Gary Fisher

For the Scottish footballer, see Gary Fisher (footballer). For other people, see Gary Fischer (disambiguation).
Gary Fisher in 2011

Gary Christopher Fisher (born November 5, 1950) is considered one of the inventors of the modern mountain bike.[1]

Fisher started competing in road and track races at age 12. He was suspended in 1968 because race organizers cited a rule that his hair was too long.[2] By 1972 this rule had been repealed and Fisher's career continued. He won the TransAlp race in Europe and a Masters XC national title.

Fisher went to work in 1974 on his 1930s Schwinn Excelsior X Bicycle. His innovations to the model included drum brakes, motorcycle brake levers and cables, and triple chain–rings, all taken from "junkers" Fisher found at bike shops. The next year, Fisher participated in the Repack downhill race, promoted by his roommate Charlie Kelly. This used a tortuous downhill route on Pine Mountain near Fairfax, California, just north of San Francisco, in which riders used their coaster brakes so much that they had to repack the smoking hubs with grease after every run. Fisher holds the record time on the Repack course at 4:22.[3][4]

Gary Fisher speaks about his role as a pioneer in the sport of mountain biking in two video documentaries: Full Cycle: A World Odyssey (1994)[5] and Klunkerz (2007).[6] Original clips of Fisher on his mountain bike appear in both documentaries.

  1. ^ Gary Fisher: Máme tu další cyklorevoluci
  2. ^ "The Gary Fisher Story | Gary Fisher Bicycles". Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Klunking". Evening Magazine.
  4. ^ Berto, Frank J. (2008). The Birth of Dirt, 2nd Edition. Cycle Publishing/Van der Plas Publications. ISBN 978-1-892495-61-7. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  5. ^ File:Gary Fisher Charlie Kelly Jacquie Phelan 1994.jpg
  6. ^ "klunkerz.com (Welcome)". klunkerz.com. Retrieved August 22, 2016./