basic bikes

[gobshite]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Basic-Bike-Company-stem-Standard-BMX-Flatland_W0QQitemZ120498093722QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item1c0e3efe9a#ht_500wt_924


who knows what about them?

educate us

[Jay Brand]

I dont know much about them, but the first batch of frames that Moliterno had made for Standard were rejected due to not making them to his specs. Some guys in Canda bought them and started Basic Bikes. Here is a cut and paste from 23@magazine.

Basic was an innovative small company based in Canada that was around from 1993 to about 1998. Basic's original frames were the exact same frames as the Standard Lengthy (Big City Bastard) and Shorty (Small Town Hick), b/c Basic for some reason ended up with a run of those frames that for some reason Standard didn't want or something. The next batch was their own designs. Darcy Saccucci, one of the founders, left the company in 1996 due to differences of opinion with his partner, Cecil Milligan, and it soon fell apart.
Darcy Saccucci, www.fatbmx.com, december 2003 : I started making number plates and t-shirts at home when I was 15 to sell at the races, I still owe my brother a couple hundred from the start up costs... A few years later I started a company called Basic Bikes with a partner (...) We built Basic up pretty well. We had one of the best teams of all time, Dave Osato, Jason Enns, Paul Buchanan, Jamie McIntosh, Andrew Farris, Dan Rigby, and bunch of other talented guys. That was the first chance I had to make the parts that I wanted. After I sold that company, I was looking for someone to do some designing or marketing work for but living in Canada made that a tough so when Jay and Jamie started Ten Pack I was pretty stoked to start working for them with the idea of one day doing something like MacNeil.
1993 Rick Moliterno : Our first production run was made by a machine shop in Davenport. They couldn't make them right so we refused them all. Those bikes that were refused are what became Basic Bikes.

Cecil Milligan, Ride BMX US december 1995: Steve Roy was talking to some guy in Chicago at the Finals in 1993, and he said there was a guy that had bikes that were made, and just sitting there, and he wanted to sell them. So we phoned the guy, and it turned out to be the same guy that was making Standard bikes so Darcy and I just bought one. One each, for us. We bought some pegs, and axles and stuff. Kinda whatever he had there that we thought we'd want for our bikes. We bought those, and we were like, "wow." Then our friends were like, "Can you get anymore?" So then we thought we'll just buy those frames and put our own decals on them.
1995 Ride BMX US december 1995: Basic from Canada have been building an interesting story over the last few years, even though they've only been building bikes for a few months. Founded on the Dirt Bros. strategy of using other company's old frames (Standard's in their case), it was easy for people to be skeptical as to what would happen when their stock ran out. That is, until now. Basic is now manufacturing their own line of bikes, The Big City Bastard (street and mini), the Small Town Hick (flatland) and the Sluggo (dirt, street, and all around). The Big City and the Small Town are both very similar to the original "Basic" bikes, but the Sluggo is a completely new design.
Cecil Milligan, Ride BMX US december 1995: We just wanted to get away from Standard, cause our bikes were Standards with our decals on them, so we just wanted to get away from that. Make our own. I'd always wanted to make my own bike company.
1996 There was only one pink Basic bike at the 1996 BS finals contest. That one bike belonged to Andrew Faris, who rode with his original flow, pulled his darkside strings, and ended up with second place. 
1997 Basic bikes has introduced a new signature frame for pro flatlander Andrew Faris. It is called the Aura.
1998 Since Andrew Faris is now riding for Schwinn, Basic will not be calling its new flatland frame the Aura. Instead, it will be the new Small Town Hick.

Basic is relocating to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

[SaMAlex]

I visited Basic Bikes (Cecils house) in 1997. It was a tiny operation, but thats not saying its a bad thing. He had just got those stems in and was talking about the advantages of the "wrap" design over the "split clamp". One of the guys I was with bought some Basic 4 piece bars. (Im not sure what happened to them  ). While up there we went to a bike show and there was a BMX demo. Jump box and 1/4. Most of the people riding were on Basic Bikes or Schwinns, Including Jason Enns, Rob Sigaty and Dave Osato. At that time no one gave a shit about how heavy their bikes were! 

Later that same trip I spent some time in Seattle. One of the riders we rode with was Toast. He was riding for Basic Bikes at the time. He was a really top man.

[Dr.Robotnik]

One of the guys I was with bought some Basic 4 piece bars. (Im not sure what happened to them  ).

Me neither  Thanks buddy. They are cleaned and polished up and waiting for some new stickers from Cecil if he'll ever send them.

Basic Bikes history has been roughly covered above I guess, so I'll just make note of some maybe obvious or not so obvious issues with that particular stem. The stem came in either Black Powder Coat or raw high polished finish (mine was a mirror when I got it) but I swear that lasted about two weeks before it oxidised down to a flat silver. So this one has either been lightly polished for sale or clear coated in the past to protect it. Also although listed as mint if you look closely there are some scratches in the top, they may or may not buff out, but be aware the logo is in the top to, so go into the sale with your eyes open. Finally on my version the bolts are chrome and have stayed chrome since 1996 even with being ridden every day in winter. Those bolts have either paint or rust on the caps so you'd need to clean them too.

Otherwise I can highly recommend the stem, I rode mine until this year which is roughly about 11 years or so before I cracked it. It's now being re-furbed as my time allows. In the two pictures from this year and two/three years ago I am using the stem, I didn't treat it gently in its 11 years. Oh, I was still riding the forks 4 years ago and they are fine, the frame I have I grew out of and replaced years ago. All of their stuff is rare and strong. My stuff should be spruced up sometime in the early new year.

Oh someone please please hook me up with two used steel Basic Silencer pegs!!!!

BTW I might buy myself an Xmas prezzie of this stem, does anyone mind if I bid?

[gobshite]

i only posted it up in case anyone was interested in it


bid away dude

[harris]

basic bikes frame no 153  aka the shorty   for sale at the moment if i have a word.

[almasterb]

Does anyone know why Standard wouldn't accept the first frames that became Basic?


I have that same stem on my Strowler, but without the BBC engraving. I was told it was a Camacura Nathan P stem?

[harris]

when they built up some they were out of line,twisted  rear ends and a few other problems from what i had heard.

[condor96]

the dropouts were not made how they wanted, tube thickness etc


he is a little video on basic

/>
and an article in fat zine
http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php'storyid=5646

[Dr.Robotnik]

basic bikes frame no 153  aka the shorty   for sale at the moment if i have a word.

I am vaguely interested. Can you pm me with the details?

[Dr.Robotnik]

Does anyone know why Standard wouldn't accept the first frames that became Basic?


I have that same stem on my Strowler, but without the BBC engraving. I was told it was a Camacura Nathan P stem?

I think oyu have a Camacura stem it's very similar to a BBC. However if you look closely you can see your steerer tube clamp slots on the left and a BBC is on the right. Also the Camacura doesn't have BBC written on the top. Also I believe from memory the front cap is different.

[Dr.Robotnik]

I actually heard that Standard could not pay for the full line of frames they ordered. For whatever reason they had a cash flow issue and they were offered for sale elsewhere and Basic bought them.

[Dr.Robotnik]

Final comment, what do people think of the scratches on the stem? The seller now says it's second hand and the previous owner must have taken the top cap off with a crescent wrench scratching the top. He says the scratches will buff out, but I'm not sure, I've been told that sort of thing before? Anyone with experience in polishing care to make a judgement?

Also apparently it's paint on the bolts

[gobshite]

seems a bit cheeky of the seller to describe it as "mint"

the scratches look to be fairly deep, you could polish the whole of the top of the stem but might lose some detail in the BBC,

[christhejob]

when chris job was out at rampage for a jam there was a press release from standard listing the reasons why they refused the batch.
chris job knew there wasn't a cashflow problem as they were then moved onto dealing with waterford producing the much  much better frames, and chris job's friend bought waterford standard number 1 when we were there..  they were a good couple of pounds lighter too..
don't question chris job 

[gobshite]

chris job has spoken

[subversion]

When I was at Custom Riders years ago I seem to remember they had a Basic Bikes Frameset there that had no brake mounts & 10 thick drop outs, pretty sure it was called the 'Street Fighter'

...or did I just dream it?

[gobshite]

did you win this dr robotnickers?

let us all have a proper gander of it when it arrives?