So good to see a vintage section

[CDBMX]

I'm a new member here but have been involved in BMX restoration for about 8 years.
I'm a member of OZBMX here in Australia & of course the US site, .... BMX Museum.

My collection is almost exclusively the highly sought after Aussie made Quicksilver BMX. Not to be confused with that limp wrist fashion brand that can't even spell it right. I have about 15 Quicksilver BMX, Cruiser & MTB models.

My October 1978 built Quickie is the third lowest serialed example currently known & I salvaged it from the ashes of a bike shop that burned down last January after having made many attempts to buy it over the last 7 years.

I am able to use the frame, fork & bar as the rest  was too far damaged or melted to be useable again. The Cook Bros fork will be retained for another project & the Redline bar will stay with the new build.

As I write it has been blasted & powdered & about 80% of the era correct & correct date-stamped parts have been sourced but of course the last few parts are the most difficult.

With the comparative ease in accurately restoring the 1980 & later bikes I'm glad to see that the earlier pioneer bikes of BMX are being recognised.

I will post up some pictures as the opportunity presents.

[Jaymz]

We need some pictures of your rides dude

[CDBMX]

Not so much my 'rides' but some of my collection.

This was the dining room.

The '78 bike that I salvaged after the fire is the red frame on the left.

[insectbones]

Nice collection you have there 

The frames look the same as the Mongoose Motomag.

[CDBMX]

Mongoose?
Really?  How could that be I wonder.

In the six years that Competition Development were making Quicksilver BMX frames & bikes the total production run was less than 7,000.
Mongoose were producing something like 20,000 per month at their peak in about 1981.

I like the rare stuff.

Competition Development never grew to be more than eight staff members, three of which were frame welders, however there were never more than two welders on the job at any one time. [When one left to do other things in the company another one joined]

Fortunately all but one of the staff are still with us & two of the welders are forum members.
One of them still manufactures BMX frames of his own design to customers order.

[CustardLips]

Never seen a Quicksilver Bmx before but nice collection all the same. 
  to Rad mate. 

[CDBMX]

Quickies were a home grown product that were never officialy exported anywhere, although a very small number have turned up in New Zealand including a Liquid Smoke model.
It's currently restored & back here in Oz & is the only currently known example.

But this section is for pre 1980 so I will try to stick with that.

The early [1978] Quickies were first offered as a frame only, then  a little later as a frame kit with crank, chainwheel, B/Bracket, headset & little else, so any of these with period correct parts is an accurate restoration.

What I would like to know from the knowing, is whether the Shimano MX-10 UNbent lever has ever seen the light f day or is nothing more than an image in an ad.
I'd like to secure one but won't bother making a fool of myself in the wanted section if they never really existed.
I've not yet found anyone that seems to remember them

I think that this ad [below] is from 1977. Note that the centre bolt in the Tourney brake is not the usual conical type but is flat or even a little concave.
I have a July 1978 dated Tourney brake coming & it has the conical [pointy] pivot bolt so I am wondering when the change was made.
I also have a new pivot bolt assembly with the flat/ concave head so I can swing either way.

Anyway, any help or advice will be much appreciated.

[CDBMX]

Some more Quickie propaganda.

As previously stated, the first ones were offered as a frame only. This is the earliest ad that we have found so far. It shows one of the very first frames. It would be in Red [Racer Red] as this we the first colour but the text was writen after the introduction of the blue colour. [Blaster Blue] Note that it has a downtube sticker only. 1979 frames [same frame] had stickers on the head tube & seat tube as well. Mine was originally Blue & I will now strip the new red powder & re-do it in the original colour as it was one of the first batch of 10 frames to be done in blue.
The rear dropouts were a little different in the first frames & No.24 has them but we have no idea when they were changed, probably by No.50



The blurb essentially says that it is a Quality racing frame made uaing 4130 ChroMo sourced through the US aircraft industry. [It was bought from an aviation supply at Bankstown Airport in Sydney]
The design & balance has been developed through years of racing & it comes in two epoxy colours of Red & Blue.

It points out that the frame is Tig welded for max strength, has double gussets, accepts one pirce crank & hardware, accepts Ashtabula, Tange, Redline or Cook Bros forks. [They never carried the Redline or Cook Bros forks in stock]
It came with a rear brake bridge & was guaranteed [for 12 months] for racing.
The very first frame, the prototype, did not have a brake bridge & was raced with a coaster brake.
It fails to mention that only the three main tubes were ChroMo which was a common arrangement at the time.

[Gnarlyscoots]

I can confirm they did make them. In fact, I recently picked one set up.

What I would like to know from the knowing, is whether the Shimano MX-10 UNbent lever has ever seen the light f day or is nothing more than an image in an ad.
I'd like to secure one but won't bother making a fool of myself in the wanted section if they never really existed.
I've not yet found anyone that seems to remember them

[johnjo74]

My October 1978 built Quickie is the third lowest serialed example currently known & I salvaged it from the ashes of a bike shop that burned down last January after having made many attempts to buy it over the last 7 years.

 

[CDBMX]

I can confirm they did make them. In fact, I recently picked one set up.

My friend, you are a legend.
This would be ideal if I too could find the same thing so now I will redouble my efforts.
I will assume that there is a date code on the back of one of the stirrup legs.
If so I would be most grateful if you would let me know what it is.
According to one source the earliest ones started with "S" for Shimano, followed by a code for the year, ie SA for 1977 then SB for 1878 but I have only ever seen the standard year & month coding on them.
Is there a date code on the lever as well?

[griff]

Great thread, welcome to 

[CDBMX]

OK, here's even more Quickie propaganda

This image is the top half of another ad, like the one posted earlier.
It is a little more recent, we think later in 1979.
I also believe that the bike was built on the frame in the earlier ad. Note that it still has the single sticker on the downtube, a characteristic of the 1978 frames.

To customers order, the factory would build a complete bike like this, but in reality you either bought a frame kit & built it up yourself, or more commonly your LBS would supply all the components & build it for you.

The Ashtabula crank & three arrows chainwheel were standard in a frame kit.
The early TX500 straight leg fork was one of several factory supplied options.
Pedals were described as Rebuildable CroMolly Rat Traps, so probably KKT or MKS.
Garden variety Tange AW27 headset with unknown double clamp stem & black bars.
The blurb in the ad said Lightweight alloy hubs & rims with super grip knobby tyres. This is how a new bike ordered from the factory at the time of the ad would come but the photo shows a bike with no caliper brake & the strap for the coaster brake torque arm is visible on the left side chain stay in the picture so I suspect an ACS hub up front & a Shimano coaster brake out back. Rims "might" be Araya 7B's
Tyres were Cheng Shin

During 1979 Chrome finish had become available at extra cost

The picture shows the earliest known factory built bike.

[oldscool]

That looks the nuts. The one bmx that I dont have and need is a nice 70`s example.

[CDBMX]

QK, someone's going to have to wise me up.
1. Various forums have a red light for a couple of days but I don't understand why
2. I have been trying to reply to a OM as well but get the message that the member can't be found despite the fact that he is online.
3. There is a little yellow square under my user name that I don't see with other members & I'm not up on what this means either.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Retrodan72]

QK, someone's going to have to wise me up.
1. Various forums have a red light for a couple of days but I don't understand why
2. I have been trying to reply to a OM as well but get the message that the member can't be found despite the fact that he is online.
3. There is a little yellow square under my user name that I don't see with other members & I'm not up on what this means either.

Any help would be appreciated.

1) The red light or dot means that nobody has commented on that thread, since your last visit to it.
2) Not sure about this one, first time I've been aware of it. Mod's can help you here.
3) Only non Site Supporter Tag holders have the yellow squares, the more times you post, the more squares you get.

[CDBMX]

1) The red light or dot means that nobody has commented on that thread, since your last visit to it.
2) Not sure about this one, first time I've been aware of it. Mod's can help you here.
3) Only non Site Supporter Tag holders have the yellow squares, the more times you post, the more squares you get.

Thank you very much for that but I'm still confused. When I joined I tried to post in the new members area to introduce myself but it wouldn't let me post & that forum was red lighted at the time.
I presumed that it was to indicate that particular forum was offline for some administrative purpose.

Sorry but I should have proof read my previous post
I was trying to reply to a PM, not a PO but you already knew that.

Thanks again for your help

[MartyC]

Quality thread.

[OrgasmDonor]

those quick silvers remind me of my 1st BMX = KLM Atomic Star, low end bikes with great spec. Elina LB seat, arayas, comp ll tyres.

nice lookin stable 

[johnng23604]

Not so much my 'rides' but some of my collection.

This was the dining room.

The '78 bike that I salvaged after the fire is the red frame on the left.

sweet collection

[CDBMX]

I also have a bit of a vintage road bike collection, also stored in the house, in the lounge room which was behind me when I shot the picture & one of the bedrooms. No furniature, no TV, just bikes & large tubs of components.
Yeah, I know, pathetic isn't it.

[griff]

It wasn't Snapper that started the fire was it? Maybe he thought it would help get the paint off the frame

[CDBMX]

Despite an official investigation by both fire authorities & police that lasted several months, no actual cause was identified, but foul play was officially ruled out.
There was another Vintage BMX in the upstairs section & I am slowly restoring that too. See under the heading "Cooked Goose" in this Vintage BMX section.

[factory pilot]

  to  mate!
What an awesome collection you have 
Great to have our BMX knowledge expanded by some foreign exotica!
My dining room is crammed full of bikes and a garage conversion man cave beckons for sure 
Thanks for posting this stuff up bud!
Ant

[CDBMX]

Thanks Ant.

The bike furthest from the camera, leaning against the curtain was dismantled & the frame, along with some components, was swapped for a LiQaero Mini in a like for like deal. I did not like parting with a November 1982 Quicksilver Thruster frame, but I have two others & I did not have a LiQaero. [also made by Competition Development, the makers of Qiocksilver BMX]
At the time, only one other LiQaero Mini was known to exist so I think anybody else would have done the same.
The LiQaero Mini is the subject of another thread in the Old School Race section headed 'LiQaero, the last Quicksilver BMX'.

There are now three LiQaero Mini's in our list, all numbered lower than ten, which is all that I think were made. I'm a sucker for the rare stuff.