If you rode a BMX bike in the 1980s, then you remember what Hutch BMX was.  In case you don’t remember, Hutch was considered the Ferarri of BMX bikes and equipment.  There were two types of BMXers back then - those that had Hutches and those that dreamed about owning one, though not many people actually owned a Hutch bike since they were very expensive at the time.  But what made Hutch so special?  Quality, performance, and a flair for the exotic.

:: New Hutch Beartrap pedals continue a reputation for quality - click on image to enlarge ::

Hutch developed a well-earned reputation for making very light and very strong components that performed to world-champion standards while looking incredible at the same time.  The chrome finishes were smooth and nearly perfect, welds were beautiful, and top riders like Mike Miranda, Tim Judge, Woody Itson, and Mike Dominguez gave Hutch winning race and freestyle teams.  In addition to their brilliant chrome finishes, Hutch also produced many signature colors such as candy blue, candy red, “futuristic black”, and “Hutch pink”.  Yeah, it was Hutch that was responsible for making pink a cool color to wear for guys back in the 1980s.

When the BMX industry was headed into a downturn in the late 1980s, Hutch fell by the wayside and eventually died.  The bikes remained sought after and became central acquisitions to most BMX collectors.  Almost every adult that sees a Hutch bike instantly recalls their days looking at photos of them in BMX Action and BMX Plus magazines. Well, Hutch is back, and they are off to an incredible start.

:: New Hutch Beartrap on the left, original Beartrap on right - click on image to enlarge ::

John DeBruin, a BMX collector and racer himself, has bought the rights to the Hutch BMX name and is making a full-time effort to bringing the company back to its glory days of high performance exotic BMX parts and frames.  To start, he painstakingly researched production methods to begin the first reintroduction product, which is the legendary Hutch Beartrap pedal - a pedal that became the icon on BMX racing.   In the 1980s, these pedals cost a fortune - $90 - in a day when most pedal sets were selling for $15 or less.  To professional racers, the cost was worth it, since nothing held your foot in place like the Hutch pedals did.

How do the second-generation Hutch Beartrap pedals compare to the originals?  I have two sets of new-old-stock Hutch pedals from the 1980s to compare the new Beartraps to, and I concluded that the new Hutch pedals are superior to the originals in every way.  The new pedals continue the classic Hutch Beartrap looks, while adding subtle changes such as an extra four grip pins on each side of the body and the new cages are slightly thicker and sharper than the originals.  This is a welcome change, as the originals would dent very easily.

:: Superb casting work and true-to-original stamped cages - click on image to enlarge ::

The new pedals feature sealed cartridge bearings as the originals did, though the new models spin smoother with no play in the spindle whatsoever.  The casting on the bodies is also improved - now there’s no longer a rim of flashing that skirted the bodies, and the chrome finish is also higher quality than the original models.  Yes, these pedals are cast - not produced on a CNC.  This is the way it’s supposed to be, and Hutch has perfected this production technique, as well as the proper stamping on the Hutch cages.  It’s impressive details like this that say a lot about John and his commitment to bringing back the Hutch name.

Hutch Beartrap pedals are available with 4140 chromoly spindles for $189 and 6AL4V titanium spindles for $299.  If you don’t feel like spending the $700+ on the collector market for original Hutch pedals, the second-generation Beartraps are a perfect solution - and you won’t have a guilty conscience about using these on the race track too.

Related Links:

• Hutch High Performance BMX

Alright, this is more of a ‘just for fun’ post rather than any informative BMX post.  My good friend and NBL Elite Pro Donna Snow is a very cool person and we have a lot of fun at the track (yes, she’ll kick my ass in a race).  She just started competing in pageants here in Florida, and unsurprisingly, she won Miss Sarasota USA 2009.  I knew she would win - she’s smart, friendly, and beautiful.

:: Miss Sarasota USA and my Haro Sport - coolness.  Click on image to enlarge ::

So I had this idea for a ‘glamour’ photo of my rare pink Haro Sport with Donna posing next to it.  I mentioned this to Donna and she loved the idea.  I also thought it had a good hook to it, and we might be able to have the photo featured in BMX Plus magazine.  At the very least, it will be fun.  Keep in mind that I’m mainly a sport photographer, so I generally do not shoot models.

In any event, we chose Matlacha County Park as the location, and once we started shooting photos, the locas started gathering around, snickering and making comments.  When that started, Donna and I decided it was best to end our photo shoot for the day.   Some people might think this idea is lame, but I think it rocks.

In case some of you were wondering, I used a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 70-200 AF-S VR 2.8 lens to shoot the photo.

I’m a pretty busy person - covering events, product evaluations, website updates, and photo shoots are all part of my weekly routine.  Staying connected to the internet is central to my business and my life - though I work a lot on the internet, it’s also become the nucleus of my life in many ways.  My main business, Scream And Fly Magazine, delivers performance boating content to thousands of readers each day, and frequent monitoring of the message boards and updating is crucial to its success.  On the flip side, my BMX activities keep me busy with sponsorships and purchasing parts. Finally of course, checking my daily email.

Before I begin, let me preface this post by saying that I’m not one of those ‘phone freaks‘ that lives my life through my mobile phone.  I know the type - always fidgeting with their phones, obsessing about them, and buying all sorts of accessories for them.  Nope, that’s not me.

:: The Google G1 browsing the web in landscape mode - click on image to enlarge ::

My previous phone, an HTC Dash, was my first step toward lessening my need to frequently carry a laptop computer around.  While this phone was good, it did not offer a robust enough solution to fit my needs.  It did offer slow, but decent internet browsing, though I believe the Windows Mobile platform is far behind the cutting edge operating systems such as Blackberry, iPhone, and Android.

The G1 offers much of the full-featured computer functionality of the Blackberry units and the iPhone.  For example, a good friend of mine uses a Blackberry 9530, also known as the ‘Storm‘, which features seamless multitasking (something the iPhone does not offer), fast Push email, and easy tethering to a computer to share a 3G connection to the web.

After much thought, I ruled out the iPhone since I needed a full keyboard.   The Blackberry operating system seemed cluttered and clunky to me, while the HTC Google G1 impressed me the most with its speed, fluid navigation, and open-source operating system.

The G1’s touch-screen interface works great, and the Web Kit-based browser is very fast and full-featured.  Yes, it works with YouTube, and full Flash support is coming very soon.  Messaging and any typing is alright, if a bit awkward due to the phone’s slanted ‘chin’ that gets in the way of the keyboard somewhat.  The 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera works pretty well, though there’s no video support (coming soon).  The operating system is very responsive and intuitive, but strangely, you cannot shut down individual applications.  The phone will run up to six applications at once, and when you load a seventh, it will automatically close the application first on the list.  Google needs to change this - and I’m sure they will eventually.  The phone also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.  The G1 easily connects to your Gmail and AOL email accounts, as well as others.  Checking email easy and fast - I was very impressed here.

:: The G1’s screen slides upward to reveal a rather large keyboard - click image to enlarge ::

The Android Market is pretty cool, offering many free and fee-based applications ranging from productivity to games.  Download speeds through the Edge network are surprisingly fast as well.  Talk time on the phone is a solid four-five hours, though the standby battery life is poor, requiring a recharge every 36-48 hours of constant-on standby.

So far, the G1 turned out to be a fantastic productivity tool.  Will it replace my laptop?  Of course not, but the phone will allow me to monitor my websites, moderate posts, check email, and make purchases online - anywhere I am, without Wi-Fi.  With the “Cupcake” Android update on the near horizon, this good phone will get even better.  I’ll post more on that when it arrives, but I highly recommend the G1 as an iPhone alternative.

Related Links:

• HTC

NBL Expert Brian Callahan, who’s sponsored by Scream And Fly, is already flying higher and going faster than he ever did - and that’s due in part to the new Haro Team Issue BMX race frame.  His complete is super light, weighing in at 18.5 pounds, and according to Brian, it’s very easy to manual with.  Haro is very serious about racing now, and it shows in this frame - not only in design, but in price.  You can get one of these frames for around $150.  Seriously.

:: 2009 Haro Team Issue race frame is super light and super fast - click on image to enlarge ::

Too complicated
Not oblivious
Never completely content
Never unhappy, yet never completely understood.
Independent
I have permanent hearing damage from loud guitars.
And I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Just repeat yourself sometimes and we’ll get along just fine.

I’ve had my Haro Team Issue for a few months now and this bike has been a fantastic performer on the track and tooling around town.  I love riding BMX, but now that I’m sponsoring Z-Man, he’ll do the real riding when it comes to serious tests and I’ll do what I do best - shoot photos and annoy everyone around me.

The Z-Man will be riding Street/Park for Scream And Fly and NBL Expert Brian Callahan will be racing a Team Issue this year.   Wait, I bet you may (or may not) want to know what’s going on here with these new riders.  I’ll get into more detail at a later date, but they are both good friends and excellent BMXers, so why not support them?  Heck, it’s a ton of fun and anything having to do with BMX — even if I’m not actually riding — is cool.  Of course, I’ll still ride though.

:: NBL A-Pro Ryan “Z-Man” Zeilinski test the Haro Team Issue - click to enlarge ::

Back on topic here - our Team Issue ran some hard laps at the Cape Coral BMX track today, with Z-Man doing some nice tabletop jumps over the triples.  Yeah, we love this bike - and everyone that sees it wants to ride it.  What happens when they ride it?  Well, they want it, of course.  The bike is smooth and according to the Z-Man, it flies like it has wings.  The rear triangle is a bit long for his tastes, but you know how those street riders like it  - after all, that’s why he’ll be riding a Haro Convert frame anyway.  He sure does seem to like that Team Issue though…  And so does everyone at the local track.  It’s a badass ride for sure, and I think I’ll be keeping this one for a long time.

I’ll update you all soon, for now the weather is perfect for riding, so I’m off.

Related Links:

• Haro Bikes
• HaroFreestyler.com