The godfather of Bmx has passed away -


The “Rick” of the infamous Rick’s Bike Shop team, he mentored and coached a motley group of kids and transformed them into the team that ruled the early days of BMX. Rick`s legacy as team manager and coach had an undeniable impact on the competitive side of the sport. The original team members are like a who`s who of legendary names in BMX history. The team roster included Hall of Fame riders such as Dave Clinton, Bobby Encinas and Thom Lund along with equally influential riders like John Palfreyman, Doug Takahashi and Tinker Juarez. Rick`s creative ingenuity was very much ahead of its time. The "Twomey Effect" is highly recognized in the technological advancements that transformed bikes from suspension tankers to the rigid frame standard of today. Rick`s team members set the track record at the 1974 Yamaha Gold Cup in the LA Coliseum as the first team racing on Webco rigid frames and Motomag wheels. Redline credited Rick`s influence as essential on their first loop tail frame, which was ridden my RBS team member John Palfreyman. Rick strongly influenced and guided the development of Webco frames and also contributed to design at Mongoose and Jag. Also of note, Rick was the first BMX Editor for one of the earliest BMX publications, Minicycle/BMX Action.



-