WENDE CRAGG
Charlie Kelly demos Marin’s newest sport while exiting Repack’s ‘camera corner’ in 1977.
Joe Breeze, center right, gives a wave as he and several of Marin’s mountain biking pioneers celebrate the opening of ‘From Repack to Rwanda.’
PROVENANCE OF THE SFO MOUNTAIN BIKE SHOW
WENDE CRAGG
‘Restlessness such as ours, success such as ours, striving such as ours, do not make for beauty. Other things must come first, good cookery, cottages that are home, not playthings; gardens, repose.’ —Willa Cather, 1924
Kelly and Breeze survey their course, 10,000 feet high in the Sequoia National Forest, 1978.
Charlie Cunningham Cunningham, leaning on truck truck, loo looks on as Japanese bike manufacturers check out his Bobtail #14 when they visited his Fairfax bike shop in 1980.
focusing on “the origins, evolution and global reach of the mountain bike.” Builder-pioneer Joe Breeze—who made the world’s first custom ballooner bikes in 1977—expanded his unparalleled biker know-how to become “guest curator” of the exhibition; he helped the exhibit officials with every detail of the two dozen examples of the shift from “klunker” to high-tech back to utility/low tech, with the Rwandan mobility project spearheaded by Tom Ritchey, a seminal pioneering frame-maker. The SFO museum is the only airport space accredited by the American Association of Museums in our country. This means it rigorously adheres to best practices and protocols in the handling of the objects. It
also happens to be open 24 hours a day, and never has to worry about kiosks, turnstiles, tickets, etc. The SFO museum at the airport’s sparkling new international terminal was given a mandate from city officials to focus on subjects unique to the region, things that really spelled “Northern California” to an international traveler. According to Tim O’Brien, one of the show’s curators, mountain bikes were an obvious choice. And no matter where you claim mountain biking started—the debate ranges from Marin to SoCal, to Utah, Colorado and Massachusetts—just take a bike, put it on dirt, add a few other bikers and a scene will erupt—it’s an eternal truth. <
Never before has such a star-studded cast of historic mountain bikes been assembled. Nothing close to it. I’ve highlighted the bikes with provenance—specific bikes either ridden by makers of mountain bike history or a specific bike involved in a moment in the history. I was especially pleased that we were able get Rudy Contratti’s 1941 Schwinn Admiral. It is spit-shine new, as if it were snatched from the showroom floor of a 1940-era bike shop floor. This bike is displayed next to our strippeddown Mt.Tam klunkers. All three frames are identical, so someone might just be able to see the resemblance between our shredded bombers and the sparkling Christmas dream of so many children from way back when. Wonderful to have Ritchey’s #1.The SFO show was in planning from 2010. At that time I was going to show Breezer #1, but in March it went off to live out its life at the Smithsonian. It would have been lovely to have these two bikes side by side once again. I personally assembled a lot of these bikes when they came in from around the country. As you can imagine, there was a lot of concern about the handling of their babies.The level of detailing on Wes Williams’Willits Mountie was astonishing. Some, like Mark Janike’s Trailmaster, needed lots of help to get them back to their proper vintage. I looked through my vintage parts and got it right.The only
TA inner-chain ring I was able to find was my first worn chain ring off Breezer #1. So my first Breezer is, after all, represented in the show (hadn’t thought of that until this moment!). Some, like Tasshi Dennis’ 1983 Salsa, were in untouched original condition.This bike was built for Ross Shafer’s (ex) wife Colleen. Apparently she didn’t ride it much and left it absolutely untouched for all these years. Restored bikes lack a certain grime that is impossible to duplicate.This bike is the real time capsule. Mert Lawwill has three Fisher RS-1 bikes, so between them we were able to piece together a fine example. The Kestrel Nitro was the most difficult to find. It was a must, because when it first appeared at the Long Beach trade show in 1988, it turned heads in a big way.The Nitro never saw production, but it set the tone for full-suspension and carbon monocoque design.There is but ONE Nitro. But where was it? Since Kestrel has, since 2007, been owned by Advanced Sports (the Breezer brand owner since 2008), you’d think I’d have the inside track on this bike. Kestrel HQ had no idea. I stumbled upon it only when I received the bike list from the de Saisset Museum [exhibit]. Oh jeez, conflicting date! SFO was committed to the BEST historic mountain bike display ever and chose to push back the opening to summer 2012 to avoid the conflict. —Joe Breeze
The mountain bike goes international this season at SFO. NOVEMBER 9 - NOVEMBER 15, 2012 PACIFIC SUN 13