Awesome customer's bike: mid 1980's Haro Freestyler

     This bike came in for repairs recently and I was pretty stoked to see it. The owner dates it to  mid 1980's production (85-86). He is not the original owner. These bikes back then were the ones most kids wanted. The Haro Master was the one above this and you had to mow a lot of lawns to get the money up to buy one. Bob Haro is the considered by many to be the father of modern freestyle BMX. This model was introduced in 1982 ish I believe and was one of the first to be strictly dedicated to BMX freestyle riding. There was also a vert version (used for riding half pipes) without the fork pegs. This bike is semi original and has original paint and decals in good shape. Not many of these bikes survived in such good shape as they were mostly used and abused and thrown around learning and executing tricks. Now I am gonna go home and read through some old Radical Rick cartoons.

Phil Wood being sold through Wal Mart?

Whaaat! Tough to be an independent bike shop these days. I was forwarded this image and it blew my mind! Phil Wood responded saying that they are NOT in business with Wal Mart and that a third party distributor was responsible. They are looking into it and hopefully it can be resolved.

Saint Christopher medallion

     I found this item on a bike we recently acquired. It is a Saint Christopher's medallion. Saint Christopher is the patron saint of cyclists, he protects travelers. Some say he is not a real saint and only a superstition. I guess it depends who you ask and what you believe. These were popular in some European cultures, mostly in areas in and around Northern Ireland. His image is commonly found on bells. These medallions are a bit more scarce. These were popular in the 1930'3-1950's. The local priest would hold a "blessing of the bikes", the medallions were made for the occasion. The medallion would be attached to the seat tube via an adjustable strap, and the bikes and their journeys would then be protected. This one is a bit newer I believe because it does not have quite the patina of the older ones I have seen. Still a pretty cool item. I will take all the help I can get when it comes to staying safe out on the road.

Some pista frame sets we recently got in

Here is a couple of really nice pista frame sets we recently got in. the Cinelli is already sold, sorry. The Colnago is available for purchase. The measurements of the Colnago are as follows:

• 53 CM CTC seat tube, 54CM CTT
• 54CM CTC top tube
• 30" stand over height (without tires or head set installed in frame)
• Columbus Gilco tubing
• original paint and decals in great shape
• fork is drilled to accept a front brake
• serial number 1G873 (1990's)
• Eloborate paint sceme and decals in canary yellow and purple mostly (see photos)
• Classic "master" lug set
• Takes 27.2 seat post size
• Italian thread bottom bracket shell

Email at: bikeville@gmail.com for price and or any other details or questions you may have.
                                   BOTH FRAME SETS ARE SOLD!

Back from Detroit (rock) city

Stop by and get the pick of the litter! The best ones always go first!

Awesome mail day!

     I love the postal service (sometimes). Today is one of those love days. I received our copies of the first two books in the "derailleurs of the world series". They are self published by Hideki Sasaki to very high standards. The first one covers Campagnolo and shows every variation of derailleur Campagnolo ever produced. The second one covers Simplex, and again shows every variation in studio setting photos. The text is in Kanji, but the model numbers and date of production are in English and the photos tell the story. These books are very hard to come by outside of Japan. If you can find copies, I highly recommend getting them. You will not be disappointed.

Stronglight 57 SC crank set!

     Here is one of my favorite crank sets. This one is on a bike we recently acquired. it is the model 57 SC (also called the 57 Super Competition) and was introduced in 1957, hence the name. It has a BCD of 122mm. It also incorporates a distinctive "star" pattern shaped spyder, however said spyder was now cast as part of the drive arm itself, forged as a single unit. It uses 8mm chain ring bolts with either domed or hex heads as opposed to later 10mm allen  head chain ring bolts. They were available in 165- 175mm arm lengths and were intended for road / race use with an effective chain ring capacity of 38-56 teeth, almost exclusively set up as a double. These cranks just look AWESOME! I am glad we now have another set!