Skateboards, and Bikes

When Vision Streetware was becoming popular and Redline was not just a racing term..
On
January 26, 2009
Hey everybody!! Hope the holidays were good!? I have decided to write a second article and I apologize if it is short, but I hate to go into great details and give you a looong read!

So lets begin!



OK all you 80's kids out there!! Lets see if you remember a time when being grounded was extreme punishment and not being able to go out and play really sucked!

Yes.. we had Atari, Colleco, Apple, and Commadores.. but they never consumed our lives like kids today!

It was about simple things and hangin outside in the neighborhood with your buddies!

It was about Skateboards, and Bikes!!

The Bicycles:
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Well growing up in the 80's was awesome! Nothing was more exciting than getting the group together and building ramps and finding jumps!



Of course you had banged up your shins from missing the pedal a few times. I am sure at some point you did an "Endo" and flipped over the bars.. and your seat was always in great condition because you never used it!



Everyone always had a different bike or had to have better bike.

I had a Mongoose, it was bright neon blue, almost like a powder blue.. back then you could get any BMX bike in outrageous colors.. Including Purple.. Yes a Purple BOYS bike!



Then there was the Haro Group 1, The Diamondback, and the Redline.


"The Haro"


"The Diamondback"


"The Redline"

Not to mention there was Hutch and Dyno.. among many others, but these are the ones that stuck out the most.


All of these bikes were superior in one way or another.. Pegs were bonus, and if your handle bars could do a 360 (a Gyro) then you were a God!



But lets not forget..



The Huffy.. You rode one of these.. you were bound to get picked on..

We rode these everywhere! In the woods, to the mall, to the arcade, and to the corner store where we spent our cash on candy and soda.



We used to watch the movie "BMX Bandits" and get pumped up and go out and try some of the tricks.

Bad idea at the time, but we were young, almost invincible and could bounce back very easy from injury.. Try that now.. You would end up in the hospital for sure.



We had great times back then and we always used to go outside. We never really played in the house unless it was raining.

Now the question is..

Can you do a Bunny-Hop, Pop a Wheelie, or do an Endo? If you still can do one of these tricks without killing yourself, .. Then you are Totally Rad!!
The Skateboards:
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Wow.. besides riding your bike, there also was skateboarding.



Yes.. in the 80's, the second generation of skateboarding was in full effect!!

Board designs were blowing up!! They decks were a little bigger, wheels and bearing more advanced and faster, but the multitude of designs were where it was at!



I personally, had a Vision Psycho Deck, my brother had a Gator. We would just ride all over and find places to do tricks and jumps.

Secretly, you would go home and practice new tricks and master them so you could dazzle your buddies later when you would try to out-do one and other.




Days were spent watching Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade, on VHS or Beta if you still had one..lol

Everyone also had different boards. Most of us had a deck like our hero's .. others, like me, wanted originals.


Santa Cruz


Powell-Peralta


G & S

There were so many to choose from.. and the accessories
were important.. when building your board. Independent Trucks were the way to go ..along with Powell wheels, but that was my preference.. Can you remember yours?



Now there was gear that you had to have also. Your Vision Streetwear, Vans, and Chuck Taylors.



Now alot of this stuff you couldn't just buy at the local Chess King and we did not have Hot Topic, or the Internet.



When you wanted some gear.. you had to order from a Catalog (a real paper one with pics) at a Skateshop.



You always had to have Vans.. it was a must.. but Chuck T's were awesome too. They allowed you good traction on the grip tape to do your ollies just like the Vans, but Vans were preferred.

Skate parks were also becoming popular too..



They had half pipes and bowls and you could really impress your friends on a half pipe.. If you had the balls to do it.



One memory I have that always stays fresh in my mind was the old lady's house in my neighborhood.

She had an old run down in-ground pool that she let all of us clean out and skate in. We just had to have permission from our parents to use it and to take care of the grass and weeds around her house.




It was a great trade and I had 3 summers of sweet memories.. until she died. Sad day for all of us..

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!
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