Engaging the Thrusters The patented Flybar 1200 spring system consists of 12 independent rubber thrusters. Each one is capable of storing up to 100 pounds of thrust when stretched to full extension (300%). Multiply that by 12 and that puts up to 1,200 pounds of thrust under you. (You didn't think the model number was coincidental, did you?) That's enough to get a 170-pound rider over 5 feet of elevation. Engaging thrusters is quick and easy and can be done with the outer shell on or off. Adjusting the number of thrusters will change the feel of the spring from soggy to stiff and can be used to limit the bouncing height of the Flybar for beginners. Adjustability is also how the Flybar is capable of accommodating such a wide range of rider weights. To start we recommend engaging one thruster for every 20 pounds of rider weight using a minimum of four at any time.
Flight control: The Flybar 1200's internals can be adjusted for the bouncer's weight and desire for airtime. |
To engage a thruster, just use the included tool (that niftily stows in the Flybar's protective top cap) to lift the T-shaped hanger up and into its cradle in the upper mount. Disengaging is just the opposite. The slots on the Flybar outer shell allow you to do this without taking the Flybar apart. In under 30 seconds the Flybar can be adjusted to the appropriate spring setting and passed from a 120-pound rider to a 250-pound rider.
Powering the Pistons Another great feature of the Flybar 1200 is piston height adjustability. The piston is easily adjusted via two bolts and a safety pin. This also can be done from inside or outside the Flybar outer shell. Just learning how to use the Flybar? Set the piston to 11 inches; it will limit your bounce height and make it easier to balance on the footpegs. Well practiced and ready for some airtime? Set the piston to the full 18 inches, jump onto the footpegs, and enjoy the view.
How It All Began
Since his first boyhood bounces on a pogo stick, pro skateboarder Andy Macdonald had a passion for the elevation, exhilaration, and pure fun that the pogo offered. Even though Andy went on to become the world's top-ranked skateboarder (a title he still holds today), he never lost the desire to revisit that rush he knew as a young boy on his pogo. However, no product substantial enough to support the weight, strength, and demands of a world-class athlete existed. So in the summer of 2000, Andy embarked on an effort to find a manufacturing partner that could deliver on his vision for this next-generation product.
Pro skateboarder Andy Macdonald's boyhood dream leaps into reality. |
Irwin Arginsky, president of SBI Enterprises, had shared that same vision and goal but for an even longer time. SBI Enterprises has been manufacturing pogo sticks since 1918 and developed a reputation as the industry leader. In fact, the company is the original holder of the Hansburg Pogo patents. Although SBI experienced steady success over the years, Mr. Arginsky continually searched for an opportunity to develop a product that would bring the "excitement of elevation" to a new level.
It was this common quest for a product that could elevate adults as well as children to new levels and in new ways that ultimately led to the unlikely partnership between Andy Macdonald and SBI Enterprises.
After countless meetings and false leads, Macdonald was about to abandon his quest, frustrated by the futility of his efforts to find a sporting goods manufacturer willing and able to develop this new product--until August 10, 2001. On that date, Macdonald spotted a story in The Wall Street Journal on the fad of newfangled pogos on the market, ones that included bells and whistles but lacked any new technology or capabilities. SBI's Irwin Arginsky was quoted in the article, making reference to a new technology that would revolutionize the concept of bouncing. Arginsky's goal: To create a new product category--not just a new fad.
Enjoy the view! |
Macdonald quickly contacted Arginsky, who eagerly offered to share the beta prototype of a patented elastomeric spring system that was mobile like a pogo and could clear heights of over 5 feet, with a bounce that felt like a trampoline. After testing the system in a secret meeting with Arginsky in the shadow of the 2001 Gravity Games, Macdonald was convinced this was the real deal. A partnership was born as the two businessmen and visionaries agreed to collaborate in developing and marketing the product known today as the Flybar 1200 model. But there was much work to be done.
With the market flooded at the time with pogo sticks that made promises they could not deliver, this team knew their product had to withstand the skeptics and truly earn respect. For three years, SBI and its development team of engineers, designers, and manufacturing experts collaborated with Macdonald to translate the patented system into a product capable of mass production and that met the exacting demands of Macdonald and Arginsky. After investing more than a million dollars and innumerable labor-hours, testing multiple prototypes, and resisting temptations to rush to market, the Flybar 1200--the first of several models planned for production--is now available.
The Flybar mobile exercise and stunt bar is a high performance sporting good that enables riders to clear heights over five feet by bouncing on a rubber-like (i.e., elastomeric) spring system that feels similar to a trampoline. The Flybar 1200 model is the result of years of design collaboration between eight-time (and reigning) World Cup Skateboarding overall-points champion Andy Macdonald and the original pogo stick company, SBI Enterprises. Powered solely by a rider's leg strength and body weight, the elastomeric system is adjustable, allowing the Flybar to accommodate riders of varying ages, weight, and skill levels. The Flybar 1200 recently received the 2004 Delrin BrandNew Award given by Dupont for the best new hardware product at ISPO, the world's largest sporting goods trade show. We recommend any user, no matter what age or experience level, wear a helmet while riding any Flybar model (losing the helmet is crazy, not cool). Get a Flybar 1200 and enjoy the view!
