Basic Small Town Hick restoration

[Dr.Robotnik]

Some of you might have seen this topic started on BMXmuseum, but for the others here's my current restoration...sorry if it's a little disjointed but I compiled it from what I've written there over the last week or two...

1997 Basic Byke Co. Small Town Hick

Frame and forks, etc...



BBC Millenium Stem


I have had this bike since Christmas 1997 and it was bought new from Trend in the winter of 1997. I have only just retired the stem from my daily rider and so am now going to restore the whole bike. It was my first real BMX and I have all the parts to re-build it to a slightly different incarnation than the original and am undertaking that right now.

The original specification was;
Frame: Black BBC Small Town Hick
Fork: Black BBC 1 1/8 forks with AD 990 mounts
Stem: Polished silver BBC Millenium
Bars: Red S&M Castillo
Headset: Chrome steel Diacompe
Wheels: Silver HP 48's with 16T Dicta rear freewheel
Tires: Black Primo V-Monsters
Sprocket: Silver 44T Kink
Chain: Chrome KMC
Pedals: Silver DMR V12 Version 1
Cranks: Chrome Profile Race 180mm
Seat Post: Black S&M
Seat: Black Primo Hemorrhoid
Grips: Black ODI Long necks + ODI barends
Brake Levers: Black body Silver lever, Diacompe Tech 77
Brakes: Front Silver, Black rear, Diacompe AD990's
Detangler: SST ORYG
Pegs: Primo Stogies

Restoration kicked off the other day when I machined out the inner diameter of a Standard Titanium lower headset cup on a lathe at work. I don't know if the one I got back in the day was undersized or if it just wasn't compatible with my Basic forks but it never fitted. Either way now the lower cup has been turned to clear the lower crown race step at the base of the fork's steerer tube. It went from 29.30mm to 30.20mm.

10 or so years after it was purchased I'll finally be able to use it. Here's a pic of it on the lathe.



Also I dropped off my Graveyard sprocket and Basic Millennium stem for welding. The stem itself I ran for 11 years and when I decided to retire it the other day I found a crack in the clamp bolt hole which I am welding up. The sprocket mounting bolt also has worn a lot so I am running some bead in there to pad it back out then I'll machine it back to shape. Nothing drastic I just want the bike to function perfectly.

The rough spec I am going for this time (as some bits went missing over the years) is;

Frame: Black Basic Bike Co. Small Town Hick
Fork: Black Basic Bike Co. with 990 mounts
Bar ends: Black ODI
Grips: Black ODI Long necks
Bars: Red S&M Castillo (Might change to black as that's what I wanted in 1997 but got sent red)
Front & Rear brake: Silver/ Black Dia-Compe 990
Brake levers: Black body/Silver lever Dia-Compe Tech 77
Front Brake cable: Odyssey slic
Stem: Silver Polished Basic Bike Co. Millenium
Gyro: SST
Headset: Diacompe chrome top and custom Standard Titanium bottom.
Front hub: Chrome 48h Suzue/Graveyard
Spokes: DT swiss
Front rim: Sun BFR
Cranks: Black Profile 175mm
Bottom bracket: Profile w/ hop up kit
Sprocket: Black Graveyard 34t
Pedals: Black DMR V8
Seat post clamp: Silver DK double bolt
Seat post: Black FBM
Seat: Primo Haemorrhoid type/copy
Chain: KMC
Rear hub: 1st edition Chrome 48h Nankai
Spokes: DT swiss
Back Rim: Sun BFR
Pegs: Basic Bike Co. Silencers in Steel/Chrome
Tires: Primo V-monster

I am always after more Basic bits but haven't any money for anything at the moment so I will just be sprucing up what I have.

The main thing I'd be after if anyone reads this is one or maybe if I am lucky two Basic Bike Co. steel Silencer pegs, in ANY condition.

After a long wait I finally have my parts welded up and ready for re-finishing.

The stem crack was cut out and filled, and the crank bolt hole on the sprocket was filled out with bead because of the wear.

Next up is to strip the anodising on the sprocket and then machine both holes back to size. I am also going to eventually polish the sprocket a little as my original sprocket was silver. Also I am going to clean the stem up a little taking off some burrs here and there but while trying to leave most of the riding patina.

Here they are now looking a little rough fresh from the work bench...

[SaMAlex]

Hey, you dont see many Basic Bikes, that for sure. I saw those wrap around stems at Basic Bikes (well, at the owners house) in Canada in 1997.

I got something else on that visit that you might like. Some Basic Bars. Let me know if your interested.   

[gary4130]

nice to see some thing different -dont see much basic stuff about 

[harris]

interesting restro and not many of those around foresure.
glad to see restored .
i see they still used the rounded end on the rear stays in the later 90s the gussett also hung around

[Dr.Robotnik]

Cheers guys I've owned this bike from new so won't ever let it go and am just giving it a little TLC.

Alex I have emailed about the bars as I have time to sort it out now if you do, just let me know, no rush though, like I said before.

i see they still used the rounded end on the rear stays in the later 90s the gussett also hung around

I am not sure I understand, by rounded end on the rear stays do you mean the curve of the standing platform or the ends of the stays? Because they are uncapped and all they've done is chamfer the tube and at a very slight angle, sorry for the confusion.

As for the gusset, Basic's first frames were a batch of Lengthys and Shortys that Standard rejected, they all had the classic Standard gusset and every Basic since then also had the same gusset.

Thanks for the comments, though no updates yet as I've been a bit busy lately.

[harris]

i have one of the original basic bikes standards  the rejected ones,,rick kept this one.
i ment the ends of the stays they are like mine from your pic. as rick and the guys designed the original shortys that
basic eventually took on ,they must have just said keep the gussett ..or was it some other reason

[harris]

as this is more my kinda thing and its your long time ride ,if you need to source any parts gimme a ping
i might have parts you need  dan...cant wait to see this built   

[Dr.Robotnik]

So there have not been any updates for ages because I am so busy with work but this should be finished next year sometime. I have just been given two NOS Primo stickers like the ones I have on the down tube. The Primo tires issue is still being resolved. S&M hooked me up with some new Castillo bars decals, so once I return them to their original length I'll get them powdered. Alex hooked me up big time with some Basic bars too. 

That's about it so far.

I've just been offered two NOS Basic Silencer pegs, I just need to get the price down to something I can afford, so cross your fingers for that one as it's all I need parts wise. The last few things I am after are decals. I might have a line on some new frame and fork decals but haven't heard anything in weeks.

The other decals I am after are two small Fox Chrome and black head decals and a small Graveyard decal, can anyone help? I'll get picture up asap.

[Dr.Robotnik]

Due to some interest lately, here's where the bike stands as of 2011-03-31....I am getting most of my old bits on, plus some whammy bars from alex (cheers mate) and some new ATI Pistol Pete grips which were my first set of grips...still need two silencer pegs (my old deals fell through) if anyone has any....I just need to build the rear wheel back up and sort the stem, sprocket and bearing cups out, but I don't even have time to ride at the moment so this has been on the back burner for at least a year....

[SaMAlex]

Nice one. Those bars have never looked happier. 

[fugazi]

Very, very cool 

[Nbevan83]

Hey matey do you still have the basic??

[CustardLips]

Hey matey do you still have the basic??

You'll be lucky mate... this threads from 2009. 

[kalex]

Hey matey do you still have the basic??

You'll be lucky mate... this threads from 2009. 

Actually it's still at his parents house packed away

[Nbevan83]

Only asking as I've almost finished my 97 gen 3 basic small town hick so would be nice to see some other uk basic which is out there

[Nbevan83]

My basic

[Nbevan83]

Any further progress with this?