Crit Plate

Sorry about that Johnny! so... hows the weather. lol

You should have paid the man Johnny Buddy... I always took care of my riders and always tried to treat them the best I could. You have to remember things were different then. the competition between the top plate companies was just has fierce as the competition between the top riders and teams. I was the little guy... beating the snot out of the big guys. (Haro and Zeronine) We all had our time in the sports history as the dominate plate company. Also, We did not have instant/disposable media like we have now. Back then we had BMX Action, BMX Plus, Super BMX, American BMX'er, and Bicycles Today. and they came out once a month and that was pretty much it. every shot of every rider was fought over by the companies to gain exposer for their products. Back in the day you used to wait by the mailbox for you MFM and for the next month you would study that magazine from head to toe. So when I told Shawn to pretty much go pound sand that is the reason why... Mike Mike Rodrigues Crit Plate BMX Products 401-524-2314 www.critbmx.com

The last time I heard from Shawn was early 1988'sh. He was riding for Eagle Snacks. During that time I had a contract with Shawn to use my Crit Plates just like the rest of the team. Since he was a AA Pro I setup a contingency program like I did for other top riders. I believe it was something like $250.00 for a front cover shot, 175.00 for a two page spread, 100.00 for a full page... (The rider under contract could not use any other plate manufacturers products, logos and such anywhere on their bike or uniform. Anyway at the Coal Canyon(I think that was the race) NBL Nats in CA Shawn was doing great all weekend winning motos and always in the mix. well I didn't see him up close at the time and never noticed that he was wearing ZeroNine gloves and another brands visor. needles to say he ended up getting a two page full color shot in a mag. two months later he's calling me looking for his contingency for the shot... so I told him to go hit up Owen over at ZeroNine and have a nice day. shortly after that the Eagle Snacks Team lost Profile as the major bike sponsor and struck a deal with MCS and Mr. T and that was the I heard from Shawn. I wish I could find that photo to throw up here.

Are you looking for the larger 6" numbers, in what color (White or Black) and what #'s?

mikerodrigues1@mac.com

I did not call anybody an idiot... I said acting like one. As you can see... by my limited post I am not a regular on here or other sites. Just FaceBook... I am a FB Hoe as my wife points out. I only posted up about this subject because it is about me what I have created in the sport. I was not trying to sell anything and most of all not trying to offend anybody at all! I just wanted to inform and educate everybody about the questions being asked about my products. Do I come off sometimes as defensive?... Yes I do. Do I come of as combative?... Yes I do... The majority of the BMX'ers and industry people alike do not know much about me/Crit Plate/and the past and until someone asks (Hint Hint interview opportunity) nobody will understand the losses and hard times and sacrifices that me and my family have been thru in BMX. So please do not be offended... just try to understand were I am coming from as a manufacturer and someone who cares deeply about this awesome sport of Bicycle Motocross. And as I stated earlier... I am grateful and truly humbled by your interest and your appreciation of what I have created. Thank You! Mike

Maybe you guys should of asked instead acting like a bunch of idiots. I mean really... some of the stuff posted is just not right.

For the record: First off over the years I have been humbled and proud of every single person who has ever purchased, raced, sold, and collected, and cherished my number plates. It is an amazing feeling after 30 years that BMX'ers still feel about what I have done as a young man. To know back in the prime of the iconic Bob Haro to have him turn to you at one of the biggest BMX grand nationals of our sport in which I was a major sponsor of, and to have more riders on every single gate in every moto, and main event using a Crit Plate over a Haro, Zeronine and others to say I really like your plates and that they were very original just tops it all off. but fast forward to today were I go to a local BMX show and there is a vendor there re popping every companies logo and stickers to resell. and to hear stories of collectors saying yah I went over to this guys place and he scanned in this stuff and remade them for me is my biggest concern. I am all for collecting, refinishing and paying tribute to the sport we are all passionate for in so many different ways. but to take something that a company has designed, invested in tooling to manufacture, spend money on advertising to only have somebody turn around and remake them without permission or compensation and then sell it for profit is just not right. So after three years of researching, watching and listening I have taking the steps to reproduce my Crit Pro Plate circa 1984-1986 using the 25 year old NOS plastic plate blanks that were die cut back in 1985 and replicating the reversible decals to their imperfect specifications and marking each one showing that is an authorized factory reproduction by me and to keep it as true as possible to my original period plates is the best way I now how to keep my products integrity. I am only reproducing the product that over times has not held up in quality due to the manufacturing process. When I screen printed my decals back in the early days I would print a clear coat over the decals to protect and to enhance the colors... but over time that clear coat turns the decals brittle and they have cracked. so it is only this style of plate in limited controlled lots that I will be making. And when I mentioned the two vendors that will be carrying them... I chose them because they are specializing in dealing with similar product releases. I am not here to say who is better and I am not here to say which BMX site is either... everybody has there own opinion and is entitled to it. I hope this clears things up... and if you would like to talk to me directly you can call me on my cell phone at anytime. 401-524-2314 and if you have a problem with what I am doing give me a call to and lets talk. Mike Rodrigues Crit Plate BMX Products 66 Eddy Street Cranston RI 02920

and they are imperfect as can be... back in the '80's i used to design using graph paper and if you look at those early die cut plates they are not symmetrically correct. I also used to rub the decals on by hand using an old cotton sock... I am doing the same now. I only have about 30 NOS 25 year old blanks left. these are the same plastic blanks that I made the 40 Years Of BMX commemorative award plate with. after that I'm and they are done. there will be no more made.

Kerry, I am not here to bag Greg... Greg Hill is a very good friend of mine with both of us having a relationship since 1982. Just at that time I was brining Crit Plate back from the ashes from my MCS nightmare and Greg was doing the same with GHP... At that time Greg had a partner that was holding most of the cards financially and it was out of his hands with the payment of the plates. I should have made that clear in my previous post.

Thank you guys! that means a lot. And I wish I could support all of the "BITD" sites in advertising but unfortunately I do not have the money to do so... When that times comes I will do whatever I can to be fair in what I do as far as support for everybody.

For the record: First off over the years I have been humbled and proud of every single person who has ever purchased, raced, sold, and collected, and cherished my number plates. It is an amazing feeling after 30 years that BMX'ers still feel about what I have done as a young man. To know back in the prime of the iconic Bob Haro to have him turn to you at one of the biggest BMX grand nationals of our sport in which I was a major sponsor of, and to have more riders on every single gate in every moto, and main event using a Crit Plate over a Haro, Zeronine and others to say I really like your plates and that they were very original just tops it all off. but fast forward to today were I go to a local BMX show and there is a vendor there re popping every companies logo and stickers to resell. and to hear stories of collectors saying yah I went over to this guys place and he scanned in this stuff and remade them for me is my biggest concern. I am all for collecting, refinishing and paying tribute to the sport we are all passionate for in so many different ways. but to take something that a company has designed, invested in tooling to manufacture, spend money on advertising to only have somebody turn around and remake them without permission or compensation and then sell it for profit is just not right. So after three years of researching, watching and listening I have taking the steps to reproduce my Crit Pro Plate circa 1984-1986 using the 25 year old NOS plastic plate blanks that were die cut back in 1985 and replicating the reversible decals to their imperfect specifications and marking each one showing that is an authorized factory reproduction by me and to keep it as true as possible to my original period plates is the best way I now how to keep my products integrity. I am only reproducing the product that over times has not held up in quality due to the manufacturing process. When I screen printed my decals back in the early days I would print a clear coat over the decals to protect and to enhance the colors... but over time that clear coat turns the decals brittle and they have cracked. so it is only this style of plate in limited controlled lots that I will be making. And when I mentioned the two vendors that will be carrying them... I chose them because they are specializing in dealing with similar product releases. I am not here to say who is better and I am not here to say which BMX site is either... everybody has there own opinion and is entitled to it. I hope this clears things up... and if you would like to talk to me directly you can call me on my cell phone at anytime. 401-524-2314 and if you have a problem with what I am doing give me a call to and lets talk. Mike Rodrigues Crit Plate BMX Products 66 Eddy Street Cranston RI 02920

Hi Guys, Just to add some info on all of the above posts. Yes, Crit Plate is back in business and picking up steam. Yes, the new plates are made by me Mike Rodrigues the original owner of Crit Plate which I started back in 1980 in RI. Crit Plate has always been in Rhode Island except when I had a joint venture with MCS Bicycles in 1988. I sold Crit Plate to MCS in 1989 and took it back from them in 1991 for lack of payment. Brought Crit Plate back to national presence in 1992 Sponsoring the NBL Grands and the Christmas Classic races and sponsoring Teams like Vans (Pistol Pete, Terry Tennent, Vans Man Everett) and the Wilks/Revcore teams to name a few. also designed three new Crit mid school plates. (one of them was a single sided plate called Die Cuts. The GHP plate shown is a single sided Crit Die-Cut Plate that I made for Greg Hill when he brought GHP back out in '91-93ish. Greg was importing entry level complete bikes from Taiwan and I made that inexpensive Die-Cut GHP/Crit Plate for those imports. Greg was to open the complete bike boxes when they came in an throw in the custom plate along with ABA and NBL beginner race information so I new rider was ready to hit the track. Needles to say I sent Greg 100 finished plates and shortly he closed up shop and I never got paid for the plates... At this time (2011) Crit Plate is officially re-popping its Crit Pro Plate circa 1984-1996 (you will be able to buys those exclusively through Pork Chop BMX and Colored Tuffs shortly, A new school pro plate that is reduced down in size for todays pro bars with Crit's iconic graphics for all of the old school riders that are getting back into it. and and all new Crit Global Race Plate for all of the new school riders. all of Crit;s new plates are reversible and come with Crit's Reversible Velcro Kits. Thanks! Mike Rodrigues