1986-now how did bmx evolve ?

[bigfatolly]

i got out of bmx like many others in around 1986 when my bike got nicked.
the top freestylers were ruffell(rip),dyrenforth,winder(rip),campbell and loads more.
the bikes i think were getting more commercial and gaudy looking from what i can remember.lavender,pink,green,orange bikes were all the thing.
i picked a bmx mag up in around 1996 out of curiosity and couldnt believe how much bikes and tricks had changed.
i kind of dabbled in an old school build when i bought an old mrd with tuffs out of the freeads but got bored with it when i couldnt get old parts for it(no interweb in 96!)
i have only just got back into this a couple of months ago and have got a couple of builds on the go.
so what i want to know is,how did the bikes evolve into what we have now?
post your memories and pics here and fill me in on what i have missed!

[sweetbeats]

Like yourself I got out of BMX around a similar time picked up a GT early 90's performer about 10 years ago and though it was pap so didn't get the bug again until recently.
I seem to remember around 85 bikes changing,haro and hutch followed GT's lead with asian production and the bikes began to change too and became a bit gimmicky,gaudy colours,dizzy graphics and cheap copy parts to max up profit.
Another thing I noticed looking back was watching mike d ride unsponsored in a king of the skateparks competition in jeans and a t-shirt after being dropped by Hutch all the rest had factory uniforms on so he stood out and maybe inspired the modern non factory look which was 85.

http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=mike+dominguez&hl=en&emb=0&aq=-1&oq=#

Modern BMX seems more about riding and engineering rather than aesthetics I think...progression I suppose...but don't quote me on it though


 

[bmxer4ever]

F uck me, where do we start......

I know - when I'm sober.....! 

Get back to you soon.

G

[lodge]

All the info you will need here:                  http://www.23mag.com/hist/histoire.htm

[bmxer4ever]

All the info you will need here:                  http://www.23mag.com/hist/histoire.htm

That's such a cop out Ammaco boy... 

Tell 'im what YOUR experiences were.

[lodge]

Ammaco??? never heard of em.   

[Flatcap]

F uck me, where do we start......

I know - when I'm sober.....! 

Get back to you soon.

G

As always Gaz...you make me laugh dude 

[bmxer4ever]

Alrighty then.......

Early '80's bmx exploded in this country, every kid had to have one... Raleigh nearly kill it off before it starts with the complete abortion that is the Raliegh Burner...

Mid '80's, competition scene is hotting up and trick riding is starting to take over from racing, 'cos it looks more fun and you can do it anywhere... All white bikes, then Bright colours appear.

Late '80's - HOFFMAN. Around this time, Nick Phillip is pioneering the underground, 'Anarchist' bmx movement..

BMX DIES in the UK

Early '90's - still HOFFMAN! Bmx is now fully underground and trick riding is getting insane, mainly due to Mat Hoffman. Backflips....

Mid '90's, bikes are HEAVY in pursuit of strength, full face helmets, full pads, four pegs, 2 brakes.

Late '90's - X Games brings bmx to the masses - no-one can believe what they are seeing! Suddenly everyone that rides a bmx gets asked the 'backflip' question....

2000 on, bikes are getting lighter as design and engineering improves due to the influx of cash into the sport. People are taking their brakes off, 'real' street riding explodes, small drivetrains become the norm, internet videos bring the latest riding directly into your home, skateparks become the new football pitch, the 20lb pro freestyle bike becomes reality, I join RADBMX.CO.UK and here we are.

Right, I'm off to get pissed.
G

[macky]

Alrighty then.......

Early '80's bmx exploded in this country, every kid had to have one... Raleigh nearly kill it off before it starts with the complete abortion that is the Raliegh Burner...

Mid '80's, competition scene is hotting up and trick riding is starting to take over from racing, 'cos it looks more fun and you can do it anywhere... All white bikes, then Bright colours appear.

Late '80's - HOFFMAN. Around this time, Nick Phillip is pioneering the underground, 'Anarchist' bmx movement..

BMX DIES in the UK

Early '90's - still HOFFMAN! Bmx is now fully underground and trick riding is getting insane, mainly due to Mat Hoffman. Backflips....

Mid '90's, bikes are HEAVY in pursuit of strength, full face helmets, full pads, four pegs, 2 brakes.

Late '90's - X Games brings bmx to the masses - no-one can believe what they are seeing! Suddenly everyone that rides a bmx gets asked the 'backflip' question....
2000 on, bikes are getting lighter as design and engineering improves due to the influx of cash into the sport. People are taking their brakes off, 'real' street riding explodes, small drivetrains become the norm, internet videos bring the latest riding directly into your home, skateparks become the new football pitch, the 20lb pro freestyle bike becomes reality, I join RADBMX.CO.UK and here we are.

Right, I'm off to get pissed.
G

 

   


( and the Tailwhip question )

(AND... how much is your bike worth )

[bmxer4ever]

Well.......you know what I mean.

Merry f@ckin Christmas!



G

[scott250]

I rode back in the day, I rode mid & I still ride now(when I can escape work or/and family, haha).  No different to me - tricks have got more tec and/or bigger, bikes got light then they got heavy,,urm then they got light again .  I see the younger lot ride and I see them throw in old school stuff as well as newschool stuff.  BMX is BMX as far as I can see.  Then best thing I think was when the longer frames started apearing, I mean skyways and hutches, nice as they were BITD etc were mini really - now you can get a 21.6 if you like(anyone remeber the rap RR frame from the 90s - long as).  I ride a standard 250s with mid bb with diddy gears on, but to be honist I ride just the same as I did without all that ie US bb and 39 16.

I always got asked if I could do a 360 in the 90s  , haha.  Ive always riden in jeans, T and or hooded top, I couldnt care if Xgames existed or not i just love to ride and thats it really.

[T WILD]

first people started doing tricks on race bikes and freestyle was born and people started making bikes specific to freestyle. It all changed when freestyle stopped being freestyle and became segregated into genres so flatland and street and vert became seperated gone were the days when one guy came on and did a routine of all aspects, people focused on one part and bikes became focused on doing one specific element of the sport. Thats my explanation of the change

Didn't work on me though we had no money to buy new stuff and I had bugger all when I grew up so I had to build my bikes from whatever I had or friends didnt want and the money I did get went on parts so I never bought a full bike ever.I remember in the early nineties I had a silver streak my mate crashed so i stripped it down and he gave me the frame so i built it up with mongoose forks a gyro with bulldog brakes and haro kneesavers rollin on 48s. Most of my mates had similar gear. I remember drilling the dropouts on a 87 ish performer so I could bolt pegs on and not have to buy spindles lol but I bent the dropout and I put a plate behind it to increase surface area then 6mm dropouts became the standard so other people must have done the same thing.

Its like everything really one person does something then a few people do it then someone builds it into bike design.
Then they realise that these bikes have become so heavy they are no good for what they are designed for in the first place TRANSPORTATION    

[JT71]

early 80s Raleigh bring BMX (of a sort) to the UK masses, they are heavy but some bikes have reasonable parts, raliegh go on to sell 1 million bmx bikes and are probably responsible for the sales of all the trendier and better brands

late 80's I got a racer (now called a "road bike") and didn't pick up a bmx again

mid 90s loved the bikes but was riding mtbs, hardtails with suspension forks, wanted a bmx but tried one and thought, nah riding mtb is easier.

2006 Raleigh again, i get a free mkii super burner, do some work on it, discover burnerworld then RAD then have some more bikes:

Raleigh mkii super stripped to chrome
custom twin mkii black and white burners
re-issue team aero pro bruner with zs
skyway street beat
3 aero reflexes
mkii red burner
mkii super tuff
skywaystreet styler
mirra co black pearl
fly 3 amigos

probably some others and they all got sold until i ended up with my current bikes.

the end.