BMX memories, 20 some odd years later

The other day I was looking at a website called BMX Museum, where this guy collects and restores BMX bikes from the 80's, and also allows other people to post pictures of old-school bikes that they have.

It was a nice trip down memory lane for me. As I tell my wife, anyone who knew me back then will tell you I was ALWAYS on my bike...

Well, except for when I was either:

1) Flirting with girls at Packer Park
2) Out drinking somewhere

Anyhow, my family was pretty poor, and although I'd walk into Bike City and dream about getting one of the many cool bikes I wanted (GT, Hutch, Redline, Kuwahara), we couldn't afford it.

My friends felt badly for me, so they threw togther a bike out of spare parts they had. It wasn't pretty, and nothing matched, but I didn't care. I could finally ride with them. And we rode ALL over town. We were OBNOXIOUS!

At one point we had this jump over by the Acme grocery store, it was this big pile of dirt that they had built up to put a gas station in (I think it was called the Downtown TimeSaver). We'd line up in the parking lot, pedal our asses off, and hit that jump.

I remember that different kids had different style. Some of us were really smooth, like Jamie Sherman, "Gunner" Chris Gundersen, Jon Keck -- and others had a lot of talent doing 'trick" jumps (Bill Rawson was a freak). I think Twit (Greg Hoke) even fell into the creek there with his bike and got hurt. I don't remember that too well.

Then there was me. I had NO style. I just always went fast and hit it hard. One time we were jumping up by Bill Rawson's house and I TOTALLY hit a jump too fast and LAUNCHED, like, 20 feet past the landing! On my ASS! It was embarrassing.

So, back to the Acme parking lot. On one fine day, there was a group of us hitting the jump, showing off, busting each others' balls. A couple of us (I think it may have been Ronnie Arthur or Brian Losinger) just decided to see how FAR we could jump, and I was DEFINITELY into that.

So I started pretty much over by Main Street, and starting booking across the parking lot. My bike was mostly steel parts, so it was HEAVY, which was a disadvantage if you wanted to fly. Man, I hit that jump as fast as I could, and FLEW! Like almost to the OTHER SIDE of this big pile of dirt, around 20-30 feet maybe.

Then my bike snapped. LOUDLY. Broke the frame. That was it for me. You can't ride a bike with a broken frame.

It sucked.

Some time later, my mom's boyfriend at the time (now my stepfather) went down to see Gary at Bike City and bought me this beautiful lavender GT he had hanging on the wall. I had been LUSTING after that GT because it was DIFFERENT that what everyone else was riding — Jamie had his Patterson, Jon Keck his Reach, Vern had a Kuwahara, Rawdog had a beautiful Redline, Jamie Morral and Rip White both had Hutch bikes — all nice bikes. And it wasn't like no one had GT's, but this one was PURPLE. Fucking purple! And I wanted it for THAT REASON.

To me, having a purple bike, when I knew how kids would talk shit about it (and me), was like a big "FUCK YOU!" And I was an angry kid.
BMX Plus! magazine, June 1985
23Mag.com, memories of BMX

To say I lived to be on that bike was an understatement. Probably one of the most important things to happen to me in my teenage years. That bike gave me pride and self-worth. To some people that may sound silly, because it was just a bike, but for me it was the nicest thing that anyone had ever bought for me. It wasn't a piece of shit. I could finally ride and not feel like the poor kid with the crappy bike. That purple GT was my LIFE.

Over the years I helped build Wellsboro's BMX track. I joined Price Pharmacy's BMX team (thank you John & Sandy). I raced to a 2nd place at the State Championships. I never could do many tricks, although I did learn how to coast backwards (once rolling down the entire length of Main Street).

And I went FAST.

- - -

Fast forward 20-plus years, and I still get nostalgic about that bike. I STILL wonder what happened to it — what asshole stole it, where it is now.

So, I was looking on BMX Museum, hoping to see some bike that even looked CLOSE to my old bike. Sadly, I haven't seen one yet. I've seen a lot of beautiful bikes on there, and once or twice I've seen purple GT's, but they're usually a Mach One, which was more of cheaper, entry-level GT (which the wanna-be's rode, ha ha).

The thing that's pretty amazing now is that for guys like me in our late 30's, those bikes now are worth a FORTUNE. I kid you not. There was a rare bike I once owned (which ALSO was stolen), a Hutch Judge Series, that recently sold for a rumored $5000. Yes, five-THOUSAND.I guess if you're nostalgic enough, there's a price that can be paid for a memory.

I wish I still had my bikes, any of them. Just to be able to see them again, sit on them, take a spin around the block (and like like a fool - some old guy on a kid's bike)... try to recapture that FEELING I always had on my bike...

FREEDOM.

EXHILERATION.

Going f***ing FAST.