Jack Romans said:
Just an observation...but almost every "custom-class" bike I see has that sharp point coming-up off the front of the seat/tube/cluster lug. I'm not suggesting that bikes that don't have this aren't 1st-class, but it seems de rigueur for 70-80's customs.
I would caution anyone packing a bike with one of these points or buying one for shipment to carefully protect the point. I do this several ways, but primarily by tying the bike to the side of the box so that it can't move. Lots of soft packing or an old seatpost inserted will also work. What happens is that the shipper turns the box upside down and if the bike moves, invariably the sharp point pokes through the top of the box, bending or otherwise blunting the point. I've received two such damaged points in the past three years. It is a shame because as Jack Romans has recognized, they are very nice. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL