Reliving my childhood through Osky!

Osky working on his jump skills - Put your helmet on son!

80’s Child

BMX was life as an 80’s kid. It was our mode of transportation, a means to socialise and always a source of entertainment.

One of my favourite memories was my brother and I jumping over each other with ramp assistance of course!

One morning Osky spotted an old BMX laying in a kerb pile.

What is Kerbing?

Sydney provides free rubbish collection for bulky items. Items are placed on the “kerb” resulting in piles of rubbish dotted around the neighbourhood.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Our kid’s love a good kerbing session, last kerbing season Theo gave me this little treasure. Thanks Theo! 😎

Mum & Dad Go Kerbing

One morning we drove past a kerb pile before school drop off. Osky spotted a BMX and asked if we (Mum & Dad) could grab it on the way home.

On the way home I performed a roadside examination of the BMX, it was dirty, no brakes, rusty chain and flat tyres but the frame looked solid. It was coming home with us.

I pulled the BMX from the car, excitment building with each BMX flash back. The next steps were to:

• Strip the bike
• Check rims and tyres for damage
• Pressure wash the bike (including Snowfoam)

My amateur assessment concluded the following items were needed:

• Bike Chain (including a chain rivet remover)
• Rear Brake Kit
• Tyre Tubes

Osky came home from school excited to see the BMX. He was a little bummed he couldn’t ride it.

I ordered some cheap BMX parts from Amazon (minus the rear brake kit) and waited patiently for next day delivery 😎

Sometimes I wonder how mankind survived so long without next day delivery.

Osky Took Me to School!

The next day I figured out how to remove the old chain. Being a newb at chain installation I removed an extra link making the chain too short. For 45 mins I struggled to attach the extra link.

Osky came home from school and did it in about 3 minutes…😲

The Kids Loved it!

Osky took to the BMX immediately. With each pedal he grew more comfortable and eventually pulled out the ramp performing small jumps.

I mentioned that Uncle Menno and I used to jump over each other. It didn’t take long before Osky convinced Elliot to be the guinea pig for his first jump. Thankfully I got it on video.

Below is a video of the boy’s jumps (I might be in there too!)

Conclusion

Our boy’s are creating similar memories my brother and I made as kids, I love it!

The return on our $60 investment was an absolute bargin. The BMX has encouraged the boys to get off their screens and play in the real world. The neighbour’s kids come out most afternoons to jump ramp with the boys.

I love the sounds of the kids playing outside, reminds me of my childhood.

One man’s trash REALLY IS another man’s treasure.