I would like your insight on the foreign Trick Star.

They don't bother me. The American ones are cool simply because they were made in America, they're a little older, and probably more care went in to the welds? I always wonder why is it that just because a guy lives in Japan or Taiwan and is a welder, why do we assume he has less pride in his work that we do here? I don't know, the proof is in the product I guess. I've seen some un-even standing platforms, nothing really too much worse than that. I've seen some pretty crappy welds I suppose, not necessarily all on Hutch's, but I don't think they all came from overseas.

Example of some craziness, an old WAL frame of mine:




The rest of it's OK, but those rear dropouts look terrible.

Anyway, I made a replica of my childhood Trick Star out of a baseball frame, and I'm totally happy with it.


My original one back in the 80's was an American one, and if I ever come across another I may swap it out just for the fact that that is what mine was and it would be a little more accurate, but if I never come across another, I'm totally happy with this.

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen welds that bad on any bike before, that's just horrible.

Thats some nasty welding.......Ron Wilkerson, Hang your head in shame for letting that pass undetected through quality control.

the way i look at it is...
bitd i didn't know or care if it was american or overseas.
i was just happy to have a bike and ride it all day long.

we didn't look at welds we didn't look for baseballs ( unless at a brewers game ) all we cared about was getting rad...

like don said it doesn't bother me either..


bob

I'd ride one.

WOW! They let that go out like that? Gross.

Thank you everyone!

Thanks Don! No bs, how much for the white skyway?

I don't remember if I had a Japanese-made frame back in the day, or if I had an American-made frame BITD. I know I bought it in 86, and it had longer fork pegs up front. I seem to remember trying to make out an odd symbol in the serial number, but I could be imagining that, or it could have been on another bike -- I've owned many. Chances are, I had a Japanese made frame back then, and I didn't know, and I didn't care. I was riding a Hutch Trick Star, one of the coolest bikes around. You couldn't tell the difference between my frame and some of the others other guys had. All the same to me, except maybe this baseball symbol (if it was there). I would take the same attitude these days. A Trick Star is a Trick Star to me. I understand the American made ones fetch more on the collector's market, but that just works to my advantage if I decide I ever want to buy a Japanese one.

Man those welds look like snot smeared on....A fine example of a non-certified welder!The overseas trickstars are cool so are the windstylers& pro racers...but the Excels forget about it!!

I've seen "baseball" frames that look better than the USA ones. The only ones I'm not crazy about are the ones with the tilted standing platforms on top....just because I dont like the way they look as much as the flat ones.

Not as good as the American one , well at least the versions I had noticeable differences

If my old Trick Star was Japanese made, it didn't have that weird raised platform like the one on the purple reign frame above.

i think the whole baseball/foriegn bike thing started with ebay. just another thing somebody could say in the auction to jack people for more money. "this is the rare american made frame" crap. same with the gts. i dont remember anyone bitd asking about american or overseas frames. that usa pride stuff dont go far with me. i worked at a well known yact factory that is supposed to have some of the best boats out there. it was a zoo in there, bunch of pothead and drunks that could barely show up for work.some of the work was shady and they charge top dollar. i think the overseas people are much more strict than some americans. seems like americans are all about making the buck, that weld on that wal frame looks like something a couple of my friends welded, tell me none of you have a friend that has shown you one of his welds that didnt look like that? lol

There are noticeable difference between the two frames , just check out the pictures I posted ! and based on that I would pay extra for an American made frame I didn't worry back in the day because by the time they started introducing the overseas trick stars I was already out of the game

i never really took notice of the diff between the two. other than the platform not being extended and the brake bridge up higher what else is diff? and whats up with that brake bridge? if its that much higher how in the hell did the brake pads reach the rim? ok this just got me thinking here. i went upstairs and loked at my 3 trickstars. all of them are diff at the brake bridges! and the platforms too. none of them have a baseball either 1 even has the platform extended on one side and flush on the other

The platform on the American one is straight & uniform the other one starts out straight and then flairs out a tad it also angles up slightly , as you pointed out the didn't extend , the brake bridge isn't really that high up just the picture although it was raised up higher than the American one which sat somewhat in the middle , and the welds were ok but much cleaner on the American one.

MOST Jap Trick Stars also have flat platforms. The tubing just doesnt extend out as far behind the rear verticle braces.

They only flared up and out in the real late framesets.