Stiffy XLT — Todd Steen Signature (1992) — Supercross BMX Heritage
Supercross BMX Heritage Collection · The Cro-Mo Years
Stiffy XLT — Todd Steen Signature
1992An SX250 built up complete as a Team Model — XLT stood for Extra Long Titanium. Todd "Stiffy" Steen's signature bike.
BMX Plus! put it in print in September 1992: the Supercross "Stiffy" XLT — an SX250 built up complete as a Team Model for A Pro Todd "Stiffy" Steen. XLT stood for Extra Long Titanium: a 4130 chromoly frame and fork carrying titanium nearly everywhere else.
The Story
The frame was spec'd off the standard SX250 frameset with the Supercross signature subframe — secondary seat stays letting the main stays run lower, stiffening everything up. It ran a ringed pressed head tube, a 39" wheelbase, and a bare frameset weight of 4-1/2 pounds. The complete bike carried a $1,050 suggested retail in 1992, with the components also sold separately.
The titanium ran deep: custom-made Supercross titanium handlebars, a Supercross titanium seatpost with a Velo titanium seat, titanium crank and pedal spindles, and titanium axles and nuts in the Crupi sealed hubs. Odyssey Pitbull brakes with a Pozi-Stop seatpost clamp, a DK stem, Jive Handles grips, and Mongoose GooseBump tires — 2.0" front, 1.80" rear — finished the build.
The bike also debuted the Supercross Strong Arms: cranks with angled arms for extra leverage out of the gate, offered in 175, 177, 180, 182, and 185 mm with a titanium spindle. Bill Ryan designed them with rider input from Todd Steen, and Billy Harrison helped with the original framesets. Terry Tenette — the NBL number one — ran a pair, and so did the Haro/Crupi team.
One more first hid in the wheels: Weinmann and Supercross agreed to manufacture Supercross versions of the Weinmann/Bontrager BCR2 rim in 20 and 24-inch — 6061 heat-treated alloy at 13 ounces, against the 17 ounces of a standard rim.
The XLT name carried forward. Two years later, BMX Plus! ran a spy photo of the '94 Supercross XLT on page 20 of its August 1994 issue — still the factory Team model, now around $699 complete and ridden by every factory Supercross pro. The '94 XLT shipped in both SX125 Pro and SX250 Pro XL sizes.
The period record: this bike ran as "Supercross Special — A limited BMX offer!" in BMX Plus!, September 1992, pages 38–39.
Specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Year | 1992 |
| Base | SX250 frameset built up complete as a Team Model — secondary seat stay subframe |
| Frame and forks | 4130 chromoly |
| Head tube | Ringed, pressed |
| Wheelbase | 39 in |
| Frameset weight | 4.5 lb bare |
| Cranks | Supercross Strong Arms — angled arms, 175–185 mm, titanium spindle |
| Titanium | Bars, seatpost, seat rails, crank and pedal spindles, axles and nuts |
| Components | Crupi sealed BB, hubs, and pedals · Odyssey Pitbull brakes · DK stem · Sachs 3/32 chain |
| Complete bike price | $1,050 suggested retail (1992) |
| Source | BMX Plus!, September 1992, pp. 38–39 · BMX Plus!, August 1994, p. 20 (the '94 XLT) |
Who Raced It
Signature bike of A Pro Todd “Stiffy” Steen. Strong Arms cranks also ridden by NBL #1 Terry Tenette and the Haro/Crupi team.