I can't say how amped I am to have a Cook Bros again....it has been a long search but it finally happen, can't believe my luck!
When I was like 13, I had been into BMX for a few years working my way through a bunch of clunkers like a dragster (like a stingray) and a bunch steel framed economy bikes. Well that was all about to change wandering through a toy shop on a family holiday, looking at all the regular bmx bikes, I noticed a shiney chrome frame and fork set in the corner under jig saws and pogo sticks...it was a Cook Bros (buy price $149)! I was like...gob smacked...my eyes literally blew out of my face....I was broke (as all 13 years generally are) so I was begging my dad to buy it for me for my birthday...didn't work that day, however after a week of ear bashing and car wash/ lawn mowing promises on our holiday, Dad relented, and we were taking it home...I had the longest 2 month wait till my birthday (my folks made me wait for my birthday before they gave it to me)...when that day finally came around, I think I had it built quicker than an Indy Car crew can do a tire change!!!
Anyway, after about 2 years of riding the wheels off this bike, I ended up selling it to a mates brother, so I could buy my Diamond Back, really don't know why I thought that was a good idea, as the Cook Bros was actually a much better made bike, just nobody else had one I guess (go figure)...
Anyway, fast forward 23 years, I have been wanting to get another, but I really wanted to get the exact model that I had, there are a lot which have the euro BB and without the cross brace behind the BB...I was doing my daily trawl of ebay, when I came across what appeared to be EXACTLY the frame set I was looking for...the seller kindly agreed to ship to Australia, so I bid and won (no other bidders!). As most of you guys know Ebay can suck, because it so hard to tell the condition of the goods you are buying, especially by the the photo's so I really wasn't sure what I was getting...My original was serial 1435 and the one I just received is 683.
Well...when it showed up last week, I think I screwed (adamantly it is all finger tight)it together as fast as I did on my 13th birthday....Now, I'm normally of the opinion that I want all my bikes to look like brand new (I know that makes some people squirm) so I thought it will need a full re-chrome etc...but once I put this together, I just stared at it for like 1 hour...the frame set looks exactly as I last saw my old one...pure time warp for me.
I have decided to put a new decal set on and leave the original finish....I have been collecting all the components that I had on my Cook Bros BITD for about a year (I have ever part), however I'm still un decided about doing my replica or just leaving as it is...I've built about 10 bikes, however this is possibly the cheapest complete bike I've ever had, however it is now my second favorite (behind my Profile bought in 84).
Anyway enough lip smacking...I'm sure a lot of people won't see what all the fuss it about...but I love it!
A few days after my 13th birthday
The bike in it's final guise
The bike that I recieved off Ebay last week - after a quick bath
