A “no holds barred” attempt to design and produce the fastest track bikes in the history of the sport for the US Olympic Track team. Also implemented at this time was Project ’96. Many other world class racers would join the stable of Team GT in the early 90’s to form one of the most powerful MTB teams in history. Also signed was Rishi Grewal, a pioneering MTB racer that had style and flash to match the GT image. On the men’s side GT signed up Junior World Champion Nicholas Vouilloz who would dominate DH like no other rider in history and has yet to be dethroned. Julie would go on to win more World Cup’s than any rider of her time. In 1991 GT signed World Champion Julie Furtado to it’s international racing team. The complexity and scope of the business increased yearly and soon GT was a 125 million dollar company. During this period GT started to make and assemble complete bikes. Within 4 years GT purchased 3 more distributors across the country and became a national force in the IBD market. In January of 1988 GT bought its way into dealer direct distribution with the acquisition of Riteway products in Placentia Ca. Many would say that this was the high water mark for the company in terms of culture and profit. In 1988 GT moved from the 4 separate Container lane buildings into a specially built facility on 17800 Gothard street in Huntington Beach for the next 5 years. Within 5 years GT came to dominate the sport of Mountain Bike racing as it did in BMX with a massive marketing effort led by a large international race team that raised the brand to a high awareness level on a global scale. Those that knew Richard Long thought other wise. 5 years into the MTB boom many said that GT was too late and too BMX to make it in this market. In November of 1987 GT showed its first line of 5 mountain bikes at the young Interbike Show in Reno, Nevada. In light of this Richard turned his focus onto the new sport of Mountain Biking, although he never forgot BMX and in fact turned up the heat on his competitors. As the late 80 ‘s approached, BMX racing tapered off and the BMX business got hit hard. For better or for worse GT goes from garage to corporate in a big way.ġ987-1994 BMX DIES WHILE GT MOVES INTO MOUNTAIN BIKE. GT establishes itself as the preeminent racing brand in the sport and begins to dominate the race venues that would lead to the nickname “the firm”. During this period GT would come to dominate BMX racing as the sport matured into a worldwide phenomena. Soon, they grow from one office into 4 separate buildings that handle welding, warehousing, shipping and administrative. The company moves into new digs on 2300 Container Lane in Huntington Beach California. The first frame designed by Gary for freestyle, the Performer, becomes a legend in freestyle and, still today, in 2002, is one of the most recognized brand names in juvenile bicycles. GT expands exponentially every year and enters the new off shoot sport of BMX, Freestyle. Little did they know that in 20 years they would build together one of the most well known bicycle companies in the world.ġ980-86 THE GLORY DAYS OF BMX. Richard is the business and marketing genius and Gary is the engineer and craftsmen. Richard sold his bike shop and began selling frames as fast as possible to bicycle distributors across the USA and into Europe. In 1979 they incorporated into GT Bicycles, Inc. Things happen fast and soon Richard and Gary invested in a shop dedicated to making top quality Cro-moly BMX frames in Santa Ana. Gary agrees and the most famous partnership in BMX history starts.ġ975-1980 BUILDING A BRAND, ONE FRAME AT A TIME. Richard calls Gary and asks him if he can stock and sell the frames. He notices that they are selling and that people want to know how to get them. Richard Long owns and runs a bike shop in Orange County, California. His son’s bike gets noticed and Gary starts to supply the frames to other kids and building his reputation one frame at a time.ġ974 THE BEGINNING. With the high grade aircraft cro-moly tubing used for dragsters, Gary starts to make frames for his son to race at the MX track. Gary is not only a musical instrument repairmen with experience welding things like trumpets and trombones, but is also a professional drag racer and has experience welding and building cro-mo “rails” or chassis, for drag racers. He notices that the bikes are heavy, slow and fragile. In 1973, a father named Gary Turner is one of the dads that goes to Moto Cross races and watches the kids racing, including his own. Dad’s get involved and Bicycle Moto Cross was born. Between moto’s parents allow the youngsters to race bicycles on the big dirt tracks. Moto Cross takes off and MX racing is big.
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