Hoffman big daddy..what year? more pics!

[thecaptain]

Right, I Bought a F+F advertised as a big daddy 1994 1" forks/frame

What I want to know is have I just bought junk or was it worth the £70 I paid

Heres a photo, looks like original decals but im no hoffman expert

I have recieved the F+F and before i leave feedback id like to know if its as advertised, photos below:

The serial number is: HKFDO 2344,  does it mean anything date or production wise?

[harris]

im not sure on year but its not a usa made one.

[harris]

just for the note all big daddys are 1" threaded  that one looks real enough to me.

[thecaptain]

im not sure on year but its not a usa made one.

from the guys description, apparently the frame was tested in april 94 (although the seller could have just edited in the date to the text)

"A real rare classic hoffman frame paintwork is in a well used condition otherwise its spot on i was going to powdercoat and rebuild but dont have the time and its a shame for it to just sit there the forks are going to be sold in a seperate auction for only £30 so dont hang about if you want the pair then get in touch. 07737314100    more pics can be emailed upon request thanks

hoffman big daddy history -

 Kevin Jones designed a signature flatland frame for Hoffman Bike. The Big Daddy.
Ride BMX UK april 1994: The Condor was an ideal bike for ramp riders - only thing was, it pretty much sucked for flatland. Matt and the OK crew decided that they needed a shorter more responsive frame - and who better to ask to design such a bike than the Lord of Flatland himself, Kevin Jones. The Hoffman Big Daddy has some unique design features which look quite useful. From front to back, the headtube is a one-thickness tube all the way down, good deal. The next thing you notice is the gussett deal: the downtube is welded up pretty high on the headtube and connects with the toptube, and between the downtube and the headtube is a nicely formed plate gussett which finishes off the junction very nicely indeed. It looks top dollar for sure. Toptube is a round 1 1/2 inch tube, whilst the downtube is a meatier oval tube which is 1 11/16ths inch by 1 7/16ths inch - beefy indeed. On the top of the downtube are 2 cable guides directing the brake cable into a thru-the-seattube guide to an AD990 brake on the chainstays. A proven set-up. The platform is formed, like the others, from extended 3/4 inch OD seatstays. The toptube is pierced by the regular [7/8ths inch OD seatpost size] seattube and capped off at end at an angle, and there is a square 3/4 inch box-section tube finishing off the platform. There's also a 3/4 inch box-section tube for the brake bridge, but you're not actually going to put a brake on there are you? The chainstay set-up is similar to the Bully Piston, with a wishbone junction at the BB shell - only this time the wishbone is box-section tube a whopping 2 inches wide by 1 inch high. The wishbone is capped by a curved end around the tyre, and it looks super-clean - it sets the frame apart from the others and provides a very strong junction at the same time. Ends of the stays are capped. Dropouts are 3/16ths inch [4mm] thick - future Big Daddy's may go up to 1/4 inch thick, which would be a welcome change. Anyhow, the dropouts have a smooth shape, and they're welded both sides. Coaster brake users will note the bracket welded onto the chainstays. You have the choice of either fine chrome plate or green paint with this frameset. Graphics have received mixed response - flowers, hippy typeface, purple/ orange/yellow colours. They do look pretty cool though. All in all, this is nothing but a high quality frameset. Welding and finish throughout is top notch - after all, it is fabricated by SE who have been making BMX frames since 1735, and it sports some unique design features which are more than cosmetic, they really do work. Kevin has undoubtedly created a damn great frameset, one which won't be limited to flatland either Dave Mirra rode one for half a year on vert and street for example - it's just a shorter, more responsive and well designed frame. But what about the damage? A green Big Daddy goes for £345, while you're going to have to write a cheque out for £360 if you want a chrome one. A hundred quid more than the S&M HAF but basically there's more to it."

[harris]

i think they did 3 or 4 versions  yours is the overseas 4th version Taiwan.
not a great deal was changed  , cable guides , rear dropouts , box junction  at BB
at a glance they all have a similar silhouette.

[gary4130]

yeah its a '98 big daddy tai made/with gen 1 decals on it- the hb stamped gusset + coaster bracket mount give it away ,but for £70 its a good deal.
the text he put was from the ride test mag

[condor96]

its a mid through late 96. you can tell from the style of dropouts on the forks 

[thecaptain]

cheers guys but still not sure on the date, Ive added more pics

[gary4130]

its not a '94 big daddy mate -they only came in chrome or green then-with those decals
its deffo a '98 tai mod because of what i put before + 14mm dropouts
95-96 ramp room mods had 10 mm dropouts +the coaster mount was on the chainstays + the gusset under downtube didn't have hb stamped on it.
got this info from mark owen at hoffman bikes a few years ago
i've got a simlar coloured one -look in the museum at stogeys big daddy or i can put up a pic

[fugazi]

I thought by '97 they were called "The Sugarbaby" as Jones had left HB & the E.P. had come out?

[andy_116]

I thought by '97 they were called "The Sugarbaby" as Jones had left HB & the E.P. had come out?

dont think the stickers are OG

[condor96]

its a mid 96, first of the tai models. the hkf serial indicates mid 96, as does the hb stamp, 14mm drops in the back and 3/8th in the front.

 the gen before the mid 96s (last of usa made) had no hb stamp, no serials, 3/8th axle slots in the back and front (along with a diff style drop in the front,diff bend in fork legs and diff shaped ht gusset and the stay ends were capped almost flat,not rounded)  made from sept/nov 95- mid 96



the gen after the mid-late 96 model, released in early 97 till mid 97 (the last gen of big daddy,then the ep came out and replaced it) basically the same as a mid 96,except for the serial starts with a kf, and the forks got the rounded bottom with the big dropouts with 14mm slots.


i have pages upon pages and pics upon pics and endless research to back all of it up. 

the sugar baby came out in mid 95. it came about to help recover from the fumble from the egg. basically a tai baby big daddy,100% chromo

[fugazi]

That's that cleared up then    Good buy for £70 whatever the year!

[thecaptain]

wow, you guys definately know your stuff! thanks alot, really appreciate it. Unfortunately I was really hoping for an early one and would have kept it if it was 94, looks like im going to have to sell on to fund a 1991 dirtbike I just bought from the states will be looking for £80 shipped (Id like to make at least a tenner for my troubles, haha) will be on the bay for a bit more to cover fees.

thanks again guys, you've been a great help!

tom

[gary4130]

condor 96 would like you to put up all the info you have got ,be interested in reading all of it .the love h/bars info was fantastic reaserch 

[condor96]

condor 96 would like you to put up all the info you have got ,be interested in reading all of it .the love h/bars info was fantastic reaserch 

it would take loads of time, i would have to do one thing at a time like i did with the love handles (which i need to slightly update that post)   which bike/parts would you like to see first?? at some point in the future im gonna be putting together a site or webpage dedicated to early hoffman stuff. a place for reference, research, etc all in 1 place. i literally have thousands of photos and still have about another 500-1000 pics to upload to my photobucket.......

[Doz]

Just brought this frame and forks last week and wanted to thank all you guys for putting up all the infomation about the frame/forks.

It helped me loads in makng the decision to buy it.

I'll try and post some pictures of it when it's built, though it may take some time....

Any ideas where I can get some decals for it ? Preferably the same as the ones already on it?

[TwoBobRob]

Contact Del on here for custom decals   

[thecaptain]

Just brought this frame and forks last week and wanted to thank all you guys for putting up all the infomation about the frame/forks.

It helped me loads in makng the decision to buy it.

I'll try and post some pictures of it when it's built, though it may take some time....

Any ideas where I can get some decals for it ? Preferably the same as the ones already on it?

why didnt you buy it through here, I would have done it cheaper because theres no ebay fees

[scott250]

My mate had one - think his was 95 - 6ish.  It was chrome anyways.  It cracked in about 5 places   - I never got why flatland frames were made so 'ahem'  strong & heavy- they were quite fat tubes etc, just my mate didnt flatland and he hammered it on street and dirt.  He replaced it with a HAF - think that craked on the little dirt bike styled gussets + back triangle too.