Faze 7

[RATTY]

Who remembers what about them, I think it was run by a guy called Joe Burlo???

And im sure he had a shop in Waltham Abbey, Tony Slater rode for him I think. Anyone else remember anything about them??

[Frosty]

Tony,

The owner of a local road race shop was an importer and exporter to Faze 7.

Patrick Schills (I think his name is), I keep pestering him if he knows of a stash of any os bmx stuff, he has plenty of os race gear!!

he mentioned that he used to take Vincent f&f gear back to Belgium!

[HUTCHMAN]

remember me dad driving me up there to get my Hutch Pro Racer f&f.one thing i do recall is that the M25 back then was incomplete,we drove on  the small part of it that was done in the immediate area.rough guess 1983/84.

[jedi]

i grew up in enfield.loved going there

[dialledbikes]

I remember Slater the Gater riding for Faze 7 Redline.

[kdubbmx]

I worked there right after i got back from racing  the summer of 83 in the US.

Tony (Slater) worked out back building up the custom build bikes that Faze 7 did so well out of.

Saw (maltese) Joe a few years ago & he hadnt changed a bit.

[MartyC]

Tony,

The owner of a local road race shop was an importer and exporter to Faze 7.

Patrick Schills (I think his name is), I keep pestering him if he knows of a stash of any os bmx stuff, he has plenty of os race gear!!

he mentioned that he used to take Vincent f&f gear back to Belgium!

Hey, I used to know Patrick way back in the day, he used to race with my old sponsor Steve Heffernan of Heffs Bike Shop and was a supplier of his.  Don't think he has too much os stuff these dys bit you never know 

[Mattdub]

I worked there right after i got back from racing  the summer of 83 in the US.

Tony (Slater) worked out back building up the custom build bikes that Faze 7 did so well out of.

Saw (maltese) Joe a few years ago & he hadnt changed a bit.

I was gonna say Keith worked there  .

Bought my first proper race bike ( GT Pro Nora Cup ) from Joe , one of the custom builds Kdub mentioned  . I did'nt do too bad at racing & Joe used to help quite a bit with deals on parts etc , a good guy all round .

Couple of pics of the Faze 7 bike in different guises ............................................

Early pic at Bleak Hall MK ( 82/83 ) .


Slightly later at P'boro .

[mark 2]

Faze 7's still around but as a skateboard distributor now and got their own skate brand called Blueprint that's globally successful

[Mattdub]

Faze 7's still around but as a skateboard distributor now and got their own skate brand called Blueprint that's globally successful

Run by Joe & his son I think 

[Mattdub]

Another Faze 7 purchase , blingy custom build for my mate bitd . I now have it to resto 

[billstup]

Jess Dyrenforth is in London at the moment too :

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=576143857&ref=mf

[kdubbmx]

I think the company 'fuct' was something to do with Joe as well?

[greentoad]

Hi all.

Faze 7 also had a shop in Melbourn (Cambs) about 84? I don't think it did very well though, as there were a few shops in Cambridge.

There was also Sigma in Royston (the owner of Sigma used to run the site that Faze 7 took over).

And there was also Custom Riders in Hitchin.

I think I only ever went in the Melbourn shop a few times.

J.

[se]

Joe started Blueprint in about 1994 I think, it was called Panic before that. I used to know Matt Pritchard who is now doing Dirty Sanchez and he rode for them.

[Faze7-Ade]

The first time I met Joe, was when I went to his house in Putney Rd, Enfield, to buy skateboard wheels. This was in the late '70s before he had a shop. He used to sell stuff from home in those days.

He then opened a shop in Waltham Cross, and I seem to remember it being up stairs from a small entrance.

Later he moved to the bigger shop (also in Waltham Cross), with offices up stairs where he ran his importing and distribution side of the business.

Last time I saw him was after he'd closed the shop and moved to a big house in Halstead near Braintree.

He's a great guy, who always helped us with sponsorship (bikes, parts, clothing) and setting us up with some of the bigger trick show venues we performed at.

I've got one of his old photo albums (he was a good photographer too), and I've put some photos from it here, and I've also started another post in old school race of some shots from a Herne Bay national in '84. Have a look and see if you know any of the racers....


Joe and long term assistant & friend Kev at South Sea KOS 86/87


The Shop in '84

The Faze 7 Riders


Tony Slater


Jess Darrenforth


The Trick team (L to R) Martin, Gary, Kris, Ade, Dave


Darren Robinson

Anyone else remember anything ?

[Mattdub]

Hi Ade ,

Great pics 

You guys did a demo at a fete kinda thing in my home town ( Buckingham ) bitd . I organised it with Joe for you guys to come along etc , I've got some pics which I'll try and find  .

Couple of other Faze 7 titbits .

Logo on race shirt .


Faze 7 patch .


Wearing a Faze 7 race shirt , walking across the infield at Derby Stadium after crashing in the final at the 1984 British Championships ( note walking past trophies ! )  .

 

[64 SPLITVAN]

I GOT MY KUWI FROM THERE
LAST TIME I WENT THERE WAS 87 WITH A FRIEND OF MINE THAT WAS INTO SKATEBOARDING ALL THE BIKES HAD GONE SAD DAY
IF I REMEMBER RIGHT I THINK MASON PALMER FROM CUSTOM RIDERS WAS GIVEN HIS HARO BY SIR BOB THERE

[Faze7-Ade]

Hi Ade ,

Great pics 

You guys did a demo at a fete kinda thing in my home town ( Buckingham ) bitd . I organised it with Joe for you guys to come along etc , I've got some pics which I'll try and find  .
 

Yea - I remember our demo in Buckingham. Would  have been around '84 too.

Be good to see your pics of that show.

Nice Vector jersey with the Faze 7 logo - did you get Joe to put it on for you ?

[Faze7-Dave]

I have still got my old race Haro race pants, shirt and Helmet from the days when we used to do the demos. Great days. Anyone see us with the Bedford Fall Guys. They were a stunt team that used to drive cars on 2 wheels and stuff. We used to jump cars on those shows, normally my Dads MG Metro at the end. Some old brown Fiesta also, is right Ade???

I would love to see some old photos from spectators from the shows.   All this old stuff is bringing back some great memories.


Good work fellas

[Mattdub]

Hi Ade ,

Great pics 

You guys did a demo at a fete kinda thing in my home town ( Buckingham ) bitd . I organised it with Joe for you guys to come along etc , I've got some pics which I'll try and find  .
 

Yea - I remember our demo in Buckingham. Would  have been around '84 too.

Be good to see your pics of that show.

Nice Vector jersey with the Faze 7 logo - did you get Joe to put it on for you ?

I'll have a good search for the Buckingham demo pics , fook knows where they are !  .

The Faze 7 logo , Joe may have put it on or it was a kinda iron on thing put on by the olds maybe ? .

[Mattdub]

I have still got my old race Haro race pants, shirt and Helmet from the days when we used to do the demos. Great days. Anyone see us with the Bedford Fall Guys. They were a stunt team that used to drive cars on 2 wheels and stuff. We used to jump cars on those shows, normally my Dads MG Metro at the end. Some old brown Fiesta also, is right Ade???

I would love to see some old photos from spectators from the shows.   All this old stuff is bringing back some great memories.


Good work fellas

Welcome to RADBMX Dave  .

I found a couple of other pics last night but ideally need a scanner  ( might try digi camera first ) .

[Faze7-Ade]

I guess this isn't really old school race, so I have another thread going in old school freestyle, where the action shots of the trick team have been loaded.

http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=71717.0

I'll put more on there as I find them, hope you enjoy them too.....

[kdubbmx]

Joe worked in the local dole office even when Faze 7 was fully established & i was working there, he did indeed start out selling stuff from 57 Putney rd Enfield, then i joined him when he was upstairs in a condemmed building in Eleanor Cross rd right by the swans over the road (are they still there?)

Things got realy busy & we moved to the shop in the high st in the photo.

Joe's speciality was the 'custom build' bikes he sold at £199 (or was it £299?) where you had a choice of frames that were top end frames usually only available as frame only & a choice of different components.

Memorable customers for me were Jasper Conran buying Hutch & Keith Ripp (ripspeed) buying a quadangle for his son.

It was way into our time at the new shop that Joe finally decided to leave his job at the dole office & work full time at the shop!

Went to many races around the country in Joes battered old orange vw van with Tony & Les Slater & all the stock for selling at races, the side door didnt close properly & let draughts in & Tony complained constantly that this gave him ear infections!!

I have a lot to thank Les for he must have driven me to hundreds of races & would happily drop everyone home after driving for hours & also doing the gate all weekend!!   

[Faze7-Ade]

Joe worked in the local dole office even when Faze 7 was fully established & i was working there, he did indeed start out selling stuff from 57 Putney rd Enfield, then i joined him when he was upstairs in a condemmed building in Eleanor Cross rd right by the swans over the road (are they still there?)

Things got realy busy & we moved to the shop in the high st in the photo.

Joe's speciality was the 'custom build' bikes he sold at £199 (or was it £299?) where you had a choice of frames that were top end frames usually only available as frame only & a choice of different components.

Memorable customers for me were Jasper Conran buying Hutch & Keith Ripp (ripspeed) buying a quadangle for his son.

It was way into our time at the new shop that Joe finally decided to leave his job at the dole office & work full time at the shop!

I never really knew what he did for a job, all I remember was something which didn't fit with his love of skateboarding. And I wasn't definate on the house number but 57 rings true. I remember the 1st time I went there - I thought I'd made a mistake, because his ad in the magazine didn't say it was a house, and I was expecting a shop ! Took me ages to get my bottle up to go and knock on the door.

Thanks for filling that in Keith.

There are some photos of the £299 bikes in Joe's photo album too, if anyone is interested in seeing them ?