8 ms·

Hippie Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking

bsimpson 12y ago
It's crazy that Gary Fisher, Robin Williams, and Pete Carroll all went to high school together.
geargrinder 12y ago
The reason Ritchey, Fisher, and the rest of their group are known as the "founders of mountain biking" is because they were the first to make bikes for others to also enjoy off-road riding. Lots of people rode off-road, down mountains and on trails before them. But they were the first to turn it into a successful business.
lafar6502 12y ago
great article
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
perrygeo 12y ago
Check out the documentary, Klunkerz (http://www.klunkerz.com/ http://www.klunkerz.com/)
- jmspring 12y ago
  It is referenced at the very end of the article and is quite a fun flick. The Marin Museum of Bicycling is worth a visit if you are in that part of the Bay Area (oh, and grab a beer or two in the near by breweries...) http://mmbhof.org http://mmbhof.org
Theodores 12y ago
This is great history, however there is more to the craze of mountain biking than these tales of pioneering legend. History can be taught as 'kings, queens and their wars' or it can be told in terms of economic and social things. With the mountain biking craze not much has been written about why it did take off like it did - really very few people knew who Fisher, Breeze, Ritchey et al. were. People just wanted a mountain bike for some reason. I also don't believe that these mountain bike pioneers were really that pioneering - since the invention of the bicycle people have been cycling off road and enjoying the thrills of descending at speed. It is kind of a natural thing to do. To a certain extent the bikes that came before mountain bikes - BMX - were off-road bikes albeit with small wheels although you could get medium flavour wheels with a BMX. My revisionist view of the mountain bike craze is to see it as a natural reaction to what politicians, planners and motorists were doing to our roads. Back in the day roads were many times more deadly than they are today with country roads unrestricted so 'idiots' could drive them far too fast to possibly stop for any cyclists that might be using them. As a consequence, in the 70's and 80's roads were not at all safe for cyclists and the only cyclists that would use them would be doing so for reasons different to today. As well as the instant danger roads back then were laced with deadly poisons from cars that are incredible to think about. Imagine putting lead in petrol?!? Who would have thought that was a good idea? Cycling is enjoyable - that is a statement of fact. Cycling on dangerous roads is no fun at all (unless you really enjoy that, which I can understand). So mountain bikes came along and just filled a need for something that had been denied by the motoring thing. Shimano did great things to get mountain biking started - they did a fantastic job of creating easy to service brakes, gears and other components. European component suppliers just did not get their act together which was their loss. Yet again, despite how wonderful Shimano were there were wider economic factors - the Yen was a fairly worthless currency at the time so Shimano parts were amazingly cheap given how high quality they were compared to their European counterparts. The frames for the bikes and the bikes themselves tended to come from 'new' suppliers. Older brands that made 'lugged' frames lost out. The factories in the Far East (Taiwan) that had been built to TiG weld chromoly steel tubes were the ones making the mountain bikes. For them this was a natural progression from the BMX that had gone before. As contract manufacturers 'OEM partners' they took the brands that the likes of Fisher had started and churned out some real product, this being the right product at the right time. Mountain bikes also rode on the crest of a wave of a consumer boom. Money was cheap and along with all the other consumer gizmos of the time, mountain bikes sold very nicely. So, although the Marin County history is fun, the real story of why the mountain bike happened has more to do with the tragedy of the roads and economic circumstance at home and in the Far East.
- ghaff 12y ago
  It's hard to say why certain types of activities take off. Inline skating (aka Rollerblading) came out of nowhere to become a very popular activity by the late 80s or thereabouts. (It predates that but that was around the time it really took off in the US.) Today, my observation in at least the places I live and visit is that it's essentially gone away--in spite of the increased availability of paved rail trails and the like. Recreational kayaks have replaced canoes to a large degree. Paddleboards are probably the hottest new thing in the watersports arena. That said, you're right about both the technology aspects and the fact that road cycling was less prevalent and generally more dangerous at the time mountain biking came onto the scene.
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    I think a lot of the kayak story is price. And portability (so to speak anyway).
    - ghaff 12y ago
      I think it's more that it's technically easier--especially for a single person (and lighter/easier to load and unload from car/get in water for that single person). And, yes, Royalex has gotten to be a terrible price but given the same materials, kayaks aren't necessarily cheaper.
- clsec 12y ago
  "I also don't believe that these mountain bike pioneers were really that pioneering - since the invention of the bicycle people have been cycling off road and enjoying the thrills of descending at speed. It is kind of a natural thing to do. To a certain extent the bikes that came before mountain bikes - BMX - were off-road bikes albeit with small wheels although you could get medium flavour wheels with a BMX." This. As someone who grew up in Marin in the 70's I agree completely. When I first saw the title of this post I immediately thought it should be changed to "The Hippie Parents of the Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking" <dang, you listening?> IMO, the only reason that mountain biking took off is because our parents saw us hitchhiking up Tam and bombing down on our BMX bikes and wanted to try it out for themselves. Hence, the adaptation of "Klunkers" and "Bombers" that fit their larger body frames. Almost all of these people were, first and foremost, road cyclists. btw - I first bombed Mt Tam on a BMX bike in 1974.
vondur 12y ago
As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off in the last few years and really captures the essence of mountain biking. It's a good time to be into mountain bikes. Here are a couple of examples of the new generation of Enduro Bikes: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/reign.advanced.27.5.1/18765/76217/#technologies http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/reign.advanc... http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/enduro/enduro-elite-650b http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/enduro/endur... Both are relatively decently priced with good specs.
- tempermanent 12y ago
  > you don't need to spend 5K+ to do so links to two five-thousand-dollar bikes
  - jmspring 12y ago
    You don't need to, that said, there are a lot of riders that have more bike than they have the skills for. Sometimes I feel like I am in that category. I just spent a weekend in Whistler at a mountain bike camp where a young lady on a maybe $1400 hard tail bike was rolling the same stuff I was on the rented $5k bike. She grew up riding Vancouver's north shore. My advice for those looking to buy a bike that aren't already gear heads is: 1) Pick your budget 2) Test ride a bunch of bikes in that budget range 3) Pay attention to how the shop you test ride at is treating you -- you want a shop you are comfortable with Fit of bike and how it feels to you is probably most important. If the bike you like is at a shop you aren't fond of, you can always use another shop for service.
  - mmariani 12y ago
    Pick your time. Usually bike shops have their sales in the fall when you can get a previous year model at a good discount. Avoid carbon fiber frames and pro level gruppos. Go for an alumninum frame and a Deore gruppo as it's gonna save you a load of cash and give you a good bike to get started. Save some cash to buy a new saddle. Usually the saddles that come with lower cost bikes are incredibly uncomfortable. Money spent on a good saddle is money well spent. Most importantly, enjoy your bike as much as you can!
eplanit 12y ago
Aside from all the other interesting history, it's great to recollect the pre-spandex, pre-"fashion" days of the sport.
- scarecrowbob 12y ago
  I don't see why spandex is fashion. I don't wear it because I look good in it (I think it looks dumb, and I'm old enough to start to have a belly), I wear it because it's hot in Texas and it is the least amount of clothes I can wear and still feel like I have enough clothes on. Now, bar ends and disc brakes, that's fashion. :D
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    I was visiting someone in Montana and we decided to ride down an easy mountain trail/road. I melted a tube riding the brake.
  - sliverstorm 12y ago
    disc brakes are not fashion, man. I hemmed and hawed about them a few years ago, and now I'm never going back. Rim brakes come nowhere near the control and stopping power, which I am indescribably grateful for as I'm rocketing down my local rockbed trails.
  - taude 12y ago
    Disc brakes, fashion? You must not be riding the right trails.
    - scott_karana 12y ago
      No kidding, especially when you consider mud.
  - mtbcoder 12y ago
    Along with toe clips, bar ends have mostly gone the way side.
- PhasmaFelis 12y ago
hindsightbias 12y ago
All these bikes were at the SFO International Terminal awhile back. It was pretty neat seeing all the old frames again and the evolution.
marincounty 12y ago
Charlie Kelly doesn't get enough credit for the mountain bike. It was Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly who started a company in order to build mountian bikes. As life goes, they had dissagrements--and Charlie walked away. Charlie was the bike builder, and the bike mechanic. Without Charle I don't think Marin Mountian bikes would have ever build bikes? The shop was on Tundtead Ave. There was always a thick cloud of the early 80's in the air. The bikes were stunning. There were so many people who thought they would never be successful, but the bikes started to sell-- and the rest is history. The people who thought they would fold were adults. All the kids who drooled over the bikes(myself); knew different, but knew it was still a very risky business. As a chid, I would look into the shop and I used to say to myself "I hope they are still in business when I earn enough to buy one." As to Charlie Kelly; I don't think he is rich, but he looks younger than the rest of the guys, and seems genuinely happy. It's not just about money? I wouldn't label them as Hippies though. They were just young guys who liked riding bikes(road and mountan). Young guys who didn't want to follow in their fathers footsteps? Putting on that tie and spending years at same company seemed like a prison sentence years ago. (I let my brother use my bike and he eventually destroyed it. Then someone stole it. Somethings never change.)
- jusben1369 12y ago
  I used to see Kelly on Skyline in Oakland in the mid 90's on a Kelly frame. I knew he was a somebody but didn't know the story. Did he move to the East Bay?
was_hellbanned 12y ago
“The reason mountain biking is so popular,” says Charlie Kelly, “is that it’s one of the only ways in modern life that you can turn on your adrenaline pump, and leave it on for a long time. You can go big-wave surfing or skydiving, but downhill bike riding gives you all the adrenaline you can handle. I find that quote funny and sad, given that any skidding on trails in that area are now highly ticketable offenses, and have been since at least the early 1990s. Given the popularity of mountain biking these days, it's ironic that I now find it easier to get my thrills by doing downhill road cycling. I don't have to worry (much) about coming across a cyclist or pedestrian in the middle of the road, and cars are the only thing slowing me down.

It's crazy that Gary Fisher, Robin Williams, and Pete Carroll all went to high school together.

The reason Ritchey, Fisher, and the rest of their group are known as the "founders of mountain biking" is because they were the first to make bikes for others to also enjoy off-road riding. Lots of people rode off-road, down mountains and on trails before them. But they were the first to turn it into a successful business.

lafar6502 12y ago

great article

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

perrygeo 12y ago

Check out the documentary, Klunkerz (http://www.klunkerz.com/ http://www.klunkerz.com/)

jmspring 12y ago
It is referenced at the very end of the article and is quite a fun flick. The Marin Museum of Bicycling is worth a visit if you are in that part of the Bay Area (oh, and grab a beer or two in the near by breweries...) http://mmbhof.org http://mmbhof.org

Theodores 12y ago

This is great history, however there is more to the craze of mountain biking than these tales of pioneering legend. History can be taught as 'kings, queens and their wars' or it can be told in terms of economic and social things. With the mountain biking craze not much has been written about why it did take off like it did - really very few people knew who Fisher, Breeze, Ritchey et al. were. People just wanted a mountain bike for some reason. I also don't believe that these mountain bike pioneers were really that pioneering - since the invention of the bicycle people have been cycling off road and enjoying the thrills of descending at speed. It is kind of a natural thing to do. To a certain extent the bikes that came before mountain bikes - BMX - were off-road bikes albeit with small wheels although you could get medium flavour wheels with a BMX. My revisionist view of the mountain bike craze is to see it as a natural reaction to what politicians, planners and motorists were doing to our roads. Back in the day roads were many times more deadly than they are today with country roads unrestricted so 'idiots' could drive them far too fast to possibly stop for any cyclists that might be using them. As a consequence, in the 70's and 80's roads were not at all safe for cyclists and the only cyclists that would use them would be doing so for reasons different to today. As well as the instant danger roads back then were laced with deadly poisons from cars that are incredible to think about. Imagine putting lead in petrol?!? Who would have thought that was a good idea? Cycling is enjoyable - that is a statement of fact. Cycling on dangerous roads is no fun at all (unless you really enjoy that, which I can understand). So mountain bikes came along and just filled a need for something that had been denied by the motoring thing. Shimano did great things to get mountain biking started - they did a fantastic job of creating easy to service brakes, gears and other components. European component suppliers just did not get their act together which was their loss. Yet again, despite how wonderful Shimano were there were wider economic factors - the Yen was a fairly worthless currency at the time so Shimano parts were amazingly cheap given how high quality they were compared to their European counterparts. The frames for the bikes and the bikes themselves tended to come from 'new' suppliers. Older brands that made 'lugged' frames lost out. The factories in the Far East (Taiwan) that had been built to TiG weld chromoly steel tubes were the ones making the mountain bikes. For them this was a natural progression from the BMX that had gone before. As contract manufacturers 'OEM partners' they took the brands that the likes of Fisher had started and churned out some real product, this being the right product at the right time. Mountain bikes also rode on the crest of a wave of a consumer boom. Money was cheap and along with all the other consumer gizmos of the time, mountain bikes sold very nicely. So, although the Marin County history is fun, the real story of why the mountain bike happened has more to do with the tragedy of the roads and economic circumstance at home and in the Far East.

ghaff 12y ago
It's hard to say why certain types of activities take off. Inline skating (aka Rollerblading) came out of nowhere to become a very popular activity by the late 80s or thereabouts. (It predates that but that was around the time it really took off in the US.) Today, my observation in at least the places I live and visit is that it's essentially gone away--in spite of the increased availability of paved rail trails and the like. Recreational kayaks have replaced canoes to a large degree. Paddleboards are probably the hottest new thing in the watersports arena. That said, you're right about both the technology aspects and the fact that road cycling was less prevalent and generally more dangerous at the time mountain biking came onto the scene.
- maxerickson 12y ago
  I think a lot of the kayak story is price. And portability (so to speak anyway).
  - ghaff 12y ago
    I think it's more that it's technically easier--especially for a single person (and lighter/easier to load and unload from car/get in water for that single person). And, yes, Royalex has gotten to be a terrible price but given the same materials, kayaks aren't necessarily cheaper.
clsec 12y ago
"I also don't believe that these mountain bike pioneers were really that pioneering - since the invention of the bicycle people have been cycling off road and enjoying the thrills of descending at speed. It is kind of a natural thing to do. To a certain extent the bikes that came before mountain bikes - BMX - were off-road bikes albeit with small wheels although you could get medium flavour wheels with a BMX." This. As someone who grew up in Marin in the 70's I agree completely. When I first saw the title of this post I immediately thought it should be changed to "The Hippie Parents of the Daredevils Who Invented Mountain Biking" <dang, you listening?> IMO, the only reason that mountain biking took off is because our parents saw us hitchhiking up Tam and bombing down on our BMX bikes and wanted to try it out for themselves. Hence, the adaptation of "Klunkers" and "Bombers" that fit their larger body frames. Almost all of these people were, first and foremost, road cyclists. btw - I first bombed Mt Tam on a BMX bike in 1974.

vondur 12y ago

As an avid mountain biker, this article reminds me about the pure fun of riding in the outdoors. You don't need to spend 5K+ to do so. The technology in mountain biking has really taken off in the last 15 years. I can ride trails that only people on downhill bikes would have done 10 years ago, and the bike weighs less than 30lbs, making pedaling up hills not a problem. Enduro mountain bike racing has really taken off in the last few years and really captures the essence of mountain biking. It's a good time to be into mountain bikes. Here are a couple of examples of the new generation of Enduro Bikes: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/reign.advanced.27.5.1/18765/76217/#technologies http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/reign.advanc... http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/enduro/enduro-elite-650b http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/enduro/endur... Both are relatively decently priced with good specs.

tempermanent 12y ago
> you don't need to spend 5K+ to do so links to two five-thousand-dollar bikes
- jmspring 12y ago
  You don't need to, that said, there are a lot of riders that have more bike than they have the skills for. Sometimes I feel like I am in that category. I just spent a weekend in Whistler at a mountain bike camp where a young lady on a maybe $1400 hard tail bike was rolling the same stuff I was on the rented $5k bike. She grew up riding Vancouver's north shore. My advice for those looking to buy a bike that aren't already gear heads is: 1) Pick your budget 2) Test ride a bunch of bikes in that budget range 3) Pay attention to how the shop you test ride at is treating you -- you want a shop you are comfortable with Fit of bike and how it feels to you is probably most important. If the bike you like is at a shop you aren't fond of, you can always use another shop for service.
- mmariani 12y ago
  Pick your time. Usually bike shops have their sales in the fall when you can get a previous year model at a good discount. Avoid carbon fiber frames and pro level gruppos. Go for an alumninum frame and a Deore gruppo as it's gonna save you a load of cash and give you a good bike to get started. Save some cash to buy a new saddle. Usually the saddles that come with lower cost bikes are incredibly uncomfortable. Money spent on a good saddle is money well spent. Most importantly, enjoy your bike as much as you can!

eplanit 12y ago

Aside from all the other interesting history, it's great to recollect the pre-spandex, pre-"fashion" days of the sport.

scarecrowbob 12y ago
I don't see why spandex is fashion. I don't wear it because I look good in it (I think it looks dumb, and I'm old enough to start to have a belly), I wear it because it's hot in Texas and it is the least amount of clothes I can wear and still feel like I have enough clothes on. Now, bar ends and disc brakes, that's fashion. :D
- maxerickson 12y ago
  I was visiting someone in Montana and we decided to ride down an easy mountain trail/road. I melted a tube riding the brake.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  disc brakes are not fashion, man. I hemmed and hawed about them a few years ago, and now I'm never going back. Rim brakes come nowhere near the control and stopping power, which I am indescribably grateful for as I'm rocketing down my local rockbed trails.
- taude 12y ago
  Disc brakes, fashion? You must not be riding the right trails.
  - scott_karana 12y ago
    No kidding, especially when you consider mud.
- mtbcoder 12y ago
  Along with toe clips, bar ends have mostly gone the way side.
PhasmaFelis 12y ago

hindsightbias 12y ago

All these bikes were at the SFO International Terminal awhile back. It was pretty neat seeing all the old frames again and the evolution.

marincounty 12y ago

Charlie Kelly doesn't get enough credit for the mountain bike. It was Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly who started a company in order to build mountian bikes. As life goes, they had dissagrements--and Charlie walked away. Charlie was the bike builder, and the bike mechanic. Without Charle I don't think Marin Mountian bikes would have ever build bikes? The shop was on Tundtead Ave. There was always a thick cloud of the early 80's in the air. The bikes were stunning. There were so many people who thought they would never be successful, but the bikes started to sell-- and the rest is history. The people who thought they would fold were adults. All the kids who drooled over the bikes(myself); knew different, but knew it was still a very risky business. As a chid, I would look into the shop and I used to say to myself "I hope they are still in business when I earn enough to buy one." As to Charlie Kelly; I don't think he is rich, but he looks younger than the rest of the guys, and seems genuinely happy. It's not just about money? I wouldn't label them as Hippies though. They were just young guys who liked riding bikes(road and mountan). Young guys who didn't want to follow in their fathers footsteps? Putting on that tie and spending years at same company seemed like a prison sentence years ago. (I let my brother use my bike and he eventually destroyed it. Then someone stole it. Somethings never change.)

jusben1369 12y ago
I used to see Kelly on Skyline in Oakland in the mid 90's on a Kelly frame. I knew he was a somebody but didn't know the story. Did he move to the East Bay?

was_hellbanned 12y ago

“The reason mountain biking is so popular,” says Charlie Kelly, “is that it’s one of the only ways in modern life that you can turn on your adrenaline pump, and leave it on for a long time. You can go big-wave surfing or skydiving, but downhill bike riding gives you all the adrenaline you can handle. I find that quote funny and sad, given that any skidding on trails in that area are now highly ticketable offenses, and have been since at least the early 1990s. Given the popularity of mountain biking these days, it's ironic that I now find it easier to get my thrills by doing downhill road cycling. I don't have to worry (much) about coming across a cyclist or pedestrian in the middle of the road, and cars are the only thing slowing me down.