OLD SCHOOL Vs MID SCHOOL Vs NEW SCHOOL

[pickle]

for me i used to think that OS was where it's at and that all new school bikes were the same and dull..........i absalutley love the OS bikes.....all of them! the colours, the styles and the fact that as a kid i could never dream of owning any of them!  but i do think it comes down to knowledge (and i don't mean you don't know anything about them) but i used to take my street beat to RAD meets and wonder why EVERYONE used to say to me "how the hell you can ride that thing is beyond me" i was adament that i would ride OS and never go NS........but after having a go on MeddlE's NS at Epic last year i was hooked!  after that i bought myself a DK cleveland and rode it as much as my personal life would allow me too, i now have a lovely Proper Proclaimer in RAW finish waiting for me to unwrap her on christmas morning!  and now i've really got into the NS stuff........and when you do you start to look at it with the same emotions as the OS stuff........i can look at a new school frame and really appreciate the lines and the colours, the build quality and it's simplicity, the coloured parts that have come back to allow bikes to have that individuality and the knowledge that when you pay £30 for a part....it's going to last! or is built to be abused!  i have come full circle and now i don't even want any OS stuff anymore.....for me NS is where it's at and i love it with as much passion as i did OS BITD!! 

now all i have to do is ride that dam thing more!!! 

[OrgasmDonor]

i consider my self as oldschool, was riding till 1985 then took a long break, the oldschool bikes are sweet and they were all i was interested in when i got back into this but the wealth of midschool frames with the quirky designs far upstage oldschool in my book, and oldschool for the masses from what i see in general is either SE, VDC, JMC, SKYWAY, HARO or GT, anything else just seems to get passed over as inferior or not fashionable and this i find is so wrong and frustrating, some amasing stuff gets passed over or unappreciated in favour of what appear to be the site must haves. Midschool is where its at for me now tho, the bikes are coolio and just as varied if not more so than oldshool, good solid ridable classics gossa has posted an elf up in the forsale section for peanuts, its time people started thinking outside the box, i bet youl have to pay double that next year at least. i have 2 otherwise it would be mine






newschool, is gonna be this generations oldschool, but it just doesnt rock my boat and i have no interest in it in the slightest, but each to their own

[Redline]

new school bikes are obviously gonna ride better.  technology has moved on. different things have been tried and tested. you may think bikes now are sorted. but i bet in 10 years time, people will look back at the frames today and think "how the hell did i manage to ride on that".  when skyway or haro brought out their frames, all the reviews stated that this was the perfect frame.
don't forget, they weren't exactly made out of plastercine. how many people (who can actually air properly) would feel comfortable airing 6ft out on a street beat? i'm not just talking about us overweight oldies, but kids too.  not many, yet Carlo would get 14/15ft on his.  if they were that bad, they would have been breaking all the time. okay, tricks are bigger now, but a 6ft air is still a 6ft air.

The only OS bike I owned that I didnt break was an 85 GT performer.    Ive snapped a midschool PK Ripper in Half. The headtube off a Skyway TA,  Bent a Gen2 Master like a banana, Snapped the forks off a '91 Master, Broke a pair of Peregrine Q Bars in two........should I go on?


Obviously you weren't such a smooth rider back in the day eh Si!!!!   

John

[Redline]

Dudes... I've been reading through this thread and the more I read the madder I get   

Each era has a very different perspective.... it's no good slagging off old school bikes - and for many reasons!!

1. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Old School bikes!

2. BMX was essentially a racing sport in the early days, compared to now the tracks were pretty tame... so therefore bikes were designed to handle what they were used for and nothing more.... so super strength wasn't top of the list in Frame design!

3. Yes some of you may have broken or snapped many an old school bike... but back then most BMX bikes were built for racing until the crossover point of the Skyway TA / Haro Freestyler era. When I rode it wasn't just about how much air or RAD you got... it was about how smooth you rode too - so if you were smooth you weren't snappin stuff anyways!

Everyone is entitled to an opinion... we all have different memories from different eras!
Newschool riders may think us Oldschoolers look at our bikes through "rose tinted specticles" .... I disagree - you had to be there bitd to appreciate how good some of the oldschool bikes were and in my opinion still are!

So if opinions count... here's mine   - oldschool bikes are smooth, slick and trick, like driving a finely tuned Ferrari maybe!

Newschool rides are hard, brutal and heavy - like driving a fookin Sherman tank!!! 

John

[Spen69]

Well, as the owner of far too many bikes no older than 1984, you can guess where my bread is buttered....

But man, these new school bikes embarras us oldies for accuracy in the air. I look so out of shape flying sideways out the top of a bowl, thanking the laws of gravity for getting me back down again, yet these kids leave me speachless with the bar-spins and bike flips at the same time as I'm just looking for terra-firma......

Funny thing is, every time me and my brother roll out our Haro Freestylers, every kid in the park wants to know about them and most of them want to ride the bikes. Even funnier, ANY bloke we ride past in thier mid thirties with kids on pushbikes wants a go on them - just take your old school ride to Centreparcs for the weekend and you'll see what I mean. If we get just one person back into the sport just by restoring these beautifull icons, then the hassle of finding the bits, cleaning them and rebuilding them is worth it.

I've got a 1979 Motomag, 1982 Ammaco, 1983 Mongoose Cali, 1983 Mongoose Minigoose and a 1984 Haro Freestyler (Torker), and I ride them all when I've got the chance (except the Mini, it's still in bits being restored!  )

I wonder if our kids will feel the same in 25 years? Only time will tell.........

[gossa]

Ah I'm building the perfect bikes for this thread!

I'm building a mid school usa built floval and ripper but with the LOOK and feel of OS bikes but also with some Newschool components for performance sake.  My goal was to have the heritage of OS but ridable (geometry wise) today without the lesser quality of some of the Newschool bikes (give me a U.S. built ripper over the latest stuf anyday!)

I'll get a piccy up.

 

[the_cyclops]

Obviously you weren't such a smooth rider back in the day eh Si!!!!   

John

Yeah Rough as F**k me! but I do look like this....

[darkersomeday]

i know my first reply was probably a little inflammatory but after thinking about all this "V" stuff in the shower this morning i've come to the conclusion its "all a load of bollocks"

were all talking about the same thing,

the double diamond bicycle frame.

my first mongoose motomag 20something years ago had the basic same frame design as my laf,
two triangles for the strength and somewhere to put the wheels, this isnt even a "bmx" design, its way older than that!
no matter how many extra bits of tube you stick on or what colour you paint it, its the same principle.

AND whether or not its old/new/mid is also pretty irrelevant as its the use of the design that gives us a common interest!
for instance,

double diamond frame,36 spoke wheels, h-box bar, "20 wheels........sound familiar?
its a bmx isnt it?

everything else is just details.
i love old school bikes in the same way i love mid school bikes and new school bikes, i dont honestly think i prefer one over the other

"new school bikes all look the same"

anyone who seriously thinks that needs to have a re-think, i for-one am sick of hearing it
its alot of bollocks really isnt it?
if you look through any bmx magazine or website you will find bikes "new school" bikes of all different shapes,sizes and colours!
if you cant tell the difference between them thats your ignorance

maybe its the fact that most riders these days take all the stickers off? that its just riders these days dont want to feel like theyre advertizing company slogans on something thats personal to them?
thats really what its comes down to isnt it?

colours and stickers?

[OrgasmDonor]

absofookinlutely,

thing is with new school, is that it hasn't got the sentiment or nostalgia value yet, like i said earlier its gonna be this generations oldschool and the arguement will start again, as for them all looking the same, yes they are different but they all look the same to me, shite

[dialledbikes]

I think some of the old school restorations look amazing.  They're our heritage and I could look at them all day.

But gimme a new school bike to ride any day of the week.  They might not look as nice, but bikes are for riding, not looking at, and new school bikes just feel so much better and more stable to ride.

[Superkav]

I think our generation feels differently about BMX and old school in general as we had BMX here when it was brand new and exciting and everyone was caught up in it.
For years BMX and Knight Rider were pretty much all I needed to get by. I love old school bikes, from those I've owned and ridden BITD to those that I can now afford and will buy just so that I can say I have one.
Having said that New School bikes are all I'm interested in when it comes to really riding.
Firstly, I know that they're gonna stand up to the abuse.
Secondly, they have better geometry and feel better to ride.
Thirdly, if I do break a bit off I can just go and replace it from my local shop and it won't cost me the earth.

So OS and NS both rock but I baby my OS and I punish my NS.

[Gorgonzola]

I guess it's like comparing an old Italian race car against a modern ferrari ?

The old one's look better, but for performace you chose the new school,

[zed4130]

I guess it's like comparing an old Italian race car against a modern ferrari ?

The old one's look better, but for performace you chose the new school,

   i think that about sums it all up 

[Broggie]

I've given this a lot of thought and despite the fact that I love the old school stuff I can appreciate that new school bikes are stronger and better designed.  What I find absolutely unforgiveable about new school is the diabolically boring colour schemes, its like a lot of them have no soul put into them...

Having said that the new Supercross evo s-7 has nice colourways and I could see myself doing something with one of these

So its not all gloomy...just pricey 



Ray.

[darkersomeday]

I've given this a lot of thought and despite the fact that I love the old school stuff I can appreciate that new school bikes are stronger and better designed.  What I find absolutely unforgiveable about new school is the diabolically boring colour schemes, its like a lot of them have no soul put into them...

ffs dude did you even bother to read the rest of this thread or did you just type out the same old tired shit?

you've given this alot of thought eh?
where?

right i'll try and make it simple to understand,
a red bike then is a red bike now
a yellow bike then is a yellow bike now
a black bike then is a black bike now
and so on,and so on.......
comprende?

so whats changed? you name me an old school colour bike and i'll show you a new school one thats basically the same colour

N\S bikes, frames and parts are available in more colours than the O/S bikes ever were, if you tried reading a current bmx magazine or looking at a few other websites you'd see that with your eyes,
purple ano, green, brown even pink! want a neon green frame? fbm make one!  want a chrome frame? easy! eastern make one!
have you even looked at the fly site? (thats a bmx company btw) colours?


i think tbh, youre getting confused with the "mid school,when it was popular for alot of bikes to be black or dark,tough tones,

and the only thing thats "unforgiveable" about the N/S is the build quality on that "80's ford capri colourway" supercross frame you posted

at the risk of sounding redundant "i like bmx's"
give me one and i'll like it and ride it, regardless of its colour

imo anyone that says they prfer one "school" over another is a "right fooking bellend"

because its ALL bmx isnt it?

and as far as N/S frames having "no soul put into them"
are you mad? todays frames and companies are run by riders that stuck with the sport when it wasnt popular,  when haro/gt/etc had sold there arses for a few quid!
take s&m bikes for instance, run by one of the biggest characters in bmx, that loves bmx and has done for years, a dude that genuinely cares and is interested in the frames he puts out there!
andf lets face it, s&m are right at the very top

no soul?
 

[TwoBobRob]

Hehehe.......

Gotta agree with The Sunday i'm afraid.

I think people might be getting a bit confused here in this thread. And its not helped by the fact that so many of us have had massive breaks in our riding.  I was bloody lucky to return to riding in 94.  I only missed 10 years.

If you can be bothered to look (and I'm sure you can't) you'd see that I never, ever comment on owt from 84-93. I wasn't there, I can't have an opinion.

The OS thing is simply nostalgia, nothing more, nothing less. nowt wrong with that. To suggest one is better than another doesn't add up in my book.


I got into a little bit of grief on the old forum when I started a thread suggesting that what we have here on this site are two distinct different breeds. We have riders and collectors.  The age of these people means fook all. I'm 41 and I'm a rider. Through and through. Never been a collector and never will. I'm not old school - i'm just old.

I notice that the collectors amongst us analyse things a lot more, and do tend to have more opinion about them generally. I'm cool with that.  The riders amongst us tend to move with the times and technonlogy, embrace as it comes and goes, then move on. I'm cool with that too.

When these two breeds bump heads in a thread like this, thats when we get all the interesting posts!!

As long as we're all still enjoying it, job's a good un   

[darkersomeday]

my niquitin patch was wearing off

[kick303]

started riding in 82/83 no major gaps and pleanty oof bikes and each one was special in its own right and each newer design/model enabled riders to progress.

old skool bikes look amazing on here and it maybe due to the nostalgic quality of remembering warm summers and fast learning curves when i first started. (i cant afford one right now though) loved my TA!

mid skool bikes had a different solid feel and gave birth to street and full on vert capabilities, as far as style goes i remember them being a little more hardcore and purpose built for which ever style you preferred.

new skools have again have pushed the design element forward to the next step with shorter rear triangles and heat treating to reduce frame weights. as for styling the non existant seat post thing isnt for me i like to have the saddle available at all times and some of the frames out there with massive cuts and holes in dont fill me with confidance. There is a new skool frame with a style to suit you out there and you can build a top ride for 2/3 of the price for a museum piece.

I'm not sitting on the fence but i am happy with my current bikes performance (Sunday) as it is solid and light enough for an old radster. I would love to own my old haro sport diet from 94 as it was so stable in airs/step thrus or nose picking or my Dyno slammer which was indestructable.  Old skool it would have to be a TA to wheelie round the streets and generally look cool just t*ssing about on.

having said all this i miss the chrome of older rides and on looks alone any bike decked with shiney bits and tuffs make me yearn for yesteryear and i would even do all that homework over again just to relive that period of my life (even puberty) :-)

that said i dont miss one piece cranks and rattly headsets...............ahhhhh internals and profiles there is a god.....

[ron burgundy]

BMX evolves... just sit back and enjoy it...   even the shit stuff, cause that's what makes the good designs even better

[TwoBobRob]

my niquitin patch was wearing off

 

[stidds]

 


Top Rant Joe, fooking proud of you Son. 

[Dark Diggler]

Ride ya bikes kids, if they break, buy another one with the £500 you were thinking of spending on some pedals  that will give you a lazy lob for 2-3 seconds (maybe) but then will become just another "investment" to hang up/store away/put on finger tight to a build that you thought would exite you, that actually now you have built it..................

As someone said earlier, Bikes is fer ridin.

I love em all, every single one of em. Dont slag em off, they have feelings you know   

[Broggie]

I've given this a lot of thought and despite the fact that I love the old school stuff I can appreciate that new school bikes are stronger and better designed.  What I find absolutely unforgiveable about new school is the diabolically boring colour schemes, its like a lot of them have no soul put into them...

ffs dude did you even bother to read the rest of this thread or did you just type out the same old tired shit?

you've given this alot of thought eh?

where?

right i'll try and make it simple to understand,
a red bike then is a red bike now
a yellow bike then is a yellow bike now
a black bike then is a black bike now
and so on,and so on.......
comprende?

so whats changed? you name me an old school colour bike and i'll show you a new school one thats basically the same colour

N\S bikes, frames and parts are available in more colours than the O/S bikes ever were, if you tried reading a current bmx magazine or looking at a few other websites you'd see that with your eyes,
purple ano, green, brown even pink! want a neon green frame? fbm make one!  want a chrome frame? easy! eastern make one!
have you even looked at the fly site? (thats a bmx company btw) colours?


i think tbh, youre getting confused with the "mid school,when it was popular for alot of bikes to be black or dark,tough tones,

and the only thing thats "unforgiveable" about the N/S is the build quality on that "80's ford capri colourway" supercross frame you posted

at the risk of sounding redundant "i like bmx's"
give me one and i'll like it and ride it, regardless of its colour

imo anyone that says they prfer one "school" over another is a "right fooking bellend"

because its ALL bmx isnt it?

and as far as N/S frames having "no soul put into them"
are you mad? todays frames and companies are run by riders that stuck with the sport when it wasnt popular,  when haro/gt/etc had sold there arses for a few quid!
take s&m bikes for instance, run by one of the biggest characters in bmx, that loves bmx and has done for years, a dude that genuinely cares and is interested in the frames he puts out there!
andf lets face it, s&m are right at the very top

no soul?
 

Yeah I did read the rest of this thread, but remember the thread is asking for opinions, that's my opinion, I didnt say I didnt like new school, I said I just find it bland, and I do... No amount of arguement will change that.  We'll agree to disagree on what we like.
Sure I havent looked up every new school bike to see what colour it is, but then when I ride or walk out on the street all I seem to see is dull browns, blacks and baby shit green.  They may well ride better but I want more from my bike than two wheels and a frame.

I like the look of the S-7, you dont, as for the 'build quality' well I wouldnt know as I dont own one, do you, or are you privvy to some salacious information to which your average consumer is unaware...I dunno and to be honest I dont really care.

Just so you know my bikes are...

1978 Raleigh Chopper Black Prismatic Mk2
1984 Gen2 Haro Master
1983 Skyway TA
2 x 2006 Haro Retro sports
2007 SE Racing Retro Ripper


and I wouldnt swap them for the world....







Guess by your standards my bikes must be a bit shit then 




Ray.

[Dingobmxer]

old/mid/new & retro I love and own them all:-

my os racer,



Mid school rider & show pony,



new school race bike



and as for colours heres an old build I did earlier this year



  DINGO

[Dingobmxer]

oh and new school park/street bike:-



  DINGO