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Questions about your Old School builds

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OldGooseGuy:
Just flicking through the me & my bikes threads and the museum, it just amazes me seeing the builds you guys create, especially the ones built up from NOS parts - some truly phenomenal effort and attention to detail that you guys put in.

Can I ask
1. Where do you source the parts from? Do you keep your builds intact once finished, or reuse parts on the next build?
2. How long does it normally take you get all the parts together? Are we talking Weeks, Months or Years?
3. How much do you guys spend on these builds? They don't look cheap, in fact most look way out of my price range!

I'd love to have just 1 bike that was in the same league as most of yours.
Maybe one day...

Retrodan72:
For me:

1) Radbmx (NOS and nice OG parts) and eBay/Porkchop/Alan's/Natsukasi (repop/NRP parts). And yes, if I break a bike, I will always reuse some bits that I will need for other future builds in the pipeline.

2) I can usually build a bike in 3 months. And the only way I can do this is by using NRP's, they suit my budget, and my method of building - I won't sit and wait for a rear DC cable with the correct date on it, and spend £25 on it when it eventually turns up, when I can get a cable from Alan's that does the same task for £3.29, delivered next day.

3) £800-£1000 inc frame and forks.

This is just my way, it's not the way everyone will do a build, and it's not the right way, or wrong way, but it works for me.

CustardLips:
Check out the dates when some of these builds were posted. I think you'll find a lot of the bikes in the museum have been there for a few years now when NOS parts were easier to come by and a damn sight cheaper than what you're likely to pay nowadays.  :daumenhoch:
I think the golden years of cheap plentiful NOS parts has long gone and the current influx of newbies on the scene are picking up the pieces of what's left and parts become more difficult to find.  :-\
It's like any underground scene... the early years are always the best.   :)

That Swan Guy:
I put all of my parts in a pile and build the bike in the dark. It's different every time.

Clever searching on eBay can come up trumps, just look at Jono's 26" jump bike. Turned out to be an early CW TFM cruiser. And all for 35 notes!

Gnarlyscoots:
There are many many layers of the build process in BMX buddy.

Firstly, there is the builder that will only build with rare, hard to come by parts. This can lead to waiting for a long time for these parts to show unless you are willing to spend a month's pay on a single part to persuade the holder to let it go. When built, the bikes do look good but will have you just sitting it in a corner to look at now and again.

Secondly, there is the the builder who prefers era correctness throughout and will use good/used and NOS parts to build a bike with. Sometimes these parts are extremely hard to get and can take a few years to get together. Again, this will also leave you just putting the bike to one side afraid to use it due to the money you have spent.

Thirdly, there are the builders who just build a bike with good used parts but in the knowledge of putting it together to look era correct. Some NOS parts are fitted but the cost is lower to do. It can also take a while to build if you are searching for a particular patina to the parts. It's good though as it will be totally rideable to the builder without fear of it getting beaten around a bit.

Fourthly, there are the builders who build to a strict budget. This can be a good thing as you are not too particular with the parts used and the bike can be built rather quickly in building terms. It can also be readily ridden by the builder and the cost is what you have started out with.

For me, I like era correctness throughout but sometimes I will refuse to pay an extortionate amount for a single part so will either use a reproduction part or opt for something different. I like to ride all my bikes whether they have NOS parts fitted or not.

There are a vast amount of varieties in how people put their bikes together with some wanting only rare pieces throughout the build and others who build with the parts they actually used and remembered most as a child. Either way, unless you keep it under control, you will be ushered toward wanting more exotic pieces as you go along and telling the world "I like to build bikes that I never could afford as a kid".

As long as you build the bike for yourself and within a strict budget that you can keep control of, then that is what works for most of us  :daumenhoch:

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