Words by Ryan Leech
My parents are proud of my career as a pro mountain biker, what a blessing to have their support through the years. As I diversify my offerings in the world to include yoga and Integral Coaching®, my Dad decided to present me with a gift to commemorate my years thus far as a pro.
He secretly began tinkering in his workshop attempting to modify one of those bmx flick trix models to look like my trials bike. It didn’t work. So he started from scratch!
A reference picture and some brass tubing…
Through the years Norco has been kind enough to continue tweaking and making me trials frames exactly as I like, and I’ve been riding a white Manifesto frame for the last few. With careful measurements and soldering, clever jigs and fixtures, my Dad managed to replicate it, in miniature!
The pieces coming together…
During my career, I have partnered with many supportive sponsors, on the back of the Trials Trix packaging, my dad listed them, including my very first bike shop sponsor Rocky Cycle in Surrey. For accuracy, he sought the kind advice of Peter Stace-Smith and Jonathan Duncan at Norco, my wife Caryn, and her sister Corinne for some photos. Clearly the detail work wasn’t reserved just for the model…
The details…
With the packaging details in place, the bike still needed painting and decals. Somehow, my Dad managed to getterdun. The model in total length is just 4″, so those are tiny decals!
The Norco Manifesto Model
To complete the ensemble, he packed it up in a clean, off the shelf style packaging. A touching gift to represent some amazing memories. THANKS DAD!
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