FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

Name: Bill Ryan
Hometown: Apple Valley, CA - USA
Started riding BMX in: Torrance, CA - USA
Number of bikes in your collection: I have never counted —— and I am afraid if I do the number will scare me.

Since you were part of BMX in the early days over in California do you wish you had saved more from the early days?

Name: Karl Chalk
Country: UK
Number of bikes in the collection: I've had many bmx but always only owned 1 at any time

Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Karl Chalk: I'm not a collector of memorabilia but enjoy seeing people's BMX related memorabilia.

Who were the first people you came across that helped you out to find the stuff you needed?

Same thing. Different part of the world. The early days....

Name: Cash Matthews
Hometown: Shawnee, OK
Started riding BMX in: 1972

Like many in the very early days who could not afford a motorcycle, the bicycle was turned into a motorbike look-a-like. What were some of the things you did to reach that goal?
Cash Matthews: Like most, we made lots of cool 2-stroke motorcycle sounds with our mouths!! As our group of friends who rode progressed, we started riding “flat track” style in a circle. We emulated Kenny Roberts and my Uncle, Jerry Matthews who were all accomplished Flat Track Stars. I conned my uncle out of a number plate from his motorcycle so that was the first cool-mod of the Schwinn. As many Flat Track guys, we added cardboard, grip covers to save us from rocks and things that never really mattered but they looked cool. In those early days, just having a set of waffle grips was epic, so we began there,

Pre-internet Gen-X: Skating, freestyle BMX, and the explosion of goth, industrial, post-punk, and electronic music connect and divide a series of teens exploring sex, drugs, and violence amidst a racially polarized blue-collar bedroom suburb backdrop of Cleveland, Ohio, Dayglow Black is a series of all true tales from 1987–1991.

Name: Stu Thomsen
Started riding in: 1972 (I Think)
Teams represented: Three Majors: SE, Redline and Huffy.
Some of the smaller and short term teams were: Dirt Master, Webco, DG, FMF, Motobecane (One Weekend), my bike shop (Stu Thomsen’s Family Bicycle Center), Southridge Cycles (on MTB and BMX). A short stent back on Redline and now representing SE again.

What was the first bike you used to ride Bicycle Motocross?
Stu Thomsen: Schwinn Stingray

In 1973, what were people using at the first few races you entered?
Stu Thomsen: Modified Stingray type bikes and a few custom garage builds by ingenious fathers.

You've seen the BMX bike development firsthand. What kind of full suspension bikes did you get to ride?
Stu Thomsen: I had a custom made Monoshock bike I would race now and then at the Corona downhill

Craig and Isaac chat with Bill Batchelor about his old school photo collection he took in LA during the peak of the Freestyle movement - at 14 years old.

Shot locally and released in 1986, the movie Rad tells the story of Cru, a young man with a dream of making it big as a BMX racer by racing the “Helltrack” and winning the grand prize of $100,000 (and a sweet Corvette).

Name: Jason Van Buskirk
Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Started riding BMX in: 1979
Number of bikes in the collection: 30+

Dutch roots by any chance?
Jason Van Buskirk: Yes, my Heritage is Dutch, however, I am born and raised in the U.S.

Is your focus on BMX bikes from the period you raced in mainly?
Jason van Buskirk: Yes, I tend to collect bikes from the late '70s To mid '80s... Probably 1987 being the latest. I do have a couple '90s bikes, but that's not the era I enjoy collecting the most.

Name: Tommy Yaley
Hometown: Mtn View. California
Started riding BMX in: 1974ish
Number of bikes in the collection: 9

Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Tommy Yaley: About 7 years ago I decided I wanted to re-create the 1st Gen proline I had when I was a kid. I sold a bunch of my music gear collection and then, like everyone else, it took off from there. Just one more bike...