rslfmxpaul

Name:

Paul Stapula

Age:

Years Riding:

Living:

What got you started?
When I was about 13, I saw a Redline MX-II
chained to a tree in Sterling State park, near
Monroe, Michigan. We were poor, and I
remember that white frame and the all aluminum
Suntour stem, in red. I had never seen such
beauty! I had to find out where such a machine
came from, so I started looking in magazines.
From there, I was HOOKED.

What inspires you to ride?
Mostly, it's a personal quest to see if I can
continue to progress at my age. I stopped
competing against the young guys a little over
three years ago, with a respectable sixth place
finish. I knew I couldn't keep up or catch up to
the rate of progression that was out there.
Riding has always been about proving
something, but now it's about the love of riding
my bike and impressing myself.

How did you find out about Vintagebmx?
A buddy of mine saw all the old frames hanging in the garage, and said I should sell them
on E Bay. I'd had them for so long, that I agreed. In one of the other "old school" BMX
listings, someone was cool enough to put "Visit www.vintagebmx.com" in their listing. I
was already a big message board fan, so when I found that site, I was in love.

Your Favorite Topic?
The favorite topic is the Readers Spotlight!
LOL, I'm just kidding... I can't say that there
is one distinct favorite topic, but the thing
that is a favorite, is the "feel" of the site. It's
helpful on buying and selling, a great
source of information and inspiration.
That's really cool.

What was your first trick?
I guess the first trick I pulled would be the
foot jamb endo. I didn't have front brakes
on the old Roger Decoster we bought at a
garage sale. Those Ashtabula forks really
hurt!

What is your hardest trick?
Hardest trick for me, was probably a
540 tire tap, on the coping of a vert
ramp. It just kept me scared for years.
I'd fall in on top of my bike, miss the
coping with my back tire, sometimes
lean too far back and fall backwards
into the ramp! I still screw those up. I
pull one out of 5.

What is your best memory?
The best memory would have to be the entire high school era. All the popular kids
used to laugh at us out in front of the movie theater, on weekends. The burnouts and
the jocks would poke fun and call us the "Road Toads"! It never bothered us, we kind
of liked it. Plus, all the while, we dated their girlfriends!

What is your worst memory?
Worst memory would DEFINITELY be
when my Race Inc. RA-10 was stolen
out of the back of the local bike shop.
Some kids I never rode with came and
picked me up one day, and kept me
busy inside, while another one stole it
right out of the back door! My mom
saved up for months to buy me that
bike.....

Have you learned a new trick?
Yes, and the trick that I could never
do, or would never TRY, was the back
flip. Their was no such thing as foam
pits back then. So, a few weeks before
I turned 35, I started practicing into the
foam. On the night of my 35th birthday,
my present to myself, was actually
going for it, on a real jump box. It
worked out just fine, and now I have
them down. It really makes me happy.

What kind of bike do you ride now?
I run a 2004 Macneil Freimuth. I love
Jay Miron, and Dave Freimuth. They both
are incredible talents, and they build one
heck of a frame.

Comments:
Well, if you made it this far in the reading
of this spotlight, I thank you. It feels good
to me, to have been voted in. If you ever
find yourself in Cleveland, Akron or
Columbus Ohio, look me up, and I'll be
happy to show ya 'round!
You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.......

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