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AlanMcCorkle

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AlanMcCorkle last won the day on November 10 2019

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  1. There is an an auction on EBay right now for a Rumblefish frame that has a lengthy description which was copied verbatim from BMXmuseum. It references Bill Grove’s involvement in the project which is what caught my attention to begin with. Having known Bill for over a decade now I reached out to him for clarification because the similarities between the Grove X MTB frame and Rumblefish are a little too coincidental. (Me) Did you build the Rumblefish BMX frame for Richard Kerr back in the 90s? (Grove) Nope! I remember being pissed that he stole the design. (Me) Really? So you knew of him but had no business dealings. (Grove) Correct. Case closed.
  2. The 3-piece aluminum crank was just a modified setup (Sugino I think) identical to what John did for his mini build years ago. My friend Bill Grove was running the Hutch factory at that point and did the work himself. He only customized a couple sets for factory riders so they were never a production item. The stem from the Pro Star test was also a one-off Bill Grove prototype design that had design roots back to the Titron magnesium stem. You can see the similarities between the test stem and the Hutch Pro 'deep H' stem design which was the final product released shortly thereafter. While were on the subject of the Pro Star test; the titanium spokes featured in the test were also a great idea but one that never fully got off the ground. The product was scrapped before ever reaching mass production because the heads kept breaking off the spokes. Lastly, the nylon bushing headset referenced in the test article was originally a limited production Titron item designed for mini only use and was later repackaged as the Hutch magnesium headset. A pro size version was never produced.
  3. sorry..having trouble posting that pic. I'll keep working on it.
  4. Vintage King sealed bearing headset from 1980...after it was sent back to Chris King for the bearings to be replaced.
  5. hey alan,i was wondering if you could shed some light on what exactly was titron's "MX 3 radials" ? I asked Bill Grove that very same question when I first saw the ad and he said that was purely a Bear Development marketing thing. If you consider the evolution of the Titron pedal from the first prototypes in 1979, to the 1st generation pedal seen in the above Bear Ad from 1981, to the 1st generation Hutch pedals in 1982, it all happened in a very short period of time of less than 3 years. That being said I think (purely my opinion here) that John's "MX 3 radials" was likely in preparation for Titron releasing the 3rd generation sharp tooth version of the pedal cages. The picture below shows all versions of the Titron pedals starting with the 1st from left to right. The pedal with the black cage is what I believe John Owens was calling the MX3 Radials which was the same as #2 but with the new and improved sharp tooth cages. #4 is the 1st generation Hutch pedal and #5 is just a chrome plated version of the same pedal which I did just for fun.
  6. Jim, Thanks for straightening me out on the trailer deal. I knew I was bound to screw something up. How are you doing? For everyone else's info...Jim was a key contributor to my research efforts many years ago when I was trying to sort out the whole Titron and Bear Development relationship which is why I knew the story about the trailer. Sandy Finkleman also provided much printed material that was a huge help too. GETSET: plz ask away regarding Titron or send me a PM.
  7. Thanks for the tip about the post Jeff and it looks like I need to add some details before Randy calls JTs stepdad and asks him why he gave me JTs bike. The JMC Mini #2804 pictured above was JTs first race bike and the one under the house (I think both JT and his Mom told me about it being under the house for years...) should be a black 3.1XL with a serial number of XL3764, XL3765, XL3766, XL4254 or XL4266. Jim Melton sold a total of 9 JMC frame sets to John Owens starting with the Mini #2804 in July 1980. The other 8 frame sets were sold between October 1980 and January 1981 and included (5) 3.1XL and (3) Black Shadows (one with SBB). Scott Clark rode at least one of the two Black Shadows with a LBB (see photo #1 below) and I assume depending on how old Archie was at the time that he might have ridden one of the others. Not sure who used all of the 3.1s other than JT but John was advertising and selling a "JT mode" (see photo below) bike so perhaps they were sold. I know from talking to Noel Painter (referenced below in BEAR Ad photo #2) that several local kids including his own son, Jeff, rode for John but I have never heard how many kids were on the team. At the very least there was JT, Archie, Jeff P, and Scott Clark which would account for five of the nine frames because JT used two. The story told to me by JT (hopefully I don't butcher this too much as it has been a few years) was that after his Mom and Dad got divorced in 81ish his Dad moved back to Georgia to be near family and the JMC Mini went with him. I seem to recall him saying that he also moved to GA with his Dad but maybe I am confusing some of the details. At any rate the bike was stolen at one point, recovered, and eventually sold. The guy I bought the frame/fork from was from Florida and he said he had picked it up years earlier in GA. The seller knew enough about JMC to inquire with Jim on the history of the serial number which he included in the auction details and when I saw it for sale on Ebay for $1000 I knew I had to have it. Well, not for $1000 though. I held out until the price dropped several times and picked it up for $300! Randy: feel free to fill in where I've mucked up the details if you know it better. I really need to head up to GV and pay JT a visit and show him his old bike. Can you help make that happen? Maybe we could all meet up in GV somewhere and JT could take us over to the house to see that 3.1XL. Maybe after he sees the Mini he might be inspired to let us give that baby some much needed TLC.
  8. I rode a JMC for most of my BMX years from 1981-1987. My first was a chrome '83 Shadow followed by a white '85 DY that is pictured here. Like a lot of kids I sold everything when I quit racing but having grown up in a small town was fortunate enough to find my prized white DY frame/fork set several years ago. Here it is in gleaming beauty built very close to the way I rode it 20 years ago. This 14 pound exotic little scoot is a project I started quite a while ago and finished sometime last year but has continued to go through revisions as parts trickle in. The very cool story behind this 1980 JMC Mini is that it was sold to Bear Development in Grass Valley, CA as one of 9 Bear Factory Team bikes in the early 80s. Bear Development was only around for a short period of time but the owner, John Owens (d. 2002), spared no expense and the team bikes showed it. Bear Development was also a reseller for Titron (you've seen the advertisements) so you can imagine just how cool their bikes were. I stumbled across the F/F on Ebay several years ago and nearly died when I saw the details from Jim because I also know the guy that rode this bike when he was just a youngster. Enjoy!
  9. Those are identical to the bars I bought in early 1985 except mine had a mylar DYD decal on the cross bar and the DY script decal was on the backside of the bars not the front. Excellent find!
  10. The various Hutch advertisements pretty much tell the story of the evolution of Hutch hubs but knowing the exact date when a part became available or when it changed is never easy to figure out. What I have learned from talking to Bill Grove is that things changed very quickly and over a very short period of time so there isn't really a correct or incorrect Hutch magnesium hub to use on a 1983 Pro Racer for example. There are also variations in the hub stickers that seemed to evolve right along with the hubs and for that reason it is pretty easy to put them in order from oldest to newest but once again we are talking about a period of less than 36 months. Consider the evolution of the Titron pedal from the original bearing-less design in 1980 until the Hutch branded version of the pedal hit the market in 1983. There are five distinctly different versions of the pedal all in a span of 3 years and the first three of those happened all within about 18 months. So here goes with the evolution of the Hutch hubs as I know it and as Bill Grove told it to me.... Titron magnesium hubs, 3-piece design, flip-flop rear, made from AZ31B grade magnesium, 6Al-4V grade titanium axles. These were available in the black finish you see pictured in Hutch advertisements and also a matte gray finish. First built in 1979-80, OEM'd for Hutch in 1981. The Titron hubs used a black on chrome round logo Titron "T" sticker. The black finish on these hubs is a Dow Chemical coating used specifically on magnesium but I won't get into the details of magnesium coatings here. It is best described as an anodized "like" finish but for magnesium that is not so much a decorative coating as it is a protective coating. The matte gray hubs were also treated with a non-decorative Dow Chemical coating. Hutch magnesium hubs. Identical to the Titron hub in shape and other details. The OEM hubs had rectangle shaped black on chrome "HUTCH" decals. The small rectangle black on chrome HUTCH BMX decal with stars came shortly thereafter. The hubs were available in black, matte gray, and eventually chrome. These hubs can be seen in most of the Hutch advertisements starting in 1982 and through 1983. I don't ever recall seeing a picture of the matte gray hubs in a magazine and I would probably not know that these hubs existed were it not for the set that sat in the box in a display cabinet at my local shop for years. Unfortunately, I was long gone by the time they went out of business and all the remaining stock was sold at an auction. Hutch magnesium/aluminum hubs. 3-piece design, decorative nickel plated flanges made from AZ31B grade magnesium, black anodized centers made from 6061-T6 aluminum. Same titanium axles. The reason the centers were made from aluminum is because Hutch had exhausted their stock of tubular magnesium and was unable to find a supplier for this material so they used aluminum. Hutch did not produce a full magnesium hub after this time. Hutch also never advertised the hubs as having aluminum centers and used the same boxes as the full magnesium hubs which was quite deceiving but they obviously didn't care. These hubs were available as early as 1983 and can be seen in magazine advertisements during this time. I have seen them with the small rectangle chrome on black decals as well as the round decals but I wouldn't be surprised if there were other decal options. Hutch aluminum hubs, same 3-piece design as the magnesium hubs, made from 6061-T6 aluminum, hollow chromoly heat treated axles. Available in chrome only that I remember. Pictured in advertisements starting as early as 1983 along with the magnesium hubs. I only ever remember seeing these with the black on chrome round HUTCH decals but they could of just as easily had the small rectangle decals too. 2nd version Hutch aluminum hubs, all the same features as the other aluminum hubs but with an hour-glass shape shell and available in a rainbow of colors. I know they don't look like it but these hubs are also a 3-piece design. The stickers around the center of the hub do a nice job of obscuring the seam between the flanges and the centers. Trust me...they can be pulled apart. So, that is what I know. Feel free to ask questions if you want. I hope this helps.
  11. If anyone needs replacement axles for their Campy hubs let me know. I have NOS Titron titanium axles in 10mm and 9mm. 1981 price was $26/each and I sell 'em for $40/set. I also have access to both OEM and after-market Campy hub hardware...axle nuts, cones, lock nuts etc. If absolutely have to have OEM it will cost you an arm and a leg but if you just want to rebuild hubs to use on a build the aftermarket stuff will do just fine. I think some of my Titron axles are pictured in Chillin's post. BTW...I have a set of those red OMAS hubs laced into some chrome 7Xs with chrome spokes and black nipples on my Darrell Young...sweet wheel setup. Big difference between the OMAS and Campy hubs is that OMAS used sealed bearings. Cheers!
  12. Thx Chillin' and yes, the Nelson is a modern version of the classic.
  13. I haven't been around much lately but couldn't resist the urge to post a link to a picture of my two past Judge projects. Hutch TJ Projects Enjoy! AM
  14. Very interesting frame. There are aspects of it that say "Cinelli" like the brake bridge is identical to the CMX-1 frames. The dropouts are obviously different but the way they are fitted onto the seat/chain stays is also identical . Something to look for on the dropouts and headtube gusset would be the Cinelli "C" logo stamped on the outside of each dropout and on the gusset. The bracket between the chain stays is also very similar to the bracket used on one version of the MX-1 frame. Other version of the MX-1 frame used a piece of round stock. The bottom bracket shell is 35mm or 1.370" and should be either BSC (English) or Italian thread. Clearly, the plate welded onto the underside of the twin down tubes is an aftermarket hack job.
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