Evening All!

[ButcherBoy]

Just joined so just saying HI!

Also just finished my 84 StreetBeat - none of these 85's for me. Well, I say finished,  a few things like pads and decals remain but -  at last it's a bike.

Billy Stupple was one of my childhood heroes and so I'm  pleased to see he remains at one with all of this. 

Pics soon - best take them before I hit the half pipe.

Cheers!

[CustardLips]

Welcome to Rad.

[BMX1973]

welcome to Rad

[Retrodan72]

Welcome in, Devilock will be along shortly, he's a hoot.

[insectbones]

Welcome in fella 

[ButcherBoy]

Thanks CustardLips!

Very pleased to be here. No idea why I did not join sooner - life gets in the way of these important things.

So a bit on me.

I'm Jay.  I got my first bike in 1982 I think -  it was a DP Firebird and I was over the moon. It was second-hand and I remember every part on it to this day. I then managed to swap it for a Mongoose Expert plus 60 quid with a guy at school (he seemed happy what can I say) and saved up for my Skyway TA. By this time I was 13 and getting fairly decent. Got the Skyway on my 13th birthday from OT cycles in Dartford and it sat in my bedroom for a few months whilst I built it up.

I never felt the need to change that bike, it was amazing and I kept it forever. I bought a Torker 280x from a guy on my street and really liked the bike so I rode both for a while, I was doing pretty well but some unfortunate accidents left me slightly fearful - the worst was when I popped out of a quarter-pipe on a rainy day (stupid) and slid right of the back of the pipe and landed on the TA, it was painful but no real harm done, but it messed with my head a bit. Then I broke my hand and fractured my skull going down a hill no-handed - womble!

So around 86/87 (looked very old for my age) I found beer and women and never rode again until I got the TA out when I turned 30 - early attempt at a mid-life crisis. Then in 2007 at the age of 36 I made the grave mistake of riding a half-pipe without a lid. I was just riding around a new town (Oslo) and suddenly there was this yummy looking half-pipe. I was more into ramps than anything and by this point I was happily puling decent airs again and enjoying BMX to the full. Not sure what happened but I came to on the flat bottom thinking 'wow that was onehelluvan impact' and was told by a 10 year old shocked looking child that I had landed face-first on the coping. To this day I have no clue how that came about, I mean face first - what was I doing? I'm sure I have never tried a flare.

So, to cut a long story short, I shattered my cheek bone, ruptured my sinus, broke my eye-socket and broke my upper jaw, 2 ribs and a finger. Pretty much a full house of injuries there. I had emergency facial reconstruction surgery the following morning (titanium cheek bone, eyesocket pinned, plate on upper jaw) and to be honest I am the luckiest man alive as you would never know it to look at me today - still ugly!

So I thought my first photobucket upload would be me post-surgery, (sorry we were kinda busy with doctors and brain damage so I never got a pre-op but allegedly I had a concave face on the right side. I don't remember at all as I could not make memories for 3 days. I did not know my address, or birthday, but knew my name, it was quite a scary time.)

So don't forget, always wear a crash helmet kids!

The real bummer of the story was that whilst I was in hospital (10 days) what with all the stress, surgery and mayhem, my TA got left outside my flat unlocked, I have never seen it again  I kept it safe for 23  years and then I lost it.  I loved that bike, it was important to me.

So I decided to build a Streetbeat as it was more affordable and that bike got finished last week! It took me 6 years for reasons I just can't explain. So now I am 42 and about to begin yet again and well, I really need to be careful. I bought a new lid, I will go very slow, one step at a time but my mission is to get inverted again out the top of a pipe. This is my main personal goal in life right now, but please don't tell the Mrs!

I am told that my head can't really get hurt again. I almost lost my eye last time and I missed brain damage by a thin margin. But you know how it is, ramps, style, vert, flying.... You know? It's not like a choice.

So that's me, brain writing cheques my body can't cash but just can't let it end like that.

Thanks for listening!

[In2bmx]

Welcome to Rad Jay , ouch that looks fooking sore . 

[ButcherBoy]

Welcome to Rad Jay , ouch that looks fooking sore . 

Well the main nerve supplying your face runs through the cheek bone and was severed when it shattered so actually comfortably numb! Sadly still a bit numb but then who hasn't got a gory to tell ? Permanently numb teeth is not something you ever get totally used to though.

Will get piks of the porn that is my StreetBeat up ASAP - it's dark by 4pm here at the moment and has bee raining for a week so just waiting for some decent light.

[megsy]

Welcome you'll love it on here 

[Bfellows]

Welcome to the mad house!  It's fun here (I think?)

[griff]

hvordan går det

[pickle]

welcome to RAD sir, 84 Beat you say??  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm you can't beat a beat 

get some piccies up as i do love a nice Beat 

[ButcherBoy]

Thanks for all the warm wishes - special mention for Griff's perfect Norwegian (much better than mine - show-off!) Men - tusen takk, det gå bra!

So I thought I could at least post the ubiquitous, badly lit, 'not quite finished in the kitchen' shot as a teaser of my 'Beat. I went for the 'Darth Vadar on his way to play Tennis' look. It's an 'All-skool' build as it will be a rider, and I don't have the resources to get total NOS quality on every part.

The brake cable is temporary - was just working the brake out really. Trying to contact Firebird Steve for a padset, a nice man called Dubdoe has offered to help me with some decals, and has anyone else found that Gusset Pimps just don't fit Skyways properly? Am having a custom Gyro top plate made as the Chris King stack ate all the fork thread so am getting a Ali plate made that will snuggle up and 'locate' around the DK freestyle stem. Am told those Tuff2's came off Craig Cambell's prototype Rickman Fresstyler, no reason to doubt it but could be hot air, kinda like the idea of them being ridden in anger.

Anyone tried Aaaron Ross tyres on Tuffs?

I would prefer a Pitbull 1 to replace my II, not sure about the Odyssey Bario bars, I have Yeti grips on there which also not convinced about, and turns out the Pozi-Stop is not needed so will replace with a DK - hmmm guess it's barely even started

I'll get it into natural light ASAP for a proper shoot, one thing I will say - it is totally dialled and supertight! My new lid is in UK but after Christmas I'm on it, and lets face it, falling off it too.



To be honest having drooled over all your bikes this is barely up to the standards you guys have come to expect but it's my first and I love it!

Cheers all!

[griff]

nice & different 

as for the norwegian 'skills' don't be fooled - I used to sit next to a guy from Norway at work and only know about 5 phrases 

skal vi spise?

[Jaan]

Welcome mate