BMX parts company. Black Lotus is owned and run by myself, Daniel Hunt (with the help of some good friends here and there). Right now we have sprockets and apparel available with more products in the works.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE SPROCKETS?
The biggest difference about these sprockets is the material they are made from. Instead of using the usual aluminium, these sprockets are made from an aluminium alloy called Alumec-89 which is stronger than 6061 or 7075-T6 (the material nearly all other sprockets are made from).
They are nice and thick for strength like a Tree sprocket but still super light because of the design.  The 28tooth only weighs ~97 grams. Also the teeth have been centred for extra strength.

WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS BLACK LOTUS APART FROM OTHER COMPANIES?
I guess the biggest thing is that Black Lotus is totally Australian. The parts are designed and drawn by myself and then CNC machined in Victoria. I know a rider owned company is not a new thing but I have been riding for over 10 years and have also studied mechanical engineering. I think this gives me a really good understanding of what makes a good bike part and how to design it.

Because of my studies and work experience I’m able to totally control the design from start to finish. Even up to the machining process, I send a 3D model to the machinist which goes into a computer controlled milling machine and the part that comes out is exactly as I designed it.  
Another thing I guess is the fact that I don’t intend to make thousands of parts and sell as many as possible as cheap as possible. The aim is to make really good stuff and spend the time to be sure its good quality. In the end if people are stoked on the parts and enough are sold to keep making more I will be really happy. 

WHY AUSTRALIA AND NOT TAIWAN OR CHINA LIKE MOST OTHER COMPANIES?
Well probably the main reason is just to support Australia. I know it is only on a small scale but I would much prefer to support our own country when there is the option to do so. I understand Taiwan or China are definitely cheaper and in some cases it may not be feasible to make certain parts in Australia.  But with a little extra hard work and support from riders I think it's possible to avoid going straight to Taiwan or China.

Another reason is for quality of the parts. The company I found to do the machining has heaps of experience in doing precision parts. Plus communication between them and myself is made really simple. There is no language barrier and no agents or other people in between. I can give the machinist a call directly and ask him a question or answer any he may have. We are both working to Australian standards so there are no misinterpretations.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
The sprockets have been awesome so we will continue with these. A Black Lotus peg is in the works and should be available end of 2008. We have new T-shirts on the way and will regularly be puting out new designs. There is alsosome other ideas but they are top secret for now......all new info will be posted on the web site.

HOW CAN SOMONE GET A BLACK LOTUS SPROCKET?
Go to the online store on this site, or visit any of the stores in our links page.