Tyler Johnson

BIO:

Tyler Johnson is a former FGFS pro and a staple in putting the Seattle fixed gear scene on the map. Alongside Chris Clappe, Jacob Ruff, and Zach Hoffner, Tyler and the Zlog / CSK crew would release game changing videos from 2008-2014.

Tyler is often looked at as one of the most talented people to touch a fixed gear bike. Seemingly turning everything he touches to gold, a fixed gear bike was no exception. Videos on his Trek track bike started emerging in 2008, instantly gaining attention by the scene. His wheelie combos and subtle BMX influence were most notable. This would land him a sponsor with Leader Bikes.

In 2009, The Revival DVD released which showcased the Seattle fixed gear scene. Tyler’s section in this video was groundbreaking at the time, showcasing multiple hop barspin variations, nose manuals, and the famous death truck at the end, which has yet to be recreated in fixed gear.

After riding the Leader TRK frame for a bit, Tyler already was in the works of his signature frame: The Leader Shadow. This 700c frame, released in 2010, had hints of the Leader TRK gusset with a curved seat tube and bigger tire clearance. The Shadow Conspiracy, a BMX brand, would later send Leader a Cease and Desist to change the name of the frame. The frame was then marketed as just the Tyler Johnson Signature frame.

Tyler’s competition appearances throughout his career were rare, but when he showed up to the Red Bull Ride + Style invitational in 2011, he dominated most of the competition with next level tricks and landed himself a 3rd place finish.

At the Red Bull Ride + Style competition, he showed up on a mysterious raw 700c frame: The Sizemore. The frame never ended up coming into production, so in 2012 Tyler made the jump to 26″ wheels and joined the renown SKYLMT team. While on the team, he would release his Welcome to SKYLMT web edit to promote his signature Skyscraper riser bars. In the video he showcased unprecedented pegless progression with a healthy mix of huge drops. Although most of the views on the video were on Vimeo (which has since been deleted), the Youtube upload has over 16k views currently.

While solo edits from Tyler were relatively rare, he would frequently have small sections in CSK and Zlog videos which always pushed the limits of what were possible on FGFS bikes.

In 2012, he was invited again to the Red Bull Ride + Style competition where he improved his previous year’s placement and finished at 2nd place. His pedal feeble to 180 barspin on the out ledge was one of the most impressive tricks in the entire event.

When the SKYLMT team disbanded in 2013, Tyler ended up on Hold Fast‘s 26″ Subverter frame. He would release his Be Still web edit for Hold Fast in 2014, which would end up being his last solo video.

Aside from a rare Wheel Talk appearance in 2020 and miscellaneous track bike IG clips, Tyler mostly keeps up with the scene from a distance now.

Riding Status: Active

Born: May 25th, 1987

Region: Seattle, WA, United States

Nickname(s): n/a

Crew(s): CSK, Zlog

Discipline(s): FGFS, Trick Track, BMX, Blading

Current Sponsor(s): n/a

Previous Sponsor(s): Hold Fast, SKYLMT, Sizemore, Leader Bikes, Resist Parts, H Plus Son, Cultur, Coal Headwear