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Old School BMX 1980 - 1988 => Old School Freestyle (frame stands and kickturns galore!) => Topic started by: darkersomeday on January 08, 2007, 01:58 AM

Title: why the flagpoles?
Post by: darkersomeday on January 08, 2007, 01:58 AM
why do ALL old school the bikes on here and other sites seem to have stupidly high seatposts?

did all kids have incredibly long legs back in the eighties?

or is it because you dont want to mark the stickers on the seatpost?

it only irritates me as they'd look sooooooo much better with a 6" minimum post! it just spoils them having this silly long tube stuck out in the air!

why do it?
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Trev on January 08, 2007, 02:11 AM

back then you need the seat high.  lots of tricks needed it that way.

sitting down wheelies.
surfers.
trackstand type tricks where you could hold the bars and seat with one hand.
backyards, where you need your knee behind the seat to go no handed...

the list goes on........
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: kdw712 on January 08, 2007, 02:13 AM
racers were the same running high seats

(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/v603/kdw712/goose.jpg)
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Bob_Acid on January 08, 2007, 02:41 AM
i'm not a lover of high seat posts either but then i'm a bit taller than Spen. It's horses for courses innit?

(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/a172/Bob_Acid/TAandTorker.jpg)
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Geth on January 08, 2007, 12:25 PM
Fashion
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Stodgy on January 08, 2007, 12:47 PM
Yep, fashion.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: LXIX on January 08, 2007, 12:47 PM
your bike handles differently with a different hight post (well alittle bit)
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: jimwise68 on January 08, 2007, 12:49 PM
Always about the fashion.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: LXIX on January 08, 2007, 12:50 PM
wanna see a flag pole go to the tuff neck thread in random  :LolLolLolLol: :LolLolLolLol: :2funny: :2funny:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: darkersomeday on January 08, 2007, 01:44 PM
fair do's! thanks for the explanations,

i actualy remember trying to run my post that high bitd, it just bent so i kept cutting it down,

then i bought a shimano dx post and it was solid!  i've still got it and it still works to this day!

fashion eh!
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Rombloke on January 08, 2007, 06:15 PM
ok that seems fair but now answer my q...

why the seat at 45 degrees and 1/2 inch of seat post.....?????

and dont say its cos the seat gets in the way cos i will ask you why you dont just remove it completely......

Dave
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Trev on January 08, 2007, 06:16 PM
while we're on the topic of seatposts / flagpoles.....

i have some primo rod seatposts for sale - 22.2mm (7/8") fits 7mm and 9mm rails - £15 posted...  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Jamie C on January 08, 2007, 06:25 PM
I think it's got less to do with fashion and more to do with function.  Back in the day most of us were "freestylers" and that meant most of us did a fair bit of flatland.  Tricks like the sideglide, elbow glide, backwards infinity roll, backyard (like Trev said)....even hang-5's are easier with a long seat-post.

Nowadays the riding is so different........most peope don't do any flatland besides hang-5's (if at all) and a massive great big seat post just gets in the way.  Most of us want to be able to suck up a landing without a seat splitting your cheeks.  Tailwhips with long seat posts are going to be sketchy at best. 

I'd say that top-tube lengths also play a part.  Longer top tubes mean you don't need a massive seat post to sit down.  Hence the departure of the laidback seatpost and it's ginger step brother, the snake post.

You'll notice that most flatlanders still rock the long seat-post.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Stodgy on January 08, 2007, 06:28 PM

Nicely put Jamie - you are right, but the different types of tricks are still part of fashion...
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: zed4130 on January 08, 2007, 06:32 PM
on my nu school bikes i hack the post smaller to save weight and i dont ride very far on them anymore  :daumenhoch: os high thats the way it was defo a fashion thing  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Jamie C on January 08, 2007, 06:40 PM

Nicely put Jamie - you are right, but the different types of tricks are still part of fashion...

I'd say progression rather than fashion but you can look at it either way.  The reason no-one does backwards infinity rolls anymore is because you spent half and hour getting in to and out of it.........and looked stupid whilst doing it.

.......and the reason you still need a seat is to stop your nuts landing on steel when you miss the pedals.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Stodgy on January 08, 2007, 06:49 PM

Nicely put Jamie - you are right, but the different types of tricks are still part of fashion...

I'd say progression rather than fashion but you can look at it either way.  The reason no-one does backwards infinity rolls anymore is because you spent half and hour getting in to and out of it.........and looked stupid whilst doing it.

.......and the reason you still need a seat is to stop your nuts landing on steel when you miss the pedals.

Some people like that on this site... ;D
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Jamie C on January 08, 2007, 07:11 PM

Nicely put Jamie - you are right, but the different types of tricks are still part of fashion...

I'd say progression rather than fashion but you can look at it either way.  The reason no-one does backwards infinity rolls anymore is because you spent half and hour getting in to and out of it.........and looked stupid whilst doing it.

.......and the reason you still need a seat is to stop your nuts landing on steel when you miss the pedals.

Some people like that on this site... ;D

 :LolLolLolLol:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Rombloke on January 08, 2007, 07:21 PM
wear a jock strap.....

Dave
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Moose on January 08, 2007, 08:00 PM
wear a jock strap.....

Dave

...a padded one   ;D
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: electobooty on January 08, 2007, 10:45 PM
I could never get my seatpost high enough bitd

To get to any decent places to session we often had to cycle at least a couple of miles.

I stopped growing at 13 and was 6'2  and it killed my knees, I still have a lot of probs with em.

Mostly I would take along an allen key to lower my seat once we had got to wherever :idiot2: :idiot2:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Geth on January 09, 2007, 09:18 AM
ok that seems fair but now answer my q...

why the seat at 45 degrees and 1/2 inch of seat post.....?????

and dont say its cos the seat gets in the way cos i will ask you why you dont just remove it completely......

Dave

Again, for the most part its now a fashion.
But, I did run my seat sticking up at an angle because I could run my seat lower (short legs!) and still grab the seat with my kness when doing certain tricks - Barspins and suicide no handers mainly.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: zed4130 on January 09, 2007, 10:37 AM
I think we all rode further on our bike's bitd so we had to have them high for comfort aswell  :daumenhoch: on the cin ride i rode the post high on the old db  :daumenhoch:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Bob_Acid on January 09, 2007, 11:16 AM
Yeah i still take an allen key so i can put the seat up if i need to ride any distance. it's easy for you young and fit mukka's but gets a bit hard for us old fat blokes :)
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: aerostylie on January 09, 2007, 02:20 PM
Both my o/s and m/s rides have high seatposts, Renthal laybacks, purely out of function...being 6ft 3.

Suppose also it's from BITD I always liked the look of high ish laybacks which I've carried thru to today, along with wide bars.
 
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: selfpreservation on January 09, 2007, 10:28 PM
bitd the bikes were bikes first we went places on them yes we did stunts and shit but they were multifunctional im sick of passing new school riders pushing thier bikes up hills to get to the locaL OFF LICENCE / SKATEPARK thats why we had a seatpost cause our bikes were transport as well as rad mobiles  :LolLolLolLol:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Dingobmxer on January 10, 2007, 07:14 AM
while we're on the topic of seatposts / flagpoles.....

i have some primo rod seatposts for sale - 22.2mm (7/8") fits 7mm and 9mm rails - £15 posted...  :daumenhoch:
would they fit in a Ripper Trev?
 :) DINGO :)
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Lazarou on January 10, 2007, 07:26 AM
I think it's got less to do with fashion and more to do with function.  Back in the day most of us were "freestylers" and that meant most of us did a fair bit of flatland.  Tricks like the sideglide, elbow glide, backwards infinity roll, backyard (like Trev said)....even hang-5's are easier with a long seat-post.

Nowadays the riding is so different........most peope don't do any flatland besides hang-5's (if at all) and a massive great big seat post just gets in the way.  Most of us want to be able to suck up a landing without a seat splitting your cheeks.  Tailwhips with long seat posts are going to be sketchy at best. 

I'd say that top-tube lengths also play a part.  Longer top tubes mean you don't need a massive seat post to sit down.  Hence the departure of the laidback seatpost and it's ginger step brother, the snake post.

You'll notice that most flatlanders still rock the long seat-post.

Thats the best description of a snake post ever!  :LolLolLolLol:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: gary4130 on January 11, 2007, 06:56 PM
was it because bike set up rule 14b :
handlebar grips and seat have to be the same height   :-\ :idiot2:
or is nu school all wrong ????????  :wtf:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: jT Racing on January 12, 2007, 02:00 AM
a lot of these questions are a waste of bandwidth. why do you like pink floyd and not mcfly? Why stella and not heiniken? taste. fashion, like it matters. fook me, coke or pepsi who cares
stupid haro, stupid gt, stupid high seatposts, nu school rocks, old school is pathetic. 

Nag mag nag nag nag.

you'll make somebody a fine wife fella.
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: Trev on January 12, 2007, 02:04 AM
a lot of these questions are a waste of bandwidth. why do you like pink floyd and not mcfly? Why stella and not heiniken? taste. fashion, like it matters. fook me, coke or pepsi who cares
stupid haro, stupid gt, stupid high seatposts, nu school rocks, old school is pathetic. 

Nag mag nag nag nag.

you'll make somebody a fine wife fella.

cos stella tastes better than heiniken.....simple....  :LolLolLolLol:
Title: Re: why the flagpoles?
Post by: electobooty on January 12, 2007, 09:44 PM
a lot of these questions are a waste of bandwidth. why do you like pink floyd and not mcfly? Why


They both suck satan corperate c*ck
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