Name: Shannon Gillette
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
Started riding BMX in: Racing in 1980, but have been riding BMX bikes since about 1976.
Number of bikes in the collection: Only a few as of now. It's alway revolving stable.
Do you remember the moment that you decided to start collecting BMX memorabilia?
Shannon Gillette: I always just kind of hung on to my personal stuff. Like jerseys and number plates. But the first bike? I lived in Hawaii at the time and the year was 1989. It was actually a friend's old race bike, a 1979 Supergoose and he was throwing it in the garbage in front of his house. So I swooped it up and he told me I couldn't take it. I had to buy it from him. hahaha.. I said what?! You're throwing it out in the garbage. He said I want $40 for it. I said DEAL! It was in rough shape, but working in bike shops for 10 years I was up for the task. Long story short, I cleaned it up, rev=built the wheels as the spokes were all rusted. Hawaii does that to bikes with all the salt air.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.