Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Terrible One Barcode

Terrible One Barcode

There’s plenty of dictionary definitions of ‘terrible’ — and none of them are pleasant. Most of them run along the lines of very shocking and upsetting or very bad or unpleasant. Although appearances can be deceiving, none of them apply to Jimmy Röstlund’s newly built Terrible One Barcode.

Terrible One Barcode

Jimmy is a CAD Designer and the instigator of the flangeless Eject BMX front hub, sold through the Danish Simple Bike Co. He’s also a brilliant mechanic, although an altercation with a fixed gear drivetrain recently rendered his brake finger inoperable. However, he’s now back on the streets, just like the legendary Barcode frame.

Terrible One Barcode

The Terrible One Barcode happens to be one of the most revered BMX frames of the 90s, highly sought after by both riders and collectors. S&M recently announced that they will be reincarnating the frame for Terrible One, and as soon as Jimmy heard about the production, he pounced, opting for a 21″ version with brake mounts brazed to the chainstays.

Terrible One Barcode

“I made a special request for the frame to be left raw as I wanted to test my own surface treatment, and Joe from T1 was more than happy to accommodate my request. The surface treatment I used was ‘Birchwood Casey’s Perma Blue’. It’s a chemical that oxidises the metal, turning it darker. The process is a pain on something as large as a bike frame, but I’m happy with the result.

Terrible One Barcode

“It took a few months for the frames to get made and shipped out of the US, and even after I got it I still hadn’t settled on a parts list. So the frame sat at home in my office for a few more months until I finally decided on the parts and get going on the build.

Terrible One Barcode

“Cranks, fork and brakes were recycled from an older build as they were still in good nick. The stem and sprocket were taken from my stash of parts and the remaining bits were purchased new. The sprocket is from Nightfall Bike Co., an Aussie brand from up in Cairns, and the stem is from another Aussie brand — Tempered Bikes.

Jimmy considers this wheelset to be the best 20″ pair he’s ever built up: Tree Bike Co. straight-pull hubs with custom-cut Phil Wood spokes and Pillar alloy nipples laced to GSport Birdcage rims. The Odyssey Key Chain is something else as well, an innovative design that requires only a 3mm hex key to break it apart.

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Terrible One Barcode