Tonight, A Dream Has Died...

[Retrodan72]

...and if I'm honest, a little part of me. 

With Radchester upon us tomorrow, I realised I no longer have 11 completes, I in fact have 11 bikes that all either have bits missing, or need setting up.

The Patterson I rode at MK has a puncture, AGAIN!!! 
The GT I rode on Carl's ride in July has the pedals on one of Pickles bikes,
The DP has Z-Rim decals on that I want to stay on etc etc,

The others all have had bits nicked off them for other bikes...except one.

I decided I'd take my beloved 1985 Piranha Freestyler, the same bike i owned and loved bitd, for its maiden ride, so I pumped the tyres up, took the nylon washers off the rear drops, set the wheel to the correct chain tension, tightened everything up, got it match fit basically.

So, I took it for a spin around the block.

I can honestly say, it was dreadful, the worst bike I've ever ridden, it felt like I was riding a farm gate, way too short, even shorter than a Burner, the headset is a small one from a road bike and is impossible to get a decent steer with, too tight, but if I back off the locknut feels like the front end isn't attached to the frame, horrendous. 

I also know that we all look tools on kid's bikes, but I was really aware riding this and felt like I was really high up and on top of it, not comfortable at all.

It's back on its stand now, in the man cave. To be fair, as I closed the garage door, it looked really sad sitting there, it was like it knew it had failed me.

I guess the feeling I had back in '85, that I so desperately wanted again, just ain't going to happen.

 

[Jt]

Have 4 Stella's for breakfast.

Be like riding Pamela Anderson.

[Gashead]

Get an inner tube and ride Patty



 



And smile

[kungfunky]

Cruiser.

[Mat]

Bring the piranah, gotta love a British povo-machine. 

If mine holds air tomora the technicolor dream sport can have a year off.

[Retrodan72]

Cruiser.

A sat on Rich (Waxintaxin's) Floval last week Ask, and it did cross my mind.

I'm not building now though, so will just ride race bikes I reckon.

[kungfunky]

The other and better option is a 26", I ride my OM Flyer and it's great. But if your not building anymore just sell a couple and buy a complete.

[Retrodan72]

The other and better option is a 26", I ride my OM Flyer and it's great. But if your not building anymore just sell a couple and buy a complete.

Haha, but I'm not riding anymore either, the baby will be with us in October Ash, so Radchester's me last one, for a while anyway.

[dancetothedrummersbeat]

I know what you mean Dan. The weather is looking ok tomorrow, so i'll be on my Falcon Pro, the same as my old bmx from bitd. I took it for a spin round the block when I finished building it, and although I love it as a piece of nostalgia, it rides terrible compared to my other bikes. I like to ride all my bikes in rotation, so it'll be defo coming out tomorrow, but it's certainly at the bottom of the pile for rideability.

[bodamus]

Piranhas are awfull to ride always have been stick to riding the Patterson or even a new school bike.

If you get rid of the Piranha Freestyler at any point I would be interested though

[midschooljon]

Golden rule of BMX collecting, Never ride the bikes you have the fondest memories of... Your memories will be shattered!!! 

I have a NS bike that i ride and it feels fantastic. Do I love it like the old ones? Definitely not, but it rides 100% better. All the others are collected and restored for nostalgia, which is why I love them, but it only takes one ride on a NS bike to realise that bikes have come a long way in the last 20-30 years. 

[Retrodan72]

Piranhas are awfull to ride always have been stick to riding the Patterson or even a new school bike.

If you get rid of the Piranha Freestyler at any point I would be interested though

It's not going anywhere Ian, same as the last time you asked me. 

 

[BMX1973]

Still holds memories, thats the main thing. 

[fischflo]

exactly, ride the piranha for once, only for old time's sake

that old farm gate

[Retrodan72]

Still holds memories, thats the main thing. 

Definitely, I've just been spoiled riding the Patty, GT and Supergoose. 

[animal]

Get on it  Snob 

[Retrodan72]

Get on it  Snob 

You know I'm no snob, I was drinking with you this time last week. 

[pickle]

Sorry about the peds Dan 

[Pooch]

Sniff on the sock and boom.. Be finger blasting before you know it..
And yes! They do ride for shit.. But we all know that.. 

[kungfunky]

The other and better option is a 26", I ride my OM Flyer and it's great. But if your not building anymore just sell a couple and buy a complete.

Haha, but I'm not riding anymore either, the baby will be with us in October Ash, so Radchester's me last one, for a while anyway.

A baby changes everything for the better, can't believe mines 1 already. My entire collection is for her so selling loads of it to put in trust funds for her was amino brainer.

[Retrodan72]

Sorry about the peds Dan 

No need to apologise Rob, no rush for them. 

Thanks for the soundest advice ever given Pooch. 

Ash, that's a great way if thinking mate. 

[Gary72]

Nick an inner tube out the Piranha and put it in the Patty, 10 mins work

I did the same a few years ago, Built a Torker like the one I had stolen as kid, Rode it no more than a mile, Took it apart and sold it. Was like riding a plate of jelly.

[animal]

Get on it  Snob 

You know I'm no snob, I was drinking with you this time last week. 

Ur joking bud . Ur 1 of the propa beer gangsters  pint with u 2 night u star 

[Spen69]

Have 4 Stella's for breakfast.

Be like riding Pamela Anderson.

Sound advice there Dan from our very own master of no-nonsense talking

But I feel your pain my friend - you need to get a newschool that looks oldschool and then you can ride it anywhere and still look daft

Enjoy Radchester mate and get ready to sell your entire collection to pay for a holiday or two like I did. Ash's trust fund idea is a cracker but we enjoted drinking my collection on a great beach or in the Rockies which the kids loved as much as we did. But keep the Piranha mate

Hope to see you in a few houra but my escape tunnel isn't finished yet

[Retrodan72]

Yeah the Piranha is defo a keeper, purely for nostalgia purposes.

The original one I got BITD was paid for by my old man in July '85, it was during the summer shut down at Vauxhall's in Ellesmere Port, there was none of this BACS payment straight to your bank autopay shite then, it was £20 & £10 notes hanging out of a brown envelope. My old man took me to the bike shop on a Saturday afternoon and pulled out the notes and paid for it.

I think I paid for half the bike myself using money off my milk round. Also, my parents used to smoke 60 Embassy tipped each a day, Embassy used to insert a gratis card inside the pack, so if you collected enough of them, you had like gratis points where you could cash them in or exchange then for gifts. My mum had collected these vouchers for about 5 years, and they were all in carrier bags under the stairs. My mum said that if I counted them all, I could use the value of them, exchange for cash and pay for the bike, which is what happened.

So, I've owned 2 of these now, and both tricky to get, it will be with me forever, just from the memories it brings.