I lived down the street from eddy king, during that time members of the diamond back team would aways stop by. I remember Harry leary first showed us the "turbo harry" edition of diamond back before the public saw it.
In 1991 i bought that same frame from my neighbor for 20 bucks, i then spent the next year building with my own money, (i worked for my dad washing dishes at his restaurant) araya rims, powerlite bars, bear trap pedals and Bulldog brakes.... i was twelve years old
My 1983 Diamondback got stolen in 1989. I lent it to my mate to ride to work and it got pinched from his work. But I don't recall it coming with a lay back seat post. And mine definitely come with a handlebar grips that have the flange on the end
Dude all these old school bikes are bringing back some memories of my first bike. I had a 1984 hutch with all GT parts. A GT block neck,GT front and rear sealed bearing hubs and hoops, GT power series cranks also sealed, and a GT laid back seat post. I even had GT Tires, With the GT logo running all along the side.
I bought an 06 Viper X from a yard sale for $15 last week and was surprised to see that they were still putting out reasonably decent quality that late.
Great vid. In the 80s no one kept same brand parts on their bikes. The only reason I worked so hard was to change every part on my Cycle Pro, couldn’t afford the great frame and forks. If I changed every part out it wouldn’t look as cheap.
On my own personal bikes, I take the bearing cages out and add bearings. I can usually get two or more extra bearings in the race. The cage is for faster assembly at the factory or bike shops it's not really needed.
I use BMX for short commuting. Everything in my neighborhood is close I don't really need a road bike for long-distance commuting anymore. I like to have a bike with me while I'm traveling, I can take it apart and make it fit in a smaller space than a folding bike it just takes a couple of minutes longer and a wrench to unpack. Also, I'm afraid of folding bikes, I'll probably break it and get stranded. I have to keep the sprockets if I ever sell because I got them adjusted for me and the way I ride. I want to upgrade my gen 1 frame to gen 2 with V brakes.
Finally! I was wondering when this crazy idea of 100% restored to factory would be like the lamest idea ever. I don't think I ever bought a new complete bike without asking the owner if I could switch out the bars, pedals, grips, or something I'd rather have. And you are right with the car analogy. These BMX bikes were our first cars so of course we are going to do the same thing to our cars. When I got better bike parts for my bikes I threw the old undesired parts in a bin, I think most people did. And, I think the guys restoring to factory 100% found all our old bins and went to town. I want o see the guy with the Torker 26" who ditched the Torker stem for the 6 bolt Dk and took off the Sugino one piece for Bullseye 3 piece cranks. Since he did that he went with Bullseye pedals too, oh and picked up a Shotgun II seat (better shape). Thats the bike I want to see rebuilt!
I have a 1991 GT Robinson Team Model. Got it new and the only thing I have changed is tires & bar caps. Still have the original tires. I also have the receipt. All my other bikes are built custom. That's how he did it back then. Get a frame, bar, rims etc.... build it a you can ride. Still love building BMX like that. Love the bike. Nice build
I still have my 83 DB Silver Streak that I got for Christmas when I was a kid. I'm the only owner. 98 percent original. Only things not original are the tires, tubes, and brakes, but those were replaced in the 80's.
Coffee can of lube with the paintbrush in it… I’m feeling it. I cut a little slit in the plastic cover and stick the brush handle through it, so I can leave the brush right in it and still keep it covered.
I'm in process of restoring my 98' Diamondback Assault EX. Thanks for the tips on the brakes. The stem and the brakes are giving me the most trouble with adjustments. Love the channel man, keep up the great work!
The large opening at the top of the fork dropout was a safety feature, it's for a hat washer that keeps the wheel from sliding out should it work loose. Most bikes had the standard 3/8 dropouts so without the hat washers you couldn't secure the wheel. Some brands of bikes did use slotted axles but those were kinda sketchy.
just found your channel love watching your work keep it coming thank you for inspiring me to try to locate one of these old school bikes from my youth and hopefully have my dream build
This is my first time watching. I like the way you explain about the origin of the bike. I've got a diamond back mongoose but it doesn't look like anyone I've ever seen 6:41
His bike his build, nothing wrong with adding a few new school touches to a daily rider vintage BMX bike. I didn't have access to an air compressor back in the day (the 80'S) so I used hair spray to put the grips on. The build turned out nice.
There's legitimately car restores who'll analyze whether the car was spray-painted by a left handed or right handed person so they'll get the correct pattern down when it's repainted. They'll scratch the frame where the original transportation tie-downs were put when it left the factory. Judges will deduce points if the code on the headlight is one year off. Of course people will put BMX bikes like factory.
I don't understand alot of the full factory restorations, the first thing we did as kids in the 80s and 90s was trade parts and customize them to our own style
Love your vids, i think a customized bike, yeah might lose value, but it looks so much cooler and now its an individual , there is only one that looks like that, really cool job on that DB, i would not change a thing on how its been customized. kudos to you and the customer. very cool bike ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great video guys 👍 I’ve just picked up an 82 Kuwahara ET . It’s original except for new tyres and the wheels have been re spoked with stainless steel. Frame is pretty scratched up and I want to get it re painted professionally. Is it best to leave original paint ?
I remember the name of the cranks I had a few of those spider sprockets. I had a diamond back frame fork that was given to me or paid I used it as a lake jumped spray painted it a bright orange so I could see it water Found it to be small & cheap
Had one of those, used to race with it and it was so heavy I couldn't make the doubles and as a result the back rim was way warped and I broke the frame
Man i had a 83 dimond back viper a few years ago i bought it for £30 as a nostalga thing i restored it and on my first ride i hit my knee on that over square stem lol id forgot how short the tt was on it lol All the ones i had back in the day i bent the frames or twisted the back ends . I love the power bend bars on it too 🤘. As for original spec bikes i dont think any of mine stayed ariginal for long id break a frame and put the unbroken or strong parts on another frame .
I ALWAYS get confused when it comes to facing the bearings in correctly, I always have the ball bearing facing the cup but others have said it should face out... that's my main confusion when building a bike.
I think they're menat to be installed the same way the bottom bracket is. Same kind of setup really do it makes sense. Bearings toward the cups, cages out. I think he might be wrong about headset bearings. I'm sure it would obviously still work but I'm pretty sure they're meant to be installed the same way bottom brackets are.
I have a set of bars on a vintage redline that has pro bars, they have a 45 degree bend in the bar grips, they are engraved with pro but no other markings. Not sure who makes the bars
Not sure what they might mean by "2" in this model... however my old "Silver Streak" was an economy and labeled as "Diamond Back II". It was a front chromoly triangle model economy model.. and my later "Forumla 1" was not modeled in this way at all. The Formula was literally a step or two from the Turbo bike
I have the exact bars but in survivor condition. I kinda want to clean them up and polish them. But I like the patina , beat up , scratch , little rusty here and there. That’s just my opinion. I mean it’s your bike. Your style. 👍👍Great video. Great bike. Greetings from Oceanside California. Phu and the team Stay Rad.
Now that im 50 years old i love those old school free style bike I don't know i like a appreciate those bike more than i was a kids mongoose red line Dino skyway damn. Sure love them im going to buy a couple of Free style bike i love bike 🚲
Bike looks sick. I would’ve gone all gold accents, not red but that’s all preference. Like all the parts used. As long as era correct, re pop parts don’t bother me.
The first mod bitd was a chromoly 3 piece crank like Redline or Profile. And then the problem with a short ass stem. XXl stem like profile or Hutch would be in order for anyone over 13 so you would not hit your knees on the bars with such a short frame.Some would say a lay back post but that does not change the distance of the cranks to the stem. That is what makes leg room on these short 18 to 18.5 inch headtubes a headache. You need a longer stem. My Skyway TA XL was only 19.5 inches long. If I was smart I would have bought a Free Agent Pro long or in the future years a Limo. 21 inch long top tube. Free Agent was way ahead of the 80s curve here. This was for racing and street, you could get aways with less top tube with freestyle and especially flatland which favors shorter top tubes.
With vintage bmx original is worth more, if its going to be a rider then repop is okay if it works and looks oldschool with the bike. So catalog build will be grade in vintage bike building for show
I have a diamondback tail whip 91 in mint condition nothing touched or removed very very few scratches to find on the bike. Something I don't use at all.
Turbo model is the one I like, mongoose or db was the way back in the day, db heavy but indestructible. Then shit blew up again with the invention of the rotor. Ect
That is a cool ass bike ❤❤❤❤❤ if I had the money to build a bike yes I would make it custom or almost exactly like the one I had or the one I wanted...but that's just me ..an thank you for the videos
I found a vintage frame and thought Mongoose or Torker . But dropouts slightly different. The Head tube says BMX Racer. So now I'm thinking its maybe a late 70s Maybe a 1980. Columbia Pro Am Team.!? Looks just like a 70s Mongoose Motomag. But not being a big name is it worth restoring? Is it a bad idea to make it look like a Motomag? I'm stumped! Has anyone seen a vintage BMX with BMX Racer on head tube?
Those power bend bars were originally designed by Voris Dixon, he had the company VDC bikes and is extremely important to the history of bmx
I am an absolute powerbend fiend. Got hooked in the 90s and never looked back
I lived down the street from eddy king, during that time members of the diamond back team would aways stop by. I remember Harry leary first showed us the "turbo harry" edition of diamond back before the public saw it.
Love diamond back, It's amazing how much they go for now
Pretty wild for sure
In 1991 i bought that same frame from my neighbor for 20 bucks, i then spent the next year building with my own money, (i worked for my dad washing dishes at his restaurant) araya rims, powerlite bars, bear trap pedals and Bulldog brakes.... i was twelve years old
My 1983 Diamondback got stolen in 1989. I lent it to my mate to ride to work and it got pinched from his work. But I don't recall it coming with a lay back seat post. And mine definitely come with a handlebar grips that have the flange on the end
Dude all these old school bikes are bringing back some memories of my first bike. I had a 1984 hutch with all GT parts. A GT block neck,GT front and rear sealed bearing hubs and hoops, GT power series cranks also sealed, and a GT laid back seat post. I even had GT Tires, With the GT logo running all along the side.
I owned the Hutch XR1...which was a piece of art...all chromed...the 48 spoke...trying to restore a Dyno atm...
Hutch. The Rolls Royce of BMX bikes.
I also rode a 1985 Hutch.
Early 2000s was the time to be into old school bmx. Prices are ridiculous now.
yahuh- a fool and his money are easily parted!
Man they cost as much as a dirt bike or used motorcycle….. crazy
I used to get them in my neighborhood trash area free
Once upon a time Diamond Back ..was the most desirable bike and were legendary...
You’re not wrong
So was mongoose lol..
I bought an 06 Viper X from a yard sale for $15 last week and was surprised to see that they were still putting out reasonably decent quality that late.
Same with mongoose and gt I know something happened and Coleman ended up with mongoose and all of a sudden they were in Walmart for 50 bux
@@AlfredoMancuso Hey Afredo what’s up, I’ve got message saying to Acknowledge you....?
Great vid. In the 80s no one kept same brand parts on their bikes. The only reason I worked so hard was to change every part on my Cycle Pro, couldn’t afford the great frame and forks. If I changed every part out it wouldn’t look as cheap.
So true.
SE wheels worked great on my 83 Powerlite 24. Love them.
Rad!
On my own personal bikes, I take the bearing cages out and add bearings. I can usually get two or more extra bearings in the race. The cage is for faster assembly at the factory or bike shops it's not really needed.
I use BMX for short commuting. Everything in my neighborhood is close I don't really need a road bike for long-distance commuting anymore. I like to have a bike with me while I'm traveling, I can take it apart and make it fit in a smaller space than a folding bike it just takes a couple of minutes longer and a wrench to unpack. Also, I'm afraid of folding bikes, I'll probably break it and get stranded. I have to keep the sprockets if I ever sell because I got them adjusted for me and the way I ride. I want to upgrade my gen 1 frame to gen 2 with V brakes.
the fork is like that because it needs a safety washer
I had that same Diamondback, only it was a chrome frame. Best bike I ever owned !
Back in the day all the friends and I would swap parts, no bike was ever original anymore and we built them to our likeability
Finally! I was wondering when this crazy idea of 100% restored to factory would be like the lamest idea ever. I don't think I ever bought a new complete bike without asking the owner if I could switch out the bars, pedals, grips, or something I'd rather have. And you are right with the car analogy. These BMX bikes were our first cars so of course we are going to do the same thing to our cars. When I got better bike parts for my bikes I threw the old undesired parts in a bin, I think most people did. And, I think the guys restoring to factory 100% found all our old bins and went to town. I want o see the guy with the Torker 26" who ditched the Torker stem for the 6 bolt Dk and took off the Sugino one piece for Bullseye 3 piece cranks. Since he did that he went with Bullseye pedals too, oh and picked up a Shotgun II seat (better shape). Thats the bike I want to see rebuilt!
Glad you enjoyed :)
I have a 1991 GT Robinson Team Model. Got it new and the only thing I have changed is tires & bar caps. Still have the original tires. I also have the receipt. All my other bikes are built custom. That's how he did it back then. Get a frame, bar, rims etc.... build it a you can ride. Still love building BMX like that. Love the bike. Nice build
That D.B. turned out sick! Has a perfect 80s look
That’s exactly what I was thinking, especially with the wheel’s, flanged hubs with holes in them, old school baby….😎👾👾👾👾👾🛸👾👾
I love it!! It’s a dope looking bike!! I built an 84 Silver Streak 2 for my wife!!
I still have my 83 DB Silver Streak that I got for Christmas when I was a kid. I'm the only owner. 98 percent original. Only things not original are the tires, tubes, and brakes, but those were replaced in the 80's.
That’s awesome!
In the early 2000s I had a few friends who were sponsored by diamond back one of the few local companies in Washington state
I live in Spokane Washington
What I like about these old bikes is these seats more to the back en the ⚙️ was always good we made good speed with it
My first was a mongoose f1 loved that bike had white skyways on it
Coffee can of lube with the paintbrush in it… I’m feeling it. I cut a little slit in the plastic cover and stick the brush handle through it, so I can leave the brush right in it and still keep it covered.
I'm in process of restoring my 98' Diamondback Assault EX. Thanks for the tips on the brakes. The stem and the brakes are giving me the most trouble with adjustments. Love the channel man, keep up the great work!
LOL says the fake account created just a few days ago. No thanks
Nice. Im redoing my 98 DB Viper right now. Im glad I never sold it. Had a 78 mongoose completely original but it was stolen back in the 90s.
83 DIAMONDBACK Silver Streak☺ SHARP!!
The large opening at the top of the fork dropout was a safety feature, it's for a hat washer that keeps the wheel from sliding out should it work loose. Most bikes had the standard 3/8 dropouts so without the hat washers you couldn't secure the wheel. Some brands of bikes did use slotted axles but those were kinda sketchy.
I love old diamond down I’m gonna get me one. 80s throwback I used to have one.
just found your channel love watching your work keep it coming thank you for inspiring me to try to locate one of these old school bikes from my youth and hopefully have my dream build
This is my first time watching. I like the way you explain about the origin of the bike. I've got a diamond back mongoose but it doesn't look like anyone I've ever seen 6:41
His bike his build, nothing wrong with adding a few new school touches to a daily rider vintage BMX bike.
I didn't have access to an air compressor back in the day (the 80'S) so I used hair spray to put the grips on.
The build turned out nice.
There's legitimately car restores who'll analyze whether the car was spray-painted by a left handed or right handed person so they'll get the correct pattern down when it's repainted. They'll scratch the frame where the original transportation tie-downs were put when it left the factory. Judges will deduce points if the code on the headlight is one year off. Of course people will put BMX bikes like factory.
Have to agree🙏 I run a pair of new bullseye hub s on my 81 kuwahara cruiser and absolutely love it , 😀
I love these videos of you going over old school and mid school bikes. You're very likable and entertaining plus I learn more
I don't understand alot of the full factory restorations, the first thing we did as kids in the 80s and 90s was trade parts and customize them to our own style
I don't but I have been told by those that do that sourcing the parts is the fun - having everything and finishing the bike is the end of the story.
I had the same bike. 14 year old me..brand new Diamond back ll. The thing was unbreakable. Wish i kept it.
add a frame protector thing on the brake cable where it touches the frame😉 nice build as always
Had one of these also, was back in 96
Just brought this model this morning in Australia. So hard to find them these days in Australia. mine is chrome tho
Love your vids, i think a customized bike, yeah might lose value, but it looks so much cooler and now its an individual , there is only one that looks like that, really cool job on that DB, i would not change a thing on how its been customized. kudos to you and the customer. very cool bike ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice video I still don't know where my chrome clean Diamond Back w GT parts went 🤔
Diamondback would put diamonds in frame or dropouts, always liked that.
Kastan or Karsten also did the bend in the bars grip area but they were 4 piece like the old recline fork lifters
and they made T1 barcodes
I had a chrome loop tail.Heavy bike but really cool.
I got so many stories and bmx parts frames and whatnot ...lol. I use to race for Auburn GT umbrella
Great video guys 👍
I’ve just picked up an 82 Kuwahara ET . It’s original except for new tyres and the wheels have been re spoked with stainless steel.
Frame is pretty scratched up and I want to get it re painted professionally. Is it best to leave original paint ?
I remember the name of the cranks I had a few of those spider sprockets.
I had a diamond back frame fork that was given to me or paid I used it as a lake jumped spray painted it a bright orange so I could see it water
Found it to be small & cheap
Beautifull bike. One of my favorite brand with Skyway bikes and SE racing bikes. Love from France.
thanks for not saying hutch 😊
Had one of those, used to race with it and it was so heavy I couldn't make the doubles and as a result the back rim was way warped and I broke the frame
Man i had a 83 dimond back viper a few years ago i bought it for £30 as a nostalga thing i restored it and on my first ride i hit my knee on that over square stem lol id forgot how short the tt was on it lol
All the ones i had back in the day i bent the frames or twisted the back ends .
I love the power bend bars on it too 🤘.
As for original spec bikes i dont think any of mine stayed ariginal for long id break a frame and put the unbroken or strong parts on another frame .
Beautiful bike great job Phi
I ALWAYS get confused when it comes to facing the bearings in correctly, I always have the ball bearing facing the cup but others have said it should face out... that's my main confusion when building a bike.
you can buy loose bearings if you prefer - will spin better !
I think they're menat to be installed the same way the bottom bracket is. Same kind of setup really do it makes sense. Bearings toward the cups, cages out. I think he might be wrong about headset bearings. I'm sure it would obviously still work but I'm pretty sure they're meant to be installed the same way bottom brackets are.
balls face the race
I have a set of bars on a vintage redline that has pro bars, they have a 45 degree bend in the bar grips, they are engraved with pro but no other markings. Not sure who makes the bars
Not sure what they might mean by "2" in this model... however my old "Silver Streak" was an economy and labeled as "Diamond Back II". It was a front chromoly triangle model economy model.. and my later "Forumla 1" was not modeled in this way at all. The Formula was literally a step or two from the Turbo bike
Powerlite has a new racing team as of 5- years ago,so yes they're still around 👍👍
Nice Build! Nicely done.
Are the 1983 tiawan diamondbacks worth money?
The owner should’ve went 3pc crank with the same sprocket.
Awesome bike I had 2 DB as a kid.
Looks great!
Nice! I had a diamondback back then too like the one in BMX Bandits
Nice bike I agree with you .Good job buddy
I have the exact bars but in survivor condition. I kinda want to clean them up and polish them. But I like the patina , beat up , scratch , little rusty here and there. That’s just my opinion. I mean it’s your bike. Your style. 👍👍Great video. Great bike. Greetings from Oceanside California. Phu and the team Stay Rad.
Now that im 50 years old i love those old school free style bike I don't know i like a appreciate those bike more than i was a kids mongoose red line Dino skyway damn. Sure love them im going to buy a couple of Free style bike i love bike 🚲
Bike looks sick. I would’ve gone all gold accents, not red but that’s all preference. Like all the parts used. As long as era correct, re pop parts don’t bother me.
I got a 87 Schwinn predator with a rotor gyro where can I find brake cables ??
I would prefer Araya 7x rims and suntour hubs.
nice rider build! turns out nice!!
I have two sets of those wheels and they roll for days
bullseye had their own grease
The first mod bitd was a chromoly 3 piece crank like Redline or Profile. And then the problem with a short ass stem. XXl stem like profile or Hutch would be in order for anyone over 13 so you would not hit your knees on the bars with such a short frame.Some would say a lay back post but that does not change the distance of the cranks to the stem. That is what makes leg room on these short 18 to 18.5 inch headtubes a headache. You need a longer stem. My Skyway TA XL was only 19.5 inches long. If I was smart I would have bought a Free Agent Pro long or in the future years a Limo. 21 inch long top tube. Free Agent was way ahead of the 80s curve here. This was for racing and street, you could get aways with less top tube with freestyle and especially flatland which favors shorter top tubes.
Very nice build
Black frame with red or gold anodized parts! That's the ticket like a 1981 DG
My friend still has his HARRY LARRY TURBO original live that bike
Beautiful bike.
Damn I got some old parts never knew they were worth so much x I got SR cranks
Sick build and rad install tips!!!! Sweeeet DB !!!!
With vintage bmx original is worth more, if its going to be a rider then repop is okay if it works and looks oldschool with the bike. So catalog build will be grade in vintage bike building for show
I have a diamondback tail whip 91 in mint condition nothing touched or removed very very few scratches to find on the bike. Something I don't use at all.
Yrs ago kids never keep original parts...but we always changed to better parts we liked
Dope... you can call it a retro mod...
When the hair is done, it’s time for fun!
Turbo model is the one I like, mongoose or db was the way back in the day, db heavy but indestructible. Then shit blew up again with the invention of the rotor. Ect
old school 😎🤘
Yeeee
I own a 1985 Laser Fast Times, heaviest trick bike you could own. I'll call you up soon for restoration.
Whats the seat lenght?
😎😎 That turned out great. An a rider as well even better.
Had one ☝️ of those , mine was chrome bmx candy 🍭
Love this bike!
sick bike i ride a o.g 1 everyday ...honda n diamond back all day lol
@Phu Hey guys. Another gem 💎 for me when it comes to Diamond Back it’s all about the ⚡️Harry Leary Turbo ⚡️.
nice job on bc
Another great video. Keep em coming
Sick video phu and Alf special appearance from max 😂 no homo phu .. the hair 😮 is nice keep the videos comin phu is very busy man and still manages
That is a cool ass bike ❤❤❤❤❤ if I had the money to build a bike yes I would make it custom or almost exactly like the one I had or the one I wanted...but that's just me ..an thank you for the videos
Daddy Alf!
Yooo
I need red grips like the one in this video can you help me.
I found a vintage frame and thought Mongoose or Torker . But dropouts slightly different. The Head tube says BMX Racer.
So now I'm thinking its maybe a late 70s
Maybe a 1980. Columbia Pro Am Team.!?
Looks just like a 70s Mongoose Motomag.
But not being a big name is it worth restoring? Is it a bad idea to make it look like a Motomag? I'm stumped!
Has anyone seen a vintage BMX with BMX Racer on head tube?
Even with my slant eyes😂
Crispy!
Clean!