Author Topic: Iron horse bmx! (Read 52692 times)

pickle · « **Reply #50 on:** April 28, 2010, 08:05 AM »

i do love the old 'low end' bikes from BITD but like you say.....i think 'freestyling' on one of those would just mean riding it down the street

spike · « **Reply #51 on:** December 27, 2010, 04:42 PM »

The bike is manufactured by a now defunct company based in Kingston-upon-Hull called Kingston Leisure Products, hence the KLP on the sticker. Iron Horse was the brand name they used, Dirt Burner the model. That bike would probably have been bought from a catalogue. They were the basic entry BMX available at the time. The bb was that high because they thought it would be better going round the berms... All the parts are the cheapest possible and most definitely of the poorest quality possible. The frame & forks are made by themselves, sprayed by themselves, but the forks were chromed by another local Hull company called Chromex. The mag wheels where known locally as 'matchsticks' and not any good at all, they would flex in the summer and snap and shatter in the cold! KLP produced some very good frame & fork sets too, using conventional geometry setups and using Reynolds 501 & Reynolds 531 tubing, they called them the 'Pro Series'. They also did some oval tubed frame & forks too like the Skyway Aero frame set.
They also had a factory team too, with factory test riders too. Most notably Steve Gratton as their factory rider.
How do I know all of this? I was one of their factory test riders!!! Any more info required get back to me...

Craig.

meticulous · « **Reply #52 on:** December 27, 2010, 06:10 PM »

nice bit of history that craig, thanks...

Andy68 · « **Reply #53 on:** December 27, 2010, 09:21 PM »

My memory's not wot it used to be but Steve Gratton used to be one of my heroes after watching him at either Grasby or Kirmington track. I'm sure we stayed behind after the days racing and watched Steve being photographed or filmed pulling some tricks off the tabletop. Black gear and bike with a touch of gold? I thought he looked awesome!!

I think that would have been mid 80's. Im in Louth, Lincolnshire so used to pester Dad to take me watch the racing at those tracks and also Peaks Lane, Grimsby, remember getting Tim March and Andy Ruffells autographs, still have em somewhere!! Cleethorpes zoo also held a national meet, 'BrianTilsley' was guest of honour!!!!

spike · « **Reply #54 on:** December 27, 2010, 09:34 PM »

Quote from: Andy68 on December 27, 2010, 09:21 PM

My memory's not wot it used to be but Steve Gratton used to be one of my heroes after watching him at either Grasby or Kirmington track. I'm sure we stayed behind after the days racing and watched Steve being photographed or filmed pulling some tricks off the tabletop. Black gear and bike with a touch of gold? I thought he looked awesome!! I think that would have been mid 80's. Im in Louth, Lincolnshire so used to pester Dad to take me watch the racing at those tracks and also Peaks Lane, Grimsby, remember getting Tim March and Andy Ruffells autographs, still have em somewhere!! Cleethorpes zoo also held a national meet, 'BrianTilsley' was guest of honour!!!!

Sounds like the Special race weekend track built in East Park in Hull mid eighties... This was a proper race spec track built for one weekend of racing and then removed ... It was sponsored by KLP which was why you saw Steve Gratton doing his stunts on the table-top, 360's on the flat and going backwards down the table-top drop off, we were all there showing off!!! Andy Ruffell & Tim March where there too, as it was a part of the national calendar. A great week-end promoting KLP bikes and the sport in general. Ah those were the days ehh??!!

Andy68 · « **Reply #55 on:** December 27, 2010, 09:53 PM »

Nice one Spike but it was definitely south of the bridge, somewhere near Humberside airport where I saw Steve (and perhaps you) pulling off the 360's . I'll ask my old man next time I see him.

ron burgundy · « **Reply #56 on:** December 27, 2010, 10:02 PM »

I remember seeing Steve Gratton race, all in black on his his Iron Horse, very cool. Not sure which track the race was at but is was in the Humberside area...

Great to see when you're 13

john4130 · « **Reply #57 on:** December 31, 2010, 12:28 AM »

Quote from: selfpreservation on May 24, 2006, 07:59 PM

we all gotta start somewhere i bought the haro ff in around 82/83 off a guy called scott who had a tshirt/bmx wear co with will smyth called JIVE in belfast you may have heard of the co some cool clothes and stuff they also had a fanzine called DIG or something

i met them years later and we used to ride together a bit (they were from the other side of the fence from me and it wasnt till we growed up we met again)

Donno what the are at now probably still shreddin really good riders back in the day
will was on BMX beat i remember
anyway used
my tuffs from the burner new bits here and there the usual story for a lot of peeps dont you think
g1s are a collectors item now but back then they were just a good bike i progressed to it as i started to ride better dull but true

will smyth has been the editor of dig bmx magazine since it started and still going strong. i still have the video they brought out called jive, the smile on my face is splitting me in half. i remember a kid down the street from me had an iron horse bitd, pos it was. i remember it had the brake levers welded to the handlebars at some stupid angle too, and thats how it came from the factory

super mat · « **Reply #58 on:** January 10, 2011, 09:48 PM »

i found something similar a few years back.very silimar too an iron horse but with a euro bb.its called a pedlar special edition.its real bad quality but its old so,its going for resto as an iron horse.

WINI · « **Reply #59 on:** February 19, 2011, 02:43 PM »

Quote from: selfpreservation on May 24, 2006, 08:59 AM

yeah i had one of these called an alien it was 2 tone black and yellow looked a lot coller than it was better thana stratton though got too rad on it one day and broke the top tube

Also my very first BMX! Aged about 9 or 10 I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Had Acorn magnum, aka Snapper mags and a host of other crap parts, but only the rich kids started off with decent bikes at that age. Would be Love to see a pic if you ever get one, bring back memories of building ramps and putting sticks on piles of bricks to create high jump bunny hop comps.....

woody · « **Reply #60 on:** May 08, 2011, 10:31 PM »

Quote from: spike on December 27, 2010, 04:42 PM

The bike is manufactured by a now defunct company based in Kingston-upon-Hull called Kingston Leisure Products, hence the KLP on the sticker. Iron Horse was the brand name they used, Dirt Burner the model. That bike would probably have been bought from a catalogue. They were the basic entry BMX available at the time. The bb was that high because they thought it would be better going round the berms... All the parts are the cheapest possible and most definitely of the poorest quality possible. The frame & forks are made by themselves, sprayed by themselves, but the forks were chromed by another local Hull company called Chromex. The mag wheels where known locally as 'matchsticks' and not any good at all, they would flex in the summer and snap and shatter in the cold! KLP produced some very good frame & fork sets too, using conventional geometry setups and using Reynolds 501 & Reynolds 531 tubing, they called them the 'Pro Series'. They also did some oval tubed frame & forks too like the Skyway Aero frame set.
They also had a factory team too, with factory test riders too. Most notably Steve Gratton as their factory rider.
How do I know all of this? I was one of their factory test riders!!! Any more info required get back to me...

Craig.

hi Craig
can you shed any light on the f&f in this thread please
http://www.burnerworldforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php't=29758
looks like if anyone can help its you

thanks in advance

woody

Dannywhac · « **Reply #61 on:** May 09, 2011, 01:08 PM »

Dunno if this helps with a bit of Iron Horse history, but from memory a load of suprlus bikes ended up being dumped in a quarry/landfill in Leven, E. Yorks. Only got vague memories of it so don't know if it was KLP who got shot of 'em, or a cycle distributor - remember seeing a shart load of completes though laying there looking all folorn and trying to get me dad to come with his car so I could nab a few.......

I had one of their Aero frames bitd - loved it

masterofinsanity · « **Reply #62 on:** August 25, 2011, 04:26 PM »

Interesting read, good mixture of views, not many around by the looks of it and judging by search results, guess that makes them ever soo that little bit more special eh? (pos or not!) well i'm reliving my youth and bought this today, now to spend hours trying to find what little info there is about it.

and tommorrow i'm gonna brave the BMX track nearly 30 years on ....

bmxgirl · « **Reply #63 on:** September 05, 2011, 08:45 PM »

Thats the best Iron Horse i've ever seen

ED209 · « **Reply #64 on:** September 05, 2011, 09:03 PM »

still don't know what this thread ever had to do with freestyle

masterofinsanity · « **Reply #65 on:** September 05, 2011, 10:41 PM »

Quote from: bmxgirl on September 05, 2011, 08:45 PM

Thats the best Iron Horse i've ever seen

thanks, i liked it too

certainly bought back some memories

That Swan Guy · « **Reply #66 on:** September 11, 2011, 04:23 PM »

Grasby didn't have a tabletop of note, it was just lots of bends and whoops set in a quarry, fantastic track. Unless you mean the little one on the inside of the lefthanded bend 3 where they had the 'pro section'. In that region the track that had a table top of any size was Immingham, not far from Kirmington Airport. The track was loosely based on Wigan. Peakes Lane at Grimsby had a table top with a step up on the football pitch side of the track but no stand alone table top. I know I raced there for years, until it was demoished so they could build Peake's Parkway. POS road!

denzil · « **Reply #67 on:** December 06, 2011, 10:04 PM »

This was the first bike i had, it must of been about 80/81. its was great to see that pic as my bike was just the same. and yep it was i pice of shite. and heavy as fook. but i still loved it.

masterofinsanity · « **Reply #68 on:** December 06, 2011, 10:47 PM »

heavy??? compared to my lads halfords specials this is featherweight, never had soo much fun since the 80s and on the lookout for a raleigh burner methinks!

stealthcamper · « **Reply #69 on:** June 03, 2014, 09:13 AM »

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but ive just picked one of these up, still struggling to find out any more info on them...

stockcar3 · « **Reply #70 on:** June 26, 2014, 08:40 PM »

I had an Iron Horse in 1982 just after id snapped the forks on my Super Burner. My mum paid £15 for it second hand.
It was a catalouge bike with plastic block pedals BUT it was super super light .

BMX1973 · « **Reply #71 on:** July 03, 2014, 08:52 PM »

I've heard of Iron Horse

Nice survivor

Funkyworm · « **Reply #72 on:** October 31, 2014, 10:41 PM »

Quote from: Stace on May 26, 2006, 06:18 PM

Anyone got a pic of the Alien, I think I had one of them!!

Just come across this old thread, Yeah here's an Alien it belongs to WINI . A mate of mine had exactly the same bike & I absolutely love this . I remember them being super light too (catalogue bike from memory) Love the decals the colour way everything really ..

Author Topic: Iron horse bmx! (Read 52692 times)

spike

spike

super mat

woody

masterofinsanity

masterofinsanity

masterofinsanity