Redline’s Long-Awaited “Project 79″ Revealed!
Over the past year, Redline has been keeping a secret of which Black Ops at the Pentagon would be proud. Dubbed “Project 79,” it sparked wild speculation as to what it could actually be.
Was it a new drive system? A forward-thinking, spring-loaded fork…hey, where’s the rulebook?? Or was it a complete head-fake that would keep national and factory teams scratching under their helmets with a coat hanger, just long enough to hear the chuckles coming from Kent?
Well, as it turns out, none of the above. The build-up was a masterstroke, and renewed our love and appreciation for the creativity of BMX conspiracy theories.
So, soak in the real and the raw, as we tell you a little about “The Project.”
News heard the first whisper of it at the 2010 ABA Grands. Nothing the public eye could see, nothing tangible, but something was in motion. And as it turns out, it was in motion for several months by that point…something wonderful…something that may just move the finish line closer for Redline riders around the world, and farther for the other poor sots who were otherwise-mounted.
Then, the vid released around the ABA Winter Nationals. It featured household-name Redline riders with “I got a secret” grins on their faces, extolling the virtues of this coming secret weapon. They had just finished riding it on the SX side of the Speedworld track, and we now know that what they were riding was both real, and a big deal. Was Project 79 stored at Area 51? No spy photos leaked, even with the long-reach, and continental taste and charm of highly-placed BMX News operatives.
And now, on May 6, the big viola!
The uber-engineered, “Flight Carbon” is now bathed in the spotlight, dressed up in it its finest white-and-black-with-a-splash-of-red livery.
It is presented to you in two purchase options: a frame and hub system (at the rarified pricepoint of $999), and as a full build, which would qualify as nothing less than the Bugatti Veyron of the BMX world, at $2,799.99…the ultimate-of-ultimates for all, the impossible dream for most, and the “acquire-at-all-measures” for a select few. Size it right by selecting the Pro XL or Pro XXL.
The Flight Carbon brings the back wheel skewer some thick with a 15mm thru-axle, and the head tube has 54mm of beef to ensure the tracking of a rail-weapon.
We are going to let the spec sheets do the talking on the balance of the particulars, but suffice it to say that Redline has hit some major sweet spots with this brainstorm, and we are oh-so-anxious to see it, in its maiden “flight” (get it?), under the Redline roster soon, at a national near you.
CHECK OUT THE SPECS AND GEOMETRY (new window)
Oh…and now that it is all out of the bag, what about that “Project 79″ Code Name? Well, some thought it might be a tip of the hat to the year the company was founded (nope, that was ’70)…some thought it was the 79th product (we didn’t count them…but no, wrong again). In point of fact, it just happened to be Masa Sampei’s UCI career number. And for those of you who had BMX magazines hidden inside your science textbooks in high school (bless your hearts), we can tell you that Masa’s #79 has a meaning, firmly-rooted in science…the Periodic Table of Elements number for GOLD! The sun never sets on the Redline empire of talent, so from Chula Vista, to Tokyo, to Adalaide, to Papendal, it’s all about London now, baby!
Go get one this August at a Redline Dealer near you. One dealer chides: “Recycled aluminum gladly accepted as payment.” Does he mean pop cans or “something else?”
Links:
Redline Carbon Flight / Project 79 Official Website
More Photos:
Custom Graphics for the Dutch Nation Team
The Flight Carbon Complete Steps up to the Scale
