BMX Bi-Weekly, Volume 3, issue 12. - 1983

THE Thunder TCX-2000 is original. A C02
welded carbon mild steel frameset with
geometry to fit the younger ages-13 year
maximum. Perhaps less. It's versatility to
fit tall ganglie guys with the standard on
board equip' is non existent. Where the
Thunder does drift away from the
cheap/moderately
priced street/basic
Beginner race bikes is in two areas.
Firstly, looks. The Italians go for curves
a lot. Spelt with a capital 'C' 'cas then it's
cool. Curved tubes to the rear drop outs.
Strange curved gussetts behind the bottom bracket - centring attention on the
supposed weak points of the frame. On
this, it would be worth adopting a more
conventional
design. Something that
looks cleaner with less welds and less
costs to produce. The strength factor in
the existing test frame was unquestionable. Like the VDC, it was a durable,
long-life specimen. The forks would suffer the casualty list pretty quickly with
aggressive thrashing; another reason for
the rider age limitation. In that sense the
owner of the TCX-2000 does have to use
his grey matter common- sense. No bicycle is built to fly off garage roofs. It has
been known. No body is built to survive
such unwise moves.
The other area the bike differs from its
competitors is in the component choices.
Instead of going for the Taiwanese
copies, the Thunder boasts Italian jobs.
Maybe they don't look cool, but do perform slightly better and last longer
Ambrosio California alloy race rims for
instance - highly under-rated, nearly as
strong as 7X, fractionally more weighty
and cost a whole lot less. An alternative to
any wheel when the budget won't
stretch.
In total components didn't look startling, but their
performance
shone
·through their looks- or lack of them. The
biggest problem centre was with the
cranks. At first glance they're curved,
look swell, have a Spyder into the design
for easy chainwheel removal and allen
key bolts. The problem is they don't possess Hercules strength. Along with the
bars they limit the age maximum. Bigger
riders - the more aggressive hombres with a few could make the bike fit, without ganglie
arms dragging.
Extra
expense, but no low-cost machine yet
caters for big dudes. Common fact.
Other items boasting praising words
from loose lips to sink ships included the
brakes with 20 degree levers, the grips
that looked non-award winners but gave
good feel and survived dirt tales - certainlybetterthan Grab-on copies. On the
other side of the fence, the two 2.125
tyres front and rear went out of the trick
trend era when Ration Cards came in.
Made the steering slide, and the rims
look overwide. Totally uncool move.
The Thunder doesn't go for too much
razamatazz. It sells itself on merits.
Merits in durability. Merits in versatility.
For a chrome finish mild steel bike it does
bare similarities in the mind field trying to
find the path to success, but whether
As you've probably already guessed the VDC was the fav' bike out of the two from Hot
Wheels. It was kitted out for dead big dudes; the same guys in the Andy Preston league.
Mancha Men, amigo.
those differences alone can sell it in
competition against the trick Taiwan stuff
has to be seen. In total, the bike is in fact
un-Italian. No panache, but durability at a
low-cost price.
The VDC Changa follows
those
approach lines. But the unexcitement in
design to some dudes is well compensated by its track performance. The frame
is light-weight, making average weight
forks feel heavier than normal. Speed
Jumpingtook timeto get used to. And the
bike hangs its line around berms maybe
too well. Once you're in there, it allows
you to pedal like crazy and not to come
un-stuck. Pedalling where some bikes
can't - that's an advantage. We did feel
for a beginner/Novice rider the steering
10 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
was a little slow, because of the frame's
length and best suited for the 13's upward
experienced riders. Accelaration is rapid,
gates hot and stunting, fairly limited.
With a dialed-in right race bike, it's very
difficult to get it to perform in the air. It
hugs the ground in a passionate love
affair. Won't let go. Behind the bars the
Changa is just roomy and comfortable.
Behaviour is fairly hot and racing creates
no problems. It's a cycle on which life is
made easy by many good details, great
and small, in the design.
Quite opposite to the Thunder the
VDC Changa was kitted out with stuff for
the tall ganglie crew. Big CW Pro Bars.
That look even bigger with the integral
cross-brace running right on through.
-,
SPECIFICATIONS
THUNDER TCX-2000
Rnish: Chrome (Blue or Red contrast)
Weight: 271bs 90l approx. (Complete bicycle)
Retail Cost: (Complete Bike) £135
Frame: TCX-2000, carbon mild steel, co, welded, chrome
Forks: TCX-2000, steel, chrome
Bars:: Light alloy V-bars
Grips: Rubber model
Stem: SunTour MS-ll00 copy
Rims: Ambrosio "California"
Brakes: Weinmann with 25.•• levers
Tyres: Cheng Shin 2.125 (front & rear)
Pedals: Light caged versions
Crank: Mundial with spyder
F, Sprocket: Mundial 44T
R. Sprocket: Freewheel, 17T
Seat: Plastic low-profile
Headset: Steel
Chain: Black/Silver model
Pads: TCX-2000 name pads
Purpose: Average Street Bike/Beginner Racer
Age Range: 13 yrs. maximum
Quality of welds: Average
Quality of finish: Average
Manufacturer:
Someone in Italy, we guess
UK Distributors:
Hotwheels, Bournemouth
More Info': local Dealer, or Hotwheels.
Test Contributors: Andy Preston, (trick Pix). Jon Higginson,
Mike Pardon, Nigel Higginson, Mr Pontins and
Neville-the-Nikon.
VDC Changa:
The other beast from the jungle - the VDC Changa. Good Morning
you're
readin'.
For the Best and Largest
Selection of BMX
in West London!
to Voris Dixon too, if
Finish: Chrome
Weight: 231bs 20l approx. (Complete bicycle)
Retail Price: (Frameset, Pads & Headset) £149.95
Frame: VDC Changa, 4130 cro-moly, TIG welded, chrome
Forks: VDC Changa, 4130 cra-moly, TIG welded, chrome
Bars: CW Pro Bars, 4130 cro-molv, chrame
Grips: Mushroom
Stem: Tuf-Neck Pro model
Rims: Ukai
Brake: Dia-Compe MX-1000 with Shimano OX lever
Tyres: Mitsuboshi Cornp 3's (front & rear)
Pedals: MKS Foot jaws with VDC Gorilla Cages
Crank: Sugino Chrame-moly
F. Sprocket: Pete's Precision power disc, 43T
R. Sprocket: Freewheel, 16T
Seat: Uni, integral set post
Headset: Campagnola
Chain: HKK, 96 link
Pads: VDC light-weight
Purpose: High Qual' Street, Novice/Expert Racer
Age Range: 13 yrs upwards
Quality of Welds: Very Good
Quality of finish: Very Good
Manufacturer:
Voris Dixon, VDC, California
UK Distributors:
Hotwheels, Bournemouth
More InfO: Contact, Hotwheels or local Dealer
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at 1.00 p.m.,
And for the first time we saw the Gorilla
Cages. Nope, no trip to the zoo. More, an
extract from King Kong. These are new
pedal extenders. Another cage around
the existing pedal cage. Looks Trick.
Eliminates possible foot slippage. Non of
our testers really like them or preferred
them to standard sized pedals. Maybe
they're over-big. Certainly for very large
footed riders we'd say the advantages are
there for the taking. The rest of the
younger world who don't possess collosus foot measu rements in excess of size
10 might find standard pedal designs
happily enough. The Gorilla Cage works
on conventional pedal desings too. The
cu rrent trends are floating towards parallel pedals: Shimano DX-,-MKS Graphite-X,
or the curved kind:' Hutch's megga
exotica or the more affordable SunTour
Beartraps. Pedals are a sign of personal
character. You get what you want. Float
your own Boat. It isn't for us to say what
shape's best.
Conclusion time. We have two beasts
from the Jungle. The Changa certainly
performs like a race bike, and is one. The
looks maybe of beauty, maybe of beast.
In the VDC we see the two combined. Is it
a beautiful beast or the Ugliest Bike ..The
two are debatable. What is not, concerns
the Changa's performance, durabilitiy
and long life. On those merits alone the
VDC Changa shines through the chrome
to the economic buyer who sees sense.
The Thunder TCX-2000 treads along a
Here's Thunder, in the shape of the TCX-2000. Surely one of the best bikes under £140 on the
market weighing under 30 pounds.
similar path, but in a lower price class. Is
there a niche for a niche for a different
bike to battle the Taiwanese copies? Certainly the £135 recommended retail price
is the star attraction. No one can be pre-
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