Do you have a bicycle?

I never leave my bikes unattended at all, because I don't want to carry around a lock and few, if any, places around here have anything to lock a bike to anyway. When I was a kid I didn't worry about it, and never had my bike stolen when going into a store or whatever, but I did have bikes stolen from my house a couple times because I [foolishly] left them outside on the lawn overnight. My parents weren't very sympathetic: "How many times have we told you not to leave your bike outside?" I wouldn't dream of doing that now; not just because of the possibility of theft, but also because of the rust and weathering it would cause.

"Was even a bike messenger in NYC for a summer (different bike) and that was one of the more fun, if dangerous, jobs I've ever had. Yes, it was a few years after Quicksilver (1986), and yes that movie influenced my decision."

That's awesome, and I've never seen that movie, but now I want to.

Well, at least you still use it. Most of those get bought, used a few times, and then become an impromptu coat rack or something.

I wouldn't presume to say what's cheating, when there are no rules to break, but it does sound boring, imo, in comparison to the real thing. It might be fun to either borrow or rent a real bike of your preference and actually ride it. The feeling of moving through space is such a pleasure, imo, and you're getting the same exercise, but actually (A) seeing scenery/people go by and (b) maybe taking care of minor errands/commutes? Fun family activity, too.

"Can ya do any tricks on it ?"

No, not unless you count very basic things like wheelie, Chinese wheelie, bunny hop, and going over a jump. And I don't even do those things now because I don't want to risk damaging hard-to-replace parts. I weigh a lot more now than I did when I was a kid.

"I got a bit obsessed with watching flatland on youtube couple years ago, i wish i'd made more effort at this in the 80s . I guess i just didnt know what was even possible!
its a little late now "

Both of my BMXs are from 1984 which is before the "freestyle" craze really took off (it was just getting started), which means they were designed with racing in mind (which is the original meaning of the term BMX: Bicycle Motocross, i.e., a bicycle version of off-road motorcycle racing).

By about 1986, freestyle was all the rage, and bikes specifically designed for it were at least as popular, if not more so, than racing type BMXs, and it wasn't long before freestyle BMXs became far more popular, and they remain that way today, to the point that I've seen comments from younger people online who think freestyle is the only type of BMX there is.

I think the flatland flavor of freestyle is awesome to watch, but I can't do any of that stuff. I first saw it in the movie Rad (1986), where it was featured during the opening and closing scenes. The main movie is about BMX racing though, and the main character has a Mongoose Californian like I do, except his is a 1985 instead of 1984 (there's hardly any difference between a 1984 and 1985 Californian).

"(had a "GT pro performer" bmx (eventually) if that means anything)"

Those are the epitome of early freestyle-specific BMXs, and became a template that many others copied. I believe they were introduced in 1984.

"at which time, I so wanted a Mongoose or Red Line Bike, but at the time, they were simply far too expensive"

Exactly the same here. In the 1980s they started at about $200 though, while department store BMXs were around $100 or less. An article about the Mongoose Californian in the December 1984 issue of BMX Action magazine says it cost $209.95. Their top of the line Pro Class (Eric Rupe Signature Edition) was $349 in the August 1985 issue.

There were only two kids in my town when I was growing up who had BMXs that weren't from a department store. Nick Cannon had a 1985 Mongoose Expert and Jed Smith had a 1986 Diamond Back Cool Streak. I only saw Nick's bike a few times because he lived several streets away, but the first time I saw it I hounded him until he let me try it out. I loved it; it felt incredibly solid and smooth compared to my Western Auto BMX. Jed lived two houses down on my street and we were good friends so I rode his bike quite a few times, and it felt about the same as Nick's Mongoose.

Ironically, both Mongoose and Diamond Back are department store brands now (you can buy both of them at e.g., Walmart), and have been for a long time, so those brand names probably don't have any cachet with kids these days. But in the 1980s, they were exclusively sold at bike shops. Mongoose was the first company to sell a complete BMX (before them, BMXs were modified Schwinn Stingrays), and the first bicycle company to use TIG welding (which was usually called heliarc welding back then).

I like that style of frame, and that early style of mountain bike in general. Modern mid-to-high end mountain bikes have full suspensions, giant wheels (e.g., 29"), top tubes that slant down so much that they look like a girl's bike, and only one chainring in front:

https://d2yn9m4p3q9iyv.cloudfront.net/trek/2024/fuel-exe-9.9-xx-axs-t-type/thumbs/1000/b5df7.webp

I don't like those regardless of how well they perform. If I were in the market for a mountain bike, it would be one from the '80s or '90s, before they morphed into motorless motorcycles. And I'd get one of those iconic Ritchey Bullmoose stem/handlebars for it:

https://www.mtbr.com/attachments/ritchey_bullmoose_historic-jpg.1894516/

The first mountain bike I ever saw in real life (late 1980s) had one of those.

Based on the type of tires, I guess you primarily use it as a road bike? And did you replace the front brake? I noticed it has a V-brake in front and a cantilever brake in the rear.

"at least one or two times a summer, i like to pack a lunch & take a full day to do a long ride of about 120-140 kilometers."

I've never ridden a bike that far in one day; not even close. The farthest I've ever ridden was in 1989; the summer after 8th grade, about 10 miles (~16.1 km) to my girlfriend's house in the next town over (plus another 10 miles back a few hours after I got there). It was a little after midnight when I headed out (I climbed through her bedroom window; her mother never knew I was there) on a cheap 26" wheel Columbia Charger 10-speed road bike with no lights or reflectors, on a rural road with no breakdown lane nor street lights (the moon wasn't even out). Fortunately there wasn't much traffic, but I did have ride down into the ditch a couple times to avoid being hit by cars.

The ride home was better because the sun was out.