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Oh

D-money wrote:

Now it's being inferred he may have designed the Holiest of holy bikes, the Trick Star.C'mon guys this lovefest is getting out of hand.

I didn't say or infer (or even imply) that he designed the Trick Star. I said I think Buff did (and I could even be wrong about that) and that Buff and RL probably discussed what they'd put on a bike to make it better for freestyle. They were riding race bikes in the BMXA Trick Team days, right? You don't think that two of the most visible people in freestyle at the time would have discussed what they'd like to have on a bike? C'mon, that's just silly talk.

Jon1971 wrote:

D-money wrote:

Now it's being inferred he may have designed the Holiest of holy bikes, the Trick Star.C'mon guys this lovefest is getting out of hand.

I didn't say or infer (or even imply) that he designed the Trick Star. I said I think Buff did (and I could even be wrong about that) and that Buff and RL probably discussed what they'd put on a bike to make it better for freestyle. They were riding race bikes in the BMXA Trick Team days, right? You don't think that two of the most visible people in freestyle at the time would have discussed what they'd like to have on a bike? C'mon, that's just silly talk.

I'll own up to a certain amount of silly talk at any given time.

HUTCH TRICK STAR.
Tested in BMX Plus! january 1985.
Steve Rainey, may 2007: (...) The bike was designed and built after experimenting with many different ideas of the actual employees at the Hutch company, namely Bill Grove, Jeff Peck and Steve Rainey to name a few. We did have the prototypes ridden by some of the riders, including Woody, for their input on the modifications (...)
Woody Itson, august 2011:  Here is how the Trick Star came to be:  Hutch gave me a pro racer to ride and asked me what I would do to change it.  I told him the first thing was to steepen the head tube angle and told them to what degree (75).   Second we needed to add a standing platform, third was standing platforms on the rear chain stays, and finally to add foot clearance between the front tire and the down tube.  The first one (standing platform) they gave me and buff to test on the first prototype frame was lame, ugly, and useless.  Second I told them them the size and location of the rear standers on the chain stays.  The first versions they made was bad (way to big and looked ridiculous) and I told them that wouldn't work.  The second version was also bad (smaller but still square-and got in the way of your feet) and I told them what to do.  The third version on those was correct.  I told them to add a coaster brake bridge to back end, the engineers at Hutch did come up with their way of doing that and it came out really cool. But Buff and I pushed hard for that because we both ran coasters.   Finally the foot clearance issue on the front end.  Again, I told them what to do with moving the down tube up to the top tube area for clearance, but someone there came up with the tube piercing the down tube and attaching to the top tube.
The best way to explain it is like this.  If you look at the first prototype type frames me and Buff rode, that's what "they came up with" and I was bummed with it and told Hutch that's not what I asked for.  When you see the production version of the Trick Star, that's what I came up with with the help of an engineer at Hutch.  I spent a lot of time on the phone with people at Hutch and flew out there almost once a month in the early years.  I also came up with the name Trick Star.  That is how it went down.  If you check all the earliest photo's from the earliest magazines it backs up what I'm saying 100%.  The engineers I dealt with at Hutch were great people and very supportive and without them there would have been no Trick Star.  However, without me, you wouldn't have the Trick Star you know today.

BMX_DNA wrote:

Mirage1972 wrote:

Dude, if I had a General Osborn Pro, I'd give it to you for that post.

Does anyone have a scan they could post or link to of this? "Who doesn't recall the issue with RL and Mike Buff riding the vertically positioned bikes?... Buff on the PK Ripper and RL on a Murray. They looked cool! It was cool and I wanted in!"?

Sounds vaguely familiar, but would like to see it again.

I still have the issue. Just pulled it down off the shelf and am looking at it. I'll see if I can pull a good scan of the cover.

Here's a nice shot of the January 1983 Cover.

He could see the death of freestyle and just wanted out i think, I am just happy i got to see RL and Mike Buff doing a show in Toronto in maybe 85?

I decided if I was going to be the last one to post on this thread, I'd at least hit it again to bump it.

All said and done I bet if RL decided to get back in the biz and made a new state of the art bike....we all would be clamoring for it.

Redline era RL is my fave too, still have some autographs, posters,  and pictures of when I met him at a local show.

PECKER

BMX_DNA wrote:

XJguy wrote:

All said and done I bet if RL decided to get back in the biz and made a new state of the art bike....we all would be clamoring for it.

Redline era RL is my fave too, still have some autographs, posters,  and pictures of when I met him at a local show.

Dude I was thinking the same thing - like Bob Haro and the limited edition bike he's about to release.

I know RL could create something extraordinary.

RL didn't really build, design, etc products, bike frames, etc.   NOT like Bob Haro.  RL was a decent rider and a mega promotor.

That's the first issue of BMXA I ever had...Got it for Christmas.  I still have it

R.L. was awesome bitd.  So what if he moved on?

ChrisHunt wrote:

BMX_DNA wrote:

XJguy wrote:

All said and done I bet if RL decided to get back in the biz and made a new state of the art bike....we all would be clamoring for it.

Redline era RL is my fave too, still have some autographs, posters,  and pictures of when I met him at a local show.

Dude I was thinking the same thing - like Bob Haro and the limited edition bike he's about to release.

I know RL could create something extraordinary.

RL didn't really build, design, etc products, bike frames, etc.   NOT like Bob Haro.  RL was a decent rider and a mega promotor.

You know this as fact?  Because I recall reading that he had a lot of input in the design of the bike (so much so that the General is a near copy of the RL-20II)....its always been speculated that the RL-20 was RL not for Redline but for Osborn.  It was convenient once he left that it also is the initials for Redline.

One day RL and Buff will write a book and make money off their stories of BMX back in the day. They were BMX and Freestyle Pioneers just like Bob Haro. If I were RL or Buff I would re-enter the industry and make $ off my name.

Last edited by oldschoolray (2012-07-27 3:08pm)