SX500 Cruiser (1992–1998) — Supercross BMX Heritage
Supercross BMX Heritage Collection · The Cro-Mo Years
SX500 Cruiser
1992–1998The 24-inch Supercross — designed for factory pro Todd Steen.
Design work on the SX500 Pro Cruiser started in 1991, built specifically for Todd Steen — Supercross's pro at the time — and it carried the six-bar into the cruiser class.
The Story
Todd Steen wanted the geometry of the Kastan he'd been racing, so that's where the SX500 started — then Supercross dropped the bottom bracket an inch and shortened the rear end an inch, and the frame became its own thing. When Ray "The Denver Destroyer" Luscombe joined the team, he started killing it on the cruiser.
The SX500 ran a 22" top tube with a 15.5" rear end and a 73° head angle on an American bottom bracket shell. Most ran a 1-1/8" threadless head tube; the earliest versions used a 1" threaded. It stayed in the line through 1998, and collectors have documented early-90s survivors.
The earliest SX500 in print is Ray Luscombe's. GO — The Rider's Manual shot him styling one out at the Mid West Nationals in Rockford, Illinois, June 1991, and ran it in the November 1991 issue captioned "Big Ray Luscombe, A.K.A. The Denver Destroyer." The Denver Destroyer name itself was coined at GO — and this is the frame it happened on.
The period record: Ray Luscombe on his SX500 in a 17-20 Cruiser heat — GO: The Rider's Manual, November 1991, Mid West Nationals coverage, Rockford, Illinois.
Specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production years | 1992–1998 (earliest documented in action June 1991) |
| Wheel size | 24 in cruiser |
| Material | Seamless 4130 chromoly |
| Top tube | 22 in |
| Rear end | 15.5 in, six-bar twin seat stay design |
| Head angle | 73° |
| Head tube | 1-1/8 in threadless (earliest versions 1 in threaded) |
| Seat post | 7/8 in (22.2 mm) post, 1 in (25.4 mm) clamp |
| Bottom bracket | American shell |
| Designed for | Factory pro Todd Steen |
| Source | GO: The Rider's Manual, November 1991 — Ray Luscombe, Mid West Nationals |
Who Raced It
Designed for A Pro Todd Steen (factory team 1992–93). Ray “The Denver Destroyer” Luscombe raced it hard on the cruiser side — his GO Magazine shot from the June 1991 Mid West Nationals is where the nickname stuck.