Hello All!

[Kevin Burns]

I love bikes I am a BMX'er 1976 to present. Raced under NBL sanctions in Illinois 82-86. After that I got into Freestyle. I was racing bikes before the explosion of the MTB and raced against them in local park race courses and won a lot against the larger MTB, because the tracks were to short for the MTB to gain any speed and the tight turns I was able to under cut the MTB's Plus they never experienced a few BMX tactics "table Topping, Handle Bar fighting, stuff like that" They never knew what hit them. To this day I dislike MTB's as I feel comfy on a 20 inch.
I also build and race nitro powered radio controlled model boats, mostly F1 Tunnels and out rigger hydro's under IMPBA sanctions.
I am into photography as well and enjoy night photography.
I am a power seller on e-bay (2000 to date) selling random stuff, no store or particular items just stuff.
I used to work in Recovery courts with the addicted populations, now I work for Bridgestone as the money in the addictions and mental health fields is not to good.
That's pretty much it in the jist!
Hope to meet cool ppl and talk shop!

 

[RustyGold]

Welcome to RRB!

Vintage BMX got me back into bikes after a near 30yr break...I found out two things quickly. I don't fit on a 20"er comfortably anymore -and- vintage BMX can get real spendy .

Jason

 

[Kevin Burns]

LOL I am into BMX, I am not a collector I ride. I use any new school part, old school part. I look at it this way.
lets say if I was back in 1988 and on my Pro performer. Now one day doing tricks, I bend the handle bars the original performer handle bars. I back then, would go to the bike shop and buy a set of Cr-Mo handle bars, I would not go into the store and ask what generation they were. If they only had Skyway pro bars, or only had Hutch bars, or even alloy bars well those would be what I replaced them with. BMX gets spendy when ppl try to use parts they never knew existed or think because everyone else uses them.
Back in the day I rode on CHAIR hubs cheap loose ball hubs that rock!!
If back in the day my araya 7x rear or front rim hubs cracked at the spoke holes I would go to the store and pick up a set of loose ball hubbed araya 7x or Ukia for my daily riders, I would not go looking for Hutch Ti hubs and all that jazz. So for me building old school is exactly what I do, I build them as I see fit and not how other ppl think it should be built. LOL I don't go looking for dated brake cables lol understand what I am saying. back in 1992 I did not go into a bike store and ask "Do you have a 1984 dated brake cable" I really don't remember brake cables being dated anyways as I never cared to look. LOL

 

[RustyGold]

That is one thing I find funny with the new collector paradigm as well...the emphasis on being 'complete'. As far as I remember, bikes were only stayed stock until the first part broke or the next dollar earned. Constant fixing, fiddling, tweaking and upgrading was the reason for such a huge BMX aftermarket.

I never had a new BMX bike as a kid, closest I came was when my mother took me to a bike store in the next town over and told me to get whatever I wanted. I was probably ~11yo? First thing I told the shop guy...I WANT A PK RIPPER FRAME! Sorry kid, we don't have any in stock...but, we have this red anodized Race Inc., and it is made by the same guys that make Rippers. So I pieced together all the parts, Hutch forks, Redline stem and V-bars, etc...I remember the big decision was did I want alloys or skyways. I settled on skyways as I would only be using the alloys for racing, and I'd get them later...I needed the skyways for the street . I never looked at completes once...my dream bike was always a collage of my favorite parts...never just one manufacturer. Anyway, my mom put it all on lay-a-way...came to $314 and some odd cents. However, after paying down on for a couple few months, something came up and she pulled all the money out of the lay-a-way with the promise that I would still get my dream bike. Well...still waiting...I'm about to give up hope .

Jason

 

[Kevin Burns]

Me either except 3 bikes, I had a factory built white Pro Performer (Skyway Tuff II's), a factory black Performer (GT 6 Spoke), and a Purple/Lavenderish CW California Freestyler(Skyway Tuff II's). Oh yea and a easy Rider Bike Shop built yellow PK Ripper with standing gear fork, "I don't know why he used a Standing gear but he did and he also put purple mags on it" 375.00 out the door in 86-ish.
All my other bikes were built ground up. my first real BMX race bike was a Race inc. Cr-Mo candy blood red with Tange drop out-less fork, a 170mm 3pc crank, araya 7x wheels with chair hubs and metal spokes, alloy handle bars, alloy seat post, comp II tires. That bike was stolen from me so I built a Hutch expert racer in 83. For the Hutch I used Hutch F/F/H Bars, DX seat post, pro class alloy wheels with Hutch Ti hubs, and double butted spokes built at a place called Sundance cycle and race track, I used a SR Tubular Turbox 175 crank, with a cheap disk and chain ring.
After that I always used certain parts for every rider build bmx bike, not racing just good ol BMX.
My pedals were usually wellgo round cage pedals, red line flights, any 9-10 inch rise cr-mo bars, brakes were usually dia comp or cycle pro department store alloy, seat post clam any laying around in the alley was just fine for me. I did however insist on the GT seat post. Stems were usually DK or Odyssey 6 bolt or "bro what ya gonna do with that junk bike over there?" LOL We all been there...right.

I look at bikes as evolution, ya start with one and the parts evolve as time goes by. parts wear out and get changed.
Sorry for any miss spelling, just got home from work and am dog tired.
I love all bikes except the MTB. BMX is not about collecting to me, it is about building what ya want and not how someone else thinks it should be built and after it is built...ride it like a BMX bike, don't leave it on shelf to be un used. people cringe when they see me pull up on a 1984 Blue Max BMX bike, get off it and just let it fall over to the ground. "It isn't going to get hurt" LOL it is a freaking BMX bike!!