What happened to Diamondback BMX?

[@MossieRidesBikes]

Thank you all for the recommendation! Who here owned a diamond back? My first "nice" BMX was a Joker and I loved that thing

[@NWDestroy]

viper was my first. All chrome good stuff

[@biker944]

Diamondback is cool

[@mikedalton9481]

I had one of the first Centurion Diamond Backs in 1978. WSI co sponsored the bike shop team Flying Dutchman Bike Shop in Newbury Park Ca. Right after that Jag came in and we went with them. That was right before Wheels and Things took it to the next level of marketing. And they had great talent with Eddy King and the Hudson Bros.

[@gomezgomez6299]

Still have ( now mine ) my brothers 79 VM serial number Pro …and a 83 Formula One 😎

[@biker944]

@@MossieRidesBikes yes

[@lovejago]

In 1975-85 i had a Mongoose/Redline/a Diamondback.....Loved them all ..

[@givennorton]

PK Rippers

[@shawkes6775]

Never owned one but, the Diamond Back Silver Streak was the bicycle that started it all for me in the early 80’s. So dang cool.

[@ricardocarmona5210]

I had a white Western Flyer. The good old days. 🤘

[@mysteriousoklahoma777]

I used to have one with Miller pads and the fox race plate

[@SOLDOZER]

RIP Harry Leary.

[@GratzRides]

RIP, Harry.

[@AtZero138]

Cheers from Westminster CA 🇺🇸..

[@noelbrown6771]

RIP Harry West Covina Spartans

[@monkist]

Thanks for doing this! DB was my first “serious” bike and even decades later I am still enthralled by them. Long live Diamond Back!🤘🐍

[@ShaunHensley]

I always thought DB picked up where Mongoose left off.

[@rolex3560]

How about covering BMX Action magazine? Remember Mike Buff and RL Osborne? I'm 55 and stated racing BMX in 1979 in San Diego, CA. I remember Wheels n' Things. I raced for a bike shop in Pacific Beach named The Bikesmith and it is still open. In the very early 1980s, there was also a bike shop in Bonita, CA that used to host freestyle shows by the Haro Team, including Bob Haro. Buying a Haro number plate was super cool. I noticed in the comments below that Harry Leary passed away. Wow. He's not that much older than me? I was friendly with a lot of guys on the Diamond Back team. I used to hang out with, and race against, Mike King, brother of Eddy King. Doug Davis has the same birthdate as me and I hated racing against him. Great memories.

[@palaverbmx8424]

Got a Diamondback “Assault” for Christmas when I was 10. A core memory that I will never forget. Love learning the history of some of these brands.

[@PrussianBijoux]

This video was excellent. All of those clips of old races with downhill sections, off cambers, puddles, and elbowing really made this video light up. I like the gnar! SUBSCRIBED!

[@chicagomodzz]

I had a Dyno in the early 90's. Loved that bike..

[@JHillNC]

Rest In Peace Harry Leary. He just passed away recently.

[@AL4140]

This is awesome. I’ve been loving all this info. I was a kid in the 80’s and it’s bringing back so many memories. I hope you keep going on all the companies especially in the 90’s where it was mainly rider owned and up into the 200O’s. Lots of great info on those companies.

[@jcgarcia1931]

DB Silverstreak was my 1st bike shop bike and I started racing with.

[@richardroberts4355]

My first good bike..1981 better than anything I'd seen in my town by far. Got it in Birmingham, Al.

[@RyanLee-hh7sw]

Daimond back was pretty popular here in Australia but also haro redline mongoose and gt, probably a few i cant remember were also, the bmx glory days lasted a bit longer. We had a lot of bike shops here with all current imports from the USA and every kid at least had 1 bike in their childhood in the 80s 90s. Bmx was huge in Australia along side skateboarding and surfing.

[@jeffalbillar7625]

I remember all of those bikes that you mentioned. I also remember the powerlite and Royce Union. I remember some kid showing me a picture of a bike called the Quadangle, but they never really picked up steam. Anyway thanks for the comment. Took me back. ✌️🤘👍 Good morning and greetings from Orange County, CA.

[@nunyabusiness4510]

I grew up in the 70's-90's, raced BMX at Cardiff and Argenton BMX tracks in NSW Australia. It was the golden time for BMX- there's not many bikes I haven't owned. My race bike was an O.G. 81 P.K. Ripper Looptail. I still have 2 sheds full of BMXs and MTBs. A heap of Restos and daily rides and I just branched into Ebike conversions. EXCELLENT MATERIAL AND RESEARCH IN ALL YOUR VIDEOS. You're so lucky growing up around some of the Greatest BMX riders ever. Keep up the great work mate. Cheers From Australia. 🍻🤙

[@kingkong81icloud]

I had that chrome diamond back bmx in mid 90s , got it out of someone’s shed , was a 80s racing BMX

[@derekhobbs1102]

Diamond Back is just department store brand now in Australia.

[@wetrucken1689]

Same in the US now😂

[@joewhite4970]

That was the first Mountain Bike I purchased as a young teen. That paint job sold me soon as I saw it shining in the window of the bike shop I rode by every day.

[@TimSchmidt_art]

I worked at WSI for about 15 years....from the Weiner / Bobrick days...to late 90's. This was a good trip down memory lane.

[@diviningrod2671]

Where exactly was the warehouse in canoga park Do you know Perry Kramer Did they move to new berry park ? Did you work there Had an ex that worked there And through an excoworker, I was able to get a vintage PK Ripper singed by Perry I'll laugh my ass off if you're the guy lol Her initials are B.S. ( lol I never thought of them before ) And she was quite endowed in a particular department . Besides being a smokeshow

[@fvdeddrift]

I had a mid 80's Hot Streak on Skyway's that again... Probably gave away for next to nothing way back when. Lol! My parents bought me a Viper in like 94 or 95 after we got rear ended and my race titted Redline got hosed. But I kept that Viper around and it got beat sauced! Hard! It held up nearly as well as that Hot Streak! I can dig DB! Not my favorite, but not to be slept on either! Sweet Action Mossie! Thanks for takin us along!

[@gc4408]

In 1988 I had a “diamondback viper” ……. Even if I found that bike now I probably can’t afford it…… luved it! It was a bmx style

[@chrisgobeil4751]

I had a '81 Silver Streak, was a great bike, custom built, started as a FF set. Eventually got a Skyway TA, another custom build FF set up.

[@daviddudeskie6940]

My bike when I was a kid was a pile of old bike parts behind my house. I knew kids that had diamondbacks. My favorite bike back then was the Skyway TA. It is still my favorite BMX.

[@davidpalk5010]

During the glory years, 79-83, the DB bikes were made in Japan. I had a Large Pro new in 1980 - my first BMX bike! Frames, forks and bars were made by Koizumi, with custom DB branded components from the best Japanese parts makers - Sugino, Kashimax, OGK, IRC, MKS, etc. Complete bicycles were produced in Japan and shipped to the US. Many of the components were made available as aftermarket items, with the specific DB custom features meaning that Centurion could distribute them when there were existing distributors for the non-DB branded versions of these parts. This was a clever move by Centurion! Taiwanse production came after an economic deal between the Japanese and US govts (the Plaza Accord) which devalued the dollar against the yen. From then on Japanese production was too expensive and the entire US bicycle industry went to Taiwan for production. Taiwanese production began in '83 with the lower priced models. By late '84 all DB production had moved to Taiwan.

[@jeffalbillar7625]

Thx for the comment.

[@allaboutroofing2]

I had no idea now expensive these bikes were. Us middle class kids had it pretty good and had no idea.

[@BrettG64]

I'm a 60 year old American, but am firmly in the BMX Bandits camp... sorry Rad folks. And another great video. I came into BMX hard in the late '70s and watched a lot of these brands come up. Cripes... I remember when Harry Leary was on JMC.

[@davidcooper4385]

I was on JMC factory team , Harry I met at 11 years old before JMC team was formed in 1975.Harry was a badass to say the least, determined to win forward and beyond HARRY R . I. P😂

[@tommanning7337]

Very cool man, keep’em coming , love the bmx stuff

[@pittsky]

I had a Diamondback and a Kuwahara back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Loved hose bikes.

[@corvettefever360]

Loved them in the 80s & 90s!!! They were badass! Even diamonds in the forks . Then the GT Performer blew up, good bikes but still preferred my diamond back

[@clockout5265]

I had a Diamondback Senior Pro. Loved it.

[@vibepusher2717]

When I was a kid, I rode a Mongoose. When I first heard about Diamond Back, I thought it was a crappy name because I had learned from the short story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" that mongooses ate snakes.

[@niteshades_promise]

i loved that movie as a kid. haven't saw that in years. 😂 🍻

[@Santaheckler]

Saved money on my paper route for almost a year to buy my DB Viper…was $200 in the early 80’s. 😮

[@TheCryptonaught]

Australian bloke here.. mid 90's probably 96 I got a grey diamond back BMX. Rode it hard till I snapped the frame 😑 probably my fave bike from my youth.. better than my torqer with blue rims (velocity? They were a narrow V shape) I had after that, oh and no brakes of course

[@1COMIXMAN]

Had one in 85, I also had a predator the adversary of the diamondback I got in 1982. Had neon orange skyway rims seat and grips. Had a blue chrome redline gooseneck and three piece blue steel sprocket.the peddles were black with orange neon accents. I kept that bike so clean and scratch free. Was my pride and joy.

[@gushemingway]

Mossie, you forgot to mention the now Hollywood star actress, Nicole Kidman got her start in BMX Bandits!

[@theINQBS]

Crazy enough his clip shows her in all her Red Afro and Freckle Face Glory! LOL

[@bikeyclown4669]

Thanks for the history of this brand and WSI as a company. I worked in a shop during the 80's that sold WSI bicycles, and I used to hear that acronym spoken regularly. I owned several Centurion road bikes and one diamondback mountain bike. I can't say I was a fan. The frames on all, but one of my WSI bicycles broke, and I heard that was common with their BMX frames, if you actually used them to race or for freestyle. Despite my dim view of the company's products, I enjoyed hearing the company's history. It brought back memories of a mostly good time in my life.

[@irvingtorres5316]

Growing up my first bike was gt performer then had a mongoose,redline,haro, then a diamond back chrome frame and form with gt handle bars,neck small race seat,bear brakes,48 spoke perigrine rims and street dirt tires

[@uncleronny6748]

Nice job on this video. Didn't know most of that about DB. Still have an '82 SilverStreak which I think of highly for a 'bike company' frame.

[@Dunwolfsean]

I was envious of friends that were able to afford or get sponsorships to ride all of the rad bikes of the late 70s early 80s...my ride was a 79/80 Raleigh Rampar R-10 ❤ thing was a tank! Still have it 😊

[@martywilkinson6722]

Still have my MD signature Hot Streak. Thanks for the excellent video!

[@Vintech64]

I owned a Diamond Back for about two weeks before it was stolen...

[@christopherg465]

Cool video. I had a diamond back. But my ride was a GT performer.

[@kevinpritchard5765]

Had a Dimond back bike in early 90's my favorite bike. Had haro and gt dyno preformer, but the Dimond back was my favorite!

[@robbypeppers7209]

Had a Harry Leary turbo. Loved that bike

[@WilliamBonney-gl2qf]

Robby,you still have it? Those things are rare

[@calvindenzmorejr3088]

Yes you have to cover Matt Hoffman pro BMX video game. It had flatland in it. Day Smith in it too.

[@SOLDOZER]

Around 1983 my brother got a Diamond Back Silver Streak. I think it lasted a week before it was stolen. Around 1996 I bought a Diamond Back Harry Leary Turbo. I held on to it till about 4 years ago and sold it.

[@jacksondaniels8169]

Dude, Diamondback was an epic bike brand in the 80's. No doubt, I also owned a 1990 Diamondback mtb.🤘

[@SAVikingSA]

I had a couple of Diamondbacks in the 90's and they were great bikes. To me, they were the upscale of readily available bikes, you had Huffy at the bottom, then GT, then Diamondback. You wanted a better bike than a Diamondback you had to go to a specialized bike store or order it through the mail.

[@Boogenhagen100]

upgraded from a Huffy ThunderRoad to a Diamond Back II, best day in history up to that point, THX DAD. worst day in history- giving my prized DB II to my cousin who promptly left it outside a 7/11 and it was ripped off in no time.

[@BobbySchaffer]

Harry Leary’s bike ran front brake , it was common to see Diamond Back with front brakes in early 80s

[@MajorDeliveries]

My friends, two brothers had mint diamond backs BMX bikes Christmas presents in the early 80's got stolen off their front porch

[@jawaraoconnor]

I'm always super excited ever freaking time you come up with another bike history video. I feel like I'm learning about how my heros were created. Bikes were everything....thanks so much. How about Huffy bikes and Murray bikes? ...I've these videos....Awesome stories.

[@michaelohara6614]

I had a pos Team Murray. The new kid moved into the neighborhood with a Diamondback II Silver Streak. I was blown away with how light and strong it was. Geared correctly. Fast. 4130 Chromoly. Entry level yet better.

[@tonymillet]

I'd love to hear about some of the BMX publications like BMX Action or BMX Plus. What about some of the BMX mail order companies like Nighthawk BMX? Or some of the parts manufacturers like Tioga, ACS, Araya, etc? Great vids! 👍🏽

[@FTW1374]

My first bike was a Diamond Back Silver Streak…it got stolen and ill never get over that feeling 😢

[@tommyodeed6928]

Your a bmx saint fir giving us all this information

[@bbarber6845]

Loved BMX Bandits, so cheesy but in that perfect way

[@johndavid3598]

My favorite bike was a Diamondback. I've had some nice bikes but nothing was as good to me as my Diamondback.

[@michaelthorne1347]

DB in mid to late 80s Australia had a very good reputation as a high quality brand.

[@TheAndyUK]

I grew up in Bay Area Cali with BMX for me from mid 70s to mid 80s and these vids bring back great memories!(from getting old stingrays welded up to strengthen them for the punishment to later on owning SE/Redline/GJS/Cook Bros etc..) You mentioned doing a GJS vid in one of your other vids. Please do! 👍

[@christophermcmahon4407]

Had pink diamond back with white dice loved it

[@shredct3118]

You should interview Luke Fink from Australia ! That dude is a champion in bmx and Drifting. 👍

[@markosmarkos7978]

Never had a Diamond back. Had Mongoose, PK Ripper, DG, but my main race bike was Redline MX2.

[@howardeakin3372]

Diamondback was huge in the 80’s along with redline Harry Larry was their pro rider that kicked ass back then

[@ZPMBTV]

We used to Finesse these from a few towns over. Bike Rings were a thing back then.

[@hunterbidenscrackdealer3753]

What a MCS bicycles and the Magnum 37? I have a survivor that was raced and lived on all thru the 80’s! Would love to restore it !

[@ainzy23]

I had a Diamondback Assault. It was my all time favorite bike

[@gzdseh]

Leary Turbo looked great and was full cromo unlike the Silver Streak, although I only found this out recently. Most kids thought it was full cromo. Both were amazing looking bikes.

[@WilliamBonney-gl2qf]

Silver Streak used Cro-Mo for their main tubes? The HL Turbo was a sick bike!

[@gzdseh]

@WilliamBonney-gl2qf yep, front triangle was cromo, with the rear stays and dropouts being mild steel from what I read.

[@jameshatton4211]

California Games 2 on IBM DOS with BMX was knurly dude 😎

[@kevinherzog1343]

Looking at my old DB as we speak actually had it stolen twice managed to get it back love the thing

[@spyvsargent9698]

Hey anyone who grew up in the southeast of Melbourne, around the area of Chelsea to Frankston around 1983 to 84+, remember a kid called Damian Verkade AKA Dunny Man🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣.He was supposed to jump off Olivers Hill into Port Phillip Bay on his Diamondback I heard he was supposed to be sponsored by DB, I remembered hearing the jump didn't work out well. ,The jump messed him up bad, the rumors i heard back in the 80s

[@Debaser2421]

Urban myth mate he hit a shopping trolley that was under the water and broke his back. That's the story.

[@simosdiygarage5063]

Thanks Mossie, I still have my 1988 DB Striker from new.

[@IsaacRC]

Ough probably the bike I have most ridden was a 90's "freebike" Diamondback, it survived the city for years, I turned it into a "gravel" fat tire bike before gravel even existed, at the end ransack the parts (all new at that point) and left the hammered frame in the street like a gnawed bone.

[@ericsimpson84]

I owned a good half dozen diamondbacks back in the day. A joker, two Mr. Luckys, and a few vipers.

[@philmcgroin]

Diamond Back Venom was my first new BMX, must be early to mid 90s. There was a bit of a resurgence in BMX at that time, looking back now those DB completes, Ruption, some others seemed to be more like jumping on the bandwagon. DB had more history to lean on in their adverts.

[@gookazade1]

My first proper bmx was a 95-96 reactor pro. I still have the frame on my wall.

[@DavidCross-r7w]

@MossieRidesBikes great video, it would be great to see you do a video on the BMX company Thruster, they were from New Jersey, made frame and forks like the Tri-Power, Vanishing Point and had a Timmy Judge model.

[@robbchastain3036]

These are all pretty much perfect in length and content, just do your thing, man, we'll watch like it's Penelope Pitstop on a Saturday morning and I enjoyed that cartoon in '70 or so, my cartoon-watching heyday, good times. And if you do bike media campaigns and such, you have to show everyone a bunch of the Schwinn ads in Boys' Life magazine. It had large pages like Life and Look magazines and the kid on a Schwinn Krate lining up against a dragster on a dragstrip, c'mon now, that's what we were all doing on our bikes. 🤣

[@bugiarman8324]

I still kept the DB formula1 since 84, include the racing jersey , hope my grandson will keep it forever

[@djskum]

DB started in the early 70's, the motomag a rim developed by DB came around the mid 70's The bikes in the vid are skyway tough wheels. Skyway made the first freewheel mag rim along with front sprockets.

[@miamartinez2911]

Can you do a Haro, Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist? Growing up in the 90s, all I wanted was a Haro because of them.

[@MossieRidesBikes]

I've done one on Bob Haro but I've also got mirra and Nyquist on the list!

[@davidsharp3110]

Hey Cam, I have a question! Why do most bikes have the chain ring and cassette on the right side of the bike and then sometimes on the left side? Is it a personal preference? You seem like the perfect person to ask. Thank you, Dave.

[@skipdog9912]

Had a diamond back as a kid. Me and my brother both had one. They both got stolen at Malibu Grand Prix while our friends two mongoose bikes were left behind. I think i sold it for $70 bucks. I think they pull $3,500-5,000k now. 80s bmx.

[@AdamSander-b3b]

That pad on the bar under the seat saved my life one day. 🥜 Homemade ramp…

[@chapsteronetime2000]

Had many Dbacks in the 80’s and 90’s! Good bikes for sure, had a few mongoose and Kuahara also!! Good times to grow up till the paper route kid started jacking all our bikes in the lawn

[@randalluthe4792]

Back in the day, Diamond Back bikes we really solid. I had a Diamond Back MB around 2008-2010. By then, they were ok, but nowhere near what they used to be. They had already pretty much moved into box store territory, MAYBE slightly better. They definitely weren't seen as local bike shop, hard core manufacturer material anymore. Today is similar. They are kinda in between local bike shop and box store bikes. They aren't bad, but they will never quite have their status in BMX and MB they once had.

[@Sunspot-19]

Frankly, One would have had to lived the scene during the era. And, the same happened to nearly every brand over the years. They were sold to conglomerate investment firms and lost their luster.

[@tucoblondy1643]

My dad still has his Raleigh pro with Campagnolo parts.

[@ridingincircles]

Worked there for 10 years through a bunch of the turmoil. Haven't watched this yet...will be interesting to hear what homeboy dug up.

[@madtownangler]

My first MTB was a Diamond Back Traverse rigid bike back in 1992. Within a year I was living out in Colorado up at a ski resort and actually riding a mountain bike in mountains

[@foodstick]

First time I ever ran across a Mt. bike at a shop was in 86 I think? Bought a DB Trail Streak.. lot of fun..ancient technology ! I got a lot of stares riding into the woods back then.

[@madtownangler]

@foodstick I grew up in a small town. As soon as everyone got a driver's license they stopped riding bikes

[@kymerrington6044]

Great vid, here in Australia we pronounce it Rally . Well since I can remember from the 80s we said it like that.🤜🏼🇦🇺❤️🇺🇸🤛🏼

[@rickm3779]

I owned a Mike Dominguez Diamond Back. Best bike I ever owned. Mike’s claim to fame was he landed the first 900 ever… but had no video proof and wasn’t done in front of the public. A few years later I was in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada at a King Of Vert competition… I witnessed and videotaped Matt Hoffman landing the first official 900.

[@DaveH1977]

Surprised you didn’t mention that BMX Bandits starred Nicole Kidman.

[@NWJonathan]

Darren Read !!! Diamond Back Legend ! 🤘🏻🌲🦾

[@PC_TV_73]

The 80s were the best would BMX at least for me. I was born in 73 and in the early 80s I always wanted a good bike but could not afford it then come 1987. I was 14 years old. My parents bought me a Haro FST. Unfortunately, some dirtbags threw me off the bike and installed it, and my parents felt bad so they took me back to the bike shop. All they had at the time was a Haro master (better than the FST) and that was my new favorite bike till today. I actually use a 2017 master that looks just like a 1987 but we had all the cool brands, CW, red line, GT, and even a few less popular ones, but they were all great man I miss that time.

[@ChicoTheMan69]

Hutch was another popular bmx bike, And mags. 😊

[@pavchellacvk2142]

Had a hot streak and a cool streak🤘🏾

[@DavidJones-ig8cl]

I had a db formula One, brilliant bike, it was super fast

[@adamsifford6228]

I would love to see a 70s early 80s dirt BMX bike movie.

[@turboscotty33]

Thanks for all the BMX videos, I had suggested before, anything on Race Inc?

[@neiljohnsen276]

Couldn't afford a Diamondback. Parents got me a Rampar. A little heavy. Tough as a tank!