High Tech Hardware From Oregon’s Phoenix

April 6, 2011 by BMXNEWS.COM Editors

Beaverton, Oregon has a pretty rich history in BMX. In the late 1970s, Roger Berg invented the Uni Seat there. Roger, at the time, owned a restaurant called the Ice Cream Saloon, and was frequented by someone else you may know–Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. Phil would feast on “Vertibergers” and the specialty of the house, Cookies & Cream ice cream, made on-site as he plotted the next move in the early Nike “revolution.”

In the 21st century, a BMX Renaissance is underway in Beaverton…led, once again, by a guy named “Roger” (Tom and Roger, actually). Meet the Talon frame by BMX startup Phoenix Pro Cycles.

If Starfleet Command had a BMX Racing team, this would be the futuristic frame they’d be rockin. Mr. Spock would be fierce in 51-over cruiser (afterall, he could mind-meld with his comp to find out just what lines they’ll be taking). Capt. Kirk would be the perfect TM, as he could coax wins out of the most discouraged 10x, as well as fight any aliens on opposing team sheets. And Mr. Scott would be the team mechanic, painfully screaming “I can’t give ya’ any more, captain!,” then coming through in the clutch, just as the gate is about to drop.

At first glance, the Talon looked to us like a “concept” bike–like the Lamborghini plug-in hybrid…years from production, if ever.

But this example of BMX exotica is on the hoof already, and can be in your “golf” bag on its way to a National before school is out.

Here is a pull from the official press release:

Talon frames are carefully handmade from aerospace grade 6061-T6 Aluminum alloy in Phoenix’s own facilities in Oregon to very precise tolerances. Compression forming technology, similar to that used by high-end mountain bike brands was employed to give the ultimate in optimized strength-to-weight as well as a tuned ride.

In the past, many monocoque style BMX frames were criticized for being too stiff in the wrong places. With the aid of modern engineering software, Phoenix designers, Tom Floyd & Roger Linder were able to optimize the Talon’s strength-to-weight and “tune” the flex of the frame so that the rider experiences efficient acceleration along with unmatched steering precision and balance. “We are very proud to be making the Talon here in Oregon”, stated Tom Floyd, “It truly gives us the ultimate in control over quality and the precision of our construction. We simply could not get that by going to a 3rd party frame builder”. Each frame is built in custom made fixtures to ensure proper alignment during each step of the hand TIG welding process. Frames are then solution heat treated, re-straightened and aged to true T6 hardness by a Certified Aerospace Metallurgist.

Frame geometry was carefully selected for each frame size with rider age-range, weight and projected skill level as the main criteria. “We know where most competitive riders should be at certain ages and size.”, said Roger Linder, “We also know developmentally where riders should be, for example; when they are ready to move up from a Junior to an Expert or from an Expert XL to a Pro.” “Younger riders need more stability and more forgiving geometry to help them build confidence”, added Linder. “As the kids get older and their skills progress, the frame sizes should be incrementally more aggressive to match the riders progression.”

Talon race frames will be offered in 7 class sizes and 6 cruiser and will come in 4 anodized colors (black, blue, red, green) and white (powder coat). Frame weights will range from just over 2.5 lbs. (mini) to 3.75 lbs (ProXXL). Price TBA

Phoenix Pro Cycles is the brainchild of Tom Floyd and Roger Linder. Both have long ties to the sport. Tom was owner of Cantina Mountain Bike Shop in San Diego (one of the top dialin’ in centers on the West Coast for MTBers). Once he sold the shop, he worked at Haro, then Fox (on their shox product line). He was Mike King’s personal wrenchman, and also worked with top riders like Brian Lopes, Gary Houseman, Scotty Sharples and many others. Tom’s Married and three of four kids are active in BMX Racing.

Roger was something of a BMX prodigy, getting his Pro card at 14 and bangin ‘bows with the Pro-Class Royalty of the time like Pistol Pete, Gary Ellis, Darrell Young and Eddy King. He blew out his shoulder, and that was the end of the line for his riding career…but he stayed close to the sport as a track operator, team owner, and trained top racing talent like Josh Banuelos, Jeremy Rommel and Samantha Bretheim through his “Linder Trained” coaching program. Roger and his missus also have two riders in staging on any Sunday.

Reaction from the Forums and Facebook has been overwhelmingly positive, with more “I gotta have two of those” than you can shake a seatpost at.

Phoenix will be hosting a launch event at the upcoming ABA So. Cal Nationals, and BMX News will be there to cover it. Expect a full report from the event, and maybe even an interview with Roger and Tom.

More Photos

Talon BMX Racing Frame