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A revisionist view of 80s BMX ... What do you think?

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rodriguez:
Perfect example of a bike that doesn't get the respect it should are the GT race bikes, BITD they were the bike to have "round our way" (Northern Ireland), along with Kuwahara, Mongoose, Raleigh (Pro Burner), Diamond Back, etc the normal stuff that was available through the local bike shops, dream bikes to have where Hutch, PK Rippers Skyway TA etc.

In the collecting world GTs aren't that sought after and don't command high prices, victim of their own success they were so good and sold so well they aren't that rare and not being that hard to find the prices reflect that.

The exotica just doesn't do it for me VDC, GJS, JMC etc etc never heard of most of them BITD, I can appreciate them for what they are and understand why people want to have them and good luck to them but not for me.

factory pilot:
Some brilliant thought provoking comments here ... Thanks lads  :4_17_5:

I tend to remember favouring U.S. over UK riders/teams bikes just because it was different and exciting ( America was always perceived to be bigger and better in the 8Os ) and back then I loved the Freestyle bikes over Race bikes ... You could do tricks in the back garden and on your own.
Pegs, frames stands, Potts Mod, Rotors .. All very exciting and new.
Orange, green, pink etc ... Amazing colours again all new and exciting to me back then.
I have to say it but back then by 1984 I had the ( ignorant ) opinion that all race bikes were just chrome and the "same"

It's funny how many of us Clint are  almost bullied into doing Factory Spec bikes .. It is the "done thing" and people are often ridiculed by the 'bike nazis' for having a wrong seat or lever on a build..
I guess it is a fine line between 80s feel and clown bike though..

For me I had one bike and when the cables and tyres wore out I got new ones .. Snakebellies, coloured comp 3s, white walls .. 83,84 then 85 cables on an 82 bike ... Sacrilege today for some !

Admin and Mods what was it like for you at the beginning of Rad.. Was there a buzz finding those classic bikes mentioned above ... When did it become "just another TA" ?

deeman:
I think at the age of 12-15 which is when most of us rode BMX hard, there was NOTHING better than getting the latest mag and drooling over the ads for bikes you rarely saw on every street corner. Fast forward 20 years and most people want to create the bikes in those ads as they made such a big impression on them when they were young......
Had my parents had enough money to go and buy say a Haro Master complete, I would have probably been SO stoked on it that I wouldn't of changed a single part! Let's face it, most kids BMX bikes looked like sacks of shite bitd with whatever we managed to beg/ borrow /steal with odd wheels and odd colours everywhere and while some favour the survivor look most will agree a factory catalogue look is far more aesthetically pleasing...especially if the bike is to be displayed or 'shown'. The 'scene' is more about building the bikes you could never afford as a kid.
It makes you wonder who actually owned all the bikes we have now 30 yrs ago as most of us can only recall one spoilt / rich kid who owned a fancy bike whilst everyone else was on Burners!
I think the reason a lot of pre 85 bikes end up looking a bit 'samey' is that the colour choices for parts were not that exciting before then and most decals/ graphics reflected that.....
I reckon it's only people who attend shows a lot that become a bit 'overexposed' to this stuff, personally I would get really excited if I saw someone riding a T/a down the road.....

Gnarlyscoots:

--- Quote from: deeman on September 30, 2016, 01:04 PM ---I think the reason a lot of pre 85 bikes end up looking a bit 'samey' is that the colour choices for parts were not that exciting before then and most decals/ graphics reflected that.....

--- End quote ---
For me, I think and feel there are 2 main reasons. One is that too many people are worried about their 'payouts' to consider building a bike that strays from the perceived requirement of others, and two, a lot of people do not possess the creativeness to step outside of the box. Sounds a tad blunt I know, sorry, but you can take a chrome frame with dull looking decals and build it to a 'wow' factor.

It's the two things put together, lack of creativeness and fear of losing on your payout, that holds people back I think.

rooski:
Think we have all seen plenty of certain bike and now, yes, it may seem the norm for us.

People not into the scene, but have had a bmx bitd are usually thrilled to see any o/s bike whatever it is!

A lot of people put the same parts on the same bikes and in most cases rightly so, but putting unusual parts on a bike can set it apart and gain interest, so why not a TA with all the bits from a silver streak?, A low end street bike with upgraded race parts, alloy wheels, no front brake, wider bars etc?

I don't think an expensive frameset needs all expensive parts and visa versa.

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