When is old school ?

[jT Racing]

i think it's all new school until bmx goes out again for 15+ years, then new school will become old school mK2 what was made when it was out will be mid school Mk2 and what is being made when it's back in again will be the new new new new new new new school or new school mk2 the return of new school.

simple

[Peter J]

Why not:
If a Bike/Frame is 30 years + old it's classified as Vintage
If a Bike/frame is 20 years + old it’s classified as old School
If a Bike/Frame is 10 years + old it's classified as Mid School  
If a Bike/Frame is less than 10 years old it's classifield as New School

 

[Peter J]

i think it's all new school until bmx goes out again for 15+ years, then new school will become old school mK2 what was made when it was out will be mid school Mk2 and what is being made when it's back in again will be the new new new new new new new school or new school mk2 the return of new school.

simple

Sounds sensible........just nipping out to milk my Yak, I may be sometime 

[Trev]

Why not:
If a Bike/Frame is 30 years + old it's classified as Vintage
If a Bike/frame is 20 years + old it’s classified as old School
If a Bike/Frame is 10 years + old it's classified as Mid School  
If a Bike/Frame is less than 10 years old it's classifield as New School

 

Sounds like moving the goal posts to me....

[DR VINOAH]

im only interested in the golden era of 79 to 84

[jT Racing]

because if it wasn't around between 77 and 85 it's just not OLD SCHOOL, it will be old in 30 years just not old school because it's not from the OLD SCHOOL, same thing for house music and hip hop/rap, old school is just old school because it's the original thing. the terms mid school and new school are misleading, mid school is the mis leader unless you give it a definate cut off point and then everything after is just new school to an oldschooler, because

Standing in line marking time--
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules
He said, Son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

[thesku11s]

I think its really easy & clear to see &  understand what oldschool is.


The same with new school.

However I think Mid school really needs to be split in two.

Foward thinking bikes of the late 80s up to the late mid 90's are what I think people have "traditionally" referred to as mid school in this OS bmx scene.

Its a characteristic period of bikes which most obviously defined as Pre-Threadless steerer.

Around 97 when all bikes atarted to have Ahead setups, V brakes started appearring (on a lot of bmx's too) and there was some really heavy bikes coming out (deebo, sabbath) oh and narrow bars too

- all of this I definteley think counts as a separate period, one which mightve been previously thought of as new school.

These bikes were generally overbuilt, mostly made in the USA and still had 44 - 16 gearing.


That period clearly ended with the arrival of today new school in the early 00's

44-16 gearing banished, overbuilt tubing banished. Very lean tubed bikes, mostly sold by small UK/US companies but manufactured in taiwan. Lightweight fashion, micro gearing. Fancy CNC multicoloured parts, brakeless fashion. Wide bars, slammed seat, 36h racelight wheels. custom colourschemes.

[Flatcap]

I've had enough - who fooking cares 

You'll never get everyone to agree anyway as this post shows so if it's a BMX then just go and enjoy!!!

That's what I'm sticking to. 

Daz.

[stidds]

I am also of the opinion that Old School is up to (and including) 1985.  But what the hell do I know 

[jimmyp]

I would say anything above 20 years old is classed as old school. So we are in 2008 so anything around 87 is old school. Anything above 25-30 is vintage, this would move on year by year

[dialledbikes]

Trying to define stuff by age means the goal posts will keep moving.  In 2 years time our 80s bikes will be 4 decades old.  Are we going to refer to them as older/oldest school?

Defining bikes by technology means the timelines and definitions can stay relatively the same.

[dwain dibbly]

so do you think the scene will progress?
will mid school be the next old school??
is the popularity of mid school going to increase
with the introduction of younger members as
these bikes were their childhood.
is it likely that the price of mid school bikes
and parts will increase to the level of old school stuff?

ive seen this sort of thing happen in the vw scene
in the early nineties pre 67 bugs were king but as time has
gone on mid-late 70's cars have become more popular as the early
stuff has ran out or out priced its self.
is this going to happen in bmx?? ?? ??

[dannywhiteley]

As a new guy to the modern 'BMX' scene, but definitely remembering the glory years from the late 70's - 80's, i'd like to offer my un-biased opinion.

Much like with cars, old toys etc you can continually 'move the goalposts' and have set ages in which something attracts a certain tag, such as - 100+ years = antique, 50+ years = vintage, 20+ years = classic etc.  The alternative is to have to set a definite timeline that doesnt change and terms like old school cant exist other than to describe an era or type of bike rather than a specific dated period.

Probably making no sense, but it all boils down to people being too attached to the 'old school' tag.  Late 70' and 80's bikes such as Skyways, Haro's and Mongooses, etc will never be allowed to be called vintage as it just doesnt evoke the same memories.

That golden era late 70's - mid to late 80's will always be called old school for that reason.  Therefore whatever comes after it has to be classified and decompartmentalised just to justify old school being called old school.  Or does it?

[dialledbikes]

At the end of the day, we should care less about when the bikes were made and whether they're old, mid or new school and just enjoy owning/riding them.

[Lazarou]

If someone asked me which years encapsulate 'Old School' BMX I'd say 1969-1989.

[DIRTBIKER250F]

Tbh i think OS is April 1981 to november 1982 anything else is Vintage or Mid to new  Hope that clears it up

Paul

[stidds]

If someone asked me which years encapsulate 'Old School' BMX I'd say 1969-1989.

Well we didn't ask you so shut it!!!!     

[Lazarou]

 

[Stodgy]

The way we've judged it for a while on the RADBMX Show n Shine is:

70s = Vintage
80s = Old School
90s = Mid School
00s = New School

Not sure what will happen when the next decade comes...but that's the way we've judged. Perhaps we just call it 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, etc... Who the feck knows, the argument will go on forever.

[jT Racing]

LOL,

the never ending story of old school. It's what you want it to be, but if you try and sell 2 pinch flights as old school on e-bay you better be prepared for the barrage of messages to the contrary. My old school stops at 85, but that's my old school. To others it may go on, and to other others, i may be too new school to be old school.
i allways say the same thing, build what YOU like and damn the rest. No point building a bike for the sake of others. nobody likes to have the piss taken out of them, but you would have to build a pretty dreadfull bike for that to happen.

[theRuler]

Perhaps we just call it 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, etc... Who the feck knows, the argument will go on forever.

that's the best idea

anything over 10 years old is "old school" now
i don't think you can put a definative date on it

if old school ends at 85, then a skyway streetstyler is mid school?

[gt0733]

im only interested in the golden era of 79 to 84

yep.........everything else was shit 

oh, hang on, i've got a 1978 team goose and a 1990 redline 700     

[greentoad]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've been about...I hope that you are all well.

This old chestnut again 

It is all about the money - sales and marketing!

For me, BMX came from the States, evolved and died by the end of 86 (this date can never change) - the cut off is when BMX died and sales fell (and sales did stop as we all know - because in the UK, Shiners had all those great parts AND BIKES for years and years which they could not shift, which we have seen surface over the last few years - Mason told me a while ago they had quality frames (Hutch etc) jamming windows closed for many years  ).

I would also say the cut off was when most manufacturers had their Frames made overseas etc, so for me - 70's to mid 80's is the Old School / Vintage BMX era, the quality was not as good, and the Big Manufactures and Riders got out.

I do not remember seeing many bikes being ridden after that time, magazines on shop shelves, friends talking about riding, or seeing it on the televison, so I'd class this as the Mid (Dark Period). I do not remember the Skyway Streetsyler at all or the Chrome and Coloured Haro's), bashguards etc - I was well out of the scene by then.

To define Old and Mid - I think a good example is the classic T/A. If this bike can not sell and has to be re-badged as a Dirt Brothers with more modern and diferent components (as Skyway is no longer a big name and they sold on their old stock), there has to be a reason - BMX was over!

When did Mid end and New start, I have no idea, that's not my era.

PS - Trev I'd class you as being a very very late Old Schooler Pity you missed the early years.

A Happy New Year to you all.

J.