Crazy that I have followed bmx indirectly all these years since my last actual fling on the track. Never stopped riding, just not the bmx. Weird how a hot smoke-show and muscle car took precedence over the fun of thrashing and bashing. The hot ones were into cars more than bikes for some reason… 😆
That said- I am buying another bike now. Pretty sure it will be a bmx cruiser though due to riding style. My tricks were limited and mostly dirt jumping and tracks. But I Glad i kept up with mtb and downhill racing through the 90's, so i have some stability riding still. My original Rampar riding was my life 1970-88 and will never be forgotten. GT, Hutch, SE were the high end bikes in that time frame and as a teen I always coveted one. The rampar was considered a tank and would take everything I threw at it. And because I had an edge on being extremely fast and the only built track in my neighborhood , I had my share of local race trophies in spite of the perceived disadvantage of my second string heavier bike.
That said- I also kept tabs on bmx after 88 even though married and working. ( smoke shows are expensive). One thing i noticed is that the technology for bikes seemed to be strong through the 90s, even though brands were looking for cheaper manufacturers etc by then. I would argue there is a sweet spot for best bmx bikes late 80s early 90s?? Let me know what you think 🤔 about that observation. Maybe modern bmx can match but the best brands changed out.
My connection is still stuck on An older brand since newer names loses the idea of wanting one. A 24" or 26"skyway seems like the absolute nutz for me since i lived down the street and had their wheels on the ground orange tank. But a big ripper also excites me since i couldn't own one back then…
Regardless of what I end up with, it is just to let that inner teen feel the nostalgia in a way that dissipates so fast when life starts happening.
Thanks for the ramble- if anyone has an orange rampar like the one pictured- message me. I would love to bring that trophy home again.
by Steampunkedcrypto