Answer Side Plates

The deadline for all USA BMX national racers to have side plates installed on their race bikes is rapidly approaching. By July 1, if you’re not rockin that well-earned number up-front and on the side, things get ugly for you, and gum-up race day unnecessarily.

Don’t be one of those fools who knew about it months (or at least weeks) in advance, didn’t act on the intel, and got caught on the backorder list. Answer BMX is giving you a shot to get it done in a few minutes, shipped right to your house–no hunting around at the last minute, no waiting in line at the trackside vendor so you get get your practice in.

So it’s clear: Here is the USA BMX rulebook entry on side plates

9. Beginning July of 2018, riders will be required to use side
plates at National Events only. This will assist stagers, starter
and scorers. The July start date will give number plate
manufacturers time to stock up on side plates in advance of
this requirement going into effect.

10. The side number-plate/sticker must be located (laterally)
just behind the steer tube.

• Minimum area for numbers is 2.95” (75mm) High X
4.75” (120mm) Wide.

• Background must be white, clear of all logos and must
display only black bike number(s).

• Placed at the front triangle touching the head tube.

• Must include both sides of the frame.

• Must have room for up to three (3) numbers.

That’s right, no grey, black, red or yellow backgrounds on the side plates. Answer BMX has you covered on all the rest of the technical requirements.

Use the link below to order now.

Links

Answer BMX Side Plates – $9.99

Winner of the Ssquared Answer Ad Contest

Back on April 11, BMX News reported on a unique contest Advantage Bike Corp was running. The parent company of household name brands like Ssquared, Answer and Clayborn put out the challenge to the brand faithful to come up with an ad concept that would star as a full-page insertion in the July issue of Pull Magazine.

The winner is Alex Ingham, a 5x from Loveland, OH, with the headline “When You’re Riding the Best, You’re Always Smiling.”

Here’s the winning ad, with Alex’s winning smile

News reached out to Alex’s dad, Tony, for some backstory on heir submission. Here’s what he said:

Tell us about the ad you produced for the contest. Who shot the photo, and any other details?

The Photo was shot by Shayne Ross at Dayton Indoor over the winter. Dayton Indoor is Alex’s second home during the winter and is run by Bob Bruns. Shayne Ross is out of Columbus Ohio and takes the pictures at the track and always is able to get great shots like the one we used in the ad.

When Answer/SSquared put the contest out for anyone riding one of their bike I knew that the picture Shayne took would be a great one for the contest because of how he was able to capture how happy he is when he is riding his bike. I downloaded some software and tried my best to make an ad for them that they would like with the picture. 

——–

What was it like around the house to find out you won the contest?

When Marissa contacted me to tell me that we had won the contest his mom and I were super excited but had to wait most of the day to tell Alex since he was in school.

When Alex go home we told him and at first I am not sure he understood what that meant so I went and got last months copy of the magazine and showed him the ad with Brandon Crain and then he understood what it meant.

Being 5, I think his mother and I were more excited than he was but that is also why his nickname is “Iceman;” he takes everything in stride and doesn’t really get worked up by anything. I have pictures of him in staging at a national and I think he is trying to sleep. 

———–

What kind of things were in the prize package?

We have not got the prize package yet because Marissa is waiting until the magazine comes out, but I believe it is going to have a shirt and other Answer swag and 5 copies of the magazine. 

———–
Any final thoughts you’d like to share about your experience in the contest?

I think that the idea of using a rider for a magazine ad to promote the Answer/Ssquared brand is a fun way to make a little kids dream of being in Pull magazine come true.

Every time Pull magazine comes out, the first thing Alex does is go through it to see if he has made any of the race pictures or if he is mentioned in the race reports. So far he has not made it but now he has an ad in the magazine which is way-more exciting for a little kid to see.

Thank you to all the people at Answer/Ssquared for choosing Alex as the contest winner. It’s awesome to help promote such great brands, backed by even greater people. 

What a great story. Even for those who didn’t win, we’re sure it was a ton of fun to get creative and post-up some promo that advanced the cause of BMX Racing among their respective networks.

Big props to John Sawyer, Marissa Caprara, Blake Sawyer and Michelle Senger at ABC for always thinking outside the normal lines.

—Mike Carruth

Make it Big With Answer / Ssquared Ad Contest

We all keep our eyes on the fast factory flyers featured in our monthly Pull Magazine–especially in the ads. It’s cool to look close and check out what everyone is running, parts-wise…or that trick new colorway that isn’t coming out til Grands, or maybe some proto-ala-moto parts that won’t hit the market til next season.

Between now and April 26, Answer BMX, Ssquared and Clayborn Bicycles are giving you the opportunity to be one of those featured flyers, with a contest for designing the coolest ad for a future issue of Pull.

Here’s what they told us, in a release:

Do you ride an SsquaredBicycles with Answerbmx components? How about a ClaybornBMX bike with AnswerBMX components?

If so this contest is for YOU!!

Design a worthy magazine AD including your bike and you may be the next USA BMX Pull Magazine superstar!

The Winning ad will be featured in the magazine, and will receive a fully-loaded goodie bag including five copies of the magazine for your fans. Winner will be chosen by our awesome All Star Pro lineup.

Submit your design on either Instagram or Facebook with the
#AnswerbmxAD. Make sure your profile is visible and if your using a photo from a photographer, make sure you have permission

Submission deadline is 4.26.18

WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR RIDERS, WHETHER YOUR ON A TEAM OF OURS OR JUST A FAN TO ENTER.

That is going to be some serious fun! So shine up your scoot, get out to the track with a proper photog, and get some shots to use in your submission.

BMX News always wants to give our readers the best possible chance at things like this, so here are some pro-tips:

- Download logos below (we have made them transparent-background)

- Create your submission to Pull Magazine specs (8.5″ x 11.125″). Make any images run off the edge of the page (called “bleed” in print production jargon).

- Be sure that you have the hi-res version of the photo(s) you use in your submission. This will not matter for the contest submission; you can use 72ppi images there, but you will need a hi-res 300ppi image for the actual ad that will run in Pull.

- If you need product images, go to answerbmx.com, ssquaredbicycles.com and/or claybornbicycles.com and use right-click, “save image” to download them.

- Buddy up with someone who has Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and/or Photoshop. It will be much easier to do this with those production tools. Some public libraries have them, and many schools as well. You might even be able to get exra credit for an art class by doing this “assignment.”

Best of luck! If you hashtag #BMXNEWS in your submission, and you win, we will send you a goodie bag of News swag on top of what you win from Answer/Ssquared/Clayborn.

Links

Answer BMX Logos

Ssquared Logos

Clayborn Bicycles Logos

Smooth Runnings With Answer Ceramic BB

It’s a real drag to have a bottom bracket that holds you back— without you even knowing it. There is a lot going on down there to enable your “spin to win” sensibilities, and it starts with the right hardware.

The Answer Ceramic Bottom Bracket gives your two-piece cranks the free-flowing smoothness you have been seeking. No more drag, no more lag, only butter-smooth spin in the engine room.

The hard-chargers on the USA BMX #1 Answer/Rennen Factory Team run this BB, and you know how picky that crew is about their gear–especially anything in proximity of the all-important drivetrain.

Bearing cup colors available: Red, Blue Black and White

Weight: 3.2 oz

Shipping now, direct from Answer BMX, for $109.99. Stop laggin and order one up today.

Links

Answer Ceramic Bottom Bracket

2017 Golden Crank Award Elevator Pitches

If you have ever watched the hit TV series “Shark Tank” you have a pretty good idea what an “elevator pitch” is. If not, we can tell you that it is an entrepreneurial method to condense the most important parts of your story down to the very-brief time it would take to explain in an elevator ride. Read more

Answer Mini Brake Kit

While it’s true that nobody ever won a race by stopping super-good, sometimes you have to slow down to get into position to blaze the line around the slowpokes.

The Mini Brake Kit, by Answer BMX gives you positively-powerful stopping power, if you so require it, and keeps the full-works at only 12.6 ounces.

The mini kit is designed to work with 1-1/8 and 1-3/8” rims. Anything larger, and you’ll want to call in the big-brother pro brake kit.

Three finishes (Black, Silver and White) fit in with most-any parts package you have on board. Most importantly, it has the Answer BMX eye for quality and operability going for it.

The kit, as shown above, includes calipers, brake pads, lever and cable, in addition to the required hardware. At $54.95, it’s a no-squeal deal for the whole kit and kaboodle.

Spend an additional $21 on top of the kit, and you’ll hit the tipping point for the 15% off JRSPOT15 discount code (non-sale items). Lots of new stuff in stock at J&R these days, so let your fingers do the walkin and your mouse do the talkin.

Links

Answer Mini Brake Kit at J&R Bicycles

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Product Spotlight is Presented by:

Answer/Ssquared to Expand Factory Team Westward

Shawn Pischke has run the SpeedTech grassroots team for the past several years from his home base in North Carolina. The team is one of the top grassroots teams for Answer and Ssquared, and influences a lot of racers in the region by their presence at the local, state and regional races—to say nothing of select nationals they hit each year.

Shawn just accepted an awesome new day-job, for which we offer big congrats. The only issue is that it requires a cross-country move, to Southern California.

It would be tough to run a North Carolina team from So. Cal so, after much thought about it, he posted the following on Facebook over the weekend.

After thinking long and hard over it, I’ve decided the final chapter for SpeedTech will come to a close at the Grands. This team has been a huge part of my life past few years, and has given me much more than I’ve given to it.

I wanna thank all the riders who’ve put on the SpeedTech colors over the years, and the sponsors who”ve supported the team.

This will not be the end of the road for me with BMX, and I’m very excited to get started with my new opportunity. I’ll share details with everyone when the time is right.

Sometimes life deals the cards, and you have to play them just-so to turn them into an even-bigger win.

Shawn and Ssquared/Answer jefe, John Sawyer got together, and hatched a plan to make some exciting new plans that will leverage Shawn’s new location to plant the Ssquared and Answer flags on the West Coast, with a new expasion arm of their Answer/Ssquared Factory Team.

Alongside the new plans, Shawn told News the following:

In a month full of changes I’m excited to share that I’ll be staying in the SSquared and Answer BMX camp as team Manager for the soon-to-be-launched West Coast eddition of the Answer Factory Team.

I’ll be at local tracks, gold cups and state races to work with teams and riders interested in joining the SSquared and Answer bmx family.

I’m looking forward to getting out to California, and getting things kicked off.

I’m stoked for the opportunity John Sawyer, Blake Sawyer & Michelle Senger have given me to help expand the factory team and grow SSquared / Answer team and grassroots footprint in California.

Shawn also told us that they want to get the word of the coming expansion team out now (hence this article), so they can talk to riders as their 2017 commitments are coming to an end (between Grands and Jan 1), and get them suited up for the first National of 2018 (wherever that is, since we do not yet have the new schedule).

If you’re a top-hand West coast rider looking to make a move in 2018, or an out-West grassroots team interested in talking to Shawn about making a switch, hit him up at ssquaredwest@gmail.com.

A big BMX News high-five to Shawn for the new West Coast gig, and for making BMX work out as he and his family start their new life in the BMX epicenter of the universe.

—Mike Carruth

Links

Answer BMX Website

Ssquared Bicycles Website

Tory and Lauren Re-Up To 2020

As outstanding ambassadors for their respective brands, Tory Nyhaug and Lauren Reynolds have, this week, signed on for four more years with John Sawyer’s Advantage Bicycle Corporation (ABC). Both will stick with the ABC brands they have been running (Answer for Tory and Ssquared for Lauren). An official release on the news came over our “Big Ears” news ticker yesterday. Here’s how it went:

Advantage Bicycle Corporation, parent company of Answer BMX, Ssquared Bicycles, and Clayborn Bicycles, is pleased to announce the contract renewal for both Lauren Reynolds (Australia) and Tory Nyhaug (Canada) through year 2020. We really enjoy having both of these riders part of the family and it’s a bonus to watch and assist them as they pursue their dreams.

Lauren will remain part of the Factory Ssquared team and had this to say

“It’s been a real pleasure to ride for John and the team at Ssquared Bicycles in conjunction with Answer BMX, and now to extend our partnership for the remainder of my career shows the loyalty and trust behind the brand, it has been a real honour.”

—Lauren Reynolds

While Lauren is part of the Factory Ssquared team, Tory will continue his career on the Factory Answer team.

“I’m very excited to continue with Answer/Ssquared for the second half of my career. They’ve believed in me since day 1 and I’m proud every time I put on that jersey. I’m Looking forward to the next 4 years”

—Tory Nyhaug

Aside from the re-up news, we also received the full Answer and Ssquared Factory Team rosters for 2017:

Factory Answer
Tory Nyhaug
Larry Dardini
Andre Lacroix
Matthew Meekins
William Silva
Michelle Senger
Tyler Rooney
Ronan Weber
Arthur Fishel

Factory Ssquared
Lauren Reynolds
Maliek Byndloss
Alfredo Campo
Santiago Marin
Ronalds Ritins
Lee Baker
Bryce Stroud
Blake Sawyer

A big BMX News high-five to all listed here! We look forward to see y’all in the viewfinder at a race real soon.

Tory photo via Facebook (possibly by Andrew Ling). Lauren photo by Mike Carruth

Links

Answer BMX Website

Ssquared Bicycles Website

2017 Team Changes

With the start of the 2017 national season two weeks away, the team changes are flowing in to the BMX News Global Command Center. In this update, we have additions to six teams, including a special scoop to close it out. No doubt, there will be more to come, so keep an eye on News for more headline-makers of 2017.

Alpha BMX
Keely Kortman (above) is joining up to run Alpha colors in the Elite Women’s class, along with 8X Nate Minster, 17-18X Anthony Bucardo, and the addition of 6 year old girl Kaylin Sun.

Also pumping the stoke for next season, is the start of Alpha Factory East. That squad includes 28-35 Expert Shawn Wade, Lucas Mallory in 15 year old Expert, 14X Thomas Barone and his brothers, Nicholas in 11X and Matthew in 8X, joining 12X Zachary & 10X Austin Close.

Answer/Rennen
On December 5, BMX News reported the addition of Kody Kolshinski to the Factory Answer/Rennen team. Today, we’re pleased to break some additional news for the #1 Factory Team.

8-year old Krista Hopkins from Clovis, CA comes to the team toting a 2016 NAG 1 plate. NAG 1 is a big accomplishment, to be sure…but even moreso when you consider that 2016 was her season as a national rider. Oh, and we can’t forget her collection of other skinny digits in 2016: ROC 1, Gold Cup 1 and State 1—all while maintaining straight A report cards in school.

Full Tilt
Full Tilt won the Bike Shop Team title in 2016, and is upgrading to the Factory ranks for 2017. In addition to the very-deep talent already on the roster, Fritz Vogt & company will bring on four new household name stars in the new year.

Olivia Armstrong 16G
Ronnie Kim – 10X
Rachel Luna – 20-30W
Shealen Reno – Elite Women

Kuwahara
Factory Kuwahara has a strong squad, spread across the country, keeping the green and yellow out in front, both at the local tracks and nationals alike.

For 2017, the Kuwa crew is adding four new chairs to the tent, putting more presence on the ground in four new places.

Juan Carlos Carbo – 51-55C, Plantation, FL
Zack Day – 12X, Greenville, WI
Cynthia Pappas – 41 & over women (NAG 1), 46-50 women (NAG 3), Massilon OH
Jason Wesson – 41-45X and Cruiser, Pitt Meadows, BC Canada

Tyler Brown 316 Racing
On Christmas Eve, Tyler Brown announced he and GT have parted ways, and he would be running the jersey of his longstanding grassroots “316 Racing” team. The big announcement was made via a Facebook Live webcast. Here is that webcast, in its entirety.

Zombieland BMX
It has been a while since we have seen Dom on the track, mixing it up in the front of the pack of an Elite Women moto or main event. In 2017, we’ll see 3D back on-course, aboard a BlackCrown frame, in the jersey of Zombieland BMX. We caught a quick hello and a hug at the Grands, and we knew a comeback could not be far behind. This is confirmation!

Watch for a special Announcers Tower podcast with Dom in the next week or so to hear about her time away from the sport, and what she has planned for the new year.

The Look Ahead
The countdown clock here at the BMX News Global Command Center is at 15 days til the 2017 season opener. No doubt, we’ll have more team changes when we touch down in Vegas. Stay tuned for all the news and photos from the Silver Dollar Nats.

—Mike Carruth

Links

Alpha Bicycle Products Website

Answer BMX Website

Rennen Design Group Website

Kuwahara BMX Website

Advantage: Sawyer

In a little-less than seven years, John Sawyer has gone from BMX dad and Oldsmar Track Operator, to the shot-caller in one of the most important groups of BMX brands in our sport (in addition to his on-going role as BMX dad, Oldsmar Track Operator, and life-long entrepreneur).

BMX News has covered his progression the whole way, from our first article about a new company called Ssquared Bicycles (January 20, 2010), to his acquisition of Answer BMX in October of 2010 and, most recently, acquisition of Clayborn Bicycles on the eve of Interbike 2015.

In that time, Ssquared Bicycles has gone from a startup brand, in the staging area with the hundreds of others BMX Brand startups that cross our path, to a multi-time USA BMX Golden Crank Award Winner. John saved Answer BMX, literally in the final hours of its existance, and turned it around to be more relevant, and more popular than ever.

Through it all, there has never been one “umbrella” structure to his BMX operations–ala “General Motors,” with brands under the parent–but now, there will be.

Late yesterday, our “Big Ears” news ticker picked up some talk about some new moves in the Sawyer camp, ultimately leading us to the following release explaining some big headlines in BMX Industry circles.

Here is part of that release:

The owners of ANSWER BMX and Ssquared Bicycles are excited to announce the formation of their new parent company, Advantage Bike Corp (ABC) to oversee operations, branding, and sales of not just those brands but several new brands moving forward. Clayborn Bikes, ANSR Race Wear for the BMX market, and the soon to be released Solution Race Products component brand will all fall under the ownership of Advantage Bike Corporation, to be known as ABC.

Something you may not have known is that the popular ANSR clothing line, worn by Golden Crank-winning teams Answer-Rennen and the Ssquared Factory Team, flows through ABC to the BMX market.

Another big-news item that the full release (below) reveals is that ABC will become the USA sales and marketing arm for Staats Bicycles and Ciari Parts brands. Staats and Ciari dropped below the radar temporarily after splitting from then-partner Richard Huvard & Co. in the early hours of 2016.

Here’s the rest of the official release:

The BMX race market is a very unique and rapidly evolving industry with customers that are extremely brand loyal and demanding of the brands they choose to use. We realize that not every racer out there wants an Ssquared Bike or ANSWER BMX parts, therefore, why not have a “menu” of sorts with different options and styles to support the diverse BMX race market?, stated Ryan Birk of ANSWER BMX.

By offering several different frame and component options and continuing to offer the same level of quality, service, and market branding that people have to come to expect from Ssquared and ANSWER, we feel we now have something to offer everyone, keeping in mind each brand has their own unique style, quality, and image.

We have plans for a new complete line of Ssquared Bicycles complete bikes, the launch of the new Solution parts brand, and new Clayborn frames in the works. We are also happy to work with the owners of Staats Bicycles and Ciari Parts to help them grow their brand. We are also continuing to work with ANSR Motocross to handle the distribution of their race wear in the BMX market globally.

Obviously by adding these new brands to our portfolio we are looking at the big picture and preparing for significant growth, hence the need to form the ABC Corporation, Birk continued.

Advantage Bike Corporation will remain based in Palm Harbor Florida and plans are in place to increase staff, infrastructure, and resources to complete brand integration for all the separate individual brands. New websites are currently under construction for the new ABC company as well as each individual brands respective website.

No question, there are some big things afoot from John and his crew. We wish our good friends all the best in their expanded footprint, and we can tell you true, that we will bring you all the awesome details of their further progress as it happens.

—Mike Carruth

Top Photo: John Sawyer (in the blue Ssquared shirt), flanked by his core crew: Michelle Senger, Marissa Caprara, Blake Sawyer and Ryan Birk (just after taking a dip in the pro set gator pit), moments after winning 2015 Golden Crank Bike of the year at the 2015 USA BMX Grands.

Links

First Ssquared Interview – January 2010

Answer BMX Acquired – October 2010

Clayborn Joins the Family – September 2015

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