Author Topic: Early 90s Bully Piston USA made survivor :-) (Read 14001 times)

ED209 · « **Reply #25 on:** June 21, 2017, 10:19 PM »

Quote from: Jaymz on June 21, 2017, 07:15 PM

And a scabby 25.4 semi layback REDLINE micro adjust seat post

again ..scabby is the science .. will find out post size tomorrow

ED209 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 22, 2017, 11:12 AM »

Its here ... its lovely!

21" TT as well ... stoked

22.2 seat tube Jaymz so thanks for the offer but the redline post is out

Pickle gave me a GT semi layback ages ago tho so I'm sorted on a post

Jaymz · « **Reply #27 on:** June 22, 2017, 11:18 AM »

Quote from: ED209 on June 21, 2017, 10:18 PM

Quote from: Jaymz on June 21, 2017, 07:13 PM
How rough Ed? I've got a oddysey race seat that's perfect for it but scabby. Others a bit of era correct duct tape couldn't sort lol.

rough! pics please

shot you some on Facebook later petal

ED209 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 22, 2017, 02:27 PM »

Quote from: Jaymz on June 22, 2017, 11:18 AM

Quote from: ED209 on June 21, 2017, 10:18 PM
Quote from: Jaymz on June 21, 2017, 07:13 PM
How rough Ed? I've got a oddysey race seat that's perfect for it but scabby. Others a bit of era correct duct tape couldn't sort lol.

rough! pics please
shot you some on Facebook later petal

I can't handle mixed tenses

but I will spoke to you later about it for sure

Christhejob · « **Reply #29 on:** June 23, 2017, 04:54 PM »

The frame you've got there is a Bully piston STRETCH. It was in Go in mid 91. I ordered one from Trend when I went out to the states in August 91 but being me I didn't ask on the phone "is it the new Piston stretch with the wishbones?" and they sent me the older piston race frame (like in pics on page 1 of thread). Awful awful geometry. Lowest bottom bracket ever. You'd nearly catch pedals on the floor turning a corner with pedals level.
Then bully went away for a bit (RL pulled out when they all broke pretty much) so there weren't many piston stretches (I think Dave Bishop from Hastings used to ride one). Then when MCS took control of bully and relaunched it the piston stretch was renamed big block and all that with those awful shitty graphics.
So I'd say you got yourself quite a rare frame there

poorboyee · « **Reply #30 on:** June 23, 2017, 07:40 PM »

to be an authentic late-80s/early-90s BULLY you need to take an angle grinder to it, cut around the TOP TUBE and DOWN TUBE then repeat in other key areas

then re-weld it back together badly and spray it some really shit neon colour, finishing with lots of stickers to cover the bad paint job

no wonder they went nearly bankrupt..... or did they?

?

fugazi · « **Reply #31 on:** June 23, 2017, 10:42 PM »

Quote from: Christhejob on June 23, 2017, 04:54 PM

The frame you've got there is a Bully piston STRETCH. It was in Go in mid 91. I ordered one from Trend when I went out to the states in August 91 but being me I didn't ask on the phone "is it the new Piston stretch with the wishbones?" and they sent me the older piston race frame (like in pics on page 1 of thread). Awful awful geometry. Lowest bottom bracket ever. You'd nearly catch pedals on the floor turning a corner with pedals level.
Then bully went away for a bit (RL pulled out when they all broke pretty much) so there weren't many piston stretches (I think Dave Bishop from Hastings used to ride one). Then when MCS took control of bully and relaunched it the piston stretch was renamed big block and all that with those awful shitty graphics.
So I'd say you got yourself quite a rare frame there

Was the one you had painted or chrome Chris?

Edit : Did Bully do canti mounts that early? Ed's frame has them on......

ED209 · « **Reply #32 on:** June 25, 2017, 07:32 AM »

got some nice parts coming ... gonna start a separate build thread

fugazi · « **Reply #33 on:** June 25, 2017, 11:29 AM »

Quote from: ED209 on June 25, 2017, 07:32 AM

got some nice parts coming ... gonna start a separate build thread

I found a couple of those seats I was on about, I'll get a pic over to you, but I don't remember them being about in '91 if that's from when yours is?!

ED209 · « **Reply #34 on:** June 25, 2017, 07:17 PM »

Quote from: fugazi on June 25, 2017, 11:29 AM

Quote from: ED209 on June 25, 2017, 07:32 AM
got some nice parts coming ... gonna start a separate build thread

I found a couple of those seats I was on about, I'll get a pic over to you, but I don't remember them being about in '91 if that's from when yours is?!

Don't think it is from 91 - I showed Chris the other decals and it's a real mix ... so still not sure

Love to see the seats tho

fugazi · « **Reply #35 on:** June 26, 2017, 02:50 PM »

Ed is there a way of posting pics on here directly from my phone? Photofooket no worky...

Christhejob · « **Reply #36 on:** June 26, 2017, 06:28 PM »

Following some frenzied photo exchanges it looks like a 93/4 bully with some sneaky older stickers on.
My non-stretch bully was chrome. It were shite...

fugazi · « **Reply #37 on:** June 26, 2017, 06:52 PM »

We got there in the end!

Not the frame my mate ended up with then Chris as his was painted. I just wondered as there couldn't have been many of those 'non stretch' pistons in the uk? I now remember the real low b/b it had, even with short cranks the pedals would clip the floor a lot!
The headtube ended up parting company from the rest of the frame when it was treated to some 1" aheadset Mosher forks!

ED209 · « **Reply #38 on:** June 26, 2017, 07:43 PM »

I got onto the FB Bully page and got the following from Craig Fisher ( the guy with the Skyways in the Classic BMX mag )

" It's 100% a Piston, a genuine US hand built one. Don't listen to others as this is not a Hot Rod or any other like many think. This is a sweet score and you WILL NEVER bust this. One of the best frames to ever come out of the US."

... not sure why he is so sure? another guy posted his one without the brake mounts which looks similar ... but I'm not sure how you tell is this is a Piston Stretch with brake mounts ... or a Big Block?

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ED209 · « **Reply #39 on:** June 26, 2017, 07:53 PM »

It looks like a less beefy Rotrod ... like this ...

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but the serial is waaaay off ... 4217XX?

fugazi · « **Reply #40 on:** June 26, 2017, 08:12 PM »

Did this Craig fella say anything about the canti lugs? Whatever it is, it's something different & pretty rare so just carry on getting all the parts for it before you tie your head up in knots

Also, has that piston in the pic you just put up got a welded on seat clamp?

ED209 · « **Reply #41 on:** June 27, 2017, 10:20 PM »

Well this is another thing I have spotted ... that era of Piston ( early 90s ) doesn't seem to have brake mounts and also have a intergrated seat clamp... mine has neither making it more like the later models ... but from the pics I have seem, not as beefy.

As I said to Chris ... I'm not that bothered ... just like to know about things :-)

The forks are even more of a mystery ... they seem well build but no one has any info on what brand they are, or what this Rota System was

Andyboy77 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 28, 2017, 01:36 PM »

Quote from: ED209 on June 27, 2017, 10:20 PM

Well this is another thing I have spotted ... that era of Piston ( early 90s ) doesn't seem to have brake mounts and also have a intergrated seat clamp... mine has neither making it more like the later models ... but from the pics I have seem, not as beefy.

As I said to Chris ... I'm not that bothered ... just like to know about things :-)

The forks are even more of a mystery ... they seem well build but no one has any info on what brand they are, or what this Rota System was

I was looking at the Gyro-front, but couldn't find a thing - and I'm really into gyros. If it is any kind of rotor system, only Clint may know I think - as he always puts rotors in his museum thread I've never seen or heard of.
Regarding Rota System: There's a company making wheels for cars, a company that actually does bycicles but mostly road bikes, and then there's like a temporary employment agency. I couldn't find something BMX related.
Maybe the owner who did put these decals on, made them himself and ROTA System was to him something like a life motto: Ride Or Try At least.

ED209 · « **Reply #43 on:** June 28, 2017, 02:32 PM »

Ride Or Try At least. I love that.

I asked the guy who I got the frame from... and he went back to the guy he had got it from... and he had a bit of info.

Apparently they are made by a very little known company called Al Carter Cycles ... so I googled that and found them.

They seem to be a late 80's early 90's MTB company that dabbled in BMX .. found this on the museum.

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http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/al_carter_cycles/12054

Mark Munny had one for a bit but other than that theres hardly any info on them. It had the same costing as a DP GL Limited Edition ... that sort of Ni-Bronze.

Nice to have tracked them down.

Spen69 · « **Reply #44 on:** June 28, 2017, 09:29 PM »

Ed, Simon still has his Al Carter MTB from about 1990 when he was working in a bike shop in brum. Never heard of them before or since......

ED209 · « **Reply #45 on:** June 29, 2017, 07:27 AM »

Bit more info from Craig Fisher

"I rode for Bully from 91 to 94. I started with the piston pre-post mount, then around 93 I was given the newer 'stretch' with post-mount brakes, and approx 12 months after this I was handed the Big Block, the Big Block was created to be more race spec'd as the Piston was always more a street frame than race. The Big Block had std chain n seat stays and a slightly higher BB. Either way what you have their is a nice genuine Piston Bully."

fugazi · « **Reply #46 on:** June 29, 2017, 09:47 AM »

finally!

that pic of the Al Carter bike looks like someone cut up a Sport & a '95 GT and got busy with a welder

ED209 · « **Reply #47 on:** June 29, 2017, 11:33 AM »

Quote from: fugazi on June 29, 2017, 09:47 AM

finally! that pic of the Al Carter bike looks like someone cut up a Sport & a '95 GT and got busy with a welder

which is not bad for an 88 bike

fugazi · « **Reply #48 on:** June 29, 2017, 12:31 PM »

Quote from: ED209 on June 29, 2017, 11:33 AM

Quote from: fugazi on June 29, 2017, 09:47 AM
finally! that pic of the Al Carter bike looks like someone cut up a Sport & a '95 GT and got busy with a welder

which is not bad for an 88 bike

Visionary

Christhejob · « **Reply #49 on:** June 29, 2017, 06:14 PM »

Quote from: fugazi on June 26, 2017, 06:52 PM

We got there in the end!
Not the frame my mate ended up with then Chris as his was painted. I just wondered as there couldn't have been many of those 'non stretch' pistons in the uk? I now remember the real low b/b it had, even with short cranks the pedals would clip the floor a lot!
The headtube ended up parting company from the rest of the frame when it was treated to some 1" aheadset Mosher forks!

I got mine from Trend in 91 when I was at university in Illinois. Gave it to Ross Milne (cheeky monkey BMX) a couple of years later. Probably ended up in a bin after that as he ŵas occasionally doing flips on it....