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JT Freestyle
Freestyle bike riding wasn't too common in the magazines yet but with a few How-To's and interviews thanks to Action Now Magazine, it got Freestyle out there to the potential Freestylers out there.
Bob started riding for Torker in 1980 and really liked the geometry and double top tube design which allowed him to stand on and invent tricks. This bike was featured in the magazine and quoted to cost $700. Great shots of 540 ramp spins, rock walk, kick turns, and an on the edge ramp stall. These were all mind blowing in early '81 and got kids interested in Freestyle, it did for me. That same year Bob did a show at the Rondo Classic here in Minnesota. Seeing it live made it that more mind blowing!
25 years later I was looking through my mags and ran across this one. Thought I had most of the parts from his bike scattered in my basement and it was true. Found my old sticker collection and built this in a few hours.
Was talkin' old school with some friends and the RID BMX Editor in Chief, Keith Mulligan, though it would be great to flashback to the roots of a Freestyle bike. Wrote that guy up and it was very well received and educated some of the new school riders on where their bikes originated from. This was published in the March 2007 issue with Scotty Cramner on the cover. Bob thought is was really cool to have his bike reappear in a major magazine after all these years.
Here it is and it has been a pleasure displaying this bike that then became the first Freestyle frame and fork, the Haro Freestyler.
VEHICLE
Frame - Torker
Fork - Torker
Stem - ProNeck
Bars - Redline Proline
Grips - Oakley .5
Plate - Haro lightning
Brake levers - Haro two finger
Calipers - Dia-Compe 890's
Brake pads - Skyway Tuff Pads
Headset - Tange
Wheels - Skyway Tuff II with metal flange front hub and Suntour coaster brake
Front Tire - Mitsobushi Competition III 20 x 2.125
Rear Tire - Raleigh Street 20 x 1.75
Chain - Torque
Chain ring - Redline 44 teeth
Cranks - Redline 401's pinchless 180mm
Bottom Bracket - Standard with Redline crank set
Pedals - KKT rat traps
Seat - Kashimax
Seat post - Alloy
Seat post clamp - Cycle Pro
Stem Pad - Bicycle Moto-cross Action
DIALED IN
Jeff "JT" Tollefson
www.JTFreestyle.com