RADBMX.CO.UK
BMX General => BMX Chat => Topic started by: Stodgy on June 13, 2007, 09:59 AM
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No I haven't got one!!
But, has anyone? Did Anyone?
Been thinking about this for a while and was talking through the subject with Pete the other night - and the facts are there to wonder whether the thing ever sold? Or if it did, was it in any great numbers?
THE FACTS (according to my low level research!):
- The RF1 was released at the very end of 1985.
- It was slated for it's design by the major mags, but they all agreed it was an important bike as the Ruffell brothers were behind it.
- The mags stated that £150 RRP was too much for a British frame. (DP's were £79, and the US frames were £150 - £220)
- Andy Ruffell was interviewed at the beginning of 1986, he stated that there had been a lot of interest in the RF1 by the industry, but he skirted around the issue of actual sales...he quoted "I don't care if it sells 500 a day or 1 a week, as long as Neil has a frame to ride".
- I can only find one ad listing a Holeshot RF1 for sale; it was a small shop in Winchester in the April 86 edition of BMX Action Bike.
- None of the big, influential shops seemed to stock it.
Ask yourself the questions:
- Did you or anyone you knew or saw ever have one?
- Did you ever see one in a shop?
This isn't a conspiracy theory, just opening a debate...your thoughts please...
:daumenhoch:
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Just a chopped about StreetBeat isnt it?
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My mate Darryl (who broke his back at the epic Xmas meet but it all better now) had one. He got it direct from Ruffel, and even has a funny story about when he called up the Ruffel house and Craig Schofield answered the phone.
I think Darryl rode the one in that Holeshot add that was Neil doing an air at Mons ramp and then wanted to get one after that.
Some time in the early 90s Darryl had a load of stuff stolen from his garage, so dont ask!
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Thanks Alex - your mate had one...and direct from the Ruffell's...more fuel to the fire that they were never sold! ??
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you got any pics dave?
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tell you what dave i'll get intouch with rob ruffell and ask him what he knows about it.
i know there was 2 different models done.
a mk1 and mk2 of the same frame set.
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there has got to be some of these knocking around, somewhere!
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Thanks Dordy Dave - I thought you might have some links after all your communication with the Ruffels a couple of years back.
It'll be interesting to find out exactly how many were sold and who by. Who was distributing them?
I don't doubt it exisited, it clearly did...just wondering why we've never seen one...either now or BITD.
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you got any pics dave?
Not scanned it mate, but I know others have...can anyone post pics please?
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Heres some
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/v603/kdw712/holeshotcropped.jpg)
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/v603/kdw712/holeshotfull.jpg)
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Thats the shot from Mons ramp when Darryl had a go on that bike (The also took some shots with me on the deck wearing a Holeshot shirt, man I got some stick for that!)
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I have an Ad somewhere showing the frames for sale
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Cool, that pic rocks.
Thanks Daz, another Ad would be great...the only one I can find was a small 1/4 page ad in April 86 BMX Action Bike for a shop in Winchester.
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Never heard of it but it look good :)
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Never heard of it but it look good :)
Blimey Jim, that surprises me...where were you in 85/86?
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Never heard of it but it look good :)
Blimey Jim, that surprises me...where were you in 85/86?
Had heard of the Holeshot stuff, just did'nt know they did a bike as well :-\ :-\ ;)
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Ah, I thought you must have been on a severe quantity of mind-altering drugs.
;)
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vince gregory rode one at bfa events ;)
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i nearly had one... i was a big neil ruffell fan and had my heart set on a street beat. but then he left skyway and the holeshot frame came out. i was so close to buying one, but went with the street beat anyway. i think the main reason might have been it only came as a f&f and no shops stocked them. so if i bought one from ruffell direct (which i was going to do) i would have needed to buy all the parts too and put it together too. but other bike shops were doing complete street beats, so i bought one of them instead. bear in mind i was only 12 and it was my first proper bmx, so didn't know anything about building a bike.
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I'm sure I read in a previous thread about the RF1, that one of our members saw one hanging on the wall in a shop in the late 80's..............it might have been Laz......or I might have got the story completely wrong and it was a different bike and a different person :-\ :LolLolLolLol:
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Im sure Tim Nichols had one or even 2 of them, cyclesport may have had them, Simon could probably tell you better than I
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so i take they werent a common bike then
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(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/g1/brian4130/holeshot/holeshot-01.jpg)
:daumenhoch:
Bp.
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Thats the one ;) nice one Brian :daumenhoch:
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Guys, i think you might have the wrong end of the stick of what I was trying to get to the bottom of.
I know what the RF1 looks like and that it was actually made - but what I was trying to ascertain was whether or not anyone had actually seen one in the flesh, either in a shop or in the street (not with Neil Ruffell on it).
It seems that they were advertised, they were talked about and that Neil Ruffell rode one...but I'm not sure that they ever made it to the shops.
Trev's point above, would support that...he couldn't get hold of one so had to go to Neil direct...
Hmmmm - were they ever distributed.
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yeah they were. ive got 2.
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yeah they were. ive got 2.
Right next to your box of gold and blue NOS tech 3 levers, nos mk1 Condor and your 12 VDC Changas.
;D
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they said that about jesus.
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I saw Neil outside his house and he was riding one. But Stodge said that dont count, :(
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lol....
he's gearing up for his new tax.
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lol....
he's gearing up for his new tax.
;D
Nope...not this time Phil.
I'm just really curious how not even one has turned up, and the fact they no shop seemed to actually stock them...
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must admit. im getting curious too.
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Was it more likely that Andy thought he could make more money by cutting out the middle men (wholesalers and shops)
Which would explain why no one saw them in the shops :daumenhoch:
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i think they sold them in a shop in essex ,near southend"friends of the brothers i believe"
you did also order them direct from the ruffell boys as already said.
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Yeah, you could buy direct using the little coupon on the bottom of ads...like you say, Andy cutting out the middle man to maximise unit profit, but I doubt overall profit.
Anyhow, Dordy Dave is contacting Robert Ruffel to see if he knows how many were actually sold...fingers crossed he'll have some info.
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also another possible reason why many weren't sold could be that fact neil pretty much dominated in 85. these came out in late 85 / early 86. neil retired from the scene in about june 86, by which time craig c picked up his game a bit and was riding a skyway. carlo started making a real name for himself and was also on skyway. then you had pepi and dave young riding on cheaper vincent frames. as these four were making more headlines, it would seem that these people were the idols that everyone wanted to be like. i think if neil stuck around a bit longer, maybe sales would have improved.
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i think they sold them in a shop in essex ,near southend"friends of the brothers i believe"
you did also order them direct from the ruffell boys as already said.
That must have been Scoffield Cycles I recon :daumenhoch:
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Good point Trev...
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your right there on the rfi where are they but then again the vincent and prolites are again in short suppy as i never saw a vincent in a shop for sale and the prolites i only found when the scene was dead and they were 50 quid each as a few of the flatland boys at southbank rode them , wish they still had them in that shop .
at this moment there only about 3 or 4 vincent`s out there and not sure on prolite but beleive it to be about the same or lower . maybe if the frames had the same status as pk or hutch there would be more of them ,who knows
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there were plenty of vincents in the shops, especially the air zone. but they were weak as fook. most of them broke and no one who had one would buy another one. i know of someone who chucked a pretty much immaculate airzone on the skip only a few years ago...
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trev i hope you clipped him around the ear hole :)
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trev i hope you clipped him around the ear hole :)
not quite. but did tell him you guys would have paid fairly good money for it... he is actually a member on here.
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Never saw one except for the one Neil was riding at Motorworld 86 in Doncaster... Must have been one of his last rides as it was in the springtime i think.
Maybe Andy Ruffell still has details of all the frames that were bought by mail order direct :) No data protection act back then.... bribe him for the info and then track one down ;D
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All their own ads say you can purchase directly from them or selected dealers? ??? but they never listed the so called selected dealers??
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Just got this from the man himself.... :daumenhoch:
Hey Dave,
They were available as a direct sale from Holeshot, we sold about 250 of them so I guess they would be elusive..
That’s all I can remember to be honest! I’m sure I don’t have any lying around..
Hope that’s answers your question..
AR
:coolsmiley:
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Just got this from the man himself.... :daumenhoch:
Hey Dave,
They were available as a direct sale from Holeshot, we sold about 250 of them so I guess they would be elusive..
That’s all I can remember to be honest! I’m sure I don’t have any lying around..
Hope that’s answers your question..
AR
:coolsmiley:
wow. cool.reply from Andy himself. well done.
Did he not add
'remember safety is important"
" a canyon.. that can get pretty hairy"
"" humungous!! a leg over ariel"
"yeahh.. give these guys some encouragement"
"and the winner is......... Its.....Its..... Stuart winder wiff free hundred and fourty free points"
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Nice one Dave, it's good to definative answer. 250, eh? What are the chances of finding one of them?
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and how many of them broke or ended up on a skip.