Is mid-school the new old school?

[agent71]

 

Is anyone else moving over to mid-school? I'd stopped riding BMX by mid 90's but whilst I was still riding an OS bike I was very much aware of the mid school brands and products and always wanted a S&M Dirt Bike.

Oldschool prices are nuts these days - absolutely nuts. So am tempted to start building a mid-schooler.

Mid-school is still reasonable and to be honest generally better built, better components and superior geometry. OS bikes, on the whole, ride badly, are too small and components a little bit weedy.

Build them up right and they still have feel of OS. 

[Midschoolfool]

The Dirt Bike has been around since 90ish. It started out as something else. Mad Dog rings a bell.

The problem with old school now is the wealth of information, yet low availability. People started 15-20 years ago buying it up and at some point there becomes too little to go around.

Prices on mid school are starting to spike now, but there are still deals out there to be had. The first piece of advice is this, avoid Ebay. Join a dedicated group (there is a S&M group) and they do come up on those groups.  It's not just that old school stuff is running out, you also need to factor in the people who are ten to fifteen years younger than us late 40s mob who rode these mid school bikes as their first BMX. That will always jack up prices. I only started riding again because the price of car insurance in London was absolutely ridiculous, and I didn't fancy selling my soul to pay the insurance. So I used my BMX for doing stupid shit, but also to ride to work on etc.

I bought a 95 Mongoose Villain the other day. All done it should owe me less than ?200. It's not a high end bike, but that is ?40 less than the RRP 25 years ago. I consider that to be cheap fun tbh.

We've already seen how old bikes (especially mostly childhood ones like BMX) go insane on the prices so yeah, I think the mid school daftness will happen at some point somewhen.

[pat-a-lar]

I've done exactly that. Spent thousands on old school, and after starting a recent love affair with S&M, I've built a 90 Dirt Bike and then a 96 Holmes. Prices are far cheaper which makes it a more enjoyable build.

[Midschoolfool]

S&M, T1, Standard, Metal, 2hip etc. Those will be the next desirables. They were already tbh, given a decent frame from any one of them was ?400 or more back then.

But yeah, there are already serious S&M collectors out there.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Standard-Trails-250-BMX-2001-Mid-School/274424844117?hash=item3fe4fecf55:g:vfwAAOSwhw9fCaEL

Is an example. It's not even an original Robbie Trail Boss (so it's much newer) but yeah, as I said they are starting to get up there.

Let me explain that just in case. Robbie Morales (AKA the Trail Boss, owner of Cult) rode for Standard. He wanted a lighter frame than the STA for trail riding. He was literally the best in the business then, hence his nickname. So Standard made the Trail Boss for about two years. Then Props Road Fools happened, Robbie fell out with Standard and forced them to remove the name so it was renamed the TRLS 250 (under the STA 500). They only got the rights back to use the name again last year or the year before, probably some 20 year rule or something.

But yeah, original Trail Boss are very hard to find (you can easily tell if it's not a genuine one by the year stamp). Real ones though? as you can see, even the later ones are desirable.

[agent71]

Join a dedicated group (there is a S&M group)

That's a risky search to have in your browser history... 

I've done exactly that. Spent thousands on old school, and after starting a recent love affair with S&M, I've built a 90 Dirt Bike and then a 96 Holmes. Prices are far cheaper which makes it a more enjoyable build.

Yep there doesn't seem to be the snobbery there is with OS. Not sure why that's the case. A very sweeping, generalised statement but I do wonder if most of the OS guys had stopped riding in by late 80's? 80's BMX had to look sharp. You raced in uniforms and aspired to look like the pro's in magazine - basically catalogue models.

You either had 1pc or you lusted for Redline Flights, it was DXs, XCs or if rich or sponsored Hutch beartraps. So the window of what's "right" is really narrow and restrictive.

If you were riding in the early 90's your bike was mostly a patch work of parts from various generations. I was street riding with an 80's CW frame, Peregrine Q bars, tuffs/later peregrine 48s and Comp STs. You were also riding because you loved it not because it was a craze. We'd take our skateboards with us and ride for a bit then skate a bit. I do wonder if that freedom and mentallity is reflected in the MS builds and price of parts.

I reckon you're bang on with a 96 Holmes. I think later and things start too big and burly, I've a 99 Dirt Bike and its too heavy and short really. 90-96 is a real sweet spot! 

[Midschoolfool]

No that is 100% spot on. We are just having a heated debate about it now on another forum.

I will truncate it slightly.... In the 80s bmx bikes were a status symbol. Most didn't have a track to race on  Now see me I had bugger all. My 80s bikes were either unbranded junk or what I had swapped with other pals. None of them were earth shattering, apart from my TRM and I hated it. Then as the fashion changed my mates all threw out their BMX and started riding MTB. I hated MTB. I went out and bought a brand new Saracen for 400 notes (saved for months) and broke it on the way home  It turns out they don't like being rode down three lots of railway bridge stairs, then endoed, then ridden away. The rear derailleur lodged itself in the back wheel and as I rode away it tore off the whole thing, round piece of frame and all. So I went back to BMX.

Then some of my mates got mopeds, so I got a Vespa. Crashed it, got really hurt so went back to BMX. By this time my mates had all "grown up" and were driving cars. Given I lived in South London a car would have cost me two grand a year in insurance for a 957 Fiesta back in the mid 90s, so I carried on riding BMX. By now? they were not poser machines. They were big, gnarly and heavy. And you could do really dumb shit on them and they didn't break. I was in my element. No flashy colours, just several shades of army shit. No one cared, they were too busy riding.

And so you see, that generation of riders has stayed the same. They didn't forget about BMX for 30 years then go looking for a Hutch or a Darrel Young or whatever, they didn't care.

I don't care. Yeah man, I had tons of fun doing tricks in the 80s as a kid but I tell you what I had much more fun riding down a fire escape and nearly killing myself, or getting my mates to pass my bike up a 10ft wall so I could fly off of it.

There *is* a large difference between those two areas of BMX. The only reason some of the bikes are becoming valuable is because they look a bit like 80s bikes, and due to every one flexing their wallet muscles some of them are now LOLprice. TBH? most of the mid schoolers have a new school bike. In fact, all of them do. I have four last count.

I'm not being a dick to collectors. Please don't take my post the wrong way. However, when you can't even post a pic of your old ride on Facebook without ten guys saying "Here's mine !" knowing theirs are obviously better and more expensive? yeah, seriously get to F.

As I said earlier nothing has changed but the locks. Same crowd, posing away, only they are 40 years older and really should know better. And again, I want to reiterate I am not out to offend any one unless of course you leave yourself wide open for that offence.

Since I got back into riding and collecting about 8 years ago (I had a really bad crash in 2001 and my ex wife put our marriage on the line) I have been out to all of the local skate parks, met some truly incredible people and riders (Webbie, Carlo Griggs, Ronnie Remo, Ronnie Surridge etc) and had lots of fun riding with the regulars.

I love the sport. Always have, always will. Yeah I collect a bit but i like to think no one else would even want my shit, because it's mine and what I wanted. I don't put a value on what I own, I don't care two tosses what happens to it when I am gone. If I run out of space? I will do what I have done three times, give a bike to a family member's kid or donate it to charity.

The moment you put a value on things? you may as well not bother. I've not kept count of what I have spent, don't care and HATE selling stuff.

Do it because you love it, not because of how it makes you look or what it is worth.

[griff]

Yep there doesn't seem to be the snobbery there is with OS.

True, but if you want to see them get their handbags out just ask 'when did Mid-School start and end'?

[Midschoolfool]

Yep there doesn't seem to be the snobbery there is with OS.

True, but if you want to see them get their handbags out just ask 'when did Mid-School start and end'?

 

It started when bikes turned to tanks, and ended when they turned back into being light 

[Mikku]

I like that ^^^

Do it because you love it, not because of how it makes you look or what it is worth.

This too ^^^ Well said mate!

These days I also find myself looking at mid-school bikes as much as old school. That said, they tend to be race/trails bikes rather than tanks! Those ones posted by the OP above are friggin' lush! 

[flatpro]

I'm not being a dick to collectors. Please don't take my post the wrong way. However, when you can't even post a pic of your old ride on Facebook without ten guys saying "Here's mine !" knowing theirs are obviously better and more expensive? yeah, seriously get to F.

There are some guys that always seem to find a reason why they need to post their bikes (and brag about them) even if it doesn't have anything to do with the original post. Like someone posts a S&M dirtbike and they comment "I have the same seat clamp on my Condor, here's a picture of it"...   

[Midschoolfool]

Yeah that bothers me LOL. Are people really that desperate for attention? 'sake.