17 Days until Hoffman Bikes 25th Anniversary

After joining the Hoffman Bikes team, Taj Mihelich immediately started on his Signature frame. The “Taj” became the 3rd signature frame in the Hoffman Bikes product line. At that time, there were very few Dirt-specific frames on the market, much less, any that pushed the market. Taj and Hoffman Bikes changed that.

Taj, along with the HB machine shop crew, worked long and hard to produce numerous proto-types. The final result was one of the best Dirt frames ever designed. The original design can still be seen in modern day frames and recently received the No. 3 spot in ESPN’s Top 20 progressive signature bmx frames of all time.

Not only did the frame itself gain the attention by the industry, but the graphics also took graphics to a new level. Taj’s name became the acronym for many of the sayings on the decals, for example: Totally Awesome Jumper, Tasty Alligator Jelly and more. Along with product innovation, bad humor and self entertainment is one of our great talents at Hoffman Bikes.

ESPN’s – Twenty progressive signature bmx frame
In 1995, Taj Mihelich designed a dirt-friendly frame for hoffman bikes dubbed the Taj. The Taj frame represented everything I wanted. We got the geometry right and we made it strong. That was all that mattered, something that wasn’t going to break” says Mihelich. Because of Mihelich’s simplified approach to bike setups and stylish airs, the frame’s popularity soared. – Brian Tunney, ESPN

Her some of the sayings that could be found on the Taj frame decals.

T.A.J =
Todd’s a jerk
Totally Awesome Jumper
Terrible Angry Jelly-Fish
Tasty Alligator Jelly
Total Artificial Joy
Torn Arm Joint
Tangled Afro Gel
tiny algorithm juxtaposition

Thanks to, dietrootbeer, falcon1349, bmxallday for providing us with some of the photos shown below

Do you have a Taj Frame or Taj Complete Bike. Share it with us via Email: history@hoffmanbikes.com , Instagram: #hoffmanbikeshistory or Facebook, tag it, Hoffman Bikes.

Taj Frame Available Now Ad

1995 Taj Production Models

Hoffman Bikes Catalog

Taj Frame Decal Set

1996 Taj Frame Drawing, Catalog page, Frame Photos

August 18,2011, Taj wrote an article on the fardale site comparing his 1995 Taj Frame with frames of 2011. Great read.. check it out. CLICK HERE