can this hobby survive long term without repro parts?

[bigfatolly]

i have only been into the osbmx scene for just over a year,but have started to notice it is getting harder and harder to find even the simplest of parts.
does anyone else have this problem?
ebay seems to be full of biagios overpriced tat,even on here people seem to be hoarding or keeping hold of parts for a rainy day,the for sale board seems empty of decent stuff compared to a year or so ago.
i suppose there would have to be major demand for companys to make repro bits but it may be the only way in the future to finish builds.
i fear people will just give up the hobby due to having to wait ages to get parts.
i used to be into classic vws and that scene managed to carry on due to large numbers of repro parts being marketed so people could keep cars going.
discuss

[southern andy]

People hoarding which they are entitled to do is one of the reasons why i buy completes now. It would have to be one rare frameset and cheap for me to be interested. I'm after a set of red snakebellie tyres for a future build but as soon as i bump the wanted thread it's off the page.
There are more people wanting now rather than selling.

The only thing i'm hoarding are sealed NOS number plates, but these are more of a collection to be honest. My only bike spares i have are chain rings and a red Uni Turbo seat.

[martylaa]

think it depends on the quality of the repops tbh

[Dingobmxer]

Biagio started hoarding over 10 years ago thats why he has you all by the balls now 

Dingo

[HARORIDER]

a lot of people probably wished now they done what biagio did,i remember him offering me mx1000 brakesets back in 2004 for £35 and i went for the 901's at £20 as i thought the mx's were too expensive
but i did buy a nos complete  haro sport in the box for £220

[meticulous]

i also got a nos quadangle fram and forks off him for £300 about 4 years ago....

most people realise its abad time to try to sell there stuff, so will keep hold of it for now, but as people change specs on there bikes and peoples lifestyle changes stuff will always turn up....

[sweetbeats]

We aint getting any younger and I can't see me doing bunny hops in my 50's so my gut feeling is that most old school fans will not have a market to get good bucks for rare parts in the future,the old school scene has very few youngsters involved compared to adults and will fall on it's arse more than likely.
The old school scene will become redundant in a few years -however vintage pipe and slipper sets will be fetching good bucks and I have seen Biagio at several boot sales stocking up.

P.S I know there's a few younger radsters that are into OS-But not enough to sustain a scene in the future 

[stuntmaster]

people come and go and stuff will pop out for sale as people move on or cut down collection`s and as we get older some of the stuff will resurface again as people will sell there stuff to pay for other things in life .
where will it be in 10 years who know but i bet the mid skool stuff and early inch 8 stuff will sell as kids will be men then and want there youth again like us   and some of the 80`s stuff could be junk then as i noticed in the chopper scene the prices have dropped a lot and biaggio came from that as well  .
i can see a lot of stuff for sale this year when spring hits

[dannywhiteley]

Ive saw exactly the same thing happen with the vintage Star Wars toy hobby (I used to collect big time).  The rise through the 90's, the levelling out and the slight drop off as the best bits get buried in collections never to be seen again and people get bored.  You always get the odd new guy to the hobby, but it takes something big to cause a major shift in collecting patterns.  The 'new' Star Wars films 10 years ago caused a major influx of new collectors (Olympics BMX 2012 anyone?), but they tend to be in it for the short haul, collect a few pieces then leave.  Only the hard core stay around for the duration.

IMO repro parts are not the answer to keeping the hobby alive (despite my post yesterday regarding twin pich flights and JDB beartraps).  It just waters it down a little, not really affecting the price of originals, but reducing the market slightly as many people are happy to settle for the cheaper, easier to find reissue part.  It keeps the part timers happy, but for the hard core the search will always be a major part of the thrill, the fact its a little harder to find nice pieces now compared to 5 years ago wont kill the hobby.  Its the scratching of the itch that will (i.e. building everything you always wanted to), and all the repro parts in the world cant stop that.
The majority of the members on here are probably 30-40, disposable incomes get spent on BMX parts, when these guys leave, thats when you start to worry as there will be very few following on.

[sweetbeats]

Ive saw exactly the same thing happen with the vintage Star Wars toy hobby (I used to collect big time).  The rise through the 90's, the levelling out and the slight drop off as the best bits get buried in collections never to be seen again and people get bored.  You always get the odd new guy to the hobby, but it takes something big to cause a major shift in collecting patterns.  The 'new' Star Wars films 10 years ago caused a major influx of new collectors (Olympics BMX 2012 anyone?), but they tend to be in it for the short haul, collect a few pieces then leave.  Only the hard core stay around for the duration.

IMO repro parts are not the answer to keeping the hobby alive (despite my post yesterday regarding twin pich flights and JDB beartraps).  It just waters it down a little, not really affecting the price of originals, but reducing the market slightly as many people are happy to settle for the cheaper, easier to find reissue part.  It keeps the part timers happy, but for the hard core the search will always be a major part of the thrill, the fact its a little harder to find nice pieces now compared to 5 years ago wont kill the hobby.  Its the scratching of the itch that will (i.e. building everything you always wanted to), and all the repro parts in the world cant stop that.
The majority of the members on here are probably 30-40, disposable incomes get spent on BMX parts, when these guys leave, thats when you start to worry as there will be very few following on.

Good points Danny 

[bigfatolly]

good points well made especially danny and sweetbeats.
same thing happened in the vw scene,big boom,levelling out and drop off.
as some have said though,this hobby is very age related,its means nothing to anyone who wasnt into bmx at the time.
can anyone seriously see this scene thriving in 10 years time?
time will tell i suppose.
for now though,i quite enjoy it

[dannywhiteley]

Big difference to the VW scene is that most OS bmx parts dont get used (in anger) whereas most old car bits do.  They get fitted to a show bike, then dismantled and sold to someone else to put on their show bike.  'used' will eventually replace NOS as the key term.

Ofcourse bits will get used round a track from time to time, but far more stuff gets refurbed than destroyed on a daily basis for there to be any serious shortage in future years. Lack of collectors maybe, not lack of parts.

[meticulous]

Big difference to the VW scene is that most OS bmx parts dont get used (in anger) whereas most old car bits do.  They get fitted to a show bike, then dismantled and sold to someone else to put on their show bike.  'used' will eventually replace NOS as the key term.

Ofcourse bits will get used round a track from time to time, but far more stuff gets refurbed than destroyed on a daily basis for there to be any serious shortage in future years. Lack of collectors maybe, not lack of parts.

thats what i wanted to say...   

[kirk]

Glad I did all my collecting ten or so years ago,  clearing bike shops of a car load of high end stuff and giving the guy £100 for the lot was a bit expensive back then.

Now then Dingo me old pioneer. 

[Waxintaxin]

fook who let the quo in 

[kirk]

Hell Yeah!! \m/  but what about my OBE then Wax me old pioneer amigo! 

[20to26]

I've also been wondering where all the good stuff has gone - and quickly too it seems. Has the hobby grown that fast in the last couple years that a lot of parts have become slim pickings?
Are guys just hoarding stuff for potential future "maybe" builds?

Although I like original bits as much as any other collector, I'll happily buy repro parts if I need them to finish a build that would otherwise stall & sit in a box. The original parts can always be added at a later date when, and if ever, they surface. And that's the BIG problem in this hobby - parts that we need may never see the light of day or may simply not exist anymore.

I can understand holding out for parts to match an oem or specific replica spec - but at what cost? Take for example Elina Turbo saddles (or Comp II tyres) - I "need" at least 3 NOS ones if I want "show standard" nos bikes - that just aint going to happen... if there were repro ones I'd have 'em and my 3 Kuwahara replica builds would be complete. I may need to settle for repro Kashi Aeros as alternatives and why not - they're not the ones I had on those bikes so they may as well be repro and not nos originals. A sad compromise.

It's a little disappointing not being able to replicate my bikes from BITD with the exact spec by using what's available on for sale threads or eBay. So much time and money has gone into sourcing all the other bits that I'd gladly buy repro Elina Turbo saddles or Comp II tyres so I can match my photo's and have my personal replicas complete. That would be extremely satisfying but obviously not as euphoric as having three originals that didn't cost me my internal organs...so if you have an Elina Turbo saddle please pm me LOL

Reproduction parts keep a lot of other hobbies alive too.

[jT Racing]

I've also been wondering where all the good stuff has gone - and quickly too it seems. Has the hobby grown that fast in the last couple years that a lot of parts have become slim pickings?
Are guys just hoarding stuff for potential future "maybe" builds?

Although I like original bits as much as any other collector, I'll happily buy repro parts if I need them to finish a build that would otherwise stall & sit in a box. The original parts can always be added at a later date when, and if ever, they surface. And that's the BIG problem in this hobby - parts that we need may never see the light of day or may simply not exist anymore.

I can understand holding out for parts to match an oem or specific replica spec - but at what cost? Take for example Elina Turbo saddles (or Comp II tyres) - I "need" at least 3 NOS ones if I want "show standard" nos bikes - that just aint going to happen... if there were repro ones I'd have 'em and my 3 Kuwahara replica builds would be complete. I may need to settle for repro Kashi Aeros as alternatives and why not - they're not the ones I had on those bikes so they may as well be repro and not nos originals. A sad compromise.

It's a little disappointing not being able to replicate my bikes from BITD with the exact spec by using what's available on for sale threads or eBay. So much time and money has gone into sourcing all the other bits that I'd gladly buy repro Elina Turbo saddles or Comp II tyres so I can match my photo's and have my personal replicas complete. That would be extremely satisfying but obviously not as euphoric as having three originals that didn't cost me my internal organs...so if you have an Elina Turbo saddle please pm me LOL

Reproduction parts keep a lot of other hobbies alive too.

 
why would you need re-pro pats? all them bikes in your signature are later stuff anyhow. easy to get bits for with a little patience.

[20to26]

why would you need re-pro pats? all them bikes in your signature are later stuff anyhow. easy to get bits for with a little patience.

....it's the bikes that AREN'T in my sig yet that are the problem JT...

[Waxintaxin]

I guess it depends what you collect
80s old school
or
80s lookie likee

everything comes up at some point , well almost everything lol

I guess its a waiting game now and the early collectors had a field day getting what they wanted ,easily and cheaply

so it boils down to what you want ,wait and collect the real deal or have a repro part and get it now

Rich 

[jT Racing]

premium parts have remained premium parts. there are no quick fixes without deep pockets. old school building/collecting is a long game. for this reason, it will survive.

[WARDY]

the early collectors had a field day getting what they wanted ,easily and cheaply

i would have loved to have got into this much earlier than i did , what ya wanted when ya wanted

[stidds]

You also need to think 'outside of the box' and do some real homework when building.  Too many builds go the MX1000's twinned with Tech 3 levers, Comp III's, Kashimax Aero, Araya 7x route, when so many different parts were around bitd.  Now don't get me wrong those parts are great, but not needed on every build.

[QUADROPHENIA]

You also need to think 'outside of the box' and do some real homework when building.  Too many builds go the MX1000's twinned with Tech 3 levers, Comp III's, Kashimax Aero, Araya 7x route, when so many different parts were around bitd.  Now don't get me wrong those parts are great, but not needed on every build.

can you tell radman that then sean

[stidds]

You also need to think 'outside of the box' and do some real homework when building.  Too many builds go the MX1000's twinned with Tech 3 levers, Comp III's, Kashimax Aero, Araya 7x route, when so many different parts were around bitd.  Now don't get me wrong those parts are great, but not needed on every build.

can you tell radman that then sean

No because his builds are fooking lush and I am scared of his short shorts