Author Topic: 1984 GHP Trix Resto...... (Read 27964 times)

McQUEEN · « **on:** October 04, 2016, 09:53 PM »

Yoah,

this is my build thread for the Resto of a 84 GHP Trix. I'm going to drop in as much knowledge as I've found out about this frame set during the past year of research - if I'm teaching anyone to suck eggs I apologise, it's not my intention, and if anyone has more info, please educate me....

Seeing this frameset for the first time hit me right between the eyes as a kid - I'd just finally spent 9 months of savings from a load of odd jobs and paper rounds to buy a GT Pro Performer frame and fork set from RAD CITY in Benfleet. I'd bought the Performer in chrome but had really wanted yellow (I had all the parts for a Fiola Banana) - the guy who owned the shop only had one chrome and one yellow, and the yellow had been made up to display, and he didn't want to take it apart and so he talked me into the chrome one, so I bought it - in the back of my mind I was never really happy with it, so when I saw the GHP Trix in Freestylin' magazine, and with Dave Vanderspek riding one on the same page, both images turned my head big style, and I really wanted it instead of the chrome Performer, driving the buyer's remorse deeper. I remember calling around places like OT cycles, Faze 7, RAD CITY again etc and no one had a Trix to see if I could get one as a trade for the nearly new GT. I don't think this frame set was ever sold in the UK - I've trawled through the adverts in BMX Action Bike and the english Freestyle magazines from the time and can't find a single listing for one.

The GHP Trix first came out in late '84, just as freestyle BMX was working towards its peak - all the major manufacturers had Freestyle frames, complete bikes and factory riders. KOS and the Southern California freestyle scene were the competitions and areas getting more coverage than the BMX racing and the AFA had been formed. The new stars of BMX where Fiola, Dominguez, Osborn, Wilkerson, replacing Leary, Hill, Miller as the faces kids looked to. Despite the rise of Freestyle, it was a pretty short lived concept for GHP. The Trix was only around for a year - there's only a handful on the museum, albeit I do know of 4 or five more over in America and one in Australia. There's also a NOS frameset in Canada that occasionally pops up on Ebay (normally around $5,000). I think the reasons are that GHP didn't have a big marketing budget like GT or Haro did at the time (who were BIG competition), Greg Hill himself wasn't really a freestyle fan (pure racer) and they didn't have a factory freestyle rider, although there were rumours that Martin Aparijo had ridden for them and had had a hand in its design and Dave Vanderspek was rumoured to be joining GHP, apparently helping develop a ramp version. From what I've found, he never actually rode for GHP and the ramp version never came out.

(If you look closely at the picture of DV in the full page picture he's actually riding a GHP Pro II but with the Trix forks - also has a RAD CITY decal on the front of his helmet!)

When the bike first came out it was pretty much set out on a GHP Pro II jig but with beefier tubing and dropouts, cool little RL20 type gussets under the downtube and what I always considered to be the coolest/simplest rear standing platforms on any freestyle bike. GHP changed the fork design late '84 - the early ones didn't have the front fork pegs - the frame set came with GHP Pro I front forks. The later models came with front forks that I understand VDC made (with GHP Dropouts) as they are identical to the VDC Freestyler forks - I've seen some confirmation between an American collector and Greg Hill / Voris Dixon to confirm that's the case as indeed, Voris Dixon was recently commissioned, under license agreement from Greg Hill, to knock up a few sets of the front forks from the old design details for the collector to replace a set lost from a frame he'd acquired.

Colours of the original early framesets - from what I've researched (through loads of editions of Freestylin') the early Trix's were offered in Chrome, White, or Candy Red (same as the race bikes). There were rumours of 'Day-Glo Orange' in 85, but I think this was more of a reflection of the GHP Pro II that GH rode to come second in the NBL Grands that year (GHP painted a few 'Day-Glo Orange'). There were one or two shop adverts advertising yellow, but GHP only confirmed '85 models were available in Chrome, White, or Red (which was now painted rather than Candy red). On the Trix the red was a red paint over a white base - some collectors in America have been using candy red over white and these look more like race bikes from '84. I also found a single yellow frame and fork set that was most possibly factory painted (there was yellow found inside the bottom bracket and under the decals) - I've contacted Greg Hill and Chip at C4 labs re the 'Day-Glo Orange' and Freestyle Red and nobody is really clear.

Midwest BMX Advert from 85

Greg Hill at the NBL Grands

GHP Advert from 85

Juan Matteos / BMX Addicts build, Red over White finish

Original Yellow

White (repowered not original)

Chrome

So, after looking for a Trix frameset for about two years, and having lost out to a ridiculous bidding battle via an renowned American BMX Ebayer and the frames owner on BMXmuseum (The frameset I was trying to get ended up sitting on Ebay after that for about 6 months at $2999 - its the white one in the pictures above) I bought this frame and fork set from a friend who bought it via ebay from Wundawend a year before. It is stamped on the lhs rear dropout as an '84 July model and came with the GHP Pro I front forks - and they weren't original to the frame. It was also in pretty bad condition with chewed up drop outs, loads of dents / dings and deep scratches and a crushed rear brake bridge. Structurally it was good - all the welds were good, the frame was straight and there were no bends. Anyway, here's how it looked when I first got my eyes on it.

More to follow....

Picklez · « **Reply #1 on:** October 04, 2016, 10:25 PM »

Quality. Great info right there

. Can confirm I have also come across an identical info/history trail to the one you detail.

Been waiting for this thread, staying tuned and can't wait for your updates...

Picklez · « **Reply #2 on:** October 04, 2016, 10:46 PM »

Also, yours being a July 84 would have originally had the decals you have on the Pro 1 forks in the 'as received' photos (It would have also come with Pro 1 forks originally). The decals in all other images were the 85 Trix decals.

Yours:

And why I'm so sure? I thought your SN looked familiar, the SN on the one with the red decals:

dancetothedrummersbeat · « **Reply #3 on:** October 04, 2016, 10:50 PM »

This is going to be good. These are super rare! Great info and and a fantastic start to the build thread. I do love a good build story/journey as you know. This is one of the only framesets left that i'd really like. Can't wait to see how it progresses. Thanks for sharing with us

McQUEEN · « **Reply #4 on:** October 05, 2016, 06:01 AM »

Quote from: Picklez on October 04, 2016, 10:46 PM

And why I'm so sure? I thought your SN looked familiar, the SN on the one with the red decals:

Nice one - how often do you see that!!

McQUEEN · « **Reply #5 on:** October 05, 2016, 06:31 AM »

So first job would be to get the frame and forks back to A1 condition.

Now, this step could alienate some, its a bit controversial as I know there are lots of different views on keeping what you find as is, but it was always my want to have the later model with the front fork pegs, so I started investigating converting the forks to an '85 model. I found some great threads on a guy who commissioned VDC to make a few pairs, after getting Greg Hills blessing - as they used the standard GHP dropouts which GH still had. I looked over the internet to find a frame builder or repairer who could sympathetically complete the work and decided on Ted James.

http://www.tedjamesdesign.com/

Ted turned the frame repairs around in about a fortnight and converted the forks by adding the pegs onto them, after firstly removing the dropouts, repairing them, and then mitreing the same diameter 4130 tubing into the original fork leg and then welding them all back together. The work on the forks were a piece of frigging art metalwork - you need total confidence in what you're doing / who you're asking to do these things as there are no second chances.

Once converted -

The VDC made versions -

The two are identical.

On the frame Ted added some brazing into the dropouts and worked them back to flat and replaced the brake bridge. All the various dents / scratched were worked through and I drilled out the rear of the front forks ready for a recessed brake bolt.

Once I had it back I had to consider the new finish. Heres the frame and forks back and all repaired

More to follow...

factory pilot · « **Reply #6 on:** October 05, 2016, 10:27 AM »

A great start to a build thread mate

I'm a big GHP Fan and Curb Dogs ( DV ) fan too so this floats my boat

I've go those magazines so was aware of the Trix ... Never new the chain stays were so cool ! .. Love them

Never new they came in yellow .. Looks great with the GHP block decals.
Looking forward to more up dates!

deeman · « **Reply #7 on:** October 05, 2016, 02:01 PM »

REALLY looking fwd to this one .....

AKGOFF · « **Reply #8 on:** October 05, 2016, 11:03 PM »

Lovely frameset and incredibly rare. I bought a restored red one from the same seller as you (Neil Clarke), he had about four at one time including your one.
My one went to another collector in Australia in the end.
The red & white Trix which Juan Mattos once owned is probably my favourite freestyle bike ever, James Tobin built it along with some other amazing freestyle bikes.
The Shotgun ll seat and SST Coaster hub from that bike are now on a couple of my bikes which I still have.

I can't wait to see how you build this up.

McQUEEN · « **Reply #9 on:** October 06, 2016, 06:29 AM »

Quote from: AKGOFF on October 05, 2016, 11:03 PM

The red & white Trix which Juan Mattos once owned is probably my favourite freestyle bike ever, James Tobin built it along with some other amazing freestyle bikes.
The Shotgun ll seat and SST Coaster hub from that bike are now on a couple of my bikes which I still have.

I can't wait to see how you build this up.

nice - you'll of seen this then:

/>
Agreed, a great bike.

McQUEEN · « **Reply #10 on:** October 06, 2016, 02:50 PM »

Once I had the frameset back I had to consider the new finish.

There was no consideration to retaining the original chrome finish as it was shot. I haven't found a single one, except for the nos one in Canada, that has the original finish. Also, most of the resto's I've seen have the 85 decals on them - I've only really seen one resto with the earlier chrome backed decals, and these were subsequently changed out to the later ones.

(- This one is the one in my first post, the white one with the grip tape but wrong decals on the forks)

I left the frameset in my office next to some photos of the ones I had researched - every time I'd walk past I'd have a look to see how I felt. I also coloured up some tracings I'd done. White was my original preference but that colour didn't really satisfy my want to do something that would really do justice to its rarity. White was a classic freestyle colour for 84/85 but I have a RL20 in white and I didn't want to take anything away from that. I wanted to stay as close to original as possible and I wanted the colour to compliment the decals - and most GHP builds I see have parts that reflect the decal colour.

Tracings......

While I touch on decals, as a usual offender Del / Decals completed a set for me that are pretty awesome - he made them up from his template for the GHP Pro II decals as he hadn't completed a set of Trix decals before.

I finally made my mind up to go Red, so colours where investigated from the red spectrum - I wanted to get the Freestyle red finish I'd investigated or try and nail the 'Day-Glo Orange'.

A visit to SBD was arranged after hours spent comparing reds in a RAL swatch book and the frame and forks painted - but I didn't nail the colour first off as I made the mistake of asking SBD to paint it in RAL3024 Luminous Red with a white base coat under. It looked awesome but too far away from the original and in no way a Red or 'Day-Glo Orange'. In fact, it looked pink in sunlight, bright red under fluorescent lamps and just plain bad in any other condition - it really alienated the parts I'd collected in red and orange. I'd had in mind a set of red panaracer freestyle tyres and the two just clashed, along with as well the z'ds I had ready.

So, after mulling over all of the photos again I went for the nearest match to the red on the decals and the red on the GHP advert I'd located. I took all the info into SBD and Dan was pretty sure it was the way to go too. SBD wet painted with three very light coats of RAL3020 Traffic Red (taking the original luminous red back a bit but using it as a base) and two coats of clear gloss and as soon as he'd finished he messaged me with some photos and it was obvious we'd nailed the colour. In most lights its Red but sometimes it has a cool red/orange hue to it.

On with the decals and some grip tape to the rear standers / fork pegs and a bold tapered strip along the huge top tube, a detail I'd seen on a few of the other resto's.

I'm pretty stoked with this as is before building.

More to follow!

dancetothedrummersbeat · « **Reply #11 on:** October 06, 2016, 04:20 PM »

Looking great! Keep it coming

kalex · « **Reply #12 on:** October 06, 2016, 05:53 PM »

Lots of effort and good information here

Even the tricolour of the decals is classic looking

Retrodan72 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 06, 2016, 08:26 PM »

A brilliant thread so far mate. I wish there were more threads like this on here.

dancetothedrummersbeat · « **Reply #14 on:** October 06, 2016, 08:33 PM »

^ i agree. A bit premature i know, but could you keep me in mind if you ever consider selling in the future

Thanks. Great thread

gary4130 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 06, 2016, 09:21 PM »

love reading stories like this with all the details-looking forward to seeing it built up,any idea on the spec your going for ?

McQUEEN · « **Reply #16 on:** October 06, 2016, 09:46 PM »

Quote from: gary4130 on October 06, 2016, 09:21 PM

love reading stories like this with all the details-looking forward to seeing it built up,any idea on the spec your going for ?

I have a full set of parts all ready to go. I'll be adding details as I build it up over the next few weeks. Even if one of the parts is 'whoring' my views....