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SOUTHERN ANDY[/size]
1. Welcome to the Rewind spotlight Andy,you were a rider of ability back in the day bud, can you tell the members a bit about your history.Hi Paul, who told you i was a rider of ability
? They're obviously
insane lol. So History then. Basically my cousin during the 80's was one
of the UK's top Motocross riders, especially at schoolboy level and
later on to the UK National scene. I also wanted to do it but as so
often happens finances dictate the true reality of the situation.
For me the next best thing that came close to that was BMX racing.
I raced pretty much every weekend and covered so many tracks in the
south, when i say covered i mean i covered them in blood, i couldn't
stay on these little 2 wheeled things and when you had another 7 riders
all entering the same berm together there was carnage. and yes it was
generally caused by me. LOL.
Great days.
2. How did the fetish for bmx Number plates come about Andy, how many have you got and whats your most cherished plate in your collection ?I love plates, they represent a race bike in my eyes. I've recently sold
a few plates just so i can boost the old paypal account. I probably have
near on 30. My treasured ones are my sealed still in the bag Haro
plates. Circuit boards, Tech Plates and flo panels. I also have a fair
few Haro numbers and my two No1's are my favourite. I didn't earn the
No1's though like most people. I bought mine. Love them and plastic is
cheaper than rubber when it comes to a fetish. I have a few dinner
plates here aswell but these are too fragile to put on one of my BMX
things.
3. Your collection spans a wide range of brands from Halfords to Se Racing Andy, do you find its harder to restore the lower brand bikes because of specialized parts e.t.c ?Never really thought of that to be honest. I suppose i've been lucky in
that the lower end bikes i've got hold of have pretty much come complete
so i've not had to search too much. They've had a shed load of
restoration done on them though and only recently i came across a set of
Halfords turbo pads on ebay so i'm always looking to improve on them.
Still not fitted them though. They've been abandoned in the attic along
with loads of other stuff i probably don't know i've got.
My attic is a BMX museum scrapyard, they're stuff everywhere. A good
friend of mine off of here and RAD 9 MarkyP)calls me Steptoe because of
the crap i buy. Only recently i was after some Pro bars so i'm watching
a few sets over a period and finally win some, sling them in the attic
for one of my builds and there's already a set of Pro bars up
there.:-( You just couldn't make it up could you.
I'm always trawling ebay for bits and recently came across another set
of bars for sale which the owner didn't know what they were, i didn't
expect to win them but i did and a set of MRD expert bars are now here
awaiting a rechrome along with my Terry cable cranks.
4. You started racing in 83 Andy, all the way upto 87, what happened after 87 to put a end to your bmx racing ?I joined the Royal Navy so that took me away from Racing. Also BMX was
pretty much on the way out. The meetings i was going to had declining
numbers of riders so it was only a matter of time before we stopped
altogether and this coincided with me joining the forces.
sad really as it had been a major part of my childhood. Lots of people
were mega happy though as it meant they might finish a race in one piece
for once.
My bike was slung in the garage and not seen for a few years. When my
Dad decided to clear the garage out in the early 90's we decided to sell
it as i needed fundage to buy a house. Worst mistake of my life. I got
about £200 for it which i suppose was a lot compared to what other
people got for theirs but considering what it would be worth now. Ouch
basically.
I don't have a clue what happened to my other bikes. I had a DP GL
Firebird freestyler which i used for my paper round. Also a Goose and a
DB senior pro. I pretty much fell of these at every opportunity aswell.
5. You enjoyed freestyle also Andy, although you didnt set the ramps alight, you were a decent flatland rider, what tricks did you master, and can you do any today ?Freestyle.... yuk....LOL. I could never get on with ramps. I could do
kickturns and footplants but aerials were just a no no. I think the
highest one i ever done was about 2" above the lip. I think it was
something to do with that fact that most Quarter pipes were really
narrow and i was always paranoid about getting air but missing the pipe
on the way down.
I definitely preferred tricks on the floor. I could do most and i know i
can still tail whip today. I did a bunny hop once aswell LOL
My favourite was the cowboy but i haven't had the courage to try that
since i was 16, i don't have front brakes on any of my bikes neither, it
would help if i did. My Cowboys were very much brokeback mountain style,
arse stuck right in the air.
Freestyle is all about balance and when you can't walk in a straight
line you're on a no no straight away.
6. 5 years ago you bought a PC and found OS Bmx again, can you tell us what you built first and how your time in this hobby has been up to date ?It's been great, from Ebay to RAD to the museum and here. it's a complete learning curve again. I just can't believe what amount i had forgotten about BMX. It was my life back in the 80's.
My first Ebay purchase bike wise was a Nu School Huffy Primus, it was a top end bike that kicked back. without going in to too much detail as it's been well documented before, it ruined my body for at least a year of my life. I'll never be the same again.
My first Old school build after the accident was a Freeagent Limo, i still have this now and did compete on it in an Old school race at Bournemouth 2yrs ago. Incredibly i won. Admittedly i was the only Old schooler that turned up that weekend. LOL. I was put in a class with a load of young 15/16/17yr old wippersnappers. My gates were superb and i led pretty much all of the races until i run out of petrol and just cruised over the line for safety reasons. The last race that day i thought i'd give it 100% all the way round finishing 2nd after leading the whole way.
I did manage to crash in one of the motos though and i have that in my photobucket account. All you hear is my son shouting " Oh no not again" LOL
After my racing experience i decided to restore rather than spend any more time in Hospital.
7. Your rode a GJS back in 84 Andy, was this your favorite bike from the 80s, and are they any plans to build a replica in the future ?Restore a GJS, not a chance unless i win the lottery. No it was never my favourite back in the day. I had a GT pro but seemed to crash it most weekends for some reason, whether it was the geometry of the frame i don't know but we traded it at Hot wheels for the GJS some time after. I really didn't know at the time what i actually had then. It was fitted with JMC DY bars and 400 flights. I did love that bike but my DB senior Pro is the one i'd love to build more than any other now as that was my first proper race bike.
8. You have recently acquired a Fantastic Rickman Pro race frame and forks, can you tell us about this rare of rare frame sets and were you are with the restore now ?Don't know what you're talking about, never heard of them.
Nah seriously, the thing is lovely and i mean lovely. It's had a very hard life though and i hope i'm doing it justice.
It was previously owned by a guy called Darrell Wheeler and this is who i bought it off. Darrell was one of the top riders in the South, i think pretty much No2 behind MRD rider Anthony Howells.
The resto has been very slow and very painful due to the nature of the frame. Lets face it anything that has been on fire isn't expected to live long is is. It was well napalmed when i received it.
We're getting there though but i wish someone would sell me a Black Tuf neck chainring so i can finish her off. That is the only part i'm waiting on other than the stickers.
9. Bit of personal info here Andy, outside of bmx what else gets you up in the morning.Normally my alarm clock for work. I work 6 days a week so don't have too much time for other things.
I do my best to travel to football as i'm an Oxford United fan, i'm also a big PS3 fan and love the war games. I used to be nicknamed killer by a few on here, don't know why but i assume it's because i ran a pigeon over once.
10. Your close friendship with Phil Sawzall is well known Andy, has what Phil has achieved with his UK collection rubbed of on you in anyway ?Phil is a legend and was i think the first RADster i ever met, he's a lucky chap. His British builds are amazing and you just don't realise how good the British stuff is until you see it in the flesh.
I think Phils enthusiasm for the Brit stuff rubs off on everyone he talks to, not just me but he did open my eyes to it all and there and then i had to have an MRD and a Rickman. I was very very fortunate to get them both in 1 month after looking for nearly 4 yrs. My MRD though has to go down to MarkyP's excellent eye in viewing stuff at MK. I hadn't seen it until an excited Mark came wobbling up tell me of an MRD for sale. A bit of bargaining and trading and i was the proud owner of it. The Rickman came 4 weeks later from Ebay for a whopping £54.
11. Is building the thrill of the chase for you Andy, or is it all about the final build ?To be honest the chase is a nightmare and it's very frustrating, i've had most of the parts for these two builds for ages but the Rickman was in a state so it's been slow which has given me the time to pursue the rarer parts i wanted.
I didn't realise a Chainring was gonna be so hard to get though.
The final builds great though, you then just stand back and think,yes i like that, i like that a lot.
Receiving comments about them is the best part though.
12. Whats your thoughts on New school, and retro new school ?After the accident i don't take any notice of Nu school, i know it's a shame but i'm true old school all the way through i'm afraid.
13. Do you have a "Greatest Bmx" and "greatest Bmx'r" of all time Andy ?Greatest BMX..... No but if i was told to choose out of all the bikes around it would have to be a DB harry leary Turbo in black.
BMXer .... doubt you'd of heard of him but people like Darren Wood will know him. His name is Nigel Murphy. He was a Bournemouth rider and a few years older than me from back in the day. He was so fast and so smooth. If i remember correctly he rode for Team Hot wheels during the Kelloggs competition. He's still local to Bournemouth aswell i think. I heard he tried to make a come back a few years ago and had a massive off at B'mouth.
14. Have you a story from your history you would like to share with the members Andy ?The only one that i remember was at the DR Pepper championships at Poole. I was with my Dad next to the Dollies when Gary Llewellyn came up and sat on his bike next to us, i can't remember who he was talking to about the Dollies but my Dad butted in and said something like the Dollies were a right twat to ride and many a rider has fallen victim to them. Gary said something like" you're having a laugh mate they're a piece of piss". Gary's first Moto i think and he fell off in them. My Dad just burst in to hysterics, loudly aswell as Gary looked up at him. Twas funny. LOL. He proceeded to jump them after that and i have a corking photo of it.
15. So all that's left from the Rewind team is to say thanks for taking the time to do this Member interview and is there anything you would like to add that has not been covered ?yeah you're crap at PS3 games but Wardy's even worse. LOL
Nah, Paul it's been great having me mate, i feel very privileged. Not as privileged as you though for having me as a member.
Many thanks and i'm glad wardy has finally come out of the closet and admitted being gay.
