Taj Mihelich (born August 31, 1973 in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
) is a World Champion
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Freestyle BMX rider. He is widely considered one of the most influential BMX riders of the golden era of BMX.
Career
He first began riding at the age of 12 and was brought to the world of Freestyle BMX by Ron Kilmer, who appeared with Taj in the celebrated "Road Fools" videos.
After years riding for the company
Hoffman Bikes
Hoffman is a surname of German and Jewish origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward", i.e. one who manages the property of another. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name can also be spe ...
, he started Terrible One with Joe Rich, by releasing the "Barcode" bike frame, largely based on Taj's signature bike design at Hoffman Bikes.
It was rumored that Taj was displeased with the way that his signature frame was holding up after Hoffman Bikes moved their manufacturing overseas, and that he didn't want his name attached to something that he felt was of substandard quality.
Taj was also sponsored by
Etnies, where he designed several signature shoes as well as appearing in the widely recognized "Forward" video featuring the Etnies BMX team.
In late March 2006, via the company's website, Taj announced that he would be leaving his half of Terrible One to Joe Rich. He cited the stresses of running a company as a key factor in this decision.
In early 2008 Taj announced that he would be riding for Giant bicycles. Not long after, a back injury and resulting surgery forced him to retire from an 18-year professional BMX career.
In 2010 with the help of Odyssey BMX, Taj launched an all-purpose road, commuter and town bicycle company called Fairdale Bicycles.
Taj has appeared in numerous BMX videos such as Etnies FORWARD, Etnies GROUNDED, Odyssey Electronical, UGP Face Value, Primo Made In Taiwan, ANTHEM, Road Fools 1 and 5, and Hoffman Bikes - Madd Mat.
See also
*
Macrobiotic diet
References
External links
Biography of Taj on the Etnies websiteTerrible One website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihelich, Taj
1973 births
Living people
BMX riders
American male cyclists
Sportspeople from Ann Arbor, Michigan