Jared Garcia To Fly With Hyper in 2012

Jerry Bradford sent along some scoop that the hefty Hyper Factory Team seems complete with the pickup of Jared “The Jet” Garcia from Victorville, CA. No pro flow for The Jet in the new year, as he fires up the burners for a run at the ABA National Number One Title, via the 19-27x Class.

So, the final seating arrangement under the Hyper Factory Team Tent for 2012 is as follows:

Elite Men – Donny Robinson
41-45C – Jud Ciancio
38X – John Paul Pfeiffer
19X – Jared Garcia
17X – Lain Van Ogle
16G – Shealen Reno
16X – Luke Roarty
14G – Kelsey Van Ogle
13X – Bubba Gonzales
10X – Patrick Coo
9X – Kohl Piluso
8X – Pete Choat

Hyper BMX Website

Lain and Kelsey van Ogle Go Hyper For 2012

It’s been floating around on some of the forums (including here on the BMX News forum) for a week or two, but now it’s official and we have the photos to prove it. Lain and Kelsey van Ogle have joined Jerry Bradford’s Hyper Factory Team.

Here’s what Hyper said, in a brief email to News

Another great day for Hyper Bicycles, announcing the addition of what has to be the most prolific brother-sister duo in BMX history. Lain & Kelsey Van Ogle have reached an agreement to be part of the Factory Hyper Team.
 
Their resume includes an incredible four UCI World titles, an ABA National #1 Amateur and 21 N.A.G. #1 titles. Hyper Bicycles is looking forward to helping Lain & Kelsey add to their collection of titles, with the brand new design frame for 2012.

Word is there may be one final announcement coming from the Hyper tent, before the industry shuts down for the holidays, so be sure to keep it right here!

New Ams Hyped on Team Hyper

Lots of tight lips in the team scene, even post-Grands. But News was able to pry a few choice bits out of those in the know.

First comes some fresh threads for former Redman roller, Bubba Gonzales. The above first jersey peek was popped off during third round (while Bubba had nothing else to do) at last week’s ABA Grands. Bubba bolted down a NAG 1 in 12 Cruiser, and a deuce in class for 2011.

Another flyer with fresh ink on a Hyper deal for 2012 is brand new 9x NAG 2, Patrick Coo.

Those two Cali kids join a roster of rock stars that include dR, himself, Donny Robinson–NAG 2 Shealen Reno, World 2 and NAG 3 Kohl Piluso, NAG 4 Pete Choat (who won an astonishing 31 National main events in 2011), NAG 4 John Paul Pfeiffer, NAG 5 Luke Roarty and 2011 NBL Champion Jud Ciancio.

Nine is our lucky number here at News, so we’re impressed by the symmetry of that squad…but TM Jerry Bradford says, on the sly, that they may add one more before its all said and done–for that dimepiece dazzle.

We’re always watching what Jud, Jerry and the Hyper gang have happening–on the track and on the shelves–that’s right, new Hyper hardware also coming down the pike to put under the aforementioned.

Stick with News for the latest on that, and for first photos of the team at the 2012 USA BMX Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, next month!

Meanwhile, check out the newest Hyper hubbub at hyperbicycles.com
 

BMX Racing Products From Interbike 2011

Interbike is an annual Bike Industry tradition dating back to 1982. Of course, back then, there were also the Bicycle Dealer Showcase (BDS) shows in Long Beach and New York, and a host of regional shows, such as the Chicago Area Bicycle Dealers Association (CABDA) show.

It was an era when you could not see the newest and coolest stuff from the popular manufacturers unless you hit one of these shows–particularly Interbike, as its unique calendar positioning–in the fall- put it in the prime spot for dealers looking for the season-making trends leading into the Holiday buying rush.

Of course, with the Internet age, we can see the latest and greatest products literally minutes after they come off the CNC machine or out of the welding fixture for the first time. This puts a question mark on many people’s plans year after year, as to whether it is “worth it” to travel to a trade show, aside from the four days of socializing.

Notwithstanding the seemingly-valid argument on seeing the new products via Skype, that last point should not be minimized in any way. Business is done among the familiar, and the guy you shared a cab with on the way to the airport, or high-fived at the blackjack table (or other strictly “stays in Vegas” activities) could be tomorrow’s customer, partner or distributor.

In BMX racing, the need to attend the show could be seen as reduced even further by the fact that our segment of the industry is very tight-knit– when a manufacturer sneezes, a dealer on the other side of the country says “bless you.” Again, for all the above-mentioned reasons, even in the racing side of the biz, there are familiar faces at every turn.

For the Mountain Bike and Road Bike crowd, the show is a massively successful and well-attended event. The two days prior to the exhibit floor opening are devoted to the “Outdoor Demo” which takes place at Bootleg Canyon Mountain Bike Park in nearby Boulder City (a stone’s throw from the Boulder City BMX track–home of the Redline Cup Finals, West).

BMXNEWS returned to the aisles of the show this year, and brought back some choice morsels of new stuff you’ll be seeing on the bikes of the factory and well-informed in the coming months.

ANSWER BMX

John Sawyer and Ryan Birk welcomed customers and media into a private hospitality suite, where their plans for 2012 were discussed openly and freely, and with a “this is gonna be AWESOME” kind of energy. It’s remarkable that, only 12 months ago, a chance meeting on the way out of the show was what brought John into the then-ailing Answer BMX picture as its new owner. Barely 365 days later, it could not be a more different situation, and THAT is one of the wonders of the face-to-face business that is done at conferences like Interbike.

Historically, Answer’s line of components has been geared toward the younger racers (apart from its wildly-popular Scythe and now Dagger forks). For 2012, they are stepping up the game and expanding the line to include a bevy of options for the big guys.

Picture the above photo as including an outboard BB and a Rennen 44t chainring

The drawingboards in the Answer mission-control bunker were piled-high with possibilities for a pro-sized crank kit that had all the upgrades baked in. The goal was “making a crank that was just as light, just as stiff, and high-performance as a Shimano DXR or Saint,” and it was a core goal to differentiate the Answer offering from the several other brands that piled in with their own rendition, during the Answer development process. The result was a kit that features a ceramic-bearing bottom bracket and genuine, US-made 44t Rennen Chainring. They will offer a menu of sizes to suit all comers, with a 170, 172.5, 175, 177.5, 180 and a 182.5mm. Price point is still being penciled out, but look for it to be “sub-$400.” Finishes available will be black and white from the get-go.

As the big guy component line came to be, a headset was also among the items that was a must-have. The new Answer headset positions itself in the higher-strata of offerings from Cane Creek and some of the other “not Chris King” players. Colors will be Red, Blue, Black and Polished, and price point at about $49.

Along with the above, will be an Answer Pro stem. Innovation, again, takes center stage in the Answer line, with an included “spin-around” shim that allows you to extend or retract the reach on your controls by 5mm on the Mini and Pro sizes, and 2mm on the Pro XL. We love it when the inevitable condition of BMXers growing up is factored in to the design of parts, as it essentially gives you a national entry fee and some concession stand cash, just by turning that shim around! Available sizes: Mini (35-40mm), Pro (40-45mm) and Pro XL (50-57mm). As Henry Ford said: “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black”…Available now for $67.95.

And finally, there will be an Answer brake set in both pro and mini sizes, with a cool-as-ice-cream lever. Watch BMX News “Product Spotlight” section for more on the stoppers, in the coming weeks.

STRENGTH BICYCLES

Along with his acquisition of the Answer BMX brand, John Sawyer also took possession of the Strength BMX brand (you may remember that name from the Luke Wilson/Bubba Harris era, as Bubba was aboard a Strength prototype during his most recent time in the Answer uniform).

John and Ryan are bringing Strength back to life for 2012, via an innovative frame constructed out of magnesium. You old schoolers will remember that magnesium has been used a few times in BMX racing’s history–most famously in the breakthrough Mongoose Motomags of the 1970s and 80s.

While doing some research into magnesium as a possible material for use in the Answer fork line at the Taipei Bike Show, Ryan spied some frame blueprints sitting on a side table. So began a six-month development cycle of prototyping and testing this largely-untested frame material. And from all appearances, they hit a rare tract of unexplored potential in BMX racing product evolution.

The Strength frame will be available in seven sizes (Micro-Mini to Pro XXL at launch, with a Pro Cruiser coming soon after), and will weigh in at right around two pounds for the larger sizes. Ryan added, not jokingly, that the micro and mini sizes will likely be as light or lighter than the carbon forks most riders would run with it. Price point is noted as “not cheap” (but the lightest, coolest stuff never is, right), but in line with top-line aluminum frames, at around $499 retail. They will also be offering the Strength frames as a kit, which will include the above-mentioned Answer headset and Dagger fork. On launch, the sole finish will be the pictured pearl white, with a broader palette probable down-range.

Ryan also clued us in about a later project of Strength complete bikes, with an aluminum frame.

YESS PRODUCTS

Canada puts the “North” in North America, and there are some sharp cookies up that way, with a budding BMX racing scene. Yess Products is one such cookie. Long an on-continent source for bike builders with a dream (their custom shop is a hotbed of two-wheeled-trickery in both MTB and BMX), Bill and Renny Husada brought their own house-made BMX racing frame design to market earlier this year. We’re starting to see more and more Yess frames under out-front crankers at nationals down here in the “Nifty-Fifty,” so the word is spreading fast! At Interbike, they were showing two of their latest.

The Yess frame comes in 10 Sizes (Mini, Junior, Expert, Pro-, Pro, ProXL, Pro XXL, Expert Cruiser, Pro Cruiser and XL Cruiser), with “Rider Area” lengths ranging from 18-22.5. On-site powder coating allows buyers to color their world in a wide range of finishes. Each and every one hand made, with pride, in British Columbia.

What is a killer frame without a killer fork. Yess is bringing the above expert fork to market, and is currently working to make some design refinements to the traditional Yess Pro-Sized fork. Shown in Expert size on the demo bike of Justin Hailey, the expert Yess fork is made of 7005 aluminum, weighs 410 grams and will retail for under $150. Stock finishes will be matte black and gloss white, but as noted above in-house powder coating allows Yess to do custom frame-fork color pairings.

ANARCHY BMX

BMX racing tends to play “hot-potato” with brand names. A brand may hop between four or five owners over the course of a decade. There are various reasons for this, but generally it involves an acquisition of one company by another, or the previous owner losing it in an all-night poker game after the NORA Cup (ok, maybe not so much the second one–usually it’s not poker).

Smilin Bill Ryan acquired the Anarchy BMX brand when they liquidated their assets in US Bankruptcy Court in 2009-2010. Reinvigorated by Bill’s vision, Anarchy is back for 2012 with a newly-designed frame, and designs on a new base of fans for the circle-A. The way Bill tells it, there will be an Anarchy team, with two pros repping the line. Five sizes will come to market (Expert XL, Pro, Pro XL, Pro XXL and Pro Cruiser), in three colors (“natural,” as shown, gloss black and acid green). The Anarchy avails itself of all the in-house tech know the Supercross BMX shop is known for, and that goes for materials too–with the familiar Easton Taper-wall downtube as the SX Envy, as well as the same head tube and seat mast. Of course, the Anarchy will be its own man, with an all-its-own rear triangle, top tube and optimized geometry. Streeting soon at $399.

SUPERCROSS BMX

While still hangin with Bill, we got some skinny on the weight-loss plan the 2012 Envy will be showin when it hits the track soon. Slimmed-down dropouts, with a stiffer, ovalized seatstay brace, ovalized flare at the junction between the seat mast and the bottom bracket, to allow for more weld area, and some advanced trickery in dialing in all the little details–this year the position of the clip-on brake cable guides was scrutinized and optimized to allow a better path from the lever to the “noodle” out back. Envy will stay at $499 for anodized colors and $549 for the mirror-polish (sunglasses not included).

Down the calendar a few pages, Supercross BMX will also be releasing its SLTi fork–which is the traditional SLT fork we all know and love, but with the addition of an integrated bearing race. The Blur line of frames will keep rollin strong as they have been, but with a re-jiggered 012 color palette (new colors: matte red–which gives you an ano look at a powder price, granny smith apple green, cola brown).

HYPER BICYCLES

After a good showing in WalMart (as BMX racing bikes go) last year, the mass market Donny Robinson bike is back for 2012, with a new paint-scheme which echoes that of the bike Donny will actually be riding (and that he just started talking about on Twitter yesterday). The all-white livery is said to be a silent tribute to dR’s decade-ago Powerlite AA-pro teammate, Mario Soto, who was killed in a motorcycle accident in his prime (at 22 years old) on January 16, 2001.

The 2012 dR replica will still retail for $99, but will be sold exclusively through walmart.com (and can be available for pickup at any local WalMart store in North America within a couple days). This, like the first dR replica, is an impressive starter scoot, and makes an awesome loaner bike at the local track. Think about going in with a buddy or two and donating a couple to your track.

Jud Ciancio, fresh off his NBL title win at this month’s Grand National tells us that we will see a renewed dedication to racing by Hyper in 2012, complete with a redesigned, reengineered frame. Though samples were not available to show in time for Interbike, News will get a gander at them in the coming weeks and post the first photos up for your droolage.

PROFILE RACING

A nice island plot of real estate in the “BMX Zone,” Profile had the full wagon rolled out at Interbike. All the freestyle goodies popular with that crowd, as well as the Elite hubs and classic Profile chromo cranks that racers of all ages put on their Santa list.

This time out, Corey, Gus and the gang had something ExtraSpecialPrimoGood to show: The new Profile Elite Cranks (main photo at top). We first saw these at last year’s Disney Cup under cloak of secrecy, and only after a John Gotti-esque vow of silence. For their first flash before a live audience, the Elites were gussied up in megabuck gold plating for show-goers to ooh and ahh over.

The Elite cranks were designed and prototyped by the hands of Profile Racing founder, Jim Alley–who was the creator of the earlier generations of Profile cranks as well. Awesome to see the long-time innovators of the sport’s favorite products still breaking new ground, 40 years after the first machines were turned on.

As with many new goodies on the racing side, the ABA grands is the target street date for the Elite Cranks, with many of the popular mail order vendors hand-shaking on their initial orders at the show.

On the come-out roll, Profile will release 175 and 180mm, but 160, 165, 170, 172.5, 177, 182 and maybe even 185 will be coming soon after. Street price is still being chewed on, but with indication they will be less than “the main competitor” (who do you s’pose THAT could be). The kit will includes bossless arms, outboard bearing bottom bracket, chromo spindle and four-bolt spider (optional Ti spindle will also be available).

Finishes are still being finalized, but it’s likely there will be a satin-nickel coating, an “ED coating” which has many properties of flat black oxide, and the rest is strictly on a “we’ll see” basis. Gus indicated that these new bad-boys would not be available in the signature “Triple Chrome” as many old schoolers might like to see. This is partially a matter of cost, but also owing to the fact that “show chrome” is not what it used to be. The EPA has imposed strict regulations on the process and materials platers can use, which has a dulling effect on both their business, and the end product.

CONTINUE TO PART II

Hyper Bikes Hits Hyperdrive WIth 2011 Team

A fresh calendar always brings fresh factory rosters in the inbox. For 2011, Jud Ciancio has expanded the ranks to 12 riders (from seven), and may add a few more before it’s all said & done. Megawatt coach and BMX dad to the stars, Jerry Bradford, will be joining the fun as West Coast Team Manager, and will be taking the team out for its 2011 debut in Reno this weekend.

Keep an eye out for the photos, come Monday.

The official release follows:

Hyper Bicycles is excited to announce the expansion of its 2011 Factory Racing Team.

In addition to five new riders, Hyper is pleased to announce that Jerry Bradford will be joining Hyper as the West Coast Team Manager. Jerry will join Jud Ciancio in a joint effort to have Hyper represented at every major race for the 2011 Season.

The 2011 Hyper Factory team will consist of the following riders:

Donny dR Robinson Elite Men Napa, CA
Peter Choat 7x Bakersfield, CA
Kohl Piluso 8X Chico, CA
Mathew Sterling 9x Saratoga, CA
Robert Sherwood 11x Sonoma, CA
Destiny Broughton 12 Girls Dayton, OH
Samantha Miller 14 Girls Pittsburgh, PA
Shealen Reno 15 Girls Phoenix, AZ
Dustin Vogler 19-27X Dayton, OH
John Paul Pfeiffer 36-40X New York, NY
John Miller 36-40X White Lake , MI
Jud Ciancio 41-over X Springfield, PA

We are looking for a few more top National-caliber riders to complete the 2011 roster, but expect to see the new members of the orange and black competing at the ABA Silver Dollar Nationals in Reno, NV this weekend.

Hyper is proudly co-sponsored by Profile racing, Kenda Tires, Black Crown number plates, No Fear and Kovachi Wheels.

Walmart goes Hyper with Donny Replica

BMX Racing has a rich history of “replica” bikes, dating back to the mid 1970s. The definition of a “replica” is, traditionally, a bike produced during the career of a famous rider or team, in the style and image of the bike that the rider is actually riding at the time. Hyper Bicycles has stayed graphically true to that tradition with the forthcoming release of a Donny Robinson Replica complete bike, out this March. The added bit of news on this project is that the bike will be marketed through Walmart stores nationwide. With millions of shoppers per day chain-wide, the dR Replica has a chance to put BMX Racing in front of a massive audience.

Though the initial rollout this March will be a market test to gauge consumer interest, it is still hitting 314 stores, which is bigger than most chains, in itself. Based on this test, Walmart will evaluate whether the bike gets a chain-wide rollout.

According to Donny, himself, on last week’s episode of our “Announcers Tower” Podcast, “This is the lightest bike on the (mass) market…I could easily run the frame—it’s an aluminum frame.”

It is clear that, by way of this model, Hyper hopes to sell some bikes. Commerce is a beautiful thing. But it goes beyond that. We see them making efforts to move merch, yes…but also to promote the sport of BMX Racing to a broad, general interest audience, who may not otherwise know about the sport.

And when promoting the sport is the topic of discussion, you know the ABA is never far off the lead. They have joined with Hyper to create a hangtag to go on all of the bikes on Walmart’s floor. The hangtag offers a free 30-day ABA membership with purchase of the bike—helping break down barriers to getting new wheels on the gate at the local track. Check out the hangtag.

For his part, Donny will be promoting the bike, and the sport in general through his “In Motion” Youth Mentoring talks at middle schools in places like Oldsmar, Phoenix, DeSoto, TX an other ABA National cities throughout 2010.

The bike will retail for $99—which makes it an irresistible starter bike for Joe and Jan Novice. On Vintage, over the past couple days, the forum has been alight with great ideas from people wanting to join in the fun. Tracks are talking about buying a few of them for loaner bikes, and some of the collector types have their eye on it as a “timecapsule” buy of BMX, circa 2010.

BMXNEWS will be keeping our eyes on the progress of the bike, and will show you first-photos when the time comes.

Meanwhile, here is the complete list of Walmart stores where the Donny Robinson Replica will be showing up next month.

“Announcers Tower” Interview: Donny Robinson

We saw Donny riding through the parking lot on Friday afternoon in Guthrie. He had just finished the first in a series of talks at middle schools as part of the Donny Robinson “In Motion” Mentoring Program. We had been aware of the program, and the visit, by keeping up with Donny’s Twitter updates. But we wanted to know more. So, we asked him if he would be our guest on this week’s episode of “Announcers Tower.” Donny graciously agreed and, in addition to the full scoop on the mentoring program, he also tells us about the forthcoming Hyper “Donny Robinson replica” BMX Racing bike to be test marketed in Walmart stores across the US this March.

In the second half of the interview, Donny talks about his views on equity between the mens and womens Elite classes in BMX racing, his plans for the 2012 Olympics in London, married life, and his “little quirks” when it comes to cell phone use and laundry.

This is a double episode, with a running time of 31 minutes. Thus, we are offering it as a “full-track” listen, and also in two parts.

We hope you enjoy the interview.

Listen to the Full Interview

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Part One

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Part Two

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Photos:

Donny addresses an auditorium of students from the Guthrie (Oklahoma) Middle School on how to lead a clean life, in bounds and overcome challenges and setbacks through goal setting and self discipline.

The Hyper “Donny Robinson” BMX Race bike will be test marketed in 314 Walmart stores across America this March. The $99 model is, according to its namesake, a perfect starter bike for kids interested in BMX racing.