Author Topic: tuff wheels and rose tinted glasses (Read 9606 times)

theRuler · « **Reply #25 on:** November 27, 2006, 10:54 PM »

i never really hankered after tuffs.

but they were pretty cheap i guess, so it was easy to run them instead of getting alloys built up

Maurice Meyer · « **Reply #26 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:14 AM »

I rode tuffs since I got back into BMX in '82. I've broken more than a few in different ways - flat, street, flail bike ditch, sidewall, spoke, front and rear. I spent a little while recently on some alloys since I couldn't find a coaster tuff and thought I'd give them a shot. They're nice for all the obvious reasons but I found myself truing them more than I wanted and in my advanced years, a little flex is actually a good thing when jumping. Maybe I'm just a hack of a rider, a bit heavier and lousy at truing a rim but with the shortage of time to ride, I don't want anything funky going on.

oberonspacefruit · « **Reply #27 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:50 AM »

zytecs seem to flex more than tuffs for me.

tuffs are just so iconic. they define what bmx is about.

if we were really al about performance, im sure we would give up bmx altogether for other forms bikes.

pickle · « **Reply #28 on:** November 28, 2006, 09:25 AM »

coming from a council estate, on which you were 'bob haro' if you had such luxuries as a tuff burner! everyone (including myself) wanted tuffs BITD.

I went through some Z's then swapped them for some blue tuffs with coaster......have to admit though the bearings didn't last long.

I'm with everyone else, they are just iconic of the era.....and in my oppinion a 'must have' on any OS freestyler.

Tuffs = freestyler
alloy rimms = racer

theRuler · « **Reply #29 on:** November 28, 2006, 09:47 AM »

bmx history is being rewritten and the truth is slowly being lost.
thats a shame

oberonspacefruit · « **Reply #30 on:** November 28, 2006, 12:50 PM »

not until they prise a pair tuffs from my cold dead hands...

Rombloke · « **Reply #31 on:** November 28, 2006, 04:54 PM »

Quote from: theRuler on November 28, 2006, 09:47 AM

bmx history is being rewritten and the truth is slowly being lost.
thats a shame

graeme, what does that mean exactly...
tuffs 'are' the iconic wheel of 80's bmx. no-one in this thread has said they were better than a wire wheel, just stating that they were the wheel to have...more form than function....they looked as cool as, and, quite frankly, still do. as far as i can remember the only wheel anyone i knew wanted was tuffs..........white ones.....white tuffs...coaster brake....dribble....droooooollll

Dave

aerostylie · « **Reply #32 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:09 PM »

If you see anyone riding on spokes at the Epic meet, you know it's the Ruler

selfpreservation · « **Reply #33 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:12 PM »

tuffs have 5 spokes

some even have 6

aerostylie · « **Reply #34 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:16 PM »

Quote from: selfpreservation on November 28, 2006, 06:12 PM

tuffs have 5 spokes some even have 6

...clever so and so!!!

theRuler · « **Reply #35 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:20 PM »

i guess you either love em or you hate em!!

but seeing so many bikes with tuffs is not representative as to how it was

GT's after 85 had their own GT mags or spokes.
loads of riders rode on spokes. mason smith, glyn lewis, most flatlanders etc etc
not forgetting josh white, dennis mccoy, eddie fiola, mike buff

to me tuffs are more of a cliche rather than an icon of bmx.

a lot of my mates had mag wheels. but they were simplex, ogk's and acorns. there was the odd set of tuffs around, but they were the ones that had come stock on raleigh burners.

i think i rode in a different time to a lot of riders on here

Rombloke · « **Reply #36 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:25 PM »

Quote from: theRuler on November 28, 2006, 06:20 PM

i think i rode in a different time to a lot of riders on here

hence me asking your age earlier matey.....

Dave

theRuler · « **Reply #37 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:28 PM »

i am a young pup. only 33

but i did ride from 83 to 89, and things changed quite a bit during those times.

the biggest change was the riding gang where i lived went from about 500 down to 2 (me and a mate) virtually overnight from 85 to 86

Moose · « **Reply #38 on:** November 28, 2006, 06:59 PM »

I'm pretty sure most of the riders you named there also ran tuffs

For me, mag wheels epitomise BMX, and non more so than tuffs.

If you speak to virtually anyone our age and mention BMX, they'll say 'mag wheels' and back then, if you didn't have tuffs you was a cant - I know, I'm mentally scarred because I couldn't afford them. The only pair of mags I had was the Acorn Freestyle mags (not the thin shit ones) and I thought they were just as good..................but they weren't tuffs, there was no piss taking (well not much anyway), but I always knew tuffs were the only mag wheel.

By the way, I'm the same age as you Graeme

Holmetech · « **Reply #39 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:17 PM »

You know my answer on the tuff debate,dont you graeme.

All my bikes have tuffs,well accept for a couple.

Tuffs are now my flexible friends,not credit cards.

Long live TUFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

selfpreservation · « **Reply #40 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:24 PM »

Quote from: theRuler on November 28, 2006, 06:20 PM

GT's after 85 had their own GT mags or spokes.
loads of riders rode on spokes. mason smith, glyn lewis, most flatlanders etc etc
not forgetting josh white, dennis mccoy, eddie fiola, mike buff

i think i rode in a different time to a lot of riders on here

who were they then edie fiola i reconise him he rode tuffs who were the rest of them ect ect
ect :LolLolLolLol:only joking ive heard if glyn as well( but ive aso heard of jade goody )

Rombloke · « **Reply #41 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:28 PM »

she couldnt ride tuffs the fat ugly bint

Dave

jeff spicoli · « **Reply #42 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:32 PM »

every one rode tuffs in 84 and i mean everyone its a fact I was there tuffs ruled. When I got back into bmx after a long lay off I expected tuffs to still be the best wheels. I wish the were as good as I thought they were.

selfpreservation · « **Reply #43 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:34 PM »

tbh what does it matter, keep a spare set and when you feel like riding spokes stick em on whats the problem ?

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #44 on:** November 28, 2006, 07:40 PM »

This is how I remember it.......

Lots of bikes came with spokes. Lots of people including me, swapped their spokes for tuffs in order to identify themselves as freestylers. Z rims were about, but more for comedy value. Acorn and OGK came along as alternatives but at Rom certainly they were viewed as also-rans. Tuffs reigned supreme back then.

I liked the weight, I felt it added stability and coaster tuffs were easy to buy, coaster spoked wheels were not......

The first major purchase I made in 82, and I never ran owt else

theRuler · « **Reply #45 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:09 PM »

Quote from: selfpreservation on November 28, 2006, 07:24 PM

Quote from: theRuler on November 28, 2006, 06:20 PM

GT's after 85 had their own GT mags or spokes.
loads of riders rode on spokes. mason smith, glyn lewis, most flatlanders etc etc
not forgetting josh white, dennis mccoy, eddie fiola, mike buff

i think i rode in a different time to a lot of riders on here

who were they then edie fiola i reconise him he rode tuffs who were the rest of them ect ect
ect :LolLolLolLol:only joking ive heard if glyn as well( but ive aso heard of jade goody )

who were they? lol

eddie rode tuffs then went to spokes, in 85 i think?

tuffs were popular, i know
but not everyone rode them. lets not gloss over the details. it's the details that make this hobby what it is!!

anyone remember andy ruffell? a racer guy. did some freestyle too.

TwoBobRob · « **Reply #46 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:14 PM »

Fcuk Andy Ruffell. And the boat he came in on.

Moose · « **Reply #47 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:27 PM »

Quote

anyone remember andy ruffell? a racer guy. did some freestyle too.

Do you mean the fella who had a raleigh signature bike that came with white tuffs?

(ok, the cheap version came with spokes)

theRuler · « **Reply #48 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:31 PM »

Quote from: Moose on November 28, 2006, 08:27 PM

Quote
anyone remember andy ruffell? a racer guy. did some freestyle too.

Do you mean the fella who had a raleigh signature bike that came with white tuffs?

(ok, the cheap version came with spokes)

he was once dubbed uk's number 1 freestyler. (rightly or wrongly)
he didnt ride with tuffs.
blyther and ronw too - not a tuff between them

Quote from: TwoBobRob on November 28, 2006, 08:14 PM

Fcuk Andy Ruffell. And the boat he came in on.

now now. safety is very important

selfpreservation · « **Reply #49 on:** November 28, 2006, 08:40 PM »

for freestyle at least as i remember it spokes were a later development , a post oldschool / premidschool thang if you will some might say progress - some might say gaylooking bike julian clary lokeelikes poncing on them ...rad but limpwristed imho it just depends on which side of the hughy lewis album your looking from