Steve Meadows

In the storied history of Australian BMX racing, a history that stretches way back to 1977, there is only one ‘first day’. This is the day when Steve Meadows, an enterprising young engineer, originally hailing from the United States, decided to run a bicycle motocross race in Sydney, Australia. The date was May 22nd, 1977.

Steve, with some friends from the local Eastwood Bike Shop, cleared some overgrown land at the end of Busaco Road, North Ryde with a tractor and built a few dirt jumps and set up a simple start and finish line. Flyers promoting the event were sent out to bike shops and stuck on power poles. About thirty kids turned up. The Eastwood BMX Club was quickly established, and regular race meets were run with ribbons and trophies being awarded to age champions. Thanks to Steve, and his mates, BMX racing in Australia, had begun.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Steve is credited with another ‘first’ in the history of Australian BMX. As an importer of motorcycle accessories, Steve took the opportunity to travel back to California in 1976. It was then that he was introduced to Skip Hess, the founder of BMX Products Incorporated, the company behind the iconic BMX brand, Mongoose. Skip had suggested that Steve have a go at importing some of his products and, in no time at all, Steve’s import company, Competition Developments was shifting more BMX, than motorbike parts; and the BMX revolution in Australia was under way!

But Steve quickly worked out that, with his skills and expertise as an engineer, he could create his own, state of the art racing frames, and by October 1978, the first batch of Quicksilver BMX frames had hit the market. Steve, and his small team, working out of a tin shed, were proud to say they were manufacturing the very first BMX frames made in Australia.

The Quicksilver bicycle, and the brand, were an instant hit. In addition to using top grade 41-30 chrome moly, imported from the US, the brands’ attention to detail, the frame’s quality powder-coated finish in blue, red or chrome, the use of bold graphics and giant ‘Q’ logo rapidly became the bike every kid wanted. The best riders in the country were all riding Quicksilver bikes, including ‘Magic’ Mick Wiltshire, ‘The Professor’ – Alistair Johnson, Glen Cox, Jamie Hales, and Wayne McIntosh.

The legendary Quicksilver Grand Nationals, held at Ryde Eastwood and then Metro-West between 1980 and 1982 were some of the biggest race meetings on the fledgling Australian racing calendar, drawing riders from across the nation to race for trophies, pro money, and the glory.

Into the mid 80’s Steve Meadows continued to push the limits of frame design and innovation, with the introduction of the Quicksilver 26” Cruiser, the prototype Quicksilver Mountain Bike, and the almost mythological, and much sort after, Quicksilver Helium!

The Quicksilver brand is truly iconic within the Australian BMX landscape. Steve’s legacy is his bike frames, and his unique Australian brand.

Who would have dreamt that from these humble beginnings in 1977, inspired by visionaries like Steve Meadows, would spring an entire sporting and social phenomenon, and a community knitted together by our love of BMX?