Low Key Motors

AVAILABLE- #1946 -1948 Columbia Dark Red Sports Tourist badged a Tribune, all original, completely overhauled...a rare time capsule piece for sure...nice rider, you will have the only one anywhere around...

Marin Museum of Bicycling
Bob Morgan

out riding the klunker and stopped by to see Fred and Wilma Flintstone in Bedrock...Fred was at work at the quarry, had coffee with Wilma, always good to catch up...

Marin Museum of Bicycling
Wende Cragg Charlie Kelly

AVAILABLE, and looking for love- #1990 Worksman Cycles since 1898 (Ozone Park, NY) tamBomber, cruiser, klunker in LKM Ink Blue satin paint...from an old Tamalpais High, Marin County collector, the way he built it decades ago, with a few LKM upgrades...
completely dis-assembled and overhauled with Cro-Mo 175mm crank, sprocket, NOS saddle, and period chrome steel parts: Shimano rear, Joytech front hubs, really nice old school chrome rims, Worksman rear rim with 120g spokes, and Sun front rim with 105g spokes...

Marin Museum of Bicycling

if you have a Prewar Elgin, it could have come from a Sear and Roebuck Catalog Store where many people got their purchases, especially rural America...
the 1st photo was on the side of an old, closed Sears location in Dorris, Calif. shot many years ago when discovered...
many LKM Kustoms shown, frames built by Murray Manufacturing in Cleveland, Ohio...Sears did use other makers along the way including Columbia and HP Synder...
picture 4 shows the ONLY BIKE FOR SALE, in the shop, all others are long gone down the road...the curved seat tube deluxe model was made from 1938-1942...

Marin Museum of Bicycling Wende Cragg Charlie Kelly

more pictures of the early 1930's Excelsior Cycle Company LKM Kustom hotRod, built for homeboy Jimmy 7-8 years ago...re-shown thanks to the urging of an avid viewer...
original paint single bar frameset, Torrington Deco stem, with a kustom handlebar bent by our friend Chris P., my he ride in peace...handbuilt wheels with powder coated black rims laced to a Bendix barrel front and Morrow rear hubs...
this one gets attention wherever it rides...

Marin Museum of Bicycling

Excelsior Cycle Company head badge on Jimmy's early 1930's original paint single bar LKM build from years ago...
Excelsior sold their motorcycle interest to Schwinn and moved from Chicago to Michigan City, Indiana where this bike was made...

Marin Museum of Bicycling

Available, Fun, and hiding at the rear of the shop... #1938 Kustom Schwinn Model C with correct Model C stenciling in Black and Tan paint...sold originally and badged as a Mead Ranger, now built into a 6 Speed late 1970's Mt.Tam Tribute Limited Edition Klunker Series...
last of the NOS Wald Cook Bros. style fork dated 1995...
there are many choices for saddles if you like sitting on something other than the one shown...

these resemble only a handful that were built and ridden in the later 70s, as the mountain bike was evolving here in Marin, and after 1977-78 when Joe Breeze built the first 10 MTB frames in Mill Valley, Ca. with brazed on cantilever bosses and cyclo-cross/touring brakes...it was the next progression from the drum brakes as the evolution slowly moved along...

if you want a bike built by someone who was here and part of the scene, come visit LKM and get a limited opportunity to own a historic build...

there were very few like this being ridden locally...incorrectly, many people think there were hundreds of guys and girls riding these bikes on Tam, it was more like dozens...it was a very small community that grew organically over a number of years, long before it became mainstream...

Wende Cragg Charlie Kelly Billy Savage The Radavist
Marin Museum of Bicycling

AVAILABLE, hiding in the shop, the last of the remaining triplets, LKM 1967 "Blackout" Schwinn Kustom...all 3, #1962 (SOLD), #1967, and #1968 (SOLD) were built exactly the same...
these were built for a "designer" guy that had a vision...
every part on these bikes are black; anodized, powder coated, painted, etc., all black, including the chains which have been replaced, not shown when these photos were taken...LKM as well...
come test ride our American made bikes, you'd rather be riding...

Marin Museum of Bicycling

#1947 Schwinn Century DX...about 5-6 hours later, disassembled, rear end aligned, and ramshead original paint revealed...you will need a bucket of patience, a fresh razor blade, and a steady hand...on 1930's, 40's, and 50's 2 tone Schwinns, PLEASE DO NOT USE PAINT STRIPER OR SOLVENTS on the frame front end, you will lose the Ivory paint (or other) in a heartbeat, it is a lite color coat over the 4 coat base color...and the Ivory is delicate and does not hold up well over time, it gets chalky...
the red remaining is spray can over original Schwinn factory Dark Red paint, it will be left alone, this is ready for a comeback...

Marin Museum of Bicycling
Wende Cragg Charlie Kelly