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History of BMX Bikes & Tracks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ส.ค. 2024
- While many people have documented the history of BMX racing, and the people who pioneered the sport, no one has ever taken the time to specifically document the bicycles and the tracks, or spoken of their evolution. This videos tells how both have changed since the dawn of the sport.
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#BMX #BMXEducation #BMXLearning #BMXRaceTraining #BMXRacing #BMXTraining #BMXTutorial #BeginnerBMXTraining #BeginnersBMX #BicycleMotocross #Bicycles #LearnBMXRacing #StartingBMX
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Written & Directed by Eric Muss-Barnes
www.LearnBMXRac...
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Music:
"Neon Summer" by Diamond Field (feat. Nina Yasmineh)
"Won’t Compromise" by Diamond Field + Bob Haro (Luca Discs)
Used by permission.
diamondfield.b...
diamondfieldmu...
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VIDEO HARDWARE/SOFTWARE:
Canon VIXIA HF G50
Insta360 One R
Sennheiser ew 112-p G3 Wireless Microphone
DaVinci Resolve 16
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I just started racing BMX 2 months ago as a 38-year-old mom of 2. I have really enjoyed your videos and was inspired to try it after watching your first video
That is very kind of you to say. Without comments like yours, I would assume no one was watching my videos or paying attention to my efforts. Thank you for letting me know I'm not creating these videos in vain. And have fun out there!
Thank you again, Jillian. I know I replied once already, but I couldn't stop thinking about your comment.
I never imagined my humble little video project would be inspiring 38-year-old moms to take up BMX racing. That's so awesome.
Means a lot to know I am having a positive influence on the world, in my own very tiny way.
I really appreciate you sharing your story.
@@LearnBMXRacing We bought a new house last year, and I learned there was a BMX track right up the street (east Moline BMX Speedway in Illinois). I was so intrigued, I had been a triathlete and road racer for awhile and got burnt out on it. Its marketed to kids so much I was under the impression it was only a kid's sport, but I was hoping adult did it too since it looked so fun. When I was a teenager I wanted to race BMX so bad but my family didn't have a lot of money so it was out of the question. A simple TH-cam search of starting BMX as an adult brought me to your channel and I really appreciate your content and insight into the sport. Keep being rad and making the great content!
@@jillianomalley948 That's fantastic. I looked at some East Moline photos. Looks like a nice facility.
You also appear to be close to Rock Island indoor track too.
If my video on racing as an adult inspired you, then you know I didn't get to race on "official" tracks when I was a kid either. I'm happy to hear you are also fulfilling that childhood dream!
@@jillianomalley948 I started racing last fall in Des Moines, lots of people from here race at your track but I haven't made it there yet.
I'm 52 years-old and still ride my Redline BMX Race Bike with Redline 185mm Flight Cranks from the 80s. Mostly at the beaches and up long steep hills for miles often getting nods from roadbike riders in spandex. Just went in for colonoscopy/polyp removal and amazed the staff at my blood pressure readings. 154 lbs at 52 years-old. If nothing else, keep riding to stay youthful and strong.
That's awesome. Keep riding and keep having fun!
Man,Red line flights were way outa my paperboy league. I started with a stroker,remember those, square frame and old early 1980’s mongoose bikes. S.E. Racing,Redline and even Diamondback were unobtanium for most kids. I’m 54 now, but I loved those years,
@@saigawesnovember I hear that. I put Flights on the Haro I rebuilt back in 2009 but I sure couldn't afford them on my Haro Master in 1987.
@@saigawesnovember
My first bicycle was a used red stroker wit Ashtabula forks and crank arms! My Dad walked me down the street and bought it for me from an older Japanese stoner kid on my block that was friends with my older brother. Dude was the long-haired Japanese version of Stacy Peralta in 1977 with a 8' tall quarter pipe he would leave out in the street and ride with his friends. He had a German Shepherd that pulled him full-speed everywhere on a G&S board with Yo-Yo wheels. His Dad was a super strict hardcore businessman in suit, the, and briefcase. Later at 16 kid had off road vw dune buggy and rolled it and hurt a buddy real bad getting his family sued. Everyone called him by his Japanese last name which was 2 syllables. He actually was a super cool and nice guy. Anyhow, I broke the Stroker frame in two pieces and had it welded several times. The Redline cranks I bought on a complete bike about 12 years ago. Mint condition with a GT chain ring. Nobody could afford those Flight Cranks! I did buy a PK Ripper frame brand new in 1984 with my paper route money. I never should've sold that PK Ripper! Sold it in 1994. Now it's cell phones and Tik Toc. Kids will never experience the freedom our BMX bikes gave us. Dad kicks your ass? Jump on your bike and spend half the day away at your dirt spots. We ALL got our asses kicked regularly in those days!🙄
Like you I'm 52 and am about to retire and looking at getting back into riding to get into better shape and fitness, I still have most of my 85 Robinson pro, just need wheels and cranks, I miss those 80'S bikes they were/are still some of the best.
I still feel butterflies in my stomach when I see an 80's era freestyle bike.
They were special machines with distinctive charm.
I've been riding bmx since I was 10, I'm 56 and still ride, I have 65 BMX bikes and not planning to stop soon!
Wow. That's more bikes than most bikeshops! That's awesome.
Very interesting. I was an 80's BMX rider and have always wondered why in these modern times, the kids don't bother with brakes on the bikes. Flatland Freestyle 'back in't daaay went I was a lad' was very different. The brakes were essential for all the hopping around on the front and back wheels, something that the kids now don't bother with. Your vid explained everything very nicely and I enjoyed reminiscing on the 80's bikes and tricks.
Thanks for the nice comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
It's because modern society is a little sick in the head and the kids are too, unfortunately. These kids can't do the tricks we were doing in the early 80's, even the professionals can't do the 80's freestyle tricks. It's true, research it. And without brakes they can't keep up on a fast ride through the neighborhood and without seat they can't put their foot down on a turn without a high berm... truth is that the sport is not as good as it was at the peak which was about 1982 or 1983 but it's more specialized and more dangerous, that's all. Also not as popular per capita among kids. Someone on a bike without a taller seat and brakes cannot keep up on a race through a suburban neighborhood because their bikes are too specialized... they will fail to be able to either jump, turn, skid, stop, or get traction due to the specialization in bike frames. The kids in the early 80's could do all of those things on 1 bike. This is due in part to misguided sport executives who never understood the appeal of BMX and pro sports. The sport has to be relatable to the average kid/person or it will never reach peak popularity. I don't even know any modern baseball player names but in the 80's my mom watched Ozzie Smith, perfect example.
as a young whipersnapper bmx rider i personally originally went brakeless because i didnt wanna buy a gyro and wanted to learn barspins but stuck with it because it just felt so much cleaner and simple. not having a brake cable tapping on my frame making noise or a lever that gets in the way of my hands, both of which would scratch my bars and frame. i also dont see the purpose in a brake at my current level. brakes do have their niche in modern bmx but they're moreso used for tricks like fufanu's and canadians. if you dont know thats basically where you balance on the edge of a ramp or the coping by locking your brake, fufanu on the back, canadian on the front. im not at the point skill wise where i'll be learning any of these and even then theres ways around it like canjams (using your foot to stop the front wheel) and tyre taps (using the nature of a cassette hub to lock the rear wheel by rolling backwards slightly) so for me running a brake just isnt worth it (also i have feet to stop)
These riders use their bikes as a trick device, not as transportation. Look at a skateboard and how skaters use them. This is the brakeless riders mentality. They often spin their bars and do tail whips so the brake lines would get in the way.
Me, I must have my index finger on my finely tuned rear brake or I feel out of control since I’ll often talk the brake to keep from looping out.
Grew up riding BMX during the late 70's into early 80's, then grew out of it as I went into High School. And I still remember some big names, Stu Thompsen, Denny Davidow, Brent Patterson, Bob Morgan, Greg Hill, Harry Leary...
Always nice to get a comment from someone who appreciates the sport.
These had to be the most interesting and detailed documentary about BMX I've ever seen and I learned so much from it , I just love bike riding in all of its disciplines , I own several 20 inch BMX bikes, as well as mountain bikes and road bikes, and I love all of them, thank you so much for these documentary it was so fun to watch and learn , and remember from when I was a kid, I'm almost 44 and steel riding BMX an i will till I die....
Thank you very much.
Like I explain in the video, I have seen a lot of great documentaries on the people who originated BMX, but I have never seen anyone create a documentary to focus on bikes and tracks. I knew that many people, even those who have been racing BMX for a long time, may not know the history of how bicycles and tracks have evolved and changed, or why those changes have happened. So, I thought it would be fun to put together a little educational documentary to explain all of this.
I'm glad you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Wat is it about bmx that makes it different?
We did 'BMX racing' way before the phrase was coined..back in the mid-1960's. We had a 'bmx track' we made on an old filled in dump site complete with hills, jumps, tricky downhills, etc. We used whatever bicycles we had; be they Schwinn Sting Rays and Sting Ray clones, small 20" bikes, full sized 26" fat tire cruisers, and everything in between. Didn't wear helmets or any other safety gear either. We had a ball on that track. The site is still there although the track is long gone and grown over with weeds..brings back memories when I drive by it. Then many years later near my home there was an indoor bmx track inside of a horse show barn where they had weekly organized bmx bike races of course with required safety gear. My wife's nephew raced there with his Takara 20" bmx bike. Great fun to watch.
That's really cool. Thanks for sharing your story and a bit of your own history.
Very well done Eric, a lot of amazing knowledge and effort was put into this video. We appreciate the content as we relive our childhood.
Thank you very much. I hear a lot of kids at the track who are clueless about the evolution and origin of things, so it was fun to put this together to help explain where things came from.
No doubt! Great video!
This video is fantastic! I love how you break down everything and explain it in detail, keep up the good work! Long live BMX!
Thank you. It was a lot of fun to make. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'm at 19:47 my friend and 1 millisecond away from a stroke! As being a racer from 1984 to '89 myself i so much enjoy the effort you put into this truly epic video! That Sting-Ray footage - i had tears in my eyes ... Thank you so much for the best vid i have ever seen on yt.
That's one heck of a huge compliment. The best video you ever saw on TH-cam? Wow. Thank you for such kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@@LearnBMXRacing you're more than welcome, i really mean it. This thing is so very well balanced in all of the aspects it's just excellent! Brings back so many good memories ...
Am 52 and retiring soon, and am looking at getting back into riding to get into better shape and fitness.
I knew a bunch about BMX but your video filled in what I didn't know, and where it's at today, Still have most of my 85 Robinson pro, just need to get some wheels and cranks, and am sourcing period correct.
There's just something about old school BMX bikes from the 80'S that today's bikes just don't have.
Older bikes are cool, but they are also extremely heavy. There is nothing wrong with starting to race on the '85 Robinson. I used my 2006 Haro Backtrail the first few times I went to the track. But once you get to the track, and see some newer bikes in person, and how far the technology has evolved, I think you'll really appreciate the current bikes a lot.
And congratulations on retiring near 52. That's awesome. Enjoy!
Agreed. I have a 97 Powerlite P17 that I need to get new wheels for. I trashed mine on some jumps about 17 years ago and never got new ones. I'm going to do that next month. It's been mothballed for far too long.
@@LearnBMXRacing Newer bikes are fugly and come from a dark place compared to pre-85 BMX originals made in the USA... grunge wasn't a thing back then... and people are missing the point today, people don't want to achieve light speed, they just want to have fun and catch some air. That's why Lebron will never be respected as much as Jordan and people don't watch steroid baseball like they did Ozzie Smith, because people can't relate to these mutants risking their lives taking steroids who are 7 foot tall and a good percentage of sports fans also do no respect cheating. The bikes need to be as high tech as possible but not while sacrificing the asthetics and new bikes, even the SE Racing newer bikes don't look as good as the originals and this is proven by the price tags of used bikes on Ebay/Craigslist. I'd much rather ride an old BMX style bike than a new one even though I might go slower, I'll have more fun because the ergonomics, the feel and energy, and looks are better in the old designs. I can't get enough of the original era BMX, but the new ones.... who cares, it's just dumb and missing the point. Give me a two bar Torker or looptail PK Ripper or Supergoose any day over a faster better modern BMX, only problem is that those orignal BMX pre-85 1980's BMX bikes are too expensive and rare to ride.
@@VenturaIT man I wish I still had my chrome frame skyway (was stolen😢)from the mid/ late 80’s that was an awesome bike👍🏻👍🏻 nothing like old school!!!
@@chrisstephenson8311 pre-85 seem to be the best era for BMX... times have changed, but the vibe is dark now, just like the times unfortunately... it's just like politics because the same investors own all the companies and even though everyone would cut off a finger to have a real 1st gen PK Ripper, the companies keep making fugly designs and asphalt tracks for the millionaires, but pre-85 it was about the poor and middle class kids building up their bikes from parts, and BMX has lost that. Sign of the times. Even that movie Rad was too late to catch the real BMX vibe from late 70s to early 80s... I remember this bike that had a long motorcycle type seat, squarish knobby tires, almost like a motorcycle... do you remember when it was cool when bikes really emulated motorcycles? It's not BMX if you don't put your foot down around corners.
Outstanding and inspiring channel. At 51 I just may get back on a BMX bike and race again! 👍
Thank you. Hope you get out there again. If you look at the website for *Learn BMX Racing* you will find a map of all BMX tracks in the country, so you can find the ones closest to where you live. Have fun!
Awesome!
So many memories! Thank you for putting this together. I remember as a child calling road bikes 10 speeds, even when they had like 18 gears or so. I loved BMX racing too, my dad back in the mid-80's helped build a track at the water park in Tucson AZ. Riding was and still is a form of freedom.
That's funny. I did the same thing and I always called road bikes, "10-sppeds" until I got older and realzied that didn't make any sense! That's very cool that your dad built a track. Good for him! I bet all the kids loved it.
Canadian here. Great presentation, thanks! Eddie Fiola, Kuwahara (I still have a Laserlite), Diamondback, Quadangle, Potts Modification, it's a detangler or spinner, I have a 2000 blue Rueben (Alcantara), 2008 WTP Addict & more...WTP 2013 Envy black w/ the jet fuel hubs...
Thank you. I'm impressed you know what a "Potts Mod" is. That's a term not many riders remember today.
54 years old. I just ordered a fat tire 20 in e bike, I've been watching tons of old BMX videos I can't wipe the smile off my face with the memories in the 80s with me and my best buds riding our BMX bikes for miles and miles everyday, I think I've forgotten more about BMX then most people will know, I'm so excited about getting my new bike! this has definitely brought back the greatest childhood memories for me I can't wait to get back out on the road again especially living at the beach, great time to cruise around on a bike
Nice. I have a 26" fatbike. They are really fun. Especially when you use them as they are intended, on sand and snow.
I love the beginning of rad racing when you got to freestyle. Great documentary very well made. anyone reading this go get a bike and ride.
great ..very informative video...i am back in bmx after 34 years...now i am 50...many things have changed..all the points are mentioned in your video..now i understand some issues...but at the end of the day its just having fun riding your bmx :-) i built up the bmx i wanted to have back in da 80's... and i realized that many guys at my age find back to bmx again... i really appreciate your video and work you put in this documentary ... thank you !
You're welcome. It's always nice to get compliments from older riders who lived through the birth of BMX and can appreciate the history. Have fun racing your 80's bike!
I love this guy’s voice in narrating this. He seems like a genuine and pleasant person. Great video, Thanks!
That's a very kind thing for you to say. Thank you very much. I appreciate that and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome video! There are far too few well made, extensive BMX documentaries like this on TH-cam. It would be interesting to dig deeper into more specific topics in BMX, like tech evolution, teams/brands, legendary riders, BMX subcategories (racing, flatland etc.), old school vs. new school and such. Even topics like how BMX's image and role in society has changed during its existence would be super interesting to learn more about.
There are a lot of videos on the people who created BMX and shaped the sport. You should go check them out. They are really intersting too.
Thanks for your compliments on this one!
Skateboarding and BMX was closer in influencing each other than most might think. There's lots of footage of guys on adapted Sting-Rays right alongside pool skaters in those early 70s pool sessions. Also, if you watch Joe Kid on a Sting-Ray really closely, you can see kids with Z-Flex T-shirts on hanging out at the first BMX races.
You are 100% correct. The fact that some BMX riders and some skateboarders are in denial of these facts has always been super weird to me. Especially since there are countless photos, videos and films documenting all this history and proving the timelines.
@@LearnBMXRacing I've heard from a lot of older guys in the industry that the BMX hate was virtually created by Thrasher. Almost like a divisive marketing strategy.
@@sammckinlay7338 One of the things I loved about *Freestylin' Magazine* was that it featured a lot of skateboarding, along with BMX freestyle, and cultivated a more unified mentality.
Yes Freestylin magazine turned me from a BMX racer to a hardcore skateboarder! I am 48 and started riding BMX again got a 29inch GT Pro Series and a 1994 Dyno VFR. Just wish I could have my 1985 Hutch back !
Great video, I'm 49 and remember the brightly colored bikes. My favorite were painted lime or neon green.
Acid green was a cool color.
@3:00 good on you for admitting those facts. Started Freestyle flatground on bikes and Skateboarding Vert ramps the same year.. 1987. Great memories.
Both sports are rad. I always found it very odd that some participants in each discipline maintain a juvenile animosity about the other.
Phenominal job! That was a ton of work to make this documentary but man oh man was it worth it my friend. Thank You so much for doing it. #BMX4EVER
I appreciate that. It was fun to make and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for this 👍 I’m an 80s kid and love the old mongoose and Gt bikes
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. I always say the '87 Haro and GT freestyle bikes were some of the coolest ever made.
Wow Eric! Just amazing 👍🏻
I never went racing on tracks as a kid, since we did not have them where I lived, but stuck to the woods just like you described. Getting the experience just like you describe @1:13:10 is just so right. I just want to bring out my old Raleigh Ultraburner from 1983 and give it a go! Thanks for an excellent documentury. Great to feel your passion for bmx it real catches. Yes we guys at 50+ still can enjoy going for a ride on our bmx’es again 👍🏻
Thanks 😃
There are only about 350 to 360 BMX tracks in the country. That averages about 7 per state. So, unfortunately, a LOT of kids never get the chance to race BMX on an actual track. But even getting out there in the woods on your Raleigh is worth it!
Thanks for the kind comment.
Ooh. That burner is a good choice. Just gave my nephew an 82 MK1 Tuff Burner (Blue and yellow one). Everyone goes apeshit when they see it. We need to bring back the Burners to our streets and tracks. Do it Oldschool.
Well done on this video, brings back memories in the 70s when we first saw bmx bikes for the first time in Brisbane, Australia, my cousins friend bought a cro- mo mongoose with blue tuff1s,another guy had a white Redline with red anodised accessories,about 5 of us neighbourhood kids were blown away, over the next year, Bmx exploded , great days and fun
Thank you. It's always nice to get comments from people sharing happy memories.
Congrats on making a great show. Excellent presentation and editorial insights.
My eight year old and I have watched it several times already. He now wants a BMX.
Thank you so much for the nice comment. I'm flattered you and your son watched it multiple times. That's awesome! Hope you both have fun when you start racing!
I bicycle is a child's first taste of freedom, they now have the ability to go farther than ever before and are self-reliant on their own power.
I ride a kink freestyle bike on MTB trails. I run front and rear brakes and 28/9 gearing. It’s a lot of fun.
Yeah, it's quite feasible to do on mild trails. Glad you're having fun!
@@LearnBMXRacing Define mild, The trails I ride are not crazy downhills but they have some crazy climbs and rough terrain, lots of tech sections. tho most of them are blue.
Great job on this video! I expected I might start it and finish later, but wound up watching it in its entirety last night.
Excellent. I'm glad you enjoyed it and it held your attention. Thanks for checking it out.
Been into BMX since 1978, got my first Huff Pro Thunder 3 in 1980 when I turned 10, then I saw Bob Haro on some Saturday morning TV magazine for teens and I was hooked on Freestyle!
Yep, Freestylin' sure skyrocketed in popularity.
I've raced all my life! 11 til I was 46! Greatest sport on Earth!!
That's a very long time to continually race. Good for you! That's awesome.
I won my first trophy in 1978 at Azusa BMX track in California…I can remember being influenced by Evil Kanevel and imitated him around 1972.my first bmx bike was a webco.
I just looked up the old Azuza track online and found some pictures. Too bad it's not around anymore. Looks like it was a lot of fun.
Stellar video and great job.
The kid on the Stingray riding the wheelie with bare feet..lol, cool stuff !
Thank you.
Yeah, somewhere on the internet, someone tracked that kid down and found out his name. I forget what it was, but that sure was impressive doing a barefoot wheelie for 900 miles.
I remember reading in the BMX magazines about 24” and (I think) 26” cruiser classes as a kid in the ‘80s. I never saw one in person, though.
Cruisers are very common at tracks today. Kind of like micro/mini bikes. They technically started in the early 80's but they were not very common until much later.
In 1968, my neighbor friend and me put together bikes to simulate MX bikes.
We built our own MX track in an empty lot in 1969. It may have been one of the earliest track to exist.
That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing your story. I bet it was a lot of fun!
I have a 1979 Race Inc. that I got for Christmas in 1982, an upgrade from my Schwinn Scrambler. It was fun to race, but it was my main mode of transportation from age 12 to 16. I keep it in my living room to this day. It sits in the corner, just so I can look at it when I want to. The welds are amazing. I got so good on that bike when I was young it became a part of my body and soul and I will never part with it. CW handlebars, Tuf-neck goose neck, Sugino chain wheel, Super Maxy cranks, Sunshine hubs, Araya rims. Elina Ultralight Saddle, AMC seat post clamp, Dia-compe rear brake, KKT pedals. All of it gold, except the forks, handlebars, and spokes.
Sounds like a really cool bike. I'm glad it gave you so many happy memories and that it's still an important part of your life story. Thank you for sharing that.
Brought back some memories. Those welds were beautiful. Loved the gold Race Inc. frames.
Well done. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I started racing BMX in 1975 in Florida. I won the state championship in the 9-10 expert class in West Palm Beach on a Mongoose then stepped up to a custom Panda Elite. Even raced an alloy Bigfoot frame which at the time was the lightest out (anyone remember?). My final race was a regional championship indoors at the Bayfront Center in St. Pete. Back then it was concrete with wood jumps, and we had to use street tires and spray them with hairspray to help them grip the track. During the first moto I was running first when there was a loud bang heard throughout the auditorium. I quickly realized it was my frame breaking at the goose neck. So, my dad ran to the bike shop and bought a Race Inc. frame and rushed back to the track and swapped everything over just in time for the second moto except for the hand brake which we couldn't get adjusted in time. I ended up placing fifth in the second moto and third in the final. I could go on for hours about the various tracks and memories from my years of racing as they were the best years of my youth.
Damn. I'm really impressed your dad swapped out everything onto a new frame between motos! I have built multiple bikes from scratch, but I never had to do it that fast!
I did as much on it as he did. lol I was able to disassemble bikes to the bare frame and reassemble at 10. @@LearnBMXRacing
Thanks for these vids! 47 today and about to get back into it with the kids too. Appreciate your content a bunch, cheers!
That's great! Thank you for the comment and I hope you and your kids have a lot of fun out there!
Growing up in the mid 80's BMX was my life.
When I was 10 in 75 my Dad bought me Mongoose for Christmas and it was the beginning of my BMX career.
I went on to to race BMX for years and had a sponsor from Robinson in my best days.
That's very cool. Robinson bikes were awesome. And Mongoose is still around today!
Larry Stevenson the inventor of the skate board, my good friend I took him to my factory and we made his first new aluminum trucks. Randell Kim Panda bike owner and designer. There is lots of things you don't know about the history of the first BMX bikes.
Makaha was the first skateboard I ever had, back in the 70's.
I know Larry's son, Curt Stevenson, and showed him my tribute Makaha board I made a few years ago.
Curt is really nice guy, always polite and friendly and supportive.
This video is so good I did not watch it all at once but in stages...if that makes sense
Thanks for the content
It was WAY longer than I intended it to be. As I was putting it together, I had no idea it would end up being over an hour. So, I get it.
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'm a 48yo father just getting back into BMX after 2 decades off, but wasn't too far away, i work as a prototype ebike tester, but my 8yo got into bmx & the nostalgia hit hard, thanks for making videos like this, it gets us caught up on all the stuff we missed during our time...."adulting"! 😆
You are very welcome. I had to learn a lot of this too. Like the stuff about "soiltac" was all new to me.
About time somebody covered this topic. You guys left no stone unturned. What a great watch. THANK YOU!
You are very welcome.
I get so annoyed with all the know-it-all comments from people who say, "You don't understand this..." and "You left out that..."
It's really nice to get a comment like yours, which is so respectful and apprecaitve. Thank you.
@@LearnBMXRacing I (and hopefully many others) very much appreciate the time and effort that went into making this video. And once again, THANK YOU!
Great video! I really enjoyed that trip through 80's box freestyle!!
Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for taking the time to comment.
This guy knows his stuff, awsome post, i'm glad i stumbbled upon it. Super duper informative.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
One of the most accurate and complete documentals about Bmx, congrats!
Thank you very much. It's always nice to get a postivite compliment from someone who rides BMX.
20:38 I remember when Stu signed with Huffy. We were checking out his race bike at the ABA Spring Nationals not long after he signed. He was on a custom unpainted square tubed frame with no decals. I didn't get to talk to him, but this was one of the prototypes. Prior to Huffy, he rode for Redline, as Stu fans know, and once on Huffy, he wasn't riding Flight cranks, but rather some one piece. And of course bending just about every set from what was said. I was only 16 and much lighter than him and would bend those cranks after only a few months. Next national, he was back on a set on cromo 3 piece no decal Flights. We were hoping Huffy would design their own. This is an example of how big BMX was in the mid '80s. Pros were getting huge contracts and every bike company was trying to capitalize on BMX. Great times. Excellent documentary
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experiences. It's always cool to get that kind of feedback from people. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
This is good history of BMX In America. We had a strong BMX scene here in Australia as well. 80's was the best era for BMX. It was loud just like skateboards were then.
Australia also produced Caroline Buchanan, who is quite amazing in BMX.
Nice to see people with similar stories in the comments. Started racing last year at 38. Just had a nice finish at midwest nationals in my class this year. So cool to see everyone's progress!
Very cool. Congratulations on your Nationals!
Thanks for this video,. In 1984 I had the Murray X20r and rode it into the ground. My Dad had to reweld the frame at least twice from the punishment of our improvised BMX tracks that we created. I think it cost around $160, which at that time was still considered somewhat expensive. After I basically completely destroyed that bike, my Mom and Dad bought me an all chrome Hutch Pro Racer. I still have that bike and ride it today for fun and exercise. What a time the 1980's were to be a kid, and the golden era of BMX!
You're welcome.
Cool story. Thanks for sharing. You prove my point too! Your Murray kept falling apart but your Hutch is rideable 40 years later. Sounds about right!
As kids we used to jump our bikes on home made ramps and ride on trails on our bikes. I had a Stingray that I had modified with a ten seed seat. My buddy had Mongoose with the metal mag wheels.
Years later my brother got into freestyle and flatland and got pretty good. He built a quarter-pipe in our back yard and his friend had a half- pipe that they built at his house. He went on to specialize in flatland tricks and would dazzle our neighborhood with his skills.
My oldest son did dirt jumping for years before he got into skateboarding. So it ran in the family.
I still have a picture up on FB where my friend Chris and I are shaking hands at the top of duel endos.
This was a nice stroll down memory lane.
Thank you. I love it when people take the time to share their stories and joyful memories in the comments.
Very great explanation of the history Eric. Wish I had this 20 years ago because as a kid I was confused with what could be called a BMX track. Even today, shopping for a BMX bike things are clear as mud as you explained. Looking forward to updates in a few years.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. The part of the video about "what is *not* a BMX race track" was a last-minute idea. I stared thinking about grandparents like, "How would a 12 year old explain to his grandma that the pumptrack down the street is not a race track?" So, I added all of that information, because I realized teaching BMX is also about teaching what is *not* part of BMX racing.
@@LearnBMXRacing it was definitely a good choice to add that bit in. I am telling you, informative videos like are not common anymore, you were a pleasure to listen to and took your time explaining all the intricacies. I will not be surprised if this becomes a go to reference video in the future. This is truly a throwback on so many levels. Keep it up and definitely update this as bike designs progress. I’m a MTBer with BMX roots and enjoy the lineage connections you made. Even today looking at all the gravel/road/cyclocross and hard tail/enduro/all mountain/downhill bikes I am like “we are doing full circles with bike designs”, look at the lineage!!! 😂
@@hotbrakepads Thank you for the compliments.
As I said in the beginning of the video, so many people do histories and documentaries, and they talk about all the people who were pioneers of a sport. But, few documentaries ever focus on the evolution, lineage and history of the equipment used in the sport.
That's why I did this. So kids would understand not only where BMX bikes came from, but also their connection to other bikes and bicycling history.
@@LearnBMXRacing I think the equipment is quite interesting for BMX fans because the equipment is essentially the bling, and as kids we obsessed over the parts we wanted to get. It's expensive stuff and if you had frugal parents, you had to just make do with what you had. But who didn't dream of the ultimate set-up? We pored over bmx zines until we knew the equipment coming and going.
Great video! Missing some points for todays different styles of freestyle. Why Pegs are on one side because, the rider may only favor grinding on one side. Why they also sell left side drive cranks and wheels for people who prefer grinding on the right side and vice Versa . you didn’t mention what a freecoaster is. freecoaster allows you to roll backwards without back pedaling. Great for skateparks. This is an awesome video. I learned a lot of the history. Thank you .
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
The meaning of "freecoaster" actually changed too.
Back in the 80's, ACS had a hub called the "freecoaster" which was literally a freewheel and a coaster-brake. You would dial a little adjustment screw on it to switch back and forth. So, the old-school term "freecoaster" and the current term "freecoaster" are totally different things.
Pegs originally were included on all axels, both sides for flatground, not griding tricks. Grinding came later.
@@LearnBMXRacing Doesn't he mean "freewheel"? We used to take the brakes out of the coaster brakes to achieve the freewheel until we could afford better rims.
That bike on the far right (the one with the kid with the baseball cap) at 1:02:41 is a 1982 MK1 Raleigh Tuff Burner (Blue frame, Yellow skyways with blue tyres and yellow padset). I bought one for my nephew last year and gave it to him two months ago. Everyone who sees it goes mental. The adults smile and talk nostalgically about having one as a kid or wishing they had that one and The kids in his school hover around it like it's a UFO that's just landed in the playground. It get's attention from everyone. People shout out "Oh, Sick Bike mate" or "Oh Wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time". Even when it's parked up people stop and take photos of it I've even had people just straight up make offers to buy it there and then. It's a legendary bike in the UK. Every kid in the 80's wanted one but never got one. It's the most iconic bike in British history and the most desirable. It was a stunningly beautiful bike back then and still is; perhaps even better considering the bland neutral black or colourless bikes you get today which is why my nephew made a lot of new friends very quickly at his school. Not many kids can say that they ride an original 1982 MK1 Raleigh Tuff Burner let alone take one to school. It really is an awesome bike.
I just think that all these different versions just lack character today. They are all trying to be the next innovation and design fad. I can't honestly say that I actually like the modern styles because unlike the 70's, 80's or 90's BMX bikes they lack several features that all the previous bikes had. Function, practicality and best of all style. This is why I gave my nephew an 80's bike. It's because he can actually use it to ride to school, go to a track and go off road if he wants to. You can't do all that with low seats, pegs and silly gear ratios. The bikes we had as kids performed multiple roles in our lives. They were used for everything we did as kids and that's why we loved them so much. Now you need ten different bikes for the sake of just one. It's just stupid. Kids have one or two bikes at the most just like shoes. I can't even see the design differences between all these new bikes. They just look idiotic and not very practical. Just like those little tiny bikes you showed earlier. The riders look like a bunch of clowns.
The Raleigh was cool. Any bike with mags was the coolest thing back then.
I hear you, man. The freestyle bikes today are so bland and boring. The tricks riders do today are awesome and amazing and impresive. But their bikes have no style, no character, no charm.
I was of the understanding that a lot of freestyle and trail riders angle their seats up to make it easier to grab or get a foot under. I really wouldn’t know anything about that, but it’s what I’ve heard. Great video!
Many of them claim that.
I think it's nonsense.
Because, again, the tricks that were done in the 1970's and 1980's were just the same, and those riders didn't need to angle their seats.
So, yes, I think you are correct. But, I also think it's just a case of kids blindly following a totally unnecessary trend, because they were told that was the way to do it, and they never questioned it.
At first from the way you started this documentary, it looked like the two books you were referring to was the timeline you were using. I almost stopped watching it there, which I am glad I decided to watch more. I started commenting on what I thought you were suggesting, and was unfair, so my apologies there. You made it very enjoyable to watch, documentaries might actually be your thing?
This really is a very nicely put together history of The bicycle and BMX. I actually grew up with many of those riders who started the BMX tricks and had influence in the design of the BMX bikes, so when it appeared to be newer generation taking credit for something way back I wanted to bail this video. Actually there were many good facts, and interesting videos.
Thank you very much for the comment. It is always nice when people who grew up with BMX say they enjoyed the video and it really captured the history well. I appreciate that.
I'm going to finish this video later tonight but I gotta give you a 👍 for that jersey. I'm a 47 yr old guy who freestyled and skateboarded in the 80's. As an 80's kid bright colors are still part of my life so are Van's and Swatch watches which were also a big part of BMX and skateboarding 👍
Oh yeah Brother. I'm with you there. We need to bring that back to brighten up this depressing world we have today.
Thanks, man. Yeah, I get a lot of compliments at the track about the vibrant 80's colors of my jersey, especially from the older dudes. I wanted the colors of this whole "Learn BMX Racing" project to be a real throwback to those fluroescent styles.
32:14 "Plaza Freecoaster" pertains to a Street Plaza. Street bikes are a class of their own. Often 4x Pegs, Brakeless, hub & sprocket guards. Free coaster rear hub, means cranks free-spin while rolling backwards. Opening door to unique tricks. Bike types: Race, Dirt, Park, Street, Vert, Flatland & Department store "BMX"-"Freestyle"
Exactly. And that was the point of that part of the video. Manufactuers of BMX bikes aren't consistent in the way they label and categorize bikes. So, when kids are just learning about the sport, it's okay for them to be confused, because the people who make the bikes don't even name them in similar ways.
I still have my 1978 Torker. I’ve been thinking of making it a retirement restoration project and add the period correct accessories I couldn’t afford back then. At age 61 I’m probably too old to do much other than maybe a quick pedal on my street. I do know I can use some skills I learned in BMX in mountain biking.
Outstanding video!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
You are not "too old" to race. There are racers out there who are in their 70's and even one rider in Georgia who was racing at 82. You could easily have 20 years of racing if you wanted it.
That's maybe the best BMX bike ever, right up there with the PK Ripper, bike of envy. My friend had one, probably still has it in the attic.
@@LearnBMXRacing And don't get me wrong I agree tracks need to go back to natural dirt, but it's more than that and I think you came into BMX later on in the 80's and the real good BMX stuff was late 70's and pre-85 1980's.... but you are still doing it which is more than me, although I show chromed and restored my original Motomag Mongoose. Can't remember if it's 1980 or 1981...
@@VenturaIT Thank you for the positive reply. I liked the design of the PK as well. To this day I still have great respect for the top riders from the original BMX era and their achievements.
@@519CZRacer The new stuff is surely lighter and stronger but the original BMX designs are the best... I think there can only be a few really good looking designs until you just start doing the same thing again.
In the early 70s I lived in So California and we would build our own Motocross bikes. We would put Nobby tires on them and the handlebars with the bar across were only 5 bucks at the swap meet or local store. They were being custom made so you would see them com in bunches. Then we would add that custom suspension forks that would bounce. I you had one , you rulled the streets. I had a blast building my first motocross in the early early 70s. We would build ramps and jump on them which led to dirt hills. By the time they took to the popular racing events, I outgrew them and was on a road bike by the late 70s. Everyone built their own buy looking at magazines and putting their bikes together. No stores sold motocross in the very early stages in So California. You built your own like a puzzle. The Swap meets in So Cal were the best spot to buy bike parts for Motocross. I am 59 yrs old so that tells you how far I go back. You were spot on as far as the history goes because my first bike was a schwinn Orange Krate with a coil fork , gears, bananna seat, Ape hangers and a long sissy bar. After it got stolen in the early 70s, the motocross were in and everyone started building their own. My third bike was in late 70s which was a 10 speed and it was quick. I been riding since last oct 2021 and have a hybrid. I never thought I would see my self on a bike some 40 yrs later but the cannondales are incredible. I see these road bikes as 10 speeds in my head nowdays. I have to get used to calling them Roadbikes or gravel bikes. lol
Nice. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Totally agree!
All resistance and cardio too so you don't have to deal with impact injuries like in running...
Definitely good exercise.
Brilliant video full of great history, and I learned a lot of things that I didn't know. Thanks for explaining the weird frame geometry and "no brakes" BS of these modern bikes, not to mention their lackluster styling compared to the late 70s and thought the 80s. I had an '87 Diamond Back Hot streak, my dad bought it for me brand new and if I recall it was $225-250 or so, pretty expensive for the day. I'm 48 and am going to build a custom 29" cruiser and visit some of my local bike parks/pump tracks and see if I can have some fun. You do a great job of presenting, by the way, you've got a very pleasant voice and cadence and sound like a great guy. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, man. I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a nice comment. Enjoy that cruiser and have fun when you get it built!
Very well made. Its a plesure to watch.
Ive done BMX racing back in the 90s and still own my old Redline BMX.
Greets from Germany
Thank you. Nice to hear from someone in the Fatherland.
@@LearnBMXRacing Youre very welcome. i wish the sport would be as great as it was back in the days here.
Most amazing BMX video ever! You got me back into my BMX Freestyle bike. And now I have all the knowledge I need on this topic which I never knew before. Thank you 🙏 so much
You're welcome. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for such a considrate comment and have fun on your freestyle bike!
Thank you for the no-nosense and relatable history lesson on BMX!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching it.
Starting over after 30+ years. Got a redline mx24 to get through novice class while I upgrade bars, peddles, forks, etc @my pace/budget
Cool. Have fun on the new bike!
I just wanted to commend you on putting together this awesome documentary! You did an excellent job all the way around on this production!!
Very informative, and great research!
Thank you so much for your time in doing this, and collecting all the footage and everything together in a very understandable and professional fashion...😁👍
Thank you very much. It's always nice when someone gives a positive and supportive compliment to a project which took so much effort to create. I really appreciate your support.
Awesome documentary! This was perfect.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
I had a Mongoose and it was a vision of the color "red". I loved that bike. It had a red plastic seat with red alloy seat post that was shaped like the inside of a gun barrel, red grips, the kind that molded to your hands with finger inlays, a red Haro two-finger brake system, red snake-belly tires and rims along with red pedals. If that wasn't "red" enough, I strapped red padding over the neck and middle bar. It looked awesome !! The only thing I wished it had in retrospect was a red three-piece alloy crank-set (Mongoose didn't offer this option as it came stock with a single crank-set with the gold inlay in the middle). However, the GT's and Redline's had this option of a colored 3-piece crank set which looked really, really cool when matched up with everything else.
I remember a neighbor's friend pulled up on an all-yellow /gold Gt, fully decked out. It was a sight to behold! He even had holes drilled into the plastic seat to make it lighter. I think he was a serious racer on the circuit or sponsored or something. But yea, the whole idea of having colored anything is out of style today, particularly colored crank sets.
There was something to them, when I look back on those colored reflective finishes, the finish looked more like reflective coating you'd see on high performance F1 cars than bicycle painted parts. Real classy workmanship imo.
Thank you for this trip down memory lane as I pedaled alongside on my Mongoose loving every minute of it. ;)
You are welcome. And thank you for sharing your stories. The fact so many people can recall so many details about their bicycles proves how important those bikes were.
Somehow this showed up in my "Recommended" section. Really informative. I raced motocross as a kid and wasn't into BMX but remember having a Mongoose 'Expert' (if memory serves) sometime back in the mid 1980's. Great explanation and great video!
Thank you. It's always nice when experienced riders appreciate my efforts.
Awesome video! As a BMX kid from the 1980's I can really appreciate this. 👍😃🍺🍺
Thanks for taking the time to comment. This was one of the most time-consuming videos I ever created. When I started, I had no idea how long it would be, but I was pretty shocked when it clocked in at 77 minutes.
@@LearnBMXRacing No problem brother. You did a great job. Editing is very hard and time consuming for sure and my vids are just amateur 10 minute vids at most and some of them have taken a long long time. Its can also be someting that takes on it's own life and just flows out of you. There was a lot of material to cover in your video so 77 minutes was quite a good edit.
@@KaizerTest Thank you.
I've done video production professionally, and I've done it as a hobby for even longer. So, for me, the work is a lot of fun and very easy, but it's just time-intensive.
The biggest challenge with this video was to organize it. For the longest time, I had no clue how to put all this information together. Once I hit upon the idea of creating a timeline for bicycles and one for tracks, everything fell into place, because the timelines made it far easier to focus on each item in a logical way.
I accidentally found pictures of trial BMXs, when I was scrolling site of local extreme sports store to get some replacement parts for my rusty WTP BMX.
It was sure a little shock, when I figured out that there is no place for seatpost in such trial frameset. But yeah, it's so cool that even my local bike store provide them!
That's awesome. I've actually never seen a trials bike in person. That is pretty amazing that your local bikeshop carries them.
Where I lived in Australia in the early 70’s we rode dragsters. I can remember kids taking the sissy bars and long seat off and putting on a normal seat and riding them on dirt. That was the start of BMX for me.
Yeah, there was a lot of variation in some of the StingRay designs. I remember those dragster bikes, although I never had one myself.
Excellent Video @ Learn BMX Racing
Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Your channel has really great videos too. I love the stuff you've posted.
25:44 That was my dream bike back in the day. I, nor my family could ever afford $700+ dollar bike for me in the 80's. I did however get an '87 Dyno Detour that they helped me out with ($300+ bucks in the 80's was still a LOT of money) I hopped it up with some better GT cranks and stuff. Wish I still had it. Sadly it was stolen from the local bike shop whilst being repaired.
Shout out to the old Rob and Charlie's Crew in Santa Fe, NM.
Dude! Your bike got stolen from the shop!? That sucks!
Yeah, I loved my Haro Masters. I ended up owning 3 different ones throught my life. I had an '87, an '88 and a '91.
@@LearnBMXRacing One of the guys that worked at the local bike shop had a Haro Master and had the skills to go with the bike too. I was never that good at overland or vert. I just like to cruise street and do some racing on a bike that was far too heavy for it. I was almost tempted to get one of the Nostalgia Exploitation bikes like a 26' GT Performer, but meh, those days are over.
So much good content in this video! A couple of additional bikes not mentioned are OS 20 and big tire (26” and 29”) bikes. And Mini 20 as well as micro mini (18”) bike have been around for 20-30 years
As I mention at the start of the video, there are literally scores of different bicycle designs, but only a few are genuinely innovative and relevant. I don't mention bikes like OS20, or all the sizes of cruisers because, those bikes don't matter. Merely altering a tire diameter doesn't make them unique or different.
Back in 1984 there were micro mini bikes being made by JMC Racing, but they didn't become well-known or popular until much later. For example, Haro wasn't making micro mini bikes until about 2009. So, I cite 2010 as the year they originated, because that's when most major manufacturers began building them.
Thanks for the compliments and sharing your thoughts.
And remember side-hacks? Those were actually kinda stupid...I don't know if we really need to remember them much...LOL
Huge and beautiful work here🤩 BMX 4ever!!! THX
Thank you for the kind compliment.
My dad also had 1 of the first production models being held for him when he came back from his first tour . He sold it back in 1992.
That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing your story. Neat to hear about the inspiration for the Stingray.
Wow! I learned a lot. Thanks
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Best video I have come across !! Great content
I know eh!
Thank you. Very informative. Stay RAD 👍
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Bmx Seats angled upward also serves the pupose for barspins. Dirt, park, street riders pinch the seat with their knees.
Bmx frame geometry has changed dramatically that is very interesting. Depending on the discipline, race, park, dirt, flatland the smallest geometry differences help benefit the riders desires. For example race frames are designed for speed and stability. Park is designed for transitions simular to dirt. Street has become closer to a flatland but with much more durability. Depending tricks bikes are modified to aid the rider. Flatland frames have the shortest chainstay, short top tube, really steep headtube, and were the first to adopt small sprockets. Park and dirt frames have different mild chainstay length with a taller handlebar for an upright position. Dirt frames differ from park frames with headtube angle and top tube length. Street frames have gone from simply using a park bike or race bike with pegs to a steep head tube, shorter top tube, short chainstay, taller bar, wide tire, and a lower bottom bracket. Race frame geometry has also changed throughout the years. Head tube raked out, longer chainstay, longer top tube, a really really low bottom bracket. The big chainring helps with rollout.
The progression of bmx has not stopped and the big contributor i believe is the slightest frame geometry changes.
Different disciplines of BMX do indeed use slightly different geometries.
The opening and closing sequences were filmed overlooking Horseman’s Arena BMX track, the first track I ever raced at back in 1979. Thanks for the well put together informational video. BMX RULES!
Yep. The horse arena is still there and the track is now called Apple Valley BMX, but it is one of the older tracks in California. Been there a long time.
@@LearnBMXRacing I believe it opened in 78. I still live locally and enjoy catching races out there once in a while.
My father was sal zeuner from vineland NJ dg factory rider. Rip I love you dad. This video is like a time machine into my dads life, thank you
You're welcome. I never heard of DG. I looked them up and it looks like they were only around for about 5 years. That's pretty cool! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
I was lucky enough to be friends with your Dad, your Uncle Terry and Aunt Jen. Your Dad was the Best on the East Coast #1 at the time. Wonderful family. You should be very proud of your Dad. He is part of BMX History. May he Rest in Peace.
@@ronjessup9157 thank you, aunt jen and Uncle are still kicking, it was tough loosing dad, but he was a good man. I still have all of his vintage BMX stuff. It musta been a great time to be alive in the late 70s, pre internet when ppl went hard in BMX and traveled the country only with pay phones
@@terdcutter3193 I returned to racing in 97. Went to Pittsburgh National. Terry was there, he was camping at the track. He ended up staying with me at the Hotel. We had a great time catching up. We both Won our Cruiser Class. Your Dad was like 4-5 years older then me. His Bike Shop Peddlers East was my first Sponsor. I was from Virginia, being Sponsored by Sal Zeuner NBL's #1 rider was a Big deal for me. You are part of the Original BMX Families on the East Coast. I knew your Grand Ma Charlotte as well. Great Family, Great times.Your Dad, Terry, myself and about 5 others got kicked off a Water Slide in Indiana or Illinois. It was built into the ground on a big hill. We would line up in a train coming down and your Dad and Terry the two oldest would push us lil kids with there legs right before a turn and we would launch over the sides up in the air onto the grass way down the hill. We got kicked out. Sal belongs in the BMX Hall of Fame. He was the First #1 Pro on the East Coast. The whole Zeuner family belongs in the Hall of Fame.
@@terdcutter3193 You don't happen to have your Dad's Black bike. I think it was a DG after he left Thruster. It was Black and Gold. It was Beautiful.
Amazing video thanks so much for the information, lots of great history.
You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I am blown away by how wonderful this video is!!! Great work. I feel enlightened
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Awesome video and history on BMX Thanks👍
Glad you enjoyed it.
I haven’t finished the video yet but one that seems to have been missed are bmx pit bikes, basically a child size miniature freestyle frame with full-size bmx bars and seat post to accommodate an adult size rider.
Pit bike as in used around the pits at bmx tracks for stunts e.t.c. They were fantastic in half pipes and skateboard parks too.
The criteria for what to include was left up to my own personal opinion of what is relevant and important.
Since there have been hundreds of different bicycle designs in the last 200 years, it is inevitable some folks will disagree with my decisions about which bikes were significant or omitted.
I've raced Bmx from 1979 to 2016!! All GT!!! Traveled the country to all National/ Grands ect!!! What a absolutely amazing life all riding my GT BMX BIKE!!❤ Got crohns in 2016 had 5 stomach surgeries and had to retire from racing 😢!!! Greatest Sport on Earth!!! God bless all ❤❤❤
Wow. That's a long time!
Sorry to hear about your health issues. I pray you can recover enough to return someday.
Thank you for making this video . Class of 86
You're welcome. Thank you for the nice comment.
Great video, but don't call spandex shorts goofy. Their advantages are : no wrinkles to sit on, no flapping in the breeze, and improved muscle recovery from the compression.
You know what's really cool? The boxer briefs with the same elasticity as the spandex shorts. They are thinner, lighter, wick moisture better, and work well under looser shorts or sweatpants.
I'm almost 65, and I still have my BMX stuff from 40+ years ago. I just learned that my Gary Littlejohn bikes are valued in the thousands of $. I wasn't expecting that.
I'm now going about getting all of my 26" Littlejohn Factory Cruisers ready to ride again. I build wheels, so I have some pretty wild options.
Hutch trick star and Skyway were my favs. I was wondering why the bikes nowadays seem to have shrunk all over. Now I know. 👍
A kid who rode in our group had a red Hutch Trick Star. That was a cool bike. I never understood how he stood on those super-tiny fork-pegs though.
I had the " lavender" Trickstar, with lavender Tuff II'S, and lavender Comp STs! What a sweet bike, I also had " Mike Dominguez" signature bars, but Trickstar forks unfortunately are very weak.
Great video! Much respect for all the work that you must have put into it.
As someone who grew up in Torrance/Redondo Beach, California, you are correct that BMX did take some cues from skateboarding. However, I think that BMX pushed skateboarding, and skateboarding pushed BMX (at least in the freestyle world). There were some beefs between the two, but most BMX'ers (myself included) also liked to skate, and skaters showed respect to BMX'ers for the most part. Yeah, I used to get called an "inlander" when I would go down to the strand in Hermosa/Redondo Beach (which is featured in a lot of those clips of RL Osborne), but those people shut up when I pulled off a rock walk or 360° roll-out. Not that I was ever top-notch, but the scene was incredible. I even, believe-it-or-not, had an impromptu session with a few friends and David Lee Roth (of Van Halen...he was on quads) in a parking lot next to the Hermosa pier back in the 80's. Too long of a story to tell here, but it was amazing.
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing your story.
And yes, I agree with you 100%. BMX and skateboarding are very closely-related sports and many of us who are into one are also into the other.
@@LearnBMXRacing It looks like your videos are inspiring a lot of people. BMX (back in the 80's) completely changed my life. I was starting to get into drugs and trouble, and BMX was the way out of that for me.
Thank you...excellent video . I'm from the 60s bmx and this helps me understand the evolution of BMX💯💯💯💯🎯
You're welcome. I appreciate the comment.
I always wondered about those bikes.
Now I dig it, thanks! 😃👍
You are most welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it and took the time to say so. Thank you.
An old video to watch that goes way back before your video you mentioned, is " Curb Dogs ", which I watched back in the day " 1986 "! Also, I used to race BMX back in the day, which was back in 1982-83. I used to Race at the Howard County Fairgrounds, which had a permanent track that stayed there for several years, and during the winter they built a track indoors in the big indoor buildings on the fairgrounds, each year they would remove it and then rebuild it again each winter. Well, eventually the wind up tearing down the outdoor track and didn't even use the indoor building anymore, it's quite sad to see the sport go away from where I lived and grew up racing when I was younger. We even had another outdoor track built behind the shopping center in Columbia MD, which was in Howard County and only 10 minutes from my house, and they eventually stopped using that track around the same time, maybe a year or two later, but it's sad to see it not be as big as it was when I was growing up in the early 80's. I've had Mongoose, Thruster Tri-power, GT Pro series that I have in the 2000's that had about $1,500 into it, I've had a Haro Freestyle Master, Hutch Trick Star and a few others, but I really miss riding, and I wish I would have held onto my Thruster Tri-power, because it's now a collector's item, so are Hutch Trick Stars, the older Mongooses and the old Haro Freestyle Masters, these bikes are now highly sought after. I paid $600 and something for my Thruster Tri-power back when they first came out, and they also had the Thruster Bi-power, which is also highly sought after, but I think the Tri-power sells for a bit more and is what people wants more.
I even had the BMX racing cards they used to give out, which had the ABA " American Bicycle Association " on it, then it changed to the NBA " National Bicycle Association ", so I had both.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's nice when people leave a long comment like yours, because it shows you really love the sport and appreciate my video. That's awesome.
Thank you for this in depth look into the evolution of the Scene. 👍🏽🙏🏽
You are welcome. Glad you liked it!
So very well said at the end about the dirt… ill make sure to pitch in and keep the DIRT… it’s.
Thank you. And your local track operator will definitely appreciate your help!
This was just lovely, thanks for this :)
You are welcome. Thanks for the kind comment.