David "Tinker" Juarez (born March 4, 1961) is an American former professional BMX and cross-country mountain bike racer. His prime competitive years in BMX were from 1978 to 1984 and in mountain bike racing from 1986 to 2005. Since late 2005, he has competed as a Marathon mountain bike racer. In all three disciplines, he has won numerous national and international competitions. Most recently, Juarez finished third in the 2006 Race Across America Endurance bicycle race.
Born in Downey, California, Tinker Juarez is a cyclist who has made significant impacts in the cycling disciplines of BMX Racing, Freestyle BMX, Cross-country Mountain Bike racing, and now Marathon Mountain Bike racing for over thirty years.
BMX racing career milestones Note: In the early days of professional racing, 1977 and prior, many tracks offered small purse prize money to the older racers of an event, even before the official sanctioning bodies offered prize money in formal divisions themselves. Hence some early "professionals" like Stu Thomsen turning "pro" in 1975 at 16 years old where racing for small amounts of money at track eventsBicycle Motocross News January/February 1978 Vol.4 No.1 pg.22 when offered even before the NBA, regarded as the first true national BMX sanctioning body, had a professional division. For the sake of consistency and standardization noted professional first are for the first pro races for prize money offered by official BMX sanctioning bodies and not independent track events. Professional first are also on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Milestone Event detailsStarted racing: 1974 at 13 years of age.Sanctioning body: Independent track.Home sanctioning body district(s): National Bicycle Association (NBA) District "X" (Southern California/Los Angeles County) 1973–1981; American Bicycle Association (ABA) California District 22 (CA-22) (1982)First race bike: First race result: First win (local): First sponsor: First national win: In 14 & Over Intermediate at the first annual National Bicycle Association (NBA) Grandnational Championship in Newhall, California on November 23, 1975.Bicycle Motocross News January 1976 Vol.3 No.1 pg.16 (results)). This was the first ever BMX Grandnational Championship.Turned Professional: 1977 Age 16.First Professional race result: First Professional win: Height and weight at height of his career: Ht:5'8" Wt:~140 lb.Retired: 1986 at age 25. His possible last race was the NBL War of the Stars IX National in Montclair, California on April 27, 1986. He came in third in Pro Cruiser.Super BMX & Freestyle August 1986 Vol.13 No.8 pg.49 (results) His name apparently drops off the national results listing permanently after this race. He transitions to mountain biking during the summer of 1986. Unlike most BMXers who "retire", he never looked back and dedicated the rest of his cycling career to Mountain Biking and later endurance Road Racing.
*At the time, there was no separate pro class for pros due to the relatively small number of pros. They raced with the 16 Experts, making it a Pro/Am class essentially. This is why, during the early years of the pro division, the national number one racer of a sanctioning body could be either an amateur or professional. This practice continued until the NBA's 1979 season, in which the pros earned separate pro points and a separate pro plate from the amateurs.
Career factory and major bicycle shop sponsors Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever-changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX and MTB press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.
Amateur Two Wheeler's BMX: 1974 Bicycle Motocross News Team (Test Rider/Racer): Late 1974-November 1975 Kawasaki Motors: November 1975-Early 1976 National Bicycle Association: Early 1976-Mid 1976 Mongoose (BMX Products): Mid 1976-February 14, 1982. Tinker would turn professional with this sponsor.
Professional Mongoose: 1976-February 14, 1982. He was sponsorless for approximately three months after his separation from Mongoose. JMC (Jim Melton Cyclery) Racing Equipment: Mid May 1982-December 1982. Bandito Racing: January 1983-Early February 1985 ODI (Ornate Design, Inc.): April 13, 1985 – April 14, 1985.BMX Plus! August 1985 Vol.8 No.8 pg.69 Seemed to have been a one weekend sponsorship since "ODI" does not appear next to Juarez's name in the BMX Plus! race results after this weekend. This company first started out making Christmas ornaments but switched to making bicycle grips and later grips for power tools as well as BMX and skateboarding accessories.BMX Plus! November 1986 Vol.9 No.11 pg.15 Maximum: Early July 1985-
Career bicycle motocross titles Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact that the sanctioning body in question no longer exists at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on the point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one-off championships are also listed in a block.
Amateur
National Bicycle Association (NBA) 1975 14 & Over Novice Western States Champion 1975 14 & Over Intermediate Grandnational Champion #2 (Jeff Bottema was the winner of the first MainBicycle Motocross News January 1976 Vol.3 No.1 pg.16). This was the first ever BMX Grandnational Championship. 1976 15 Expert Winternational Champion 1976 14-15 Expert Western States Champion 1976 15 Expert California State Champion National Bicycle League (NBL) None American Bicycle Association (ABA) None United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)
Professional National Bicycle Association (NBA) None National Bicycle League (NBL) None American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1982 Pro Cruiser 2nd Place Jag World Champion (ABA sanctioned) United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF) None Independent Events and Series 1983 "A" Pro Second Place and Pro Cruiser Third Place Jag BMX World Super Bowl Championship Champion
Freestyle BMX
In April 1980, Tinker was named the first King of the Skateparks by Bicycle Motocross Action magazine.Fat BMX Magazine: Profiler : July 2005: Tinker Juarez Interview by Matt Skinner He even graced the April 1980 cover of the magazine, making it one of the first pure freestyle magazine covers by a BMX magazine. Although no contest was ever held, it was a general declaration for his highly advanced maneuvers that no one was matching at the time.
Career BMX accolades He was Bicycle Motocross Action's very first star interview in their first issue (December 1976/January 1977).Bicycle Motocross Action December 1976/January 1977 Vol.1 No.1 pg.26 He was one of the founding members of the Professional Racing Organization (PRO), the first attempt at a BMX racer's guild in 1977.BMX Action December 1986 Vol.11 No.12 pg.30 He is a 1993 inductee into the ABA BMX Hall of Fame.
Significant BMX related injuries
Tinker, despite eventually becoming a top pro BMXer in racing and gaining "high airs" in both dirt jumping and vertical freestyle, went ten years without breaking a bone. It is very common for BMXers, especially in the pro ranks, to become occasionally seriously injured because they are pushing themselves to as far as their talents can take them and beyond at high speeds, or in the case of vertical freestyle and dirt jumping to high altitudes and distances.
Miscellaneous and trivia Tinker also participated in what was called Formula One (F-1) bicycle racing. F-1 racing was a short lived fad from 1987 to 1989 that involved bicycles with 20" wheels that looked like a cross between BMX, Road Race Touring and Mountain bicycles. Other famous BMX stars, both retired and active at the time, participated, including Harry Leary, Pete Loncarevich, David Clinton, Stu Thomsen, Eddy and Mike King. The two major BMX sanctioning bodies, ABA and NBL, sanctioned the events. Tinker won the first ABA sponsored F-1 series race in Phoenix, Arizona in early 1988. In the following NBL sanctioned Grand Prix series he got a sixth in Memphis, Tennessee (the very first NBL F-1 race) and a second in Orlando, Florida.
BMX and general press magazine interviews and articles "Almost a Legend in his own Time. Tinker Juarez: The Hollified Flash" Bicycle Motocross Action December 1976/January 1977 Vol.1 No.1 pg.27 "The King of the Skateparks Tinker Juarez" Bicycle Motocross Action April 1980 Vol.5 No.4 pg.25. Pictorial of Tinker performing Vertical Freestyle at Lakewood Skatepark in Lakewood, California. "Interview: Tinker Juarez" BMX Action January 1983 Vol.8 No.1 pg.26
BMX magazine covers Bicycle Motocross News: May 1976 Vol.3 No.5 with Perry Kramer and an unidentified racer. Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX: December 1978 Vol.5 No.12 (M/BMXA) Bicycle Motocross Action & Go: April 1980 Vol.5 No.4 May 1982 Vol.7 No.5 in last place behind Scott Clark, Harry Leary, Clint Miller Denny Davidow and Gregg Grubbs. BMX Plus!: None BMX Weekly & BMX B-Weekly: (British publication) January 14, 1983 Vol.3 Iss.2
Total BMX:
Bicycles and Dirt (ABA Publication): October 1983 Vol.2 No.1 ahead of Ronnie Anderson and Rob Medrano.
NBA World & NBmxA World (The official NBA/NBmxA membership publication under two names):
Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):
ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names): October 1983 Vol.6 No.10 (54) in third place on the outside behind Robert Fehd (472) and behind second place Shawn Texas (114) on the inside. Brian Patterson is in fourth directly behind Fehd. USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):
Mountain Bike (MTB) racing career
In 1986, Tinker made the switch from BMX to mountain biking. Since that time, Tinker has become a 3-time National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) cross-country (XC) champion and 4-time national champion in the 24-hour solo category. In 1996, he became one of the first to see the introduction of mountain biking as an Olympic sport and represent the United States. Tinker again represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Started Racing: 1986 at 25 years of age.
Sub discipline: Cross Country (XC), Endurance
First race result:
Sanctioning Body:
Turned Professional: 1989
Retired:
Factory and corporate sponsors
Amateur General Bicycles (General Bicycle & Moped Company): March 1988 – 1989 Juarez would turn pro with this sponsor.
Professional General Bicycles: March 1988 – 1989 Klein Bicycles: 1990–1993 Volvo/Cannondale Bicycle Corporation: 1994-December 2002 Siemens Mobile/Cannondale: January 28, 2003Toospeed site.-December 2003 Mona Vie: January 2004-December 2005 Mona Vie/Cannondale: January 2006–October 2021 Floyd's of Leadville: December 2021 – Present
MTB major career achievements
Amateur
Professional National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) 1994, 1995, 1998 NORBA Cross-Country Champion 2001 National Champion 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 National Champion, 24-Hour Solo Category 1995 1st (Gold Medal) – Pan American Games 1998 1st – National Cycling Association Cross-Country Finals
Career MTB accolades Tinker Juarez appeared in two of the first instructional mountain biking videos ever produced: The Great Mountain Biking Video released in 1988, and "Ultimate Mountain Biking: Advanced Techniques & Winning Strategies" released in 1989 by New & Unique Videos of San Diego, California. Juarez was selected as a member of the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. He was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2001. Cannondale awarded Tinker its 'Icon Award' in 2005 for his contribution to the sport.
MTB magazine covers