I do find the need to post an Avatar and ongoing name check a bit weird.

Rachel

How many stw members does it take to start an argument?

What size argument would you like?

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Alright, enough. Play nicely or don’t play, one page of discussion to four pages of bickering is not an acceptable ratio.

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I don’t think for a second that CK is here to boost his own ego. For that all he needs to do is look out of the window to see copies of the bikes he helped bring to existence. Bikes that can be seen on virtually any street in the world. He is simply a born communicator who is passionate about mountain biking. Though after all these years of hearing how everyone who rode across a field pre 1979, invented the mountain bike, must be pretty tiring.

He is unashamedly here to promote his new book, and I for one don’t have a problem with that. Especially in a forum frequented by fellow mountain bike enthusiasts.

I’m personally not interested on who is or is not a troll, or whether people prefer to use avatars. However the pre-history of mountain biking is long and fascinating and well worth discussing.

The history of the invention and development of triple chain-rings, cantilever Brakes, fat tyres, and large capacity derailleurs, should all be included in any comprehensive history of mountain bike development.

And there is also the involvement of US pioneer John Finley Scott, who made a bike in 1953 that was very close in design to the later mountain bikes. He called it his “Woodsie” bike after the purpose built English(woodsie)rough-stuff bikes that inspired him. He also owned English style rough-stuff bikes and helped fund the start-up costs of CK’s Mountainbikes company.

I’m going to buy that book.

All I know is that you could not go into a shop and buy a mountain bike before the late 80s. What was being done before was not what we would call mountain biking. I was on a group ride with Geoff Apps back in the day, and what he was into was not what we were into. Both was riding bikes off road, but only one was mountain biking. We all looked to California. Call it marketing if you like, it doesn’t change the fact.

Tom the word hero was used by neal and then Njee so why are you criticising me for it’s use in a post not aimed at you?

Can we be clear, I commented on Tom’s post, I certainly didn’t call Charlie my hero. Big word to band around, and not one I’d apply to anyone from cycling.

llama – Member

I’m going to buy that book.

“I was on a group ride with Geoff Apps back in the day, and what he was into was not what we were into. Both was riding bikes off road, but only one was mountain biking. We all looked to California. Call it marketing if you like, it doesn’t change the fact.”

My understanding is that the American mountain bike pioneers were into a wide range of riding types. Everything from Downhill and Cyclocross to off-road cycle touring?

Out of interest, how did Geoff’s group ride differ from your own idea of mountain biking?

Tom the word hero was used by neal and then Njee so why are you criticising me for it’s use in a post not aimed at you?

Just to be clear, I did use the word hero, in inverted commas, to try and describe a type of feeling.

I was not saying that I thought CK was a hero. Or that he was “my hero”

How many stw members does it take to start an argument?

I’m going for 1, though I might be overestimating

Here we go again. 😯
I’m happy to know CK and you can’t ague about his CV.
Wiki ‘Legit’ and you’ll find CK. He is, absolutely, the ‘hero’
of my movie. BTW: I’ve still got lots of copies of Klunkerz. It
would make a very nice companion to CK’s excellent new book,
if you go in for that sort of thing.
Ride on

I thought CK was Chris King….

Was that the wrong thing to say?

We’re not asking the really important question here- who first said “stoked”?

I one rode in race that Gary Fisher was in and was dumb struck just when I wanted to say something profound and meaningful that would convey my gratitude for making this sport.
Bastard was too fast for my slow wit…

Anyway thanks CK will pop book on my Xmas list

Good question Northwind. I want proof though, not just a wikipedia entry or a homemade website or some other shit. Proper, documented evidence. Like a doctors note.

Northwind – Member

We’re not asking the really important question here- who first said “stoked”?

I’m going for Thomas Savery, although Newcomen and his mates will be along soon to say that Savery’s wasn’t a real steam engine at all…….

Battle of Thermopylae, 480BC

I invented the hummus, beetroot and lime pickle sandwich. Fact.

I recently invented the Burnley Blunderbuss.
About an hour ago, in fact.

It’s a long overdue update of the Camberwell Carrot.

But it’s from Burnley.
And it’s shaped like a blunderbuss.

if it is still burning I am on my way 😯

I’m in the garage.
I can’t find the door.
Bring food.

I have, however, found a copy of this:

and a copy of this:

I don’t know whether to fix my bike or fall off it.
🙂

Bit of weird ‘lolish’ moment… I mentioned that top book not more than a few hours ago. To wit, I was actually pointing out how cool JS appeared in the pics as opposed to Brant with his poncy college haircut. It was obviously with reference to my earlier engagement with the quiffy chap on the other thread.

Only joking, Brant. The hair a man doth not make. Or something…

Blimey, just come back to my thread. It’s taken a few twists and turns hasn’t it!

I’m sorry but didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the bike as the shop was closed when we had to leave yosemite first thing yesterday. If you want to see it, it is hanging over the desk in the shop, one odd feature it had was a caliper brake mounted under the chainstays (sort of like the aero position)

In terms of riding or hiring I didn’t get a chance as with a work colleague who is decidedly bored of listening to me whitter on about bikes. I was told the 007 trail was the one to do in the area. Something like a 20mile descent!

When I go back I’ll ride that and a roadie up to glacier point which was absolutely fantastic.

Other cool stuff I’ve done – woke up early this morning for a sun rise run along cambria beach and saw dolphins. Just arrived in Monterey after driving up big sur. saw loads of elephant seals up close and a big group of whales off the coast. Some sort of organised ride going south on the road which I’ll be looking up later. Probably for charity as a girl was in a super girl outfit. Respect as some serous climbing, some of them looked a little out of shape too.

This place is great. I’ve got no idea if Rik was telling fibs or not, but he had no reason too and seemed super genuine, it sounded like there we many people involved in the birth of the sport. I say thanks to all of them.

DT78 – Member
Blimey, just come back to my thread….

I’ll sum it up for you, but first –

Can you prove you were the person who started this thread? Other people were starting threads long before this one. The Sumerians were writing on clay tablets, blah, blah, and my grandpa fought in the Crimea. 😆

chapeau 😆

Sounds like a pretty cool work trip DT78, a little mtb history, great scenery, dolphins and a biking super girl.. beats my work trip to Basingstoke 😐

Can you prove you were the person who started this thread?

I think you will find he has kept records, taken photos , in the middle of writing the book and the t shirt is being printed as we speak.

But he does not claim to be the first person to meet a mountain bike founder or to be the first to modify a founder to suit mountain biking or even to have built the first mountain bike founder, but did invent the phrase mountain bike founder despite a previous incarnation called a mountain bicycling founder .

He then went on to start a commercial venture building mountain bike founders which was used as a blueprint by a much larger founder company who ran with it.

one odd feature it had was a caliper brake mounted under the chainstays

My first Specialized Rockhopper had that. Probably fine in California, utter pants in Northumberland!

Lol @chip and epicyclo

Yes a very cool work trip. Though I imagine amazingstoke is a close second.

I want to live here now. Back home on Thursday 🙁

On the plus side I get to ride my bike, see my lovely wife and eat some vegetables.

I one rode in race that Gary Fisher was in and was dumb struck just when I wanted to say something profound and meaningful that would convey my gratitude for making this sport.

Same happened to me at Mountain Mayhem, Gary began the conversation with “Rider on the Left”

I love lime pickle. My mouth actually floods with saliva at the thought of it. Mmmm

Don’t like bananas though.

Where am I?

When I worked as a professional cyclist in that there Londinium, I was absolutely gutted when a collegue, whilst sat outside at Bar Italia had some bearded quirky guy, quizzing him about his work bike, and offering advice. Turns out it was Gary Fisher, I’m still jealous.

DT78

Sounds like a cracking way to spend some time and cool as **** to boot 🙂

Charlie Kelly I would love to know what your most ridden bike is these days ?

1189 AD. A Thursday. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem opens in Nottingham. By the Saturday night it has its first resident bore.

Cause and effect.

I shared an adventure with Gary, Joe and Tom that changed the world.

By the way, that is my favourite quote on here.

Only in America could someone trot that out with a straight face.

Read that quote again with this picture in mind.

Apologies for my lateness to this thread, but it cannot be passed up.

Think CK may have founded the Soap Box racer industry too(Before Redbull jumped on it), judging from this pic

We were pretty excited to meet Joe Breeze this week. We’d just ridden Repack Road (it’s pretty amazing how quickly they rode down there on the bikes they did). We popped into the bike shop in Fairfax, I then suggested looking at the Marin Museum of Bicycling (even though I knew it hadn’t opened yet). We were just leaving when a guy building the legacy wall outside asked my partner about his Jones bike. After mentioning we’d just ridden Repack, he introduced himself as Joe Breeze. Riding Repack and then meeting one of the pioneers of the sport made for a pretty memorable day.

Me and my mate ‘Cokey’ rode our MK1 Grifters all around Todmorden hills and raced each other down big hills in 1976.

It was going on all over. We all converted bikes to ride off road at that time with cowhorns and the like.

Funny how people claim to be the ‘Founders’ of something that just evolved.

Good luck with the book sales though

To be fair to CK he didn’t claim to invent mountain biking in that way, just mountain bike racing, in an official, organised, recorded way.