The name Hutch has always been synonymous with trickness and BMX exotica. Hutch was the first compay to introduce "show chrome" BMX bikes to the world. It was also among the first to release parts made from such exotic metals as magnesium and titanium.
Hutch entered the freestyle marketplace in 1983, when it cosponsored Mike Buff to ride its frames. Soon after that, they started talking to a new but rapidly growing name on the freestyle scene--Woody Itson. By bringing Woody on board, Hutch hoped to expand its knowledge and image in the fast-paced-freestyle world. It worked! The name Hutch has become as recognized and respected in freestyle as it is in racing.

Making his test-rider debut, Mike Loveridge hits us with his one-footed backwards framestand. The Hutch bike cuts the mustard in all dimentions.

Today, Hutch is still on the leading edge of freestyle technology, even without Woody's input. Mr. Hutch would be the first to admit that Woody did a lot for the credibility and visibility of Hutch products, and it's our understanding that the differences which caused Woody to leave Hutch were strictly business, and that he is still on speaking terms with the company.

THE BIKE
This is, however, a bike test article, not a This Is Your Life segment on Hutch and Woody. The bike in the spotlight is the $699 Trick Star. It is the type of bike you'd come up with if you were sit down and map out your dream bike. The components? Top-notch all the way: Hutch Aerospeed three-piece cranks, Hutch beartrap pedals, Woody bars, Hutch stem, the new Hutch 48s, etc.
Upon its arrival at the Hi-Torque editorial compound, the bike was nearly mauled.
People took turns test riding it to the corner 7-Eleven; test riders began offering us bribes to let them give it the more extensive test.
The testing duties were assigned to two of the newest additions to the BMX Plus! Test Force--Jeff

Cunningham and Larry Manayan. Jef and Larry took possession of the bike for an entire week of bashing, thrashing, crashing and mashing. While in possession of said test bike, they let one of there looney ridin' buds tear up some ramps on it. We have no clue what the guy's name is--all we know is that some people call him Rocky, and he rides an old beat-up Mongoose with Motomags. We'll keep our eyes peeled for this guy. If he ever shows up, you'll see him

right here in the pages of FFS, unmasked for the world to see!
We gave jeff and larry the bike on a Friday. Jeff rode it all day Saterday; Larry rode it all day Sunday--and liked it so much he wouldn't give it back to Jeff. We got it back the following Friday. Larry offered to buy the test bike from us so he could ride it in the upcoming Underground Freestyle series. We told him to slow down and tell us his likes and dislikes about the Hutch
TYPEWRITER HIJACKING!
(Larry M. sneaks into the FFS office during an extended staff lunch break and begins to type): Geez, I hope they don't come back before this is finished.
Why did I resort to sneaking into the office during one of there far-to-long lunch

Most rampriders who rode the Trick Star were used to other bikes and coudn't deal with the 74-degree head angle. The ground guys however, fully got into it!

breaks? Because I know they'd give you all kinds of bunk on how great the bike looks--although it is the hottest-looking bike I've ever seen. But then they'd feed you a bunch of jive on how the bike's components are the trickest the BMX industry has to offer; but come to think of it, that's not far from the truth, either. Here's something! The locking mechanism on the brake levers were too tight,and I had to use both hands to engage the lock.Geez, when you

stop and think about it, this Hutch Trick Star isn't bad, after all.
The lights come on in the office. Returning from lunch (on time) are Mike, John and Scott.
Mike: Larry, what a surprise to see you in our office! What were you doing at my typewriter?
Larry: Man, you should have seen, some guys where in here typing at your typewriter when I burst in and scared them away.
John: Let's see what they typed?
What do ya know? These guys said they were you. What imposters!
Larry: I confess, I did it! I am the guilty party. I sneaked into your office and typed part of this story for you. I'm so ashamed!
Mike: We know you did it. Why do you think we told our secretary Kaye to let

Street cruisers, here's your dream seat. The Trik-Top was regarded by our test battallon as the greatest innovation since round wheels.

you sneak into our office? We wanted to see what you really thought of this bike.
By the way, thanks fopr writing that paragraph for me, I had been trying to figure out an angle for it all morning!
Larry: Uh, don't mention it. You mean you knew I'd sneak in here?
John: Yup.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Mike: We have to finish this test, so let's talk some more about your week's worth of extensive torture testing.
Larry: Well, when i first got the bike, I found the steering was way faster than the bike I'm used to (a Haro Master).
The bike's appearance is first class--the candy-apple red with black and chrome parts is an awesome combo.
Checking the components on the Trick Star, I was blown away by the trick Hutch cranks, and how the whole bike looks like a precision freestyle machine.
BRAKE SNIVELS
I have nothing but compliments for all the components, except the brakes. I was a bit disappointed to find the Dia-Compe 880 brakes on the bike instead of the full-blown Dia-

Public enemy number one to your hands: these grips. Plastic, way bogus, callus creators. As for the ACS locking brake levers? The lever: not bad. The locking mechanism: we couldn't get it to work, so we'll have to say "no comment."

Compe Nippon Brakes, which are first-rate. After paying $700, you'd expect everything to be exactly the way you like it. The only problem I had with the bike the entire week was the brakes. They didn't work as well as what I'm used to. I use Odyssey System 2000 brakes on my bike, and they work great. I'd definitely change them if I had the bike for any long period of time.
(Editor's note: Hutch tells us the Dia-Compe 880s will not be coming on the Trick Star anymore. They will be replaced by the new Hi-Caliper brakes).
The locking brake levers on the bike were lame and didn't work at all.I had to pull the brake with both hands to make

One feature you can expect to find on the Trick star is careful attention paid to seemingly small items. For instance, the foam on the bottom of the Trik-Top seat has little indentations for fingers. Comfortable and a nice touch.

the lock work. There's no way I'll be able to do that in a contest or a show without putting down my foot. That's the only thing I'd change on the bike. I'd add Odyssey RX-3 locking levers, which are much easier to use. The ACS Rotor worked flawlessly, once I'd dialed in the brakes, and the stem held in the forks--no slippage of any kind.
TOO COOL FOR WORDS
The seat is so cool. The underside of the front part of the saddle (where you put your hand for Nourie handstands) is padded and has little finger indentations for fingers to fit into--a very small detail, but the kind you'd

expect to find on a $700 bike. The top of the seat was also comfortably padded, which made street cruising a lot more pleasurable. Enough good things can't be said about the Hutch Aerospeed cranks. They didn't loosed up, the show-chrome finish was impressive, and everyone who saw them offered to buy them from me.
Oops, I lied when I said that the only thing I'd change was the brakes. I'd also change the pedals. For a different reason. Not because they don't work--just the opposite, they work too well. They're not your shins' best friend. Besides, in freestyle, you slam down your bike so much that,

The Hutch fork pegs. Even thought they can stand in the way of pulling off some tricks (Miami hoppers in particular), they are placed in a comfortable spot and are large enough to accommodate Bigfoot!

unless you're a factory rider, you'll go broke buying new cages every few shows. After all, they're only alloy! I'd replace them with the old reliable MKS Graphite-X pedals.
A FIRM STAND
Let's see, what else--oh, the wheels were pretty good, except that the onces kept loosening after a few hours of hard riding. The only other complaint I have is the rear standing platforms. They weren't large enough for my feet. To make them more useful, I addes a pair of Peregrine axle pegs. With the axle pegs, the standart rear platformsare just right. Without them, they don't work too well.
Mike: Geez, Larry, that was some mounthful of input. I never thought it would end. It sounds as though you liked the bike. Did you?
Larry: Yeah, I definitely liked it, I'd recommend it to my friends.
John: How would yopu rate this bike on a one-to-ten scale?
Larry: That's a tough one. Probably an eight and a half.
Mike: What did the other guys think of the bike?
Larry: They thought it was a good bike. Rocky said the steering felt a litte too quick, and a few of my other friends who ride ramps thought so, too. I guess it takes some getting used to. Within 20 minutes I was hitting all the tricks I hit on my bike.
I'LL TAKE TWO
When asked by the staff if he would pay $700 for this bike, Larry responded, "If I had $700 lying around not doing anything, maybe. Other than that, you could do as well in contests or shows by bying Hutch's Invasion Tour Weapen which isn't as high-zoot in

Behold, the most high-tech-zoot and high-buck pedals ever to grace a freestyle bike. Do you need $80 worth of pedals? Probably not--our guys love 'em for racin', but for freestyle it's a borderline decision. Considering the amount of slamming and thrashing a freestyle bike must endure, an alloy pedal cage might not be the hot tip.

componentry, but stll rides like a Hutch." That about sums it up. The Trick Star is a great bike; it's propelled many rider to stardom.
Owning a $700 freestyle bike is like owning a Lamborghini Countack--you don't need a $100,000 car to drive to the office, but if you can afford it, what the heck!

SPECIFICATIONS:
I. FRAME AND FORK
Type: Freestyle
Frame design: 1" O.D. top tube, 1-3/8 downtube, 5/8" chain stays.
Frame construction: 4130 chromoly throughout.
Fork construction and design: 4130 chromoly, with integral standing pegs, 1" O.D. fork blades, leading axle.
II. WHEELS
Rims: Hutch Hi-Caliper, 48-spoke, alloy.
Spokes: 14-gauge, steel w/brass nipples.
Hubs: Hutch Hi-Caliper, 48-hole, alloy, freewheel.
Tires: Hutch freestyle 20"x1.75"
III. DRIVE TRAIN
Pedals: Hutch beartrap, alloy, sealed bearing w/chromoly shafts.
Cranks: Hutch aerospeed, 175mm, 4130 chromoly w/4130 chromoly splined spindle.
Front sprocket: Hutch Hi-Caliper, 43T, alloy.
Bottom bracket: Hutch, sealed, alloy.
Chain: Hutch Hi-Caliper, 1/2"x1/8"
Freewheel: SunTour 16T
IV. STEERING
Grips: Vinyl.
Handlebar: Hutch "Woody Itson", 4130 chromoly, 28" width, 9" rise.
Stem: Hutch freestyle, alloy head, chromoly shaft, w/hollow anchor bolt.
Headset: Hutch Hi-Caliper, steel, retainered ball.
V. SEATING
Seat: Hutch Hi-Caliper "Trick Top", plastic, steel undercarriage.
Seatpost: Hutch, chromoly, laidback.
Seatpost clamp: Hutch donut, alloy, chrome.
VI. BRAKES
Calipers: Dia-Compe FS 880, sidepull, alloy.
Levers: ACS w/locking mechanism.
VII. ASSERORIES
Rotor: ACS.
VIII. WEIGHT
23 lbs, 5 oz.
IX. PRICE
$699
X. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
USA

Yet another in the "new test rider" lineup, Chad Higgins was also on his first-ever photo session. He said the trick Star was a stable bike and he trusted it. For this photo he said:"Uh, what should I do next? Hey, how about one of those Rich Sigur thingees?" Well, here it is, a Rich Sigur thingee.