Message to all,

If you have ever raced at Cool Tool in Rochester, NY (Hilton/Parma) please post when and what you rode BITD. Also if you have any photos it would be cool to see them. I raced there from 1985 until it closed. I know some people here have raced there.

Stanz

My old riding buddy used to race there before he got in to freestyle. Chris Ranson was his name. Know him?

I never rode there because my parents would never bring me, but I do remember the place well as I live in Rochester...a good friend of mine used to race there BITD, but he hasnt found any pics yet.

I raced for the Spokes'nWheels team back then.

The Buckman's Plaza Spokes'nWheels or was it a chain? That was my local bike shop. Chris Ranson actually ended up owning the Tanning salon right next door in the 90s.

It was a 4-5 store chain, Webster, Greece, Fairport, University Ave, & Heneritta. It went out of business in 1997 I think. I also worked for them from 89-94

I know exactly when they went out of business. Bought a MTB there in 96 and missed out on my free 1 year tune up because they went out.

Most of the guys who raced at Cool Tool were part of the Pines Crew, The loacal trails that we had on Marsh Rd, in Fairport/ER

Did my first national there at 14, have a picture of me standing by Eric Rupe, was to afraid to approach him, this was in 1984. 22 years later I have pictures of my kids standing with Eric Rupe.!

I raced there for all the state, and national races from '85-'87. I think I also hit that track up once in '83 if I'm not mistaken.
In '85 I raced a white 84 quadangle on that track, and later that year, I switched to a brand new white fade to black Cycle Craft.
I raced a light blue '85 Powerlite cruiser there as well.

Iceman

I'd love to see some pics...does anyone remember the exact location of the track ? I could take some pics, its probably a housing development now...LOL

does anyone remember another Rochester area track called Eagle raceway or somthing like that ? I think that track was around before cool-tool..

I raced all the NBL Nationals there from 84 - 87. I rode for Factory Crit Plate in 84-85, Factory Titan in 86, and Factory MCS in 87....great place to race. I won at least on one of the bikes at each national, and doubled at 2 (not sure waht years)

I raced there a few times around 85-87. I remember I went to a national there and Pistol Pete had a bright orange front wheel. At locals there I would race Chuck Northrup. I was and still am freinds with the williams guys (Jimmy, Dan, Dave aka Whitey). We used to go up to the pines quite often those were some good times. I would drive up from Ithaca. That whole area was pretty cool and had a good scene.

Think I only raced there once, it was the national in 1985. Anybody know how the Silloway's are doing?

Ken,

From what I was told the Silloway's kids are running a bike shop in the old Greece Spokes'n Wheels location.

Kelly,
I remember you guys coming up to ride. Were you at the Pines when Whitey jumped over Dan's truck? I was the guy in the tree taking the photos.

I raced two or three times there, attending NBL War of the Stars Nats. I really liked that track. Made it through motos and quarters and reached a 16+ open semi with Billy Griggs, Rick Palmer and others one year. That was my best result in a 80's National. It was tough to reach mains BITD...

I raced against Whitey Williams and his brothers several times during those years, mainly during EBA indoors at Niagara Falls and Syracuse. Whitey is a member of vintagebmx too.

Kelly B: Pistol Pete's bike that you are refering to was a dark blue CW, with bright orange wheels. That would have been 1985. I saw him on the same bike at South Park as well that year. Someone should definitely do a replica build of this one. I think it is pictured in a BMX Plus! issue.

Ken: How are you? Still doing the roadie and mtb thing? You've written about it before but why don't you tell the "I got second place in the B Pro main then Tedesco said I won and bumped me to A Pro right before the Grands" saga for those that don't know.

[ July 13, 2006, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: Marc Tardif ]

Stanz cool topic, I remember the jump your talkin about (post that pic if ya can)
Marc I think it was 85. i remember him blazin out front and thats mostly what you could see is that wheel. The bike I ride now has the front wheel painted just like that (rest of my bike is black though)
This is one of my favorite parts of this site is all the memories coming back, someone joggin the memory so good.

Marc,
Yeah, there was a $1400 difference between first place at that race and first place at the grands. I just wanted to sandbag 1 race and try to win the grands, which was next on the schedule. I was going to have a hard enough time trying to hang with the 'A' pros, I didn't need the grands to be my first race against them. Anyhow, I holeshotted and lead the whole race to the last turn when I slowed up and let 1, possibly 2 guys get by. The scorers still had me as winning, I protested to no avail.

Eagle was on Buffalo Rd.,i went to Cool Tool a few times but don't remember where it was.I even bought a too small Cool Tool shirt that my mom laughed at because it was the only size and i had to have it.
The shop that replaced Spokes and Wheels is gone sometime since last summer.I stopped up recently to look for some OS parts but they were closed.The entire plaza is going to be torn down sometime soon to make way for road development.

I just checked the phone book for Chris Ranson but hes not in there,i haven't seen him since the late 90's.He was racing a ZX7 and jet skis.

Man do I miss the Pines..........................



We were Cool-Tool locals. Raced and practiced there from the day it opened till the day they closed it.

[ July 16, 2006, 11:41 PM: Message edited by: whitey ]

Hey Kelly this is for you.........



[ July 16, 2006, 11:42 PM: Message edited by: whitey ]

Sorry it took me awhile to find this......

That track is now just a field, behind the Cool-Tool factory...which is still crankin' out the best in metal fluid technology. Dave owns the Bike Zone in Greece NY, Scott and Paul still work for the family business. Kelly is a "higher-up" at Xerox, and I married Julie a school teacher. I have a screenprinting business and still ride 1000-2000
miles a year...mostly off-road on my Bullitt:


[ July 18, 2006, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Cool-Tool Nat.#1 ]

WHITEY!!!!!

This is Scott and me: (Eagle BMX '81?)

Crehan - at least one of the doubles was in 1986. I remember it so vividly b/c I finished second in both mains. To make matters worse, I think I finished second to you in each moto on the 20". I cannot recall another event where someone beat me in every moto and the main.

I went home, trained like crazy and prepared for the NBL Grands. I won on little bike, and you won on cruiser. We split the #1 plates.

Ahhh... the good old days.

Cool-Tool was a great track but man was it long. Racing, and practicing there would get you in serious shape. We had some great times there.

I will never forget the day DJ, Dan and me wondered if someone could pick up for the second jump and pedal it. Well we did it (pretty scary stuff) and had a huge advantage over everyone down that first straight!

Kelly you are and always will be the MAN!!

Tim you still got style, and always did ride the heck out of the big bikes!

(I think I got 2nd or 3rd behind Jamison Hendler at one of the Nationals there.....on the old trusty National Pro)

thanx for all this info and great pics...you guys rock to think all of this stuff went down just a couple miles from my house and I missed it because I was too young to get there on my own, and my parents didnt consider BMX a sport (I guess because theres no ball)

Your right...1 double. the year before I think you took 20" and I took 24" (85)....That was rare when we were in the same moto...That would suck because it would screw up the points...if we were in differnt motos we would both go into the main with a 150, so who ever took the main had the good day. I remeber back then if either one of us would screw up in the motos and get a second or something like that, the whole weeked end would be a wash....perfect was the only way that we could compete in the points... If I remember corectly I just needed to make the 20" main and get like a 5th or something like that to get the 20" title...but as fate would have it I crashed in the semi and wound up #3......good time for sure. It's so cool that we can talk like this as adults and freinds...back then we were like USA vs Russia..arch enemies...lol

I've used Cool Tool fluids for years and never put 2 and 2 together about the track.

Invented right here in Hilton, NY.
Used worldwide....

Mike, you are correct about having to make the main and finish ~5th in the main. We both entered the grands with max points. I blew the first moto... hit the gate big time and count not get around Robert MacPherson or Dan Gibson and finished third in the moto. I thought the #1 plate was gone.

If memory serves me correctly, you actually fell in either the eighth or quarter and got back up to make the main. Is that right?numbe

One other thing to note... I went into the 1983 Grands in Nashville only having to win my motos to seal the #1 plate. I fell in the first turn of the first moto when I hit a haybail after jumping the doubles at the end of the first straight. Dropped all the way to #7. What a bummer.

It really is cool that we can have civil conversations... I guess we did grow up!!!

Bird

Any more photos from Cool Tool or the Pines? I am going to see if I can post what I have.

Whitey, great photos of the truck jump.

Stanz.

I'll have some more coming from Eagle in Chili, NY soon. I saw Betty Frey at a party yesterday. For those that don't know, she was instrumental in the success of BMX in this area in the early eighty's.
She rocks, and I told her so! She of course says hello to you Kenny! And the Williams. I have some photos coming of me with them, as well.

Awesome

Still looking for pictures from Cool-Tool.
Here is another picture from The Pines............



[ July 23, 2006, 11:17 PM: Message edited by: whitey ]

I got nuthin.....



[ July 26, 2006, 07:42 AM: Message edited by: Cool-Tool Nat.#1 ]

Tim,
That's cool that you ran into Mrs frey. Tell her I said "hi" and "thanks" if you run into her again. That track would not have happened without her and it gave us a place to race without driving up to Niagara.

Yeah Betty is awesome. She and Jim Silloway ALWAYS enjoy talking about the good ole days,
and their memories are pretty good. Mine too: I remember everyone, and every place we went to!
Ken, I remember jumping onto mattresses near Steve's house, mall riding...Wendy's cruising in the Mongoose truck, all kinds of stuff. Geez the stories I could tell just about travelling with the Cool-Tool team.....like the girl Steve and I were both after in Florida, Jud and I almost coming to fisticuffs, Chris Mueller breaking his arm...again. Or stories from local races like the awesome Convention Center race, or the pig barn, or the indoor Syracuse races...Anyone else want to dredge up the past with me here?

This is from a local race at Cool-Tool. This is over the jump out of the last turn.
Check out how tight my pants are.........gotta love the 80's.

Cool-Tool national. 16 and Over Open semi first jump. Trying to shadow Jameson Hendler (#8) Factory Schwinn and transfer to the main. I think I ended up pulling a second in the main.

My first race (ever) at the Niagara Pig Barn:

[ July 26, 2006, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: Cool-Tool Nat.#1 ]

[ July 26, 2006, 07:44 AM: Message edited by: Cool-Tool Nat.#1 ]

"Yeah Betty is awesome. She and Jim Silloway ALWAYS enjoy talking about the good ole days,
and their memories are pretty good. Mine too"


If I could do it all over again, I would take more pictures and keep a journal.....my mind is shot. Way too much excitement for a few years there.