There is no such thing as an aIl- American BMX bike. Sure, there is a wide variety of American-made frames, forks, components, etc., but the fact remains, there has never been an allAmerican-made BMXer. We've come pretty close, but we're not there yet.
Now, the good news:
Enter the Hutch Pro Star. At around $800, the 21-pound Pro Star is one of
BMX's most exotic and expensive machines. It is also the closest America has come to producing a complete bike. Everything except the Pro Star's Araya 7X alloy rims, Izumi chain, Shimano ChroMoly DX free- wheel, Dia-compe MX-900 caliper brake and Tange

BMX125 alloy head- set is American, tried and true. Now we're as proud as the next American, but the bottom line is, we wanted to know if our home-grown American know-how could match up to the already proven Japanese technology and componentry. Sure, Hutch had a lot to lose. They also had a lot to gain.
THE STAR TREATMENT
The exotic Hutch Pro Star begins life as a three-pound, 11-

How big is the new Hutch Pro Star? Big enough for six-foot, 175-pound pro Toby Henderson to move around on! The 29-inch by nine-inch pro-style bars, long offset stem and extra-long Pro racer frame and fork are the key to first-class seating and comfort.

ounce Pro Racer frame and one-pound, ten- ounce fork. Both are 100-percent 4130 chromoly, and both have been hand- picked off the Hutch assembly line for their exceptional overall finish and fabrication quality. Only the cream of the Hutch crop make it into the limited-production ranks of the Pro Stars. That's not to say that Hutch's other chassis aren't beautifully finish- ed, but the particular frames and forks chosen to serve duty as Pro Stars are as was ours,

truly outstanding.
Features on the Pro Racer include one-inch diameter top tube, 1-3/8-inch down tube and rear loop-tall design.
The forks are Hutch's standard one-inch-diameter tubular leading-axle units. We're disappointed to say that they are not drilled for a front caliper brake. Like the frame-and-fork set, the bars and seatpost are band-picked 4130 chromoly units, with the bars measuring in at 28-7/8 inches by nine inches, while the seatposts are offered in either straight or laid-back design.
Now, that's just about as far as most American manufacturers go toward building a BMX bike. Not Richard "Hutch'' Hutchins. though.
Hutch also outfits his Pro Star with his American-made Pro Racer stem, 2-N-1 headset and stem lock, magnesium sealed-bearing hubs complete with titanium axles, Aero-speed chromoly cranks with sealed-bearing bottom bracket, Competition pedals, Aero seatpost clamp and Carlisle Aggressor R/A skinwall tires. Just add some flashy chrome Zap safety pads and a large Hutch Stadium numberplate and grips, and you've got it-the top-of- the-line Hutch Pro Star.
That'll be $800, please. Will that be cash or check? Hey, nobody ever said the American dream came cheap you know.
STAR SETUP
After you've recovered from your bout with the cash register, it's time for a little work. With a professional- quality bicycle like the Pro Star, it is essential that someone who knows what he's doing set up the bike. lt's a crime to hastily set up a bike like the Pro Star-not to mention expensive.

Combine the Pro Star's short rear triangle with its 73-degree head and 72-degree seat tube angles and you've got a tight-handling frame and fork. The rear end won't slide out and around like this unless you force it.

If you blow it setting this thing up, believe us, you'll pay for it later. The Pro Star is no toy. For $800 what you get is a super-light, high-performance race bike that must be properly set up and regularly maintained. Hutch's top pro, Toby Henderson, claims to be still riding the same bike he was issued some two years ago. That says a lot.
If you've ever had the opportunity to see Henderson ride, you'll know he's not exactly the easiest guy on equipment, either.

The Hutch Pro star handled everything from deep-woods berm slides to hard riding and heavy jumping. This is one of toby's secret riding spots, and he's obviously got the place wired.

Back to the setup. Hutch's trick magnesium hubs with their sealed bearings and titanium axles and his unique chromoly Aero-Speed cranks with their sealed-bearing bottom bracket will require some special attention. Believe us, if these are improperly adjusted or installed, they'll give you pains. If you do it right, these sealed units will offer the ultimate in performance while requiring a minimum of adjustment and maintenance hassles. Take your time. Do it right.
AERO SPEEDING TICKET
After carefully setting up our Pro Star, it rolled like an American dream should. There's nothing quite like riding on a

fresh set of sealed bearings: no surge, no drag, no bind or vibration-just silent, silky-smooth precision. But sealed bearings have a way of being either your best friend or your worst enemy. The bearings on our Pro Star turned out to be a little of both. The Hutch hubs were awesome.
No problem there-nor with the pedals or Tange's excellent new BMX 125 alloy headset. That leaves us with the bottom-bracket bearings. Problems! Hutch included a special sheet on bottom-bracket installation in the box with our test bike. Unfortunately, the person who assembled our particular

The Pro Star's Carlisle Aggressor Skinwall tires worked hot. We ran anywhere from 40 to 45 psi for use on our hard, dry California test track. No problems. Great tires.

bike didn't bother to read the instructions. It seems that after one of our normally feverish shooting sessions, somebody glanced down and noticed that both aluminum bearing cups had worked their way out of the bottom- bracket shell. Not good. After we reseated the cups and adjusted the slop out of the arms. it was back out- side for more jump shots. Actually, you shouldn't do what we did to our Pro Star. It wasn't fair. But, it's our job. We purposely abused it. More jumps, more berm shots and an occasional crash brought us back into the pits for more repairs. Again, the cups had worked their way out. The arms were flopping; the chain was slapping around; we even lost one of Hutch's trick little black plastic crank arm caps. Things were beginning to look bleak.

We checked with Toby to find out the hot tip with the new Aero-Speeds.
They're apparently so new that not even Toby had the answer. Why, he didn't even have a set on his bike! (From now on, when we tell you that we test only the latest equipment, please believe us.) It seems that the crank set on our test bike had been among the first off the production line.
After we pulled it apart and carefully followed the assembly in

After repeated brutal landings off this hillside jump turn, Henderson failed to bend, tweak, snap or crack anything. To be honest, at a feathery 21 pounds, we expected to bring the Pro Star back in a basket. No such luck.

structions that the manufacturer had sent along, we didn't have any additional probs. It seems that during the prior assembly, ''someone" had "somehow" gotten some grease between the aluminum cups and the chromoly shell, which accounted for the seating problems.
After we got rid of that little pain in the neck, we applied some Loctite to the disc screw and the two crank arm fasteners-no more problems. We checked everything after another hard ride. After retightening the two crank arm bolts, we never had another problem. The new Aero-Speed cranks look- ed so beautifier we really wanted them to work. And they did, but not without some serious dialing in. As long as we remembered that the Pro Star was a super-serious race bike and was to be treated like one, we didn't have any further encounters of the embarrassing kind. Like all thoroughbreds, the Pro Star is a bit high-strung. You just have to get used to that.

STAR-STRUCK
Hutch's Pro Star performance hits hard. For your 800 or so dollars, you've got a 21-pound wonder that's so trick, many pros can't even afford
one. If you can't win races on a bike of this caliber sorry, pal, you just can't win races. It's that trick. When some guy rolls up on a Pro Star you know he has come to play hardball.

One of the most sano steering setups we've ever seen. Hutch Pro stem, Hutch 2-N-1 headset and stem lock, and Tange's hot, new BMX 125 alloy headset. No slip, no flex, sliky-smooth directional control.

The Pro Star lets the world know that you know BMX. It's kind of intimidating, riding around on a bike like this.
It's so shiny and flashy, it attracts crowds. Wherever we went, the Hutch turned heads. lf you want to cruise around incognito-wrong bike! The Pro Star gives you away every time.
Since this bike is all show, we highly recommend it for those who are all go.
Go-tasters. Experts. Pros. And those who are either independently wealthy, crazy, or interesting combinations of the above. In the case of the Hutch Pro Star, $800 buys a whole lotta bike-more than many riders can truly appreciate. If you're willing to shell out all that money, chances are you know what you are doing.
We won't go into heavy detail on the hybrid handling or the synchronized teamwork of the componentry.

There's no need to. Let's just say that the Pro Star is very possibly the finest BMX bike we've ever ridden-probably more delicate than some. but lighter and more responsive than most others.
It's a trade-off. The bottom line is that the Pro Star is just about the best BMX has to offer right now. And that goes for Japanese, Taiwanese, or whatever. But, as we've mentioned many times before, American ingenuity does have its price. Is it worth it? Sure it is. All you have to do is pay the price, and you, too, can own the American dream.

Welcome to the best of BMX! Every plece on this bike is the best money can buy. From top of the Kashimax Aero seat to bottom of Hutch sealed-bearing pedal stroke, the Pro star looks and performs like an $800 wonder should.

          HUTCH PRO STAR SPECIFICATIONS

1. Bike: Hutch Pro Star 20-inch complete bike.
   
2. Age range: 13 and over.
   
3. Country of origin: USA
   
4. Intended use: Racing
   
5. Wheelbase: 36-3/4'' to 37-3/4''
   
6. Bottom-bracket height: 11-7/8''
   
7. Chain stay lenght: 14-7/8''
   
8. Steering head angle: 72°
   
9. Seat tube angle: 73°
   
10. Frame: Hutch Pro star, 4130 chromoly, heli-arc welded, chrome plated. Features: 1'' diameter top tubes, 1-3/8'' down tube, 4'' head tube, American bottom bracket, 5/8'' diameter chain/seat stays, loop-tail design.
    
11. Fork: Hutch Pro Star, 4130 chromoly, helo-arc welded, chrome plated. Features: 1'' diameter legs, leading-axle design. Not drilled for caliper.
    
12. Rims: Araya 7X, alloy, 20'' x 1.75''.
    
13. Spokes: 36/.080 chrome plated.
    
14. Hubs: Hutch, magnesium with titanium axles, sealed bearings.
    
15. Tires: Carlisle Aggressor R/A skinwalls, 20'' x 1.75'', front and rear, 50 psi.
    
16. Cranks: Hutch Aero-Speed, three-piece, hollow chromoly, 172mm.
    
17. Pedals: Hutch Competition, cast-aluminum body, sealed chromoly spindle, replaceable aluminum cages.
    
18. Chain: Izumi 1/2'' x 1/8'' black/chrome.
    
19. Bottom bracket: Hutch sealed bearings.
    
20. Front sprocket: 43T alloy with Hutch Aero-Speed quick-change disc.
    
21. Freewheel: Shimano 16T Chromoly DX.
    
22. Brakes: Dia-Compe MX-900, Tech 3 lever, reat only.
    
23. Headset: Tange BMX 125 alloy with Hutch 2-N-1 headset and stem lock.
    
24. Stem: Hutch Pro racer, aluminum four-bolt clamp, chromoly shaft.
    
25. Handlebars: Hutch 4130 chromoly, helic-arc welded, chrome plated, 28-7/8'' x 9''.
    
26. Grips: Hutch.
    
27. Seating: Kashimax Aero plastic with Hutch 4130 chromoly straight seatpost and aero post clamp.
    
28. Miscellaneous: Hutch Stadium numberplate, three chrome Zap safety pads.
    
29. Overall weight: 22-1/4 lbs. with pads and plate.
    
30. Approximate retail price: $795 to $815.