Well finally finished my first build - well my first one since 1982 anyway.

I have built this Hutch XL24 as a rider, so not completely obsessive about period detail. Having said that, I caught the NOS sickness and everything except for the bars, stem, frame and bottom bracket are either NOS or new.

I've got a lot of people to thank - First and foremost - Roberto for his mastery of the Way of Powdercoating! Trevor Rowse (Supermax Crmo) for the frame and some other gear, Tom Barone for his exceptional repro pads, Martin-Bike for the inverted XXL DK stem, Michael Patrick for his repro Hutch stickers.

I Need to thank all the other Aussie guys who continually inspire me with their excellent builds despite a serious lack of local parts and the high airmail costs and the usual ebay issues. Andy Diamond too for his own rider XL24 which prompted me to do one too.

Finally - thankyou VBMX for giving me back my childhood passion!







[ October 06, 2006, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Kurt. ]

Nice color sceme. i love both the black and white hutches to begin with. That blue is a nice touch. Sweet bike, great job.

Very very nice Kurt, that is an excellent build. I love the subtle hints of blue amongst the black and chrome, oh and I love the tyres

Well done

Nice work mate.

Good to see a Hutch without all the Hutch stuff all the time.

Gotta love the Victor DX pedals - the best copies ever.

Nice! I dig black Hutches. And its good to see one piece cranks! I'm putting one piece cranks back on my GT 26. They are great.

I agree, I like the blue touches.

Parts list: (all NOS except bars, stem, frame and BB)

Hutch XL 24 Frame
ELF cruiser bars
DK Inverted XXL stem
Tioga Beartrap2 Headset
Tange headset lock
SST Dirt skirt
Tange TX1200 forks
AME tri grips
Shimano DX lever
Odyssey cable
Dia Compe MX 1000 caliper
ACS Z-Pads
Tioga Max-Flo tubular cranks
Takagi spider and chainring (41T)
Sealed bearing B/B
Victor DX pedals
KMC Inox S/S chain
Shimano DX hubs
Araya 7X rims
S/S spokes & long nipples
DX sprocket (18T)
Hutch repro padset
Tioga Comp III tyres
Generic dice caps
Johnny Chopper S/S post
Elina Flyte Tech saddle
HJ MX clamp

[ October 06, 2006, 08:33 PM: Message edited by: Kurt. ]

Very nice Kurt..Nothing better than a super clean rider..Especially when its a Hutch 24...Ride with Pride champ...mic

I was lucky enough to see your frame when it was at Roberto's paint shack,Super sweet powder on that baby...Black is one of the hardest colours to powder as it shows up everything..

Wow! That's a beauty!

Very Nice Kurt!
I really like the anodised blue accesories.

Very nice for not a Diamond Back.

LOL Lew! Yep - as you know, DB Senior Pro is next. I hope to redeem myself!!!

Nice one Kurt. I remember what the frame looked like when you got it and it's come up great. Thinking about a black and blue build myself.

Cool Jarvi. I love the chrome & black and black & chrome Hutches with all Hutch branded parts - but it's been done so many times it's nice to do something different.

Good looking color combo and attention to detail. Well done!

Funnything is, I too have an XL24 plus check my name. LOL.

And how come Australia produces so many fast Superbike racers???

Hey thanks Curt,

Not to mention GP riders - Magee, Beattie, Gardner, Doohan...

I think it's mainly because of the strong dirt bike culture in Oz - all those guys started out sliding around on dirt.

Cause my favourite to watch was always Texan - Kevin Schwantz...#34!

Hutchie Hutch all the way!! Kurt.. that XL24 is amazing!! well done

Kurt, great job, looks like a sweet rider. Love 24" Hutch's!

I can't wait to get my rider done too!

Doohan actually won a WSBK race in 88. Some others Dowson, Goddard, Magee, Campbell and Phillis.

Back to Bicycles, just how rare is/are Hutchs' in Australia?

Pretty rare Curt.

I've heard of maybe half a dozen XL24s.

Malcolm Campbell is a Tasmanian too. Few other names: Corser, Bayliss, Stoner, Vermuelen...

My frame originally needed a bit of work. The brake bridge had been drilled out and had cracked, so I had that rewelded and then ground it down, before sending ot off to Queensland (the other end of the country) for master powder coater Roberto for stripping, priming dent filling and coating.

Here's some "before" pics...




Cheers Kurt

That XL24 is lookin' good Kurt

Nice build Kurt. Brings back good memories for me.
You ended up w/ the black frame that I could'nt find in '82. I had to settle for chrome.

Nice build mate and more so what a cool ride for the streets. Frame finish is spot on and good details.

It makes me want to do a cruiser that I said I wouldnt do........

Very nice. I like it alot.

sweet bike - well worth the time and effort Kurt!

Sweet bike

Man I love 24s.

Especially Hutch

Thanks guys. I had never ridden a cruiser before this and it's so weird - just like a regular 20" BMX - only everything fits! Sure, a little less legroom than a MTB, but still very nice to ride.

And the knowing thumbs ups and whiplash second looks from the local kids on MTBs and new school BMXs makes it all worthwhile!

Hey Leroy - do it mate - you know you need a Hutch cruiser now to complement that sweet little 20"!!!

You never rode a cruiser till you built this one? That's weird. Well, not like negative weird, I'm just comparing that to my own experience. I first rode a cruiser in like '81 or so (a Murray) I was hooked for the same reasons - It handled fast and snappy like my 20" but it seemed to fit me so much better. I just felt instantly at home on it. I immediatly made some moves and sold some stuff and picked up an XL24. Parted out my 20" and built it up, and I did'nt even touch another 20" for over 10 years...

Cruisers weren't very common down here in Tasmania Mike. Only one that I was ever really up close to was a friends XL24 that his businessman father brought back personally from the US. Even now - youll find most of the cruisers in Oz are more recent imports from the states.