1984 Skyway T/A

1984 Skyway T/A

1984 Skyway T/A

First of all, you would be forgiven for assuming that T/A stood for “Totally Awesome”.

The T/A was actually named the “Totally Aerodynamic” for its teardrop-shaped frame tubing.  This bike was much loved for its light weight and cool styling.  With a frame weight of just over 4 pounds and constructed of aero tubing that was obviously invisible to the wind, you had to be crazy to think any bike was faster than the T/A.

Based in Redding, California, Skyway created many of the cool things that we liked about BMX in the 1980’s.

Haro number plate, vintage stickers

Oakley 3 grips

Skyway gave the bike world their nylon Tuff Wheels, an inexpensive mag wheel that came in a variety of great colors.  They created the Tuff pedal, a super light graphite design that spun on bushings instead of steel ball bearings.  Skyway helped us to accessorize even further with colorful brake pads that could compliment or contrast with our mag wheels.

Skyway Totally Aero tubing

A laid-back post let you grow with your bike

Skyway Tuff Wheels

This particular Skyway has some fantastic old-school components.  The most important ones are the Tuff II mag wheels, the wheels that started a revolution.

The Haro number plate was a must-have, even if you didn’t race.  The plate was the canvas upon which the rider could paint a masterpiece with stickers.

Oakley 3 handlebar grips felt like clay that had been shaped to exactly match your hand (bicycle and motorcycle grips were Oakley’s first products).

The reinforced laid-back seat post on this bike was invaluable.  No kid wanted to get rid of their beloved bike just because they grew.  Straight seatposts could be swapped out for ones with an “S” bend, and these could be swapped for laid back posts as the years (or months) went by.