My daughter’s 1995 12" A2Z

Looks very nice,thought it was going to be a 1 x ? change mind or am I thinking of different bike…………..she should love it.. sweet little bike

Thanks guys, always appreciate the opinions of my Cudahead brothers!

You’re right, I was going to build it up as 1X bike but I got to thinking that she is doing so well bombin’ around these days plus she is smart cookie, so why not build it up fully geared and turn her loose on the trails. Yep… she is itchin’ to ride it, that is partly why I’ve been draggin’ my feet on the tires and pedals. I’m thinkin’ over that week off for Thanksgiving or the two weeks at Christmas, that’ll give me time to take her on the hills behind our home.

I finally landed the last piece I needed for my daughter’s bike, I built it up with full 7 speed XT, however all I had was a DX rear derailleur. I didn’t feel like finishing the build with that DX albatross. A buddy needed a 9 speed rear shifter after he wasted his, I told him that I had a Deore Mega9 shifter that he could have. In return he gave me “this old bike from a garage sale” in exchange. I picked it up last night and my jaw about dropped to the floor, that old bike turned out to be a 100% original 1987 Panasonic Mountain Cat MC7500. The top-of-the-line model with a lugged frame made with Tange Prestige (just like my old Stumjumper and my Alien) and full XT 7 speed grouppo. The best part wasn’t landing the XT rear for pee-wee’s bike, it wasn’t finding the original “Flower petal” XT threaded headset still there and in great shape, but the Panasonic still had the original XT “Bearclaw” pedals aka Shimano PD M-730… my absolute Holy Grail of favorite pedals. Everyone still has the newer 1993 to present XT platform pedals, my wife has a set on her bike, but no one has the XT Bearclaws. They were only available in the complete XT grouppo from 1987 to 1993. I snapped a couple pictures, I didn’t get a good one of the pedals but here is a link to Velobase… some great pictures of the oversized platforms with rounded cages.

http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?id=ad9a76cc-b4dd-4adf-b129-fd5cadd2a950

I figured this to be my most significantly lop-sided trade ever and my buddy was totally stoked to get his bike rollin’ for a group night ride last night.

p.s. Yes, those are double water bottle cages on the down tube, none on the seat tube, wacky 80’s designs!!!

THE SHIN SHREADERS ! ! !

Incredibly awesome pedals until the VANS come loose! I rode those up until recently, those pedals have scarred my shins so badly, my daughter says that they are ugly. Battle scars right?!!! The last spill I took here in the neighborhood, those traps took a huge chunk out of my shin but not before they cheese grater’d the front of my lower leg from knee to ankle!

Here’s my classic Beartrap BMX story, everyone who rode those pedals has a story. A kid crashed into me when we were approaching a doubler during a race, he wadded me up badly, and my left foot dropped to the track as the Beartrap came around. Instant stoppage and over the bars I go. I come to and I’m sitting in a pool of blood, blood gushing out of my head, I try and get up… that’s when the pain hits me!!! Turns out the Beartrap severed my Achilles tendon when it took a 4 inch piece of pie out of the back of my lower leg, and when I pinwheeled, the Beartraps lacerated my head. By the time I’d made it to the E.R., I lost so much blood that they couldn’t put me under, so I received 12 “locals” to ease the pain as they did surgery on my leg while I was fully awake and dying!!! 128 stitches later and I was in a 3/4 leg cast for 2 months, such an awesome way to start summer vacation! Good times!!!