Anyone Else Into Old School BMX

Just picked up an ‘87 Mongoose Decade chrome and I’m stoked. I’ve been looking for a while for one in good shape at a decent price. I had on as a kid and my sister managed to have it stolen, I’ve never been able to get over it. Anyway here it is.

 

I’ve already ordered pink gumwall tires like the one I had back then. Period correct.

 

@Motofox

 

Does he have one? I know there was someone here that had a really clean one.

 

Haha, this is a little too old school for me. I rode heavy from 2005-2015, obviously for years before that as a kid.

I dont have many pictures of my bike on this PC, cleanest pic of my current bike is a footplant action shot. (and my bike is pretty new school, slammed seat, big bars, ect)

 

Still cool. Kids don’t ride like I used to anymore. When I really started riding at about 10 years old was when I started to experience freedom.

 

What is your bike? I bought my boys Eastern and they seem pretty solid

 

I raced BMX in the 80’s. Had a Mongoose Motomag at first but went on to the classic GT BMX frames. Worked and raced for a few bike shops and raced ABA expert class. Built a few large half pipes, largest was 14’ tall 24’ wide w 4 feet of vert. Not used to seeing chrome bikes on the web, is that a 24”? Those look like old school Sugino 1-pc CroMo cranks is that right? You can tell a BMXer by the scars on the shins from taking pedals, I still have plenty that never went away. And lots of broken bones that healed crooked lol, nose, fingers, foot. Are those rims chrome, does that mean they are steel? I don’t recognize them. Araya 7x aluminum rims were the goto in the 80’s but they were always anodized. Been experimenting with 29” MTB lately (Ibis Ripley frame) but thinking to go back to my old 26” Ibis SLR as it jumps/rides more like a BMX bike. The oldest bike I have is a ‘98 StumpJumper S-works aluminum frame set up as a road bike. Back in the day I had a metalshop strip that frame and I was hoping to get it polished to look like an old school BMX chrome frame but it wouldn’t shine due to the S-works material having 5% aluminum oxide in it so I left it bead blasted.

 

It’s a 20”. The wheels look to be chrome in the pictures, I’m not sure because I’m still waiting on delivery. That bike was known to be on the heavy side but I’ve always liked the look of it and yeah I have plenty scars.

 

I rode for Solid Bikes, so my bike is mostly Solid with Cult Forks (most of cult parts were made by solid at the time) with profile hubs and odyssey rims and cranks, always made in America.

Solid downsized and kinda shut down a few years ago (long story) but i pretty much ran whatever sponsors gave me lol

Ive got friends at Cult, S&M, FBM, Kink and a few others(made guest appearances in some of their DVD's lol), so at one point or another one of their parts were on my bike when Solid didnt have any available or i wanted to change something up. I did run an Eastern frame (and i think maybe a few other parts) when i was a youngster. Theyre no FBM or S&M, but theyre 1000x better than some walmart POS lol

Shins (and most of my body) are covered in scars.

 

Clean hospital pic.

 

If I built another BMX bike I'd probably put a Holeshot 2-speed on it, those used to work really well. Good if you end up commuting up hills too.

 

I still have my ~1980ish candy apple red Team Mongoose hanging up in the garage. Does that count? I got it when I worked in a bike shop when in high school. It has custom built (blue)Araya Z rims with red and blue spokes on large flange Campy hubs. It hasn't been ridden in years...

 

That was the legit Haro plate a lot of people raced with, until they updated it to be white plastic mesh. And that front tire looks like the Tioga Comp III tread pattern, which was a really good all around tread. Heavy seat though! That thing is a collectors item.

 

My SL-R, in 2008 this was high tech lol. Nowadays 26" feels like the new 20". This was 23 1/2 pounds with pedals which was pretty much as light as I could get it and still be reliable. Those Crest rims are pretty weak though.

 

That thing looks cool

 

Just noticed you had Z-rims I couldn't tell from the pic. My Mongoose came with blue Z-rims too but ACS hubs. Campy or Phil was the ultimate back then. Z-rims were extra wide, and in that aspect were ahead of their time for sidewall stability.

 

What kind of riding are you aiming for with this? Post some pics when you get it

 

So cool... Thanks for bringing it up. I raced BMX in the 80's too on a Diamondback Viper with a whole bunch of mail order parts.

 

I know that frame. Those vipers, PK rippers, GT were popular in NorCal. What was your build? I had a sawed off Uniseat, GT wide bars, Araya 7x with noname sealed hubs, GT chrome frame, Comp III tires, the std Dia Comp brakes, Potts mod, always ran Sugino 1 pc cranks, 44x16 for the track w 175’s.