1977 Roger DeCoster
1977 Roger DeCoster
Before you interupt your spouse to show off this web page, excitedly recalling the virtues of your first BMX bike, you should be warned: Your 50th birthday is coming up. Unless you give them other ideas you may end up with a restored kids’ bike from 1977 as a birthday gift.
This is a Roger DeCoster BMX bike, and while it may not be at the top of your wish list today, you really couldn’t have had a better birthday gift as ten-year-old in 1977.
Roger DeCoster bikes were produced from 1976 to 1983 and were sold as frame kits mostly at Schwinn bicycle shops across the country. Manufactured by BMX Products, Inc., they were very similar to the Mongoose Motomag. The bike kits came in long or short frame versions made of 4130 chromoly. There were different color versions in nickel, Red, Blue, and Yellow. Bikes like this one with the short frame were only available in the nickel finish. The only real difference between the Mongoose and the DeCoster frame is the oval (instead of round) cutout in the front head tube gusset.
Head tube gusset
Aluminum motomags
V bars
Who was Roger DeCoster? There had to be a pretty good reason to name this wicked BMX model after the guy. Roger was pretty famous in the late ’70’s. He was one of the best racers in motocross, winning five 500cc Motocross World Championships and many other national championships. His racing career was successful enough to warrant an induction into the Motorcycle Hall of fame in 1999.
Extra-strength bolts
Troxel quilted saddle
Original flat steel fork
Our restored bike has some pretty rad parts. Obvious highlights include the aluminum Motomag wheels, Union rat trap pedals, the “V” handlebar, the Carlisle motocross tires, the fluted aluminum seatpost and the Troxel quilted saddle. The bike would have originally come with a flat-bladed fork (see photo), but this has been replaced on our bike with a tubular steel Schwinn fork.
Curtis and his bike
Making adjustments
One kid who had a pretty good birthday was a young Curtis Stege. This was originally his bike, purchased from Garland Cycle in Spokane, Washington. If you ever doubted how much a shiny new bike means to a young kid, take a look at the photos that Curtis’ father Gerald shared with us. Curtis looked pretty stoked posing with his new ride…