Table of Contents
Alan Bonds
Winner of the first Repack race. Builder extraordinaire of the first clunkers.
Alan’s involvement with the Klunkerz scene really started rolling when he moved into a house with Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly in the Summer of 1976. It was under that roof that Alan perfected the craft of building Marin-style Klunkerz on those old Schwinn Excelsior frames. As Gary and Charlie will attest, it was Alan who really got into building up these bikes for others to purchase and ride. Marin Museum of Bicycling https://mmbhof.org/alan-bonds/
See sonic.net/~ckelly for a gallery of Alan's clunkers.
Alan Bonds sonic.net/~ckelly
John Borzini
John Borzini, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Kent Bostick
A member of Velo Club Tamalpais and one time housemate with Charlie Kelly, Kent went on to become a pro road racer, a three time national champion and competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. See wikipedia.
Kent Bostick , photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Erik Bredt
Erik Bredt, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Joe Breeze
Creator of the first successful mountain bike. Winner of ten Repack races. Curator of the Marin Museum of Bicycling.
Breeze attributes his successes with mountain biking to his passion for bicycling, evident in his oft-quoted line, “We were just havin’ fun.” Marin Museum of Bicycling https://mmbhof.org/joe-breeze/
Joe Breeze, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Bob Burrowes
A San Francisco firefighter, who lived near Charlie and Gary, raced in 13 Repacks, with one win.
Bob Burrowes, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Larry Cragg
Along with Wende Cragg, Larry photographed much of mountain biking's earliest moments.
Early on, Larry and Wende managed to unlock a gate crossing Repack, making the downhill easier to ride.
It was on the Coast Trail, that we spotted the ring of keys. We grabbed them, not really thinking too much about what they might open. As it happened, the ring contained a master key that opened the Repack gate. Having the gate open gave riders the psychological advantage of not having to guesstimate its location or having to dismount, which took several seconds off everyone’s clocked time. Wende Cragg, collectorsweekly
Larry Cragg, at the top of Repack, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Wende Cragg
Constant photographer of all of mountain biking's earliest moments. Fastest woman down Repack.
Wende’s stories of epic rides are entertaining and universal. Her treasury of slides and photos, many of which she shares with the Hall of Fame Museum, tell stories of their own about both rides and riders. Marin Museum of Bicycling https://mmbhof.org/wende-cragg/
Wende Cragg
localmatters.org
Donna Degan
Donna Degan, photo by Wende Cragg
mmbhof
Les Degan
Les Degan often used a clunker with a banana seat and seat struts, a style he often built copies of for his friends.
Les Degan, photo by Wende Cragg
mmbhof
Tim DuPertuis
Builder of Marin's first geared clunkers.
He built a geared clunker in 1972 using an old Schwinn cantilever frame with 24 x 2.25 inch wheels. Two months later, he sold the bike for $50 to help finance his trip to Europe and disappeared from the fat tire scene. Two years later, he came back and built another geared clunker. This bike had a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub with drum brakes. Frank J. Berto, The Birth of Dirt, page 23.
The pic at the right is Tim's 1974 geared clunker.
Tim DuPertuis
The Birth of Dirt (3rd ed.)
Gary Fisher
Holder of the Repack record. One the founding fathers of mountain bikes, he co-founded Kelly-Fisher MountainBikes, Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes and author of Being Gary Fisher and the Bicycle Revolution and has stayed active in promoting and developing the sport.
Gary Fisher, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Eric Fletcher
Died in a car crash in 1979.
Eric Fletcher, photo by Jerry Riboli, from 1996 Breezer catalog mtb-kataloge.de
Mark Green, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Otis Guy
Otis became the only person to race in Repack, (the first organized mountain bike race, winning once and posting the 3rd fastest time ever recorded), the first National Mountain Bike Championships in 1983 and the first World Mountain Bike Championships in 1990. Marin Museum of Bicycling https://mmbhof.org/otis-guy/
He also has his own successful brand of bicycles at http://www.otisguycycles.com/, runs a mt. bike camp for kids and is a founding member of the Marin Museum of Bicycling.
Otis Guy, photo by Larry Cragg mmbhof
Howie Hammerman
Often timed the Repack races and later worked for local San Anselmo resident George Lucas working on the original Star Wars series. See: imdb.
Howie Hammerman
mountainflyermagazine
Charlie Kelly
The central creator of mountain biking. Charlie organized the first mountain bike events, ordered the first mountain bikes to be built, founded the first successful mountain bike brand, brought together all of mountain biking's pioneers, founded NORBA, published the first MTB magazine, the Fat Tire Flyer, and author of numerous books, including Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking. See wikipedia and mmbhof.
Charlie Kelly, photo by Larry Cragg mmbhof
Chris Lang
Remains active in Fairfax politics and bike advocacy. Happens to live within 200 feet from the Repack finish line.
Chris Lang, photo by Jerry Riboli, from 1996 Breezer catalog mtb-kataloge.de
Mark Lindlow
Mark Lindlow, photo by Jerry Riboli, from 1996 Breezer catalog mtb-kataloge.de
Craig Mitchell
Arguably the first maker of the a purpose built mountain bike, just prior to Joe Breeze and Tom Ritchey. See timeline.
Craig Mitchell, photo by Jerry Riboli, from 1996 Breezer catalog mtb-kataloge.de
George Newman sonic.net/~ckelly
Jerry Riboli
A member of Velo Club Tamalpais, he often brought a medium format camera to events, capturing many early moments in hi-def, including the iconic 1977 Fairfax lineup, below.
No vintage pics exist of Jerry on a mountain bike. As a photographer, he would probably appreciate just to be shown practicing his craft.
Jerry Riboli riboli.com
Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Rob Stewart
Rob Stewart, photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof
Fred Wolf
Participated in 17 Repack races with one win.
Charlie Kelly and Wolf discovered the Repack course. When Repack racing began in 1976, Fred ferried racers to Azalea Hill with his one-ton flatbed truck, his dog Junior on the roof of the cab. Wolf brought fun to any ride, whether he was flying down a new hill or keying out a new wildflower. Marin Museum of Bicycling https://mmbhof.org/fred-wolf/
Fred Wolf attempted to use an internal three-speed hub with derailleur gears to achieve a super-low gear with extra-long cranks. The first time he applied the torque with his 210 pounds and another 50 pounds of bike, the tiny planetary cogs inside the hub exploded into dust. Very fine dust. Internal gearing was not going to cut it. Charlie Kelly, Fat Tire Flyer: Repack and the Birth of Mountain Biking, page 42.
Fred Wolf, photo probably by Wende Cragg localmatters.org
Mark Vendetti
Former full time road racer, member of Velo Club Tamalpais and the Larkspur Canyon Gang. Introduced mountain biking to Joe Breeze and Otis Guy. Founder and president of the Marin Museum of Bicycling. Inducted in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2009.
Mark Vendetti, minutes after causing a corner to be named “Vendetti's Face,” due to leaving some of his face on a tree.
Photo by Wende Cragg mmbhof