Pinched post by Ed Ferri off the thread on the BMXmuseum I'm sure he wont mind.
"Let's put this info up again....
PRESS RELEASE:
In 1982 Skyway produced the first of what became a very iconic BMX race frameset- The Skyway T/A!
The T/A, which stands for "Totally Aerodynamic" featured space-age looking tear-drop shaped 4130 chrome-moly tubing on the majority of the frame AND fork. It was an instant success, and Skyway produced thousands of them over the next 4 years.
But it wasn't the easiest frame and fork set to produce. Most frames made at that time used traditional round steel tubing, and Skyway's design called for Aero-shaped tubing. It took quite a search to find someone to produce the unusual tear-drop shape they needed. After looking everywhere in the United States, Skyway finally turned to Japan, where they found two factories capable of producing the special chrome-moly tubes.
The Ishiwata Seisakusho Co. Ltd. of Japan ultimately won the job, and the job they did was flawless.
There were two ways to make the odd-shaped tubing. It could be drawn through a die in the desired shape or, as in the case of the Skyway tubing, it could be drawn round then shaped in a forming die.
The aero-shaped tubing created a very strong tube, and it's shape created a larger area for welding, therefore producing a stronger frame.
Fast forward nearly 30 years, and Skyway has once again produced another T/A model- The 24" T/A XL cruiser. But again, it wasn't that easy of a job. There's a reason why no other frame-maker has introduced a tear-drop shaped frame over the years!
In 2007 we decided that it would be fun to create a new-school Skyway frameset. After a few years of casual looking, the best that I was able to come up with as far as a "new" Skyway frameset was a frame that used Aero-shaped top and down-tubes, but with round to slightly oval chain and seat stays. I didn't think that would fly as a "new school Skyway", so it was never made.
It's a well known fact that in these modern times, Asia is the bicycle capital of the world. They have the best technology, equipment, and machinery to make bicycles. They have dedicated bicycle-only factories there, and have become the master of their craft.
So, in search of frame tubing that we could use for a new Skyway frameset, Skyway's president Ken Coster flew over to the 2010 Taipei bicycle trade show, with a box full of original T/A frame tubing as samples. He met with a few representatives of some of the best suppliers over there, and handed out tubing samples of what we wanted produced.
In mid-2011, one of those companies sent over samples of the tube sets that was exactly what we were looking for! We worked together to make the dies needed to shape the tubing to the exact specifications that we wanted for each and every tube. The hardest tube to perfect was the special seatpost tube, that is round on the top where the seatpost would insert, then flair out to the teardrop shape. With much work, that die was perfected, and we had tubing samples that all surpassed what we had hoped for! We had finally found the materials needed for us to build the new Skyway T/A!
The tubing factory did have a request though, they asked if they could weld up one of these framesets to show us their superior craftsmanship in frame-making, as they do make high-end mountain frames at their factory. The completed frameset that was sent to Skyway as a sample was absolutely outstanding. This ended up changing our approach on where the assembly of the frame would take place for many reasons.
The initial plan was to have the tubing sets fabricated, formed, and shipped over here to us. It would then go out to a vendor for welding, then out for finishing. Obviously going with a white finish would be the cheapest method of completing the framesets. Adding a chrome plating option would be big bucks, but still was planned on. Overall, considering how much cost and work that needed to be done to complete the frameset, and added cost of shipping back and forth to vendors, we were looking at a very expensive frameset!
To get the quality that we expected, we were looking at a frameset with a retail price tag of $900 to $1100 to have it all done over here in the States.
After seeing their work on one completed sample frameset, we asked for additional completed samples, in both chrome plated, and white finishes. Again, their finished product was amazing. And it changed the way this project would be done. Instead of a frameset that would hover around $1000, we are now looking at a final price tag at under half the estimated cost. I do not have the exact final price yet, but it WILL be less than $500 for the frame and fork set for the chrome plated models. The white models will be less than that number as well.
Skyway will quality check each and every frame and fork set, and once it is inspected, it will be stickered up with the Skyway T/A decals, and will be shipped out. This will eliminate any possibility of blemished framesets going out the door.
OK, now on to the specs!
This is a "extra-long" model cruiser, with a 22" top tube. It has race geometry as well, but will be GREAT as a street rider for all of those guys that just like to cruise and have fun on a BMX bike!
Here are the details.
22" Top Tube
Euro BB
1-1/8" threadless headtube
V-Brake mounts
Headtube- 73.5 degrees
Seat Tube- 73 degrees
Chainstays- 15.4" to 16.75"
25.4 seatpost
Uses 1-1/8" seatpost clamp
BB Height- 12.3"
Seatpost Height (center of BB to center of top tube) 10.5"
Cable guides on top tube
Even though we are still testing our prototypes, we do expect production models to be available around March / April 2012. We will begin taking pre-orders at
www.planetbmx.com in early January after we announce retail pricing.
In addition to this frameset, we are planning more frame and fork set releases in the future, as well as other products such as Tuff Pedals (made by Bullseye Cycle USA), handlebars in both Pro and Pro Cruiser sizes, and frame padsets.
Hang tight, the fun is just beginning. Again!"
( image coding added by ED209
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