Rolling Dinosaur Archive (RDA)
Photos by Wende Cragg and Larry Cragg. Chronicling the birth of mountain biking in Marin and beyond from 1975 to 1981
A01• Head badge on Wende Cragg’s 1940 Schwinn “Excelsior-type” bike, her ride from 1977 to 1978.
A02• Head badges and other old bike paraphernalia belonging to Joe Breeze, 1978.
A03• Breezer head badge made by Dave Sigman for his Breezer, #14 of the second batch, 1980. Dave helped Joe Breeze with this Breezer frame in partial trade for the frame. The profile is of Mt. Tamalpais.
A03.8• Wende Cragg’s 1940 Schwinn “Excelsior-type” bike, the state of the art at the time. Note Alan Bonds’ winged wheel on the seat tube.
A04• Wende Cragg’s 1940 Schwinn “Excelsior-type” bike, the state of the art at the time. Note Alan Bonds’ winged wheel on the seat tube.
A05• “Hood” ornament on Marc Vendetti’s Schwinn Panther. Larkspur Parade, July 4, 1978.
A06• Frame paint archeology. Joe Breeze’s 1937 Schwinn Excelsior X had been painted four or five times before he found it in a Sacramento Valley junkyard in 1974. He carefully scraped through to the original ivory on blue spears. This bike sports Breezer #1’s front fork for a Repack test. Fall, 1977.
A07• Joe Breeze’s 1937 Schwinn Excelsior with fork for Breezer #1, top of Repack, Fairfax, CA. Fall, 1977. Side view.
A08• Joe Breeze’s 1937 Schwinn Excelsior after Chris McManus smacked an Aspen tree. Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
A09• Joe Breeze’s Breezer #1 at the bottom of Repack, 1977. This was the first purpose-built chrome-moly mountain bike frame built up with all-new components. Breeze built ten with the conspicuous twin-lateral tubes. Weight: 38 lbs. with steel rims and UniRoyal tires. Paint is red primer.
A10• Nine Series 1 Breezer frames ready to be nickel plated. With Breeze’s own Breezer #1 that made ten frames with the conspicuous “twin laterals.” May, 1978.
A11• Three Breezers at cabin in Mineral King, Sequoia National Forest (now in Sequoia National Park), California, September 1978.
A12• Larry Cragg’s Breezer (Ser. #: 8.12) at Tamarancho Boy Scout Camp, Fairfax, CA, March 1979. Best shot of completely original Breezer.
A13• Breezer #1 (Ser. #: JBX1), Crested Butte, CO, September 1979. Built and ridden by Joe Breeze in Mill Valley, CA, September 1977. Now in Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
A14• Michael Castelli’s Jeffrey Richman bike, Crested Butte, CO, September 1979. Built in Santa Rosa, CA, late 1978 or 1979.
A15• Lawwill-Knight Pro Cruiser, Crested Butte, CO, September 1979. Built in Oakland, CA.
A16• Cook Brothers bike, Crested Butte, CO, September 1979. Built in Santa Ana, CA. Owned by Chris Carroll of Crested Butte, CO.
A18• In the beginning of 1979 Tom Ritchey built three frames: one for Gary Fisher, one for himself, and an extra one to sell. The latter is shown here. It was sold to James Macway of Marin. Later in the year Ritchey built nine more. They became the catalyst for MountainBikes, the company formed by Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly. Ritchey built about 25 more frames that year and by 1982 he had made about 750 frames. MountainBikes sold the completed bikes for $1400 retail. By 1980, with the new aluminum rims and skin-wall tires Ritchey MountainBikes (and Breezers) weighed about 31 lbs. At Oh-Be-Joyful cabin, above Crested Butte.
A17.6• 1980 Ritchey/MountainBikes, Crested Butte, CO, September 1980. Crested Butte in background.
A19• In early 1979 Gary Fisher asked Tom Ritchey to build him a balloon-tire frame. Tom built three, one for Fisher, one for himself, and one to sell. Fisher later sold the third frame, and then decided he could sell more. With friend Charlie Kelly, he formed “Mountain Bikes” in September 1979. The bike pictured is Gary Fisher’s. At Pearl Pass with Castle Peak beyond.
A19.1• Gary Fisher’s 1979 Ritchey MountainBike at Pearl Pass with Castle Peak beyond.
A17.1• Ritchey bike (labeled “T. Ritchey”), built for Gary Fisher. Shown at Crested Butte, CO, September 1979. This is one of the first three ballooners built by Tom Ritchey in Palo Alto, CA in March 1979.
A20• Line up of Breezers above Crested Butte, Colorado at Cumberland Basin camp, Fifth Annual Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1980.
A20.1• Line up of Breezers above Crested Butte, Colorado at Cumberland Basin, September 1980.
A20.2• Line up of Breezers at Cumberland Basin, September 1980. Front-on shot.
A20.3• Line up of Breezers above Crested Butte, Colorado at Cumberland Basin camp, Fifth Annual Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1980.
A20.5• Joe Breeze’s nickel-plated 1980 Series 2 Breezer in a tree near San Rafael Reef, Utah. Shot on way to Crested Butte for the “Pearl Pass Klunker Tour,” September 1980.
A20.7• MountainBikes built up a Ritchey frame with specially gold anodized aluminum parts including Campagnolo Record cranks and custom-made sealed bearing derailleur cable rollers.
A21• Bikes strewn across top of Sea Tunnel Rock at head of Bear Valley. Joe Breeze’s 1980 Breezer in foreground. Lots of Panaracer Snakebelly tires.
