Dyno and GT?

[davevilla]

I was chatting to my hairdresser about old BMXs the other day (as you do  ) and he mentioned he had an old Dyno bike loaded with GT parts. One thing that has always puzzled me, but I've never found out is what's the relationship between Dyno and GT?

I've always assumed that Dyno owned the GT brand and were crossed marketed, am I any where near the mark?

[Bigfrawg]

i'm not sure but i thought it was the other way around.

[SaMAlex]

GT bought loads of smaller companies out, in all kinds of ways. (They were the big bully boys of So Cal.  )
Some of these included Dyno, Powerlite, Auburn (I think), and a few others I forget.

[dialledbikes]

I think GT originally created Dyno as an apparel/parts brand, then they started doing some bikes which were a little less high end/more affordable than GT.

Sometime in the late 80s when the BMX bubble burst GT seemed to acquire lots of other brands, as Alex says, sometimes by bully boy tactics.  When I first started looking at BMX again in the early 90s I was surprised to see GT owned Robinson, Auburn and Powerlite as well as Dyno.  Rumour has it they also tried to acquire S&M in a similar way and I thnk they also acquired Morales later in the 90s.

Ironic now that GT finds itself just one brand of the Pacific empire which includes Mongoose and Schwinn.

GT is/was one of the most iconic brands in BMX.  But you can see how things go tits up when "the business" becomes more important than "the passion/love of the sport".

[SaMAlex]

ROBINSON! Thanks Mike. Thats the one I was forgetting. 

They tried, and failed to "buy" S&M in the very early days. Their not very honourable methods didnt work 

[WizardWeb]

Dyno was started by Bob Morales and in a similar way to Haro started doing number plates, race pants etc, then if memory serves, GT bought them and started making Dyno bikes.

These days the Dyno name is confined to beach cruisers/choppers. Sadly. (I still can't believe Torker are reduced to making unicylces, but that's a different horror story)

Auburn, there was a company. I heard they owed GT money for making the bikes and instead of payment, GT accepted ownership of the company. Same with Robinson. But as I understand it Dyno was aquired without any gossip, Bob just wanted to expand the company.

[OrgasmDonor]

I think GT originally created Dyno as an apparel/parts brand, then they started doing some bikes which were a little less high end/more affordable than GT.

Sometime in the late 80s when the BMX bubble burst GT seemed to acquire lots of other brands, as Alex says, sometimes by bully boy tactics.  When I first started looking at BMX again in the early 90s I was surprised to see GT owned Robinson, Auburn and Powerlite as well as Dyno.  Rumour has it they also tried to acquire S&M in a similar way and I thnk they also acquired Morales later in the 90s.

Ironic now that GT finds itself just one brand of the Pacific empire which includes Mongoose and Schwinn.

GT is/was one of the most iconic brands in BMX.  But you can see how things go tits up when "the business" becomes more important than "the passion/love of the sport".

i always thought of it like that, like fender n squire, top end, bottom end

[SaMAlex]

Auburn, there was a company. I heard they owed GT money for making the bikes and instead of payment, GT accepted ownership of the company. Same with Robinson.

Strange that GT managed to get several companies they were making frames for, into a position where they owed GT money. It cant have been to do with GT overmaking in quite months, and under making when the order books were full. And it was very nice of GT to offer to them with their problem. 

[dan-dare]

Dyno was started by Bob Morales and in a similar way to Haro started doing number plates, race pants etc, then if memory serves, GT bought them and started making Dyno bikes.

Spot on.