Sticky Bottle Team!: Bikes and more from the Vault

Peter Frampton played to a full house of rowdy rock fans at the Oakland County Coliseum (now O.co Coliseum) on July 2, 1977. He was followed on stage by a blistering set authored by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Less than four months later members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were lost in a plane crash in Mississippi. Nearly two weeks later, on July 23, 1978 in the same stadium, Led Zeppelin played what would be the band’s last live performance in America. Before the US tour was complete lead singer Robert Plant lost his young son Karac and the remaining tour dates were cancelled. Zeppelin, in its original line-up never returned to the States. Led Zeppelin was to play a second show the following day but a back stage fight led by the band’s notoriously short-tempered manager Peter Grant forced the concert promoter to take them off the bill. That promoter was the legendary Bill Graham.

Graham was a new age P.T. Barnum who loved the grand music festivals. For nearly twenty years Graham held the Day on the Green concerts each summer in Oakland, California. Graham was killed in a helicopter crash while promoting the 1991 Day on the Green. Graham, (born in Berlin with the name Wolodia Grajonca) was given the nickname Wolfgang by his parents. He came to America, like many kids in the 1960s, to be a part of the vibrant culture of San Francisco. Graham’s legacy continues today through the website Wolfgang’s Vault (www.wolfgangsvault.com). He saved everything from his promoting career: photos, posters, ticket stubs, props, etc. For the rock historian and collector Wolfgang’s Vault is bookmarked. The site offers everything from Graham’s collection for sale.

The bicycling world has a collector similar to Bill Graham only he didn’t save concert tickets--he saved everything from a lifetime of owning West Coast Cycle. His name is Howie Cohen and he was the second generation owner of a bike company started by his parents in Minnesota. The couple moved their fledgling business and children to Los Angeles in 1946 and started West Coast Cycle. The business took off when Howie took over following the death of his father in 1963.

Throughout the 1960s West Coast Cycles sold Japanese-made bikes branded as American Eagle. They later sold Nishiki bikes also made in Japan by Kuwahara (Nishiki production was taken over later by Giant). It was on a Kuwahara that E.T. rode to freedom in the 1982 movie of the same name. Mr. Cohen had a hand in the creation of Gary Fisher bikes and later did some consulting for Trek. Since his final retirement he has relocated to Colorado and together with his wife has cataloged a vast collection of biking memorabilia and launched the website Howie Cohen’s Everything Bicycle Collection at www.Howiebikeman.com. The website has the history of his family’s company and it is interesting reading. The collection has art, unique head badges (pictured, 73 to be exact), dishes, glassware, jewelry, magazines and more.

Visit our website at www.stickybottleteam.net.