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The Attic -
Attic What IZIT
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 #48
 We recently unearthed this item in box of discarded small parts hidden in the Attic. This is not a complete unit but it should be pretty easy for the Attic veterans. Creativity and Personal experience will win this one. The winning answer will include the Make, Model and Functionality of the item. Personal experience is worth big bonus points. The winner will receive a $10 Bikeman Gift Certificate.
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The most popular Attic What IZIT to date. With close to 60 responses (58 in fact) Bikeman had a tough time choosing a winner... When the dust settled two answers came out on top. The first winner is a purely creative answer, but it was too good to pass up. The second winner was the toughest to pick. Several answers met the set criteria and could have been choosen. In the end Bikeman picked the answer that tied everything together the best. Here are the winners and as many of our favorites as we could post.
WINNER #1 CREATIVE - Mike Fernandez: "That's a spring from a Hite Rite that got bored of sitting around as "new old stock", so he ran away from the shop and hitched a ride to the Florida Keys. After 10 years of scuba-diving, chain-smoking, and baking in the sun, he returned home a rusted, burnt-out shell of his former self. He's hoping to reunite with his friends Chainstay-Mounted Roller-Cam Brakeset, Evolution Headset, and Suntour Cassette."
WINNER #2 - Frank Salino: "It's a HITE RITE quick adjust and seat locator. I'm not sure what model your pic is but I know it came in two sizes-standard and extra long. It was used back in the day to lower your seat when attempting to go down hill. The theory was that if you could get your ass over the rear wheel, with the seat low enough to be out of the way, and not get off the bike to reset the position when the terrain was level, you would be the dude. So before suspension , when riders actually used their legs as springs, this little device would let you lower the seat move about the cockpit freely.
The problem was that most seatpost quick releases were too wimpy to easliy flick open and closed. I had to crank mine down pretty tight to keep the saddle in place on the bumps and it would be a disaster in the making to fight with it while riding. An added benefits, the simple theft of your seat and post was now more complicated and the way the unit clamped on the seatpost it kept the saddle aligned with the frame. no more looking left it you hit a big bump off camber.
I still have one attached to my '86 Fat Chance. I have used the coil of the spring as a bottle opener a few times. I think it was originally produced by a small company "Breeze and Angell" or something like that. Mine is worn and hard to read, but I also seem to remeber it being sold under a larger company banner. It fell out of favor when the weight weenies took over. I think it was over 100 grams. When suspension came into fashion it went away. I miss seeing them on the trail."
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