Kurt Hohberger is the creator of www.bmxunion.com and to be honest he is the one who motivated me enough to ask Brett if I could have my own blog, so I thought I would repay him by doing a bike check. Kurt is a real good guy and has interviewed over 150 BMX pros and others. Be sure to check out his website, good stuff. www.bmxunion.com Check out what Kurt rides after the link.
Name: Kurt Hohberger
Age: 20
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Sponsors: None, other than the random hook up! Oh well, I suck. Haha.
Bike Check
Frame: Federal Hamilton 20.5 with custom scratches thanks to airport baggage handlers!
Fork: Odyssey Dirt
Bars: Odyssey Lumberjacks with an inch cut off both sides
Stem: Odyssey Classic
Grips: O.D.I Longnecks
Barends: Odyssey Par Ends
Pegs: Tree!
Detangler: None. Soon to be GTX-R or Mobeous. Whatever I can get my hands on first.
Headset: A mix on parts
Clamp: Shadow Alfred Hitchcock
Seatpost: MacNeil
Seat: Macneil Fat Capital
Cranks: Profile 180mm
Sprocket: Odyssey MDS
Chain: KMC. I need a chain sponsor the way I go through the things.
Brakes: Fly
Cable: Odyssey Linear
Brake Lever: Odyssey Monolever
Front Tire: KHE Park Folding 2.25
Front Wheel: Odyssey Hazard laced to Hazard Lite
Rear Tire: Fit F.A.F Folding 2.20
Rear Wheel: Odyssey Cassette 10 tooth driver laced to Odyssey Hazard Lite
Pedals: Odyssey Plastics
Modifications/Other/Extras:
Besides cutting down my bars, axles, and seat post. I really haven’t done too much for mods. I run my MDS so it has the guard on the inside, I don’t really know if that is supposed to be done but I like the look of it.
Which parts do you go through the most?
I go through chains the most. I used to blame it on poor chain alignment, but once that got fixed it kept happening. I guess I just have too much power in the legs. Other than that, the usual of grips, brake cables, tires, and tubes.
Describe your bike setup and how you like your bike to feel.
A lot of people get on my bike and don’t like it for some reason. I haven’t been able to figure out what is weird about it quite yet, but maybe someday haha. I just keep the chain tight, brakes dialed, and it running as smooth as I can.
Do you remember your first “real” BMX bike?
My first real BMX was a GT Dyno, it had flames and everything. I don’t remember what I ever did with it, but it was a sweet bike.
Do you have any idea how much your bike weighs?
Right around 25ish. I almost wish it was a little lighter. Hopefully I can afford to make a few updates to the fork and front wheel so that should help out quite a bit.
Can you explain a little more about your “custom” scratches?
Haha, basically last month I flew out to San Diego to ride for a week. I have to put my bike in a golf bag so I don’t get charged $150 or whatever they charge. When I got to San Diego I put it all back together and noticed the top tube was covered in scratches. It got even worse when I had to fly back to Minnesota too. Don’t get me wrong, I am not devastated by this, it’s just funny.
Is your bike black or purple, I’m having a hard time figuring it out, and why the gold stem?
It’s a dark sparkly purple. In the sun it looks dark purple, and in the shade it looks black. It’s real good. As for the stem, I feel like bikes that are all black with nothing that stands out are boring. I had an orange Eastern Deseptikon stem before I got this one.
How is it riding left side drive rather than right side drive?
I’ve never really noticed a difference. Then again, I have been running it for 2 years and I think it looks weird when people run right side drive. It’s just because I grind on the right side that I made the switch anyway.
Your bike seems clean and simple, which is awesome, but is it always that way?
I usually try and keep it clean. However, since Minnesota sucks and I am trapped indoors all the time it’s covered in dust from the skateparks. Once spring hits I will have to take the whole thing apart to clean and re-grease it to get all the dust and crap out.
Do you like to work on your bike or have some one else work on it for you?
When I first got into BMX, 9 years ago, my brother and his friends used to hit up garage sales and find old bikes and fix them up. Eventually, I got into that and knew the basics. As time went on I just taught myself everything from how to pound headsets and bottom brackets with cups in and out, tension brakes, tru wheels. It was funny when I used to work at a shop I would get pissed at the mechanics because they didn’t know how to work on a BMX. I ended up getting my hands dirty all the time and I was supposed to be sales only.
What is your favorite part on your bike, whether it be something that someone gave to you or something you worked really hard to get?
Hmm…I mean I owe Chris at Federal huge for the deal on the frame. I am stoked on that. Then again, I feel like if any piece of the bike was missing it wouldn’t be a bike that works for me. Can I say the whole bike?
Any shout-outs/Thanks?
Big thanks to Louis for asking me to do this, everyone who checks out BMXunion.com, Adam22, Kyle Carlson, Alex@ Give D!, Chris@ Federal, John Povah, Rob-O, Catfish, Kosman, my friends, and anybody that has helped me out or hooked me up along the way. I appreciate it big time! I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today without you.
