This is where I post vintage materials from the Mountain Bike Legacy Project, which primarily covers the years from 1970 to 1990.
There is no order here other that what I found in the files recently. I tried to collect every printed word about mountain biking before 1990, when it became impossible to keep up. Now I am happy to share it with anyone who finds the site.
Read more about the Mountain Bike Legacy Project by clicking on The Archive tab under About Charlie.
Suspension was an obvious thought as soon as mountain bikes became popular, but it took some doing for the first operational system to get on the market. First out were Dan Hannabrink’s Shocker and Brian Skinner’s Descender in 1984, both rear suspension systems. Skinner actually brought the descender to the final race in the Repack…
Looking back from the perspective of the 21st Century, there is no reasonable explanation for the fact that the Repack Downhill “clunker” race managed to take place for four years from 1976 to 1979.
I’m having this link sent to me from a number of directions, so I am acknowledging it here. It concerns one of the first off-road clubs. The Rough-Stuff Fellowship was English, similar to the Velo Cross Club Parisian in Paris during the early ‘fifties. I have had to defend myself for decades against accusations that…
The first mountain bike race I took part in outside of Marin County was the 1980 Reseda to the Sea race, promoted by victor Vincente of America. Victor had heard about us from the ad in BMX Plus! and sent us the invitation. John Finley Scott offered the use of his double-decker London bus for…
This was intended to be a club newsletter for a club that only met one time. after that it became the sole voice of mountain biking for six years, until major magazines jumped into the market. The 25 or so copies went to people who all knew each other, which made “news” a low priority….