Caroline Matsumoto came across a copy of the old photograph in a downtown shop. She thought perhaps someone had been using the picture as inspiration.

Twenty-three young men stand astride their bicycles, their faces stern from having to hold still while the photograph was taken. They were called the Waipahu Pedal Pushers, and though that name belies their toughness, they were the stuff of local legend.

The photograph was taken in 1935 outside the G. Takayesu Bicycle Shop in Waipahu. Matsumoto recognized the name of the shop: her grandfather, Senye Kiyabu, sold his business, Kiyabu Bicycle and Auto Supply, to Takayesu.

Matsumoto also knew that the Takayesu grandchildren still had the business, now well known as McCully Bicycle.

Matsumoto paid a visit to the McCully Bicycle shop and saw a framed version of the Waipahu Pedal Pushers photo hanging by the front door.

Ali Takayesu Kessner, one of the owners of McCully Bicycle, says the photo serves as a touchstone for storytelling and memories. "Periodically, someone will come in and point to someone in the picture and say, 'That's my grandfather,' " Kessner said.

Over the years, they've collected a list of names and anecdotes. They know Mr. Shinno, Mr. Moniz. Plantation manager Hans L'Orange stands to the side. They know that one man in the photo isn't on a bike because he had been hit by a train.

"James Moniz was a champion cyclist," Kessner says, pointing to a handsome young man on the right. "He's a Waipahu legend."

The Waipahu Pedal Pushers were more than a community club. They were serious competitors. They traveled to the Neighbor Islands for races. They were the first to race up Haleakala on one-speed bikes. Getting down the mountain was pretty rugged, too. Their bikes were "fixed gear," meaning they didn't have brakes.

"One guy got into an accident. They went down Haleakala and he hit his head and he never rode again," Kessner said.

The photo is wide-angle, in the style of old Japanese funeral photos. Everyone is gathered in a line along the street. Kessner's father, Giyei "Buster" Takayesu, is one of the cyclists. He was 22 at the time. Before he died two years ago, Kessner's sister Georgine Morita got him to talk about the Pedal Pushers while she took notes.

"Biked around island over Pali. No kau kau. Picked pine from fields for food," she says reading from her notebook.

The Takayesu siblings are hoping that more people come to identify some of the Pedal Pushers and share their stories, the way Matsumoto came with stories of her family's connection.

"Sometimes I tell a customer, 'Those guys were the real deal. They didn't have energy gel or caffeine boosts like we have now. They went around the island without water bottles. Look, most of them rode with bare feet!' "

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.