SKWAY TA 20INCH

Top 5 BMX Bikes I have ever ridden 1.80's 20" Patterson, 2. 80's 20" Thruster Tri-Power,3. 80's 20 " Profile, 4.early 80's Mongoose 20 inch, 5. 1983 Skyway TA 20". I have had many different types of bikes, but these were my favorites When I had my early 80's Mongoose stolen with custom sparkle metal flake blue paint with custom sparkly Gold painted Motomags and the top-notch parts including custom sparkle gold painted Shimano pedals I never though any BMX bike could rival that Mongoose, but the 83 Skyway TA IS A MASTERPIECE! It has been said that this bike is arguably considered one of the best if not the best 20'' 80's 'FRANKENSTEIN' BMX bikes in the world with one-piece cranks! The bike was never owned by a top rider but it rode with some of the top riders of the 80's and the bike tells a 'True BMX Hall Of Fame Story' like No Other! Saying this Is the best Frankenstein bike in the world is a rather bold statement however just because I like BMX does not mean I am stupid so I realize this is a matter of opinion but there are numerous factors that back up my statement! Just like Frankenstein this frame has been scratched, cut, welded, kicked and beat to shit! Residing and Representing in Lovely Pittsburg California! This bike was given to me from a close friend right when it came out in 1983. I was 13 living in Oakland California I already had a nice Patterson and array of bikes at the time so i was not ready to ride it. I had white skyway tuffs and white pads all given to me. Many friends gave me amazing bikes and my parents and grandparents. I moved to Colfax from Oakland it was time to ride the Skyway i jumped trained on it raced it i was an Intermediate . Many jumps were made and stories with this bike! One of my highlights with this bike was jumping the big doubles at the Stockton Spring Nationals Stockton Ca , I was in first place and the Skyway almost made you tabletop in midair at times and i did on accident i remember being in the air the bike drifted i turned my wheel and just prayed i held on and I did! I made the main but did not place. One day i caught air off the practice doubles in my old hometown of Colfax i think i may have done a can-can either way i landed smooth but i heard that distinct sound of metal cracking i knew exactly what happened the front bottom tube was cracked. I was thankful i did not scrub but almost cried that it cracked. Having some knowledge about bikes and metal i got off the bike and carefully walked it home. I asked my Mom if i could find a welder will she pay for it to be welded. She agreed i was on the phone right away and got it professionally welded in Auburn Ca. After that I was scared to race and jump it so i sold it to my good friend Don. Little did i know the bike was now stronger than ever BECAUSE THEY WELDED BOTH TUBES ! even though it was only cracked on the bottom the welder said it only made sense to double weld both tubes for added strength and they did a great job ! So NOW it was Actually stronger than it was new from the factory essentially but i didn't feel that way at the time! As a Novice Don jumped the big boogie doubles on this bike at the Stockton SpringNationals and no one else did in that race he won the race and became an intermediete with a fat trophy to boot! Whatever happened to my OG skyway forks Is a mystery where they went i have know idea, instead the bike now has Hutch UNDRILLED Chrome 80's forks the kind that are found on The Illustrious Hutch Pro-Star and Pro-Racer etc.The Hutch Pr0-Star is considered the Holy Grail of BMX BIKES as all of us OG collectors ARE AWARE OF. Chrome OAKLAND BOSS BARS 80's OG . I moved back to the Bay Area and had more bikes. Through Facebook later i made contact with Don. 30 plus years he sold the bike back to me and I have it to this day I am so happy to have it back! I wish I took A before and after pic after not seeing the bike in 30 plus years it was looking into a sentimental time machine. Don used to race this bike all the time it had motorcycle stickers and dirt all over it and his son used to ride it to school. It is still in good shape i took all the stickers off and got the back rim trued and it rolls just needs some more work . The rims are from a former pro Dennis O'brien they are Araya rims with Sunshine hubs. I bought some fake skyway stickers by some chap from England on ebay he said they were authentic skyway stickers but only 21 bucks so I made the best of it and made my own design on one side good enough for now. I did get my money back from Ebay for the stickers. I like the way the welds have fused into the chromoly after 30 plus years it made a rainbow effect very manly look and tells an incredible story . I like the way it looks and even if do get the money i may never have it re-chromed depending on the condition in the future and my bank account lol. I had the best mongoose on the block stolen in Oakland Ca as a kid custom sparkle metal flake blue paint with custom gold sparkle Motomags we called them honeycombs painted custom 1/1 just for me from factory Mongoose! It was a status thing ! day ! Very happy to have my old bike back. I had forgot where it went ! I used to hate Facebook have to thank them if not for Facebook I would not have this bike back with me. And thank you Don for keeping it for so long than for trading it back to me this is truly an amazing bike ! If this bike could only talk it would tell some amazing stories ! So many scuffs from racing and jumping i took it many places and jumped and raced it a lot. The bike is super fast to this day ! It has a Free Agent gooseneck and seat. 80's Hutch Undrilled forks not pro-raider forks more like pro-racer pro-star Judge Hollywood etc chrome . Drain pipe seat post. SR seat post clamp . SR Cro-MO 175 x 24 one piece cranks. Suntour bear trap pedals. Blue Vintage Ame' gripes I re-glued the ends with rubber cement, Chrome Tuff-Neck USA sprocket, Silver Pro-Neck USA 80's 48 teeth ring. Both tires are vintage the front tire is a Cheng -shin Fat-knobby tire, I think because my friend Don loves motocross that's why he had it there i think lol . The tire was showing signs of cracking or ripping so i cleaned it up and put rubber cement and slime rubber cement in all the cracks than tire shine. Re-pop silver dia-comp brake, Modern Paul silver brake lever, The back tire is a cheng-shin non-fat knobby. All parts are vintage except for parts listed. The vintage old rusty stretched out chain was replaced by a new modern PC 1 Nickel SRAM single speed power made in Portugal snap lock included . New red valve caps and slime tubes ! Modern Paul silver brake lever added to replace non functional old dia-comp blue lever, Drain-Pipe Vintage seatpost chrome. The picture that has the Evel Knievel Skyway 83 theme on white Pape Pie Plate 1/1 original custom hand drawn by me Geno Traversaro in sharpie and color pencil .The bike had Robinson 80's handlebars since than those bars have been replaced by my old 80's Chrome VDC Monkey Bars (Arguably The Rarest 80's BMX Bars in the world!), modern new school Sunlite bottom bracket bearings, Original Tange bottom bracket washers and thread set .Red 80's donuts fair condition. The rims are from a former A Pro that raced a lot of the top A and AA Pros of the 80's . Added recently are Skway Chrome Pads by CEW Flite made in USA and vintage Haro Lightning bolt plate red and black with 83 Rare Vintage Haro numbers and i used the stickers left over from the forks over the numbers and above i love the look ! The fake stickers I bought off ebay from the guy in England off ebay beware his handle is sport 16 or something? But not a bad deal for knock off stickers they look cool i think but he should not be claiming them as Authentic old school stickers they are not! . NEW BLACK BRAKE CABLE BRAND NOT KNOWN. Recently added New Am'e Unitron blue over red. Also recently added are original VDC Monkey Bar stickers on handlebars placed overs scratches and under numberplate tie stickers are not original location but still looks good and suits my needs. Also recently added after market red Hutch fork stickers of course not placed perfect because it's a 'FRANKENBIKE' .Also recently added vintage star wars milenium falcon shiny sticker on front of numberplate and vintage 80's frankenstein and Van Halen stickers added to inside of numberplate. Recently swapped the VDC Monkey Bars for Original Oakland Boss Ladder bars so now my knees don't hit the bars but Monkey bars still not for sale! And Swapped the seat and seat post for a white Pro 14 Old School Hammerhead Uni seat lighter but i like the way the drain pipe looks better and i am more on top of the bike. The stickers i put on are somewhat crooked but as many times as i bumped my head they look straight to me and good enough ! With All that said beyond the shadow of a doubt with no arguments this Is by far one of the most amazing 80's BMX 'Frankenstein' bikes on the face of the planet! End of discussion! SR Seat clamps was black now silver from sand blasting and buffing. Suntour pedals have been buffed out to silver and scratches still remain. Rare Skyway TA modern dice caps valve stem covers. Modern red white and blue skyway donuts. THIS BIKE IS TRULY A PIECE OF BMX and American HISTORY ! NOT FOR SALE ! BUT every man has their price in this case the price would be One Million Dollars! That should be enough to take the sentimental sting away and I think it's a fair price for the pedigree and the title of best in the world along with the extras i will throw in. Most recently on Saturday Sept 10th 2022 The bike was signed on the lower frame tube near headset in black sharpie by none other than The Great Cheri Elliott at Frogtown Angels Camp Ca at the meet and greet signing! Stunning perfect signature by the first woman inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame and she of course raced for Skyway! In addition, the same day 'HOLLYWOOD' Mike Miranda signed the Hutch forks in blue sharpie with inscriptions 'HOLLYWOOD AND STAY RAD! Same side as Cheri signed for display purposes. It makes sense that I would have my childhood bike autographed by 2 of my favorite riders that are amazing and have inspired to this day! Being that I have a passion for autographs in person. 2 legendary BMX Hall Of Fame Racers ON one bike means 2 WORDS....SUPER RAD! Obviously, this makes this bike IS priceless