If you thought this was beautiful, wait to you feast your eyes on the best commercial in the entire world, ever. Yeah, that’s right, the results are in, and this commercial for the skate bike has won hands down. Check it out after the jump, with a bonus advert for the product as printed in a couple of 1984 issues of Thrasher. While you were out… Thrasher has brought the complete back issues online up to 1985. I wish they would go back to the old method of making it a single pdf download. For one thing, the image size was bigger and even the tiny print was legible. I guess they get more page views that way.
– Thanks to Matt Beasley and Ben for the tips.
It’s a mystery akin to Stonehenge. Where did this commercial come from, and when was it made? What primitive cultures used it for religious purposes? How did they get away with using the Pepsi logo and a Micheal Jackson impersonator? Why is the policeman’s face painted black, and lastly WTF??????
26 comments
Rich Helms
Sarah
I just read your post again. Do you mean the skateboard wheel setup on the front? Again click on my website and send me details on the bike.
Sarah
Rich, where would I buy new front wheels for ours? My daughter is an excellent unicyclist. We found a skatebike at the thrift store and thought it would be a lot of fun to ride but the front wheels are broke. No one around us has any idea what I am talking about much less where to get parts from. Thanks!
Rich Helms
Sarah
You are welcome to contact me via my website on skatebokes. Just click on my name to go there. The answer depends on what kind of skatebike you have. They have different sizes. If it is a Minson like mine it is easy. The Minson wheel freewheels not like a unicycle.
Rich Helms
I have been restoring my Minson skatebike. I bought it in 1986 when I lived in the city. Then I moved to the country and it sat and rusted in my barn. It has been a challenge to restore as the parts are old school bike and skateboard. This fall I will sandblast the frame and repaint but you can see my progress at http://richhelms.net/richhelms/category/skatebike/
I replaced the wheel with a coaster brake one so you can brake by hand or foot. I would love to get a Max to restore.
dhickey
red all parts orig. needs cleaned and lubed
MC
Did you use it to get to class at UNLV?
dhickey
i have one where is the bidding at?
tim barr
where can i get 1
Paulbyus
Facebook byus_p@yahoo.com
Paulbyus
I have 2 of these there in good condition
stephen123432
where can i buy one?
Paulbyus
Hit me up 4 1
Talentlessquitter
Yes!The one tv commercial from the late ’80’s I probably remember best.In that period we finally got some new and abroad channels on cable tv in the Netherlands.Also Superchannel,where this YT vid is from.Ridiculous ‘bike’ that skaters couldn’t take seriously.Tried one for a few yards though,(there was that one kid in school…).I fell on my back.
Notice the three(!) goofy footed cops who disappear in the next shots.Hired freestylers who dare not confess now?Haven’t heard about the ollie yet…Music from Swiss electro group Yello.
sane
Its like a unicycle with training wheels!
no
no nothing like a unicycle with trianing wheels
Prickly Pete
Something very Maplethorpey about that little white boy with what looks like a black, leathery hard-on. Glad I’m not viewing this on a work computer. $99.95 for one of these!
Brad K.
If you make it until the very end of the video you can see where Spike Jonze stole his idea for the Fully Flared intro. Except I heard he couldn’t get enough Max Skate Bikes
JM
I rode one of these circa mid 80’s in Florida someone next to my grandparents owned it. It was very difficult just to ride down the street & turn a corner on the street. I think it took me 1 week to be able to ride down the street hit some corners, & brake without eating asphault. Big let down compared to my skateboard but a good waste of time. I got a photo somewhere lol.. I think i remember a commercial on MTV for these in late 80’s also..
Adirec Torytski
I have to say I have never ever seen a Skate-Bike before, to think you have to brake by squeezing your crotch, or was that it just looked like that was what you were doing???
Can you still get them? Are they still $99 plus 5% Florida State Tax!!! Perhaps the one you have Rygar in your mothers garage should come out of hiding!!
Squeeze your crutch braking may just come back into fashion…… umhhh
skaterhusseindave
Grover might remember seeing these demoed at intermission of a WSA contest in Michigan in ’89…Reese Simpson talked one of their “pros” into letting him take a turn, and promptly made a mockery of the whole affair, effectively ending the demo
Eduardo Yndyo
eaii friend! Tb
I mixed the matter skate and bike and tb on the Brazilian police which are round to skate in a skatepark Brazil. Look ab
RyGar
One of my neighbors had these when we were kids. It ended up abandoned at my place. It was damn-near impossible to ride. Plus, the brake being under the seat made it look like you were squeezing your crotch suggestively at passer-bys. It’s probably still in my mom’s garage somewhere.
Tater
If you still have it, I would gladly make an offer on it. I used to have one of these. I rode it all over MTSU college campus. I loved it and got pretty good on it. I got so many looks, stares and cooments. People would stop me and talk to me all the time, especially when I rode it with my 12 foot python around my neck…
jer
you know how i know you’re gay?
you ride a skate bike.
nice little MJ tribute in there too.
conahan
The policeman’s high tech Max-skatebike detector explodes sooting his face.
They really should have offered a flesh-toned seat.
cant stop deez nutz
wait. that ad was printed in Thrasher? i bet that went over well.