Name: Bill Kaczor
Hometown: Bowie, MD, USA
Number of bikes in the collection: 17 currently down from 27
Have you saved your first BMX bike all this time?
Jah Witness: I have held onto my 1984 GT Pro "L" stamp since I've had it. I will never let that go!
Was your first bike the starting point of collecting more?
Jah Witness: No, I was given a GT from the mid '90s by my friend's parents after he passed away. I was clearing out my basement and sold it to a local collector. When he came over to pick it up he saw my '84, and pointed me to the BMX Museum and it opened up a can of worms.
Name: Bob Medrano
Hometown: Concord, California, USA
Started riding BMX in: 1973
Number of bikes in the collection: 10
It looks like you were one of the NorCal BMX pioneers in the '70s. Did you realize what was being developed at the time?
Bob Medrano: No I would have never thought it would be an Olympic sport.
Did a lot of it come from imitating motocross?
Bob Medrano: Yes for sure. I just wanted to ride (motocross) bicycles or motorcycles & be around the riding spots in the area & there were a lot of MX & BMX spots in the '70s.
What were the early tracks like and how did the bikes hold up on the BMX tracks that were created?
Name: Travis Hess
Hometown: Martinsburg WV
Started riding BMX in: 1986
Number of bikes in the collection: 21 (11 BMX bikes, 10 Schwinns)
Being into cars, hot rods, drag racing, what made you decide to look into BMX bikes too?
Travis Hess: I think for me it was the early racing innovation that made me attracted to the early BMX era..like I love how Redline, Champion, Gary Turner etc were building flat track bikes, drag cars and stuff and then their kids wanted to race BMX.
Did you run into BMX bikes while looking for car stuff?
Travis Hess: No, I went down this deep rabbit hole from Schwinns. I got my first Stingray in like 1995/6 and my Dad and me were way into them In mid 2000s. Then you know how it goes, you drift into other
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.
Name: Jeremy Golden (Goldie)
Hometown: Raised in SoCal made the move to AZ in 2001
Started riding BMX in: Started in 1984
Number of bikes in the collection: 12 completes, almost enough parts for 6 more.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Jeremy Golden: I started collecting right around 2004. I built my Hawk f-20 that I had since the end of 91 for my son to ride and after he was done riding it there was a few parts missing and I wanted to build it back up. I then realized there was a collector’s market when searching for parts and that spurred my desire to search for the other bikes I was enamored by as a kid.
Name: Kurt Stark
Hometown: Born in Hemet, USA. Currently in Colleyville, Texas
Have you ever raced BMX, if yes, when did you start: I started racing in 1995/1996
Number of bikes in the collection: 12 bikes total
You've been a Schwinn Stingray collector for the past years. What made you switch to actual BMX bikes?
Kurt Stark: I still collect Schwinn Stingrays but I have drastically switched over to BMX because there is a lot of new stuff to learn as well as to collect.
Are you interested in the story behind the bikes that you have in your possession?
Kurt Stark: I am. It is always a treat when you find a original owner bike because you get to hear
Name: Mike Allred
Hometown: Wichita KS, USA
Started riding BMX in: First race 1982
Number of bikes in the collection: 16
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Mike Allred: Yes, the first bike I wanted to find and restore was a 1981 Mongoose Minigoose like my first real race bike
You have quite some unique bikes in your collection. Do you search for uniqueness more than 'just another motomag'?
Mike Allred: Often I like to find bikes that the older riders had during my early days of racing since those are the bikes I can ride as an adult.
At this moment, do you wish you had started collecting earlier?
Name: Ediz Tensi
Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
Started riding BMX in: 1981
Number of bikes in the collection: 25
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Ediz Tensi: It was about 10 years ago and I saw Akman Atilgan on Facebook sharing his BMX builds, who is now also my BMX business partner. He was a big influence to me and I decided to collect BMX bikes.
What kind of bikes do you focus on?
Ediz Tensi: There are not many old school BMX bikes in Turkey, therefore I am collecting whatever I can find. My main focus is freestyle BMX but I collect race bikes too and I enjoy finding different types of BMX.
Do you have a favourite BMX brand?
Name: Michael James
Hometown: Vancouver, WA. USA
Started riding BMX in: Started riding/Racing in 1976 in MT. Sterling KY.
Number of bikes in the collection: Over 50 bikes currently.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Michael James: I had the last bike I competed on a 1987 GT pro freestyle tour, that was just how I rode it, all mismatched parts & such. Back then we concentrated on what worked & did not break. I saw a flier for an Old school BMX show at the Recyclery in Portland, Oregon. Took my '87 Kuwahara Bravo Pro frame with me to check it out. So cool to see all the old school rides! Talked to the curator of the event Paul & we became best friends. We started doing the show together & this year will be the 14th year!
Name: E (Six-Pack-To-Go)
Hometown: Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey
Started riding BMX in: As a kid in the '80s, just around town, never raced or rode anything organized.
Number of bikes in the collection: Fluctuates but I’ve had up to 50 at one time.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Six-Pack-to-go: Yes, at was at the Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood NJ years ago and I saw a woman riding a Skyway TA and I was like damn, my buddy had that bike. That’s what sparked it. It was probably 2017.
You've got a museum in your shed, how often do you go in and just sit there with a 6-pack looking at all the stuff?
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.