Over inflated prices...

[Swivel]

Hi guys, i've been in this since the beginning and I remember days when MX1000's in the box was ?25 and we had Vector bars coming out of our ears as well as Comp Pool tyres etc.. but to try and build a half decent spec today, the prices are fooking crazy.

Look at this for example, shit crank but a mad price: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234366064521?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D0da21ed8020b4b199aeaa073dab336b0%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D234358549507%26itm%3D234366064521%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057%26brand%3DDiamondback&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A7722302c-6fac-11ec-9e11-3248dfcddd38%7Cparentrq%3A3449001417e0a7b9dd0d6302ffe31452%7Ciid%3A1

Other stuff are Elina Seats, maybe it's just that they are hard to find now but ?750-950 for a seat, ffs... will cost ?7000-8000 to build a half decent bike now, utter madness.

I realise that many prices has risen, but ?125 for a mid-school Diamond Back crank, that's taking the piss!

Matt 

[Quadog]

Yes totally stupid now and I came into it quite late and missed all the cheap goods but now its gone way beyond expensive I mean these where 100quid from Alans not long ago even repo stuff is getting to much now

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175053329003?hash=item28c1fdd26b:g:q-4AAOSw5yhhr5Bc

[Swivel]

Even the Re-pop Haro Plates are going for over ?120, utter madness. Look at this, another example of taking the piss.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234321517485?hash=item368ea69bad:g:mH0AAOSwdw1hrmml

 

[Swivel]

And this, it's a price of a whole bike 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294346514311?hash=item44886b5f87:g:PxoAAOSwJ9Bhhll7

[Swivel]

And this, I have about 6 of these in a box, its just utter madness, no wonder he doesn't have bids...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224774197443?hash=item34559610c3:g:WxMAAOSwShlhzYSm

[Swivel]

Not even a pair, 95 bangers, blimey.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255120309235?hash=item3b665afbf3:g:J9AAAOSw7w1hMjA0

[Swivel]

Yes totally stupid now and I came into it quite late and missed all the cheap goods but now its gone way beyond expensive I mean these where 100quid from Alans not long ago even repo stuff is getting to much now

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175053329003?hash=item28c1fdd26b:g:q-4AAOSw5yhhr5Bc

Mad prices mate, I remember them selling new at Alans... f'ing repops prices are rising too, crazy.

[That Swan Guy]

Too many idiots trying to pay their mortgage.

[Swivel]

Too many idiots trying to pay their mortgage.

I can understand if somethings are super rare and in a high demand that they achieve a high value, but shit re-pops and shit quality one piece cranks, it's just madness... worst thing is, there must still be people out there buying it at these high prices. Nutters.

[SDF]

Yep i laugh at the prices on eBay every day. Even my piranha with specifically picked low end parts, has cost me a fortune.

The one that's making me laugh is all these shitty Skyway replicas / tributesfor silly prices.
 They should have gone in the skip years ago👊🏻

SDF.

[Quadog]

FFS 3 grand for a Quad F&F 750 for some Pro class wheels sad thing is people see this  shit and use it as a benchmark think thats why no one sells stuff anymore like Swan guy says hoping to pay off there mortgages 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/roomer-has-it/m.html?item=234364744556&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562

[Retrodan72]

Lads, as annoying (for you) as it is, you've got 2 choices here.

Put up and shut up, or do what I did; sell up, put the cash to good use and enjoy the time you would have wasted searching for parts that are harder to find and more expensive to buy, to better use.  I'm more happier now knowing that I was involved in a scene at a time where literally 99% of the people involved were genuinely cool guys. We loved each other's bikes and all got on with each other, they were great days.

I think you just need to enjoy the BMX time you had, not the B M X life  you have now, it's just not the same now and full of bellmets.

[That Swan Guy]

Couldn't agree more Dan. Those who know me know what I had and what I have now. But I'm no longer paging eBay the world over looking for 'that? part.
I have a couple of riders and my beloved GT PWT. I'm done with the buying and selling merry go round and now chill my beans paging eBay the world over looking for Vans 

[nobby]

Exactly the reason why i cheated on my Quad build, some old stuff, some repop. Its not so much about having the funds to afford the items, its simply the principle of some sellers taking the absolute piss with prices. 

At the end of the day an item is worth what somebody is willing to pay for it, i accept that. As a point of reference I bought a pair of OG  MX1000's with cables and Tech 4 levers from Shiners in 2003 for less than 50 notes.

[SDF]

Has also Facebook  Old school Bmx sites wrecked this hobby? I  used it well  over ten years ago and found it a bit irritating.  Still enjoy the hobby, but it's going to push me out  in the future with the stupid prices.

[Retrodan72]

Has also Facebook  Old school Bmx sites wrecked this hobby? I  used it well  over ten years ago and found it a bit irritating.  Still enjoy the hobby, but it's going to push me out  in the future with the stupid prices.

We're covering old ground here but, many things have contributed to turning a great hobby into what it is today. If you were lucky enough to stumble back into the hobby pre-2013, then you would have been part of the halcyon era, the cheap parts, the soulful builds, the small but epic rides etc etc. This forum and a handful of others like it were the only places to come if you wanted to enjoy the scene. In terms of RADBMX, the rides were organized here, photo documented here, the decent parts and their decent prices were bought and sold here, MK was kept just for the site supporters, the banter was top notch because the people involved were top notch, but, in 2013 the forum crashed, in a big way, every member had to re-register, the hardcore did, the lazy ones didn't.

While the forum was down, various individuals (mainly banned members) took it upon themselves to try swing their dicks around and try and bolster their ego's and many FB pages were born. The new RAD was born, but it was too late, the damage had already been done and in my opinion never recovered. People were now comfortable with their instant BMX fix that they got so easily with the improved platform that FB was giving them. Like in most hobbies, forums were dying and the FB groups gave carte Blanche to allow all and sundry to pretty much do what they want, sell what they want at the price that they want.

Ebay haven't helped either, they've got greedy and made it harder to sell on there, so have forced people to use FB more.

Every hobby I've seen though is just the same, everything has an inflated price and there's always someone with deeper pockets to but stuff. Sellers see things are moving at high prices, so try their luck and seem to do ok. Like it or not, it's just simple economics, just because they're kids bike parts, doesn't make them any different selling a property.

It all depends on what someone is willing to pay on the day.

[Midschoolfool]

This is why I only ever built two old school bikes. I don't know what possessed me, but yeah I did it. The pricing, even then (about 5 years back) was ridiculous. Even the Ammaco fake snake bellies were about ?40 from Bankrupt, and they are newly made crap. Total crap. They would be lucky to get a tenner a tyre if they weren't desirable.

That was when I decided to go with mid school or new school only. If I was paying a high price I may as well put it into technology rather than memories. God, I am so glad I liked the mid school more than any other time.

That said you still find these jokers everywhere. Fact is? their stuff will be listed for years unless they find themselves a mug. I could have gotten the 2pc Strip bars by Standard that I wanted ages ago. However, they would have cost me 5x as much as the ones I was patient enough to wait for.

[ED209]

It's this shit that killed RAD ? not Facebook

Building an old school bike is OVER. Now mid school has gone the same way.

Those that saw it coming years ago decided that riding BMX was the way to stay in the game ?

If you managed to keep anything then the only way to carry on is trading and selling between your mates. Mates sort each other out.

I wish more ?collectors? would try riding again ? for 10 years I've ran private sessions getting a minority back riding. We've had a great time.

[SDF]

I'm not lucky on the riding side, down to a  couple of  bad incidents, but  I 100 percent agree riding is the best way to stay involved.My brother an my mates all ride at Corby, and I get really fed up that I can't join them. The only way I can keep involved is  building.  . I've always been a loner in the old school Bmx scene, so even if it's so called dead,  hopefully the prices may plummet and I can then carry on building and upgrading stand in parts at a realistic price. I still have list of WANTED parts and I'm not paying ?750 for a yellow ELINA lightning bolt, ?350 rod a redline forklifter stem, ?500 for a set of lavender coaster tuffs and so on.

Steve.

[Midschoolfool]

I still have the odd ride.

Problem is I am an idiot. Always been an idiot. As soon as I get on the bike again I think I am 25. And I act like it, and my body just can't do that any more. And when I say I am an idiot? I mean it. I have had to concede, at least in part, that that part of my life is done. Maybe had I approached it differently I would still be able to ride. However, I didn't. I was the guy that my mate used to say "He's not the most technical rider I've met but he likes pain". I was always about that "go out, one big trick, then go home". Which a lot of the time resulted in me hurting myself and my friends laughing. Which was great. Problem is the last hard fall I had stopped me being able to move around properly for a lot longer than I expected.

Maybe if I could put pads on and dally around I would be OK. Maybe there would be more in it for me. The problem with me is I am an idiot like I said, and the adrenaline always makes me do something really stupid. Now I have arthritis in my fingers and hands, so the last time I tried to pull a jump I let go of the grip. My knees are totally screwed and when it's cold and damp out I can barely walk.


It's a tough thing. Like, a really tough thing. Especially when you are as passionate about it as I am. It's really REALLY hard letting go. I was never the type to get together with mates and just ride around. Otherwise I would be into all of this meet stuff and rideouts etc. I'm just not. For me it would be like lying in bed next to a top bit of totty and not being able to eat cake. I'd break something.

TBH I am quite glad I was never that technical. If I was? I would find it too bitter to swallow. So memories now. Collecting amazing memories. No doubt I will still be doing that long after many get bored with it and move onto something else.

[Midschoolfool]

It's this shit that killed RAD ? not Facebook

Funny you say that. I never did ask what happened to every one here. I was about to many times, but quite like it as it is. Mostly because I know any one still left here will be in it for the same reasons I am, and thus I am with the right people.

Thankfully for me I don't have to count pennies. Mostly because I don't have kids, nor a partner any more and thus don't have to put any one in front of me any more. Selfish? yeah probably. I'm just far happier on my own. As such everything I spend? is spending cash. I don't see it as an investment. If I clack it? I've left instructions for a local guy I know to come and have what he wants and chuck the rest in a skip.

I also won't pay  stupid prices. TBH? if you are open to anything then you don't need to. For the more sought after items and high end mid school stuff you just need to play the waiting game.

Like many hobbies as soon as you monetise it and make it about pissing the highest you destroy it. That's why I don't play piss the highest games I just get my head down and buy what I want to buy.

There are many reasons I don't like old school stuff. Mostly because it broke, and was crap. However, the main reason I don't have any fond memories is because it was all about posers and spoilt kids. People buying stuff they would never get the use out of but just to show off with. And tbh fella? not much has changed from that perspective in old school BMX. That's why the prices have gone insane. Because it's become all about pissing the highest and with that goes all common sense. And these people bore of things, and they tire of things. Just like when BMX died at the end of the 80s they were all straight on their mountain bikes with crud catchers and all the crap.

Mid school? you could pose all you like. Fact is you didn't really have any one to pose to. So you were in it for the riding and the riding only.

And I enjoyed myself and had the best memories ever during that time. All of the show offs had gotten a Ford Escrote or something and were driving about in earrings with a tart sat next to them. I was dropping off shed roofs and riding down fire escapes.

Then people hit mid life crisis and start going back to their childhood. That's something I don't like to, or want to do. My childhood was as good as my family made it, but it still f*****g sucked balls. And there is no getting around that.

[Spen69]

It's this shit that killed RAD ? not Facebook

Building an old school bike is OVER. Now mid school has gone the same way.

Those that saw it coming years ago decided that riding BMX was the way to stay in the game ?

If you managed to keep anything then the only way to carry on is trading and selling between your mates. Mates sort each other out.

I wish more ?collectors? would try riding again ? for 10 years I've ran private sessions getting a minority back riding. We've had a great time.

Ed speaks the truth, the Usual Suspects still meet every two weeks as a bunch of us and sometimes more often than that if there is somewhere to ride.

In the summer we ride a load of skateparks on a day trip in lieu of MK, we ride loads of places indoor and outdoor and we literally take the piss out each other the whole time we meet up but I wouldn't have it any other way. Every one of the riders there are brilliant guys you consider mates, which was my memory of BMX

Some of us are crap, some of us are good and there's a few of the guys who are bloody amazing. But everytime a rider pulls a trick for the first time we all cheer and really encourage each other. Anything from a bunny-hop to a 360, we all cheer each other on, the ramp nights that Ed (and occasionally me!) organise are just a laugh from start to finish.

I loved building all those old school bikes back in 2000 to 2010 but eventually realised I still enjoyed riding BMX and now all I own is an ?85 complete secondhand newschool which I love riding as much as any bike I've owned. It looks rubbish but it rides brilliant 

BMX is not a hobby, it's in your soul, it's in your blood. If you enjoy collecting and polishing, or enjoy riding and falling off, it's all still BMX. I do however feel sorry for you collectors with today's prices though, but it's all good with me 

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[Midschoolfool]

That's wicked !

I started out on a cheapish new school bike. Then I got the bug... TBH though none of it is really overkill. Just basic Quadrant wheels nothing uber fancy.

I did start riding with a few guys. Two are excellent (Neil and James). Problem is one of the guys had a serious alcohol problem (not either of those) and thus I decided to bail. I'd hung around with an alcoholic as I was growing up to have had enough of it. So my social circle was gone really. I still speak to Neil and James a lot, but I don't go down the Base any more because I didn't want to bump into that guy.

The whole money thing? yeah, that disgusts me tbh. Especially when you see people trying to pass something off that was junk in the 90s. There's a Haro DV8 on Ebay atm. It's bloody awful. Ugly ass POS. Used to call them rails, along with the JAD. They rode like dog shit from being front heavy. Yet someone thinks it's now worth ?400. And it irritates the crap out of me seeing people saying "I know what I have !!" when they have a Haro Zippo or Revo. Yeah, grats dude, you have a hi ten tank that was shit then. Oh hang on though, it has two top tubes, must be good/rare/worth loads surely.

The most I have paid on a single part, IIRC for mid school were those 6pc Strips. That said I got ?30 back as they had been cut, so I paid ?120. That's a bloody lot of money, but they are hard to find and they were pristine. I doubt I would ever repeat that, though.

Mind you when I think about what junk bars from the 80s go for (like those nasty Raleigh twin tube mank piles) I feel like I made out like a bandit. As they often sell for the same as that. Usually I stick to sub ?100 for a frame. Even if they are rare. The thing is? all of the great stuff from the mid school is worth less than the shit (like the Zippo). Mostly because as I said in my post above, people had moved on and were totally clueless about what was going on.

BITD we rode South Bank. That was about as close as it got. And street, lots and lots of street. Brixton bowl was always there, but in the 90s? holy crap. If you made it out alive with the crack epidemic you were lucky, let alone with your bike.

As I said, posers and fair weather people will come and go. It's only the hardcore as you say, with it in their soul who carry on. And they are the people to be around.

[Mikku]

BMX is not a hobby, it's in your soul, it's in your blood. If you enjoy collecting and polishing, or enjoy riding and falling off, it's all still BMX.

This ^^^ exactly!! I've been in it (or rather, it's been in me) for what must be 42 years now and I'm still loving it, even though my daily fix is now largely courtesy of new school race rather than old school. That said, I still have a couple of old school completes, another build waiting in the wings and boxes of parts. Agreed - current prices are ridiculous but that doesn't mean we can't get our fix somehow. Hang in there guys - fook eBay and FB, etc - keep it RAD both figuratively-speaking and from the point of view of keeping this place alive.

[Taipan]

I love the fact that people are now actually selling the boxes/wrapping/packets on there own  for tidy som's on egay lol also gotta love an advert when the seller uses the box and packaging to advertise the parts then states that there not for sale with the item actually advertised