*** Craig Schofield - 1984 Team Aero Pro - REPLICA ***

[beard1973]

Like many thousands of kids for Christmas I got a copy of the 1985 Raleigh BMX Annual.

Full of glorious Pictures of Team Riders Andy Ruffell, Craig Schofield and Karen Murphy, it even had a chapter on Team Manager Sam Wood...

I think I read that book from cover to cover every week for years!!

One picture I distinctly remember is this one.. of UK BMX Hero Mr.Schofield.



Sat astride the bike he raced during 1984... his race spec Team Aero Pro.

Little did I know that 25 years later Craig Schofield would become a friend of mine and that I'd speak to him on a regular basis. Some of you will know that I am currently restoring Craig's 1985 World Championship Winning Bike, something which I still have to pinch myself about  :shock:

Sadly when the 1985 is complete it will be going back to Craig, where it belongs.

BUT.... I do have this to soften blow... I completed this on Saturday morning of the Burner Bash, just in time for Craig himself to check out...  :cool:  :cool:

My very own 'Replica' of Craig Schofield's 1984 Team Aero Pro.

(I know she is not 100% correct yet.. but when funds allow she will be the full monty)

















I was thrilled to bits that it walked away with TWO trophies at the Bash as well...

BEST PRO BURNER & BEST OF THE BASH



Many Thanks to those who were there and voted for her...

The icing on the cake was seeing the thrill on Craig's face when he spotted her lined up in the Bash Marquee... He was blown away...





[Special Thanks on this build go to: buttsbikeshop, jonnyboybmx, mike0310, esemdesign, spark24 and others whose names escape me]

[kennyhunter6061]

Superb build mate    I always love a good replica, whether it's a rep' of a famous rider's bike or a rep' of someone's own bike from bitd, it just makes it that bit more special.  Top marks 

[jimmyp]

Top notch build that beard, its so nice to do a replica coz you can see what its based on and compare 

At least you won trophies for your build 

[beard1973]

Amongst other things it requires an ESP Stem (£400+  ) Single Pinch Flight (£250+  ) and GT Pro Bars (£100+  ).

She's a long term project that will be completed when I can source the right parts at the right price..  

Thanks for your kind words though Kenny... I keep popping downstairs to have a look at her..  

[beard1973]

Top notch build that beard, its so nice to do a replica coz you can see what its based on and compare 

At least you won trophies for your build 

Cheers Jimmy...  still a travesty that your Ruffell Pro never won... its still talked about 2 years later!!! so much so that 'our' voting system is being seriously reviewed. 

Bring your bike next year...  be cool to get them both together... and it may just be the case that the man himself will be present. 

[jimmyp]

Top notch build that beard, its so nice to do a replica coz you can see what its based on and compare 

At least you won trophies for your build 

Cheers Jimmy...  still a travesty that your Ruffell Pro never won... its still talked about 2 years later!!! so much so that 'our' voting system is being seriously reviewed. 

Bring your bike next year...  be cool to get them both together... and it may just be the case that the man himself will be present. 

Would be cool to get craig and andy back together for the photo

Would love to recreate the photo you got with the board game of andy and craig pulling skids, do you know which one i mean

[beard1973]

Do I know which one you mean...?  have you forgotten who your talking to... I eat an sleep this daft stuff...   

[jimmyp]

Thats the one 

Worried now, does mine need leather pads 

[Brandy Truffle]

I was going to say when i first saw it, I know the annual pic had number 3 on his plate, but the poster had him with number 1....then you posted a pic of it above ^^^ 

I've said it before...and no disrespect to the Ruff, but Craig was Mr Raleigh through and through. From when he left Mongoose and hopped onto a Raleigh he was working tirelessly for the marque right up until it disbanded the Team. Ruff gets alot of the glory from his (very) short time on the Team due to his brochure cover & Kelloggs '85 presenting in Raleigh colours, but it was Craig's "guts" which laid the foundations for the teams success.

Tis' funny, read an interview where Craig said that he more or less kept the bike the same most of the time, yet every race meeting I saw him at his bike was quite different and thats echoed with each mag pic when you look back now 

Anyway, the one you've picked to replicate is a good one and top job too 

[beard1973]

Craig still has the same passion and enthusiasm today and can't do enough to help.

He has some fantastic stories to tell and some brilliant memories of his days with Raleigh and he is still good friends with Andy.

Craig has supported 3 out of the last 4 Burner Bash events and in my opinion is a complete legend!!

My brother is a bit of an artist and I asked him to paint a picture of Craig (taken from the 83' Brochure) so we could present Craig with a gift for his continued support and encouragement. To say he was taken by suprise is an understatement... he was lost for words. 

[THIRSTYKIRSTY]

DAVE

BOTH THEM BIKES ARE MINT MATE AND WISH I HASD GONE NOW

DID JOHN BUTTERFIELD BRING HIS DOWN

I WILL BE THERE NEXT YR ON MINE

JUST NEED TO FIND 1

R

[jimmyp]

Craig still has the same passion and enthusiasm today and can't do enough to help.

He has some fantastic stories to tell and some brilliant memories of his days with Raleigh and he is still good friends with Andy.

Craig has supported 3 out of the last 4 Burner Bash events and in my opinion is a complete legend!!

My brother is a bit of an artist and I asked him to paint a picture of Craig (taken from the 83' Brochure) so we could present Craig with a gift for his continued support and encouragement. To say he was taken by suprise is an understatement... he was lost for words. 

Nice touch that, craig is a top guy and has alot of time for everyone

[dialledbikes]

Schof is indeed a legend and if he put in some training he could still beat most people around a track.  The skills are still there as he showed when I raced against him at Burnham Brits 07 and he was still effortlessly jumping stuff on an old school bike which some of us couldn't even jump on new school bikes.

Would love to see him join the other legends who have come back to 40+ cruiser - Slater, Wilson, Stupple, Stockwell, Alexander, etc.

p.s. lovely replica Beard.  As I've said many times, I've never been a Burner fan, but the team bikes that Ruffell and Schofield rode are in a different league to the regular Burners.

[pickle]

DAVE

BOTH THEM BIKES ARE MINT MATE AND WISH I HASD GONE NOW

DID JOHN BUTTERFIELD BRING HIS DOWN

I WILL BE THERE NEXT YR ON MINE

JUST NEED TO FIND 1

R

Russ

just make sure you don't buy it till a week before the bash....otherwise you'd have sold it before you get there 


Agree with all the above.....those team bikes look the nuts! 

[MartyC]

Beard, you are an awesome dude and the work you put in is amazing.  Your build is fantastic and it's really cool that Craig makes time to turn up and acknowledge what an influence he has been on many, many people bitd and that his influence carries on today.

BrandyTruffle, Ruff was just as much an ambassador for Raleigh as Craig was; Andy always worked tirelessly for his sponsors and Raleigh was no exception.  Andy put 100% into every sponsor from ACE Racing, Ammaco Mongoose through to Raleigh and back to Mongoose, if it wasn't for Andy UK freestyle would have got nowhere near the coverage it got and his racing exploits speak for themselves.  Love him or hate him he was a great team rider and for those of us that knew him he was and still is a great guy    .

[beard1973]

Beard, you are an awesome dude and the work you put in is amazing.  Your build is fantastic and it's really cool that Craig makes time to turn up and acknowledge what an influence he has been on many, many people bitd and that his influence carries on today.

Cheers Marty 

The TWO Aero Pro's I have completed in the past week have really ignited my passion for the old' Burners... I know alot think I am as mad as a box of frogs but they are the only BMX I really had any connection with as a boy, so I have thrown my heart and soul into promoting them through www.burnerworldforum.co.uk and attempting to defend them and raise their profile on radbmx...

I'm aware they will never hold the same status in Old School BMX as Hutch, Skyway, Mongoose, GT, Haro, JMC, Patterson, SE Racing and the likes.... but a Raleigh Burner is all I had as a lad and they hold a special place in my heart (as daft and sentimental as that sounds ).

Thanks for all the kind comments, it does mean alot when the rad army give you a little bit of recognition... 

Cheers Guys.... 

[Brandy Truffle]

^^^ MartyC: I never said he wasn't. But then I wasn't talking about UK Freestyle, Ace, Mongoose..or Robinson for that matter.

I was talking about Raleigh.

I was talking about the ££££ deal which was the major reason he went to Raleigh. Fact.

The ££££ were not there for Craig, John Lee, Jose etc in 82. I was just making the point. Andy got alot of the glory if you want to call it that, but Craig was a longtime workhorse of Raleigh topping it off with a World Championship Win. Ruff was with the marque what 11 months?...12 maybe?

I was making the point just for the purposes of this topic. No tar on the efforts of the Ruff. Simply that Craig didn't get the full recognition he deserved back then & it's great to see him even now supporting the BB and in turn seeing what an influence he had on many people.

If you take the time to read any of my replies, particularly on Ruffell topics here (Jimmy P's replica build for example) or over on Burnerworld, you'll see I am just as much a supporter/fan whatever you want to call it of Andy's too.

Two of the worlds best Bmx racers & Nicest Guys at the time for sure.

Back on topic, Beard: I'd have loved to have seen Craigs face when he clocked that plate lined up with the other bikes.  

You need to get the pair of them at next years bash definately!  

[MartyC]

You need to get the pair of them at next years bash definately!  

Agreed, that would be awesome to see; I bet the pair of them can still tear it up on the race track 

[beard1973]

You need to get the pair of them at next years bash definately!  

I have tried to get Andy for the past 4 years... and I won't give up.

Craig also did his best to get Andy here this year as well but sadly Andy has work commitments in the states and its no small journey travelling from the US of A to meet a group of Burner Fans in a field at a Steam Fair...  

No promises were made but Myself & Craig will be doing everything we can to make Burner Bash TWENTY10 a full on Team raleigh - ReUnion.  

[jimmyp]

You need to get the pair of them at next years bash definately!  

I have tried to get Andy for the past 4 years... and I won't give up.

Craig also did his best to get Andy here this year as well but sadly Andy has work commitments in the states and its no small journey travelling from the US of A to meet a group of Burner Fans in a field at a Steam Fair...  

No promises were made but Myself & Craig will be doing everything we can to make Burner Bash TWENTY10 a full on Team raleigh - ReUnion.  

Yeah would be interesting to see the other team members as well

[munners]

Great bike and great pics. Really like it. GOTTA CHANGE THEM FLIGHTS THOUGH ASAP!!

You can still see the beartrap marks down his shins!

[beard1973]

GOTTA CHANGE THEM FLIGHTS THOUGH ASAP!!

Been offered a set today... but I have thrown all my pennies into getting her this far... hopefully by the time MK'09 comes round she will be sporting single pinch flights... 

[MaD-RoK]

A top tribute bike, as I said on BW - I'm gobsmacked.  


You could say the recognition for Schofield was in the making of the Pro Race, just a shame his name wasn't on it.

[neiljonarcus]

dave  that  bike  is  f*cking  b'5tard  lovely mate  your  passion for  burners  is  unreal  . i know  people take the  wee wee  about  them  . but  i  personaly think burners  are the  dogs  nuts . i grew up on them my 1st was a gs  .....sorry  loosing what i was saying  ... yeah  that  replica  is  so  nice  mate  i  hope  its  going  in botm well done  mate  totly mint  bike  there  ... ps  you  havent  got  a  old  ap  lying around  i could  have  off you  ? 

[MaD-RoK]

I know of an AP F/F lying around Neil.