Author Topic: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread  (Read 43401 times)

Offline Mike Dood

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Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« on: July 08, 2007, 02:16:11 PM »
 I wanna know who is all over 30 here and tell a little bit about what go you back into flat.

 I'm 34 and I actually got back into because my grandmother died. She left us a little money and said to buy something you will enjoy! So I bought a flatland bike!!  What else could possibly be more fun and give me joy!!  OK 4 hot honies in my bed, that'll top it but...

 I rode from 1985-1991 and did some AFA comps. Had a decent slew of tricks under my belt.  Some of them I still can do and others I can't. I can't do a cherry picker anymore, a decade, boomerang, half lash... I lost those tricks but haven't relearned or tried to dial them quite yet. I don't care what anyone says cherry pickers are tits!!

 I wouldn't give up the old days of flatland ever! I remember being 9 years old driving past a parking lot seeing these older dudes on BMX bikes doing tricks! Not on dirt, not on ramp but just in the parking lot! It was so new and so COOL no one really knew WTF it was! I'm proud to say I lived in this time of infancy!!

I been riding a solid 5 months but been back in the scene the last year or so. My riding is progressing very nice I think and very happy with the effort I have put in. I ride everyday a minimal of 1 hour sometimes 6-8 hours. I never really get sore either.

I will add this, Wilhelms Ground Rules DVD was a HUUUUUGE help to me. I don't know if my riding would be where it is without that dvd to help me! It's just one fantastic dvd.

So let's hear it from some other "old farts" here!  :beer:

I posted this last week but here is a small video of me just freestyling some of my basic stuff... I'm working on lots of ways to link other tricks at this point... like side squeeks to halfhikers.. guess what.... so my approach is dialing in the ride in tricks good now to get to the bigger tricks down the road.

I'm close to riding into undertakers now and that is so cool!! :D

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« Last Edit: July 08, 2007, 02:23:07 PM by Boosted One »

LOU4130

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2007, 02:44:07 PM »
well, i guess ill be the first to chime in here..lol

Im 35,I started in 87 and rode till about 89. i was a pretty good rider back then, i mean i wasnt a mazing  or anything but i had a few good ones under my belt. halflashes, decades, backyards, boomerangs, boomerankles,antriders, cherry pickers, miami hoppers, fire hydrants,miami hop hops, randy rolls, (which i dunno what they call them now, but it was basically a boomerang where you land with one foot on the top tube close to the head tube and then go aaround again), cyclones,grasshoppers, crickets,  tailwhips. I lost most of that stuff unfortunately, some of which i dont even care to re-learn. I can still do tailwhips, firehydrants and back yards. Im slowly getting boomerangs back.

i got back into the scene on and off in 2003, met joe lawler and have basically learned alot about parts and bikes and such. I only started to get very serious about riding again last year. so really im only a year in at this point. but this is definatly the most fun ive had since i rode back in the late 80s and i dont think im gonna stop till i drop dead, reguardless of how good i do or do not get!

its in the blood, it will never leave!
 :beer:

Offline PhilMorrison

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2007, 03:14:26 PM »
What a perfect point to introduce myself  :mellow:.

I just hit upon this forum as I decided recently to have a bash as flat again, and was looking for some info on the best bike for a 6'3"er nowdays.
I haven't done it for about 12 years. My reason for loosing interest in it was because I got into cars. This has kind of paid off as I became the UK/European drifting champion last year, and own the company driftworks.com .
The reason I'm looking to get back into it is because I'm now 30, I can afford all my cars and a reasonable bike. I also used to find it an awesome way to relax. Oh and I'm a hell of a lot fatter than I was when I used to flatland, so now I've got a nice big flat area outside my workshop, it'll be an enjoyable way to loose weight  ;D.

I was never that great, but as long as I can learn to do hang fives, and lame attempts at hang ten's everywhere again I don't care  ;D.
Anyway, nice to meet you all, and I'm sure I'll ask a sh*tload of dumbass questions later.

Offline Mike Dood

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2007, 03:22:11 PM »
Dude you own driftworks! No sh*t ?!?!

I'm a car enthusiast myself into my Mitsubishi Starion and 1G Eclipse turbos. Check out our forums we got some drifters on there... www.starquestclub.com

Not only with flatland it's a pleasure to meet you on the auto aspect man!!


kick ass!  :beer:


Offline ancientskool

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2007, 04:08:08 PM »
I'm 37.  I started in 84.  Back when you had to rewind your bars to untangle the brake cables if you did anything that required turning them more than 90 degrees.  ^_^

I rode just about every day till about 89 when I started College.  I rode on an off, not really seriously - just a day or two here and there for about the next 5 or 6 years.  One day I needed some new tires for my car and was broke so I ended up selling my bike to a kid who lived up the street.

As you get older, if you don't want to deteriorate physically, you've got to exercise somehow.  I hate exercise.  I get bored easily.  My son is now old enough to try some tricks and I was showing him on his bike.  That got me thinking....if I get a new bike I can kill two birds with one stone.  I can get some exercise and some of my upper body/back strength back and spend time with my boy sharing with him something I've enjoyed.

I'm finding I've got to relearn most of the old tricks that seemed easy BITD.  Most of it is either remembering the motions or working to get my upper body strength back where it used to be in order to support myself during tricks requiring some strength.  I used to be able to do decades in my sleep...now they're really scary!  Hopefully once I've got my strength back where it should be, I'll get back some of my tricks. 

Offline Rich

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2007, 04:12:38 PM »
I just turned 34 last week.  Just graduated law school and am currently studying for the bar exam.  It is THE worst thing ever.  I have two kids (ages 1 & 4).  Live in midtown Manhattan (NYC).

I grew up riding BMX bikes.  Started doing tricks in 85.  My brother, my friends, and I had a trick team (the Rage Trick Team) and we used to do shows in our area (NJ).  Soon everyone got girlfriends and I was left on my own.  I rode until about 1993 while in college at NYU during the heyday of Mullaly.  HATED competing, but loved travelling to the contests and York jams just to hang out and ride.  I was in a couple of issues of RIDE magazine in 1992 (if anyone remembers..."I suck at dirt jumping").

After that, I raced mountain bikes (semi-pro XC) and road bikes up (cat. 2) until a couple years ago.  Bought a flatland bike last November because I was starting to feel old.  Been riding pretty consistently the last few months and I'm having a blast.  

I'll be at the NYC jam (it's two blocks from my apt.).  I'll be easy to spot 'cause I bet I'll be the only one with kids following them around.

moncho

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2007, 05:31:11 PM »
I'm 35, started riding Flat around 86...and never have stopped since.
Finished high school in 1990, went to college here in Puerto Rico for my BA from 1991-1994 (those were awesome riding year). Then I hopped on a plane (along with my 93 GT Pro Freestyle Tour) and moved to Philadenphia to get my Master in Fine Arts degree.
While I was there I got married to my beutiful wife, kept riding mostly by myself, attended the Sproket Jockies Shows (1996, 1997) where I met Day Smith, Dave Mirra & Dennis McCoy.
Later on 1997 I moved back to my country, got a full time job as a fine arts college professor, and kept riding hard. -_-
Currently, my wife & I have two sons, Diego & Sergio (7 & 5).
I attended a national flat contest here in Puerto Rico this weekend where I got third place in Pro class. ;D
I don't have the time I had when I was in my twenties to ride as frecuently as I'd like to and be on top of my game, but when ride a try to make the most out of it. :beer: :beer: :beer:

planck

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2007, 06:05:00 PM »
I'll edit this reply in 5 months time when I turn 30  ;D

Si.

joelweevil

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2007, 06:29:08 PM »
i'm a 33 year old who STILL can't seem to let go of my DeGroot grips(youth).  it was a schoolday in oct. of 86 when my friend brought a bmx action mag to school. i saw a Schwinn ad with Jason Parks doing a lawnmower in front of a big Godzilla statue, and i said to jim, "dude, i'm gonna learn to do tricks on a bike like that." got my first trick bike on Christmas Eve- a schwinn predator freeform-z. i was 13 at the time. over the past 20 years, i got into all forms of freestyle-flat, street, ramps, park, dirt. now as my body has grown more ache-prone, i basically only ride flat. of course, over those 20 years, i had gotten into some other things, and liquor was probably the worst. it attracted me away from my bike. dang devil juice. not completely away, but enough to say i was more of an alcoholic than a bike rider. i finally pulled my head out of my ass and became a quitter! yup, i quit DRINKING! and boy howdy, let me say riding with a clear head-there is nothing better! i also had a letter printed in the dec. 06 issue of RideBMX titled "20 years deep". even on this day, and i can see for a while more, all i do is eat, sleep, work, and everything flatland. its almost like a drug. some drugs hurt, some make you feel euphoria, some leave you confused- just like riding flat. my days of drinking and partying are done, so now i can put all my focus into squeezing 20 more years out of this earthen baggage my soul resides in on my riding. i guess the only way i will stop riding any time soon is if i go blind or become a quad or lose my legs. i don't compete, i have never attended a big jam and hell, i dont even listen to music most of the time i ride. i'm still learning new manuvers and linking older tricks with my "new" ones. i hope you all get levels of satisfaction from riding that is so hard to put into words you just say "you gotta know what i mean!"

norcalmutt

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2007, 08:10:10 PM »
im 46 years old and still ride
enough said
lates

Offline Sweatpants

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2007, 09:40:48 PM »
i guess i qualify as an "old fart" in this thread. i tell ya tho, at 31 i feel at my prime.  i never rode bitd, started at 27 or 28 yrs. old, so i'm an oddball in the sense that i'm older, yet all my influences are "new school". big props tho to all the 'older' guys still holding it down. i hope to be a very old rider.

Offline JFos

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2007, 09:57:20 PM »
Im 35 and dont think about the old days. I just go ride...I quit for about four years..sorta...about 91 or so but still came out every faw weeks.

I think the "old days" is soemthing I think about for thirty seconds when I'm drunk.

I usually just think about the guys that quit and why.

Whats the point of riding EVERYDAY if all you do is look in the rearview?

I liked the old days only because I was there enjoying them at the time...did you realy pull a link in 1987 hoping it'd be that long lasting memory?

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Offline JDF

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2007, 10:11:48 PM »
32 here. Started in 88, during the "decline".  Ha ha!  I'm always late to the party!  Rode hard for 4 years until 1992, and then myself, along with all my riding buddies just stopped. Don't know how it happened.  How we could go from riding 8 hours a day to NOTHING, but we did. 

We got pretty good too.  Crackpackers, rolling backyards, dump trucks, hang fives, 'lashes, fire-halls, swirlies, double decades, etc etc.  Nothing insane, and even our stuff was outdated at the time, but for a bunch of kids, we were pretty good and damn we had fun.  Looking back, which I do all the time, it was the best years of my life.  Endless summer.  Every year for 4 years.

15 years later, my riding buddy calls me up saying he's been watching flat stuff on youtube, etc etc and he's thinking of buying a bike!  1. I couldn't believe he found me after all these years.  and 2. I was secretly putting my old flat bike back together at the SAME TIME!  Unbelievable.

So we've been out about 7-8 times and most of our stuff has come back.  Boy, the bike sure felt small at first.  The first hour was a write-off. I couldn't do ANYTHING.  But slowly, the "feel" came back. When we start learning new stuff, who knows, but GOD its great to be back on a bike again!!!!

Here's something that came back pretty fast.  Although we used to do a lot more spins and whips in between, LOL!  Hopefully the multiple stuff comes back.

http://members.shaw.ca/gallerya/firehall_to_dbl_firehydrant_small2.wmv

h_man

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #13 on: July 08, 2007, 10:18:49 PM »
I'm 39 next month still riding,still love it,still very passionate about it got a memory full of the good times all to do with riding 23 years of it.bmx for life. ;D :beer:

Offline monis

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Re: Over 30 years old - "Old farts" thread
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2007, 10:45:22 PM »
just turned 31 last month.  Been riding since 1987, and i'm just downright amazed that this year marks my 20th year of riding.