Ardwick sports centre .

[noritake]

Hi all from the manchester area does anyone remember ardwick sports centre the double quarter pipes and the ramps ?

[meticulous]

i remember too, used to catch the train down and pedal across, once nearly got mugged in the subways, my mates just fooked off laughing while these too blokes punched me....

i remember winston as well (if he was the stocky black lad that was quite good)   

[bof]

I remember ardwick.  We too had trouble with locals we had to make a sharp exit in taxis. Luckily we where only skating that day. I remember winston too he was mad as a box of frogs. Hated the quarterpipes therethough

[noritake]

 :)hi glad to have some feedback yes i remember winston jones andy preston and mike pardon used to go as well ,i used to ride a gold race inc .

[hotdog]

Had an email from Winnie this morning. He lives in Brisbane and would dearly like a Haro Freestyler again but they ain't cheap. He's on Facebook I think.
The only lad I knew with a gold Race Inc. was Phil from Heaton Moor. I used to work at Ardwick. "Salt of the earth," those Ardwick locals 

[meticulous]

I remember ardwick.  We too had trouble with locals we had to make a sharp exit in taxis. Luckily we where only skating that day. I remember winston too he was mad as a box of frogs. Hated the quarterpipes therethough

the guys that fooked off bof when i was about to get my bike stolen was non other than AZE goddard.....   

ardwick leisure centre was was in a real rough area of scumball Manchester, should have known better to ride through the subways....

and why the fook did they ever build quarter pipes like that, in 3 stages, like hitting a brick wall when you hit the lip...

[hotdog]

Had an email from Winnie this morning. He lives in Brisbane and would dearly like a Haro Freestyler again but they ain't cheap. He's on Facebook I think.
The only lad I knew with a gold Race Inc. was Phil from Heaton Moor. I used to work at Ardwick. "Salt of the earth," those Ardwick locals 

How do you know Winnie then, just from there bitd? how's he doing these days?

I have tried to look him up on FB before but the hits result for the name Winston Jones is huge!

Bru 

A group of us,including me,Winston & Duncan (Worzel,later a pro skater on Deathbox in the late '80s) used to skate M/cr in the '70s and then caught the bmx bug in 80/81.
The early wooden ramps at Ardwick were built by the city councils own joiners,a crude attempt early on in the freestyle bmx evolution.
I'll get him to post on here,if you like. I know he's 'friends' with Andy Ruffell & Turry Jenkins on facebook.
Here's some photos of that Ardwick era.

Andy Preston


Duncan 'goin big' on the wooden 1/4 pipe on his chrome Skyway TA. Andy Preston looking on in the background.


A couple of years later and we scrapped the wooden 1/4 for a couple of Rickman's. Me riding Cheekythirtysix's Skyway.


Then in '84/85 we got the funds from my boss to built a quality vert ramp. Fiola rode this (behind closed doors) after a demo he did at
Ardwick,he loved it!

[hotdog]

The shop in Stretford was called VSS BMX. Run by a man called Neil. I rode a GT for them in 1984.

[hotdog]

Cheekythirtysix is called John. Don't remember Justin. Think the shop in Altrincham was called American Connection.

[Redline]

Here's a couple of me at Ardwick BITD... used to love catchin the train and goin there 

John

[Redline]

Cool pics John 

Did you see that Winnie has joined us here on Rad 

Bru 

Yeh buddy... would be good to hear from him for sure 

[brummie]

great pics john
is that the skyway you were on at mk mate?

[Redline]

great pics john
is that the skyway you were on at mk mate?

Sure is mate.... kept my TA from new since 1984 

[bof]

Yeah John knows Justin well, hence I thought you might know him too.

That was it American Connection 

Bru 

American connection was that the shop run by Simon Wright ?

[Redline]

American connection was that the shop run by Simon Wright ?
[/quote]

Yeh American Connection was owned by Simon Wright and his mum Eileen. Neil Hargreaves was Simons uncle who also worked there. He produced the "Hustler" frame & forks exclusive to that shop. The Hustler Freestyler frameset was based on the Haro Freestyler geometry and the Hustler Race frameset was based on the Hutch Pro Racer. Both Framesets were made from Reynolds 501 tubing 

[pickle]

awesome piccies! 

[Winston Jones]

Anyone remember the name of the guy that rode a TRM Freestyler bike? ln the lste eighties I know he was also into wind surfing. Also Neil that ran VSS cycles in Stretford, VSS stood for value, service and satisfaction, the shop befor Neil took it over was called the "Village sweet shop" he used the same letters and came up VSS cycles.

[noritake]

  hi winston phil here gold race inc i think it was sean johnson who had the trm he had a brother jason ,i have some photos of sessions from ardwick and some of you me and sean doing a demo in charlton in all your haro gear ,i will post up soon when i have got the hang of the photo bucket .
forgot to mention glad you are well and hope you are enjoying life .

[Winston Jones]

Hey phil, good to hear from ypou and I'm sure your right about Shaun. Would be great to see some of the old picks, how are you doing these days, I think Andy Preston told me you are a landscape gardner these days? Still in touch with him? I chatted with him on Skype not too long ago. check out my facebook site as I have some old school photos there. Take care and keep in touch, nice to get back in contact with people from that era of my life, fondley remembered.

[flippi]

hey.... yes i remember ardwick ..... loved it, so many great local riders there andy preston, winston, carl hughes, tim stamp, mike pardon, phil chapwood, great days ..... ive just built a rider and im planning to give it some again... well a little bit anyhow .... great pictures there.... if u remember carl (ashton bmx rider) he just recently got a face book group going and is actively back in the sport.... come check him out over at..

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1399726146943801/?fref=ts

thanks for the add here.... and just want to say im fully addicted again .... with the bike building anyhow ..... ive already started the next build a 77 race in RA-7

cheers

[flippi]

did any of u guys make the opening of the all new bruntwood park track... looks great.... think stampy was there too.

[djcarlos88]

Jeez! Winston. Phil. Stampy. Andy Preston. Steve (flipper) Ardwick etc etc. You lot need to join our Facebook group "Renegade bmx old to new school" I've posted loads of old fotos including some of me on the quarter pipe at Ardwick and Eddie Fiola at Ardwick. Join the group and check em out you'll see em in the foto archive. Winston... have you still got the copper coloured streak in your hair? You tried to convince me to get one but I knew better lol. Phil (Gold Race Inc) I've got some fotos of me bunnyhoppi g your skateboard on Andy Preston's Redline Proline near your house!

[BMX1973]

  to   

Great pictures on this thread 

[hotdog]

Ardwick '84.

[beast rampz]

I used to ride at ardwick sports centre  we used to jump on the train without our parents permission and go down their I remember it being a bit of a dodgy area at the time who would have thought 30 years later id own a skatepark a few hundred yards away from where it all started and one of the guys who helped us build it Tim Stamp used to go to ardwick sports centre  as well, Tim often comes to the beast for a roll around feels like ive gone full circle.