BOB HARO…You know the name, You know the brand, you know the legendary status Bob holds. At a young age, Bob saw an opportunity and wasted no time jumping in and getting to work. His hard work paid off and he’s here in the Unclicked studio for our 100th episode to break it all down for us. Let's get into it!
Name: Pat A Lar
Hometown: Brighton, UK
Started riding BMX in: 1990
Number of bikes in the collection: I’ve 2 & 3/4 complete and a couple of framesets at the moment but that is always changing. I’ve downsized a bit as I prefer Quality over Quantity.
What was the first project bike that got you into collecting BMX bikes?
Pat A Lar: First Old School bike I built was a 1983 Torker Magnum. I bought it locally and did the usual newbie mistakes by having it rechromed, covering it in reissue parts and it was all over in a couple of weeks. This was a significant point for me as I soon realised that there was so much more to the history
Redline are pleased to share access to a limited quantity of Vintage-Custom and Classic Flyte Tech seats from our friends at Fortyonethirty. The custom colors are available in limited numbers as a one-off project and complement many Freestyle bikes from the 1980s era, including Redline and Haro. The seats are available at the link below through Sunday evening, and your purchase will ship no later than Monday 18th, with tracking provided. The fortyonethirty store will close on Monday 18th December and reopen Wednesday 27th December.
USE CODE ONEFT to activate a 10% discount from one purchase
Name: Kelly Swanson
Hometown: Greeley, Colorado
Started riding BMX in: 1975, on my Schwinn scrambler, first race: 1977 on my trusty Mongoose Motomag!
Number of bikes in the collection: Currently own 10 vintage BMX completes-
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Kelly Swanson: About seven years ago I bought a 1/4 pipe off Craigslist for my son to skate and the seller had a late model OM Flyer, that I bought on a whim- Once I got my butt back on a BMX bike I was hooked all over again!
At this moment, do you wish you had started collecting earlier?
Kelly Swanson: It’s all about timing and passion, I would never change my path to getting where I am today.
Do you feel there is a need for BMX products to survive for history's sake?
Name: Woody Itson
Hometown: Keller, TX
Started riding BMX in: The 70’s
Number of bikes in the collection: I have 15 complete bikes and some frames and parts that may or may not ever turn into anything
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Woody Itson: I didn’t actually decide to collect any BMX stuff to be honest. In fact there was one point where all I had was the one bike that I was riding and some miscellaneous parts and uniforms in a box.
Name: Steve Blackey
Hometown: Torrance, California
Started riding BMX in: 1977
What was your connection with The Bicycle Source?
Steve Blackey: I met Mike Buff and started riding with him at local dirt jump spots in late 1979. Mike's brother Steve Potts (Inventor of Potts Mod), opened The Bicycle Source early 1980 in Lomita, California. At that time I was 15 working at another bike shop. Around mid April 1980 Mike asked me if I wanted to work at his brother's shop and I jumped on the opportunity.
Steve Potts owned and ran the business, also did sales, I was the mechanic and did sales. With Mike Buff, being associated with BMX Action, the shop soon became a focal point for local kids because Mike would come by often so I could “Dial in” his bikes. As the Freestyle BMX movement exploded, the shop
The Dirty Knobs Podcast Season 2 Episode 16 with Hollywood Mike Miranda, JV James Vicente and EC Eric Carter sit and talk with the King of Kruisers, the Kos, Jeff Kosmala. Jeff shares the birth of the BMX cruiser, life with Mongoose and Redline teamates and the "Firecracker Story".
Name: Oliver Kienzle
Hometown: Kornwestheim, Germany
Started riding in: 1975 with Bonanza bikes. Real first BMX bike in '79.
Number of bikes: My wife says not enough
You've been a BMX fan from the start. What was the first bike that you decided to keep forever?
Oliver Kienzle: PK Ripper
Being from Germany, did you think all the American bikes were next level in the beginning?
Oliver Kienzle: Yeah definitely next level.
What were the first American BMX brands that you saw at a race in Germany?
Oliver Kienzle: Hutch, GT and Torker team Mirranda, Brackens, Judge etc
Did you ever buy a bike like that?
Oliver Kienzle: No, too expensive.
If you had the space (and the money), what bike would be on your "to own" list right now?
Name: Shannon Gillette
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
Started riding BMX in: Racing in 1980, but have been riding BMX bikes since about 1976.
Number of bikes in the collection: Only a few as of now. It's alway revolving stable.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Shannon Gillette: I always just kind of hung on to my personal stuff. Like jerseys and number plates. But the first bike? I lived in Hawaii at the time and the year was 1989. It was actually a friend's old race bike, a 1979 Supergoose and he was throwing it in the garbage in front of his house. So I swooped it up and he told me I couldn't take it. I had to buy it from him. hahaha.. I said what?! You're throwing it out in the garbage. He said I want $40 for it. I said DEAL! It was in rough shape, but working in bike shops for 10 years I was up for the task. Long story short, I cleaned it up, rev=built the wheels as the spokes were all rusted. Hawaii does that to bikes with all the salt air.
Name: Michael Gamstetter
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio, USA
Started riding BMX in: 1978
Number of bikes in the collection: Currently, 5. At one time, 20+.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Michael Gamstetter: Yes, it was around 1996 or 1997. It was a random thought that popped into my head while I was working. I thought it would be cool to find an old JMC or Torker, a pair of Oakley II grips in the box and a set of Reedy pedals (I eventually had all those.)