# Old photos surface



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I have been rooting through my voluminous files lately looking for stuff to entertain this forum. A few days ago I came across an envelope with photos I haven't seen in over 20 years.

There were photos of my Breezer #2 in mint condition, one of Alan Bonds' awesome klunkers, and some negatives that I could tell from the size were from Gary Fisher's Hasselblad camera.

Here are a few of them. I'll post more down the thread if these are well received.

The Breezer:










This was a contact print, but because it was from the large format Hasselblad negative, I was able to get a halfway decent scan. This is one of the nine bikes that Tom Ritchey fronted to Gary and me in September of 1979, and which we used to start our business. The photo was taken in what would have been the "dining room" if a normal family had lived in the house at 1320 San Anselmo Avenue, but served us as the shop before we rented a commercial space two blocks away.










Thank Hewlitt-Packard for scanners! Years ago I would have had to trudge to the photo store and have these developed, only to find that most of them were out of focus or badly lit. This one wasn't. Gary took this photo of me on his bike, one of Tom's first run of three mountain bikes built in early 1979. Purists will note that the t-shirt is the same one that Billy Savage is wearing on the cover of Decline Magazine.


----------



## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Great pix. Thanks for posting them. I am looking forward to seeing what else you have in your archives for our entertainment.


----------



## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

Wow... no that's HISTORY!

Thanks for sharing!


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Awesome! Keep 'em coming. The contrast of flash and night on the Breezer is pretty cool.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

*Incredible stuff!*

Thanks for sharing this incredible history with us, Charlie.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

That's new desktop wallpaper for me!

The first 9 Tom built bikes. Where are they now? All accounted for, or just a few with their whereabouts known?


Fantastic pictures! I how we get to see more.


----------



## cegrover (Oct 17, 2004)

Just another amazing post from CK. Consider me entertained! :thumbsup:


----------



## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

Those are great pics!

You can really see the modern mountain bike evolve from clunker to a true purpose built mountain bike at that moment. I'd say those design were copied for at least a decade or more without major changes from that point forward.

thanks for posting those.:thumbsup:


----------



## Mike Brown (Mar 12, 2004)

That looks like some good trail in #3. 
Thanks.
Mike


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

*please keep em coming*

anybody know how many came with truss forks?


----------



## crconsulting (Apr 11, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> The first 9 Tom built bikes. Where are they now? All accounted for, or just a few with their whereabouts known?.


Those were my exact thoughts.....


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

i'm not joking: i can't see any pics CK posts. firefox on mac here. what gives?:madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman:


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

colker1 said:


> i'm not joking: i can't see any pics CK posts. firefox on mac here. what gives?:madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman:


can you see mine?maybe its not your computer


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

i see your breezer and not CK's.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

hollister said:


> anybody know how many came with truss forks?


One. That's Joe's Breezer #1. All the rest, mine included, came with Red Line forks and were nickel-plated instead of painted. Did anyone notice that the seatpost is Campy micro-adjusting?

As far as where the Ritchey bikes went, I know where two of them are. Fred Wolf still has his. One of the others was sold to my uncle, and a few years ago I took it to Tom to see what he would give him for it. Thomas Frischknecht traded my uncle straight across for one of his full-race top of the line bikes.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> As far as where the Ritchey bikes went, I know where two of them are. Fred Wolf still has his. One of the others was sold to my uncle, and a few years ago I took it to Tom to see what he would give him for it. Thomas Frischknecht traded my uncle straight across for one of his full-race top of the line bikes.


Frishi got the better end of the deal. :smilewinkgrin:


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Alan Bonds' '78 klunker


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

More Breezer


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

More Ritchey


----------



## bmxcollector (Nov 21, 2006)

I certainly don't mean any disrespect to a legend and pioneer of the sport but aren't the forks on the early bikes made by Cook Bros? They are dead ringers for my two sets of CBR forks from the era.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

bmxcollector said:


> I certainly don't mean any disrespect to a legend and pioneer of the sport but aren't the forks on the early bikes made by Cook Bros? They are dead ringers for my two sets of CBR forks from the era.


RedLine. Pretty much identical to CBR, just a 3" longer BMX fork. Joe made his own fork with curved tapered tubing, but he bought all the others.


----------



## bmxcollector (Nov 21, 2006)

Interesting, Redline never made a production 26" bike. A picture did surface recently of a one off 26" Redline from 1975. It did feature a 26" redline fork but was of the original style with solid drop outs. Maybe the Breezer/ Redline fork was produced to spec and not a off the shelf item? Cool stuff thanks for the pics!

A quick note. Cook Brothers was among the first to copy the tubular fork design developed by Redline for the BMX market in 74/75. Not making them very popular with the owner of Redline. That was what made me question the Breezer fork as being a CBR. I found it very strange Redline would use a CBR style dropout as there was no love lost between the two companies.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

I believe the fork on the front of this bike if a Cook Bros. 
Alan, Billy, or Charlie can correct me if I'm wrong on this.


----------



## Boy named SSue (Jan 7, 2004)

I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying this thread. Thank you for sharing these with us.


----------



## bmxcollector (Nov 21, 2006)

If your talking about the forks on the Lawwill those are not Cook Bros. What is interesting is the gold one has what look to be 26" Redline forks. Several makers were producing a similiar fork by then and I bet they are Gary Littlejohn forks. The forks on the red bike are most likely modified Diamond Back units.Probably an overseas unit judging by the construction. Very few BMX companies had the dual drop out set up. Speedo, Motopro, Bandito, Diamond Back being the most well known. 

So where was that gathering?


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

bmxcollector said:


> So where was that gathering?


Fairfax Fat Tire Festival 06.

This from 05:


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Here are a couple of shots I know you guys will like.

These were taken in June of 1979. The bikes from left to right are Alan Bonds' Excelsior klunker, my Breezer #2, Mike Castelli's 1979 Jeffey Richman and Gary Fisher's first Ritchey.


----------



## crisillo (Jul 3, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Here are a couple of shots I know you guys will like.
> 
> These were taken in June of 1979. The bikes from left to right are Alan Bonds' Excelsior klunker, my Breezer #2, Mike Castelli's 1979 Jeffey Richman and Gary Fisher's first Ritchey.


Very cool! :thumbsup:


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

The best yet!! Awesome pics!

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## commuter73 (May 31, 2006)

This is a fantastic thread! I recently picked up a 20 dollar Schwinn Cruiser off craigslist and these pics are giving me TONS of ideas.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

We're lovin' this CK. Fantastic to see these early mtbs in their prime.


----------



## Cycleshark (Jan 21, 2004)

wow.....thanks charlie!


one can clearly see.....back in da days...nobody knew mountain bikes.....


....there is no locks on the bikes!! :eekster: :cornut: :lol:

swizz greetings 
uncle pete


----------



## bootsie_cat (Nov 3, 2004)

*Breezer*

I think Larry Kragg still has one of those Breezers under his porch?



Repack Rider said:


> I have been rooting through my voluminous files lately looking for stuff to entertain this forum. A few days ago I came across an envelope with photos I haven't seen in over 20 years.
> 
> There were photos of my Breezer #2 in mint condition, one of Alan Bonds' awesome klunkers, and some negatives that I could tell from the size were from Gary Fisher's Hasselblad camera.
> 
> ...


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Another pile of old photos has surfaced in my collection, so I thought I would bring back this thread rather than starting another, so they would all be in the same place. These are mostly InstaMatic shots, with limited quality because the negatives are so small.

Around 1975 we took a ride in Point Reyes and got busted. This is Bob Klock talking to the ranger, and Gary Fisher in the foreground.

Take a close look at Gary's shifters, barely in the photo at the bottom. It is a pair of "stem shifters" moved to the handlebars, with both levers operated by the same hand. This was what we used before thumb shifters.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

These ride photos look to be from about 1976, when most of our crowd had upgraded to multiple gear clunkers.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

One more. Howie Hammerman, Alan Bonds and his dog Ariel, and Vince Carleton


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Really looks like you made the most of your rides. Took your time and enjoyed things.

CK, generally speaking, when you guys went out to ride, was it an all day event?


----------



## Upchuck (Jan 30, 2004)

Thanks for reviving the thread, CK. It's great to see the photos and read the stories of how things evolved 30 years ago.


----------



## Retrocowboy (May 16, 2006)

*beautiful pics*

Thanks for sharing them with us. I find the history very interesting, especially how the frames and parts came together.


----------



## poppy (Jan 24, 2006)

Great thread thanx


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Upchuck said:


> Thanks for reviving the thread, CK. It's great to see the photos and read the stories of how things evolved 30 years ago.


Great pics, CK!


----------



## Freemtnrider (Jun 13, 2007)

Great shots! keep them coming! 

CK I'm gunna trim my mustache and side burns to match yours in that first shot and then sport the look to my local races. 

Forget about the first Tom bikes, what happend to Gary Fisher's Hasselblad camera? 
The 80mm format I assume? 

I'm not that into cameras but its probably worth $8-10,000 at this point.


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Freemtnrider said:


> .
> 
> Forget about the first Tom bikes, what happend to Gary Fisher's Hasselblad camera?
> The 80mm format I assume?
> ...


huh...r u serious?


----------



## SKULLY (Nov 16, 2005)

Rumpfy said:


> Really looks like you made the most of your rides. Took your time and enjoyed things.
> 
> CK, generally speaking, when you guys went out to ride, was it an all day event?


Smoke em if ya got em!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Time to bump this one back to the top, and I have just the stuff.

Here is a better scan of a photo on my website, taken in 1976 after a Repack race. From left, Alan Bonds, Benny Hendricks, Ross Parkerson, Jim Stern and me. Every bike is a Schwinn Excelsior. I have blown up my own bike, which as you can see has an Alan Bonds paint job.

Some of us are wearing Excelsior t-shirts printed by Alan. I am wearing my standard Repack attire, my Army fatigue shirt with my name still over the pocket.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Parking lot of the Fairfax Theater, 1981. My first Ritchey is second from the left, red with brass plated bars and everything anodized gold.

I can identify Tom Meyers in the white pants, Dennis Leonard in the white jersey, and myself in the red hat. The bike at far left is a Murray Baja, which Gary gave me as a joke, and which then fell into the hands of Steve Wilde, who rode it into the ground in short order.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Joe Breeze and I raced in the Tilden Park CycloCross on our Breezers in 1978. I was a DNF with bike damage (bent my wimpy TA chainring), and Joe finished out of the money, but our teammate Joe Ryan won on a standard 'cross bike.

Here are myself, Denise Caramagno, Joe Ryan and Gary Fisher after the race.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

In 1980 we drove down to Glenn Odell's race in San Luis Obispo, the Central Coast Clunker Classic. Here are Ken Fuetsch and Joe Breeze after the race. The three bikes are all Breezers. Mine is closest to the camera and Joe's is in the middle. The third bike is a type II Breezer without the extra tubes.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Legendary stuff CK!

I'm sure it's been said before but....it's a damn good thing you had the wherewithal to take the pictures and keep track of all this stuff.

A great deal of otherwise important history would surely have been lost otherwise.


----------



## Williwoods (May 3, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Parking lot of the Fairfax Theater, 1981. My first Ritchey is second from the left, red with brass plated bars and everything anodized gold.
> 
> I can identify Tom Meyers in the white pants, Dennis Leonard in the white jersey, and myself in the red hat. The bike at far left is a Murray Baja, which Gary gave me as a joke, and which then fell into the hands of Steve Wilde, who rode it into the ground in short order.


tell me about the bike behind Tom!! sloping tt?


----------



## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

CK
Keep up the great work. Those photos are priceless and a nice window into the past.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Williwoods said:


> tell me about the bike behind Tom!! sloping tt?


Not a lot of possibilities in 1981. I'm thinking it might be a Trailmaster, but I don't know how to verify it. The photo is maxed out.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Not a lot of possibilities in 1981. I'm thinking it might be a Trailmaster, but I don't know how to verify it. The photo is maxed out.


As usual, great stuff. Where's the red Ritchey now?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> As usual, great stuff. Where's the red Ritchey now?


Sold it in 1982 to a guy named Aaron Goldstein, who is now the sound mixer for the Sons of Champlin.

Saw a guy riding it in 1987, haven't seen it since.


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> Joe Breeze and I raced in the Tilden Park CycloCross on our Breezers in 1979. I was a DNF with bike damage (bent my wimpy TA chainring), and Joe finished out of the money, but our teammate Joe Ryan won on a standard 'cross bike.
> 
> Here are myself, Denise Caramagno, Joe Ryan and Gary Fisher after the race.


possibly my favorite photo yet.


----------



## L-Train (Apr 28, 2006)

*I'll second that*

and third it


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

hollister said:


> possibly my favorite photo yet.


Really? Thanks.

I debated even posting it, since there aren't any bikes in the shot.

I need to correct the date of the photo; it's actually 1978, not 1979.

That was my first "date" with Denise, who moved in with me a short time later and was instrumental in starting the Fat Tire Flyer. (She named the publication and acted as the publisher, starting at the age of 19.) Denise is now in the MTB Hall of Fame.


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> Really? Thanks.
> 
> I debated even posting it, since there aren't any bikes in the shot.
> 
> ...


please, dont hesitate to post any of the photos you got


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> Really? Thanks.
> 
> I debated even posting it, since there aren't any bikes in the shot.


We respect the people as much as the bikes, so please, post-a-way.

I don't think a lot of other forums give as much credit to the riders/builders as they do the bikes.

You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been. We might be bias, but MTB history is pretty colorful.

It's a bonus for us to get our history lessons first hand from those of you that wrote it.


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

*Thanks CK*

Oh man, I wish you would have opened that envelope a year ago! I could have used a few more shots of you riding on the trails on that MB. Thanks for posting and for all the support, CK. I just wish we were on our way to London for the premiere there. It's gonna rock. Thanks Rumpfy, and the rest of you folks on this site for keeping in the klunk alive. 
Ride on!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Above Alpine Dam, January 1982.

All the bikes are Ritcheys. The one without a rider is Denise Caramagno's. From left, John Troja in front of Dennett Colescott, and Mike Flanagan is standing behind me.

I have included a detail shot of my red 1980 Ritchey, with brass plated bars, gold anodized brake levers, cranks, rims, pedals and Blackburn rack (which doubled as a rear fender in those days). It even has red leather covers for the brake levers and red cable housings. Black anodized TA chainset.

Definitely one of the coolest looking Ritcheys that ever hit dirt.

Mike's bike, behind mine, is painted flat black, and everything else is black anodized.


----------



## ericb49 (Aug 11, 2006)

Repack Rider said:


> Above Alpine Dam, January 1982.


Alpine Lake at flood stage, even. God that was a wet winter!


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

Nice stuff CK. When's the book coming out? You know me... I'm thinking Klunkerz 2...The Chromoly Years! How did Joe Ryan win the Tilden 'Cross race after a face-plant? He looks like he's bleeding pretty good. Keep 'em coming!


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Above Alpine Dam, January 1982.
> 
> All the bikes are Ritcheys. The one without a rider is Denise Caramagno's. From left, John Troja in front of Dennett Colescott, and Mike Flanagan is standing behind me.
> 
> ...


Super cool. This needs to go in the Ritchey thread. I like that black one. Ive seen a real early (82ish) Mt Goat Deluxe with red paint, red Magura covers, and gold ano parts. Pretty neat.


----------



## surly357 (Jan 19, 2006)

*great!*

love the klunker & early mtb stuff. the early repack/pearl pass photos in 'bicycling' and 'outside' fired up my imagination and got me into cycling. i see qbp has 'klunkerz' in stock now, i better go put together a totally unneccessary parts order.......


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

One of my marketing tools when I sold Ritchey MountainBikes was to take my bike out on the road century rides and kick ass. This was the best century I ever rode on fat tires, the 1981 Hekaton starting and ending in Dublin (East Bay) It had 8000 feet of climbing, and I rode my gold-trimmed red Ritchey, while my friend Mark Edwards rode my Breezer #2.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Alan Bonds on Repack, 1976.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Me, Gary and Joe, around 1994.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> Me, Gary and Joe, around 1994.


You still have that Ritchey.


----------



## Paulie (Jan 23, 2006)

Boy named SSue said:


> I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying this thread. Thank you for sharing these with us.


I like how none of the rear tires can fit into the rack.  Classis pics.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I'm getting away with posting some pretty bad photos here.

This is Denise Caramagno right after a race, with my Breezer #2. I'm thinking this was the 1980 Central Coast Clunker Classic, or possibly the 1981 version of that race.

Denise suffered a little damage, which she shows off proudly.

The third shot is Dave Epperson's photo of Denise and Wende Cragg practicing on the Pacifica Cyclocross course before the 1981 National Championships.

Denise has her own Ritchey, and Wende has an original Breezer.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Joe Murray, Ned Overend, Roy Rivers and Paul Thomasberg, Virginia City around 1984.

Ned Overend's Schwinn Paramountain.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Joe Murray, Ned Overend, Roy Rivers and Paul Thomasberg, Virginia City around 1984.
> 
> Ned Overend's Schwinn Paramountain.


I wonder who made Ned's frame.

You sure thats Joe Murray? Doesnt look like him to me and wouldnt he be on a Fisher then? You know better than me for sure. How about that Ritchey rider in the background, is that Tom?

The guy with the beard looks familiar too.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> I wonder who made Ned's frame.
> 
> You sure thats Joe Murray? Doesnt look like him to me and wouldnt he be on a Fisher then? You know better than me for sure. How about that Ritchey rider in the background, is that Tom?
> 
> The guy with the beard looks familiar too.


I assumed it was Joe, 'cuz it looks like him and it's the right crowd for the time, but the bike looks Cannondale-ish, so I might be wrong. I found some so-so shots of Joe at the time, and I will post them for comparison.

I looked at the Ritchey rider in the background, and he looks too short and too thick of leg to be Tom. I suspect it's Max Jones.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> You sure thats Joe Murray? Doesnt look like him to me and wouldnt he be on a Fisher then.


I'm terrible with faces, worse with names.

Here's a known Joe Murray photo from the 1988 Rockhopper. Is it the same guy?


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> I'm getting away with posting some pretty bad photos here.
> 
> This is Denise Caramagno right after a race, with my Breezer #2. I'm thinking this was the 1980 Central Coast Clunker Classic, or possibly the 1981 version of that race.
> 
> ...


that last pic is awesome.

this thread gets better and better


----------



## NorseRider (Feb 9, 2004)

Fantastic pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Truls
Johnsen Frameworks
www.johnsenframeworks.com
Norway


----------



## Retro MB (Oct 13, 2007)

Repack Rider said:


> Joe Murray, Ned Overend, Roy Rivers and Paul Thomasberg, Virginia City around 1984.


I am sorry to go way back to a previous post, but the tires on Ned's and Roy's bikes look like Ground Controls. That would place the date as 1985 at the earliest. Both bikes look like the ones that they used at the 1985 NORBA Nationals in Santa Barbara, CA. My guess is that it is 1985.

No matter the date, all of the pictures (bikes and/or people) are fantastic! This is history.

MB


----------



## thebigred67 (Mar 29, 2005)

Great thread!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Retro,

Good catch on the Ground Control tires. Some photos are easier to date than others. If I'm in the photo, I generally knew when and where it was taken. I wasn't sure which year Ned switched to Specialized, but he rode the 1986 Nationals on a Schwinn. I have a lot of photos from Edgemont Ranch from that year and he's still with Schwinn.

Here's Crested Butte rider Tracy Smith with his Cunningham at the 1986 Plumline Challenge near Bishop, California.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Specialized owner Mike Sinyard hands up a bottle to his star rider, Ned Overend at the 1988 National championships at Sun Valley.


----------



## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Here's Crested Butte rider Tracy Smith with his Cunningham at the 1986 Plumline Challenge near Bishop, California.


SMITH aka Seldom Seen~I have a pic of that bike that I took at his condo a few years ago somewhere in the archives......he can still ride all day perty darn fast to this day. He also has a 700c 'Ham. You must have one of his teammate S Cook also?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I thought I had already posted this one, or at least had it on my website, but apparently not because I couldn't locate it anywhere. Sorry if it's a repeat.

This is from Repack, 1979, and apparently Gary won something, because I'm on the big rock that served as the podium for race finishes, handing him some sort of prize.

Yesterday I scanned the Crested Butte newspapers from September, 1978, which detail how the California riders took the place by storm. Knowing what we know now about CB, this is pretty interesting, so I put up a new page on my site for them.

Rather than duplicate it all here, I'll just post this link to my new page.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> I thought I had already posted this one, or at least had it on my website, but apparently not because I couldn't locate it anywhere. Sorry if it's a repeat.
> 
> This is from Repack, 1979, and apparently Gary won something, because I'm on the big rock that served as the podium for race finishes, handing him some sort of prize.
> 
> ...


Neat article. On that Pearl Pass shot with everyone lined up, were the CB locals the ones with the "ape hanger" bars or did some of the CA guys have those as well? The high bars seem to look different from what Ive seen on Repack shots.

Edit: after closer inspection, I see that most of the Marin guys have the lower motorcycle bars.

Please keep this stuff coming!


----------



## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

I have been following this thread and while I cannot consider myself a mountain bike history buff, I would like to be one. Is there a book considered to be the crème de la crème of mountain bike history? Any other mediums that could help me get a grasp of what mtbing was like back in the day? 

this site, particularly this thread rock, thank you.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

fastale said:


> I have been following this thread and while I cannot consider myself a mountain bike history buff, I would like to be one. Is there a book considered to be the crème de la crème of mountain bike history? Any other mediums that could help me get a grasp of what mtbing was like back in the day?


But...who could WRITE such a thing. All the mountain bikers I know are functionally illiterate.

You guys like shots of interesting groups of people. I found this photo from Crested Butte in an old Suntour company bulletin from 1982. It includes mountain biking's most famous fugitive, Neil Murdoch (Richard Bannister) and the president of Suntour, Junzo Kawai.

When Richard Bannister fled to the tiny backwater of CB and assumed a new name, he probably never figured he would get famous under his alias and that the sleepy little town would be written large on some maps.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> But...who could WRITE such a thing. All the mountain bikers I know are functionally illiterate.
> 
> You guys like shots of interesting groups of people. I found this photo from Crested Butte in an old Suntour company bulletin from 1982. It includes mountain biking's most famous fugitive, Neil Murdoch (Richard Bannister) and the president of Suntour, Junzo Kawai.
> 
> When Richard Bannister fled to the tiny backwater of CB and assumed a new name, he probably never figured he would get famous under his alias and that the sleepy little town would be written large on some maps.


Irony at work :thumbsup:


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

ssmike said:


> Irony at work :thumbsup:


haha. Yep. So whats the latest on "Mr. Murdoch"? Anyone know?

Fastale, try watching the movie Klunkerz for a history lesson. Its out on DVD now.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Fillet-brazed said:


> haha. Yep. So whats the latest on "Mr. Murdoch"? Anyone know?


State sponsored resident in New Mexico ???


----------



## dick (Dec 13, 2006)

Murray had engineers?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Murray had engineers.

These guys dreamed of guiding the company in a new direction. They were young, they were hanging out in Crested Butte and they saw what was going on. Or maybe they were groupies for people who WERE making a difference, who knows?

As it turned out, Murray didn't get any of our market share.

Here's a cover shot from the Fat Tire Flyer, taken before a race in Colorado in 1984.

From left, Jim Deaton, winner of the first two NORBA downhill events, Gavin Chilcott, who had already raced as a road pro in Italy, Alan Ott, Sandy Hague, Dave McLaughlin, Sandy Chapman and defending NORBA champion Steve Tilford.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

From left, Jim Deaton, Gavin Chilcott, Alan Ott, Sandy Hague, Dave McLaughlin, Sandy Chapman and Steve Tilford.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> From left, Jim Deaton, Gavin Chilcott, Alan Ott, Sandy Hague, Dave McLaughlin, Sandy Chapman and Steve Tilford.


I love that shot. Gavin is managing the BMC domestic cycling team, Dave Mac is running the Luna Chix team after a pretty long mtb carreer with Specialized and then Ritchey. Tilford is still racing I think! Im pretty sure his Raleigh there is really a Moots.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Cyclocross, 1984 John Loomis (Fisher) left, Dave McLaughlin (Specialized) right


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Cyclocross, 1984 John Loomis (Fisher) left, Dave McLaughlin (Specialized) right


I like the shifters on the inside of the bullmoose struts.

Hey, and I have that frame Dave's riding.  He rode it that year in the '84 cyclocross worlds in Munich, Germany. Need to get it repainted and built.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Mike Rust, Don Cook, Steve Cook, Crested Butte 1980


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> I like the shifters on the inside of the bullmoose struts.
> 
> Hey, and I have that frame Dave's riding.  He rode it that year in the '84 cyclocross worlds in Munich, Germany. Need to get it repainted and built.


wish mine had brake studs


----------



## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

dick said:


> Murray had engineers?


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Cyclocross, 1984 John Loomis (Fisher) left, Dave McLaughlin (Specialized) right


I love that shot. I've got a magazine somewhere here with that shot in it...or was it also a poster?


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

ssmike said:


> I love that shot. I've got a magazine somewhere here with that shot in it...or was it also a poster?


Looks like McLaughlin going for the pass on Team Fisher and possibly a Cunningham 'cross bike. Ive seen it in a mag somewhere too.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

First Flight said:


>


Now thats some classy craftsmanship if Ive ever seen it.


----------



## dick (Dec 13, 2006)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Hey, and I have that frame Dave's riding.  He rode it that year in the '84 cyclocross worlds in Munich, Germany. *Need to get it repainted and built.*


Are you out of your mind?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

ssmike said:


> I love that shot. I've got a magazine somewhere here with that shot in it...or was it also a poster?


I sold it to Cyclist. I WISH it had been a poster.

I'm digging into stuff now that has already appeared somewhere.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Gary gave me a Murray Baja one Christmas as a joke. It cost just about $100 new.

Since I had a Ritchey, I found it pretty much unrideable, and igt fell into the hands of one of our employees first, then a skateboarder friend of mine. The two of them were pretty strong riders, and they wore it out really quickly.

You can't work on bikes like that. You have to throw them away.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Riders line up at the top of Mammoth Mountain for the start of the first Kamikaze Downhill, 1985.


----------



## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Looks like a number of Bell V1 helmets there as well as a Bell Biker (saw a guy yesterday riding with one of those). Is that helmet on the far left, was that a Skid Lid?

Pinguwin


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

pinguwin said:


> Looks like a number of Bell V1 helmets there as well as a Bell Biker (saw a guy yesterday riding with one of those). Is that helmet on the far left, was that a Skid Lid?


Definitely a Skid-Lid. The owner of the company, Kevin Montgomery, was a friend of mine at the time and I had one. You couldn't enter a race with one of those now.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Riders line up at the top of Mammoth Mountain for the start of the first Kamikaze Downhill, 1985.


Cool! That guy in profile with the dark Brancale helmet (on a Salsa ala Carte IIRC) and the guy to his left with the tilted back V1 Pro were riding buddies of mine back then.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I looked through all my online stuff, and I think this may be the first time this one has seen the light of day. It's self explanatory. Pete Barrett's sig is on the right margin ("BLAST80")


----------



## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Repack Rider said:


> Riders line up at the top of Mammoth Mountain for the start of the first Kamikaze Downhill, 1985.


I was there. My brother inlaw was in that race, he may be in that photo.. And my sister did the XC race.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Pretty sure this is 1988 or 1989. During Fat Tire Bike Week in Crested Butte, all the Hall of Fame people got together for a ride along with a few of the locals, and at some point we all stopped so Dave Epperson could take a photo.

Standing: Paul Anderson, Charlie Kelly, Joe Breeze, David Peoples, Carol Bauer, ?, Wende Cragg, "Girl from Steamboat Springs," Gary Fisher, ?, Rick Baldwin, Mark Slate, Mike Sinyard.

Front row: Victor Vincente of America, Matt Hebbard, Dave Lindsay, Hank Barlow.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Dale Stetina, Crested Butte 1984


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

The Repack sign, 1984


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

San Anselmo, around 1977, directly across the street from where MountainBikes would open two years later. Bob Burrowes in the yellow jacket, Ian Stewart in red sweater.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

China, 1981. A Chinese kid poses on the Great Wall with Kevin Foster's first generation Ritchey, which is far too big for him.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> China, 1981. A Chinese kid poses on the Great Wall with Kevin Foster's first generation Ritchey, which is far too big for him.


That is an excellent shot with the wall trailing back over his left shoulder.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

ssmike said:


> That is an excellent shot with the wall trailing back over his left shoulder.


That _is_ a great shot. Any more from that trip?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> That _is_ a great shot. Any more from that trip?


This one, which appeared as an ad in the July/August 1982 Fat Tire Flyer. I'm not sure where the original might be.


----------



## YETIFIED (May 4, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> This one, which appeared as an ad in the July/August 1982 Fat Tire Flyer. I'm not sure where the original might be.


That's a good rip on Specialized in the ad.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Starting area of Repack, either 1983 or 1984. There are two first generation Breezers and a second generation. Facing the camera, from left are Alan Zulch, Charlie Castelli, Martin McBirney and Ross Parkerson. The one in middle with his back turned on the second generation Breezer looks to be Steve Potts, and the back on the right belongs to Otis Guy.

Charlie Castelli is on his brother Mike's 1979 Jeffrey Richman, and everyone is riding SnakeBelly tires.


----------



## Cycleshark (Jan 21, 2004)

danke ceekay

i', not sure if you've seeen this... a local old school fan had a breezer I remade by a local frame builder here in zürich. the whole project took two years, but the result is


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Very nice.


----------



## YETIFIED (May 4, 2005)

CK, Thank you so much for sharing your pictures. They are absolutely fabulous!


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

*New photo of an old bike...*



Repack Rider said:


> ...The one in middle with his back turned on the second generation Breezer looks to be Steve Potts...


And after changing hands a time or two, Steve still has that bike.


----------



## breezin (Nov 10, 2007)

*Breezer forks*



bmxcollector said:


> I certainly don't mean any disrespect to a legend and pioneer of the sport but aren't the forks on the early bikes made by Cook Bros? They are dead ringers for my two sets of CBR forks from the era.


I just saw this fork string. In fact, this is my first post here.

Breezer #2 through 9, built in 1977/78, had specially built Cook Brothers forks. I had CBR make the blades shorter to match the old Schwinn length. In fact, I made the Breezer head tubes 5-1/4" long so, in a pinch, a Schwinn fork could be substituted. I don't believe that was ever necessary though.

Note the dropout reonforements in the photo. I brazed those on for additional strength. All 9 Breezer frames and forks were bead blasted and nickled at the same time.

-Joe Breeze


----------



## YETIFIED (May 4, 2005)

breezin said:


> I just saw this fork string. In fact, this is my first post here.
> 
> Breezer #2 through 9, built in 1977/78, had specially built Cook Brothers forks. I had CBR make the blades shorter to match the old Schwinn length. In fact, I made the Breezer head tubes 5-1/4" long so, in a pinch, a Schwinn fork could be substituted. I don't believe that was ever necessary though.
> 
> ...


Thee Joe Breeze just chimed in! Welcome...........I just soiled myself:eekster:


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

YETIFIED said:


> Thee Joe Breeze just chimed in! Welcome.


AWESOME!

this place gets better all the time.


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

breezin said:


> I just saw this fork string. In fact, this is my first post here.
> 
> Breezer #2 through 9, built in 1977/78, had specially built Cook Brothers forks. I had CBR make the blades shorter to match the old Schwinn length. In fact, I made the Breezer head tubes 5-1/4" long so, in a pinch, a Schwinn fork could be substituted. I don't believe that was ever necessary though.
> 
> ...


joe,

the 1991 or was it 92? breezer storm, red and white.. that was the most beautifull bicycle i had ever seen in my life. 
i tried to buy it from south america, where i live, but it was impossible. damm.... that was the perfect bike.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Cool bike. Steve told me he built that while apprenticing under Joe.

I might guess that that's Joe Breeze in that photo rather than Steve as I think Steve's a little taller and that bike looks smaller than Steve's.... and those chops that you can barely see there...  Maybe Joe can confirm or deny.


----------



## ssulljm (Sep 3, 2006)

Joe will be the featured yakker at the ROMP xmas gathering in Mt View at the end of November.

http://www.romp.org


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

ssulljm said:


> Joe will be the featured yakker at the ROMP xmas gathering in Mt View at the end of November.
> 
> http://www.romp.org


Sully!

I hope those Ritchey's you snaked from me are doing good.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

breezin said:


> I just saw this fork string. In fact, this is my first post here.
> 
> Breezer #2 through 9, built in 1977/78, had specially built Cook Brothers forks. I had CBR make the blades shorter to match the old Schwinn length. In fact, I made the Breezer head tubes 5-1/4" long so, in a pinch, a Schwinn fork could be substituted. I don't believe that was ever necessary though.
> 
> ...


Quite an honor to have you post Joe. I can't tell you what an interested audience you have here.

Charlie has been awesome in serving up photos and stores, educating us on MTB and its history.

If you have the time and desire to share as well, we'd be all ears (or eyes as it were).


----------



## ssulljm (Sep 3, 2006)

*speakin of jeffrey richman*

This beauty just came to light,
Any feedback on jeffrey richman?
Frame building history? 
Still around?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

The first sanctioned downhill mountain bike race was the 1984 Repack event. The second was the 1985 Mammoth Kamikaze.

Promoter Don Douglass asked me to help him out with the Kamikaze, since I was at that time the only person with experience putting on these races. Here I am at the start line, wearing my Velo Club Tamalpais warm-up, but what I found more interesting about this photo is the fact that the timer has one of the Repack timing clocks hanging round his neck. I guess I brought the timers also.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> The first sanctioned downhill mountain bike race was the 1984 Repack event. The second was the 1985 Mammoth Kamikaze.
> 
> Promoter Don Douglass asked me to help him out with the Kamikaze, since I was at that time the only person with experience putting on these races. Here I am at the start line, wearing my Velo Club Tamalpais warm-up, but what I found more interesting about this photo is the fact that the timer has one of the Repack timing clocks hanging round his neck. I guess I brought the timers also.


Love that lunar landscape up there with that weightless pumice rock. Brings back lots of fun memories.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

If you rode mountain bikes in Marin during the '80s, it is likely that you knew at least one of the Nilsen siblings, seven brothers and sisters, all mountain bikers.

From left in this 1987 photo, Rob (Ibis), Mitch (Ritchey), Joan (Ibis), Liz (Ibis), Laura (Cook Brothers), Dan (Ritchey), and Jan (Ritchey).


----------



## Alan Zulch (Nov 25, 2007)

*Charlie! Been a long time...*



Repack Rider said:


> Starting area of Repack, either 1983 or 1984. There are two first generation Breezers and a second generation. Facing the camera, from left are Alan Zulch, Charlie Castelli, Martin McBirney and Ross Parkerson. The one in middle with his back turned on the second generation Breezer looks to be Steve Potts, and the back on the right belongs to Otis Guy.
> 
> Charlie Castelli is on his brother Mike's 1979 Jeffrey Richman, and everyone is riding SnakeBelly tires.


Hi CK, I've gathered from a close scrutiny of this site that you must be Repack Rider, and I've just been enjoying an evening of going through your website, the link to which was forwarded by an old friend in San Anselmo who thought I'd enjoy it.

Oh what memories. It is great to see a photo with Martin and me together as this is the only one I know of. He and I and Kent Bostick used to go on many training rides together, along with Gary and Otis and Jerry Heidenreich.

I was telling my friend earlier this evening that I was your employee number three at MountainBikes in 1980, working part time to put together Ritcheys. Do you recall?

I first met you at your house on San Anselmo Ave in 1979, introduced by Gary after I bought a Klein frameset from him when he worked for Sunshine Bikes. Before buying it I remember driving to San Martin to visit Gary Klein's farm and test ride his own bike on the local roads. His mother painted the frames in the barn.

I also remember getting my Klein's first scratch hanging in the back of your "Phlegm" moving truck as we drove around the Perrier Classic stage race in Santa Cruz in the summer of 1979.

And, soon after I remember waving off Otis and Joe on their Anchor Steamer tandem from the Golden Gate Bridge as they attempted a cross country record. I do believe you were there, right?

In 1979 Martin sold me his red '48 Schwinn with drums and a five speed rear derailleur, and Magura bars and levers. It was great but when I worked for you at MountainBikes I bought a Ritchey, which I kept until 1983 when I sold it to my friend Joseph Brooke who now has it in Pt Reyes. To replace it, in 1983 I had Otis Guy custom build me a new bike that I still have and ride daily.

I was active in racing in 1980 only and the photo here was taken that year. I recognize my white "painter pants" and jersey. Besides Martin I also recognize, I believe, Wendy Cragge on the Breezer (face obscured), Otis in the right foreground, and Ross P. Next to Otis, with the hat, is Joe Breeze, I'm quite sure. Not Steve Potts. I recognize his sideburns.

You may also recall that I was Velo Club Tam's only (and last?) rider in 1980. I still have a gorgeous embroidered wool jersey and sweat suit that Gary had made for me, but the last of my 'regular' VCT jerseys with the Versatex paint sponsor logo I traded at the Jr World Championships in Mexico City in 1980. We snuck into the Soviet's dorm and I traded it for bright red spandex Soviet National Team jersey with a gold and silver thread embroidered hammer and sickle logo, with 'CCCP' on the chest. Nice! I have to pull it out someday and take another look.

Lest I run on...I hope all is well with you and Steve Wilde (whom I will always recall as being such a gentle, great guy), Charlie Cunningham (he made a custom seatpost for my Klein roadbike that I still have....an engineering masterpiece in aluminum), Steve Barrett (of zany artistry fame), my old housemate Jerry Heidenreich, Jaquie, Wendy, Denise, Gary, Joe and Otis. I think Martin is now in Idaho.

Alan Zulch (Palo Alto)


----------



## Itswitz (Nov 19, 2007)

*First Sanctioned Mt. Bike Race?!*

Hey Repack Rider,

Great stuff ..... pics, etc .....

I appreciate that you specify that the first DOWNHILL mt. bike race ....... Naturally, we all know that the first sanctioned bicycle race in which a "mountain bike" (then called clunker) took part was the West Coast Open Cyclo-cross Championships, held in Mill Valley on Dec. 4th, 1974. (Actually, I'm fairly sure that I broke the USCF sanctioned rules by letting the Cup. boys race.). Rules are for fools !

Little did I realise that the use of the word "OPEN" would open a door into our now known universe.

The 30 cents I spent to send a flyer about the race to Spence Wolfe in Cupertino was money well spent, eh ?!?

ItsWITZ
Moab


----------



## Alan Zulch (Nov 25, 2007)

*So THAT'S where it began...*

Hello ItsWitz, I'm glad you let us know that because I, for one, wasn't aware of that event, nor its import on the future. I was aware, however, of 'clunker' as the term of choice! While 'bomber' was my favorite term from 1979 onward, 'clunker' did indeed seem to be used more often. Now I know why. Thanks!


----------



## Itswitz (Nov 19, 2007)

*C(K)lunckerS(Z)*

Alan,

ya mon,

my small part - an unsung hero - one of the known and the unknown.

I used the word 'bomber' until one day I used the term in court (I had 'bombed' thru a construction zone and tore out a survey telescope). I think the judge frowned on the term bobmer.

btw; maybe C.K. could let us know exactly how DO you spell cluncker (after all CK is clunckers' middle name).

Witz


----------



## Cycleshark (Jan 21, 2004)

....nother historical moment is captured right here

in da early days...even the bikes said each other "tschüüüs"


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Cool pic Sharky. Interesting to see Ron Jeremy in the background. Add being an early adopter of mountain bikes to his resume!


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Cycleshark said:


> ....nother historical moment is captured right here
> 
> in da early days...even the bikes said each other "tschüüüs"


that's a somewhat disturbing picture.


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> If you rode mountain bikes in Marin during the '80s, it is likely that you knew at least one of the Nilsen siblings, seven brothers and sisters, all mountain bikers.
> 
> From left in this 1987 photo, Rob (Ibis), Mitch (Ritchey), Joan (Ibis), Liz (Ibis), Laura (Cook Brothers), Dan (Ritchey), and Jan (Ritchey).


I'd bet Rob's Ibis is a Cunningham.


----------



## Itswitz (Nov 19, 2007)

*i was there*

... it was taken on the street in cressted butte; one rider is rich cast. RR would know!

itsWitz


----------



## ericb49 (Aug 11, 2006)

bushpig said:


> I'd bet Rob's Ibis is a Cunningham.


:thumbsup:


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

bushpig said:


> I'd bet Rob's Ibis is a Cunningham.


Looks like you're correct. I was reading from the copy in the magazine, which I didn't write and which seems to be wrong.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

bushpig said:


> Cool pic Sharky. Interesting to see Ron Jeremy in the background. Add being an early adopter of mountain bikes to his resume!


Just so we're clear, it's my photo and it ran in the Fat Tire Flyer. The rider on the left is Rich Cast.


----------



## Cycleshark (Jan 21, 2004)

thanks ceekay

I had no idea who took the pigtscheroni. I'm glad it landed in the right thread :thumbsup: 

uncle pete


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> Looks like you're correct. I was reading from the copy in the magazine, which I didn't write and which seems to be wrong.


I'm pretty sure the guy standing in the back to the right is the Hedgehog. Here is another publicity picture from the same period:










** Edited for taste.


----------



## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Piggie,

I may have posted a photo or two that all of you regretted, but that picture of the hedgehog...that just wasn't right.

'Guin


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

pinguwin said:


> Piggie,
> 
> I may have posted a photo or two that all of you regretted, but that picture of the hedgehog...that just wasn't right.
> 
> 'Guin


It was a bit much. I've edited so as not to pollute this awesome thread.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Bump...Joe Breeze from the American days, racing on a Montanaeus.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

This is Casey Patterson with her Cunningham around 1986. Casey is Kye Sharp's mother and the sister of BTCEB honcho Michael Kelley. Around the time this photo was taken Casey started participating in the Race Across America (RAAM).


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> This is Casey Patterson with her Cunningham around 1986. Casey is Kye Sharp's mother and the sister of BTCEB honcho Michael Kelley. Around the time this photo was taken Casey started participating in the Race Across America (RAAM).


wow, I met Kye racing and he was a nice guy. Never knew that Casey was his mom though. Great pics as usual.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> This is Casey Patterson with her Cunningham around 1986. Casey is Kye Sharp's mother and the sister of BTCEB honcho Michael Kelley. Around the time this photo was taken Casey started participating in the Race Across America (RAAM).


Nice legs on her with bonus Cunningham!


----------



## banks (Feb 2, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> This is Casey Patterson with her Cunningham around 1986. Casey is Kye Sharp's mother and the sister of BTCEB honcho Michael Kelley.


 She now lives in Fairplay Co. She has been in the shop and had a few great stories to tell!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Pat Oliver (RIP) of the Berkeley Trailers Union (BTU) on Mammoth in 1985. The BTU boys were the first to show up at Repack from outside of Marin County, and they did within a month of the first race. They pioneered the use of body armor in downhill, starting with catcher's equipment.

The members of the BTU have not received the recognition they deserve for being pioneer downhillers. Unfortunately for their image, they didn't have a remote location like Repack to practice their craft, and they managed to piss off a boatload of hikers in the Berkeley Hills


----------



## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

Great stuff Charlie, thanks for the history lesson :thumbsup: . This thread should be stickied, it doesn't get any more authentic than this! It would be a shame to lose it to the Forum "recycling program".


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I hadn't noticed, but Pat Oliver is riding a coaster brake with a front caliper brake.

Makes me nervous just thinking about riding Mammoth on that stuff.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> The members of the BTU have not received the recognition they deserve for being pioneer downhillers. Unfortunately for their image, they didn't have a remote location like Repack to practice their craft, and they managed to piss off a boatload of hikers in the Berkeley Hills


Quite the characters they were. I remember meeting "Jungle" Jon Poschman out in Utah on a tour and his tales of destroying frames jumping off landing docks or just bunny hopping "you just pick it up and slam it down."


----------



## Retro MB (Oct 13, 2007)

Repack Rider said:


> This is Casey Patterson with her Cunningham around 1986. Casey is Kye Sharp's mother and the sister of BTCEB honcho Michael Kelley. Around the time this photo was taken Casey started participating in the Race Across America (RAAM).


I used to work out at the gym (actually a doctor's office with gym equipment) with Casey during her RAAM days. Some people may not know that after winning RAAM she was hit by a truck while training along Pacific Coast Highway and suffered major injuries. She was very strong before the accident, but worked harder at physical rehab than anyone I have ever seen or thought possible. She pushed to the point where couldn't help but cry. I would constantly encourage her and then she would make sure that I didn't take things easy. She is an amazing person.

I also worked with Kye at a bike shop. Damn that guy was strong! He was riding and racing XC on a Descender, which weighs a ton, and those of us on our lighter bikes had no ability to keep up with him.

Good genes and good people. :thumbsup:


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Closing in on 10,000 views. What do you have to do around here to get "sticky?" Can we put this into a gallery?

Here's another shot of the start of the first Kamikaze, 1985. Interesting collection of bikes and helmets. Bailen, a Skid Lid, and early Bells. Couple of motorcycle helmets also. Bullmoose all around.

You are looking down the course, which starts off steep and then gos off-camber to the left in powdery granite dust.


----------



## Retro MB (Oct 13, 2007)

Repack Rider said:


> Here's another shot of the start of the first Kamikaze, 1985. Interesting collection of bikes and helmets. Bailen, a Skid Lid, and early Bells. Couple of motorcycle helmets also. Bullmoose all around.


Check out the leather helmet on the guy in the foreground. Now that's vintage!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I can't recall where Gary and I acquired this Schwinn Paramount tandem, probably from a clubmate who didn't have room for it. So we kept it around because it was a cool bike and you could actually use it to troll for pedestrian girls.

One afternoon around 1975, Gary and I rode it to Fairfax, where we came across my current riding companion Pat, playing frisbee. Pat and Gary horsed around on the bike, and Pat says I took the photo, which now hangs on his wall.


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

*CKs Paramount Tandem*

Hey CK,
That's one sweet Schwinn. Another EBay fortune lost. It would apprear that you guys didn't have much fun hanging out in Fairfax back then. Everyone seems so uptight and conservative in your pictures


----------



## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Fastale, try watching the movie Klunkerz for a history lesson. Its out on DVD now.


Yup, just got my copy and watched it. I very much enjoyed it. Man, I might even give up my 5" dualie for a chance to go back in the day and fly down a mountain with you guys. I'd even be nice enough to bring some "smokeables" with me :thumbsup:


----------



## fastale (Jul 2, 2007)

It's sad this thread had to die.

Thanks Charlie


----------



## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

fastale said:


> It's sad this thread had to die.
> 
> Thanks Charlie


I hadn't see this. Thanks for the bump!


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

fastale said:


> It's sad this thread had to die.
> 
> Thanks Charlie


It didn't die. Its under the 'Legends Thread' in the VRC sticky at the top of this forum.

Problem is that most people don't bother use the sticky. 

This is one of the better threads here though.


----------



## Itswitz (Nov 19, 2007)

*itsWITZ, moab*

so....,

I get todays copy of "Dirt Rag" ... and I'm thinking "I wonder if CK ever writes for these guys'?

Then..., I open it up and on page one (after the opening ads) "hey", ' here's some guys I know'.

Joe, Billy Savage (wwhom I met once while he was working on the "K"), and ... upon close inspection, a neatly trimmed CK. I mean, I actually had to read the caption to recognize YOU!!!

Wish I could have been there for the Fairfax showing but, uh ..... with the price o' gas. I'm IN the movie, you know ... with my back to the cam ... at the West Coast Open Cyclo-cross .... I met the Cupertino boys that day too, but .. i thought they were crazy to be riding those bikes. Turns out "I" was the crazy one NOT to be.!?!

I'm so pleased and proud that you guys are, well... you guys!

hey, ck, got any old pic o' me?

WITZ aka Mariachi Marc

ENJOY my One Minute Movie about my Property for Sale in MOAB, UTAH http://www.pioneerspring.com/video.html

btw: my classified ad (back in december) on MTBR for my home for sale sent almost NINETY lookers to my website (no buyers yet tho').

Love baby, love...THAT's the secret YeaHHhhhhhhhh ... (Louis Armstrong)


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Itswitz said:


> hey, ck, got any old pic o' me?


1981 race in San Anselmo. You're fifth from the right, behind Erik Koski.

I didn't let the thread "die" so much as I ran out of photos.


----------



## Howley (Nov 23, 2005)

*More Marc*

Here you are setting up to take the Dead Heifer corner in Fairfax:










And a little wide...










Circa 1983??










Here we are in front of your cabin in Castle Valley a few years later, say 1986-87?









Talked to Pat Flemming yesterday. He will try to make the Klunkerz Boise Premire on Monday May 19, 2008...


----------



## thebigred67 (Mar 29, 2005)

I love this thread.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

thebigred67 said:


> I love this thread.


I know right! :thumbsup:


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

A thread worth bringing back to the top.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> A thread worth bringing back to the top.


both cool pictures, but that one of Joe and CK is awesome. Where'd you find that one?


----------



## Whacked (Sep 29, 2008)

Oh man, LOVE the pics!!

Yea, Thomas made a killer deal


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

The photo of Joe and me was taken by Wende Cragg on our 1978 trip to Mineral King. During that Golden Age before anyone thought to legislate bike activity in those areas, we rode for three days on trails that will probably never be ridden again.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> The photo of Joe and me was taken by Wende Cragg on our 1978 trip to Mineral King. During that Golden Age before anyone thought to legislate bike activity in those areas, we rode for three days on trails that will probably never be ridden again.


My new favorite pic from that era. I thought for sure that by now I had seen all of Wende's good shots. So glad she dragged around that camera.

(those don't look like Mafac brakes?)


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Fillet-brazed said:


> both cool pictures, but that one of Joe and CK is awesome. Where'd you find that one?


Pretty cool huh.

I got that one from...Mountain Bike (for the adventure) I think?


----------



## bootsie_cat (Nov 3, 2004)

*Love the old school*

Finished in Fairfax after riding Mt. Barnaby today- saw Cunningham on his claasic drop bar cunningham mtb with jeans and a down jacket- it was 75 degrees!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> (those don't look like Mafac brakes?)


Weinman. Thought you knew.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

bootsie_cat said:


> Finished in Fairfax after riding Mt. Barnaby today- saw Cunningham on his claasic drop bar cunningham mtb with jeans and a down jacket- it was 75 degrees!


Would love to see a picture of that.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Another cool one:


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

*More Marin in the '70s...*

Ooops...wrong website


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

This one turned up in the collection Billy had of Wende's photos. I don't recall ever seeing it, and I don't know where or when it was taken, but it looks like about 1978.

The t-shirt is from a band called TooLoose Ta Truck, which was Phil Lesh, Terry Haggerty, John Allair and Steve Mitchell. They played maybe four or five gigs, and I roadied for them.


----------



## Slonie (Sep 27, 2006)

Great thread, or _Greatest_ thread?

(I'm very thankful for all the contributors, it's fantastic to see history narrated by those who were _there_!)


----------



## ssulljm (Sep 3, 2006)

Looks just like the guy I met at the Sons free show in 73 or 74, Frost Amphitheater, hey, wait a minute, it IS that guy 8o)......
I rode there on my 64 Cinelli, was working(playing) security for another band,Osiris(scary thought in itself)
When I rolled up on my all campy bike,same guy as pictured above came boiling out of the band chamber, was all gaga over my old Cino.....
14 or 15 yrs later, Charlie was MC'ng the nationals at Mammoth, I think, with Peter Graves, fighting over background music selection at the event.
We had a memorable, "I know you" moment, dug deep into our collectively faded memory banks, came up with the chance mtng at Frost many years before...
Talkin to Joe Breeze at the ROMP Xmas party last year, we spoke of this encounter, he added, that he , Otis G, and 1 other fellow whose name evades me presently, rode their tandem from Marin to Santa Cruz that day.They were trying to get back in time for the free show,however, circumstances intervened that kept them from attending.
Great photo Charlie, 
Jim Sully


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Found another to bump the thread. I'm running low, 'cuz most of them are already on the thread, but today I dug up this one.

Japan, 1984. Dale Stetina, Tom Ritchey, a Japanese guy and me, with Denise Caramagno hidden behind me.


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

*Damn CK!*

I might'a had a whole different movie if you found these pictures while I was making Klunkerz. This thread has gotten awfully big since the Mill Valley premiere. I like to think I inspired you a little to dig through your stuff and share them with the world. I really appreciate you putting these shots up here for us to enjoy and I know the rest of the folks here do, too.:thumbsup: Do me a favor and save a few for your book, would ya?


----------



## lazyracer (Apr 11, 2004)

At the risk of "hijacking" Charlie Kelly's *'Marin old mt bike photos thread'*, thought I would insert a Southern California old photo, a previously never seen before photo of the original ROSS INDIANS returring from the original 1983 Spring Training Camp on Catalina Island, April 1983:









From L to R: John McCormick, Steve McIntosh, Clark Roberts, Jim Harlow, Don Davis​
For a week, did nothing but ride from one end of the island to the other, what fun. Also some of the original ROSS ads and posters were shot on this trip. As a negotiation for 'photo rights' to take pictures on the remote parts of the island, an un-named island ranger received one of the 'team' bikes at the end of the week, the guy was overjoyed, a free mt bike!

Good times back in the day ...

'Lazyracer'


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Don Davis turned up a few weeks ago at a charity ride in Fairfax, led by Joe Breeze and myself. First time I had seen him -- since he got the pacemaker.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

lazyracer said:


> At the risk of "hijacking" Charlie Kelly's *'Marin old mt bike photos thread'*, thought I would insert a Southern California old photo, a previously never seen before photo of the original ROSS INDIANS returring from the original 1983 Spring Training Camp on Catalina Island, April 1983:
> 
> For a week, did nothing but ride from one end of the island to the other, what fun. Also some of the original ROSS ads and posters were shot on this trip. As a negotiation for 'photo rights' to take pictures on the remote parts of the island, an un-named island ranger received one of the 'team' bikes at the end of the week, the guy was overjoyed, a free mt bike!
> 
> ...


And that that ranger still had that bike when he opened up the island to some friends for a weekend in 1986. The interior of Catalina has some pretty fun riding.


----------



## MABman (Oct 5, 2008)

ssmike said:


> And that that ranger still had that bike when he opened up the island to some friends for a weekend in 1986. The interior of Catalina has some pretty fun riding.


And that begs to answer the question does he still have it? One thing I have been waiting to see on this board are some of the original Ross team bikes.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

MABman said:


> And that begs to answer the question does he still have it? One thing I have been waiting to see on this board are some of the original Ross team bikes.


I seem to vaguely recall that Tom Kellogg made those??


----------



## lazyracer (Apr 11, 2004)

Charlie, 
If you see him again anytime soon, tell em hi from an old teammate ... 

RE: old team ross bikes ...
... mine was stolen in 1986, was a nice short light bike, a good quality custom mt bike for the era. I had two of them, both built by Jim Redcay (that's what the decals said). the head tube was fillet brazed at the top tube & down tube, the rest of the frame was lugged. I probably could have gotten another one with not much effort, but was sponsored by another bike brand at the time, did not bother.

'lazyracer'


----------



## morganfletcher (Jul 22, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> From left, Jim Deaton, Gavin Chilcott, Alan Ott, Sandy Hague, Dave McLaughlin, Sandy Chapman and Steve Tilford.


Here's Jimmy and his 1985 team bike, taken at SSWC this year:





I'm a dork and I didn't get any good pics of Jimmy, but he's riding behind me in the last 2 seconds of this video:


__
https://flic.kr/p/3952726090

Here's Ned, out pre-riding the SSWC course:



Jacquie and Joe in Flagstaff:



There's some cool vintage bikes if you click around in here.

Charlie, some of your pics have dropped off the first page of this thread. Need help putting them up somewhere?

Morgan


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

morganfletcher said:


> Charlie, some of your pics have dropped off the first page of this thread. Need help putting them up somewhere?
> 
> Morgan


What happened was that I had kept all those photos on the Compuserve server, and in November of last year they quit letting people do that. So they sut down the server and all the photos disappeared.

I need to put them somewhere new. I'm really close to overwhelming my Photobucket account right now. The Blue Collar Classics thread is crushing it. I guess I need to open a few more with different emails.

Do you have a server?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

When I moved out of the old Fat Tire Flyer office in 1991, all the slides then on my desk were scooped into an envelope, and that envelope was thrown in a drawer, not to be seen again until...

Yesterday.

I found a photo of Joe Breeze with his 80-degree experimental bike, a pic of Gary Fisher racing, Tim Gould, Cindy Whitehead, and Don Myrah with Tinker Juarez from big Bear 1990. I sold the great photos, so these are a little second rate by my standards, but the subjects are interesting and if I didn't put the photos here, they would still be in the drawer.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Joe looks a little...dirty. I'll see if I can't get the mud off the slide.


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

Too bad you sold your photos outright instead of licensing them. We might'a had a good Klunkerz 2.0... if it was underwritten by a major corporation, of course.


----------



## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

Another picture of the experimental Breezer:


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

That bike of Joe's looks like an endo machine. 

Those race pics...definitely my favorite years of racing right there.


----------



## outside! (Mar 15, 2006)

Repack Rider said:


> I found a photo of Joe Breeze with his 80-degree experimental bike, a pic of Gary Fisher racing, Tim Gould, Cindy Whitehead, and Don Myrah with Tinker Juarez from big Bear 1990.


Was that the National Finals race? In that race Tinker flatted while in the lead near the bottom of the course. I was standing there and wanted to give him my spare tube so bad, but there where lots of people around and back then it was against the rules.


----------



## Michael Staab (Jan 13, 2004)

errr, excuse me?










I really dig the bike. Honorable mention for the color matching pants


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

i think i am going to puke.


----------



## cousineddie (Oct 23, 2008)

Michael Staab said:


> errr, excuse me?
> 
> I really dig the bike. Honorable mention for the color matching pants


Looks like someone morphed Richard Simmons and Clint Eastwood together.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

outside! said:


> Was that the National Finals race? In that race Tinker flatted while in the lead near the bottom of the course. I was standing there and wanted to give him my spare tube so bad, but there where lots of people around and back then it was against the rules.


yeah, I think it was but it had to have been 1989 rather than 90.


----------



## stan lee (Mar 5, 2006)

hey, ck, got any old pic o' me?

WITZ aka Mariachi Marc


Hey Marc- I don't have any photo's of you but I have a photo of your bike  I'm still working on the stem and a couple other parts!!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Not much with Marc, but here's a bit of obscure Marin MTB history, the 1989 "Derby" on Angel Island.

Derby is hard to explain. It's kind of rollerball without the ball or the skaters, just the desire to bring down other riders.

Marc understands.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

This shot of Ned Overend looking back at John Tomac in the 1987 National Championships was money in the bank, except for one little thing.,


----------



## outside! (Mar 15, 2006)

Fillet-brazed said:


> yeah, I think it was but it had to have been 1989 rather than 90.


89 and 90 kind of run together in my memory now. I seem to remember having a lot of fun though.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> This shot of Ned Overend looking back at John Tomac in the 1987 National Championships was money in the bank, except for one little thing.,


oh man, that's such a cool shot I think. what's the issue, the tree branch?

I've said it before, but thanks for sharing these!

Edit: I love the Oakley Factory Pilots hanging out of the jersey pocket. Ned looks a little nervous while Tomac scans the trail .


----------



## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

I rode that 78 degree head angle bike back when it was new, and it was a really twitchey steering machine, but JB said he was used to it by then, and, after riding it for a few weeks, he was so used to it that his regular bike felt funny. So we concluded that whatever you ride regularly and get used to becomes normal, and other rides aren't.


----------



## iamthewalrus (May 20, 2009)

FairfaxPat said:


> I rode that 78 degree head angle bike back when it was new, and it was a really twitchey steering machine, but JB said he was used to it by then, and, after riding it for a few weeks, he was so used to it that his regular bike felt funny. So we concluded that whatever you ride regularly and get used to becomes normal, and other rides aren't.


Kinda like the whole hoopla around 26 and 29 inch wheel bikes.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

If I'm going to show the Derby, I have to show the aftermath, a celebration known as the Bike Pile. Derby is an annual event held on the same day every year at one of several ceremonial slabs large enough and deserted enough for the practice of this ancient art.

Derby started innocently enough as a game played on road bikes by members of Velo-Club Tam, and I presume other clubs elsewhere. Everyone tightened their toe-straps, and rolled slowly around a small parking lot, the idea being to execute a trackstand in front of another rider so he was either forced to stay as still as you, or turn away from you and roll out. If you couldn't hold the trackstand long enough, you fell over because you didn't dare reach down to loosen your toe strap.

Then an amazing thing happened. We started riding clunkers. While it was generally agreed that you didn't ram another guy's Cinelli with your Colnago just to win a silly game, once we started riding really rugged bikes, the attitude changed. Ramming was not only an option, it became the entire object. Gone was the trackstand. If you came to a stop, you would be t-boned instantly. See the photos above. Obstacles such as logs you could be forced into were added. I understand that in some circles bicyclists wear helmets, but not on Derby Day. A game that started out being conducted at excruciatingly slow pace, now became a bunch of riders circling at speed, looking for a victim and watching out for others at the same time.

No wonder the "season" is one game a year.

After the Derby, the bike pile became the ultimate expression of disrespect for the bikes, defining the other end of the spectrum from road riders praying over their precision machines. Using a steel pole as a mast, the idea was to stack the bikes as high as possible, so that the last had to be hurled onto the top of the pile.

Like this.


----------



## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Great story Charlie. Sounds like fun, and I'm sure it was great to watch.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> oh man, that's such a cool shot I think. what's the issue, the tree branch?


Apparently that was why it ended up in a box of rejected photos and thrown in a drawer, never published and not to be seen again until yesterday. Glad you like it.

Now and then I find interesting things in my drawers.


----------



## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Repack Rider said:


> Apparently that was why it ended up in a box of rejected photos and thrown in a drawer, never published and not to be seen again until yesterday. Glad you like it.
> 
> Now and then I find interesting things in my drawers.


Hard not to drag that one into the gutter.


----------



## gsomtb (Jul 18, 2007)

In the South we call 'em DRAWS........


----------



## LucasARG (Dec 29, 2010)

UP!
I think this is by far the best post I've ever seen in ANY forum....
Thanks Charlie for sharing (I'm shaking just writing this)


----------



## El Sapo Rojo (Feb 24, 2011)

This looks like a movie to me. Lords of Dogtown did it for the origins of modern skateboarding. 

Get Sammy Hagar to do the music.


----------



## YETIFIED (May 4, 2005)

Repack Rider said:


> Not much with Marc, but here's a bit of obscure Marin MTB history, the 1989 "Derby" on Angel Island.
> 
> Derby is hard to explain. It's kind of rollerball without the ball or the skaters, just the desire to bring down other riders.
> 
> Marc understands.


Hebbard in the foreground on his Trailmaster.


----------



## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

Oooh, derbying is fun! the MPLS crew is a big fan of derbying...:thumbsup:


----------



## Straightbarjay (Feb 10, 2011)

Michael Staab said:


> errr, excuse me?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Holy CRAP:eekster: My drink flew out of my nose when I saw that... love the white socks and the reeboks!! is that grampa jazzercize???


----------



## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

Looks like Jack LaLanne. Same hair, same smile, same fashion sense...


----------



## FisherCaliber (Apr 1, 2010)

Wow!! I just looked through this thread. GREAT pic's Charlie!! Thanks for posting them!!!


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

The photos I started this thread with have disappeared, because the server where I kept them shut down. Since they were among the best, I hope you won't mind if I put them up again.

Here is Breezer #2 when it was new.


----------



## avdan (Aug 22, 2011)

*A long time ago....*

So I used to live in SR back in the day when Gary was first building bikes and hung out with a cat named Dennett Colescott. He intro'd me to many a cool folks: Denise, Mark, Mr. Ritchey to nane a few. Man, do I miss those days. I remember Mt. Tam and the spillway and skatin', bikin', beerin', etc. I talked with Dennett a fews years back and seems he doing ok (except for a little incident in CM). It's been since 1982ish that I was there but remember it like was yesterday. I'm sure alot has changed (really, no sh*t). 
If anyone can reach out to Dennett, have him post his doings here. Hello to all who may remember me and my "sanford & son" bike that I slammed into the wall on 4th street!
Peace!


----------



## bootsie_cat (Nov 3, 2004)

*old photos*

Gary never made a bike AFAIK. He made phone calls.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

bootsie_cat said:


> Gary never made a bike AFAIK. He made phone calls.


Depends on what you mean by "make a bike." Gary and I assembled the first couple of hundred *MountainBikes*, on frames built by Tom Ritchey. The company didn't need three framebuilders.

When your contributions to mountain biking outweigh Gary's, feel free to snipe anonymously on the Internet. If you don't care about the photos on this thread, what's your @#$^ point?


----------



## bootsie_cat (Nov 3, 2004)

I don't recall saying that his contributions were minor. Only pointing out that he was not a framebuilder.
Sorry if that offends you.


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

bootsie_cat said:


> I don't recall saying that his contributions were minor. Only pointing out that he was not a framebuilder.
> Sorry if that offends you.


Apology accepted, because it sure did.

Now, do you have any old photos to contribute here?


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> When your contributions to mountain biking outweigh Gary's, feel free to snipe anonymously on the Internet. If you don't care about the photos on this thread, what's your @#$^ point?


Its an open public forum...so he's kinda already free to say whatever he wants so long as its not a personal attack on another forum member.
No one is questioning GF's contributions to MTB, they're significant....just that...Gary wasn't wielding a torch is all.

The above posts aside, this is a great thread to have brought back. Fantastic pictures in it.


----------



## sandmangts (Feb 16, 2004)

Thanks for posting these again! After seeing the pic of the handlebars and how far in the shifters and levers are I mimicked that on my DX. It made a huge difference in braking power because now I am getting more leverage by gripping the end of the levers.


----------



## avdan (Aug 22, 2011)

Forgive me please. It's been about 30 years since I was in SR and got my first (and only) TR bike. I just wanted to comment on the great times riding through Mt. Tam and the great people I met. There was a little cafe in Fairfax (or maybe it was San Anselmo) where I would drink coffee and smoke little clove cigs and listen to a couple talk about the "Fat Tire Flyer". It was almost like everyone had a really cool bike and became instant friends embarking on a 3 hr ride through the hills of Marin.
Man, those were some of the best, carefree days of my life! Thanks for the great posts and pics. And yes, I did recognize Dennett with that big 'ol red fro. Good times.


----------



## saschomat (Nov 30, 2009)

@RepackRider & all others

Are there sources where I can find scans of the old Repack-Race-posters in higher scan quality?
I only found them on Charlie´s website and those scans are a bit to small to put them on a t-shirt !
Really like those old artwork and like to make a t-shirt for me and a friend.

Or do you guys know a shop which sells “cool” vintage reprint shirts 

Thanks !
satch


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

saschomat said:


> @RepackRider & all others
> 
> Are there sources where I can find scans of the old Repack-Race-posters in higher scan quality?
> I only found them on Charlie´s website and those scans are a bit to small to put them on a t-shirt !
> ...


I own the copyrights to those images. Make me an offer.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Haha, saw that one coming.


----------



## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

Shirts like this one?


----------



## saschomat (Nov 30, 2009)

FairfaxPat said:


> Shirts like this one?


Exactly ! :thumbsup:


----------



## FairfaxPat (Jan 29, 2008)

You hadda be there.......


----------



## proline69 (Apr 14, 2009)

Priceless history, love the pics


----------



## guywitharitchey (Nov 29, 2011)

Coolest pics I have ever seen.......wow, thanks to all posters!


----------



## El Sapo Rojo (Feb 24, 2011)

Repack Rider said:


> The photos I started this thread with have disappeared, because the server where I kept them shut down. Since they were among the best, I hope you won't mind if I put them up again.
> 
> Here is Breezer #2 when it was new.


Breezer got it right if they are still making copies of the bike today


----------



## El Sapo Rojo (Feb 24, 2011)

The balloon tires look perfect. Are they 2.35?


----------



## MABman (Oct 5, 2008)

El Sapo Rojo said:


> The balloon tires look perfect. Are they 2.35?


Probably labeled as a 2.125.


----------



## breezin (Nov 10, 2007)

That Ritchey/MountainBikes bike has Carlisle-made Uni-Royal Nobby tires. Size is 26 x 2.125 inches. This bike appeared on the cover of the MountainBikes catalog of about mid-1980.

BTW, San Francisco International airport (SFO) is hoping to find a Ritchey/MountainBikes bike of this vintage for their upcoming International terminal show of mountain biking. I think the show will run May-September 2012. They loan would need to happen soon, by the end of January is the hope.

Know of a candidate?

Joe


----------



## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Several people have them but they seem to be too far away to get them here in time?


----------



## nightshade_rider (Apr 18, 2007)

I would be willing to loan out my restored '81 Ritchey for the SFO exhibit. But that bike has been refinished, so might not be as appropriate as a bike with original paint that looks like it's been "down the hill" a few times.

I don't know who is organizing this, but they can PM me.


----------



## yo-Nate-y (Mar 5, 2009)

I've got nothing to loan, but as a frequent flyer, I have to say that I really love the terminal exhibits at SFO. They are always so cool. It would be great to see bikes there.


----------



## scooterendo (Jan 30, 2004)

Hey JB,
Maybe Ramekon wants my old, dinged Ritchey/MountainBikes bike at SFO? It's still got original paint/decals etc. It's hanging in the Fairfax Cyclery now, so it's close by. I'll reach out to him.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Could possibly get this one up there if you're still in need:










fiveandaquarter: 1981 Ritchey Everest


----------



## nightshade_rider (Apr 18, 2007)

TR has made this one available for the upcoming SFO exhibit - Ritchey Numero Uno! 
Photo courtesy ssmike (thanks Mike)


----------



## repackpioneer (Mar 26, 2007)

AB here, I'm not getting any photos for Cks' post, Hollisters' 2 photos of the repainted prototype are showing. Rumpfy !! Help !! Firefox on PC here.....CK ?? I am getting all the Blue Collar photos tho....


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

repackpioneer said:


> AB here, I'm not getting any photos for Cks' post, Hollisters' 2 photos of the repainted prototype are showing. Rumpfy !! Help !! Firefox on PC here.....CK ?? I am getting all the Blue Collar photos tho....


Hey AB -

You should be able to see them since you're logged on to MTBR. I'm on Firefox and a PC as well. The remote linked images would be visible either way unless the owner moved image locations.

Anyone or any specific post you're not seeing images for?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

I had used a different server (Compuserve) to host some of the earlier images in this thread. Compuserve shut down its webhosting service a couple of years ago, wiping out all the linked images. For that reason I have reposted some of those images.

Now I either upload directly to MTBR or host on photobucket.


----------



## Drummerboy1975 (Nov 24, 2011)

I have a question for you Repack. In the early days, when and where did y'all find 26" mb tires? I guess what I'm asking is, when did actual mb tires come out? Because before that wasn't it just ballon tires that were available?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Drummerboy1975 said:


> I have a question for you Repack. In the early days, when and where did y'all find 26" mb tires? I guess what I'm asking is, when did actual mb tires come out? Because before that wasn't it just ballon tires that were available?


Uniroyal "Nobby" [sic] were on the first Ritcheys because that was all that was available. $3, five or six pounds, indestructible. Alloy rims replaced steel in 1979, but tires lagged behind.

First light tire on the market was the Mitsuboshi "Cruiser Mitt," with a street tread. CyclePro brought out the "Snakebelly" around 1980, a light tire with a dirt tread, designed for BMX 26" racing and not very tough in any environment that included rocks.

In 1981 Specialized brought out their first product for the off-road market, the Stumpjumper tire. Within another year or so there were several more tires on the market.

Here is the first ad for the Stumpjumper tire, which ran in the Fat Tire Flyer. Before bringing out this tire, Specialized was a small importing company supplying wholesale parts to bike shops, including a rented garage where a couple of hippies were turning out unusual bikes. In 1980 most cyclists had never heard of the company.

Specialized had no ad department to provide ad copy and we wanted their money, so we mocked up the ad by having our house artist draw the tire and added the copy with the old fashioned press-on letters.


----------



## Drummerboy1975 (Nov 24, 2011)

Oh ok, interesting. Thank you!


----------



## Drummerboy1975 (Nov 24, 2011)

So Specialized made tires before they made bikes?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

Drummerboy1975 said:


> So Specialized made tires before they made bikes?


Yes. The way they got into the bike business was by purchasing four Ritchey bikes from Gary and me, ostensibly because the guys at the warehouse wanted them. The bikes were sent to Japan with an order for a whole bunch more "just like this." These bikes had an ironic label that said "Designed by Tim Neenan." Sure.

The other early entry into the mass market MTB game was Univega, whose "Alpina Sport" was "designed" by a Ritchey owner.

Of course, Specialized was just the first of many. For the first four or five years that MTBs were mass produced, the "design" was to make bikes just like ours.

Allow me to direct your attention to klunkerz.com.


----------



## Drummerboy1975 (Nov 24, 2011)

Cool, thanks Mr. Kelly!


----------



## surfoverhill (Feb 8, 2008)

Love the history, Thank you.


----------



## breezin (Nov 10, 2007)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Cool bike. Steve told me he built that while apprenticing under Joe.
> 
> I might guess that that's Joe Breeze in that photo rather than Steve as I think Steve's a little taller and that bike looks smaller than Steve's.... and those chops that you can barely see there...  Maybe Joe can confirm or deny.


True fact, my friend: Those are my chops.

Joe


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

From out of nowhere I get an email from Ed Smith, who includes some old shots from Repack races. Looking at them it seems to me that these were shot at multiple races, at least one in 1978 because it includes a Series I Breezer. The photos are stunning and never seen by me before this. 

Riders are (Joe Breeze's mentor) Marc Vendetti, Eric Fletcher (killed in 1978 in an auto accident), Jerry Heidenreich and Fred Wolf on a Breezer. Jerry is also an original Breezer owner, but he isn't riding one in the photo.


----------



## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Wow! Some quality shots there Charlie. Thanks for posting! I love them! So the order you listed is top to bottom?

edit: nm, I see the Breezer on the bottom.


----------



## ssulljm (Sep 3, 2006)

I'm diggin the , what looks to be, a Protog cycling cap on the 1st riders noggin........CK looks to have the "I just burned+pillaged the village behind me,on my way to slay some lions" look in his eyes....


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

ssulljm said:


> CK looks to have the "I just burned+pillaged the village behind me, on my way to slay some lions" look in his eyes....


I'm not in the photo. The fourth rider is Fred Wolf.


----------



## ssulljm (Sep 3, 2006)

Repack Rider said:


> I'm not in the photo. The fourth rider is Fred Wolf.


OK, Now I know I'm bumping my reading glasses over the +300 threshold


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

awesome pics!

the first 2 are the corner just above this?


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

hollister said:


> the first 2 are the corner just above this?


t

Correct. Check out the footwear. Do you sense a theme?


----------



## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Always nice to see JB smiling like a kid!


----------



## Oldfatbaldguy (Nov 4, 2010)

Never been to Marin county, but I have been riding bikes off-road for a while. One of the things that always moves me is how photos can illustrate things one might never see otherwise. I was enjoying the comparo of the same scene, 35 years apart...little shrub becomes small tree...

That first pic of the bike layed way over, "drifting" is past awesome


----------



## nightshade_rider (Apr 18, 2007)

Great photos SeeKay ... Marc Vendetti is absolutely styling through that corner ... focused yet relaxed ... textbook.

Hey SeeKay, how about this photo you published in the '81 MountainBikes catalog? My first glimpse of a mountain bike from 3000 miles away. The hill seemed so impossibly steep...

Any info on the photo .. rider / bike / location (Geronimo Ridge?)


----------



## Repack Rider (Oct 22, 2005)

nightshade_rider said:


> Any info on the photo .. rider / bike / location (Geronimo Ridge?)


The rider is Fred Wolf, on a Series I Breezer. The hill in the background is White's Hill, which puts him in Tamarancho on a road no longer open to bikes.


----------



## FisherCaliber (Apr 1, 2010)

Thanks for posting Charlie!!

It's always great to see pics of the founding fathers


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Repack Rider said:


> From out of nowhere I get an email from Ed Smith, who includes some old shots from Repack races. Looking at them it seems to me that these were shot at multiple races, at least one in 1978 because it includes a Series I Breezer. The photos are stunning and never seen by me before this.
> 
> Riders are (Joe Breeze's mentor) Marc Vendetti, Eric Fletcher (killed in 1978 in an auto accident), Jerry Heidenreich and Fred Wolf on a Breezer. Jerry is also an original Breezer owner, but he isn't riding one in the photo.


Vendetti drifting it that flat is killer. Awesome style points!

Very cool of Ed to bring in those old photos and for you to scan and get them posted. Good stuff!


----------



## kumachan (Mar 24, 2012)

Thanks for posting all these great photos!


----------



## ATBScott (Jun 4, 2006)

Yes, that helmet is a Skid Lid - pretty sure that is me. There were a few of us there wearing Skid Lids that drove up from San Diego... We had a great time. I came in 20th overall, and didn't get to pre-ride the course (don't think that many people did...) Pretty much everyone was on a rigid bike and there were a few 'experimental' suspension designs there. That was a wild weekend. I got 3rd overall in the Trials, 20th in the DH, and the altitude just killed me the last day on the Sierra 7500. Maybe finished mid-pack and best, but still had a great time. Went back to do the 7500 again a couple of years later. Great pic, whoever took it. Brings back great memories...


----------



## breezin (Nov 10, 2007)

*Guys in Four-Photo Sequence*

Up this thread a few posts is a sequence of four photos. I recently discovered the name of top rider (really crankin' it over). It's Berkeley Trailers Union rider, Duncan McCoy (not Marc Vendetti). While I'm at it, the rider ID'd as Jerry Heidenreich is actually Matt Hansen. Many moons ago...


----------

