All about bicycles

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

On the way home I started hearing noises... tick tick tickety tick... I stopped and found that the ends of the elastic cords that fasten to the bottom of the pannier racks were lightly hitting the spokes on both sides of the wheel.

She-it, mang... when we were kids, we did that on purpose. Makes it sound like a motorcycle.

Man, this brings back good memories from the early 80s. Me and my buddies built so many bikes from the ground up.

I used to race BMX (early 80's). I always wanted a fully-polished PK Ripper with redline 401 Flight cranks. Never had the money. Now that I do, I'm too big to enjoy it.

 

[dmatthews]

She-it, mang... when we were kids, we did that on purpose. Makes it sound like a motorcycle.



I used to race BMW (early 80's). I always wanted a fully-polished PK Ripper with redline 401 Flight cranks. Never had the money. Now that I do, I'm too big to enjoy it.

Yup... reminded me of the clothespin and playing card days...

 

[bodia]

She-it, mang... when we were kids, we did that on purpose. Makes it sound like a motorcycle.



I used to race BMW (early 80's). I always wanted a fully-polished PK Ripper with redline 401 Flight cranks. Never had the money. Now that I do, I'm too big to enjoy it.

My last frame was a Black PK Ripper with Powder Blue lettering. Badass bike, for sure. Traded a Schwinn Sting fo it.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

My last frame was a Black PK Ripper with Powder Blue lettering. Badass bike, for sure. Traded a Schwinn Sting fo it.

How did I know you’d totally understand. Have we discussed this before and I’m just too old and decrepit to remember? By the way, I said I raced BMW but meant to type BMX.

Have you seen the price for a clean, vintage, PK Ripper lately?

 

[bodia]

How did I know you’d totally understand. Have we discussed this before and I’m just too old and decrepit to remember? By the way, I said I raced BMW but meant to type BMX.

Have you seen the price for a clean, vintage, PK Ripper lately?

Hmmm, if you're too old to remember, that makes two of us. Pretty sure we haven't had this convo in the past. Although, in some thread here, once upon a time, I did post these pics of my glory days. Me doing the table top is circa '81 (GJS frame). Me getting jumped over is from '83 (GT frame).

The guy (actual name: Gary Moore) jumping over me did have a polished PK Ripper. I can't tell if that is what he is on here.

They are ridiculous money today. Should have held on to some of my bikes, just like my baseball cards.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

One of the perks of riding a BMX as a grown ass man is being able to share it with your kid.

My kid (currently 7) has been racing for a few years, but last year was so rained out that he hardly got on the track. This year it was closed until July due to COVID, and since then has kept getting rained out.

One of the perks of having a Dad that rides freestyle is that you a proper freestyle bike. He chose the purple himself. He’s quite proud of it.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

One of the perks of riding a BMX as a grown ass man is being able to share it with your kid.

Grown-ass man... sure.

Big-ass man... not so much.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Cool as hell! I never could pull off a legitimate Table Top. Respect.

Hmmm, if you're too old to remember, that makes two of us. Pretty sure we haven't had this convo in the past. Although, in some thread here, once upon a time, I did post these pics of my glory days. Me doing the table top is circa '81 (GJS frame). Me getting jumped over is from '83 (GT frame).

The guy (actual name: Gary Moore) jumping over me did have a polished PK Ripper. I can't tell if that is what he is on here.

They are ridiculous money today. Should have held on to some of my bikes, just like my baseball cards.

 

[bodia]

Cool as hell! I never could pull off a legitimate Table Top. Respect.

Thanks, brah! That jump was the bomb! We'd start up the alley, by the parked car, and come flying down to hit that hill. The jump was carved into the side of an 8'-10' foot hill. It was basically a quarter pipe.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Thanks, brah! That jump was the bomb! We'd start up the alley, by the parked car, and come flying down to hit that hill. The jump was carved into the side of an 8'-10' foot hill. It was basically a quarter pipe.

Honestly, I still suck at airing out of a transition. Growing up when/where I did (inner city) we never had any cool piles of dirt around, so most of the stuff I learned was what would later be called street and flatland. I’ve always envied the dirt riders.

Riding in a park with my kid has actually forced me to develop more. He keeps asking me if I can show him certain things, and it puts me in a position where I either need to “put up or shut up”.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Thanks, brah! That jump was the bomb! We'd start up the alley, by the parked car, and come flying down to hit that hill. The jump was carved into the side of an 8'-10' foot hill. It was basically a quarter pipe.

My buddies and I built a pretty big quarter-pipe. Then... we parked it at the edge of the river. After a few jumps we realised it was better to tie a life-jacket to the bike as well. My buddy had a purplish-pink Haro Freestyler (with white mags) that spent at least one night at the bottom of the river.

 

[bodia]

My buddies and I built a pretty big quarter-pipe. Then... we parked it at the edge of the river. After a few jumps we realised it was better to tie a life-jacket to the bike as well. My buddy had a purplish-pink Haro Freestyler (with white mags) that spent at least one night at the bottom of the river.

Nice! I grew up along the Mississippi River, but no way we'd jump into that

 

[alantig]

Big-ass man... not so much.

Why you dragging me into this???

 

[Kiwi]

Yup... reminded me of the clothespin and playing card days...

Baseball cards, for me and the gang back in the 1960s.

I fed all the 1967 Red Sox and Yankees into the back spokes of my bike.

I mean, who knew? It sounded awesome.

=K

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Baseball cards, for me and the gang back in the 1960s.

I fed all the 1967 Red Sox and Yankees into the back spokes of my bike.

I mean, who knew? It sounded awesome.

=K

All we could afford was an old piece of Kellogg’s cornflake box, held in place by a clothes peg!

 

[alantig]

All we could afford was an old piece of Kellogg’s cornflake box, held in place by a clothes peg!

Luxury.

We had to go to funeral homes and pretend to be mourners so we could steal the remembrance cards and hold them in place by hand while we ran beside the bicycle. And when I say 'bicycle', I mean a bent rim retrieved from a dumpster that we would roll along the ground while running behind it pretending to pedal.

 

[jxe]

Luxury.

We had to go to funeral homes and pretend to be mourners so we could steal the remembrance cards and hold them in place by hand while we ran beside the bicycle. And when I say 'bicycle', I mean a bent rim retrieved from a dumpster that we would roll along the ground while running behind it pretending to pedal.

that is so sad, alan. we think we know someone’s life, but do we ever really?

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Luxury.

We had to go to funeral homes and pretend to be mourners so we could steal the remembrance cards and hold them in place by hand while we ran beside the bicycle. And when I say 'bicycle', I mean a bent rim retrieved from a dumpster that we would roll along the ground while running behind it pretending to pedal.

“Bent rim retrieved from’t dumpster?! LUXURY!!”

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

that is so sad, alan. we think we know someone’s life, but do we ever really?

Sounds like a hint.

 

[veinbuster]

A while ago there was a thread about various shippers. I bet on USPS being as fast for cross border stuff, and friendlier with regards to customs/duty/tax.
I had three shipments coming for part of my master plan. One from California via USPS. One from Italy via FedEx. Another from California via UPS.

As expected, the USPS package made it here first.
They say that shoes make the man. The colours were selected to match my daughter's race team.

The soles are pretty nice. Those red bits are sticky enough to help walking.

They take sun really well.

The second package to arrive was the one from Italy, even though it visited France and Germany along the way. FedEx called to collect tax and a $10 (not bad) processing fee.
I popped them on my S Works road bike to make sure they worked and found out it only took 581 watts to climb the Wall of Doom.