1980’s OLD SCHOOL BMX RADNESS | FREESTYLE FLYIN’ & STREET STYLIN’

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Full disclosure — I was the kid with the crappy bike.  No Haro, no Redline, no Mongoose.  Not even a brand new POS Team Murray.  Mom bought me a brand new bike from Pep Boys the summer before 5th grade.  I picked it out.  I didn’t know diddley yet–  I was a kid from Rochester who listened to Van Halen. I just knew it had red rims and looked like the bikes the cool kids were ridin’.  It had that tiny sprocket that couldn’t keep up.  Tiny sprockets suck. No worries, it was stolen.

I didn’t get schooled in bikes until we moved to Anaheim in 1980, and it was all about BMX… and Blondie.  Thought I’d finally made it when I bought my friend’s used Rampar with heavy duty rims. Damn bike was stolen three days later while I played Tron in the local Fry’s.

No, I never was that fly freestyle guy with the rad bike.  But I can still dream.

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Kettering, 1986. via

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Old School BMX/Freestyle –All rights reserved by vincent frames

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“The Condor” Mat Hoffman, mid-flight, Oklahoma City. –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Snapshot from the old Hoffman Bikes HQ in Oklahoma City. Hoffman’s contests were an annual pilgrimage for serious freestylers back in the day.  Between competitions, Hoffman would get towed via motorcycle up to speed, hit the giant quarterpipe and soar. Everyone in attendance held their collective breath until he landed.

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Big Air, Hartsdown Park, mid ’80s. –All rights reserved by DJ Bass via

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Rick Moliterno, Hutch demo, 1986.  –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Mat Hoffman attempts a backflip at the 1990 2-HIP King of vert at N’Orbit in Indianapolis. He crashed, but this was back before anyone pulled flips in contests. via

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Dave Voelker, demo in Indianapolis, 1988. –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Jason Lunn –All rights reserved by Oldskool BMX & Skate by Fuller via

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Rick Moliterno, Hutch demo @ Schwinn shop on South Madison, Indianapolis. 1986.  –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Demonstration put on around 1988 by Freestylin’ Inc.  –All rights reserved by Hot_Rod_Gal via

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Harrow Skatepark, 1983. All rights reserved by Oldskool BMX & Skate by Fuller via

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Jay Miron “The Canadian Beast” Oklahoma City, 1993.  —All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Taken at the old Hoffman Bikes Warehouse ramp in Oklahoma City. Each Labor Day for several years Hoffman held a huge competition at his place in OKC. Riders from around the country came out the see the legends battle it out on Vert.

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“The Condor” Mat Hoffman, mid-flight, Oklahoma City. –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Snapshot from the old Hoffman Bikes HQ in Oklahoma City. Hoffman’s contests were an annual pilgrimage for serious freestylers back in the day.  Between competitions, Hoffman would get towed via motorcycle up to speed, hit the giant quarterpipe and soar. Everyone in attendance held their collective breath until he landed.

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Steve Swope, Hoffman Bikes HQ, 1993.  —All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via

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More Air.  All rights reserved by Hot_Rod_Gal via

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1985– David blundell doing a “can can” at the Rathbone Rd. skate park.  via

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Big Country, Columbiana, Ohio, 1990. Photo by Bob Burbick via

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1990s Streetstyle via

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Rick Moliterno, 1986.  Don’t know what’s cooler about this pic– Rick, or Grandma and Sonny gawking in the background.  –All rights reserved by john4kc via

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Streetstyle bar ride  via

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Old School MMX/Freestyle “Aggressive Denim”  via

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Death Truck via

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Framestand on GT Performer, circa 1986. via

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