| When I was a kid there were few things more | | | | business. Other popular brands when I was a kid |
| important to me than my bike, and there were few | | | | were Mongoose, Diamondback, GT, Dyno, and CW. |
| things I'd rather be doing than riding my bike. Just up | | | | The fact that I can still list these brands at my age is |
| the road from me was an empty dirt lot known as | | | | a testament to the impact this period had on my life. |
| "the Jumps". All the kids in the neighborhood went to | | | | I'm talking about 80's, that halcyon decade when |
| the Jumps to jump our bikes. The local streets and | | | | BMX and freestyle riding was just getting big but it |
| driveways were where we attempted the tricks we | | | | wasn't the huge deal that it is today. These days you |
| saw on TV and in freestyling magazines. This was | | | | can see riders on television hawking everything from |
| when freestyling was just getting popular, before the | | | | deodorant to mobile phone companies to video |
| modern era of X Games and multi-million dollar stunt | | | | games. Heck, a bunch of riders have video games |
| riders. The names of pros were known only to the | | | | named after them. Dave Mirra comes to mind when I |
| dedicated few who spent their allowances on | | | | think of such mega-popular ridres. Another superstar |
| freestyling and BMX magazines. | | | | is Matt Hoffman. Hoffman has his own bike company. |
| I remember there was an older kid a few blocks | | | | I remember when he was the young gun. Dennis |
| over who was the hero of all the younger kids. He | | | | McCoy, who I mentioned earlier, was another young |
| just seemed cooler, ya know? And his bike was | | | | up-and-comer who exploded on the scene, took |
| better than ours. He rode a Redline. Nobody else I | | | | over, and has since become one of the old guys. |
| knew had a Redline. Redlines were the ultimate bike | | | | Time flies, doesn't it? |
| in my mind. It was the brand legendary freestyler R.L. | | | | If you're interested in learning more about BMX and |
| Osborn rode. That cool older kid a few blocks over | | | | freestyle history, there are some excellent web sites |
| had a Redline and he was the best rider I knew. Now | | | | which will jog your memory and take you back to |
| that I think about it, though, I have no recollection of | | | | the days when doing an "endo" was the coolest thing |
| having actually seeing him ride. I just remember him | | | | to do, when riding in circles in your neighbors |
| sitting there on his gleaming Redline, just being cool. | | | | driveway was a way to pass an afternoon. If you're |
| That's what cool's all about. Another bike company | | | | in the market for a bike today, there's also plenty of |
| which was popular at the time was Haro. Haro had all | | | | info online for that. Most of the companies I |
| the best riders like Ron Wilkerson and Dennis McCoy. | | | | mentioned are still in business and continue to lead |
| Then there was Hutch. Know anyone who had a | | | | the market and sponsor the top riders. All of them |
| Hutch bike? Know anyone who still has one? It could | | | | have web sites providing more information on their |
| be worth something because Hutch is no longer in | | | | history and their current product lines. |