1986 SE Racing P.K. Ripper

Mat's post-Haro, pre-HB Ripper!

Holy Grail build.


**SOLD 9.12.15 to member Dan2580**

I was always a fan of PK Rippers, and this bike in particular. Mat's first build post-Haro Bikes was this white PK. I remember it was all over the magazines in 1990. I always wondered how a pure-bred race frame would hold up to the abuse of vert riding. I always knew Buff and Fiola rode PK's back in the day, but in 1990, Mat Hoffman was OUT THERE. Mr. Progression. He had left Haro, whose frames weren't up to the punishment of modern vert riding. Apparently, the PK acquitted itself pretty well. From the Man himself: "I was on my way back to California with Mindy Udell, my girlfriend, and we stopped in Yuma, Arizona to visit her cousins, I think. It was sitting in the town's local bike shop. I just had to have it. It was the first time I got a bike where I could glob it with stickers and do whatever I wanted. The only bad thing was paying the bill." Looking at the angles, you've got to believe the PK made a real impact on Mat when he was designing the original Condor with Linn Kastan.
I'm very happy with how this scoot turned out -- though for the purists, there are some non-period (yet entirely functional and cost-effective) alterations, which I don't believe take away from the overall visual impact of the bike. I struggled with whether to make this bike exactly as Mat rode it (as an unsponsored rider, most parts were used, or whatever replaced a broken piece -- case in point, the 1985 Haro forks, which replaced the bent, or broken Landing Gear) or to use new (or refin'd) but correct parts wherever possible. I went with the latter option, so that the bike would be a 'clean' reproduction.
Ain't she a beaut?
Frame: 1986-87 SE PK Ripper, bought from ebay. S/N 9-1895Fork: '88 Haro FST / FSX fork, bought from ebay.Stem: GT meat mallet clone. Could have dropped the extra $60 for an original GT, but budget dictated this was the way to go. Bars: 1996 Haro kneesavers. Cheaper alternative to buying the correct, but expensive 1988 models. Painted and decal'd as 88's.Grips: New, black A'Me TriWheels: My original Peregrine Super Pros from '90. Rear axle replaced and front spokes replaced due to rust. Replaced nuts front and rear with NOS Peregrine nuts.Tires: New white Odyssey Frequency G's in 20X1.75. (Mat was likely riding Haro multisurface.)Brakes: My original Odyssey Pitbull from '91-92 (silver) rear. Later production (but not new) Dia-Compe Nippon front.Brake Pads: NOS GT Kool Stop (front) New Odyssey (rear)Levers: Black / silver Dia-Compe tech 77'sCrank: 1988 - '89 GT 175mmPedals: NOS Fusion DX alloy. Mat's originals were black DX's. Fusions are a concession to the crazy cost of Shimano DX's online.Disc: Repop '88 Team HaroSeatpost: Alico, knurled, straightSeat: New black Kashimax RSDetangler: 1" original Odyssey gyro - modified. (Have you ever tried to fit a lower gyro plate on a PK Ripper?)Chain: Black KMCCustom stickers: 2X Swatch 'bumper stickers' on down-tube, 1X Swatch Pro Tour decal on sprocket, 1X Swatch Pro Tour decal on seat tube, 1X Trend Bike Source decal on top tube, 1X 2Hip 'bumper sticker' on top tube, 1X 'Freestylin' mag sticker on handlebar crossbar, 1988 Haro kneesaver decals, and c. '85 Haro fork decals.
Thanks, and acknowledgements: Paint for forks, bars and stem by 2Big. HUGE thank you for the amazing work. Cranks came from youngbuck. The fantastic Team Haro disc came from member RL20-II Guy. I was really lost trying to find the right seatpost, but troynlori came thru. Decals came from Louis at UltraHIVE, wired, ajkbikes, and Ron Wilkerson / 2Hip Bikes. Additional thanks to getmoney and chromey.