Author Topic: neil ruffell (Read 24996 times)

RATTY · « **Reply #25 on:** September 23, 2006, 02:32 PM »

Last time I heard he had an estate agents in walthamstow, I cant be sure who I heard that from so I stand to be corrected!!

skywayman · « **Reply #26 on:** September 24, 2006, 01:10 PM »

Does anyone know what Neil's famous orange bike was?
I always, at the time just thought it was a Skyway, but i notice it had a double top tube...
Correct me if i am wrong but i thought all skyways were single top tubed thats why they brought out the Skyway Platform

P0LL0 · « **Reply #27 on:** September 24, 2006, 01:19 PM »

Skyway streetbeat.......no double top tube fella.

Mail Dordymush for a pic of his replica!

Cheers

RH

skywayman · « **Reply #28 on:** September 24, 2006, 01:38 PM »

Kellogs 1985, definately had double top tube, Haro style..on the orange bike

FuNMoNsTeR · « **Reply #29 on:** September 24, 2006, 01:57 PM »

The Double Toptube bike was a Holeshot i think..... The company Andy started. The orange bike was a streetbeat with double tubes around the seat area like the GT Performer and one single toptube.
This is the Holeshot..... I reckon GT found inspiration here and used the design for its later Master frames:

skywayman · « **Reply #30 on:** September 24, 2006, 02:00 PM »

Cheers for that.

I am planning on building a replica, Never heard of Holeshot Frames?

So dordymush's replica is wrong then?

macmark · « **Reply #31 on:** September 24, 2006, 02:01 PM »

No it was the Streetbeat. It has a single top tube in to a double top tube around the seat post area.

Take a look in the museum under skyway.

Mark

skywayman · « **Reply #32 on:** September 24, 2006, 02:03 PM »

What is a Streetbeat?

Bob_Acid · « **Reply #33 on:** September 24, 2006, 02:45 PM »

hmm, that holeshot's a new one for me. Anyone got any better pics?

joestup · « **Reply #34 on:** September 24, 2006, 03:22 PM »

it was skyways freestyle bike which neil ruffel used to ride be4 ridin at holeshot

Trev · « **Reply #35 on:** September 24, 2006, 04:02 PM »

Neil rode the orange skyway street beat until king of the skateparks in 1985. it was a single top tube, but it was more or less like a double top tube welded together, so the top tube had a sort of platform. it then had a proper platform area around the seat post as most of the freestyle bikes had back then. After king of the skateparks 85, Neil got sacked from Skyway and rode for his brother Andy's company Holeshot. They brought out a frame called the Holeshot RF1 which Neil first competed on at Holeshot in November 1985. A very rare bike now. I was going to buy at the time, but for some reason didn't. Hindsight is a brilliant thing...

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #36 on:** September 24, 2006, 07:42 PM »

Neil and Andy Ruffell turned up at Rom one day back in the late 90s. I recognised Andy pretty much straight away - he was riding a Raleigh of some description. His brother, who i barely knew back in the day, didnt look like a rider at all. Big crazy hair, big crazy beard and those glasses; I thought he was just some Andy Ruffell groupie.....

Only after speaking to my old riding buddy did I realise it was Neil. My mate went on to tell me that he had had some troubles in his life perhaps mental health issues, depression, whatever, don't really know what.

Tragic to hear of anyone who finds themselves in a place where taking their own life seems like a viable option... Equally tragic that BMX seems to attract people with these issues - Neil is not the first bmxer to take his own life and sadly i'm sure he wont be the last.

R.I.P. Neil.

Trev · « **Reply #37 on:** September 24, 2006, 07:50 PM »

Quote from: Carlo Griggs on October 07, 2005, 08:16 PM

He was an amazing rider with a great style... If you saw him with those glasses on in the street you would never thought that he could ride how he did....

i was a 13 year old kid when we rode together and it seems like yesterday... I still remember he used to call craig campbell Camps...

Riders like neil where the ones we used to look up to and gave us all great memories..

Never a truer word spoken.

skywayman · « **Reply #38 on:** September 24, 2006, 08:19 PM »

Yes RIP Neil.

It was exactly 2 years ago last week.

I only found out a few weeks ago.. its really sad he felt like that was an option especially when you look back at him in the mid 80s.. All the fans he had and kids looking upto him.

I guess some really bad things must have come into his life

BrianP · « **Reply #39 on:** September 25, 2006, 10:10 AM »

Quote from: skywayman on September 24, 2006, 02:00 PM

Cheers for that.

I am planning on building a replica, Never heard of Holeshot Frames?

here's an old flyer showing the holeshot rf1 frame...

Bp.

SaMAlex · « **Reply #40 on:** September 25, 2006, 12:42 PM »

This kind of ties in with the "hook up" conversation but also goes well here as its about Neil Ruffel

I was riding at a contest in the 80s and the whole skyway UK team were there. I was riding in the under 16s group as was Carlo Griggs, Frasier Campbell and Randy Shohara. Hawkins pulled all his riders out and wouldn’t let them ride (why is a whole other story). Neil had just left skyway and was riding for Holeshot. Hawkins didn’t want Neil to ride and told him that if he stayed, Hawkins would take all the bike parts off his Holeshot that he had been given when he was on skyway ... and even the vans that he was wearing, cos they were also given to him by Hawkins. I didn’t really get involved with it all but that’s what I heard at the time. Who knows what other crap Neil had to go through.

Bob_Acid · « **Reply #41 on:** September 25, 2006, 01:06 PM »

With crap like that going on it's no wonder BMX went the way it did a few years later.

FuNMoNsTeR · « **Reply #42 on:** September 25, 2006, 04:00 PM »

Hawkins was notorious for that sort of 'behaviour'.... I think Craig Campbell got similar treatment when he moved on.

RATTY · « **Reply #43 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:04 AM »

Its now over 3 years since Neil Passed away, I think we should keep this thread alive in memory of a true great in bmx

Lazarou · « **Reply #44 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:20 AM »

I just read through it, was Skywayman taking the piss?

Swivel · « **Reply #45 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:32 AM »

Yep I thought that too!

Anyway, Neil was fantastic to watch and one of the best riders i've ever seen will be dearly missed for sure. RIP mate.

Quote from: Lazarou on October 23, 2007, 09:20 AM

I just read through it, was Skywayman taking the piss?

stumpy · « **Reply #46 on:** October 23, 2007, 09:36 AM »

I remember when he got picked up by Ammaco, he was stoked! Then the skyway thing happened. Wow. He remained down to earth though.
I agree with Ratty, keep the memory alive, we rode together bitd, along with his brother Robert and friend Marvin Browne.

R.I.P Neil.

pickle · « **Reply #47 on:** October 23, 2007, 11:39 AM »

Quote from: mattriz on October 23, 2007, 09:32 AM

Yep I thought that too!

Anyway, Neil was fantastic to watch and one of the best riders i've ever seen will be dearly missed for sure. RIP mate.

Quote from: Lazarou on October 23, 2007, 09:20 AM
I just read through it, was Skywayman taking the piss?

I might be stupid here....but i just read his post and i can't see why you think he's extracting the urine? i have to admit thought to not knowing the in's and out's of Neils situation $:-\$

stumpy · « **Reply #48 on:** October 23, 2007, 11:52 AM »

I thought it was more to do with the questions re streetbeat and twin top tubes.....

pickle · « **Reply #49 on:** October 23, 2007, 11:53 AM »

ooops sorry i didn't go back that far

Author Topic: neil ruffell (Read 24996 times)

skywayman

P0LL0

skywayman

FuNMoNsTeR

skywayman

macmark

skywayman

joestup

Trev

Trev

skywayman

SaMAlex

FuNMoNsTeR

Lazarou

stumpy

stumpy