Be Excellent To Each Other

I used to ride BMX from about 6 years old until I was 15. Then I got into other things and stopped riding. I picked it up again when I was 23 and rode for five years. This time I was sponsored by a US bike company and got free bikes etc. When I was 28 I had a pretty bad wreck and did some bad damage to my elbow and my ex wife made me pack it in. I sold my bike I had at the time (an 80s oldskool SE ripper) and got a cheap bike (Mongoose SGX alu) and was going to stop the dirt/street and start racing. At least I would pick up less injuries. Thing is, every time I even so much as touched it my ex wife would panic. So I sold the Mongoose and haven't ridden since.

I'm not getting any younger but would still like to get about on a BMX. They're a fucking great outlet for mania. I'll just have to remember I'm not 18 any more and what took me seconds to recover from would now take months.

I have been looking at bikes for ages and wanted the Kuwahara as it was my childhood dream (they ceased production between 87 and 07) so I wanted one of those. Thing is they're pretty darn expensive and although I want a race bike (alu, not a battleship) I couldnt really justify spending that much.

After many many hours of searching the web I found a Haro Group 1 SR bike that when it was launched (in 02) was worth £500 or so. I found it new old stock for £150 delivered.

Canna fookin wait. There's some bloody good trails around here too and falling on dirt isn't quite as bad as slamming on concrete.

Nice!

Now don't forget to add A-Team flip-up cast on the main frame, little Frosties spoke-clackers and He-Man stickers. And give it a name.

I need to selotape a playing card in the tire so it makes a motorbike sound !

You might laugh, but when I did downhill racing, I had spokey dokies on my wheels.

Plinketty plink.

My bike is this colour. God, I can't wait. I could quite easily have loaded it onto the train this morning and hit the trails. Even though I am nowhere near fit enough.

Needs more LEDs.

I had the Frosties ones on my spokes too!

Looks good JC, perfect time of year to get back into it as well

Definitely. The last time I rode I admit I was scared crapless. The slam I had was pretty bad. I took off up the driveway at rocket speed and the wheel twisted, chain snapped and I got thrown head first over the bars (I was leaning over and must have been doing near on 30). All I had on were shorts, no top, and put out my arms to cover my head.

I landed with 13 stone behind it on my right elbow on a 1" sharpstone road. Basically out in the rural areas of NJ they put down what they call blacktop (tar) and then throw 1" sharpstone into it and press it in so that tractors etc can get grip. As a surface it's like grade 1 sandpaper.

Now I didn't look at the elbow but my ex wife said she could see the entire ebow bone joint moving. I was out of action for about three months. They had to pull the skin around from my arm and stitch it closed with a tube in it so it could drain.

I think I'm just about over that now and raring to go

30 mph on a standard 44/11 setup on 24 inch wheels is a cadence of 105rpm. That's quite impressive.

Good! Should do you a world of good, this

Be careful though. My friend, the deathmonger, is going to be a dad in the next five to ten days and has just managed to fracture his elbow by riding, unsucessfully, down a flight of steps.

Happy new "wee bike"

Couple of things;
Pad up, I'm a few years younger than you but I still can't take knocks the same way I used to.
Check to see if inside the stem & the bars need sanded, Haro like to paint stuff where you'd rather they'd grip better.
Keep an eye on the bends at the top of the bars (next to the grips) they've a habit* of bending slightly and/or snapping with surprisingly light use (it's more like a tear than a clean break).
Never known of any problems with the frame though, so you're onto a winner.
*2 out of the 2 SRs that I knew of had faulty bars, along with various other Haros produced around the same time (they were exchanging them for 4-piecers back then, might still be). Small sample I know, but best to keep an eye on them just in case.

Can I ride it if I like?
Has it got a basket?
A bell that rings?
And things to make it look good?

Ah ok. I was considering the bike back in 99. It was very similar, frame possibly identical?

Before that I had a Shredder pro and a Cosmo. Shredder was fine and sold on, Cosmo snapped (the chain was eating at the back end as the dropouts were badly welded and totally not straight). What made me happy was Haro USA sending me a Blammo Mirra on 48 hr delivery as a replacement.

Any way, over the SR I built a Quadangle (the 98 alu one). Had it about three weeks and after spending over a grand on it (peregrine super pros fusion 3pc etc) I got hit over the head with an iron bar in Brixton leaving work and never saw it again. So this could be an ironic bit of karma.

I always replace my bars any way. I'll either use knee savers or Strip Bars (if you can still get them).

Not sure I will need pads any more tbh. I don't think I'm going to be going bezerk as much as I used to. That's partly why I brought a race bike because it'll stop me gapping it.

I do know that a BMX is an amazing outlet for the mania that comes with my bipolar. I just need to stay on the ground

Incidentally all this talk of BMX & racing has reminded me that the Scottish Series starts on Sunday. I was considering entering this year instead of only turning up for the Open in September.

If I can get my weight down enough and my knees don't feel so fucked when I am lighter and less stiff I may consider getting into the race scene. When I was 23 I started riding again and got the Shredder. Got rid of it for a Schwinn Hydramatic. Best bike I ever had. Had a couple of others with it inc Standard STA (TAAANK) and a Jad Sherman (I was sponsored by JAD to try and break it). I failed. I did crack the bearing cup in the headtube though by riding it down a fire escape two stories high !

I had a Hoffman Condor. Worst bike I ever had, what a hoopty pile of shit ! The front wheel was like 5" out in front of the forks.. Very very strange bike that one. I got a Standard Shorty for flatland but never got into the flatland. It was a great bike for hop off gaps though

The Quadangle was built for riding to and from work (3 miles) and was going to calm me down and get me into racing. I haven't raced since I was about 13 so 23 years

It just depends on my fitness really. I've packed up smoking now but I'm heavy and my joints are not so good (inc my back). However I'm hoping that most of the pain is due to me being a bit on the heavy side.

DG Tweeeet hooooome
\

With Doc's science we can fly over the moon yay.

Wow what a weird day. I spoke to them on the phone yesterday arvo about maybe swapping the tyres. They said that they couldn't. Fair enough. I suppose if I went into a shop and paid top money I would get away with it or get some free road tyres (as I have in the past).

This morning I get a shipping number sent saying the bike would be collected this evening by DHL.

About 40 minutes ago I got a phone call from the company saying that just as a last minute nagging thing (because I phoned) they pulled the staples and checked the box. It had a pink girl's bike in it.

I was gutted but I had a feeling from the off that I just wasn't meant to have that bike. Other wise I would have gotten it years ago when I thought about it. Good news however? Well the bike I was originally eyeing up but couldn't afford? I'm getting it, a 2010 model, for the same price

Touch !

Result!

You should have just got the little girls bike.

You turned down a pink bike??

i had my Schwinn Hydramatic painted metallic bubblegum pink. It had gold stickers and looked fucking incredible. So incredible that I got £400 trade in (what I paid for it) and they used it as a competition prize in a magazine (Evans Croydon)

?

Nice Alienware.

Take a ride in one of these if you get the chance, and fancy yourself as a xtr33m cyclist. Really – I couldn't exaggerate how much leg muscle you need to propel this up more than a 5° slope.

What the fuck does "arvo" mean?

It's 'afternoon' in the dialect of the Australian people.

It's her that sung the Burny P Russian Roullette song "Girlfriend" innit?

Fuck them, they are cunts.

One of my old iron horses from the 90s. Standard STA 500. 4 piece strips, sta seat post, forks, peregrine super pros with an awesome Fishbone detangler.

Best part of a grand.