Hello, I'm Bob Darnell. I used to live and ride on my BMX bikes and still do to this day. I have some old photos I would like to share with you all.

I used to ride for the Bare Cover Trick Team here in Phoenix during the 80's. They had the old Pepsi plexiglass half-pipe that was on a 4-wheel trailer that was 4 feet off of the ground. It was 6' wide, 8' transitions, no flat and 1' decks, and it was very slippery. I fell off the thing a lot. The Pepsi half-pipe was during the Taster's Challenge Coke vs. Pepsi thing. They sold it to Van's California Daze after their tour ended at the Metrocenter mall. I was the first one to ever try riding a bike on it, 1979-1980. It was sold off to Bare Cover and then ended up at Thrasherland in Glendale, Arizona, and I don't know where it is now.

I started riding empty pools when everybody else was skateboarding. And doing flatland before any of it ever came out in any magizine. If you ever see Joe Kid on a Stingray when Hugo did the fence bounce at the Upland Skate Park during a contest, that was from us Phoenix boys: me, Keith Demerest, Scott Morris, Jim Roberson, Chris Loney, Mike Kramer, and Ray Taez. We used to go to Upland from Phoenix 2-4 times a month. We used to do the fence bounce (table topping off the tennis court chain link fence) off of the wave at Shadow Mountain High School. We started doing it at Upland and showed Hugo before the contest.

I ended up getting out of riding freestyle after '89, moving on in my life, raising a family, and running my own biz restoring vintage Vespas. I wrote a book on Vespas and ended up teaching Harley Evo at MMI. Then I hurt myself really bad in a forklift explosion that burned my legs. I knew when I was in the hospital that I would need therapy. The only thing I wanted to do was get me a 24" bmx and start riding again.

I am so glad that this website is rolling and I hope you all enjoy these photos. I will add some more later as soon as I can. Enjoy! -Bob

Awesome! Welcome back to BMX! Thanks for sharing the history and the photos. If you want to get a 24" then, check out Sunday's Model C. I'd love to get one myself...

Dig that tabletop in the last pic.

Hey, this is my 200th post. Woo-hoo!

Arizona Pride!

My AZ riding was in the 90s, but those are great pics. Is that pool still around?

Totally RAD on you finding the site! You're definitely a part of BMX History. Glad you're aboard.

That's the famous Air bowl. It was at the north side, just at the end of the runway of Scottsdale Air park, just off of Bell Road. The famous Phoenix punk band, JFA, 1st album cover shot is from there. If I could go back and do it all over again I would. We all had such a great time there. It was the baddest bowl. It was perfect, no kidding. I rode the flooms, the lake pleasant full pipes, Dead cat, the high roller, the monster ramp and many more early Arizona transitions. But, nothing was better then the Air bowl. The talent that was there was really neat. Me and Keith Demerest were the only ones riding Bmx at the air bowl. Skaters hated the Bmxer's. but they never minded us once we started getting down with them. We all became really good freinds. The round coping was stolen by a local trying to put it on his half pipe. All he did was ruin the air bowl. He took the curved coping. Curved coping was so sweet to have, not like the square kind. The round coping gave you a nice lip to pull from and roll in on. Thanks for asking. Iam tring to lad more photo's but this site say's 9.98k is only left I even tried to start a new thread any help with this I have alot more to share.

www.photobucket.com

really sweet pics you have there man.
welcome.

More pics...
I loved that goose, but had to make my own bracket for the brakes because I wanted to get rid of those heavy coaster brake motomags and go with the lighter alum freewheel rims. The frame was the early type that did not have the piece for the brake. I didn't have a welder and just bolted two pieces of flat strap together. This guy was telling me that I needed to weld the strap in to hold the brakes better. But I sure was trying.


We caused alot of trouble on those stingrays. If you notice, one kid's got a rim in his hand and that's me in the middle going, "Okay I'll trade you that stolen part for this stolen part."


Mean Keith Demerest & Ray Taez


Me and Keith


Bare Cover show ASU on mobile 1/4 pipe


I forgot to say on this photo that this was the first prototype 'Works' frame for freestyle by mastermind, BMX genuis Woody Woodruff out of Mesa, AZ (who started Enigma). Notice the short rearend.

more photos...

Jim Roberson's and his ramp


The start of my halfpipe


Bare Cover


Ray Taez wrecked, landed on his face and hurt himself...he couldn't ride in the contest. He still has a very bad scar above his lip.


Olly-oop

and more...



Scott Morris & Jim Warner




Gut Lever


Gotcha Shorts were a big hit

Here is the last Photo until I retreive more from Mike kramer.


I thought I would share some of the bike's in my collection. I have had the funnest time building. Auburn is a pro 24" under 18 lbs....




24"


20" in progress


This was one of my favorite frame and fork setups out of all the freestyle bikes


This is now my favorite and the one I ride most

yay arizona!!!

most of my riding was in the 90's, but damn it would have been so awesome to ride in the 80's....

more az pics!!!

Is the chrome Torker the ride that I saw you with at the skatepark?

Oh yeah I ride Chandler and Glendale Im not much for the race track stuff. I like the bike parks and flatland. I just got back from Glendale and ran into Ray Taez and asked him and his wife if they have any old pic's and they said they do. And they should be posting them here on this thread. What park do you ride?

Awesome!

I ride the Glendale park, but I am having a really tough time trying to re-learn tricks. I think the reason I am having such a hard time re-learning tricks is because I quit serious riding at around 16 years old. I quit right when I was making the transistion from flat to street.

Man, I'm sorry I didn't read this post until today. Those are some awesome old pictures and some cool looking bikes you have now!!!

Cool pics. I look forward to seeing more.

It has been fun to watch this post grow. Cadillac I will shoot you a pm about the show I am doing this Saturday at Kore Bikes in north Tempe. Hopefully you can make it out. Very cool stuff.

Stephen

Thanks this has been alot of fun and Im twisting the arm of my old friends to post there pic's everbody is to busy they say. I would like to be there this coming sat at kore. I see to it to make time for it.

bump

hey those pics are great, ok ok they are of me, lol. i love this site thanks for turning me on to it,,,

There are a lot of Pro Class wheels on these bikes...

Ride on brother lets get more old photo's going.

Cool old pics and new pics too.

i joined today bc of this thread. never been on the site before.

GREAT pics. i think it was scott morse but i dont remember for sure. i used to ride with him, keith d, kimbro (?), and a few others. great guys. i was young and they taught me a lot. i got more into racing but really great times. thanks for the pics

Nice work with the photo's from the past, the AUBURN (the one that got away) cool collection. Keeping the dream alive!!

Click to view attachmentcool bikes here's one of my motomag supergoose

Just a GREAT thread!

HEY BOB PUT SOME PICS OF THE BIKE WITH THE ONE SIDED FORK

Bob, not sure if you remember me but I to was on the team with you. Chris Bewsey, I can remember taking some pretty good slams off the side of the U of death myself. Great photo's, I was searching the net to see if I could locate any old photos as I have none from the good old days. Have not been able to locate any of me skate boarding yet but glad to see there is something out there of the team.........

hello i was wondering if you had any more old pics of scot morse..if you do, i would like to see them that would be awsome.