Do you believe in Karma ??????????

[Funkyworm]

Something happened to me today that is probably the greatest thing that this BMX hobby could ever give to me.

But it’s the way this happened that I’ll never forget & i know will make a lasting impression on my life…

 I originally sold my Rickman Freestyler in 1994 or 95 to Non Stop Sport in Nottingham Chris AKA Sillyoldman used to work there at the time.

When i re discovered BMX nearly 3 years ago in 2012 the first thing i wanted to do was see if i had any photos of my old bike (i remember cleaning the bike up & taking some photos before i took it to the shop) but i knew i’d never had the film developed as i’d just been made redundant from my job & couldn't afford to get it done.

So about 2 years ago i went over to my parents house to look for the film,  my old room was full of junk that really i should have thrown out (weight bench snooker table old magazines & just general crap really )….

Anyway i found a load of old 35mm films that needed to be developed & i took all of them to the shop to be done in the hope the Rickman was on there but  unfortunately they were all photographs that i had taken for my work back in 93/94 so I'd resigned myself to never finding the pictures….

Fast forward to Last Friday when My nan died after just turning 101 years old.

I spoke to mum who was with dad in Cornwall & she was devastated about the news & knowing they were coming home the next evening (Saturday)  I decided to do something nice for them & to finally get rid of all my old shit (pictures in the wall, the weight bench my snooker table etc etc etc) & really making an effort to get their place as nice as i could (even bought mum flowers) & just about broke my back carrying the stuff down 3 flights of stairs.

After multiple journeys to the tip I came across 1 single 35mm film on the floor that id not seen at all previously that day. I have no idea where it came from but It had been fully rewound so i knew that it had been used so on Monday i took it in the the shop to get it developed (secretly hoping it was the images of my bike but not really believing it could be)….

Because of the colour coding on the film the chap told me that it had to be sent away as they didn’t have the correct chemicals for that type of film to develop it in the store so i left it with them…

I’d actually forgotten about the film as last week was crazy busy until this morning when i found the slip in my wallet so i decided to nip in to town pay my £6 & collect the photos.

To my amazement 21 years after giving her up there she was , (MY) Rickman Freestyler photographed the day i sold her in 1994/5
Im still i shock & actually very emotional & quite choked as i write this not because of what i found but how they these photos came in to my possession & that just by the fact that If i'd not done a good deed for the two most important people in my life one of the most precious memories from my youth might never have fallen in to my lap….

This week Ive also met a very nice lady as well so maybe things are finally starting to change around for me. Maybe it’s Karma, Maybe it’s me Nan looking down on me but either way I’m off to buy a lottery ticket…

Hope you like her (you wont like the angle of the bars) 

[Bob_Acid]

Nice one!  Looks like a parts search will be on the cards then?

[Retrodan72]

Defo a replica build there Callum.

Sorry to hear about your Nan. 

[danny silverstreak]

 

[dordymush]

I deffo believe in karma and that was a good reward for you.
Time to recreate that old bike me thinks 

[Funkyworm]

Could well be a replica build down the line yes chaps... 

Looks like tech 3's with MX 1000's possibly lee chi or formos copies but i don't remember buying this brake set up at all ....

I do remember that non of my brakes had the weinmann adjusters though as i had silver polygon brakes off of my zapper before this as originally it had all black parts on it.

 By the looks of things I must have been changing the parts over to blue which i have a vague memory of as i remember swapping my SR stem for this polygon one I think the chain ring might be an SR as well as the cut outs look pretty square ....

Deffo Victor bear traps,
Original CW Pro Bars ,
Alloy hubbed tuffs
Michelin whitewalls with panaracer tread.

I'd guess a Landar seat post clamp but i did have a black hutch donut before this (guess i was going for colour over substance).
Clarks Power glides.
Cheap tuf neck copy power disk (again maybe a lander one) as thats all we could get from the local shop in the next village...


Ah the memories !

[leehunt1]

Nice one callum ...

[Jono]

Got halfway through the thread ,,  nice photos .. .. ..  And no I don't believe in karma, I do however believe in luck,

[griff]

Dunno about karma, I do believe in tidying up after yourself though 

Nice find, wish I had a single photo of my old silverfox

[zombie_jesus]

Karma? No, I don't subscribe to it. Where are the images of the 'nice lady'?
Nice ride, too.

[dancetothedrummersbeat]

Great story there, and great photos. I'm thinking a resto thread, and re-taking the photographs from the same angles 

[chubby]

Karma? No, I don't subscribe to it. Where are the images of the 'nice lady'?
Nice ride, too.

You're back 

[MartyC]

Awesome find and goes a long way to explaining your bar position fetish 

[Mikku]

Am a definite believer in karma, fate and the like. Great story and save on the photos - so nearly lost for ever!! 

[animal]

Brilliant buddy 

[Flitch]

Awesome find and goes a long way to explaining your bar position fetish 

I think we all had are bars forward like that at some stage in our youth

[Jono]

Awesome find and goes a long way to explaining your bar position fetish 

  quality

[bigfatolly]

That's pretty cool.
I did a replica build of my chrome Rickman(which I still have) which was nicked in the 80s.
I always wonder what happened to it and hope it didn't go to the tip.
Haven't got the frame number so I would never know if it was still about or not.
Would be cool if you could find your old frame and fork !

[MartyC]

I reckon it's a cool find Callum, you should build a tribute/replica if you can, I did with my Scorpion and have never looked back or been disappointed with the build 

[zombie_jesus]

Karma? No, I don't subscribe to it. Where are the images of the 'nice lady'?
Nice ride, too.

You're back 

Chubby what up man? I be around here and there. Hope everything is cool. V

[chubby]

Karma? No, I don't subscribe to it. Where are the images of the 'nice lady'?
Nice ride, too.

You're back 

Chubby what up man? I be around here and there. Hope everything is cool. V

All cool buddy, nice to have you back bro 👍

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[Funkyworm]

I reckon it's a cool find Callum, you should build a tribute/replica if you can, I did with my Scorpion and have never looked back or been disappointed with the build 

OK Well 6 months on here she is (minus the bar angle) Chrome Rickman Freestyler built to the Spec the day i traded her in 1994. Not the Prettiest looking thing but something i had to build.

Spec:
Rickman Freestyler F&F With Frame & Fork Standers
CW Pro Bars
Oakley F-1 Copy Grips
DC Tech 3 Copies
DC MX 1000 Copies
Generic BMX Seat
Landar Seat Post clamp
Polygon Stem
Tuf Neck Copy Power Disc
Victor Bear Traps
1 Pc Crank
Generic Blue Chainring (most likely Landar)
Skyway Tuff II Alloy Hubs
Whitewall Tyres .

[CustardLips]

Not sure about the karma but nice story all the same. 

Nice job on the replica Callum. 

[deeman]

The replica looks great...you can't put a price on the memories a bitd rep brings! No ones bike looked like the show bikes do now! 

[factory pilot]

A great thread that somehow I missed... Fabulous stuff.. It's funny how life works out sometimes!
Loving the whitewalls ... Not seen as cool these days but I personally loved them BITD... They were the height of cool!