Thank you for all the kind words. This was a Christmas to remember, for sure.

Im glad the bike came out as good as it did. I will likely have to use the technique JohnDThompson and pastorbobnlnh suggested to get that freewheel off. Those notches folded like butter. A couple of other little things too. It was said here: it doesn’t need to be perfect to be good. And I’d call it good fleslider no decal unfortunately. I asked him and he said he wanted to wait before putting a new one on. And hey.. it’s his bike now!

Classtime I wish I could find more pictures but I do know the list of his “riders”. Like seemingly so may other here, he was given and then found homes for many, many bikes over the years. But my pop only rode one at a time.

1st- a department store BMX ish bike he rode til about 8.

2nd- Was the first bike he longed for. A chrome redline with Ashtabula cranks. 8yo-high school. Mid 70s. Nothing kept him off that bike. Tore up the Sierra Nevada foothills and his love for bikes was cemented. There are pictures but I will have to look for them at my grandmas.

3rd was a Windsor he got from his buddy in high school. He was the photographer in the cycling club so no pictures of him with the bike. It was repainted, so no way of identifying. And way too big for him. But he still had a blast.

4th was a grandpa’s 50s schwinn. His dad, my grandpa gave it to him during college. This was mid 80s so he wasn’t the first to do it but he made a clunker. Stumpjumber fork, laced a SA three speed into some uncommon mtg wheels. He still has it. That’s one bike that won’t ever leave the family.

5th was a mid 70s Raleigh comp gs. This one I do have a picture of. He finally got a bike that bit him that he could ride. Of course by then, work and school was such that he didn’t have much time to ride.


6th was an 80s Nishiki sport. One exactly like this. But not for Shaq. It was covered in white and pink over spray from something. He bought it sometime in the 90s. Thats the bike I remember beside me first day off training wheels. He saved the cockpit when it was disassembled and donated before a big move. I’ll find something to do with it someday.


After that he effectively stopped riding. Work got very demanding and his back got bad. There was a small stint with a late 90s stumpjumper but the Nishiki was the last bike he rode like he wanted to. There are always bikes coming in and out of the garage. And always has been. People know my pop as the guy to come to for help with your bike. And so the ratio of riding to wrenching fell all the way to wrenching. Now, he has the nicest and most prestigious bike to change that!