Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: assenmacher

My brother, on his bike, summer of 1978, on Wellington Road in Kalamazoo. Dad was standing in our yard when he took this photo; it's part of a set with all three (adult) kids riding back and forth. Dick's bike was custom built by Matt Assenmacher of Swartz Creek. The color's a bit off; it was actually bright orange. 'Twas truly a great bicycle.

While modern derailleurs have their advantages, none really perform better than the Cyclone. A jewel.

"Mod. 61" means this was Universal's new model brake in 1961. It was still among the best on the market when I originally bought/assembled this bike in 1975. Really sharp eyes will notice that the Reynolds 531 decal's in French. Not sure why....

Matt Assenmacher learned his trade at Bob Jackson Cycles under the tutelege of Dan Foster; excellent credentials, and impeccable skills. I've always been very proud of this remarkable bike, and this photo shows one of the reasons. A work of art. That's a League of American Wheelmen sticker on the downtube.

Zefal pump, too.

Wondering who's linked to this photo; if you know, please put the URL in a comment (it's not Kristin Urbane's, which has gone missing). Really this is just curiosity, as it's getting lots of daily views. Thanks! ========== Picked my bike up from the shop after work. Then I climbed aboard and took it for a spin. It's the same delightful machine it was in 1982 (or 1975, if you ignore equipment issues), and should be good for another 85,000 miles. We'll see how things go.... The bike's an odd mix of old parts and "new old" parts. My thanks to Barney and everyone else at Riverfront Cycle for helping me restore it to its prime.

Although this decal says Swartz Creek, Michigan--Matt's shop is there--this bike was actually built in Mount Pleasant. The bike was originally blue, not brown; I'll likely have Matt repaint it next winter. Perhaps we'll also restore the Mount Pleasant stickers at that time, too.

On the deck, after this morning's ride.

Restoration of my thirty-year-old custom bicycle. Not sure why, but the Reynolds tags on this frame have always been in French. I asked Matt to restore them that way, of course.

Restoration of my thirty-year-old custom bicycle. The Cyclone derailleur is a wonderful thing. Regina freewheel; Sedisport chain.

Restoration of my thirty-year-old custom bicycle. This frame originally had a flimsy brake hanger attached to the stays; this design is better. Assenmacher's put the seat rather high when they reassembled the bike. I've lowered it somewhat since taking this photo, and the seatpost scarring is less obvious. I've an old spare seatpost, and may decide just to replace this one.

Restoration of my thirty-year-old custom bicycle.

It's back !

My green Assenmacher, propped up against a table on our deck. Yes, that door badly needs a paint job. Actually, it needs replaced. We're starting to think the entire garage needs replaced.... And yes, the main tubes on this "green" bike are charcoal grey. Deal with it. This is a technically ghastly photograph, but I like it anyway.

This is, of course, my other road bike .