THE RL 20 II PROSTYLER

IN THE SUMMER OF 1985, REDLINE INTRODUCED WHAT IS REGARDED BY MANY AS THE MOST SOPHISTICATED BMX FREESTYLE BIKE EVER DESIGNED. 40 YEARS LATER, WE CELEBRATE ITS LEGACY WITH THE RL 40 PROJECT.

Redline's remarkable impact in the emergence of BMX racing is rooted in cutting-edge engineering, intelligent product design, and a forward-thinking vision for innovation. Company founder Linn Kastan, with his depth of knowledge and expertise from the custom motorcycle frame-building industry, brought a crucial and unique perspective to the development of BMX products in the 1970s and 80s. With equipment failures a common occurrence, Kastans’ mechanical engineering experience and meticulous attention to detail led to the creation of a best-in-class range of Red Line Race bikes and top-tier components. These innovations not only drove the growth of the BMX racing scene in the 1970s and 80s, but they also established Redline as the leading brand in the market, respected equally by athletes and fans for delivering consistent quality and exceptional performance in its product ranges.

The early 1980s Freestyle scene emerged from "Trick Riding." Bob Osborn, the Founder and Editor of Bicycle Motocross Action Magazine, created sidebar coverage featuring his son, RL, and his Staff Artist, Bob Haro, riding and experimenting with a wedge ramp in the Wizard Publications Office parking lot during their lunch hour. As Freestyle found a committed audience, the American Freestyle Association formed up and organized a dedicated BMX skatepark contest series, opening the door to a new generation of riders who pushed the limits of existing bikes and components to breaking point. These hardware challenges led to the emergence of a dedicated market for Freestyle products. Although Redline was primarily focused on the BMX racing market, the rapid growth of Freestyle was hard to ignore. In 1984, RL Osborn left the BMX Action Trick Team and signed on to become Redline's premier Freestyle pro, marking the beginning of a legendary association between a prodigious rider and the leading brand.

At the drawing board, Kastan considered the bike's purpose and onboarded RL’s feedback and preferences. He considered weight, agility, strength, and dynamics to design a bike that didn't imitate competitors. The mantra of the RL 20 II design process - create an innovative product that would be hard to copy.

Initially available as a "kit" that included a frame, fork, handlebars, and Dia Compe 880 brakeset, Redline's first dedicated freestyle bike, the RL 20 II Prostyler, entered the BMX freestyle market in the summer of 1985. Built at Redlines' long-standing production ally, Kawamura Sangyo in Kobe, Japan, the bike quickly distinguished itself from its competitors due to its sleek design and a range of innovative features.

Each tube was custom-designed with functionality in mind. The elliptical, butted one-and-a-half-inch downtube provided torsional rigidity and fed into Redline's now-standard 5-inch tall head tube. The tapered, bullet-tipped twin top tubes, each ¾-inch in diameter, wrapped around and met in front of the head tube. It featured subtle kinks and shallow-angle bends that added strength at the dropout and created additional space in the front triangle, benefiting the rider. Moreover, the fork, constructed from tapered 1¼-inch Chromoly steel, would soon be recognized as the toughest and most reliable steering column in the business. The Forklifter steering system combined a front-loading, cold forged stem with what was the first four-piece handlebar ever designed. As a piece of BMX engineering, the RL 20 II was something to behold, but the bike's identity and graphics - including colors such as Radberry, California Red, and Hazard Yellow -  were also visionary.