Re-built 1998 Redline RL340 BMX with an old school edge

Black on chrome 1998 Redline RL 340 BMX refound in Tamworth, NSW, Australia – May 2014.

I purchased this tired 1998 mid-school Redline RL 340 BMX from an ex NSW State BMX champion. I wasn’t sure whether he actually raced this BMX, but from the condition the bike was in he rode it like he in his last race that’s for sure. The decals had been redrawn with black marker and red nail polish, which took some scrubbing to remove.

The chrome race Redline handlebars were unfortunately rusted through with holes showing down by the clamp, they were replaced with a set of mid-school bars that looked the part. When I bought the BMX it came with an odd set of wheels, the front was Redline but the back was Mongoose. I replaced the rims with a set of Alex 20″ rims laced to high flange Redline hubs, to keep to the old school race theme I put on Tioga Power Block 20×1.75 rubber front and back.

The smaller Redline cranks were replaced with super up-sized Redline 180mm Big Block Cranks and chain wheel with the distinctive triangle pattern on the crank arms. A matching quilted diamond pattern Odyssey Josh Aitken seat finishes the old school BMX look. To refurbish the original Redline RL stamped head stem and seat post clamp, I gave them a thorough clean and a quick spray with satin black paint. The rusted Redline RL stamped seat post was bathed in CLR and had the rust removed and then polished with metal polish.

The rear V-Brake bosses had already been removed by the previous owner, so I added a set of hand polished alloy Lee Chi side pull brakes. New grips and brake levers were installed to finish off. The entire bike has been updated with a new custom designed and hand cut black decal set.

There were a number of things I tried for the first time on this build, and learnt a fair bit about. Polishing is way more time consuming than it first seems. To get a better finish I should have sanded back the side pull brakes even further and polished with finishing polish for a perfect mirror shine. Like I said, time is the killer.

I really like how the Black decal set turned out. They were completely re-designed, printed and cut by hand. On my next few builds I’ll be creating more custom decals using gold chrome tape. I’ll let you know how I get on.

For a list of blog posts that include other reproduction decals go to BMX Decals Design. For more information on all BMX decals go to re-rides.com.

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