Re-Up; Preserving BMX History #43: Adam Cox (USA)

Feb 09, 2024

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 4840 times

Name: Adam Cox
Hometown: Glendora, CA. USA.
Started racing BMX in: 1974
How many bikes in collection: 9

As a former Factory JMC rider, is that where the BMX collection started for you?
Adam Cox: Collecting for me started in Jr. Highschool with balloon tire bikes, Beach cruisers and Whizzer Motorbikes. In about 2000 I started collecting BMX. At the end of 1980 my family moved to Sacramento, CA. My Dad and I had a shop out of our garage "Factory Connection". I had quite a bit of leftover inventory from that short venture to help me kick off my BMX collecting.

Do you only have "Made in the USA" bikes in your collection?
Adam Cox: Yes

Does "Made in the USA" mean a lot to you to this day?

Adam Cox: Yes, I worked for Jim Melton at JMC as a kid. The values and pride that Jim possessed in regards to USA made products were instilled in me as a young kid.

Did you save all your bikes from the time you were racing and did you use that as a base to expand on?
Adam Cox: I saved all of my JMC's, but two. A yellow '78 short, large bb and my chrome '80 Black Shadow.

Harry Leary, Darryl Young, Andy Patterson, they were all JMC riders back then. Have you hit them up to see if they have some good stuff left from when they were on the team?
Adam Cox: No, but I have through hunting and chance, come up on some of my team mates' frames, number plates, etc. I have also acquired through collector friends, items that I had given away back in the day, such as one of my early factory jerseys.

When you see a sweet JMC bike built up, does that get your blood pumping?
Adam Cox: Absolutely! This is a sweet example!

Are you on the internet much looking for parts?
Adam Cox: Not as often as I was in the past.

Do you have a project going at the moment?
Adam Cox: A few! My 24" Prodyne is at the top of my list. Prodyne was located a few doors down from JMC and the owner, Larry Barker (RIP), was a huge influence on me as a kid. He was a key player in designing, welding and bringing to production the original JMC frames. All of us that knew him miss him dearly.

Has BMX shaped who you are today?
Adam Cox: Without a doubt. I have pretty much been involved in racing all of my life. As a kid from BMX to Motocross and eventually Autosports. For several years I have run my business ACE Motorsports Racing. We assemble, manage and support racing programs for private individuals and professional teams.

Which BMX collectors do you stay in touch with on a regular basis?
Adam Cox: William LaRoque never lets me stray too far. Glenn Packer is another brother that comes to mind. The BMX brother I see more on a regular basis than anybody isn't a collector. He's an old, and I mean "old" racer, Eddy King. We hang out when we can, and he usually gets my old ass up and pedaling a bike when we get together. We are better friends now than we were when our 11 year old selves used to line up on the gate together.

Do you come across any (former) BMX-ers in the car industry?
Adam Cox: Yes! Jeff Utterback, Gary Turner, Dan Gurney (RIP), Lenny Batycki, Steve Firestein, Dave Marietti, Rick Elam, Stacey Stone, to name a few. I guess I should name "WFO" Johnny "TrueTorch" Severin, since I've called on him in the past to bend up and weld cages in race cars for me...

What Oldskool BMX Swap meets/reunions/shows do you try to attend?
Adam Cox: I really make an effort to hit up the BMX Society events. They are top shelf! The BMX Source events were cool, but the event I really would like to see return are the Gonzo BBQ shows. Those were a good time and core events for the Darkside.

What has been your biggest score in the past 5 years?
Adam Cox: Staying somewhat healthy. The older I get the more I appreciate it...

Thanks to?
Adam Cox: My Mom & Dad, My Godfather Grant "Biff" Barker, Jim Melton and the entire Melton family, Larry Barker, The West family, Harry Leary, Dennis Foster and all of my JMC/BMX brothers. The BMX collector communities and my brothers within it, you know who you are.

Previous Episodes on FATBMX:

Episode 1: Christophe Detandt (BEL)
Episode 2: James White (GBR)
Episode 3: JT Freestyle (USA)
Episode 4: Ben Murphy (IRL)
Episode 5: Rainer Schadowski (GER)
Episode 6: GAry Sansom (USA)
Episode 7: Michael Gamstetter (USA)
Episode 8: Grant Stone (GBR)
Episode 9: Steve Blackey (USA)
Episode 10: Shannon Gillette (USA)
Episode 11: Woody Itson (USA)
Episode 12: Oliver Kienzle (GER)
Episode 13: Kelly Swanson (USA)
Episode 14: Pat A Lar (GBR)
Episode 15: Billy Mills (GBR)
Episode 16: Steve Brothers (USA)
Episode 17: Aykut Hilmi (GBR)
Episode 18: Alex Leech (GBR)
Episode 19: Mike Janssen (NED)
Episode 20: Brian Gutierrez (USA)
Episode 21: Chad Powers (USA)
Episode 22: Alessandro Barbero (ITA)
Episode 23: Chris Daly (GBR)
Episode 24: Ian MacArthur (GBR)
Episode 25: Steve Strong (GBR)
Episode 26: Stephen Joseph (GBR)
Episode 27: Paul de Jong (NED)
Episode 28: Jon Western (GBR)
Episode 29: William "LaRock" LaRoque (USA)
Episode 30: Johan Janssens (BEL)
Episode 31: Darren Chan (USA)
Episode 32: Frank Lukas (GER)
Episode 33: Jason Teraoka (USA)
Episode 34: Shad Johnson (USA)
Episode 35: PJ McKenna (USA)
Episode 36: Henry Sarria (USA)
Episode 37: Jonathan Sherwood (SAF)
Episode 38: Trevor Henry (GBR)
Episode 39: Daniel Purcell (GBR)
Episode 40: Mark McCorkle (USA)
Episode 41: Tom Sustarich (USA)