A year ago a mate gave me his old BMX because the case manager at rehab (for nerve damage to hands not booze or drugs) told me to get a hobby that used my hands.
I had been playing with bikes and trikes for a while but had always regretted never having the opportunity to race BMX as a kid because we lived in the bush. Not being able to race one also meant not having a real bike to tinker with, the old dragster with Tange forks and solid steel seat post was ok, but wasn't a real BMX, and the track we cut around the farm wasn't a real track, I guess only the injuries were real.
Anyway I found VOSBMX and thought I would ask lots of dopey questions and get some skills and ideas so I could build the type of bike I would have loved BITD.
That bike is an old Fatrax which will be going to the powder coaters next week, nothing really flash about it except it is the sort of thing I would have loved as a kid.
I wanted to get some skills in putting a whole BMX together before I did it so with the help and encouragement of all you guys and even some of your significant others I have done that with an old Torker Troy found and kindly sold to me very cheaply with some great extra parts. Advice from Adrian, Brett, Dean, Glenn, Phil, Richie, Warren, hmm I'll stop listing now and say just about everyone has been great and I've actually finished putting a mid school bike together the way I want and feel very happy and I know couldn't have done it without you guys.
Although I have a few minor skills at making things I certainly couldn't have done a rebuild or customisation or whatever it is I did without you all.
So thanks for the parts, the bike, the advice, the suggestions, the hints on how to do things right, the emails, the pictures, the messages, the support, and the putting up with my lack of knowledge.
I feel like I can tackle the bike I really like now and not botch it.
Of course I have no idea what I'll do with the Black on Black Torker Qualifier, some snot nosed brat without a father might end up with it one day, I'll just look at it for a while and change bits around.
I was also told by a kid at the school where I volunteer that one of his mates has 'some old Helium bike' as he put it, which he is going to ask if he wants to sell; if this turns out to be for real I'll certainly have to be doing good work.
I wonder if Troy has a pic of when he found it anyway it went from this:

To this:

Cheers Tim
PS: I'm still a crap photographer.