i'm gonna be tackling a project soon which includes a Cook fork in need of refinishing. besides chrome and nickel, what colors were they available in (and were they candy, metallic, etc)? thanks - mr c/b

Popular belief is that they were always only available in chrome, reason was that chrome looks good with any color frame, even nickel (when kept polished). This way Cook would be able to sell forks to anyone with any BMX frame.

I have seen very early Cook forks in nickel, and someone recently posted a pic of Dennis Dein on a red 20" Cook frame and chrome fork. This pic blew away the belief that Cook never made 20" painted frames, but a painted fork is still a question. I remember Black Bart McDaniel racing a Black Cook Bros. Not sure if his fork was chrome or black though.

[ January 19, 2007, 10:44 PM: Message edited by: Greg_Hanna ]

Hey guys, I do not claim to know everything about Cook, but I will share what I remember.
I rode for Cook Bros in 78 and worked there for a while also. All the time I was involved with them everything was chrome. The early frames and forks were nickle. I remember that because I went thru several tubes of Semi-Chrome polish to keep them looking good.
The following picture is a frame that Gary Cook did up special for me. At that time, I was the only Pro to win a national on a Cook. The front and tail were treated with something to make them look like they were oxidized, I remember a term like "airidied or airidite". I'm not sure of exact terminoligy. Then the rest of the frame was painted red. It really looked great!
But they were never done on a production basis. It was something Gary did for me.
Any questions you have, I will do my best..
Dennis Dain

I have a black set and from everything I can tell it is the original color...a bit scratched up

Hey Dennis, What happened to the red Cooks??????
Very nice indeed.....

I am pleased to say that I still have the complete bike, BUT, thru wear and tear we (Dig Daddy Ralph Mundia,AKA, Ralphs Bicycles) powder coated it white. As you see in the picture is how it hanges in my garage.

yeah, i didn't remember ever seeing forks in anything besides nickel/chrome (but there's going to be one now! ).

i remember 2 painted frames around here BITD. i forget who had which, but a kid i sorta knew had one and a local shop had the other. one was red the other was blue. the one at that shop was new and for sale, so it must have been original paint. this was probably '82-83.

Well now, Mr coasterbrake, I like your attitude!! Make it the way you want it. If everyboby told me it has to be "this way", I would do it "that way" just to be different! Heck, you own a Cook Bros. BMX bike, that in its own right is different. They did not exactly flood the market like most of the others did. You own a piece of history, make it the way you want and be proud of it.
That is just my opinion,
Dennis

thanks Dennis!

the fork definitely needs a refininsh - some of the chrome has peeled off one side and its pretty rusty/flaky in spots.

the idea of painting (vs rechrome) is 2-part:
first, i'm too cheap to spring for a rechrome. i already have a couple other nice/NOS Cook forks, so it's not that big a deal to me on this one.

second, it does have the original decals, in good shape, that i'd rather not destroy (since you never see Cook decals). i plan to clean up the fork best as possible, tape off the decals, then spray it whatever color i decide on.

BRILLIANT!!!
You have a plan, that's half the battle.
I'm curious, does the "mr coasterbrake" have anything to do with your history in BMX?
DD

I've seen a very very late model Cook Bros 20" frame and fork in red. I believe it was a nos frame set but very shop worn. Your neck of the woods too Mr. C. Rolly's shop had it.

Dennis: the name "mr coasterbrake" was given to me 20some years ago by a fellow shop employee because...a.) i rode a coasterbrake for freestyle- which he hadn't seen before... and b.) i did a bunch of modifications to my hubs (blueprinting, loose-packing, welding various bit in place).

DAN: that is probably the frame i remember. don't know if i saw the fork, though. he has those separate from where he keeps/kept the frames.

You know now that you mention it, I can't remember if it had a fork with it or not! Well it is the only production painted 20" frame I've seen anyway!

Have you been by that shop recently??

not for a couple of years. i used to go there about once a year, but he's getting a little (more) goofy. either won't sell anything or wants ridiculous amounts (and even then he usually won't sell if you agree to his price). he's fun to talk to, though (when his head is in it). some of the stuff he remembers is incredible.

Are we referring to the shop in Milwaukee where the owner lives next door and has a ton of bikes outside, but you can't walk through? I am going to Milwaukee soon, I need get Jason L and Kevin to take me by again...

DD - Sounds like you have a ton of stuff still. How about some current images? Then and now shots!

The effort is appreciated.

No the shop was pretty far from Milwaukee. I've had some weird times in that shop. I think a little knowledge of vintage American scooters helped me get in the door. I spent at least three hours there last time with my good buddy Ben Jerry. We even bought a few things for fair prices. The one thing I really came away with was that he really loved BMX, the people and machines from the old days. Strange guy but he will always have my respect.

Dennis you need to strip that Cook Bros down and bring it back to original colors. That thing is cool!

Ben: i think you are talking about the same place. it's in a suburb about 3 or 4 miles outside of the milwaukee boarder. i think i've heard Jason or Kevin mention having taken you there before.

he is into old scooters. if you catch him at the right point during a conversation...sometimes you can actually buy things, but not always.

It had old scooters and such all around. Cinder block building if I remember right. Guy liked to talk about bikes and that is always fun.

The mind is really going! I remember that place being about an hour out of Milwaukee but I guess it's an hour out of Kenosha. That sounds like the place for sure Ben. I guess he unloads and reloads those bikes everyday! Won't talk to you until he's done.

supposedly, the city he's in has made him get rid of much of that crap that was always outside.