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Founders: Ian Morris, Sandy Carson. Country: UK. |
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| 1999 | Mark Noble, espn.go.com, march 2009: The initial founding of Federal was fairly regular. Simply put, the dignitaries at Seventies Distribution in Hastings, UK, figured that a whole new UK bike company would be a mighty fine idea. They were already distributing the finest American BMX brands and running the world's best BMX events (namely, the Backyard Jams) and hence launching their own, UK-based BMX brand made total sense. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was definitely needed. Britain hadn't had a core BMX brand in quite some time. And so, at the turn of 1999-2000, a whole new brand was born, and its name was Federal Bikes. Federal was born into one of the strongest eras in UK riding. The mags were vibrant and growing, the scene was starting to be taken more seriously on an international scale and the buzz was there. It was almost a BMX rebirth for the UK scene, and the times felt good. The connection in the scene here was really tight (and bear in mind it was this tight before the BMX Internet revolution, before most people had mobile phones even) and so the support for a homegrown brand, one that could stand up against anything worldwide, was immediate. Just check a few of the team roster from the get-go: Ian Morris, Sandy Carson, Chris Stauffer. Federal had its finger firmly on the pulse, and through the subsequent years, it just grew and grew from there. | |
| 2002 | The Fraction flatland frame designed by Brian Tunney. | |
| 2005 | Federal DVD: 9 1/2 days in Germany. Mark Noble, espn.go.com, march 2009: The team developed worldwide. They added more pros, and come late 2005, counted Corey Martinez, Kye Forte, Leo Forte, Peter Adam, our own Brian Tunney and a certain Steven Hamilton amongst its sizeable pro squad, then spread across four corners of the globe. A couple of landmark full-length videos, great ad campaigns, and of course, a fully-stocked product line stamped that authority home. Federal could almost do no wrong. And then, it all just exploded. |
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| Mark Noble, espn.go.com, march 2009: To cut a very critical story short, Ian Morris left to start a new brand in 2006, namely United Bikes, and, not to put too fine a point on it, he took almost all the Federal team with him. For more than a few stomach-churning moments, it did look to be over for Federal: the only guy left was Hamilton, and with such a shocking decamp of this scale it took Stu Dawkins and the remaining Seventies guys at least good few months to dust 'emselves off and regroup. | ||
| 2009 | FEDERAL HAMILTON digbmx.com, february 2009: Steven Hamilton’s signature frame from Federal has been in production for a few years now, and the latest version features two varieties (front triangle heat-treated- 4 lbs 11 oz. and regular- 4lbs 13 oz.) Constructed of 100% 4130 cr-mo, with double butted top tube, down tube and seat stays. Top tube sizes are 20” and 20.5”, with a 13.75” rear end, 75 degree head tube, 71 degree seat tube and removable brake mounts, cable guides and gyro tabs. Rounding out the Hamilton frame are two color choices (Ed black and black/red) with Hamilton-inspired graphics and nose wheelie steez. Ready for anything. Mark Noble, espn.go.com, march 2009: I actually believe things are way more interesting at Federal nowadays. The team (namely, Bruce Crisman, Dan Cox, Dan Lacey, Davey Watson, Jared Washington and more) seems tighter, more focussed and on-point. The new artistic style seems a little more unique, and the 2009 product line has stepped up a few gears. The team's working on new products and projects all the time, and new head designer Chris Harrison really knows his eggs. |
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| FEDERAL TEAM | ||
| Peter Adam Julien Dupré Ian Morris Sandy Carson Chris Stauffer march 2000 - .... Dean Hearne Gary Simmons Brian Tunney 2002 pro model: Fraction Gervais Rousseau Team California Style ( .... - december 2001) |
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