who invented mountain bike??

[Steve Vai]

Klunkers...

Buy the DVD Klunkers, all will be revealed. There was no one guy who actually invented the mountain bike, there was a group of friends who were into riding off-road and were trying to come up with a better way to do it. It however was Gary Fisher who decided to sell and market mountain bikes. His first company was called Mountain Bike and his frames were built by Joe Breeze. He later changed the name to Gary Fisher. The Specialized Stumpjumper was the first stock production bike made, at the time, Fisher's were custom made and built to customer specs. The DVD is very good and worth a gander if you're at all into this sort of thing

-Jim.

 

[tonyride]

Buy the DVD Klunkers, all will be revealed. There was no one guy who actually invented the mountain bike, there was a group of friends who were into riding off-road and were trying to come up with a better way to do it. It however was Gary Fisher who decided to sell and market mountain bikes. His first company was called Mountain Bike and his frames were built by Joe Breeze. He later changed the name to Gary Fisher. The Specialized Stumpjumper was the first stock production bike made, at the time, Fisher's were custom made and built to customer specs. The DVD is very good and worth a gander if you're at all into this sort of thing

-Jim.

Cool. I'll have to look into it.

 

[don]

Cool. I'll have to look into it.

Klunkerz. Definitely get it. Lots of really really cool info, pics, and vids.

I know everyone thinks Fisher invented the modern mtn bike but there seems to be a bit more to the story.

According to the movie, Craig Mitchell made the first custom made mtn bike frame in '77 for Charlie Kelly based on the Schwinn geometry.

Kelly didn't like the frame from Mitchell too much. Meanwhile, Joe Breeze had built himself a complete bike with a freshly designed frame to his own geometry and specially picked components. That first one was built Oct '77. Charlie Kelly had Joe build him the #2 bike. 10 were built and an original Breezer was $750.

Fisher didn't get a Breezer but had Tom Ritchey make him a frame according to his specs. Ritchey had been building road frames. Fisher asked Kelly to help out and they started MountainBikes the company. Fisher bought Kelly out as Fisher was much better at the business and marketing. I remember Fisher changed the name to Gary Fisher sometime in the early 90's something about Fischer Skis and name infrigement.

Here's a great page on the history of the bikes on the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame:
http://www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/page.cfm?pageid=13

 

[syadasti]

Besides France, the Midwest US, Vietnam, etc. one the first atb clubs was the "The Rough Stuff Fellowship" in the UK. Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher, Holland Jones were RSF members back in the 70s before the Marin crowd made their revision of the RS ATB.

From their website (FYI, UK/NZ/AU/etc riders call trails "tracks"):

The history of the RSF goes way back to its foundation in 1955, long before anyone had ever heard of Marin County. It was formed by cyclists who wanted to get away from roads and cycle on tracks, and byways.

Good thread about them here, Jack Taylor started building ATBs in 1953:

"The 'Rough Stuff' model was first produced by the Brothers in 1953, and was made from the 1-1 drawings a Nature Photographer drafted and gave to them. Camera equipment was heavy; and he wanted to take it back country in the "roof stoof" It has the major design elements of a modern mountain bike: small diameter wheels, a high bottom bracket, a sloping top tube, cantilever brakes. and triple chainrings. Derby ordered one in 1974 but as it took about 5 years to arrive, saw only a year's use before being replaced by a mountain bike.

"There was even a lone foreign entry, this a Jack Taylor from England. For years the renown Taylor firm has built frames for English backlaners who tour historic unpaved roads, and who have formed an association known as the Rough Stuff Fellowship. For years Holland Jones, owner of Fulton Street Cyclery in San Francisco, had been badgering Taylor to ship a roughstuff bike. That which arrived a few months ago is probably the first in the country."

 

[tommyjay]

Buy the DVD Klunkers, all will be revealed. There was no one guy who actually invented the mountain bike, there was a group of friends who were into riding off-road and were trying to come up with a better way to do it. It however was Gary Fisher who decided to sell and market mountain bikes. His first company was called Mountain Bike and his frames were built by Joe Breeze. He later changed the name to Gary Fisher. The Specialized Stumpjumper was the first stock production bike made, at the time, Fisher's were custom made and built to customer specs. The DVD is very good and worth a gander if you're at all into this sort of thing

-Jim.

They snubbed my mom - left her interview on the cutting room floor

That aside, they get MOST of the story right, with the exception that Fisher's vision was born out of a tequila fueled tryst in Oswego, NY with my mom! :rofl:

 

[Steve Vai]

They snubbed my mom - left her interview on the cutting room floor

That aside, they get MOST of the story right, with the exception that Fisher's vision was born out of a tequila fueled tryst in Oswego, NY with my mom! :rofl:

Is Gary Fisher your daddy?

-Jim.

 

[don]

It is equipped with a TA Triple crank with Lyotard Pedals and doubled Christophe clips; Mafac Brakes and Levers, Campy Bar-end shifters, Campy NR Rear Gear, Suntour Surpurbe Front Changer, Wheels by Derby King with 650B Super Champion Rims. The front wheel has a Campy Track hub drilled to 48* and the rear wheel sports 36 spokes of 10 and 11 gauge."

Oh, no. Don't let the 650B zealots on empty beer see that. They might have something to use against the 29er faction

Cool article and that is a very cool bike. I'm not surprised about the bike being built for backlaners. The UK Land Rover publications I read mention greenlane driving a lot and I am pretty sure those greenlanes have been over on that island for many many years.

 

[syadasti]

Oh, no. Don't let the 650B zealots on empty beer see that. They might have something to use against the 29er faction

Cool article and that is a very cool bike. I'm not surprised about the bike being built for backlaners. The UK Land Rover publications I read mention greenlane driving a lot and I am pretty sure those greenlanes have been over on that island for many many years.

Yeah there was also a RSF bike from 1968 with knobbies on the first page of that thread too.

Found this page about the first 29er MTB - they had to go with 29ers as 650B tires were too hard to find:rofl:

http://www.james-walters.net/cleland/the-first-29er.html

Again Fisher borrows his "innovation" from the UK:

In the same issue of Biker Biz Gary Fisher, speaking about the growing popularity of 29ers, gives his perspective:

“We got some tyres from Geoff Apps really early on and we [Fisher and Kelly] said ‘Holy Toledo!’” But the poor supply situation of the larger diameter tyres meant the fledging MTB industry stuck with the smaller wheel size."

 

[don]

Is Gary Fisher your daddy?

-Jim.

It does sound like his his mom is Jacquie Phelan.

 

[Steve Vai]

Damn Tommy, trade in that FSR for a SuperFly, you're daddy gave me one

-Jim.

 

[tommyjay]

Nah, he's not my daddy - i was already born by that time, and working as a humble shoe shine boy. However, rumor has it I may have a half-brother named Sven.

Jim -

I'd love to get a new ride....funds are too low right now. And though ppl may criticize Specialized, my SJ is a workhorse - dependable and a good ride, IMHO. Next bike will probably be a more exotic build.