My Friends 80's BMX Collection

[Cletus Van Damme]

This is a GT Performer, so I believe

An Ammaco Freestyler

Another Amacco Freestyler that looks a bit different.

A Skyway, not sure the model, but I remember we all wanted one.

A Mag Burner, not sure how old this. The Ultra Burner I had, had U shaped dropout mounts.

Not sure if its of any interest to anybody, or how authentic they are. I can definitely remember some of them. This collection was acquired about a decade ago, not sure from where though..

The GT Performer is my favourite from an aesthetics point of view.

 

[I like Skol]

WOW! Raleigh burner. Burn em off on a burner..... I can remember the campaign even now. I'm sure it even ran on telly?

A good friend of mine had a gold Raleigh burner and I was well jealous. I was never allowed a BMX

Throw in some padding and I think this is it.

 

[I like Skol]

With hindsight it looks a bit...… BSO?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

With hindsight it looks a bit...… BSO?

Those old 80's bikes might have been heavy but they weren't really BSO's. You could beat the crap out of them riding off kerbs and launching off wooden ramps you'd rigged up using house bricks and a bit of scrap ply pulled out of a skip, and they didn't break in half on landing!.

 

[booze and cake]

That is cool, I had the bog standard Red Raleigh Burner with the yellow mag wheels, my brother aced me though as he had the gold one with black mag wheels. That Skyway one though, wow that was the Evil Kneivel bike of the BMX world at the time, those were iconic.

And they were capable of going a lot higher than most of us dared on our home made back yard ramps. I remember seeing the 2nd still pic in this link at the time back in 1992 and being blown away, as back yard ramps go this takes the biscuit. And if that wasn't terrifying enough imagine being towed into it by a motorbike doing 55mph while holding on one handed riding up a sketchy plywood runway......
http://xgames.espn.com/xgames/bmx/article/9135867/mat-hoffman-origins-bmx-big-air

 

[MontyVeda]

All my mates had proper BMXs but i had to make do with my brother's old Grifter, which I'd converted with BMX everything apart from the frame and forks. It really turned some heads at the meets at Middleton. Then I bought a black Ultra Burner with yellow Skyway wheels for £15. The freewheel kept slipping and they were a PITA, but a school mate really wanted them regardless so i sold him the wheels for £15 plus a pair of aria wheels, which meant i could give my dad the £15 back that I'd scrounged of him, and have an ultra burner that worked. Dad went bananas and I still don't know why.

The double top tube Torker was my go to and drool BMX though.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

All my mates had proper BMXs but i had to make do with my brother's old Grifter, which I'd converted with BMX everything apart from the frame and forks. It really turned some heads at the meets at Middleton. Then I bought a black Ultra Burner with yellow Skyway wheels for £15. The freewheel kept slipping and they were a PITA, but a school mate really wanted them regardless so i sold him the wheels for £15 plus a pair of aria wheels, which meant i could give my dad the £15 back that I'd scrounged of him, and have an ultra burner that worked. Dad went bananas and I still don't know why.

The double top tube Torker was my go to and drool BMX though.

View attachment 415717

Nice I've never heard of that one. Cool though, a bit like the GT Performer.. I remember Mongoose was a brand that cool back in the day too..

 

[Ciar]

Your mate has a lovely collection, those were bikes i could only dream of as a kid. i myself ended up taking a friends bent Team Murray BMX frame and building a bike out of it

To this day i still want a GT Performer and one day i will bite the bullet and buy one!

 

[Jody]

Are my eyes deceiving me or does the Skyway have a V-brake on the rear?

 

[Ciar]

it's definitely not a dia compe or maybe it is but a v brake as you said

 

[Jody]

V-Brakes were mid 90's where as Skyway were early to mid eighties.

Wonder if it origionally had canti's on it?

 

[Ciar]

V-Brakes were mid 90's where as Skyway were early to mid eighties.

Wonder if it origionally had canti's on it?

Well as i was riding BMX back then i only ever saw bikes with dia compe canti and brake levers which were stock to my knowledge in the 80's, the front of the Skyway has a canti i am sure it would have also had the same on the rear.