Douglas Bradbury
in 1994
- 1951- Born in West Los Angeles
- 1956- First Sting Ray
- 1960-Built first “downhill” skateboard
- 1961- Put a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine on a Schwinn Cruiser.
- 1965- First motorcycle, a Honda 90
- 1969- Graduate from Hamilton High, Los Angeles. Fail most classes except Industrial Arts & Auto Shop.
- 1969- Compound fractures in arm and leg from desert racing
- 1970- Lose front teeth desert racing. Quit desert racing.
- 1971-1973- Motocross racing, California. Want to stay alive, so quit motocross.
- 1973- Start riding Observed Trials on a Bultaco motorcycle.
- 1974-1976- Travel on the Observed Trials National Circuit with top-ten placing.
- 1975- Move to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- 1976- Win “Ute Cup” Trials in Colorado. I finally get a win!
- 1976-1980- Ride Enduros and ISDT two-day Qualifiers Series. Quit to stay alive once again.
- 1982- Witness idiots on bicycles going over Pearl Pass while on a motorcycle ride.
- 1984- Attempt first mountain bike ride. Quit that to stay alive. I return to motorcycles.
- 1985- Can’t resist, buy a Ross “Mt. Whitney”
- 1985- After crashing more on the bicycle than motorcycle, decide to build a mountain bike that works. Manitou Mountain Bikes is born.
- 1987-1989- Barely make a living building mountain bike frames, straight blade forks, stems, 115mm front hubs and 145mm asymmetrical rear hubs.
- 1990- Build first Manitou suspension fork. Tomac wants one, so take one to Tomac and get two speeding tickets and loose license.
- 1990- Build first Easton prototype aluminum frame.
- 1991- Anaheim Trade Show, sell out year’s production in one day!
- 1992-1997- License Manitou products to Answer Products. Design 5 models of suspension forks, Three versions of the hard tail and two versions of the full-suspension frame. Obtain five patents.
- 1994- Inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.