i thought they were cool for a very long time and i finally picked one up recently. thing is, i don't really know too much about them. what is their story? what years were they made? i see them labeled as Strokers, IIs, Magnums...what were the differences (was it just parts)?

I don't know a lot about them, but I do know the name of the company that made the Stroker was called Two Wheelers. As of the first issue of BMXA in December 1976, they had apparently been around awhile:



Some ads:





They later made a round-tube frame called the Two Wheeler's Pro that was tested in the February 1978 BMXA. Pretty trick bike, and came spec'd with parts like Cook Bros hubs, Dura-Ace cranks and Reedy pedals.

I just recently purchased one too and I am sure more information will follow as I too would love to know more. Here is mine, I was debating on the heavy duty spokes or the MX-60's, I have two sets, one polished ike the Magnum ad and one set in black (front shown). I have never really wanted one of these bikes but bought it for the Bottema fork and now that it is here I might as well throw it together. Please do not ask about the wheels. I have wheels allocated for many projects and they will all be used or else sold later.
1st image is what I bought it as off eBay.

Does anyone have a pair of the Macho Box forks?? I do!! Chrome and stickers still in great shape!! I have the frame to go along with it as well.

I don't know "much" more about the company but it was started by two brothers with the last name of Wheeler.

There was a seller on eBay about a year ago that bought out an old bike shop. He had a number of NOS forks. I got a couple, I know TIM got a least one set and I remember a few other members picked up the remainder. The first ones went for well over $100. I think all of them were blue or red...no chrome unfortunately.

all cool info, so far.

anyone know what years they were made from/until?

They also had a Two Wheeler Pro that was available with a euro BB, and weighed in at less than 4.5 LBS. They were made for Two Wheeler by Profab of Chandler AZ. If I could figure out why I can't post even my resized pic's I'd post one of mine now and my profab from BITD. Reilley one has a pic of Two Wheeler pro on his myspace page.

I believe the owner was Marshall Wheeler. Bottema and Tinker rode for them. They must have been close to Norwalk as they appear to have been around the Norwalk Bikers track in early newspapers. Later Brian Lewis rode for them. Bottema was kicked off the team as he showed up one day with a Webco that had Stroker decals. He didn't like the geometry of the Stroker. This was the frame he showed up with. It made a smooth transition to the Webco team.

good stuff all. I just bought a frame from a VBMX member and am just waiting for it to arrive !!! I'll post pics when it gets here.

Here is a picture from roughly January, 1975. While both Jeff Bottema and Mike Schmidt have Two Wheeler jerseys on (the white sleeves) they are not on a Stroker frame as they didn't exist yet. I believe they came out later in 1975. Those early ones were bombproof / heavy frames with hideous geometry.

You said a mouthful there... one of the few frames I've ever ridden that just didn't do anything right... Who could blame Bottema? My friend got one, declared it a "log", and quit BMX for skateboarding... I think I would resticker just about any other frame rather than than have to race one...

Richard Vogt
bmxmountainbiker

The Two Wheeler Pro came out after the Stroker.

Tank and hidious geometry, that desribes the Stroker as well, also add prone to cracks.

ramo,

You sure the rider in 2nd isn't Tinker?

Jeff left for Webco and Tinker for Kawasaki soon after this.

Is that Rob Fehd and Stu lurking in the back as well?

Richard Vogt
bmxmountainbiker

Ben, positive. Yes that is Fehd & Stu in background. Dan Loftus in front (!). Here is a picture of Tinker on quite possibly the same day.

You can trust Ramo. Not only does he know his stuff, he was there.

Now, I would not be too hard on the Stroker. Yes it was a boat anchor, I would not be surprised if it was a steel frame. But it was a sign of the times. It was part of an era when we were transitioning from Schwinn type bikes to BMX specific bikes.

I did a test with the Stroker in one of the early issues of BMX News. I have the issue in a box out in garage.

But let me tell you, there were more than a few bikes with questionable geometry BITD.

I remember Marshal Wheeler, I do not remember anything about a brother. He was a pretty good promoter too.

Strokers were a funky breed. Heavy, Poopy Welds, weird box tubing with pinched ends and just
plain funky. Frames were genereally tempered steel.
Now looking back at the frames surviving today, I wonder about the QC and how it looks as
though they were just thrown together. BITD, I thought it was the coolest bike I had seen
at the time.
After the Schwinn type era, my strongest BMX memory was the neighbor down the street who
had a maroon colored Stroker Frame. This was around '79.
There were quite a few variations and generations as the Stroker continued production.
First Gen models had no brake bridge and later models had the fork variations and 'speed holes'.
Here's a short pictorial.
Some pics deserve credit to the original owners/posters of these rides from various sources.
First Gen Torker Frame

Quality and precision craftsmanship

Definately Sweet Stuff here

'76 Two Wheeler Frame/Fork/Box Bars
Credit to owner

Stroker ll, Ashtabula Equipped
Credit to original poster

'77 Stroker Frame

Magnum Stroker
Credit to original poster

Some Fork Variation




Super Stroker

3rd Gen Variation w/Brake Bridge and Speed holes
(Thanks Reilly for the demo)
(coaster brakes becoming obsolete, getting with the times)


1st Gen Cruiser prototype that never saw production
Must be out there somewhere..

Rick G please post a pic of the Two Wheeler pro

Great pictorial and history. I've got a Stroker II with original finish and decals I hope to rebuild sometime.

Presented for your consideration (until Rick gets in here with his bike pic) is the test from Feb 1978 BMXA of the Two Wheeler's Pro:

COOL! Thanks Evan! That's the one I have, even yellow, used to be Rick's. Those are the ones that were made by Profab for Two Wheelers. Very light, and handled great. I'm doing a build of my Profab from BITD. Only problem is the one I got from Rick has a Two wheeler SN# and american BB. Mine had a Euro. Hey Scott Towne would ya trade me my American BB TW Pro for your Euro BB TW Pro? Sorry haven't found a Super Cheetah yet.

Evan could you e-mail me copies of those scans?

cheez, you got PM.

Here's a pic of one in action. The top pic.

Dreambmx.com

Mike

Guess it would be nice to put up the last page of the test -- duh!

I just read an article before I left town about the company that Marshall started with his brother. I think the article was in BMX News but I'm not positive...could have been early BMXA. I'm soooo sick right now in a hotel out of town. If I live and ever make it home I'll look it up and post it.

I remember thinking that the name was really cool because not only did the Two Wheelers name imply bicycles but also "two" of the Wheelers starting the company. Of course I could be delirious....and it seems so long ago (...sigh....).

Like Red also said, I don't remember A brother but i for sure remember Marshall.

He used to come out to WSA and watch the night races quite a bit. He was a BIG guy!! and a really cool guy too. I think he use to ride a big Honda Goldwing??

When JMC finally came out with our own frames, I was running Cook forks on mine. As soon as Redline came out with their ProLine fork I changed to ProLines (lighter).

One night after my main at Western, Marshall asked my dad and i to meet him at his shop the next day, he said he wanted to show us somthing he was working on... We rolled down there and he showed us the new line of frames and forks he was about to hit the market with, Two Wheeler PRO.
I remember racks full of yellow frames and Chrome forks and something i had never seen before, BLACK CHROME!!!

The cool thing about his new fork was the length. They were between a mini and a std. fork. He thought that for me it might help if i had a steeper head angle to quicken up my steering and a little shorter fork might do it.

Needless to say Marshall told me if I would run 'em on my race bike he would give 'em to me. I LOVED those forks!!! They are still mounted on the same bike!!!




Note the clearence... thats a 20x1.75 tire....

Does anybody have a line on repro decals for the Super Stroker?

Bump

Don't remember another Wheeler brother other than Marshall that was heavily involved in BMX. As far as Strokers, the first gen had nothing (plate or bar) to run a caliper brake, the second gen had two holes on which a metal plate was bolted on for the caliper brake. the third gen is like the one on the pic. Still has the holes but it has a poop-welded brake "bridge"

Here's my former Two Wheeler Pro. I got it for a bike head badge. Also got two 7bs, a set of box bars and some other 70s stuff

The "brother" I mentioned may not be a brother. I saw the article in the Jan/Feb 1975 BMX News and it spoke about Fred and Marshall Wheeler. My be a brother, father, cousin or another unrelated "Wheeler". Got me...?

If anyone has some square Stroker forks that have the curved rake to them, I am interested in aquiring a set. I had a crusty frame repowdered orange like mine BITD and have aquired some NOS gold 7B's. Long story short, I have everything but the correct forks. Need not be NOS, but price needs to be commensurate with condition. PM me with your pics and asking price.

On that note, when I had the frame repowdered (it was quite rusty) I had to refrain from cleaning up the welds and filing some of the weld droppings off the bike. The weld quality certainly left a lot to be desired. I didn't really care 31 years ago though.....

From the Jan/Feb 1975 BMX News:

Would that make it "Two Wheelers?"