My 2020 Challenge Radwood Stuff - Mazdeuce

I'm in for coming in last in a elbow to elbow race if i can find a period correct bike.   

mazdeuce - Seth said:

In reply to AngryCorvair :

I could 100% beat you head to head and you would have to relive my mullet floating away ahead of you for the rest of your life.

let's make it a 3-lap race and you'll be squinting from the glare off my sweaty melon!

AngryCorvair said:

mazdeuce - Seth said:

In reply to AngryCorvair :

I could 100% beat you head to head and you would have to relive my mullet floating away ahead of you for the rest of your life.

let's make it a 3-lap race and you'll be squinting from the glare off my sweaty melon!

 

Beautiful flowing locks of hair. Try and catch them. 

You're going to make me get in shape again, aren't you? 

Patrick said:

I'm in for coming in last in a elbow to elbow race if i can find a period correct bike.   

One of the reasons I like individual timed laps is that we can share bikes. Of course There is a non-zero chance the GRM staff will discover what we're up to when we show up with 25 BMX bikes and sculpted calves and tell us to behave. 

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

I'm sure we could set up our own course in the back half of the paddock in a pinch!

If anyone is feeling super flush with cash, this one is ready to go.
 

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/bik/d/fort-worth-1980-diamondback-pro/7009404788.html

My build is going to represent my experiences during this era. Some of my friends had "real" bikes with those fancy cable yokes so they could do bar spins and what not. Most of us had department store level bikes that came with chain guards and reflectors and coaster brakes that we tried to dress up to look like race or freestyle bikes. We built ramps out of plywood or dirt and jumped them and broke bones. We did our repairs with adjustable wrenches and vice grips. Flathead screw drivers were our tire levers. My plan is to keep the stem, handlebars and crankset, all of which sort of suck. I'll replace the seat post, seat, and wheels/tires. The frame will get painted, color to be decided. 

Starting with the handlebars and stem. Clamp style stems were all the rage, but lots of us had the traditional quill style stem. This requres the handlebars to have a smushed part on the crossbar to get them in and out of the stem. You can still find the stems because they were used on everything, but the handlebars are getting thin on the ground. These are rusty. Luckily painted handlebars were common, and repainting them was too. I think the stem can be cleaned up. 

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

I am digging the fact that even though we are all discussing the same Radwood era(80-99) that there are still distinct differences between the interpretations of '80s and '90s. Reading everyone's ideas of what Radwood is clearly shows which decade of the era their memories originate from.

Growing up in my trailer-hood you would never see that style stem on a BMX. I had difficult enough time accepting my top load, clamp down stem when all the real bikes had front load stems. 

Rock on!

I didn’t do the BMX thing but I do still have my 1989 Nishiki, elevated chain stay, black and crackle pink mountain bike.  It’s not the Alien but I can’t recall the model name right now.  I bought it at the Ambridge Bike Shop outside Pittsburgh in 1991 during my internship with Bayer.  

Edit-Pinnacle model using Suntour bits.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

You can still be in the gang, but you have to ride in the back. 

Think we can get the GRM staffers to let us use the timing equipment? BMX autocross sounds absurdly fun. 

Ermagawd!  Are 24" aluminum cruisers from 98 allowed?  That is my pit bike at champcar races...

Patrick said:

Seriously someone find me a ross piranha not at ebay crackhead prices 

Define eBay crackhead. I could be persuaded to pick through some of my bmx contacts when I was chasing my old Dyno. 

In reply to wawazat and wvumtnbkr :

Both of those bikes are rad and as such you are part of the gang. Bring it. 

Also- for those of you on the fence about whether or not grm would allow this- wallens is a big reason I've got the bike some of you saw me on at challenge. That slime green subrosa with the chrome pedals and the giant slide pegs? Yeah, wallens pointed me to the shop that had it. Also I know he's got several period correct if not actual period bikes in his stash. 

In reply to Mndsm :

I'm kind of waiting for him to stumble in here and geek out. It has occurred to me that the opening picture of my low end crap made him turn away in disgust. 

As someone that is currently involved in earning a living selling current model bicycles, please stop.  This is like telling all the kids today to watch "Chips" to see what Ponch and Jon are wearing off duty to pick up the ladies.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...  Just not right.

In reply to Mndsm :

I'm not paying $200 plus shipping.  

In reply to TeamMC :

In the last 15 years I've bought 11 new bikes for my family, most of them from local bike shops. Here, in this thread, we're playing with bikes and the nostalgia and good feelings they bring us. My bike was dragged out of the back of the shed. It's fun. 

TeamMC said:

As someone that is currently involved in earning a living selling current model bicycles, please stop.  This is like telling all the kids today to watch "Chips" to see what Ponch and Jon are wearing off duty to pick up the ladies.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...  Just not right.

 

We are old farts trying to remember our childhoods.

My kids ride new from the bike shop bikes with 80+ $ helmets.  They are 1 and 3.

TeamMC said:

As someone that is currently involved in earning a living selling current model bicycles, please stop.  This is like telling all the kids today to watch "Chips" to see what Ponch and Jon are wearing off duty to pick up the ladies.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...  Just not right.

 

We play both sides. When I'm not chasing mid 90s gt freestyle bikes- I'm spending 700+ on bmx bikes and parts I can't ride for E36 M3 because I'm 40 and fat. 

One of my favorite things about bicycles is their simplicity. Blowing this all the way apart takes about half an hour with an adjustable wrench, two box end wrenches and one arm in a sling. 

One of my least favorite things about bicycles is their lack of complexity. I can tap out the bearing cups, replace all the spinny bits for about $30 and then what? Look at it? All of the bearings on the bike currently are original and I suspect that if I had taken care of them they would be fine. If I replace them with truly cheap stuff then we're looking at another 20 years of riding. There is no complexity to draw me in and keep me there. In the end my love of simplicity is slightly greater than my love of complexity and I tend toward very simple bikes. Coaster brakes or fixed gear bikes are my favorite. Multi speed shifty bikes are fine and dandy and lovely to ride but I don't get emotionally attached to them. 

I raced a Kuahara back in the early 80s. Had some of the first Ti parts too. Wore ABA 6 on my number plate my best year. Knocked out a bunch of teeth and many stitches falling off that thing.

Passed it on to my brother and the family ended up selling it at some point. I wish I still had it.

In reply to preach :

I had a limited edition E.T. Kuahara, looked just like the one in the movie.  Of course I put a basket on it and used it to deliver news papers.  It was one of my favorite bikes.

rob_lewis said:

Oh no, now BMX bikes and 80's cars.  Am I going to have to make the challenge in 2020?  I've got a number of old school BMX bikes/parts in my attic.  I even have two GT Zoot Scoots, one in lavender one in pink......

I think you'd win the whole thing if you could find an '84 CRX, right hand drive, with a GT Pro Performer in the bike rack on top.  (Let's see how many old BMX guys know what I'm referring to.)

-Rob

 

Don't make me invite Eddie Fiola to this. 

Also, if anyone here wants to talk old school BMX at the Challenge, yeah, I'll bring some zines.