[...] Rockville 1984 Last night I noticed a sticker on the side of my toolbox (which I’ve had since the ’80s)… Rockville BMX. If you rode BMX in the 80s, Rockville was THE bike/mailorder shop, and its catalog was your bible. Twice a year I’d await the latest Rockville catalog to arrive in the mail, much as I would the latest Freestylin’ or BMX Action Magazine…- More at JaredSouney.com [...]

Rockville was a mecca for my friends and I. They were also my first sponsor. Had it not been for Rockville I would not have ever been exposed to the national (and international) BMX scene and who knows what path my life may have taken.
Spike built my first set of custom wheels (White ACS Z-Rims drilled for 48 spokes, twist laced with a Freecoaster! Sweet!).
The shows there were legend. A few thousand kids would show up for a parking lot demo.
In 1988 with a sponsorship from Rockville my dad and I brought the King of Vert to DC and we sold out the Washington DC convention center. I don’t know if that was possible in any other city at the time. The scene was beyond epic.
Thanks for reminding me of some great memories.

Hi! Indeed, tons of memories from Rockville BMX!! Do you have any idea what happened to Jay Metzler, the owner? Last time I saw him was around 1990 or so when he came over to catch up. If I remember correctly, he was in the Chigago area, but I can’t be sure. I’d love to catch up with him sometime.

For the past 18 yrs. Jay Metzler has run Metzler/Hull Development in Chicago, building high end single family homes. He speaks fondly of everybody involved with Rockville BMX, and is considering opening another shop.

Growing up in NOVA during the 80′s we lived for trips to Rockville BMX! The kids from our side of the beltway would have our Dads drive us up about 2 times per year so we could blow all the money we made mowing lawns on parts for our bikes. It was an honor to have my #9 Haro plate tattered with a few Rockville BMX stickers! Ahh the good old days.

Not to be out done by the Dawson brothers. I am one part of the infamous Harris brothers from Seat Pleasant, MD. We used to love to go up to Rockville BMX to get bike parts, stickers, you name it, Rockville BMX was the place to be during the 80′s. Man the guys up there were the best (Jay,Wild Bill,Scooby,Nubbie,Spike,Tinker). The Dawson brother’s taught my brother and I the ropes up along with Tucker, Tink, Brice, there on that dusty sand fill track in Rockville. As fate would have it I’m working right around the corner from where the Rockville Track used to be even as a type this blurb. I’m a network engineer for a Gubernment Agency right here on seven locks rd. Rob Dawson dude hit me up. How’s your brother and mom. During those days it wasn’t alot of African American riders, but the cats that rode, did it up with the best of them. I could go on for hours talking about riders like the Dawson’s, the Harris’s, Tink, Tucker, Rainer Matthews, lil Danny, lil Boo from DC. Also the man that made the RIPP racing plate. And of course we can’t forget Mr. Rucker and his national team that was from PG county Murland (Maryland for those who don’t know the area –“Represent Cuz” ) Rucker had the best riders that could wreck and dust the glamour boys from the big factory teams that rode for GT, Robinson, Hutch, CW, Mongoose and the like. In closing my brother Shellie Harris has a message for Rob Dawson. Rob thank your mom for that great BBQ she made that one time for us at your cookout. Hit me up on o_harris@yahoo.com

Ahull is Andy Hull from Metzler Hull Development. Monika, is that really you??? To all else who wrote, awesome! My oh my how time has flown. Reading some of the comments takes me right back to working behind the counter with Spike, truing wheels with Wild Bill or trying to get my sister, Root Girl, Genung Genung and my dad to stop taking so many coffee breaks. I am hard pressed to come up with a time in my life that was more fun. Of course, thanks to everyone who ever came to the shop to just goof around or to buy some stuff. I will always remember that it was us who fed off your energy and loved those freestyle shows and busy Saturdays when we were flat out. I probably could go on and on about all of our days at Rockville BMX and as time permits I perhaps will continue to walk down that road. Hi to Scoob, Nubular T Johnson, Wild Bill, Tinker Bell, Anthony, Crazy Leni, Big Fat Dave, Nick, Hadji, Lynn ( the wizard behind the catalogs ), Heffalump and of course Spoke, Spike, Mr. Jones or whatever else we happened to call that little dude who was the grease that made the shop roll.

To those who wrote and especially to Jared, thanks for taking me back . . . . . I keep some stickers hanging around my work space to this day.

Feel free to write me at jaym@metzlerhull.com

Jay

Rockville was sick… I lived about an hour away but my parents would take myself and a couple friends down for every show each summer. There would be sick flatland jams before and after the shows and at least a couple times the Plywood Hoods would make it down, the parking lot was huge and slanted downhill for endless rolling links… the memories were great, it brought together so many people from different walks of life all unified through bmx/freestyle, it’s too bad it the shop didn’t live on… amazing times…

Will someone please re-print some Rockville BMX stickers and sell me a stack? I still remember buying my first pair of vans at Rockville BMX. Man, I wish more places like this existed today…

Bought my second freestyle bike from Rockville BMX in 1986: A Dyno Pro Compe in blue. Ordered it over the phone. They threw in Dyno pads at no charge. Rockville was the shizznit.

Quite a blast from the past. I was on the Rockville BMX racing team back in the day. Anyone remember Mr. Milburn? I believe he ran the track back in the late 70s / early 80s.

Great trip down memory lane!! Anybody remember shawn Sharkey?

My family owned a bike shop in the 80′s and myself and a few friends were the only stylers around. I went to Rockville BMX a few times in the mid 80′s. Man, I wish that place was still around. I remember seeing a show there in the summer of 1985. I miss those days.

I grew up about fifteen minutes from Rockville BMX and spent an insane amount of time there in my youth… Jay, Scoob, Nub, Spike, and those guys were so ahead of there time. I have great memories of the days when Jay and the guys were sitting around in lawn chairs chillin’ listening to WHFS. The shows across the street were unreal and rivaled any major rock show I’ve seen to this day! Really glad to here Jay is well. Sounds like we all share the same great memories..