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Mid School BMX (>87) 1989 to 2003 (<05) => Mid School ( Keep the faith ) => Topic started by: noddybeard on November 27, 2008, 08:26 PM
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Been reading through some forum posts an just dawned on me that maybe we should acknowledge some of the innovations that were pioneered by some of the british riders that have had a significant impact on what we now refer to as being standard bmx hardware.
The one's that automatically spring to mind are S&M Alex's development of the left hand drive set up along with a reliable front brake an removable gyro tabs!!
And Mike Jory's development of a reliable freecoster..
There are loads more I'm sure so lets here about them.
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Some would say Stuart Kings axle/spacer combo, I'd say George Frenchs top gyro hanger/headset locking plate.
How about the Fluffy Toy AD plate? I don't know if it was the first, but it was certainly right up there with the first.
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Ooh! And the London brake cable mod. :daumenhoch:
Was that James White?
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is the London Mod the little block that takes two gyro cables to one for the back brake, rather than having a specific lower gyro cable?
not really innovations but Landar made cheap copies of everything going....a Brit company but all the stuff made in the East I imagine.
got one of their "brake servos" somewhere.
Alex actually invented the left hand drive then? that's pretty damn cool.
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Alex actually did, yeah. Legend.
The London mod was to allow use of individual cables yeah :)
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mega breaks????
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Yip! Rob Ridge :)
The Zima frame with custom fixed length seatpost. Steve Geall. Sorry if I've spelt his name wrong.
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mega breaks????
Was that the ACS boa with the cartridge bearings??
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Aye. There's a thread about them somewhere on here. Brilliant brake, I loved mine. :)
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thats the one
alex had some input into a few things ,about time he listed his little tinkerings
anyone seen alex ???
phil evans of rekka for indestructible components
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Good shout :daumenhoch:
Rekka headset converter cups :4_17_5:
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is g sport a uk company? there hubs changed alot things
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is g sport a uk company? there hubs changed alot things
was,
all their hubs used to made made in the UK, right here in sunny sheffield :daumenhoch:
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a few bits on alexs ride are down to him and friends
cranks wrong side and hubs p.e hubs i was lucky enough to get some recently
home made bread board sprocket guard and brake canoooodling know doubt rgd spinner is that ???
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/d87/harris15570/3-mk2dirtbike_1inch.jpg)
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big up old school leigh on sea. thats on a 3 and half foot spine to.
i loved that place miss it every day. i worked there for a summer or two 97 98
best days of my life :'(
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We probably know each other then bud. I was there most tue and thu nights through those summers :)
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big up old school leigh on sea. thats on a 3 and half foot spine to.
i loved that place miss it every day. i worked there for a summer or two 97 98
best days of my life :'(
then you would have been working when i rode leigh .
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my names albert i would have been 15 to 17ish i used to help out round the park with repairs and making pot noodles.
tell you what i probably make the best pot noodles ever. lol
got that sh*t down to an art ;D
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i remember i could only get chicken pot noodles most of the time but it was part of my journey
to have one relax on the benches n watch some cool riding
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This is so bad, and I'm really sorry to have to ask, but what was the name of the brother who passed away?
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alan. cool guy the other brother was trev also cool.
theres a new skate shop in leigh broadway called switch and im doing some art for there decks as im a tattooist. ive asked if i could do a tribute deck fto alan and the old park. i'll post some pics when i get it together
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Alan. Ah mate, I'm so embarrassed I forgot his name.
I had some good little riding sessions with Trev. He rode like a skater, if you know what I mean. I offered to help him out with the park after his bro died, but I think he though I might have been after something. I wasn't a close buddy of his or anything.
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i wasnt close to them either think he just liked to help out where he could with the younger gen down there. good guys mate and good times
if i had the the lotto ticket that park would be back in a week.
ive not rode for a while but im getting back on it as i only live at the top of the hill to the new park.
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Shame about that new park though eh?
I consulted on that project at the very very first stages, and they ignored everything I suggested........ grrrr.......
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when do they ever listen ?
just looked at that pic again and spotted mat jenkins in the background with his orange sta. i used to watch him and roach smash that big spine up on a weekly basis
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Matt Roach? Good lad him :)
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Back on topic for a mo....
The Static freecoaster.
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I had no idea that Alan passed away :( what happened. I used to ride Leigh loads, 1994 to 96. I actually sold a Haro Shredder frame to Trev, with a gusseted headtube, was light blue when I sold it. Trev was a cool guy, spoke to him a fair bit, but never really spoke to Alan. L.O.S pot noodles were part of the day for sure, as were space raiders and sitting on the top on the vert as it shaked with the force of Jerry Galley! Whats Trev doing now, anyone know?
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last i saw of trev he was working in an estate agents that was next to there shop jelly mumbos. that was a long time ago now though. the shredder ended up black all over and i think trev well and truly shredded it on the 8ft and vert i remember wondering how he managed to ride it as it used to make scary noises when he rode it.
he wasnt the smoothest of fellows though ;D
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I believe Alan died of heart failure. Very sad.
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very :(
cool as about the shredder living on, it prob should have been left for dead when the headtube parted company lol
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ever heard of pm's?
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Alex had constant ideas for improving bike parts, and his bike through the 90's was continually evolving with his latest home made improvements, including: 14 mm axles, left side drive, hub protectors, canti front brakes, forward facing chain adjusters, alloy/steel combo pegs; these are just the ones that made the market place, some of his more outlandish experiments include using tubing for his frame gyro cable inner cable routing (dented) and . . I can't think of any others that didn't make sense, his ideas filtered through the industry and made the bikes we ride today. Bikes have even evolved to the stage that he now rides one completely stock, no fettling required!
He's even so acknowledged for his pioneering ideas, the owner of 'a v.trendy, progressive, european based bike co' sent him a box of stuff to say thanks!
Or Gracias in this case . .
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rgd -through customriders, about 87-88 ish they did recess bolts for the front brake, stems with your name and a few other bits but cant remember what they were at the mo :P
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rgd -through customriders, about 87-88 ish they did recess bolts for the front brake, stems with your name and a few other bits but cant remember what they were at the mo :P
Pretty sure they did a Rotor too I think it was around 86.
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rgd -through customriders, about 87-88 ish they did recess bolts for the front brake, stems with your name and a few other bits but cant remember what they were at the mo :P
Pretty sure they did a Rotor too I think it was around 86.
yeah and those 2in1 gyro splitters and shims for redline cranks-anybody remember the rest ?
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Hey mr gravy what about tour TRUCK RING wheel conversions that was a first too :daumenhoch:
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yeah and those 2in1 gyro splitters and shims for redline cranks-anybody remember the rest ?
[/quote]
Were they not Static parts? From Custom Riders? I have one of those cranks spacers on my cruiser right now :daumenhoch:
They also did low bolt kits for ADs, and the 48 hole suntour freecoaster (with the washers). Can't think of owt else.....
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Can't take the credit for TRUCK wheels mikie, that one was Dave Drew's idea. However, you can take the credit for replacing the bridge/straddle on a u-brake for a cut down bit of seatpost (bridge), and two spokes from this to the arms (straddle). No flex! And so crazy even Al hadn't tried it! But no give either eh?! Like the dual lower gyro cables, if your wheel moves or buckles, braking over . . . .
Static did a load of parts for 'the change', ie a milled 14mm chain adjuster, that would take a 10 m.m. axle, and custom riders also distributed some of Phils Rekka parts that did the same, ie inch and eighth cups that took inch forks. And having to file out the cable stop bits for a gyro to fit my first o-size d/bike, cos odyssey hadn't caught up yet..
An 80's one here, Sharp grips, that you could cut to length. Genius. Maybe.
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still running my rgd/static 2 into 1 gyro splitter. had it since 91 or 92 and been on every single bike since. modified it quite a few years ago so cables slot in. years more service left in it yet. think i still got my static bearing spacer thingy too for cranksin my bike bits box.
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Dont those Sharp grips bear an uncanny resemblance to the Odyssey Gedda2 grips?!?!?
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has any one said g sport nip clamps? pure genius. nice bloke too. and phil rekka made me some king esque spacers that had built in chain tensioner and slotted to go 10mm axle in 14mm dropouts.
weighed a ton :LolLolLolLol: but they were mint.
they could endup making stuff in :Great_Britain: soon the way the dollar is going i can see an s&m frame being £600 soon. crazy.
sharp lever grips if anyone has any spare ones lmk :smitten: they rule. used em since 83. :daumenhoch:
(http://www.radbmx.co.uk/archive/albums/c160/risetothunder/jan09013.jpg)
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:) A company called Leeson Bikes did the pivotal post/wedge bolt thing a few years back? (Like the one from ABIKECO) in 2004...
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I don't think we can credit G Sport with the nipple clamp. That little device has been around as long as the control cable has, they've been available in motorbike cable repair kits for decades, in all sorts of shapes and sizes :)
Also, which came first; Nipple clamp, or Knarp?
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Yip! Rob Ridge :)
The Zima frame with custom fixed length seatpost. Steve Geall. Sorry if I've spelt his name wrong.
no, you have spelt it correctly, probably one of the first times it has? didnt think at the time it was a innovation, just common sence. cheers rob
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How many of those did you make? I think I've seen 3 in the flesh, 2 fixed and one slider.
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Doug Cain still has his. San Fran Ian has one also. Infact Ian took his to Wilkersons Birthday party last week.