Re-Up; Preserving BMX History. Episode 97: Brian Malmquist (USA)

Sep 26, 2024

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 2085 times

Name: Brian Malmquist
Hometown: Valparaiso, Indiana but I currently reside in Charlotte, North Carolina
Started riding BMX in: Approximately 1985 so I would have been 11 years old
Number of bikes in the collection: 18 completes and 22 framesets waiting to be built

Next to working on cars as a hobby, do you find it easier to work on BMX bikes?
Brian Malmquist: Of course there are far fewer parts to a bike, but it's surprising how complicated they can be to put together properly sometimes. Different headset stack heights, tight bottom brackets, chains that go tight and loose, wobbly sprockets, dialing in brakes. I am a very detailed person, so I don't just throw a bike together for show. I build every bike to ride smoothly.

Is the focus on '80s race bikes for you?
Brian Malmquist: Yes; when I was a kid some of my friends raced and most of us had race bikes, therefore I am most sentimental to '80s race bikes. A couple of my friends had dirt tracks on their property and we were there from sun-up to sun-down. I was still riding in the early '90s, so I have begun to expand my collection to include some early '90s race bikes also. The bikes in my collection range from 1979-1993.

When you see an interesting BMX Freestyle frameset for sale, would you just pass?
Brian Malmquist: Yes. My collection is driven by sentimentality, and since myself and most of my close friends growing up did not own freestyle bikes, I just don't have much desire to own them. Freestyle bikes are super rad, and I appreciate them too, I just choose to focus my collection on race bikes. I have to limit myself. I can't buy everything! LOL!

At this moment, do you wish you had started collecting BMX bikes earlier?
Brian Malmquist: Of course! Look at the prices this stuff was selling for 15 years ago compared to now! I got back into BMX in 2013 when I finally decided to drag my childhood bike out of the shed. Prices were still fairly reasonable for the first 5 to 6 years I was collecting. I wish I bought a lot more stuff back then, but at first I was only going to collect the 2 or 3 most sentimental bikes to me. You can see how that worked out. LOL!

Do you feel there is a need for BMX products to survive for history's sake?
Brian Malmquist: Definitely. I feel the history of BMX bikes and parts is very interesting. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s was awesome! BMX bikes were a huge part of many kids lives. It's definitely part of history and pop culture.

What's your take on companies reproducing bikes in the oldskool style?
Brian Malmquist: It doesn't bother me, but I have no interest in them. If it helps grow the BMX scene, that's great.

Your VDC is awesome. How did you end up with that one?
Brian Malmquist: I'm drawn to more unique frame designs, probably due to owning a Profile Champ with the unique frame brace. It doesn't get much more unique than a VDC frameset, so it was definitely on my grail list! This frameset happened to be listed for sale on the Bmxmuseum.com at the right time for me so I bought it. When I got it I was so stoked! It was way nicer than I could tell from the pictures! I'm very happy with how the build turned out.

When you started riding what bike was the dream bike for you?
Brian Malmquist: My first half way decent bike was an '85 Schwinn Predator with the smoke chrome finish, so I was happy with that. My best friend always had the best bikes though, and one of them was a Profile Champ. What an awesome bike! Fortunately for me he grew to 6'3" so the Profile Champ became a bit small for him. I'm guessing this was around 1988, he bought a Free Agent Limo and sold me his Profile Champ frame and fork. I swapped all the parts from the Predator onto the Profile and was the happiest kid in the world! I gradually upgraded some of the parts, including Redline Forklifter race bars and Redline 401 cranks.

Do you have that bike in your collection today?
Brian Malmquist: Yes, fortunately I kept my childhood Profile Champ! I always loved it because it was a quality bike, is very light and rides great. When I pulled it out of the shed in 2013 I was just hoping to find out more information about it, replace the tires and grips, clean it up and ride it again. Well, I found the Bmxmuseum.com website and obviously I became addicted! I have changed most of the parts on it to how I would have wanted it back then if I had the money. Profile 3rd gen cranks, genuine Profile handlebars, Bullseye hubs, etc. I still love riding it. I always kept it indoors so it is still in very good condition with it's original chrome, decals and original pad set.

Name three BMX collectors that you respect?
1) Scott Schmedes (JS-44SDS on the Bmxmuseum.com) for his incredible knowledge, especially on Profile Racing.
2) Jonathan Hoffman (OLDSKOOLPK) also has incredible knowledge and is always willing to help me out.
3) Mark Crowson (macr0w) I have several local buddies who are great guys and have been very helpful, and Mark is one of the best.

Do your car mechanical skills and tools help with your BMX collecting hobby?
Brian Malmquist: Definitely. Having the right tools saves a great deal of time and frustration. Anyone who wants to build a bike should at least buy a set of cone wrenches, chain break tool, headset wrenches, and a couple sets of Allen wrenches. They don't have to be an expensive brand, and you should be able to get them cheaper than one bike shop service would cost.

What products are a great help when you find an old rusty historical piece of shit bike that needs to shine again?
Brian Malmquist: I love survivors. I strongly prefer bikes and parts with the original finish and original decals. I don't mind some scratches or a little rust. It gives the bikes character and tells a story. That being said, yeah some bikes and parts need a little love. I'm not a fan of acid baths. Some careful polishing with a bench buffer can do wonders for chrome and aluminum! I mainly clean up parts by hand though, with your basic Turtle Wax products; rubbing compound, polishing compound, then scratch & swirl remover and wax.

What's the story behind the candy apple red Race Inc?
Brian Malmquist: A good local friend and Race Inc guru owned this bike. I love anodizing. It just has a different look than paint. This is an original anodized finish frame, not painted. It's in amazing condition. The fork is the original candy red finish with original decals to go with the red anodized frame. When I saw it in person I told Rick if he ever sells it to please let me know. Well, sure enough a while later he kept his word and offered me the frame and fork. It is a 1979 with the diamond shaped dropouts. I'm proud to own such an original piece of BMX history.

How often do you look on eBay/Craigslist/BMX Museum to shop for old BMX stuff?
Brian Malmquist: Every 5 minutes! LOL!

Do you prefer to trade over buying?
Brian Malmquist: If a trade works out with minimal effort, it's great. I've only done a few trade deals. You have to be very careful and only deal with trusted collectors, who are unfortunately becoming fewer and farther between. The majority of people I've met through this hobby are great and I've made countless friends, but a few bad ones can ruin it for many.

Do you have a man-cave where your bikes are displayed?
Brian Malmquist: Yes, sort of. I have a 1,500 square foot basement shared by bikes, cars and a bunch of junk. It is still a work in progress. It's not all fancy and perfectly decorated. I'm working on reducing the clutter and displaying everything a little nicer. I'm not going to get a bunch of display cases to show off all the parts though. I plan to use most of them to build the frame sets I have.

Do you always have room for "one more bike"?
Brian Malmquist: Absolutely! LOL! Fortunately I do have quite a bit of space so that is not a problem.

What's your take on the BMX collector community?
Brian Malmquist: I have met so many great people through this hobby and made countless friends. I love these bikes and parts and I am in the hobby for sentimental and nostalgic reasons. Most true collectors in this hobby feel the same. I'm not in it for the money. It doesn't really matter to me what happens to the values because I rarely sell anything and have most of the parts I need. I do see an unfortunate trend, in my opinion, of more people getting into this hobby trying to get rich off it, not for the love of BMX. That is going to happen with anything collectible I guess. Still, the majority are very cool people who just love this stuff like I do.

What's a bike (part) you have been looking for but haven't been able to locate?
Brian Malmquist: Not much at this point, but a couple rare items. I would like to own a 20" Tahoe Racing Pro frame set, preferably original chrome and decals. I'm also looking for a Reach BMX Systems Direct Link fork. I have two 1st Gen GT race lace chrome front hubs and need matching rear hubs to complete the sets.

Where can people reach you when they have that part available?
Brian Malmquist: I can be found on Facebook, bmxmuseum.com as Bri2001 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks to: Everyone in this hobby that I have dealt with who treated me fairly. So many people have contributed to my bike collection I now have the honor of taking care of. To everyone I have bought something from and promised to update on my progress; I apologize. I've had some frame sets over 5 years that haven't gotten around to building yet. I do plan to build them all eventually.