Should I restore this "P.K. Ripper"?

pm'd you with a few links. Nice Hutch survivor too! The red decals are interesting. Original?

I bought the decals at a bike store in NY or CT a couple of years after I built the bike up and installed them myself. If I remember correctly, those crazy colored freestyle Hutch models were just coming out in candy apple red and maybe blue and I loved the look of them but had no interest in a freestyle bike. So I just bought the decals for one of them and put them on. Always liked it that way and it made it stand out a bit. Love this bike - hate to see it just sitting.

I had a Race Inc, frame didn't last long riding the half pipes nor did the plastic rims.

Wow! Thanks to all who responded.

Yes, I was aware of those. And, coincidently, I was lookin' at them before I posted this thread.

I'm thinkin' that may be the route I might go. Thanks for the post.

Right now, that is lookin' like the plan.

Z-man99 sent me some awesome links. So, I think I'm gonna' try to get this party started, over the next few weeks.

Nice bike, BTW.



As I posted, thanks for all the great replies. And, for those lurkin', if you have something to offer, please chime-in.


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I'd say go ahead and "restore" it whatever way you want. If you plan on keeping it for sentimental reasons, who cares if the value goes up or down?

Interesting, and maybe blasphemous, putting a GT layback post on that Hutch!

I'm in the process of "fixing up" a mid 90's Mongoose Expert Pro cruiser myself. Thought about trying to keep it 100% original, but have decided to tweak things to my liking, as it will be a rider, not a museum piece!


BMXMuseum has all the info you could ever need about fixing up or restoring vintage or modern BMX bikes.

Awesome! I always liked the P.K. Rippers. I say restore it. Check here for help. Here's my GT Pro Series I used to race in the mid 80's.

I was a big kid, so I needed a bike with a long top tube, stoutly built.

So I searched and put together a one-off Thruster Tri-Power XL.

(not mine, unfortunately, mine got stolen)

They were rare, I think I was the only guy who had one on my local circuit.
Me on the end in blue.



The Big Ripper rides like a Barcalounger. It's so smooth and rides fat. I need to get some smaller cranks for it though, the 190s are too long, and I don't need to pop off the gate any more.
Of course, I couldn't resist modding the shit out of it. Added Avid 1-finger V-brakes, and had to add a bracket to the front fork because there are no brake bosses on the Landing Gear forks. Also added dropout adjustments and different tires. I'm a self-professed bike geek and ex-mechanic. To be honest, I think I like building and wrenching just as much as I like riding em. To be continued......


PS That ultimate Bike rack is the first run produced in the early 90s. Still works perfectly.

Back when I was working at a bike shop in So Cal, Perry Kramer was our Giant Bicycles sales rep. After the second visit, I put the initials together with the name.

To be honest, I was never that much of a BMX guy.

"River City BMX", San Antonio, Texas, circa 1981-82...





Although you can't tell, that is the "P.K." that I am straddling.

If I am not mistaken, it was around that time that two reps, from a fresh start-up company, approached my best friend ("Radical" Rod Arnold) with an offer to ride a new bike that they were building. They would be making the frames and forks from a super-light metal known as "titanium".

That company would, later, become known as "Titan Bicycles"...

http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/titan/



This thread has really become enjoyable for me. So, if you have something to add, please feel free.

To those who have contributed, "Thanks".



Update #1 on the "P.K."- Dropout savers have been ordered.


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^ Chicks dig BMX.

I guess we can make this the official BMX/cruiser thread?

My original JMC and while I'll never get rid of it, and still have 95% of the parts (good stuff is Bullseye euro BB and hubs, plus some Reedy pedals, everything else is run of the mill), unfortunately I'm way to damn big to ride it.





I'm in the middle of putting this low budget 26" Worksman cruiser together, the pub crawler. :slurp

Add to that the parts hunt and I'm in the exact same boat as you. My garage is packed with bikes, parts, and tools.

Mid 70's Ashtabula days.

I'm, definitely, down with that...and was hoping someone would suggest it.

I'll try to throw-in a "P.K. Ripper" build/resto, along the way.



Thanks for all the great pics; Keep 'em comin...


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Oh, hell. There's that white JMC again. So cool. I have a blue one, 475th ever built.

Here's a pair of DG's I picked up locally a few years back. Love the MX---BMX crossover companies.

Nice DG's man, I know the 26" looptails are a hot commodity, are those 20's hard to come by?

Is it built up?

I know Schwinn serial numbers but not JMC, would this be the 677 one made then? It is a long standard.

Are those 2 pairs of Gen 1 Tuff Wheels? Nice!!

Heavy frames on those DG's. I traded mine to a guy, so he could add a sidehack to it.

Okay, Gentlemen, let's get this party started...


For those of you who have read all the posts, Mr. Perterra has offered to hook-me-up with a reputable, professional welding outfit (for repairing the dropouts). If you saw my post, you know that I have ordered the Helix dropout savers.

I have a feeling that the arrival of the dropout savers will answer any questions I might have. However, as it stands right now, I would rather reserve welding repair, of the inner radiuses of the dropouts, as a last ditch bid.


Here are inner radiuses of the dropouts...


Left/bottom-side


Left/top-side


Right/bottom-side


Right/top-side




At this point, I'm thinkin' some smoothing, with a rotary/"Dremel"-style tool, will do the trick.

Every Christmas, my loving Father (RIP) would stock my toolboxes. So, I have this...






But (as with most of the tools he gave me), just because I have it, doesn't mean I know how to use it.
***I love and miss you, Dad.***



What says the collective?...

Welding?...or smoothing?


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I ride my shit, so I would clean it up and move on with some chain adjusters.



If this project is a show queen by all means have it welded up.

I've never used him but have read good things about the FRAME DOCTOR. Kinda far for that small repair but info for the collective nonetheless.

Was it the thief's who thought it a better idea to drill the dropouts as apposed to adding a link or 2.

I have a feeling it is gonna' wind-up being more of a "show queen". However, despite that, I would like to do the least amount of repair as possible. Nonetheless, thanks for the link. It may come in handy.

As far as the extra link or two, on the chain, that was probably me. As a kid, I didn't have anyone standing over me telling me, "Don't do that, son", or "Don't do it like that, son". My Dad was very busy with his job(s)...making sure that he gave my Mom, my Brother, and I everything we ever wanted. So, I didn't really start to learn mechanical and metallurgical things until later in life.


I'll tell y'all, if you don't think that ADV is the greatest site in the world, and don't believe that it has something for everyone, I would strongly disagree.

A coupla' days ago, I asked a simple question about a "P.K. Ripper". Today, I have the link to the "Frame Doctor", and...y'all will never believe this shit...the name of the folks who did the original finishing work for SE Racing! (Thank you, z-man99!!!)

Here we are, on a motorcycle site, beginning the resto on my 30-year-old bicycle. Crazy...


Once again, thanks to all who are helping me.


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