Every once in a while, you have to go back to move forward, as was the case with Covey’s single-speed Caletti MTB and its retro paint scheme — although there’s far more to it than simple nostalgia.
In all honesty, it’s more MTV than MTB, but the inspiration behind the theme contains far more integrity than the Music Television channel that dominated the consciousness of youths in the 80s.
This bike was actually completed by Santa Cruz frame builder John Caletti in October 2017, for another Santa Cruz local named Covey Potter, although in the turmoil of 2018, it had been neglected to be featured on these pages.
Luckily, it still glowed from deep within The Spoken storage vaults.
In 1985, Covey’s grandma competed in the Bay To Breakers race in San Francisco, though not without incident, and she did receive a commemorative t-shirt for her efforts. Sadly, she passed away in 2017, leaving the vibrantly fashionable (for the time) t-shirt to Covey.
Covey had commissioned Caletti to build him a single-speed MTB and, out of his respect and love for his inspirational grandma, he had John Caletti and Peter Thomsen paint it according to the print on the shirt.
The frame was built with love and assembled with a Fox 34 fork, Easton stem, and Chris King wheels, all painted to match. Up-to-date geometry and components make this a thoroughly modern bike with a radically retro vibe.
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Big thanks to Peter Thomsen for the photos.
