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[chitto]

Hi all.  I recently bought my son a new (well demo for half price) Mongoose Pitcrew 16 for his 4th birthday.  I know when I was a kid (80s) riding/jumping around on my BMX all I wanted was a Redline or Mongoose.  Well now I (my son) have one.  I am toying around with the idea of restoring an old BMX but not sure where to look for one.  Are there other places besides ebay and trading post like swap meets, etc.  I am not after the perfect restoration (well until the bug bites me) just something cool (preferably a Redline or Mongoose)I can ride around with my son.  Thanks in advance.

[GTHODAD]

Where to start?
If in Brisbane there is a BMX gathering on the 18th just perfect for you.
If in Melbourne try stKilda swap meet 1st sunday of the month next to Luna Park. Also put an add on VOSBMX, VintageBMX and osbmx sites-I would try ebai as a last resort.

[COASTY]

Hey Chitto, welcome.
Ebay prices are way over the top at the moment mainly due to the Olympics and the whole "retro" thing everyones into.
Tip shops can be a good source of cheap rides and garage sales too. Ask friends, neighbours and old family friends too. It's amazing how many people have their old bikes still hanging in the garage or shed!
I work in a small dealership in Hervey Bay and out of 8 guys in the workshop, 4 still have their old bikes from bitd (back in the day). And no they won't sell them to me.

[Troyboy]

Welcome Chitto,
      I'm not as wise as some of the other fella's on this site but i've done similar to you.
I got my boy a Redline 20" & because I'm not a slim jim I needed something a little bigger, so I picked up a cheap 24" Redline cruiser.
My advice (for what its worth) is to get what suits you & your lad will love it if he has the same brand as dad.
Troy

[chitto]

Hi, thanks for the responses.  Saw the tip on the QLD meet this weekend.  Can anyone come along?  Thanks

[COASTY]

If you have an interest in BMX of any era your more than welcome. It will be good to meet as many new people as possible.

[chitto]

I went to the QLD meet on the weekend but didn't have much time.  The bikes looked awesome.  I especially liked a couple of the Moongooses and Redlines there.  I think I will end up with a Mongoose but I do love the Redline white frame with red writing.  I was looking at a 84 Mongoose Expert that went on ebay yesterday for around $270.   Looked pretty cool (to me anyway)!!  Unfortunately the Financial Controller put a stop to that one.  Someone said the costs on ebay are a bit inflated at the moment.  Would it be best to look for a complete bike or bits and pieces?  What sort of money range should I be looking at?  I know this is probably hard to answer.  Thanks again.

[Troyboy]

It's more luck than good management with me,
   I Got my RL444 24" cruiser from a Vinnies store (around $30 bucks)
 Yeh it was negleted & rusty but I put Newish parts on it from the same store(handlebars, chain, rear tyre $10.00), they have a lot of bike bits. So far it owes me $40.00, I still need to do some thing wth the forks, seat  & it wont be half bad, good enough for me at the moment any way

Troy

[Troyboy]

oh yeah, if anyone wan't a really rusted set of redline cruiser bars (free) send me a p.m.

Troy

[Mon_aro]

Giday Chitto, welcome to the forum,
 Another idea is to study the gallerys and learn what are the good bikes and parts etc. also watch what prices they are getting on ebay etc. then when you find something you will have a better idea if its worth restoring. Also if you do see something in a junk shop and your not to if its good? get them to put it on hold for you and take some pics and post them up in the what is it catagory, its very likely that some of the more knowledgeable  people on this site will be able to help you out. Another great way to get old BMX's is by word of mouth, just start telling people that your collecting BMX's and after a while they start turning up!!
 Cheers and goodluck Matt