Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Standard 125

Standard 125

The Standard Byke Company originated from a lack of quality US-made BMX components in the late 1980s. Rick Moliterno had been riding for Haro for about six years when BMX started moving, like skateboarding did, towards a more street-based riding style.

When Haro refused his offer to assist in developing a street-style lineup, Rick left and, in November 1991, Standard was born.

Standard 125
While it was more accessible to a wider market, street riding placed greater stress on frames that were previously designed primarily for either racing or freestyle. Standard introduced frames and components engineered specifically to dish out non-standard punishment to the urban environment.

Standard 125
The frames featured thicker and stronger dropouts, their pegs were also thicker, longer, and stronger, and were bolted on rather than screwing onto the axle. Standard continued to innovate with the incorporation of the threadless fork/stem combo across their production frames.

The 125 was a Standard milestone: proven geometry, top-class build quality, and a perfect weight balance to conquer both the racetrack and the trails or skate park.

Joe Stevenson has had a 25-year passion for BMX; his custom Terrible One was a big hitter on The Spoken last year.

Standard 125
The origin of this build actually started with the acquisition of a full decal set and in an odd sequence of events, came across a rusted 125 frame. It was then stripped and powder-coated, along with the matching Standard forks, into an immaculate example of a BMX icon.

Standard 125