Billy Griggs
Name:
Billy Griggs
Nickname:
Mr Bill
Year you joined Team GT:
1995
Favourite GT year & model:
DHI
Favourite Rider:
Steve Peat, Eric Carter
Favourite year team kit:
1999
If you had to ride a descent on a GT Quatrefoil (Tandem) with someone from your time at GT would you have with you & why?
Matt Robertson. Long legs, big lungs and fearless
Have you ever pulled a prank on someone or had one pulled on you while working at GT?
Very early into his employment, in the warranty cage Mike Mautner was stripping completes for parts. While knocking out an upper headset cup it went flying up into a light fixture smashing out the bulbs…..I stone cold looked
Can you tell us about your role at GT Bicycles in the 90’s and how you got started there?
By the mid 90’s GT was iconic in So Ca. If you weren’t even into bikes you knew of GT. For me as a top BMX pro that was getting closer to retirement, I was starting to consider my options in the industry. GT made a ton of sense logistically as well as from the design and manufacturing standpoint which was what interested me most as far as what I wanted to do.
I knew Gary and Richard since I was a local up and coming racer in the early 80’s. I knew many employees there….It just made sense for me to set up a meeting to see if the opportunity was there. Fortunately, it was, and the rest as they say is history!
What was the company culture like during that time period?
Lots of youth. Lots of people stoked on riding and stoked to be working at their dream job of advancing out of a retail bike shop, making it to the big time at GT.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while working at GT Bicycles in the 90’s?
GT was my first “real job”. I started getting paid to race BMX in my mid teens and had turned pro right out of high school. Having to be somewhere from 8 to 5 was new and took some adjustment. Beyond that initial lifestyle change, I’d say that proving myself and my commitment to learn the skills needed to then be able to funnel my years of experience into actually being able to make things better.
Can you share a particularly memorable experience you had while working at GT Bicycles?
No question on a daily basis the years at Dyer Road with getting to design and build the BMX test track. That track became the best conference room in the company.
How did the bicycle industry change during the 90’s, and how did GT Bicycles adapt to these changes?
MTB suspension went from being set up topped out and barely moving in the biggest hit to 120mm plus on fully geared bikes. Every step of the way from the RTS to the DHI, GT put well thought out highly functioning designs on the market, while most were just making the swingarm a bit longer and using the next size up shock.
Can you tell us about some of the most popular bicycle models during that time period and what made them unique?
Most brands were all trying to solve the pedaling efficiently with suspension puzzle. Many could solve some problems, but not without creating others. My favorite day at GT for suspension was the day Busby brought in a Trek Y bike that had been cobbled in the first I Drive concept. GT hated how many people were buying unified rear triangle designs and wanted a killer of them in the worst way.
How did GT Bicycles approach product design and innovation during the 90’s?
Be better than Specialized, Trek and Cannondale everyday.
Can you describe the company’s marketing and advertising strategies during that time period?
Take us serious…. but not to serious. We’re corporate in the front and hardcore in the back.
Can you describe the dynamics working for Gary and Richard?
As mentioned, I had known them since I was a kid racing BMX. As I became a top racer, riding for GT never panned out like maybe it could or should have. Working there post retirement kind of scratched that itch. In a chance crossing with Richard very early after I started he asked me how everything was going and said let me know if you need anything…..also made a funny comment to the effect of “we finally got ya”.
Gary was always great to see, and it just felt normal seeing him whenever I would. Not even a few months in, he asked me what I wanted in a custom BMX frame as he was making a few team frames and wanted to make me one as well because he knew I’d still be riding for fun and certainly couldn’t be seen on my Haro!
How did you see the role of technology changing in the bicycle industry during the 90’s, and how did GT Bicycles respond to these changes?
Longer travel fully geared bikes with longer top tubes and shorter stems were undeniable. I had been building MTB frames with longer travel than designed for my personal testing. My favorite bike prototype I ever made was a first gen I drive, large but with a medium seat pod and using a 90mm stem. It used a190X50mm shock with a custom length dogbone. That bike hauled ass uphill and down. Letting me do shit like that showed knowing how to ride mattered.
What do you think was the biggest accomplishment of GT Bicycles during the 90’s, and why was it significant?
GT was a BMX brand that became a leader in MTB. Dominant bikes and riders and a Kenworth team 18-wheeler at the races. Specialized, Trek and Cannondale tried to become BMX brands at some point and all got laughed out of the sport.
What made the biggest impact on you while at GT Bicycles which you rely on today.
The general sense of don’t tell me what you’re gonna do, show me what you can do. I saw lot’s of hot air come and go through GT and at the end of the day you better not try to fake it. We sure had a lot of fun making fun of them though hahaha.