GHP
- also known as Greg Hill Products was started by Pro BMX racer
Greg Hill in August 1983 about a week before the NBL Grands.
Greg
had just come off and incredible season of TOTAL domination in
the Pro ranks (1982) and was kicking some tail in 83' also. GT
bikes was his sponsor, but due to some contract (or lack there
of) disputes, as well as a need for some new motivation, Greg
shocked the BMX world by showing up at the 83' NBL Grands in a
GHP uniform and riding a GHP bike!
Prior
to this event, Gregs Dad had been running a little company called
Star Products - most famous for their "Star Bars" and
GHP was kind of like taking Star Products to the next level. Having
the hottest Pro, a killer team, and good coverage in the mags,
GHP thrived for the first year and a half. But the industry as
a whole was peaking out, and evolving into different directions.
Going
into 1985, everyone's numbers were down, and the days of high-quality,
American-made products, were short lived. Cheaper bikes, manufactured
overseas were quickly becoming the hot ticket. Alot of the smaller
BMX companies were being squeezed out of the picture.
With
hostile industry trends, along with some personal issues to content
with, Greg decided to close up shop. They never "went bankrupt"
or "went out of business" in the traditional sense,
Greg made a difficult decision to shut down, around June of 1986.
Greg
went on to ride for Redline, and then Robinson bicycles, winning
another number one title, another (4th) NORA cup, and continuing
to kick butt in the Pro BMX ranks, until excessive injuries, and
a bad case of burnout, led to his retirement sometime around 1992.
After
a few months off, Greg shocked everyone again by reviving GHP
in late 1992! This time things were on a smaller scale, but the
updated versions of the frames were AWESOME!
Things
were kind of sketchy in the Bike industry in the early 90's So
I know it wasn't easy to start a new company. However GHP got
off to a good start, but then Greg got into some kind of collaborative
deal with Pro Forx, and the new GHP only lasted about year.
The
BMX industry is a very volatile industry that is still evolving
and growing, and the last few years in particular have shown us
ANYTHING is possible. They say "third times a charm"
and if this is true, maybe GHP might emerge again, better than
ever!
Good
Luck in all your ventures!
Cruisen'