A few tips for restoring Skyway Utility Tuff BMX wheels. I’ve always been a bit reluctant to buy old or vintage second hand Skyway Tuffs BMX wheels on eBay. They get thrashed and hence are known to have problems. The main issues are warping and cracks, neither can be repaired and render the wheels useless, and given it’s eBay you can’t view the item first. That said I recently went against my better judgement and purchased a rough second hand set of 2001 Skyway Tuff BMX wheels (reasonably cheap). When I got the wheels, they didn’t seem to have any cracks, but the old school 10mm or 3/8″ wheel axles had been removed and the original bearing cups altered to fit newer style 14mm wheel axles- which...
Recently picked up two old 1984 Raleigh Magnum BMX bikes (and an 86 Raleigh Mini Magnum). Both Magnums were in very rough condition and only part complete, but I had plenty of era correct parts to be able to restore them faithfully back to their original glory. I believe the Raleigh Magnum was made by the Merida Factory in Taiwan, the giveaway is the serial number structure starting with M - I'm also pretty sure the Magnum was made for the Australian market only. That aside there were a couple of features on the frame that stood out for me that made these Magnum's special and worth restoring. The top tube length on the 1984 Raleigh Magnum BMX is 20" - by...
The Mongoose Sniper Mag BMX was the low cost, Hi-Ten steel freestyle bike in the 1998 Mongoose catalogue. However the addition of the 3 spoke, Skyway made, Mongoose Motomag Tuff wheels and blazing blue paint job really made it stand out. The Chrome 1998 Mongoose Sniper BMX was definitely the more available option from BMX shops back in the late 90's - the blazing blue frame is now, just that little bit more rare. The frame had rust removed but the original patina or weathered character was intentionally retained. This looks great against all the shiny chrome and black. The frame and fork decals are all original and still have their rainbow holographic glow when viewed in the sun. This classic mid-school freestyle BMX...
