FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

BMX is the core pillar upon which the iconic GT brand’s 50-year legacy was built, and it has been exciting to watch this important part of our business evolve over the years. Since joining GT in 2014, Ben Ward, GT BMX Product Manager, has created an impressive range of race, freestyle, heritage and crossover bikes as well as complimentary parts and accessories assortment that have been very well received by riders and in all retail channels. The brand is  committed to supporting our growing collective of shops and riders and in doing so, the GT Global Marketing team is growing as well. Today, we are proud to share that Jeff Zielinski, BMX  industry legend, and all around great human, will be officially joining the GT family as BMX Team Manager and Content Producer.

For those of you whom have not yet had the privilege to meet Jeff, we thought it would make sense to hear from Jeff himself:

Big news today, although if you follow Julian Molina you may have realized something was up, but today it's official. Julian Molina is riding for GT. The BMX world got their first taste of Julian Molina back in 2013, when a photo surfaced of a scrawny kid in tattered clothes stretching a no-hander on a jalopy of a bike with only one leg. The photo was shared with the caption, “When you catch yourself complaining that your frame is too short or that you don’t like your bars, just think of this kid in Columbia, who’s roasting a no-hander on some beat up bike with one-fucking-leg. Julian is the man.” Damn right, Julian is the man. Not only was that image inspiring, but it slapped you across the face with perspective, for despite being both disadvantaged and handicapped, this kid from Columbia clearly saw no limits of what he was capable of. The key word here is limits, which, Julian doesn’t appear to have.

Over the course of the next eight years, Julian’s progression skyrocketed beyond what anyone probably ever imagined. With the culmination being the opportunity to film a video for the X Games Real BMX series in 2020. Where Julian was pitted against five of the best BMX riders in the world, each having to film a 90 second video part to later be judged by, well, more legendary BMX riders. When all was said and done, not only was Julian in the spotlight on the world stage, with the show being aired on NBC, but he also took the Fan Favorite win by a landslide.

GT x Team Simon AuctionIn early September a friend of everyone here at GT was struck down with a life-changing health emergency–our good friend Simon Tabron suffered an extremely raredouble-trauma, first a major heart attack and then almost immediately afterwards, a major stroke –it’s no doubt that this will affect Si and his young family’s lives forever, and they need our help. At times like these, our community comes together and does just that. Simon is one of the good guys: a multiple world champion and X-games medallist, a showman exuding in personality, talent, and a style that just makes bike riding look like a good time.

Si also spent a couple of years on the GT UK freestyle team riding in GT Air Shows during the early nineties, demoing BMX to a new crowd, before emigrating to the USA and living his BMX dream. To help raise some much-needed funds for Si and his wife and young kids, we’ve put up for auction an exclusive GT Bicycles package: the last remaining limited-edition Gary Turner built BMX frame kits. The kit includes a made-in-the-USA 4130 cromoly frame, forks, bars, along with a signed certificate of authenticity, GT cap, key-ring and more –in a GT presentation box. The limited run of handmade framesets sold out in hours –and we have two available up for auction.

NAME: DeMarcus Paul
Nickname: Deemo
Age: 32
Hometown: San Diego, USA
Style: Versatile
Favorite Trick: 180s
Favorite Spot: The yellow walls in downtown San Diego

BIO: In the last eight years since DeMarcus Paul made the move from Albany, Georgia to San Diego, he’s

Numerous electrical boxes, a metal cage, the side of a building, and more… Albert Mercado applies his GT Safe Street PC pegs all over downtown San Diego. The Safe Street pegs are 110mm long, weigh 4.94oz./each, feature laser-etched GT logos, and come ready for 14mm axles with 10mm adapters.

The Shred N Shed Pool Tire is tough and grips well on all surfaces—perfect for the rigors that Tate Roskelley puts a tire through. A unique feature of the Shred N Shed is the second colored layer which is slowly revealed from the wear of riding. Additional features include non-directional tread with a micro-knurled surface, Quick Release grind friendly sidewalls, max 60PSI.

After a 17-year hiatus, BMX Hall of Famer, Dave Voelker is back with the team! To Celebrate, we've released a special edition 29" Dayglo Orange '87 Dyno Pro Compe inspired by the year Voelker turned pro for GT/Dyno.

GT Bicycles today announced a new collaboration. After a 17-year hiatus, BMX Hall of Famer Dave Voelker has teamed up with GT Bicycles once again. To celebrate the reunion, GT is releasing a special edition Dayglo Orange ’87 Dyno Pro Compe, inspired by the year Voelker turned pro for GT/Dyno. The new Dyno Pro Compe has been beefed up from the original with a 100% chromoly frame and fork, and the wheels have been super-sized to 29” with GT’s all-new Smoothie tires in a stout 29 x 2.5.

“No more ‘butter forks’,” says Dave. “That’s what I used to call them. They were like butter; they’d flex all over the place, and we would have to straighten them out. When it came to the wheels, it was important to add bigger tires because it’s like adding suspension. And, as you get older, you want to have a little bit of cush as you’re landing.”

The new ’87 Dyno Pro Compe also comes equipped with an updated version of the iconic ‘Pretzel’ Bar.

"When Ben from GT presented the idea of doing a short trip with Albert Mercado and Jeff Purdy to my hometown of Arizona, I knew immediately that I had to say yes. Albert has been a good friend of mine long before I was ever considered a professional videographer and his approach to riding and filming has always been one of my favorites. His unique ability to look at a spot and figure out that truly special move is incredible. Jeff, on the other hand, was rather new to me. After a bit of research and watching his INSANE Daily Grind section, I was more than excited to get started. Five days later and a bunch of classic AZ spots conquered, these two absolutely blew me away with their unmatched skill and the determination to get as many moves logged despite our short time together. I hope you enjoy what we’ve put together and I look forward to the next opportunity to film with these badasses again." - Ryan Chadwick, Filmer.

My job in the Bicycle Industry started with a similar position that's available now at the same company: GT Bicycles. This position is based out of their USA office and worth checking out if you're shopping for a cool job. But beware, you might be stuck in the bicycle industry for the rest of your life.
Position: Assistant Marketing Manager, GT
Location: Wilton, CT. USA.
Job Code: 1087