"It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project."

After opening my presents one Christmas as a child (I think I was around 8) I was lead into the kitchen where there was a shiny new blue BMX waiting for me and it looked glorious. It was the 80's so it came with those foam padded frame pads, which to me at the time were cutting edge. After I had added some spokey dokeys and some Cornelius the rooster-shaped reflectors from the Kelloggs cornflakes it was well on its way to becoming a traffic stopper.

I never really grew out of owning a BMX and although I never chose to aim towards becoming a pro biker, as an adult I went on some pretty awesome (mainly alcohol fuelled) adventures all over the place with friends. Not being a driver at the time, my BMX served as a way of getting me all over, as well as to and from work. Tinkering was always a big thing for me with bikes, I loved to buy a bike, take it apart, pick a colour scheme and completely glam it up, much like my recent scooter customizing.

The boys have really picked up on this and are always so interested In the things that kept me entertained growing up. Taking apart a bike and rebuilding it has always been of real interest to Seth and he loves listening to me talking about the fun I used to have. I love how the boys seem to want to relive my own childhood and I get a huge kick out of introducing them to these things too. At the end of the summer last year, I was putting Seth to bed one evening and we were chatting about this and that as we do every night. We got back onto the BMX conversation and I mentioned that if he could clear his room of all the things he no longer played with, we could make some cash to start our own build for when he grows out of his current BMX.

As excited as he was at that idea, the weather inevitably started to get grim, his own bike seemed to get asked for less and less and then the subject wasn't brought up again until recently. Seth has now started clearing his room of untouched toys and games (which saves me the job) and after selling a couple of games last week I went mooching on eBay and spotted a great looking GT BMX for sale and managed to win it for the starting price as it finished one afternoon midweek.

So our planned summer build has now started early and the boys have been busy helping me to take the bike apart and move the unwanted decals etc. Opeie has been a great help with cleaning the frame and as always is loving being one of the lads...

And Seth has been learning how to use a Rivet extractor to combine different coloured chains. He has also been researching various parts online and has got his eye on a nice set of Skyway mag wheels so is desperately on the hunt for ways to make some money to fund that, which is also great as it is teaching him the value of things and what he needs to do to reach his targets.

 

I think it is really important to have a project or two on the go with your children. This is going to be great for some quality father/son time and I'm really looking forward to that proud look that they will have on their faces when they see what we can achieve together. Watch this space.