..Because you knew each company and rider without even trying.
It should be no problem identifying these guys with the possible exception of the KHS rider. Johnny Johnson isn't allowed to guess. Azusa,CA.

I do have a hard time figuring out the factory jerseys now days. Not like the old days. That can't be good for the todays manufacturers. Can it?

jk

What I liked about the old uniforms was the fact that, in many cases, you couldn't BUY the same jersey, you had to EARN it. The "regular" jerseys maybe had a different look, and for sure didn't say "factory team" on them. KHS rider-Turnell Henry.

Let to Right-Brent,Brian,Turnell Henry,Clint Miller,Rod Bekering,Scott Clark,Eric Rupe,Toby Henderson

they looked professional and you knew exactly who they were. instant recognition for the rider and more so the bike company and sponsors they rode for. the manufacturers back them must have loved it. today it all looks like a blur. great photo too.

It's so true, and it's odd because the first thing they teach you in graphics classes is readability, i.e. making the image recognizable from the distance it's most likey to be viewed from. As an artist, I blame the explosion of graphics programs for computers. Nowadays (I can't believe I just used that word) you don't have to have any talent for design to design graphics. All you have to do is plug a value into the field and the computer does the rest. The problem is that the computer doesn't factor readability in, and the person using the program likely doesn't know enough design theory to compensate for it.

Turnell Henry was one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

agree X2 with the last 2 posts. Couldn't have said it better.

Loved the Old School uniforms, We need em Back, And also as somone stated in a post above, you had to earn the real factory uniforms, They were different, they Said FACTORY, and were a different in some way or another than the ones you could Buy,,,5 of my Favorite Old school, Uni's on that Gate,
Patterson
Profile
Murray
Hutch
SE
I thought those 5 teams had the best looking Uniforms at that time.

I also thought that the Toker Uniforms looked good When Richie Anderson/Tommy Brackens were racing for them,


BRING BACK THE OLD SCHOOL UNIFORMS !!!!!!!!!!!

I have a hard time seeing who a sponsor is too today. Everything just looks like a colage of color. With teams changing colors from time to time, tradition is lost. Teams using ready made colors and just putting a logo on. Everybody looks the same.

Changstar

TRADITION IS LOST! I was suprised to see SE change colors. For me coming back to the sport after 20plus years SE was the only brand I related to. So the 24Quad was the first bike I bought. My friend Rockne bought a SE Floval Flyer for pretty much the same reason - Brand Identity.

Sometimes while checking out the pics in BMX World I try and figure out who the riders sponsor is. Its difficult at best. That's pretty bad when I actually have to try hard to figure out the sponsors name! So most of my buying is influenced by what I read on vintagebmx!

jk

I've always loved that pic from the gate. The little differences that separated the Patterson bros: the plates, Ame face masks, Bekerings Quad and the awesomeness of the color scheme in an era starting to be defined by neon. Clark coming out a bit high and Toby coming out a bit early. Great image. Thanks OZ.

+1 on the lack of true design in today's "designs". Just cause you have Photoshop doesn't make you a graphic designer. There is science and theory and training needed... and talent. A lot of the uniforms today look to me like "clown puke" - a clown eating jujubees all day at a carnival while sipping a rainbow slushee barfs...

One of the things I liked about that time period is that JTracing was huge in BMX and MX. I always thought they had the coolest gear and riders representing them. A couple years ago a freind of mine was the manager of the dieing JTracing support as far as BMX went. I asked him what happend to JT and he told me that Walmart bought JTracing and they only do paintball stuff now, or did paintball. I have no idea if they are around at all now.

A quick edit. I have that exact same picture/ magazine insert on my dresser right now. I love it.

I remember the Hutch Factory riders the most, my friend had a Hutch jersey, with solid red sleeves...........only the Factory Riders had the stars on them............I remember being in staging next to some of their riders at Nat'l races.........that's what was so cool about BMX, I played plenty of sports growing up, no other sport could you take part in and participate at the same events as the Pros! I can't imagine being at a little league baseball tourney and seeing any of the 1984 Detroit Tigers playing the same field that day!
just my .02

the Patterson brothers remind me of Daft Punk with the full face guards theyre wearing.

thats not a bad thing either.

It was simple economics really - More competition making race gear in a market (BMX/MX) that was selling less and less new product every year.

Paintball was just starting, but on the fast track - it really just lacked marketing and brand recognition.
JT were/are masters at both.

They got way bigger in Paintball then they ever were in BMX.
There was a streak where everyone wore/owned their stuff, and there really wasn't much competition.
They were HUGE and just waiting to be snapped up by a company that wanted to go full-line (Gun-loader-goggles-software-paint-accessories) - and that's exactly what happened.

They've been bought and sold a few times, but it's leveled off.
They're owned by a GIGANTIC company now - Jarden.
Jarden also owns K2 and Adio, along with 50 or more companies that make JT sales look tiny.

Wal-Mart were never in the picture beyond how JT stuff was marketed to mass merchant retailers.


Sorry to stray so far off topic, but I was really into the PB industry.

PB is on life support right now like just every other sport because of the economy.

I started my career as a graphic designer and agree 100% with you. In college, of my graphics teachers used to say, "your #1 job as graphic designer is to get the copy read". That has clealy been lost with computers.

And yeah, the old school uniforms were 10X cooler than today's.

My 2 biggest gripes about modern bmx is a) Uniforms and number plates.

When I raced in a team, we were proud of all wearing the same uniform, we were a unit and acted like it. These days riders on the same team (not all) where competely different uniforms than each other. Also oldschool race pants hooked up with a set of Vans look 100% cooler than modern elasticated race pants and a set of disco slippers.

Do not get me started on number plates........

jsea73, you said "toker" uniforms. i don't remember them...did the jersey have a big leaf on the front? no wonder i don't remember them, they probably missed all their motos. sorry, i just had to....carry on. LOL!
mike

Yeah, my Hutch jersey never had stars on the sleeves.

Great discussion, and the opening pic is perfect! Ptimary colors, clean lines, clear text. Isn't the idea to clearly promote the sponsor in an identifiable and memorable image?

Patterson
Robinson
JMC
MOBY DICK BIKE SHOP
Zeronine

A lot of new school uniforms with massive amounts of small logos on them look like Stick Em Up sticker ads that were in old school BMX magazines.

Agreed. My son rocks the old school SE jersey. Interestingly enough, I saw at least 10 kids wearing old school SE (80s and 90s model) jerseys. There were a lot of riders on SE bikes, which is not something I see here in Long Island (Shoreham).

See below

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll230/B.../JPSERacing.jpg

Here is a gate pic, not quite as good or cool as the 1st pic posted but you still know who the riders are by their uniforms

Great analagy, can totally relate, stick-em up, classic!

JT Racing was bought out by Walmart??????? thats as bad as Budwieser selling out to Da Beligun's The older I get the more I miss my childhood..............

JT Racing was bought out by Walmart??????? thats as bad as Budwieser selling out to Da Beligun's The older I get the more I miss my childhood..............

Yes....



Yes....

That's the reason why I love the Vetreans Cup over in Germany!







Cheers

Oliver

I couldn't agree more. New uni's blow, and so do the garbled up plates. No recognition at all.

I'll add one more....6 categories of numbers, NAG, district, RL cup, local, etc.... Why not just give everyone a number one plate? Every full gate has at least 5 of them already, even at local races....

Oooh look, a garbled uniform, with a garbled number plate, and a number one.....That must be....ummm, errr, ...Oh I know, it's that one dude again.... or is it one of the other dudes?

It's like re-arranging the order of the banners at the right and calling each new sequence a different team.....>>>lol.

....If say, Redline, would copy their banner ad, and have all black on top, all red on the bottom with the diagonal tear breaking the colors at the midriff, and those bold white letters across the whole uni, and NOTHING else they'd have something called recognition. But theirs is no exception, and is a clown suit like all the rest now too. The graphics dude that designed that logo understood that, why don't the uniform designers get it anymore?

A lot of people wouldn't race bitd though, because they weren't "the uniform type". That took hold, and grunge and black clothes, and jeans took hold. The jumpers of today still are in that mold, no color, flat black everything and black baggy shorts....maybe a camouflage brown or 2. They don't want to stand out.

I guess the racers don't want to stand out anymore either , so they all tie-dye their uni's together in the same vat.

Brian B,
I've got a question for you!!!!!!

The pic you posted at the beginning of this thread....
Who's the guy on the upper deck of the gate, leaning over and looking down.
He's wearing a black polo shirt.

Johnny, is that question only for Brian B? You and Lopez are going to be the death of me with your trivia! Even still, I know this one...

It's not a hard one..... unless you've never seen him without a helmet.
It's for Brian B since he blocked me.

But you can say what state the guy in the picture is from.

Johnny,
Is it Piant ? The photo is a bit blurry. I only blocked you since you seem to have the market cornered on the trivia. But you already knew that...

Yeah it's Piant. LOL!....

Hmmmmm..... Lets see who else is in that photo.....

Who's behind Brent Patterson in the DB uniform?
Who's behind that DB rider in the dark blue jersey? (Hint. He's the oldest Pro in that photo)

King Edward and old man Utterback.

Question:
What is the banner that Piant is leaning over?

If I could find a Zeronine or a JT uniform that would fit me I would wear it with pride. As of right now I have no hope of fitting into a size 30 pant.

Looking at the new One Industries uniforms. At least they are different.

Old-skull

Well put.

I agree with what everyone is saying about the old school vs new school.
The change came with MX. In the 90s MX companies began getting new uniforms each year.
Sucks cause if you had a old style uniform you felt out of place.
Then add sublimation and the jersey colors no longer popped.
Then add companies no longer put the BMX companies name on the pants.
The final insult is the jerseys are dominated by the company that prinited it and not the BMX companies.
The graphics are also insanely busy. Nothing like the crisp clean look of big time pro sports like NBA, NFL or MLB.
Props to Free Agent for bucking that trend.

The sanctions could make rules to change that but they dont.

Brian B you are too funny!
Why!?
Cause I was going to ask you that same question!!!! LOL!
Larry Wilcox Action Line USA is what I think he called it.
I'm not positive, but I think he was racing that Azusa race and bailed hard and broke his collarbone!

Correct grasshopper.
Muuwahaaa (rolls knuckles through palms of hands)
Another:
It's a bit cropped in the pic I posted but there's a guy in a light blue t shirt to the left of the gate. Who is he?

I recognize him, but can't figure out who he is.

If the pic wasn't cropped you'd be able to tell its Bubba Hayes.

Glad to read everyone piping in on modern-day uniforms and the lack of recognition or readibility of the Sponsor's logos. With the exception of ONE brand (guess who?) - I totally agree with you. Factory teams have cluttered up their backgrounds, trying to get all tricky, and missed out on the point of promoting their BRAND.
At REDLINE, we always try to keep up the company's tradition of a clean uniform. And when it comes to reading our logos, I think we do the best job of having our brand readable from any angle the photo is taken. In fact, our goal when designing our REDLINE uniforms, is to have a minimum of 6 logos readable in any photos. Maximum is usually 8 or 9.
Just check out any photo of a Redline rider taken recently (Denzel Stein, for example) - and count the logos. From our pants, to the jersey, numberplate and bike - there are likley 6 to 8 REDLINE's in any shot.
Count 'em.
(Of course, I know somebody's going to try hard to disprove my theory.) Let's see you try.

Nnnnnope. I only see one.

One Redline, One Skyway, and one PR





One in front, one in back, the rest is unreadable, un-looked at, clutter.

I win! HA! lol!

Ok, I saw that photo, and I INSTANTLY thought "Denny Davidow" and didn't question my image recognition for an instant.

Now, because I am old, and I am actually thinking about it, I am questioning it.

Is that DD? Do we talk about DD here at VBMX? Do we avoid talking about him? (for getting busted clubbing baby seals and selling the pelts on e-Bay or something? lol) Not only am I second guessing my memory for no apparent reason, But I suddenly realize that I don't recall him ever being a topic of mention here at VBMX. (not that I couldn't have missed an entire thread on him.)

Yet, if I am correct, he was a prominent enough figure in VBMX history that seeing a photo with no revealing details, instantly snapped the name into my lobes.

So why is Denny Davidow so front lobe for me, yet so foggy all of a sudden? (I hope I don't get made into a complete heel here, lol)

Sorry for the hi-jack.... had to ask!

Denny Davidow was my favorite rider BITD! He came down to Hawaii for the 79 South Pacific Nationals. He was super fast and super cool to the local kids. There was even a rumor in Hawaii that he grew up here. But, I am not sure if that was true or not. I loved his riding style and copied and used it for the rest of my time racing.

jk

Simple and easy to read. A little dirty too...