"The 25 year PORK will be combining new and old school features, including SKYWAY CUSTOM-MADE HARD-COMPOSITE GRAPHITE TUFF WHEELS w/ a sealed 9t cassette hub, all top of the line equipment, AND the specially revised 2hip 6061 PORK frame complete with an integrated headset, mid bb, and metal drop-out/axle-protectors. The 25 YEAR PORK will be available in two colours, including PINK."

Wadeaminute...
I know you've been wanting these for a long time now!
We'll have them at Coloredtuffs.com as soon as they are made.
So far, 14mm Rear only on these, with a convertible front wheel......
-Ed

I'd love them to have a convertible-like rear set-up so you could run 3/8, but 9t is more important. Question, and I know I'm getting ahead of things here (I am a professor, after all), but does Ed know which cassette system Skyway will be using? If it is the Joy Tech one, it will be compatible with Odyssey, MacNeil, etc. Then you could swap out parts (ti axles, 8t - 16t drivers).
Can't wait to see them.

I'm not sure which one will be used. I'll find out.
I've asked for a 3/8" cassette as well.... hopefully that will happen....

I'm pretty sure we'll have regular Tuffs available this way as well.

Wow... the 9 tooth cassette Graphites are SWEET!
I've seen it... and it's awesome. I'll post pics as soon as I have permission to do so. Thanks again to Ron Wilkinson for getting Skyway to make these!
-Ed

So are these bikes going to cost an arm and leg. if so i'm out... if not cashing in,, on retro.. I'm in.....

I have no info on the bike... but we'll have the wheels at coloredtuffs.com

the 2hip web page has expired?

That sounds really cool! I can't wait to see the final product!

I'd love to see Black Market comission a run of 26" graphite tuffs with 14mm axles and disc brake mounts and sell them as OEM on a Mob bike... I think I would faint...

Any word on the 9t graphites? Which brand of hub parts will they be compatible with?

2 Hip really on top of they're game.. Web page expired.. sounds typical..

2hip.com will get you to thier website. who knows on those completes. email and see if you get a reply or just call ronw himself. all contact info is listed on the site.

I'm still curious on getting the wheels. Any info Busy-Fresh-Dad-Ed?

Saw the bike today.. not impressed... not sure if these bikes will sell at all.......

Link to a picture?

I got a response from Bart at Skyway saying the project is on hold for now.

The project is on hold..... due to the Olympics...

China made many factories there close down to clean up the air quality for the Olympics. This affected MANY bike companies by delaying the manufacturing of parts and bikes. This delay has pushed back many, MANY 2009 bikes. So...... you won't see a Skyway 9 tooth Graphite until that bike that are ready to be made. Once the wheels, which will be made in Redding California, are made for the bikes, we'll have some available for sale as well. But not until that time.....

Ron Wilkerson is the man that made this wheel a reality... so he gets to show it off first! I have a few pics of the wheel, but I've been asked not to show it.

It's sweet, though!

Ed,
OK. Thanks.
Have you any information on the type / brand of cassette hub being used? That is, the guts will be compatible with which aftermarket parts?

Ed,

Seems to me that a 9t driver would appeal to a larger modern BMX market. Will we be seeing these in colors eventually? No shame in starting at the top with the Graphites though! Looking forward to these for sure.

There is a picture of the bike in the new BMX Plus! So it must be OK to post pics of the wheels now, Ed.

Scan it, lets see this bad boy.

Well, if there's already been a press release on this in Plus.. I guess it's ok then!





Sweet, eh?!!

Now, all you need are some Kool Caps, and you're really rockin'!

Must... resist... urge... to build... bike around... wheels I cannot buy yet....

Thanks Ed.
They look clean. Was that one functional or just a mock-up?
Looks like it will be compatible with Odyssey-type hubs? So you could get a titanium axle and an 8t driver?
I've been pushing for these for years.
Just to be clear, Graphites are still heavy. They weigh almost exactly the same as normal tuff wheels. They are just stiffer.
Switching from my Profile wheels and KHE tires (25/9) to Graphites and Demolition tires (36/13) added between four and five pounds to my bike.
But they look soooooo cool.
It's not a performance thing, it's a pose thing.

Yeah W/ that 9T driver your sprocket choices are endless now . I wanna run a 13T on my F/F Graphites W/ a 36t Tree Lite spline drive on my '82 Patty . I FINALLY found an '06 Shadow Cons . top load stem (the last year they had that ando. forest green & the stem had that boxey look & not so rounded ) mated to my Profile design 1"-1 1/8" converter . I might have to invest in a set of those 9T Graphites !

I want a set of 12" graphites for my scooter... with disk brake mounts so I can run 8" rotors on them... hehehe...

Those wheels look great! I really hope Skyway expands their graphite wheel manufacturing to cover a few more markets such as Freeride... 26" graphite tuffs with disk brake mounts and casette hubs would be the shizz!

Interview with Wilkerson plus pictures of the Pork with graphites.
http://bmx.transworld.net/2008/09/15/catch...-years-of-2hip/

That Groovetech stem setup is a neat idea. I hope it takes off for Ron. Kudos for coming up with something new. I could possibly see the flatland scene picking up on it, but if I were to bail hard doing street, I'd rather have the bars or stem slip.

There is video of Ron W. and the Pork 25 w/ graphites here:
http://bmx.transworld.net/2008/09/24/repor...e-in-las-vegas/

the Pork looks sick. too many cool things coming out; my poor wallet!

I'm waiting...

Looks pretty chill to me. Anyone else feeling EXTRA old knowing 2-hip is 25??? UGH!!

I love that pork, damn sick! And the 9t graphites Lovely

Wow that stem/fork/bar thing is pretty slick, but as others have mentioned, there is something to be said about having your steering give during really hard impacts. This is probably a good thing rather than not.

I wish Ron all the best, what a top notch dude.

The 9T graphites WILL be in my stable for special occassions.

Any word, Ed?
Also, I found this on eBay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NOS-SKYWAY-TUFF-WHEEL-...p3286.m20.l1116
A yellow NOS Tuff II with a cassette hub from the 70s/80s?
Does anybody know about this? That slipped by me back in the day.

Bump. Any word, Ed?

The 2hip site is being updated right now. Soon the PORK will be visible to all in HIGH-Res. It's AWESOME, no question.

Hey Ed when will these 9T bad boys be available ? I WILL INVEST IN A SET .

i just got my 2Hip dealer info. very cool bike, but it's gonna be expensive.

ANybody going to pull the trigger and buy this bike???

I just want the wheels.
I asked for these three or for years ago. Even explained how to do it to Skyway. Now I just need resolution. On second thought, maybe I don't even want them anymore.
They'd better have the good front hub. I'm baffled that the 24" graphites came with the inferior hubs.

I may Jerry....will keep you posted.

??? Huh?? What? Inferior hubs? Who told you that? It's the same hub that's use in the 20" Graphites, and we went on to use that same hub in all of the 24's that were made.
Parts were no longer available for the allen bolt convertible style that the 20's used, so a solid 3/8" heat treated crmo axle was used in that same hub.

In other news......

The 2-Hip Pork 9t Graphites were just made. I'll know soon if we have any extras to sell any as an aftermarket wheel set. If we do, they will be available at coloredtuffs.com
-Ed

For What it is worth, I have ordered 1. Color Pink, still have to figure out how to finish paying for it, but none the less I have 1 ordered. Also ordered the Yeti Super X frame as well.. Hopefully all will turn out well..

I may be wrong, and if I am I apologize.
From the pictures, it looked like the 24" Graphites were using the same set-up as the sealed colored Tuffs. The colored Tuffs and the flip flop (4 bearing) rear graphite hub use a floating axle with an aluminum tube spacer between the bearings. At the very least, these are not as nice as the standard 20" graphite hubs.
So, no "convertible" hubs left?

picture the hubs like this:

take a convertible hub. remove the allen bolts - at this point you have the big hollow axle.

now, just put a regular 3/8" full-length axle inside the big hollow one instead of the allen bolts. (actually, this is how the first graphite re-issues in 2001 were, also)

definitely different (better) from what comes on the regular and colored Tuffs.

the regular 20" colored Tuff wheels use a molded-in aluminum rear hub, while the front wheel uses bearings that press right into the wheel.
All 24's use an aluminum hub for BOTH wheels, just like the Graphite wheels do. But, the axles are as I stated above.

So, then, literally inferior to the convertible hub, but better than the colored tuffs hubs. Sounds like the 24s have the good shell and bearings, but with a floating axle with the four lock nuts as on the colored hubs.
So a step up and a step down? Right in the middle.
I guess we'll have to see how the new graphites come out. I still haven't heard which type of cassette system is being used. Hoping for Odyssey compatible, as then you could easily switch the guts out for other drivers and axles.

no, it's not really a floating axle/locknuts like the regular ones. the big alloy collars lock the 3/8" axle into place.

it's just a matter of reversing which are male and female threads, compared to the allen style.

here's what the gutty-works look like. the bearings are the same for both styles. the difference is what gets threaded.

this particular axle is for the regular 3/8" style from a set of 2001 Graphites. in this case, the center tube is not threaded at all. the axle slides thru and the alloy collars thread onto each end locking it to the center tube.

with the allen style, the center tube is threaded internally for the allens and externally for the alloy collars.

on another note.....

Ron was heading to Skyway Recreation to watch the 9t Graphites come off the line today. The 2009 PORK will be numbered up to #150.

The new 2hip.com site for 2009 is LIVE!! go check it out and check all the bad a s s stuff they have.

Peace

pep