[trust4130]

It's a Tonic Fall Guy. To me, it's basically a bmx that's all grown up. My story is this: Three years ago I broke both of my ankles after ejecting from my trusty S&M TV over a 25' set of doubles at the trails. Ouch. Following a series of operations over the next 1 1/2 years, riding my 20 was often uncomfortable because the slightest mistake (overshot set or case) would send jolts of pain thru my ankle. So, I decided to try out some big bikes.

The first was a Santa Cruz Chameleon, with 5" up front. It's definetly a fun bike to ride at the trails , but I wanted something more BMX-ish, but still with a little bit of suspension up front. Next was an Endless Lifetime. Awesome bike. That's my 4X/DS bike now. But again, the Endless wasn't exactly what I wanted for riding the trails.

I mainly ride trails, and I wanted a bike that I could toss around much like the ol' 20. Throw in a turndown when the mood struck me. Flow. I've been looking for quite some time. And I finally found it one day browsing online.

Tonic Fall Guy. Pure and simple, it is all I have been looking for. LOW standover: the seattube is about 9.5" c/c. Looks more bmx than mtb, and feels that way too. Kick it sideways and bring her back. The top tube is out of the way. And the bike rides like a champ. Pleanty of room up front (22" tt), with a nice short rear. I must say, at first I thought the 14.75" rear was going to be to short. It's perfect. Manuals easily, but it's very stable. The short rear end also makes the bike accelerate very quickly. Thru tight rythm sections it flows, without having to work for the speed. I really can't say enough good things about this bike.

 

[Changleen]

Clean. I like. Just throw some DMR Motos on there and it'll be almost perfect.

 

[rpk1988]

Very nice man. Nice fork and frame color.

 

[trust4130]

Thanks. DMR motos may be a future purchase. I had to go with the comp III just because I've been running that tire for over 20 (yes, 20) years. Gotta keep with my bmx roots. But the moto tire is an awesome skin.

 

[Changleen]

Yeah, Comp III's were the shiz for a good long while. I didn't actually know you could get them in 24". I hardly recognise them without a skinwall actually!

 

[scurban]

so sick! I'm seriously considering getting one of these rigs!

What kind of bars are those? I was thinking Sic LL's in the 3" version would allow for turndowns, would you reccommend that, or should I stick with 2" bars?

I'm tall (well sort of 6'2") and I often have a hard time doing certain tricks (turndown's and x-up's mainly) does do you think it will be a good platform for a guy my size to throw around?

Very Very nice bike. Damn I want one!

 

[Changleen]

eSpeculation:

I'm not as tall as you, but that TT looks long to me and with a bit of height on the bars I bet it would be good for you.

 

[Changleen]

Dude that bike is SO clean. The more I look at it the more I like it. Are those Profile hubs? I have the same hubs in black if so.

 

[trust4130]

Scurban, the bars are Atomlab Trailpimps. 2.5" rise, but remember that they are 22.2mm, so you have to run a bmx stem. I'm running a Standard stem, inverted, with 2 small spacers beneath the stem (I think). I'm 5'11", and the bike fits me well. And I've always prefered longer (bmx) bikes, so I'm sure the bike would work for you. I think Landon from tonic is around 6' tall, so again it should work. But it does feel and ride like a bmx bike, just remember that. The TT is about 22" if I recall correctly. This bike is ALL ABOUT BEING THROWN AROUND. If anyone tells you that it would be too small for you, take a look at the number of guys as tall (or taller) than you riding 21" TT bmx bikes... Enough said.

Changleen, thanks man. The hubs are profiles, good eye! I'm running a freewheel version in the rear (not a huge fan of cassettes), and obviously a 20mm up front.

 

[scurban]

thanks trust! I've had a hard time finding a 24" that I felt comfortable on, mainly because most of them are designed like small mtb's instead of big bmx's. I think I'm sold on the tonic!

Thanks

 

[Landon]

Trust,

I can't believe how good your bike looks. Pretty, but tough...the Jody Banks of bikes? Color is the Grey Album.

Fall Guys can be bought at ride-this:

I'm rich!!!

More info about Tonic Fabrication can be found at this fabulously stagnant website:

Check out my melody...

Cheers,

Landon.

 

[trust4130]

Scurban, go for it. I instantly loved this bike. You are so right indeed: it's a big bmx rather than a small mtb. Not for everyone, but but great for anyone who wants a bike that is agile, hostile, and... er... umm... I must be getting senile...

 

[trust4130]

Jody Banks, Landon! HA ha, I forgot who that was. Damn it, Im sofa kingdom. Yes, I do believe that will work. (In my best Dr. Evil voice: I shall call her... Jody B.)

I'm pretty sure she'd be a bangin' ride as well. Similar description as well. Tight in the rear, and "robust" up front. Colt Seavers, now there's a porn star name if I've ever heard one!

 

[trust4130]

RPK, thanks for the compliment: I'm psyched on the color, too.

Landon, can you paint my rims in that color? Thanks man!

 

[trust4130]

how much did it cost you?

550 for the frame, and worth every penny. Not bad for a USA made frame.

 

[Stoked]

awesome tonic! looks great for trails.

 

[TWISTED]

awesome tonic! looks great for trails. only thing that would make that frame better i think are disc tabs.

Why disc tabs? Who makes a 14mm x 110 bmx hub with disc mounts?
The fall guy has everything you need and nothing you don't.

 

[Landon]

Landon, can you paint my rims in that color? Thanks man!

There could be problems powdercoating a rim with eyelets. Too many little places for material to hide that will bleed out during the painting process and ruin the finish. I'd have more confidence trying a rim without eyelets. Not to mention problems of varing conductivity between materials..

However: I am not a powder coat expert and could be completely wrong about this.

Also, for those about to get something aluminum powder coated, make sure your powder coater knows that if it's bike part, it's probably heat treated, and to adjust accordingly.

After going to the Dew Action Sports show this week-end, I'm reminded how nice a chrome rim looks on a bike. Chrome rims and all black tires, classic.The level of riding at the Park Final was insane: Front Flips, bike flips, 720's everywhere, enormous transfers, flair variations...mind boggling. I recommend anyone go and see a modern BMX freestyle show. The rest of the event was bizarre.

I waded through a line of 6 year olds to tempt fate on a trampoline with a wheel-less, padded up BMX bike wearing the required MX chest protector and skate helmet. Somehow this promoted Toyota Trucks? A more convincing demonstration of the awesome power of Toyota was afforded by the opportunity to place your head directly in-line with the roost of hard reving Toyota with it's rear wheels placed on rollers submerged in water. The only protective equipment required for this activity was a pair of middle school science lab googles. Having a truck roost in my face did not provide the final conslusive morsel of information I needed to pull the trigger on a $30K truck, but I was clearly outside the target demographic for this event and should leave promotional and marketing tactics to the experts.

Vans offered the opportunity to mingle with very slightly dressed female Vans employees, listen to a DJ, surf the Vans website on a series of laptop computers and either witness or participate in a very amateur break dance demonstation. I chose the latter.

I learned about Peanut Chews, a new candy bar which bore a very suspicious likeness to Baby Ruth, a line I have noticed frequently discounted at my local super market. Could Peanut Chew simply be a retread Baby Ruth? A more interesting aspect to the Peanut Chew kiosk involved a historical account of skate board design and graphics as well as some nostalgia surf images which seemed so calm amidst the utter chaos of the Dew Action sports tour.

Probably the most bizarre aspect of the experience and one that served as most obvious evidence of being from an entirely different generation was the promotion of Oxy anti-acne medicines. I don't recall ever coming to terms with pimples growing up, yet here, kids where leaping around in a mosh pit to catch Mardi Gras beads decorated with a black platic medallion printed with Oxy's logo. Now, I jumped for one too, but only to experience the excitement of the situation. When this generation gets old, are they going to wear a necklace decorated with the Depends logo?

Finally, Trust, I really do wish I had 2 more arms. I'd give that bike 4 thumbs UP!

L

 

[trust4130]

I was just kidding about painting the rims... However, you did mentioned chrome rims: I was about 'this close' to getting a chrome pair of Araya Super 7x's to build up for it. Chrome is the new black!

 

[erastusboy]

Bike does look pretty BA and more than a little purpose built. 14.75" chain stays, is that about as short as you can get with a 24" wheel ? What's the biggest tire you can run.

 

[Landon]

Bike does look pretty BA and more than a little purpose built. 14.75" chain stays, is that about as short as you can get with a 24" wheel ? What's the biggest tire you can run.

Purpose built? The Fall Guy was originally developed as an off road triathalon bike. X-Terra, adventure racing, that sort of thing. The 24" wheels are far more aerodynamic than 26's, and it's small size is perfect for carrying on your back while rock climbing and bungee jumping. The Fall Guy has proven itself in many off road triathalons..I've ridden the Fall Guy to the point of incontinence, and it was still ready for more.

The chainstay yoke allows for short stays, as well as a 2.3 Kenda K-rad. It also serves as an aerodynamic fairing, and has subsequently been out lawed by the triathalon community. I thought this would be the end of the Fall Guy. Fortunately the bike has found favor in the freestyle bike riding communtity, so all is not lost. I'm still bitter about the Fall Guy being made illegal for triathalons, although the huge commercial success the Fall Guy has enjoyed in the freestyle mountain bike market has allowed Tonic Fabrication to purchase a Maserati for transporting fames to the painter.

 

[erastusboy]

It may have morphed from a tri bike to a dj weapon, but I still contend that its very much purpose built which definately isnt a bad thing, probably best at what it is. Oh and did it have the 14x110 spacing as a tri bike. I still would totally rock it if I could afford to have a dedicated dj/street bike.

And I'm all about the Grayness


yaay 200 posts (it only took 3 years)

 

[Bikael Molton]

Landon / Tonic : Any chance you will produce a 26"? From the looks of the FG, I think you could do an inventive, solid 26".
thanks.

-rob in NY

 

[TWISTED]

Landon / Tonic : Any chance you will produce a 26"? From the looks of the FG, I think you could do an inventive, solid 26".
thanks.

What would be the point? What advantage would larger, heavier wheels and their added slower geometry and less aggressive nature have? Twenty six inch wheeled mountain bikes flow through rough terrain and make tough trails easier to navigate, but I don't see this as something the fall guy was aimed at.
Sure add twenty six inch wheels and the required longer chainstays, disk mounts, and gears then what do you have?
Just another generic mountain bike frame.

 

[Landon]

Landon / Tonic : Any chance you will produce a 26"? From the looks of the FG, I think you could do an inventive, solid 26".

First off Rob, thanks for your positive comments about Tonic. Inventiveness is certainly something we aspire to.

As far as developing a 26" wheel bike, I doubt it. It would certainly be an excellent commercial decsion for us, as would introducing a 135/disc brake Fall Guy. There is no denying the high frequency of requests for a bike like this. We are sincerely interested in making the Fall Guy as good as it can possibly be, either through refinements to our manufacturing process, or design. I'm simply not convinced making the Fall Guy a 26"/disc brake bike will make it a better bike for it's intended use. Many will disagree, and this is why there are plenty of other bikes out there. It's tired, but true: Variety is the spice of life.

I'm in a position which has enabled me to accumlate a fairly complete bike quiver, which includes multiple 26" wheel bikes. However these are XC and freeride bikes. Because I have multiple bikes, a bike as focused as the Fall Guy is good fit. For people whose bikes do double and triple duty, the Fall Guy isn't a good choice.

We are a small company, and everything we do, we are passionate about. A 26" Fall Guy would be hard for us to get excited about.

 

[kajo]

You said the toptube was perfect at 22". Can you do barspins and x-ups without touching your shoes with the jumper you are using?

 

[Bikael Molton]

Thanks for your response Landon.
I'm not questioning the purpose of the Fall Guy or suggesting that you turn it into a 26. I wasn't trying to argue the 24 vs 26 thing either.

However, I'm not of the opinion that a street 26" (or a DJ 26") has been perfected. 98% of them fall into either the "hardcore" dual-crown fork variety, the swiss army knife do-everything variety or the late-90s 4X-racing variety (or the taiwanese catalog $150 variety).

I was just proposing that maybe y'all could come closer than some of the zillion companies out there who've tried. I'm basing this on the purity, intelligence and clean design of the FG.

What's next for Tonic then? Maybe that is what I should have asked in the first place.

thanks for your time.

-r

First off Rob, thanks for your positive comments about Tonic. Inventiveness is certainly something we aspire to.

As far as developing a 26" wheel bike, I doubt it. It would certainly be an excellent commercial decsion for us, as would introducing a 135/disc brake Fall Guy. There is no denying the high frequency of requests for a bike like this. We are sincerely interested in making the Fall Guy as good as it can possibly be, either through refinements to our manufacturing process, or design. I'm simply not convinced making the Fall Guy a 26"/disc brake bike will make it a better bike for it's intended use. Many will disagree, and this is why there are plenty of other bikes out there. It's tired, but true: Variety is the spice of life.

I'm in a position which has enabled me to accumlate a fairly complete bike quiver, which includes multiple 26" wheel bikes. However these are XC and freeride bikes. Because I have multiple bikes, a bike as focused as the Fall Guy is good fit. For people whose bikes do double and triple duty, the Fall Guy isn't a good choice.

We are a small company, and everything we do, we are passionate about. A 26" Fall Guy would be hard for us to get excited about.

 

[trust4130]

You said the toptube was perfect at 22". Can you do barspins and x-ups without touching your shoes with the jumper you are using?

kajo

I'm running 175mm cranks, and with my size 10 (US) shoes I've only ever buzzed my shoes two times when doing x-ups, and that was when I first started doing them on this bike. Now, it was only a slight buzzy-buzz: not one that caused me any concern. Regarding the barspins, my bike has an anti-barspin device installed: me. Thus, I cannot comment on the barspinability of the fall guy.

 

[TWISTED]

Yeah!!!
I'm the proud owner of Tonic Fab Fall Guy frame #FG07. I'll get some photos posted as soon as I finish the unique build on my green machine.

 

[scurban]

Well, I'm sold, I'm currently selling my gimp, and making the switch to a Tonic Fall Guy. Depending on how fast my current bike sells, I will very shortly be the proud new owner of one of these! I can't wait.

 

[Landon]

What's next for Tonic then? Maybe that is what I should have asked in the first place.

Rpet,

Thanks for the encouraging coments. What we've got on deck is the following:

1) A Track frame. A bombproof Fixed gear. A picture of a proto is on Fixed Gear Gallery. This bike will be high quality, yet affordable and very easy on the eyes. An alternative to the asian sourced offerings from companies with "s" in their names. No cast frame parts, or pretentions to a "golden era of cycling." Tonic is 3 guys, one of us is really into fixed gear bikes. Not me, but it's something I think we can do, and do well.

2) A cyclocross bike. We've had a proto running for a year now. Its a variation on a soft tail suspension design. It uses a tube as a spring. There's a partial picture of it on our website. It offers around a .25" of travel, and looks pretty neat. So far it's proven itself, although history tells us that don't pay the rent.

3)Website up date, and some Tonic clothing/nic nacs.

Cheers,

L

 

[sayndesyn]

Is there any stores that sell prebuilt 24" wheels with bmx hubs? Not talking about wimpy cruiser race wheels...

 

[trust4130]

check out adrenalinebikes.com. They have some factory built 24's. I use 24" rhyno lite XLs built up on profile hubs (I built) as well as a set of the same rims on woodman hubs (unrealcycles built). If you are a bruiser, the rhyno's may not be the optimal choice. Also check out unrealcycles and universalcycles if you are curious about some 24 inch rims... there are a bunch of choices ranging from Sun (Rhynos, MTXs, BFRs), Halo, etc. Getting a set a wheels built up shouldn't be a problem.

 

[sayndesyn]

cool cool. Got a pic of your bike yet scurban?

 

[scurban]

cool cool. Got a pic of your bike yet scurban?

Nope, I'm missing a few key parts, once I get it together, I will for sure throw some pics of it up here

 

[TWISTED]

Here's mine. I decided to go a little different with the build and ordered up some 24" Skyway Tuff Wheels. They came with sealed bearings and we modified the front to run a 20mm axle, the rear is 3/8" with an adaptor.
I thought this bike would ride sketchy because of the tiny size and etremely short 14-3/4 rear end, but Landon did a phenomenal job with the geometry of the frame. Somehow this bike just works. I've been riding for over thirty years, but am now able to do things on this bike that I couldn't ever before. It seems to kick ass on the BMX track too.

I just bought a new dig camera, I hope these photos work.
Tim

 

[trust4130]

I'm sitting here cursing up a storm - that thing rocks!!! Love the tuff wheels! You're spot on about the ride: it works sooo well. It'll manual and roll doubles like there's no tomorrow. Congrats on a very cool rig.

 

[TWISTED]

I'm sitting here cursing up a storm - that thing rocks!!! Love the tuff wheels! You're spot on about the ride: it works sooo well. It'll manual and roll doubles like there's no tomorrow. Congrats on a very cool rig.

Thanks a lot. The Tuffs with the hookworm 2.5's (clear fine) work great for urban, but feel flexxy in some sections.

 

[trust4130]

There is a lightning bolt on your seat. Looks oddly familiar in an old school bmx kind of way. You've got some explaining to do.

 

[TWISTED]

Thanks for the compliments on my bike.
Landon, Tony, and I just had a great time at the indoor skatepark / BMX track.

I like that seat, it's so much lighter than my old dirt jump seats. The lightning bolts help give my bike an old school BMX retro look.

My bike is 34lbs, but that is mostly the weight of the tires and Tuff Wheels.

Let's see some photos of your's scurban.

Check out www.stump503.com for more photos of Fall Guys and Landon in action.

Tim