majmt 

Thanks for the response, the sticker looks to be original on a fairly pristine ‘74 Masi GC that I just picked up last fall. The bike is getting serviced right now but I believe the sticker said Concord Ave. I’d guess the shop is long gone but I’d love to discover any aspect of this bike’s history.

added: If I’m looking at correct side of the street, it looks like there’s a parking garage there now according to street view.

BFisher

Very few of my bikes have shop stickers, but the new to me Schwinn Premis does.

gugie 

Don Milberger is part of American cycling history - he owned that shop as well as Bicycle Research. Check your vintage bicycle tools, some might be from his company.

It's "near SF" if you're from out of state, Concord, CA is a long commute from there. When I was a sales rep in the Bay Area for KHS I signed them up as a dealer. Most any LBS BITD had some Bicycle Research tools. Here's a link I found that has several of them posted.

obrentharris 

I still own a couple Bicycle Research cone wrenches and freewheel tools. They made a lot of good quality tools. I knew Bob Force, Don's silent partner, who told me that when cartridge bearing hubs, cassette s, sealed bottom brackets, and threadless headsets became common their big money makers were various shims and spacers.
Brent

majmt 

This forum is amazing. I am repeatedly humbled by the wealth of knowledge and experience shared here. Thanks for the information - coincidentally, I just ordered a Bicycle Research Regina freewheel remover from ebay.

Don sure sounded like an interesting man. I think I googled up an image of him.


I read through his obit a few times and it looks like he would've started The Bike Shop in 1974 after 19 years at the Berkeley Lab beginning in 1955. The Masi GC that I have with the shop sticker is a early to mid 1974 issue so it may have been sold to the original owner in the first year of operation for the shop. The ebay seller, from whom I purchased the bike, said it was part of an estate of a retired engineer in the Bay area who I assume was the original owner. He also sounded like an interesting man with interests in high-end photography and HiFi. Maybe, he even knew Don and Bob as an early customer and considering the technical background they shared. I would love to learn who had their hands on this particular bike and am reaching out to the seller again to see if he can share any information. Thanks again to obrentharris, gugie, and DiabloScott for taking the time to respond.

Here's a link to an earlier thread with photos of the bike:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...condition.html

thumpism 

Following up on my post of the sticker from The Unicycle, I think we should have a "Most Faded Shop Sticker" thread. Here's another contender, found on the old Gitane mixte I fished out of the co-op's dumpster a few months ago. I was doing a little cleanup on the bike just now and I think I've deciphered the contents. Going by my knowledge of the area and what I was able to discern from what's left of the text, I think this one was from Sports & Cycles International, on Wilson Blvd, in Arlington, Virginia. Don't know the store; it was gone long before I began repping in that area in the late '80s. Perhaps another old timer can provide some background.

thumpism 

I recall this shop being discussed recently but I can't find those posts to reference. Anyway, I got this little tape measure years ago and don't recall the place or the circumstances of the find but I used it regularly while still in the bike biz. Now it lives in my toolbox.

obrentharris 

Velo Sport was THE racing shop in Berkeley in the seventies. Albert Eisentraut was the framebuilder there for a brief stint.

There are lots of Velo Sport stories. Hopefully a few of them will surface here.
Brent

DiabloScott

My story: I wanted one of those corncob freewheels for my criterium sew-ups... 13-18, and Velo Sport had it... Regina Oro.
Also, Grove St became MLK St in ABOUT... 1985?

gugie 

And the greatest bike shop poster ever:


https://www.goines.net/Poster_art1/poster_4.html

b dub 

On my new 1960/61 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix:

Smokinapankake

As a bona-fide FRN (F'n Rail Nut) this poster IS the greatest bike shop poster ever. Magnificent!

Celeste Mike

My '87 Bianchi has this sticker from Ithaca NY on it, and I once saw the same sticker on another bike in the wild (on a very well kept '84 Lotus Classique). Pretty neat. (Both bikes in Philadelphia.)

(old photo from when it was dirty 😅 )



And here's an ad I found from '85.

Celeste Mike

Here's the Ski-Ko sticker on my '86 High Sierra. Ski-Ko lives on today in the form of In Gear Cycling & Fitness in Hummelstown, PA.

Seanaus

Plum Oostende has moved since the mid 80's but still has the same phone number..... Gräber Räder is still at the same address today!

Krov9

From a circa late eighties Mercier mixte I got shipped from France. The red in the text is my phone cover reflecting from the exposed foil

Smokinapankake

First up is Community Bicycle Supply in Boston, as seen on a 1994 Nishiki Optima XRS hybrid:




The shop is still there according to Google, so that’s kinda neat.

Then we have Erdenheim Bicycle Center as seen on a 1996 Trek 720 hybrid:




Google shows this one as permanently closed, in Pennsylvania.

Interesting thread!

thumpism 

Not mine. Seen in an ad on FB Marketplace.

thumpism 

Another one. Who in the hell puts photos of shop stickers in their For Sale ads?

jPrichard10 

Old Bike Gallery sticker on my Trek 910

thumpism 

Another one from an ad.

thumpism 

Yet another lead photo from an ad on FB Marketplace.

thumpism 

Another from an FB ad. Seriously, who does this in an ad?

thumpism 

Again.

thumpism 

From another FB ad, this bike with TWO shop stickers on it. I only know of one shop whose policy was to put its stickers on repair bikes that came in, even if they had other shop stickers on them.