Hi Guys,
First post, never knew this site existed until an hour ago but I already think it's awesome.
Anyhow, no there wasn't an Overburys on American Pickers but while I was watching it I thought I know i'll search 'Overburys Pioneer' as I have one in the shed, which I've owned from new for 28 years, and here I am!
As a kid I was a bike fanatic (i'm 44 now), originally into BMX, owning various makes but finally having the holy grail in my opinion then, a Mongoose, man did that give me street cred! At the age of 11 I started racing Motocross which took over our family life. After a couple of seasons local racing we ended up traveling the country doing what I loved doing, going to big events and sacrificing many usual family things. I realise now how lucky I was having parents that literally gave up everything to make me happy.
Apologies for rambling on but that's how I have the overburys, at probably age 13 there was an article in one of the American Motocross Magazines 'Now you can train Every day' I still remember it (it's probably still in my parents house if anyone is interested) and it was about Mountain Bikes, they were literally unheard of in the UK at the time, I knew I had to have one. I bought a MuddyFox courrier for £300 from Wheelies in Swansea with all my savings and literally thrashed the thing. I live in a very appropriate place, about 5 miles from Afan Forest. Not long after I convinced two of my mates they needed one and they bought a Raleigh Maverick and a Specialized Rockhopper, we rode those bikes to death, most nights of the week and every weekend. A few times we filled ruck sacks and went for a few days staying in youth hostels, never knowing where we were going, we just rode, there were no man made tracks then. One weekend we ended up in Llanrwtydd Wells, cycling over the Black Mountains.
Afan was a lot different in those days, I remember on many occasions hiding in the trees because we could hear a park ranger's vehicle, bikes weren't allowed back then, we even got escorted off a couple of times but were back by the weekend.
By age 16 the Muddyfox was wrecked, I'd done a few events too, actually coming 5th in the Llanrwtydd Wells event on the bog snorkling weekend, out of about 40 entries though, things were a lot smaller back then.
I was subscribed to the Mountain bike club which was a posted few sheets of A4 folded in half to make a book kind of thing always including a comic strip of 'Mint Sauce' a sheep on a mountain bike, but that was the only thing available then, until, I think it was called 'Mountain Bike Action' came out, the first mountain bike glossy, (this is all from memory) and one of the earlier editions had a review on an overburys. It said 'if you have the money you have to buy one', I didn't, but I knew two people that could probably scrape it together knowing I spent all my time on bikes! It was my christmas present. An Overburys Exage Pioneer, I think the exage was £700, £800 for the deore and £900 for the next one what ever that was. I would have loved a Roberts but they were even more expensive.
Anyway I ordered the Overburys. I had the rear triangle in a stiffer metal, I know columbus OR was part of it but i cant remember which. It took four months for them to build and then we picked it up. At the time their advert was a blue and yellow bike surrounded in oranges, but as it was order only so you could have any colour you liked. I kept the blue but had the yellow replaced with flourescent pink (trendy then and I was 16/17). Believe it or not when we picked it up it was the only one they had ever done in that colour and they said they loved it, next thing I knew, they had a sponsored rider riding for them, there was only one, and they did his bike in the same colour. I absolutley loved that bike like no other, and thats why I've still got it, did quite a few events on it, one of the first Blandford, Dorset events and maybe the first Malvern Hills, coming 80th out of 400 in the Mens Sports at 17, I can still remember it now,there was a bomb hole by the end of the course/start finish and quite a few crashed out on it big time.
Since then I've done other things in life as many do, with a big spell off mountain biking. I had a resurgance in 2007 buying a specialized Enduro and went to Les Gets 3 times but not much riding in between. I now have a Cannondale Flash Carbon (but I dont ghet out on it much) which I think is a great bike and a million miles away from the Overburys, however writing this and thinking back to those Muddyfox and Overburys days when there were no rules, no trails, no other bikes, or riders, to see what they were riding or wearing, they were good times. I'm not saying they were better by any means, one internet search has made me remember what an amazing time I had riding our bikes when we were young, and it's great to see what this amazing sport has become and it feels good knowing I was in at grass roots.
There is so much more I could write here but in the interest of those that have already fallen asleep, apologies for the long post but just coming on to this site has mad me think about some of the best memories of my life, I guess many who read this will think what is he on about, but a few might be in the same place. and finally, man i so wanted a Roberts,but I drempt about one of those square framed 'Pace' bikes.
Ps. I'm now thinking of restoring the Overburys its completley original except for the back wheel. (I've been in a couple of bike shops and said confidently 'I have an Overburys' which was met with a completely blank look).
Regards,
Keith.
First post, never knew this site existed until an hour ago but I already think it's awesome.
Anyhow, no there wasn't an Overburys on American Pickers but while I was watching it I thought I know i'll search 'Overburys Pioneer' as I have one in the shed, which I've owned from new for 28 years, and here I am!
As a kid I was a bike fanatic (i'm 44 now), originally into BMX, owning various makes but finally having the holy grail in my opinion then, a Mongoose, man did that give me street cred! At the age of 11 I started racing Motocross which took over our family life. After a couple of seasons local racing we ended up traveling the country doing what I loved doing, going to big events and sacrificing many usual family things. I realise now how lucky I was having parents that literally gave up everything to make me happy.
Apologies for rambling on but that's how I have the overburys, at probably age 13 there was an article in one of the American Motocross Magazines 'Now you can train Every day' I still remember it (it's probably still in my parents house if anyone is interested) and it was about Mountain Bikes, they were literally unheard of in the UK at the time, I knew I had to have one. I bought a MuddyFox courrier for £300 from Wheelies in Swansea with all my savings and literally thrashed the thing. I live in a very appropriate place, about 5 miles from Afan Forest. Not long after I convinced two of my mates they needed one and they bought a Raleigh Maverick and a Specialized Rockhopper, we rode those bikes to death, most nights of the week and every weekend. A few times we filled ruck sacks and went for a few days staying in youth hostels, never knowing where we were going, we just rode, there were no man made tracks then. One weekend we ended up in Llanrwtydd Wells, cycling over the Black Mountains.
Afan was a lot different in those days, I remember on many occasions hiding in the trees because we could hear a park ranger's vehicle, bikes weren't allowed back then, we even got escorted off a couple of times but were back by the weekend.
By age 16 the Muddyfox was wrecked, I'd done a few events too, actually coming 5th in the Llanrwtydd Wells event on the bog snorkling weekend, out of about 40 entries though, things were a lot smaller back then.
I was subscribed to the Mountain bike club which was a posted few sheets of A4 folded in half to make a book kind of thing always including a comic strip of 'Mint Sauce' a sheep on a mountain bike, but that was the only thing available then, until, I think it was called 'Mountain Bike Action' came out, the first mountain bike glossy, (this is all from memory) and one of the earlier editions had a review on an overburys. It said 'if you have the money you have to buy one', I didn't, but I knew two people that could probably scrape it together knowing I spent all my time on bikes! It was my christmas present. An Overburys Exage Pioneer, I think the exage was £700, £800 for the deore and £900 for the next one what ever that was. I would have loved a Roberts but they were even more expensive.
Anyway I ordered the Overburys. I had the rear triangle in a stiffer metal, I know columbus OR was part of it but i cant remember which. It took four months for them to build and then we picked it up. At the time their advert was a blue and yellow bike surrounded in oranges, but as it was order only so you could have any colour you liked. I kept the blue but had the yellow replaced with flourescent pink (trendy then and I was 16/17). Believe it or not when we picked it up it was the only one they had ever done in that colour and they said they loved it, next thing I knew, they had a sponsored rider riding for them, there was only one, and they did his bike in the same colour. I absolutley loved that bike like no other, and thats why I've still got it, did quite a few events on it, one of the first Blandford, Dorset events and maybe the first Malvern Hills, coming 80th out of 400 in the Mens Sports at 17, I can still remember it now,there was a bomb hole by the end of the course/start finish and quite a few crashed out on it big time.
Since then I've done other things in life as many do, with a big spell off mountain biking. I had a resurgance in 2007 buying a specialized Enduro and went to Les Gets 3 times but not much riding in between. I now have a Cannondale Flash Carbon (but I dont ghet out on it much) which I think is a great bike and a million miles away from the Overburys, however writing this and thinking back to those Muddyfox and Overburys days when there were no rules, no trails, no other bikes, or riders, to see what they were riding or wearing, they were good times. I'm not saying they were better by any means, one internet search has made me remember what an amazing time I had riding our bikes when we were young, and it's great to see what this amazing sport has become and it feels good knowing I was in at grass roots.
There is so much more I could write here but in the interest of those that have already fallen asleep, apologies for the long post but just coming on to this site has mad me think about some of the best memories of my life, I guess many who read this will think what is he on about, but a few might be in the same place. and finally, man i so wanted a Roberts,but I drempt about one of those square framed 'Pace' bikes.
Ps. I'm now thinking of restoring the Overburys its completley original except for the back wheel. (I've been in a couple of bike shops and said confidently 'I have an Overburys' which was met with a completely blank look).
Regards,
Keith.
