Author Topic: Tuff Wheel info (Read 6146 times)

Maurice Meyer · « **on:** November 06, 2009, 06:00 PM »

I've been gathering information and making observations on Tuff Wheels for quite a while now and I'm finally hunkering down and making a web page that should be a pretty good resource for collectors. I have a lot of good stuff so far - mostly from ads and a couple really good catalogs from 1979 and 1982 - two pretty transformational years as it turns out. But, what I really need is more information on the UK made Tuffs.

I have one pair myself and can see the obvious things like the stamping and the bolting of the rear hubs but I also noticed that there is no serial number on mine. Is that true of all UK wheels? Also, did they ever do any front ones with the bolts or were they all the plastic hubs? I'm sure with the repair kits, anyone with the parts could easily make whatever they wanted and I think I saw the shop that was selling them a few years back do that when they started getting low. But, anyone recall buying a bolted front back in the day? Were all colors made in the UK?

Anyone have any magazines with mentions of these wheels or any UK-specific advertisements? I'm also wondering when the production was done. I believe it started in 1985 but I don't really have anything to support that and I'd like to fill in the gaps. Also have no idea when they stopped production. That turns out to be hard to workout. Lots of hoppla when a new product comes out but not much said when they stop or even change sometimes.

Man, I've already seen things in these catalogs and write-ups that I didn't known before. Detail stuff. I think this will be a handy site when it's done. Hoping to get a registry page going too so we can see what serial number ranges meant. I can actually read the serial numbers in the 1982 catalog so that should be fun.

diesel · « **Reply #1 on:** November 06, 2009, 07:02 PM »

I have a digital copy of the large fold-up skyway poster - that I've been slowly cleaning up over the years.

If that's any use I'll email it through when Its done?

oldtired · « **Reply #2 on:** November 07, 2009, 10:48 AM »

yup you could get replacement front hubbs, bolt ins, did a few bitd, the early hubbs would bend inwards, soft alloy?

,remember haveing to put a load of washers on to take up the space, weired because once they started to bend you had to keep tightning up the cones to the point where they became unuseable, also did a few freewheel/ coaster swaps, the ones i rember were origonal skyway parts made in us , don't know if hubs were made in uk with the wheels?

ChrisN17 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 12, 2009, 04:49 PM »

My tuffs still have the sticker inside telling you to use tuff pads. Does anyone know where to get and what size bearings the hubs take?

Bob_Acid · « **Reply #4 on:** November 12, 2009, 06:05 PM »

Anyone know where the UK Tuffs were made? i've seen posts about it before.

HUTCHMAN · « **Reply #5 on:** November 12, 2009, 06:58 PM »

could it have been in High Wycombe alongside the z rims? I know it's two opposing companies involved but was the technology similar/same?

Darren Wood · « **Reply #6 on:** November 12, 2009, 10:10 PM »

Think they were made down at shiners in the late 80"S .............................. Maybe wrong but i"m sure i remember as i rode for SE and they were and still are through Shinners

Nice one WOODY

tricknuts · « **Reply #7 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:28 AM »

Maurice

my first BMX had yellow tuffs. that was in 83. Raleigh burner. dunno if they were UK made though. once burners were uncool, I thought I'd get clever and spray paint them white as i coldn;t afford another set. Stuck them on my newly aquired Ammaco 202 frame. All went well until the pads rubbed off the paint, and then i had yellow band white tuffs.

so then I bought a set of blue acorns ( a poor man's tuff back in the UK), but then managed to snap a spoke off, so had to put my yellow banded white tuffs back on.

then to make matters worse, i then snapped my ammaco 202, so had to put my burner frame back on the tuffs. Back to square one.

No wonder i was shite. I didn't have a decent bike until about 2005...

kirk · « **Reply #8 on:** November 13, 2009, 06:58 AM »

Hey Maurice, hope your ok.
I was talking to Ken at Interbike a few year back and he was talking about the UK tuffs. A shop chain called Halfords started selling them at a kind of knock down price so there was a need to avoid customs duty etc on the US product.
At first they had the Alloy hub in both front and rear, then they went to Plastic hubs at around the same time as the US. I think I might have a set and will have a look.

As far as colours go they were the same as US with the later plastic hubs having the full range, I remember being in my local Halfords and looking at all the whacky colours, Orange, baby blue, Lavender, green, and thinking "this will never catch on!".

Selling tuffs in Halfords was like Wallgreens selling tuffs so it was a bit of a good thing for Skyway. if you call Ken he might be able to fill in some blanks like production dates ect.

K

Bob_Acid · « **Reply #9 on:** November 13, 2009, 02:16 PM »

i think they may have done the same thing in Australia

kirk · « **Reply #10 on:** November 13, 2009, 03:38 PM »

There was a magazine advert in the uk stating they were now made here, anyone with a selection of old mags should be able to find the advert.

BrianP · « **Reply #11 on:** November 13, 2009, 04:51 PM »

Here's a post that came up a while ago on UK tuffs:

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=52814.msg542707#msg542707

Brian

Maurice Meyer · « **Reply #12 on:** November 17, 2009, 07:27 PM »

Thanks guys! This is good stuff. I'll look around 23mag for that ad and make sure to include it. So Kirk, since you mention that they were doing the fronts with alloy hubs would you say they actually started the UK Tuffs in '84?

JAY · « **Reply #13 on:** November 17, 2009, 10:53 PM »

Hi Maurice, I think Skyways were made in the UK a lot later, probably 86. I have this Ad from UK BMX action bike Augusst 86 which mentions the NEW DUPLICATE MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN THE UK. Someone on here will have earlier issues to confirm if this ad was in them, but i have up til May 85 and the earlier USA ads are in those issues still.....
Hope this helps, the Skyway Ads are always on the back cover, so its a bit knackered, maybe someone has a better copy they can Scan.

kirk · « **Reply #14 on:** November 18, 2009, 12:21 PM »

Hi Maurice,

I went down the basement and dug around and found a UK made front with Alloy hub....however its bolted in so could have been a rear at some time in its life. I think Big Ken at Skyway would be able to fill in the gaps, he has some good drinking stories from his time here too

Thats the ad I was thinking of Jay, nice one.

Maurice Meyer · « **Reply #15 on:** November 20, 2009, 05:50 AM »

Well get this: all my BMX mags are in the garage except one I just got in the mail from a friend. And, it's the October issue of Freestyle (UK) with that ad on the back. Seems that it could very well be that the UK wheels were started up in 1986 since this October run ad says Skyway "recently" started making the wheels in the UK. Doesn't seem that they'd run that ad for 10 months. The plot thickens. I'll get a pretty good scan off of this mag. Thanks again!