Below is an in-progress summary of online collections of interest to anyone wishing to learn more about the history of mountain biking. If you have suggestions for links to add, please email me.

In-Progress Archive of Mountain Biking History & Culture

I have begun putting many of the materials I have collected in the course of my research online as part of a digital archive project. Many of the materials uploaded and the online exhibits were created as part of two classes at UC Davis. If you have materials you would like included, please email me.

Film and Photos on Mountain Biking

Evening Magazine Film on Klunking: The first aired video footage of mountain biking, Repack racing featured.

Klunkerz is a fantastic documentary about the emergence of mountain biking from the hills of Marin County made by Billy Savage.

Mountain Bike Roots, Gordon Bainbridge’s collection of mountain biking in the 1980s, along with some race results.

Gary Sprung, aka Gnurps, helped found IMBA, the International Mountain Bike Association advocacy organization, and amassed an impressive photograph collection of early mountain biking.

Stories of Mountain Biking

Charlie Kelly’s website on mountain biking: Full history of much of early mountain biking including: Repack, Pearl Pass, Fat Tire Flyer magazine, and much more.

Alan Bonds built many of the early clunkers, using his expertise in painting and bike mechanics to turn junkyard scraps into beautiful, rideable machines.

Mountain Biking Museums & Collections

Mountain Bike Hall of Fame located in Crested Butte, Colorado run by Don Cook and Kay Peterson-Cook.

MOMBATS, the Museum of Mountain Bike Art & Technology, is part of First Flight Bicycles in Statesville, North Carolina.

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame offers a growing wealth of information on bicycling history.

Old Mountain Bikes is dedicated to collecting information on early mountain biking and contains many early catalogs, with particular focus on the work of Tom Ritchey.

Collections of mountain bike catalogs can be found here and here (Trek Bikes only).

The Fat Tire Trading Post has an interesting collection of bicycling memorabilia, and is the remnants of an early mountain bike shop run by Chris Ioakimedes.

Early Bike Builders

Charlie Cunningham has a website maintained by a longtime admirer. Cunningham pioneered aluminum framebuilding for mountain biking long before anyone else would consider it. He is known for his close attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Joe Breeze made the first still-existing purpose-built mountain bike and founded Breezer Bikes.

Chris Chance helped fuel the mountain biking craze on the East Coast with his company, Fat Chance Cycles. Though he is no longer in the bike industry, his brand retains a loyal following.

Classic Rendezvous offers a wealth of information on bike builders across the generations, including many fine mountain bike frame builders.

Early Racers

Jacquie Phelan is one of the first female racers and the first person to put on mountain bike clinics through her organization, WOMBATS (Women on Mountain Bikes and Tea Society. She continues to ride and blog today.

Cindy Whitehead is an early female mountain bike racer.

Hans Rey pioneered trials riding and emerged from the cult of the Laguna Rads.

Mountain Biking Before It Was Mountain Biking

The riders of Marin county were far from the first to ride bicycles off-road. A few stories of Mountain Biking Pre-History can be found floating around.

General Bike History (Including more on Mountain Biking)

Howie Cohen amassed an impressive collection of bicycling memorabilia at Home of Everything Bicycles.

Joel Metz created an great online archive of early bicycling history, particularly around the Bay City Wheelman, courier racing in Paris, early cyclocross, Specialties TA, Jack Taylor Cycles, and Morgan and Wright tire manufacturers.