SeeKay's Mountain Bike Stuff

November 7, 2005 8:27 PM

Charlie Kelly's Website.Between 1979 and 1983 I was part of the first company to make nothing but off-road bicycles when I joined forces with my former roommate, Gary Fisher, and a frambuilder named Tom Ritchey. Meet Charlie Kelly, Mountain Bike Hall of Famer and one of those who was there in the mid-1970s, astride a converted Schwinn atop Marin County's Mount Tam, founding the sport known today as mountain biking.[via]
posted by RockyChrysler (7 comments total)

Bit o' trivia; there are more patents associated with bicycle tech than any other. (I know from painful personal experience)
posted by Mr T at 8:47 PM on November 7, 2005

When I was at the world cup in Fort William a couple of months ago and I was watching the likes of Peat and Minaar flying down the side of Ben Nevis in around 5 minutes (it took me over an hour to walk down the route) on their uberbikes, I did spend some time thinking what it would be like to try the course on one of those old converted Schwinns.

I didn't fancy the idea to be honest. Funny that :)

Good stuff, thanks.
posted by bouncebounce at 12:56 AM on November 8, 2005

Great stuff! I never thought about the beginnings of the sport. Mountain bikers are crazy mofos fearless dudes.
posted by SteveInMaine at 5:23 AM on November 8, 2005

Kids have been riding bicycles in the woods, down hills, and over jumps for as long as there have been kids and bicyles. I'm pretty sure my older brother actually invented the sport the day he rode down the hill in Wildwood park -- that was way back in '67.

Damn those usurpers.
posted by cedar at 6:53 AM on November 8, 2005

I used to have a 1983 Diamondback Ridge Runner, along with the Specialized Stumpjumper and the Fisher and Ritchey designs they were the first commercially available mountain bikes. Lots of good memories there. . .
The Diamondback had a really long wheelbase which made it great for high speed downhill descents. I remember one time bombing down a fireroad, slowing to pass a car coming the other direction and the guy in the car looked me over and said he could have swore he was looking at a motocross bike from the speed of the descent. . .
posted by mk1gti at 9:21 AM on November 8, 2005

I loove all the ephemera he's posted. Speaking as someone who once sought out a 50s Schwinn Panther to replicate an early Repack bike... great post.

Cedar, the Repack guys designed some pretty sweet mountain bikes, then commercialized them effectively -- they definitely didn't invent the "bikes in the woods" concept.

It's a shame Mt. Tam is closed to bikes these days.
posted by killdevil at 10:02 AM on November 8, 2005

Some of the guys here in Marin have a hilarious picture: Gary Fisher & buddies-- on cyclocross bikes-- looking enviously at Joe Breeze and Alan Bonds (?) on converted Schwinns at the start of a race- circa '76.
posted by wzcx at 3:39 PM on November 8, 2005