Name: Jeff Tollefson, aka JT & The Torker Kid
Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota (USA)
Started riding BMX in: 1974
Number of bikes in the collection: Down to 25
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Jeff Tollefson: I actually started the day I got my 1974 Redline Squareback frame and fork 46 years ago. As a kid I traded and sold various parts yet by 1984 I had a basement full of vintage items then started JTFreestyle, my mini bike shop/mail order selling new school parts while doing Freestyle shows. So basically I was collecting from the start.
Do you feel there is a need for BMX products to survive for history's sake?
Jeff Tollefson: Yes, there are so many BMX innovations throughout the years and having those documented/displayed is key for all future generations to experience BMX. My daughter, Jemma (8), grew up with my vintage bike collection in our home. Seeing first generation Redline parts, Motomags, Addicks sprockets, various stems, one piece/alloy/chromoly cranks, into the crazy Freestyle parts she knows so much about the history of our sport before she became a National #1 BMX racer. When I bring vintage bikes to a BMX race the kids and adults all freak out on what we rode back in the day and have an opportunity to explain the history of BMX through the bikes.
What's one of your oldest BMX products in your collection?
Jeff Tollefson: My original 1974 Redline Squareback frame and fork
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.