First retro: and first Old School BMX build…

[sevenfourate]

You may have been unfortunate enough to come across my ‘Retro build’ ra̶m̶b̶l̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ post. Where I wasn’t sure what I wanted to build. Be it road bike, single-speed, MTB etc 🙁 Or from what era. Or infact if I wanted a wall-hanger, a rider, something to enjoy and then sell-on or……(?)

Either way - this bimbled along in my brain for quite some time. Until an epiphany occurred 🙄 And I ignored all the above options and made a new and definitive choice ! I decided I really wanted to build an old school BMX. THE bike that really got me into a lifetime of cycling - and something I soo enjoyed at the time…..

Now most 40 and 50 somethings building a retro BMX do the same old thing. They build up the complete Skyway / Haro / Mongoose / Kuwahara / DP Firebird etc they couldn’t afford and never had in the day. Well I never had one of those either. And bikes evolved for me as I snapped / broke parts and replaced with what I could afford / what the local bike shops had in….

So that’s what I’ve decided to build.
Something that would have been personal to me, using parts I used at one time or another. With a slight twist:

It will be an Old School, single top-tube frame [For 3/8th / 10mm axles; and centre fixing / side pull brake calipers] - exactly as we’d all have been using in the mid 80’s. But with some more modem parts per-se: to make it more useable now.

So I’ll be using only NOS parts. And to include: GT Layback seat-post, Dia-Compe MX1000 brakes, Whitewall Freestyle tyres, One piece crank with Sugino Spider, BearTrap pedals etc - BUT coupled with more modern wide bars, up to date brake pads, more modern / longer grips - and a few other small creature-comforts to bring it a bit more up-to-date in terms of feel / ergonomics / performance etc

Oh: and I started buying some time ago. So I think I’m nearly there on parts required. It’s the Frame and Forks that’s going to need some work. When they arrive later this week. And then there’s the F+F re-finishing. Chrome would perhaps be proper Old-School. And I THINK I have a local contact to do that - on the cheap perhaps. BUT I also can’t get Powder-Coating in White out of my head 🤷‍♂️ THAT would make it look a lot newer / fresher / cleaner imo.

I’ll get some pics when I have a better pile of parts…….😎

 

[sevenfourate]

From the hundreds of likes; and pages of excited responses - I can positively feel the shared enthusiasm overflowing…….🤣

So: the hub of the build arrived today. A proper Old-School frame from 1983 or 1984 we think. To accept older: one-piece crank, 10mm axles and side pull brake calipers. Exactly what I’d have used when I started BMX’ing.

And this F+F IS representative of exactly the cheap, no Brand-name base I used then and wanted now. As this was what I genuinely started with - and put some nicer parts on: eventually upgrading to a much nicer F+F years down the line.

So the idea always was for this to be a true representation of. Not what exotica I had posters of on my wall, not the bike i lusted after; or the bike I so wished my not-rich Daddy would somehow buy me. No I’m making the actual bike I made my first cycling / BMX memories on. Pretty much…..

Anyway: after work I removed the forks, knocked out the bearing cups there and in the bottom bracket, cut off the chain guard tabs, and had to cut off original seat clamp as it had two tack welds on the inside.

Tomorrow Morning I can finish delicately smoothing off the welds from the above. Then decide on the finish. I know the colour I want. Just got to decide on an unbelievable quality and horrifically priced wet spray from my trusted sprayer. Or an ok quality (Will be a little ‘industrial’ ) but free PowderCoat finish through work. No middle ground is there !

Thanks for staying awake if you made it this far 👍

 

[sevenfourate]

While I’m not very long into building retro BMX No1: I seem to have now purchased No2 🤷‍♂️

A 1983 Puch Invader that’s almost entirely original and incredible for its age. Bit of adjusting / greasing and mechanically it’s amazing. And still on (Presumed original) Kenda tyres, Lee Chi brake blocks, pad-set, reflectors, all decals blah blah. Literally needed minimal elbow grease and 2 new inner tubes - to now ride fantastically. Might just leave exactly as-is for a man-cave ornament…..